1996 Leaf Signature Dave Magadan

Who is this? Boston Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan
What is this? An autographed card from the 1996 Leaf Signature set
Where'd I get it? A dealer at the local card show on Sunday
How much did it cost? I got it as part of a group of cards for $5


Why is this so special? Here's the second of three autographs I picked up at the card show on Sunday. (I was going to try to keep up as I acquired new ones in 2011, but the mailman brought 13 more Monday - I think I'm just going to get back to posting cards in the order they come up in my scans folder.)

Dave Magadan spent most of his career with the Mets. He was a pretty good player, but he was unlucky in a few respects. He followed Keith Hernandez, one of the most popular players in Mets history. Worse, he was a first baseman who didn't hit home runs.

Magadan did a couple of things very well, though. He got on base and he hit for average. In 701 games for the Mets, Magadan had a .391 on base percentage - that's the second best career mark in team history. His .292 batting average with the Mets is fifth best in the franchise's career lists.

After leaving the Mets, Magadan became a role player, moving around a lot. He spent one season in Chicago, where he hit .254 with a .360 on-base percentage in 78 games.

Magadan batted lefty but threw with his right arm, so I'm not sure if he's right- or left-handed. His autograph looks like it belongs to a stereotypical left-hander, though.