In The Cards: 1986 Edmonton Trappers

As a team, the Edmonton Trappers didn’t accomplish a great deal in 1986.

The Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL) squad went 68-73 in front of 229,682 fans at John Ducey Park that season, falling short of a postseason berth.

That said, the primary purpose of minor-league baseball teams has never been about winning championships. Player development and converting young athletes into Major League Baseball (MLB) talent has always been the underlying goal of these feeder squads. In that regard, this Trappers team had plenty of success stories.

White Lightning

When you look back at those postseason games from the early ’90s, it’s all there.

You can see the threat on the base paths, the ability to come up with timely hits and, of course, the wall-crashing catches in centre field.

Devon White was never the guy for the Toronto Blue Jays during their back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. But you cannot win championships without key contributors like White roaming the outfield and batting at the top of the order.

In the Cards: Ian’s All Stars

In a pre-internet world, baseball cards served as a fantasy baseball type of resource that connected fans with players.

They provided stats, factoids, interesting graphic designs and photos that ranged from fantastic to hilarious. On occasion, the packs of cardboard collectibles even provided mouth-scraping gum that was capable of losing flavour faster than a card in bike spokes could drop its value.

Of course, baseball cards are still around – they’re even available in mobile app form – but the popularity of the memorabilia is nowhere near what it was in the sports card boom of the 1990s and before that era.

Here at Alberta Dugout Stories, we love our collectibles, so we’ve decided to unveil a baseball card-themed All-Star Team!