5 Baseball Cards Playing in the Shadows of Their Brothers

Jose can you see any that might be missing?

Today, Glenn Hoffman turns 66 years old. Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, you just know he was all the rage at Hoffman get-togethers, what with his status as a rising infield prospect in the Red Sox system.

Of course, that was before little brother Trevor started eating batters like Glenn for lunch in the major leagues.

Today’s message is brought to you in the spirit of that sibling rivalry that turned out to be completely one-sided, at least from the outside looking in.

Specifically, here are five cards of major leaguers who couldn’t quite live up to the lofty standards of their more accomplished baseball brothers.

1968 Topps Hank Allen (#426)

Hank Allen, who just passed away in late May of 2024 at the age of 83, was originally signed by the Phillies out of Wampum High School in Pennsylvania. If the combination of “Phillies” and “Wampum” sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve run across the Wampum Walloper during the course of your baseball fandom.

The Wampum Walloper was none other than Dick Allen, the late feared slugger, Rookie of the Year in 1964, and American League MVP in 1972.

Hank is Dick’s older brother, who never did make it to the big league Phillies, but who did spend parts of seven seasons, mostly with the Washington Senators. Allen hit .241, six home runs, 57 RBI, and 15 stolen bases while seeing time as an outfielder, infielder, and pinch hitter in 389 career appearances.

Hank Allen also made a bit of cardboard history, appearing alongside the great Rod Carew on a double-rookie rookie card in 1967 before grabbing his first solo card — above — in the 1968 Topps set.

Incidentally, a third Allen brother, young Ron, signed with the Phillies in 1964 and played 11 games for the 1972 St. Louis Cardinals.

1981 Topps Glenn Hoffman (#349)

Here’s our birthday boy, who was a constant companion among the first season of wax packs I opened, back in 1981. This Topps rookie card is pretty much how I always picture Hoffman when his name comes up…or even when his brother’s name comes up, which is far more often these days.

Glenn was a decent prospect, hitting close to .300 most years in the minors, showing a little pop, and playing the middle infield well enough that he looked like part of the Red Sox’s future.

And he was, for a little while, at least. After debuting in 1980, Hoffman played his way into the starting shortstop role at Fenway Park, holding down that position in both 1983 and 1984. But batting averages of .209 and .260, along with blah power numbers and few walks, coupled with a string of injuries, led to reduced playing time as the 1980s wore on.

His brother Trevor? Well, he once upon a time held a saves record or two, and was also a Cincinnati Red once upon a time.

1981 Fleer Rich Murray (#452)

A total of 15 players from Locke High School in Los Angeles were drafted by major league teams from 1969 through 2001. Of those, only four made it to the big leagues.

First up was Larry Demery, picked by the Pirates in 1972 and debuting in 1974.

Not too far behind was Darrell Jackson, selected by the Twins in 1973 and debuting for Minnesota in 1978.

And then came Rich Murray, whom the Giants drafted in 1975 and finally promoted to the big club in 1980. His 53-game debut produced a .216 batting average, four home runs, and 24 RBI, and it landed him some air time in the 1981 sets — that’s his Fleer rookie card up there.

Murray was back in the minors in 1981, 1982, and most of 1983, though he did make it into four midsummer games for the ‘83 Giants. After that, it was back to the bushes until he hung his spikes for good in 1985.

Now, moving on…

What’s that you say? You want to know who the fourth major leaguer from Locke High was? That’s pretty demanding of you. Sort of messed up my flow, too.

But alright, if you must know…

The fourth major leaguer from Locke High School, who was actually the second major leaguer from Locke High School, was Eddie Murray.

Nabbed by the Orioles in the third round of the 1973 draft — three rounds ahead of Jackson — E. Murray was in the big leagues by April of 1977.

Then he went on to do some other stuff. You could look it up. While you’re there, why don’t you see if he had a brother?

1984 Donruss Dave Sax (#519)

I’m about 30% certain this card shows Steve Sax in disguise, trying to hide from some rabid Dodger Stadium fangirl or from some diehard blowhard who was honked off about Saxie’s most recent gaffe at second base.

The official story, of course, is that this 1984 Donruss card pictures Dave Sax, Steve’s 16-month-older brother.

Get this, though — the Dodgers drafted Steve Sax in the ninth round of the 1978 draft in June…then signed “Dave” as an amateur free agent about ten days later. I definitely smell deep-fake, body-double shenanigans lurking in every corner of this situation.

Whatever.

The record book says that Dave Sax played parts of five years in the majors, hitting .267 with four home runs in exactly 162 games between the Dodgers and Red Sox.

Steve had a much more distinguished career until the shadow of Steve Blass fell over him. He also had a much more stately, if less inviting, 1984 Donruss baseball card.

1994 Topps Traded Stephen Larkin (#56)

So who, exactly, is the brother on this card?

We have Trenidad Hubbard, who brings Glenn Hubbard into consideration.

We have Jason Schmidt, so you know Mike is on the table.

And we have Larry Sutton — could he be hiding the curly hair of Don under that cap?

Nah,these guys are just red herrings, not actual siblings-of-the-stars.

Stephen Larkin, though, he’s the real deal.

Brother Barry’s Reds originally picked Stephen in the 40th round of the 1991 draft, but he went to college in Texas instead. And, wouldn’t you know it? The Texas Rangers drafted him in the 10th round in 1994.

That landed him on the star-studded, brother-suggestive 1994 Topps Prospects card you see above.

The Reds got their man in August of 1995, though, when they sent Craig Worthington to Arlington in exchange for Larkin and cash. Three short years later, he was on the Riverfront for his one and only big league game.

Stephen collected a single in one at-bat before being lifted for a pinch runner, but his one safety started a Reds rally that ended with an Aaron Boone three-run home run — and a 4-1 Cincy win.

—

Those are my bros of the day, but I’d like to hear about some of your favorite baseball siblings — especially where there’s a big fame disparity.

Who you got?

See you next week, and thanks for reading.

—Adam

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