John Stearns

John Hardin "Bad Dude" Stearns
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Born: August 21, 1951 in Denver, CO
Drafted: 1st round 1973 by the Philadelphia Phillies
Acquired: traded from the Phillies with Mac Scarce and Del Unser for Tug McGraw, Don Hahn, and Dave Schneck, December 1974
Departed: as a free agent, November 1984
Died: September 15, 2022 in Denver, CO

  

Gritty All-Star catcher whose career was abbreviated by injuries. At one time held the all-time NL record for stolen bases in a season by a catcher. He's pictured here on an autographed 1983 Fleer card. Other pieces from around 1980 are pictured below, as well as a card showing him as a minor-league manager. He died after a long battle with cancer at age 71.

      

  

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BATTING RECORD (team-leading totals in red)

YEAR CLUB     G   AB   R   H  2B 3B HR RBI   TB SB CS  SO  BB HBP SAC SF  OBP  SLG  AVG
=======================================================================================
1974 Phi NL   1    2   0   1   0  0  0   0    1  0  0   0   0   0   0  0 .500 .500 .500
1975 *METS*  59  169  25  32   5  1  3  10   48  4  1  15  17   2   3  2 .268 .284 .189
1976 *METS*  32  103  13  27   6  0  2  10   39  1  2  11  16   1   0  1 .364 .379 .262
1977 *METS* 139  431  52 108  25  1 12  55  171  9  8  76  77   7   1  4 .370 .397 .251
1978 *METS* 143  477  65 126  24  1 15  73  197 25 13  57  70   8   2  6 .364 .413 .264
1979 *METS* 155  538  58 131  29  2  9  66  191 15 15  57  52   4   3  5 .312 .355 .243
1980 *METS*  91  319  42  91  25  1  0  45  118  7  3  24  33   1   2  8 .346 .370 .285
1981 *METS*  80  273  25  74  12  1  1  24   91 12  2  17  24   0   7  1 .329 .333 .271
1982 *METS*  98  352  46 103  25  3  4  28  146 17  7  35  30   2   5  3 .349 .415 .293
1983 *METS*   4    0   2   0   0  0  0   0    0  0  0   0   0   0   0  0 ---- ---- ----
1984 *METS*   8   17   6   3   1  0  0   1    4  1  0   2   4   0   0  0 .333 .235 .176
=======================================================================================
METS TOTALS 809 2679 334 695 152 10 46 312 1005 91 51 294 323  25  23 30 .341 .375 .259
OTHER CLUBS   1    2   0   1   0  0  0   0    1  0  0   0   0   0   0  0 .500 .500 .500
=======================================================================================
CAREER TOTS 810 2681 334 696 152 10 46 312 1006 91 51 294 323  25  23 30 .341 .375 .260

season highlighted in blue denotes he was selected Rounding Third's Mets Hitter of the Year

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This is a list of the cards of this player that I had in my Mets collection before I transferred the ownership of said collection to another diligent and capable Mets fan. The cards that are listed in light gray print and struck through are cards that were sold for charity prior to my divestiture.  The cards listed in white text are the ones that still remained until that final deal.  Items listed in green I kept out of the deal, just so I'd have something to display in my office and den.  At the bottom and listed in orange text are cards that I picked up after the dealing was done, in order to maintain a certain continuity at this site; that is, so I'd have a card to show you at the top of the page, and maybe in the autographs and game-used areas.  If an orange card is struck through, it has also departed the collection.  I am still accepting donations, should you feel so moved.  Contact me by following this link: NYMHall.

1975 TCMA

1977 Topps

1979 Hostess

1979 Topps

1975 SSPC Mets #8
1975 TCMA International League All-Stars #7

1976 SSPC #546
1976 Topps #633

1977 Dairylea Mets Photo Album
1977 Topps #119

1978 Topps #334

1979 Hostess #124
1979 Topps #205 (Record Breaker)
1979 Topps #545

1980 Kellogg's

1983 Donruss Action All-Stars

1983 Fleer Star Stickers

1983 O-Pee-Chee

1980 Kellogg's #37
1980 Topps #76

1980s team-issued photo

1981 Donruss #35
1981 Fleer #317
1981 Topps #428
1981 Topps Scratch-Offs #96 (uncut panel; with Cesar Cedeno and Mike Schmidt)
1981 Topps Scratch-Offs #96 (uncut panel; with Dave Parker and Warren Cromartie)
1981 Topps Scratch-Offs #96 (uncut panel; with Mike Schmidt and Warren Cromartie)
1981 Topps Scratch-Offs #96 (uncut panel; with Bob Horner and Steve Henderson)
1981 Topps Stickers #194

1982 Donruss #434
1982 Fleer #537
1982 Fleer Stamps #89
1982 Mets Photo Album
1982 Topps #743

1983 Donruss #380
1983 Donruss Action All-Stars #25
1983 Fleer #556
1983 Fleer #556 (autographed)
1983 Fleer Star Stickers #234
1983 O-Pee-Chee #212
1983 O-Pee-Chee Stickers #264
1983 Topps #212
1983 Topps Stickers #264

1984 Fleer #598

1990 ProCards Knoxville Blue Jays #1259

1991 Line Drive AA #374
1991 Nobody Beats the Wiz Mets #378
1991 ProCards Knoxville Blue Jays #1784

2003 Grandstand
Binghamton Mets

2003 Grandstand Binghamton Mets #12

2004 Choice Norfolk Tides #32

2007 Choice Columbus Clippers #30

2009 SecureHorizons by UnitedHealthcare All-Time Norfolk/Tidewater Tides (blue deck, queen of diamonds)

2014 Topps 75th Anniversary Buybacks (1979 Topps #205)
2014 Topps 75th Anniversary Buybacks (1980 Topps #76)

2016 Topps 65th Anniversary Buybacks Blue Foil (1977 Topps #119)

2020 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-JS (autographed)

Other John Stearns memorabilia in my collection:

early 1980s team-issued glossy photo (signed by autopen)
two photographs with Rounding Third's friend Michelle Freed
2004 Durham Bulls program autographed by John and several of his Norfolk Tides players
autographed International League baseball
2013 Seattle Mariners game-issued jersey

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