1976 Topps #508 - Duane Kuiper

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• Duane Kuiper played for the Cleveland Indians and the San Francisco Giants from 1974-1985. He is better known now for his announcing with the San Francisco Giants. Duane is the only player with over 3,000 career at bats and only one career home run.
• Kuiper was drafted by the Indians in 1972. Duane had previously been drafted five times between 1968 and 1971 but never signed. He played in the minors from 1972-1974 and batted .310 for AAA Oklahoma City in 1974. Kuiper had a short stint with the Indians at the end of the 1974 season and batted .500 in 22 at bats.
• Duane spent the first two months of the 1975 season in the minors. He came up in early June and took over at second base. Kuiper batted .292 in 90 games in 1975. He had the best stolen base percentage of his career in 1975 when he stole 19 bases and was caught 18 times. Duane was usually thrown out more often than he was successful.
• Kuiper had four solid but powerless seasons for the Indians from 1976-1979. He batted .263 in 1976, .277 in 1977, .283 in 1978, and .255 in 1979 and played in at least 135 games in each of those seasons. Kuiper hit his only major league home run off of Steve Stone on August 25, 1977. He also is one of only three players to hit two bases-loaded triples in the same game (he did it in Yankee stadium on July 27, 1978).
• Duane was off to a good start in 1980 (.282 in 42 games) when he was injured on June 1. Kuiper missed the rest of the 1980 season and didn't get back into action until May of 1981. Duane batted .257 in 72 games in 1981 and was traded to the Giants for Ed Whitson after the season.
• In 1982 Kuiper was a pinch hitter and backup to Joe Morgan at 2B and batted .280 in 218 at bats. Duane batted .250 in 176 at bats in 1983 and .200 in 115 at bats in 1984.
• Kuiper was at the end of the line in 1985. After  making eight pinch hitting appearances (3 for 5) he was released on June 28. 
• Why Former Second Baseman Duane Kuiper Remains My Hero - July 2008 Baseball Digest.
• After his playing career Kuiper started broadcasting for the Giants. He started in radio and eventually was teamed with Mike Krukow to form the "Kruk and Kuip" team on Giants' television broadcasts. Duane has won five Emmy awards for his broadcasting work.
• Liked to face: Don Aase (.533 in 15 AB); Dick Tidrow (.526 in 19 AB); Francisco Barrios (.480 in 25 AB)
• Hated to face: Ken Kravec/Lary Sorenson (.105 in 19 AB); Jack Morris (.111 in 18 AB) 

Duane Kuiper and Mike Krukow bobblehead race. It would have been interesting to hear them "announce" the race.