The early days of Topps Traded emphasized traded players (whatta shock) and free agents over rookies. It appears once Topps ditched multi-player rookie cards in '83, the call was made to add more rookies (Darryl Strawberry, anyone?) in the Traded set, after which the traded/free agent players merely got in the way while collectors tore through the boxes in search of those Joe Slusarski RCs.
Which may explain why Rich Gedman, the pride of Worcester, Mass., was ignored by Topps even though he was called up in May of '81 and played well enough to be named rookie of the year by The Sporting News (remember good ol' TSN?). Gedman went on to become a two-time all-star while replacing the enormous cleats of Carlton Fisk, who left for the White Sox as a free agent in '81.
Gedman's career, of course, was all but destroyed by collusion and injuries in 1987, and he was just kinda there the last few years of his career. These days, he's the hitting instructor for the Pawtucket Red Sox.
One other tidbit about Geddy: He was completely passed over in the 1977 draft and was signed by the Sox as a free agent that year. He has to be one of the better undrafted Americans in the draft era to make it with the Sox.
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