Manufacturer: Fleer
Set: 1988 Fleer Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Ken Caminiti
Position/Team: 3rd Base for Astros
Card #: 441
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Values: See Pricing Table Below
Caminiti played with an intensity that few others could match. He was legendary for playing through injuries that would have sidelined most other players.
The “Snickers” Game: In 1996, Caminiti was suffering from severe dehydration and stomach illness before a game in Monterrey, Mexico. He received intravenous fluids in the locker room, ate a Snickers bar for energy, and then went out and hit two home runs and had 4 RBI.
The Cannon: He possessed one of the strongest and most accurate throwing arms of any third baseman in the modern era, making him a premier defender at the “hot corner.”
In 1996 while playing for the San Diego Padres, Caminiti had one of the best offensive seasons by a third baseman in history, winning the National League MVP award unanimously. Stats: .326 Average, 40 Home Runs, 130 RBI.
In a landmark 2002 Sports Illustrated article, Caminiti became the first high-profile player to admit to using performance-enhancing drugs. He claimed that steroids helped him recover from injuries and maintain his elite level of play, estimating that half of the league was doing the same. This interview effectively blew the lid off the “steroid era.”
Caminiti battled addiction to alcohol and cocaine for most of his adult life. Despite multiple attempts at rehab and pleas for help, he could not overcome his addiction. Ken Caminiti died on October 10, 2004, at the age of 41. The cause of death was acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine and opiates. It was a tragic end for a man who was immensely popular with teammates and fans for his grit and generosity, but who was ultimately consumed by his struggles off the field.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
➡️ See All 1988 Fleer Rookie Card Prices
Pricing chart includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
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