1992-93 marked the debut of Fleer Excel Baseball, the company’s minor league line. Excel lasted just four years before it was sent to the scrap heap. All four releases are fairly similar in makeup, with the debut release featuring just one insert set, All-Stars. 

The base set has 250 cards, and does feature some notable names. While there are only two Hall of Fame players (not including the one football Hall of Famer included in the checklist), Chipper Jones and Derek Jeter, there are plenty of others that had successful major league careers. That list includes Garret Anderson, Carlos Delgado, Jim Edmonds, Andy Pettitte and Manny Ramirez. And, of course, the best part is all of these guys pictured in their minor league uniforms. 

1992-93 Fleer Excel Baseball Box Break

Cards per pack: 14
Packs per box: 36
Price paid: $35

Shop for 1992-93 Fleer Excel boxes on eBay.

Pack 1 highlights:

Ugueth Urbina

Urbina was a very solid closer for a while in the majors. He even racked up 40 saves twice in his career, in 1999 & 2002.

Pack 2:

Frank Rodriguez

Pack 3:

Chipper Jones, Dmitri Young & Aaron Sele All-Stars (1:8 packs)

Pack 4:

Jeromy Burnitz, Pedro Martinez (no, not the HOF pitcher Pedro) & Doug Glanville

This Pedro Martinez did appear in 122 major league games, with a very respectable 3.97 ERA.

Pack 5:

Alex Gonzalez, Derek Lowe, Marty Cordova & Todd Jones

Pack 6:

Jonathan Nunnally & Darren Bragg

Pack 7:

Jim Edmonds & Troy O’Leary

Jim Edmonds is seen here limbering up to no doubt make another highlight reel catch in center field. 

Pack 8:

Carl Everett, Paul Byrd, Steve Karsay, Eduardo Perez & Raul Mondesi

Pack 9:

John Lynch & Bobby Jones

Pack 10:

Fernando Vina, Todd Van Poppel & Manny Ramirez

During the 1993 minor league season, Ramirez hit .333 with 31 home runs and 115 RBI. That was enough to earn him a major league call-up later in the year.

Pack 11:

Not much going on in this one

Pack 12:

Aaron Sele & Andy Pettitte

Pack 13:

Fernando Vina, Todd Van Poppel, Manny Ramirez & Carlos Delgado All-Stars (1:8 packs)

Van Poppel never did live up to the first round draft pick hype. He posted a 5.58 career ERA over parts of 11 seasons. 

Pack 14:

Garret Anderson, Edgar Alfonzo & James Baldwin

Pack 15:

Carlos Delgado

Pack 16:

Derek Jeter & Mike Hampton

You may have heard of Jeter, the sixth pick in the 1992 draft. He put together a fairly solid MLB career. Am I understating there?

Pack 17:

Double Brien Taylor

Pack 18:

Cliff Floyd, Mike Lieberthal & Alex Ochoa

Pack 19:

Calvin “Pokey” Reese, Rondell White, Jim Edmonds & Brent Gates All-Stars (1:8 packs)

Reese won consecutive Gold Glove Awards at shortstop in 1999 and 2000.

Pack 20:

Raul Mondesi & Carl Everett

Pack 21:

Bobby Jones, Paul Byrd, Steve Karsay & Eduardo Perez

Pack 22:

Pokey Reese, Rondell White & John Lynch

Yes, John Lynch the Pro Football Hall of Famer. He was a second round draft selection but only pitched in nine minor league games. 

Pack 23:

Chipper Jones

Pack 24:

Jeromy Burnitz, Orlando Palmeiro & Doug Glanville

Pack 25:

Alex Gonzalez, Derek Lowe, Marty Cordova & Todd Jones

Lowe was involved in a very important trade for the Red Sox in 1997. He was acquired, along with Jason Varitek,  in exchange for Heathcliff Slocumb.

Pack 26:

Basil Shabazz

Shabazz never made the majors, I just thought it was a fun name

Pack 27:

Mike Lieberthal, Alex Ochoa, Cliff Floyd & Phil Hiatt All-Stars (1:8 packs)

Pack 28:

Ugueth Urbina

Urbina has had an eventful post-baseball life. In 2007, Urbina was convicted of attempted murder after he attacked some workers on his farm with a machete. 

Pack 29:

Frank Rodriguez

Pack 30:

Garret Anderson & Dmitri Young

Pack 31:

Desi Relaford & Edgardo Alfonzo

Though Alfonzo only made one All-Star appearance in his career, he did finish in the top-15 in NL MVP voting on three occasions. 

Pack 32:

Carlos Delgado & Mike Hampton

Pack 33:

Benji Gil & Joe “Joker” Randa

Pack 34:

Brien Taylor & Brandon Wilson All-Stars (1:8 packs)

Taylor was the 1st pick in the draft in 1991 and the top-ranked prospect in all of baseball prior to the 1992 season. 

Pack 35:

Another dud pack

Pack 36:

Aaron Sele & Andy Pettitte

Lastly, the Derek Jeter card back. Jeter didn’t exactly rip the cover off of the ball in his first minor league season. 

This concludes Minor League May for another year. I certainly have some work to do over the next eleven months, as I am down to just one minor league product left to feature here. Time to order some more.

Want more installments of Shane Salmonson’s Cheap Wax Wednesday? Check out his other breaks in the archives.