In 1987, Steinbach had hit .286 in his first full season in the major leagues with 16 homers, 16 doubles and 56 RBIs. In 1988, he had been injured by a thrown ball on May 6 and suffered five fractures around his left eye, resulting in corrective surgery and almost a month on the disabled list. That season he was splitting catching duties with Ron Hassey.
While spending time on the DL, and in a platoon catching role, he still garnered 690,438 votes, making him the AL starting catcher over more known named players such as Bob Boone of the Angels, Carlton Fisk of the White Sox, and the Twins’ Tim Laudner.