I'm feeling down so I thought I would share my feelings in blue cards that make me actually happy.
Continuing the blue theme is a jersey swatch of Andrew McCutchen's All-Star game jersey from 2012 Topps.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Feeling Blue
Today was a really lousy day. I've been having trouble breathing again so I went to the doctor last week for some blood work. This week I had more blood work done along with an X-Ray. I was diagnosed with a blood disorder called polycythemia.
I'm feeling down so I thought I would share my feelings in blue cards that make me actually happy.
Jameson Taillon is one of the top 15 prospects in baseball. Him and Gerrit Cole should be quite the pitching duo for the Bucs for many years to come. This is a part of Jameson's 2012 All-Star Futures Game jersey. The card is number 6/25.
Continuing the blue theme is a jersey swatch of Andrew McCutchen's All-Star game jersey from 2012 Topps.
And to close things out I have a 2010-11 Luxury Suite Marc-Andre Fleury jersey and stick relic card. This beauty is numbered 82/100.
I'm feeling down so I thought I would share my feelings in blue cards that make me actually happy.
Continuing the blue theme is a jersey swatch of Andrew McCutchen's All-Star game jersey from 2012 Topps.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Pirates prospect auto for pennies
Duke Welker was selected in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft. His fastball can reach up to the mid to high 90s, but has shown command issues. As a 26 year old pitching in AA and AAA last year he posted a 2.29 ERA with 49 punch outs in 55 innings. He doesn't allow many hits 7 hits per 9, but does allow plenty of baserunners by walking a ridiculous 4.1 per 9. He will be competing for a bullpen spot this spring, but will most likely enter the season back at AAA.
I won this card for 86 cents shipped
Monday, February 25, 2013
more Neil Walker cards than you can shake a stick at
The Pittsburgh Kid, Neil Walker rooted for the Pirates his entire life. He grew up a Pirates fan and now gets to go to Spring Training every February learning how to play 2nd base from the all time leader in double plays at 2nd base, HOFer, and Pirate legend Bill Mazeroski. Not too bad for a guy drafted as a switch hitting catcher out of high school.
There's rumors going around that there may be a Neil Walker extension similar to what the Bucs did with Cutch prior to last season.
The Pirates collapse last season coincided with Neil's time spent on the DL. While he will probably never be recognized as one of the best 2B in the game, there is one thing that Neil does well and that is hit with runners on base.
From the stats below pick who you want on your team in clutch situations with a 2B coming up to bat
Runners on base .324 .264 .316
Runners in Scoring Pos .294 .237 .268
Bases Loaded .484 .267 .208
Scoring Position 2 Out .262 .222 .207
It should be clear that the guy you want up is the first guys stats.
Let's reveal who the participants are.
Neil Walker (1)
Ian Kinsler (2)
Robinson Cano (3)
So in offensive categories when there are runners on base, the most clutch hitter is Neil Walker of the Pittsburgh Pirates. (stats provided by ESPN and baseball-reference.com)
I bet all you non Pirates fans didn't realize what a huge asset Neil was to the team.
Anyway, this is a card blog and so here's some cards of the Pittsburgh Kid that I recently picked up.
This marks my first jersey relic of Neil. I hate that Topps is still using that same photo from when Neil came up in 2010 and participated in Team Mustache week during his first week there. That is the only time that Neil had a mustache and yet for many of his 2010 and 2011 cards he has that dumb stache going on.
This here is a card I needed since 2012 Heritage came out. I still need another to put in my heritage binder, but this one is currently in with the rest of my Neil Walker cards.
Bowman gold, Bowman Chrome rookie, and a Topps Town card all picked up as part of a 20 card of Neil for $10. I needed 19 of them. The others are shown below.
Here's an update to my Neil Walker collection
2013
2012
2012 Allen & Ginter #286
2012 Bowman #24
2012 Bowman Gold #24
2012 Gypsy Queen #112
2012 Heritage #259
2012 Sticker Album #242
2012 Topps #25
2012 Topps Cognac #25
2012 Topps Team Issue Set #PIT4
2011
2011 Allen & Ginter Code #63
2011 Allen & Ginter #63
2011 Allen & Ginter Hometown Heroes #HH81
2011 ATTAX
2011 Bowman #56
2011 Bowman Gold #56
2011 Chrome #63
2011 Heritage #353
2011 Heritage Chrome #C130 (parallel 0122/1962)
2011 Lineage #111
2011 Sticker Album #228
2011 Topps Opening Day #12
2011 Topps Cognac #24
2011 Topps Cognac #245
2011 Topps Diamond #24
2011 Topps Diamond #245
2011 Topps #24
2011 Topps #245
2011 Topps Town #TTU-27
2011 Topps Team Issue Set #PIT6
2010
2010 Allen & Ginter #117
2010 Allen & Ginter mini #117 (Allen & Ginter back)
2010 Allen & Ginter #117 (black border)
2010 Allen & Ginter #117
2010 Bowman #BDP83
2010 Bowman Chrome #BDP83
2010 Bowman #BDP83 BLUE (parallel 084/399)
2010 Bowman Platinum #83
2010 Bowman Platinum #83 (parallel 170/999)
2010 Bowman Sterling #24
2010 Finest #126 (162/299)
2006
2006 Bowman Future's Game Chrome #FG5
2006 Bowman Future's Game #FG5
2006 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH105
2004
2004 Bowman Heritage #214
2004 Fleer Draft Edition AUTO (048/299)
There's rumors going around that there may be a Neil Walker extension similar to what the Bucs did with Cutch prior to last season.
The Pirates collapse last season coincided with Neil's time spent on the DL. While he will probably never be recognized as one of the best 2B in the game, there is one thing that Neil does well and that is hit with runners on base.
From the stats below pick who you want on your team in clutch situations with a 2B coming up to bat
Runners on base .324 .264 .316
Runners in Scoring Pos .294 .237 .268
Bases Loaded .484 .267 .208
Scoring Position 2 Out .262 .222 .207
It should be clear that the guy you want up is the first guys stats.
Let's reveal who the participants are.
Neil Walker (1)
Ian Kinsler (2)
Robinson Cano (3)
So in offensive categories when there are runners on base, the most clutch hitter is Neil Walker of the Pittsburgh Pirates. (stats provided by ESPN and baseball-reference.com)
I bet all you non Pirates fans didn't realize what a huge asset Neil was to the team.
Anyway, this is a card blog and so here's some cards of the Pittsburgh Kid that I recently picked up.
Here's an update to my Neil Walker collection
2013
2012
2012 Allen & Ginter #286
2012 Bowman #24
2012 Bowman Gold #24
2012 Gypsy Queen #112
2012 Heritage #259
2012 Sticker Album #242
2012 Topps #25
2012 Topps Cognac #25
2012 Topps Team Issue Set #PIT4
2011
2011 Allen & Ginter Code #63
2011 Allen & Ginter #63
2011 Allen & Ginter Hometown Heroes #HH81
2011 ATTAX
2011 Bowman #56
2011 Bowman Gold #56
2011 Chrome #63
2011 Heritage #353
2011 Heritage Chrome #C130 (parallel 0122/1962)
2011 Lineage #111
2011 Sticker Album #228
2011 Topps Opening Day #12
2011 Topps Cognac #24
2011 Topps Cognac #245
2011 Topps Diamond #24
2011 Topps Diamond #245
2011 Topps #24
2011 Topps #245
2011 Topps Town #TTU-27
2011 Topps Team Issue Set #PIT6
2010
2010 Allen & Ginter #117
2010 Allen & Ginter mini #117 (Allen & Ginter back)
2010 Allen & Ginter #117 (black border)
2010 Allen & Ginter #117
2010 Bowman #BDP83
2010 Bowman Chrome #BDP83
2010 Bowman #BDP83 BLUE (parallel 084/399)
2010 Bowman Platinum #83
2010 Bowman Platinum #83 (parallel 170/999)
2010 Bowman Sterling #24
2010 Finest #126 (162/299)
2006
2006 Bowman Future's Game Chrome #FG5
2006 Bowman Future's Game #FG5
2006 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH105
2004
2004 Bowman Heritage #214
2004 Fleer Draft Edition AUTO (048/299)
Friday, February 22, 2013
LOTS OF NEW CARDS: It's like a Petting Zoo in the PTR
When I laid out these cards to get scanned in, I had to laugh because all the players had animal nicknames during their playing career. Today's post will feature a bull, dog, cobra, goose, slug, kitten, and even a tiger. While I don't have enough to fill Noah's Ark, I am happy to add these single cards to my collection.
Let's start with the only player still on the active roster.
El Toro
Pedro Alvarez 2012 Triple Play
Pedro "El Toro" Alvarez has had his ups and downs since being drafted #2 overall in the 2008 draft. He's shown signs of brilliance at the plate and in the field, but other times has looked completely lost. Last year was hopefully a breakout year for the 25 year old. He managed to hit 30 HR, drive in 85 runs, and finish with a .244 average. He also managed to commit 27 errors at the hot corner, most in the league and had 180 strikeouts (2nd most in league). If the Pirates are going to be a contender for years to come, El Toro must cut down on his strikeouts and not throw the ball away so often.
Mad Dog and The Cobra
Two of the key players to the 1979 World Series Champions Pittsburgh Pirates were Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock and Dave "The Cobra" Parker. Both had very successful careers that will probably never be HOF worthy, but collectively these PTR Heroes have 6 Batting Titles, 2 All-Star Game MVPs, 1 NL MVP, 10 All Star Game selections, 3 World Series rings, 3 Gold Gloves, 3 Silver Sluggers, and 1 HR Derby Championship. Both players were featured in last year's Panini Golden Age Museum inserts. I was fortunate to snag a jersey relic of each.
Bill Madlock 2012 Panini Museum Age Jersey Relic
I managed to pick this sweet Bill Madlock Museum Jersey Patch card for a measly $8.59. This is only my 2nd patch of Mad Dog and will look nice in a One Touch displayed.
Dave Parker 2012 Panini Museum Age Jersey Relic
I was shocked to see this card sell for only $3.13 shipped (combined shipping with another item). Sure it's not a patch like the Mad Dog above, but it is a nice swatch of yellow. I think that yellow jersey swatches are actually my favorite to collect. I really wish that Panini could get a license for MLB products. They've been producing some nice stuff over the past couple years.
Goose
Goose Gossage 1977 Hostess Trading Card
Rich "Goose" Gossage appeared in a Pirates uniform for only 1 season in 1977. I was trying to find a card of Goose in a Bucs uniform but Topps didn't picture him in their 1977 or 1978 uniform wearing a Bucs uniform. To the best of my knowledge the only card featuring him in a Pirates uniform is from Hostess Baking Company. His only season with the Bucs gave him an 11-9 record with 26 saves in 72 games. He had a 1.62 ERA that season while pitching 133 innings. The Goose would enter many games in the 6th or 7th inning and finish them out and helped to evolve what the current closer role is today. I picked up this Hostess card in hopes of getting it signed by the Goose through his website. Just a matter of waiting now.
Slug
Don Slaught 1991 Fleer TTM
Don "Slug" Slaught was a member of the early 90s NL East division teams that twice almost went to the World Series. His career lasted 16 years and he finished with a .283 batting average. He was an offensive minded catcher and below average defender behind the plate. His caught stealing percentage early in his Pittsburgh was around league average, but by the team his tenure in the Steel City was over he was only throwing out 15% of baserunners attempting to run against him.
Tiger & The Kitten
Don Hoak and Harvey Haddix 1962 Topps
These guys are obviously before my time, but I was in need to add to my Pirates 1962 team set. I picked them both up for $4 shipped.
A little research on these guys and I found out that they both share feline nicknames. Not to mention that both of them are connected in one of the most famous non perfect games of all time.
Harvey Haddix was pitching a perfect game into the 13th inning on May 26, 1959 against the Milwaukee Braves. Don Hoak then committed a fielding error in the bottom of the 13th allowing Felix Mantilla to reach safely. Mantilla would be sacrificed to 2B on a bunt and Hank Aaron would be intentionally walked. The next batter Joe Adcock hit a ball over the fence to end the game. But in the confusion of celebration Aaron was passed by Adcock for the second out of the inning. Later it was ruled that Adcock would receive a double thus making the final score 1-0 Braves. Haddix took the loss on his one hit near 12 inning perfect game.
Don Hoak was actually the runner up for MVP in 1960 behind his Pirates team mate Dick Groat. Not exactly a stellar year by today's standards he hit .282 with 16 homeruns, drove in 79 runs, and scored 97 runs while playing his worse year at the hot corner committing 25 errors. I'm really curious how he was able to get so many votes for his performance that year because his numbers certainly don't back up MVP numbers.
Harvey Haddix was nicknamed "the kitten" because he shared a resemblance to Harry Breechan whose nickname was "the cat". Haddix was a 3 time All-Star while with the St. Louis Cardinals before coming to the Pirates in 1959. Haddix was the winning pitcher in game 5 of the 1960 World Series against the Yankees and was the winning pitcher of game 7 when Bill Mazeroski hit his famous walk off homerun to win the series for the Bucs. Haddix was also a coach of the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates.
Let's start with the only player still on the active roster.
El Toro
Pedro "El Toro" Alvarez has had his ups and downs since being drafted #2 overall in the 2008 draft. He's shown signs of brilliance at the plate and in the field, but other times has looked completely lost. Last year was hopefully a breakout year for the 25 year old. He managed to hit 30 HR, drive in 85 runs, and finish with a .244 average. He also managed to commit 27 errors at the hot corner, most in the league and had 180 strikeouts (2nd most in league). If the Pirates are going to be a contender for years to come, El Toro must cut down on his strikeouts and not throw the ball away so often.
Mad Dog and The Cobra
Two of the key players to the 1979 World Series Champions Pittsburgh Pirates were Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock and Dave "The Cobra" Parker. Both had very successful careers that will probably never be HOF worthy, but collectively these PTR Heroes have 6 Batting Titles, 2 All-Star Game MVPs, 1 NL MVP, 10 All Star Game selections, 3 World Series rings, 3 Gold Gloves, 3 Silver Sluggers, and 1 HR Derby Championship. Both players were featured in last year's Panini Golden Age Museum inserts. I was fortunate to snag a jersey relic of each.
Bill Madlock 2012 Panini Museum Age Jersey Relic
Dave Parker 2012 Panini Museum Age Jersey Relic
I was shocked to see this card sell for only $3.13 shipped (combined shipping with another item). Sure it's not a patch like the Mad Dog above, but it is a nice swatch of yellow. I think that yellow jersey swatches are actually my favorite to collect. I really wish that Panini could get a license for MLB products. They've been producing some nice stuff over the past couple years.
Goose
Rich "Goose" Gossage appeared in a Pirates uniform for only 1 season in 1977. I was trying to find a card of Goose in a Bucs uniform but Topps didn't picture him in their 1977 or 1978 uniform wearing a Bucs uniform. To the best of my knowledge the only card featuring him in a Pirates uniform is from Hostess Baking Company. His only season with the Bucs gave him an 11-9 record with 26 saves in 72 games. He had a 1.62 ERA that season while pitching 133 innings. The Goose would enter many games in the 6th or 7th inning and finish them out and helped to evolve what the current closer role is today. I picked up this Hostess card in hopes of getting it signed by the Goose through his website. Just a matter of waiting now.
Slug
Don "Slug" Slaught was a member of the early 90s NL East division teams that twice almost went to the World Series. His career lasted 16 years and he finished with a .283 batting average. He was an offensive minded catcher and below average defender behind the plate. His caught stealing percentage early in his Pittsburgh was around league average, but by the team his tenure in the Steel City was over he was only throwing out 15% of baserunners attempting to run against him.
Tiger & The Kitten
Don Hoak and Harvey Haddix 1962 Topps
These guys are obviously before my time, but I was in need to add to my Pirates 1962 team set. I picked them both up for $4 shipped.
A little research on these guys and I found out that they both share feline nicknames. Not to mention that both of them are connected in one of the most famous non perfect games of all time.
Harvey Haddix was pitching a perfect game into the 13th inning on May 26, 1959 against the Milwaukee Braves. Don Hoak then committed a fielding error in the bottom of the 13th allowing Felix Mantilla to reach safely. Mantilla would be sacrificed to 2B on a bunt and Hank Aaron would be intentionally walked. The next batter Joe Adcock hit a ball over the fence to end the game. But in the confusion of celebration Aaron was passed by Adcock for the second out of the inning. Later it was ruled that Adcock would receive a double thus making the final score 1-0 Braves. Haddix took the loss on his one hit near 12 inning perfect game.
Don Hoak was actually the runner up for MVP in 1960 behind his Pirates team mate Dick Groat. Not exactly a stellar year by today's standards he hit .282 with 16 homeruns, drove in 79 runs, and scored 97 runs while playing his worse year at the hot corner committing 25 errors. I'm really curious how he was able to get so many votes for his performance that year because his numbers certainly don't back up MVP numbers.
Harvey Haddix was nicknamed "the kitten" because he shared a resemblance to Harry Breechan whose nickname was "the cat". Haddix was a 3 time All-Star while with the St. Louis Cardinals before coming to the Pirates in 1959. Haddix was the winning pitcher in game 5 of the 1960 World Series against the Yankees and was the winning pitcher of game 7 when Bill Mazeroski hit his famous walk off homerun to win the series for the Bucs. Haddix was also a coach of the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Lots of Ebay Pickups for $38 shipped
While browsing on ebay I manage to come across some really nice game used relic cards on the cheap that I wanted to add to my collection. The seller was willing to offer free shipping with a purchase of 10 or more items. Here's the 10 items I picked up.
I grabbed this 2001 American Pie Jersey relic of Al "Scoop" Oliver for $4. It's a nice looking card as all American Pie normally feature a relic and a previously used card of the player. In this case, it shows Al's rookie card from 1969. Al had a very strong career batting .303 with over 2,700 hits. Scoop was also a 7 time All-Star, batting title champion (1982), 3 time silver slugger, and a member of the 1971 World Series Champion Pirates.
Like the Oliver above, this Dick Groat game used bat card is from 2001 Topps American Pie. It cost me a little more, clocking in at $6 but it marks my first game used card of the 1960 MVP. Now all I need is a rookie to complete his trifecta.
In addition to the game used relics above I grabbed these 3 Andrew McCutchen cards I needed for my Cutch PC. The below cards were picked up for $1 a piece which is a lil more than I would normally pay for parallels, but c'mon it's Cutch!!!!!
2011 Gypsy Queen Green Framed
2011 Topps Finest
2013 Topps (Emerald variant)
There wasn't a whole lot of baseball cards that I wanted from the seller, but he did have some nice football cards that I couldn't resist adding to my collection.
Jonathan Dwyer 2010 Bowman Sterling Jersey relic rookie card. Dwyer had a really good second half of the season this year as he become the Steelers starting running back when Mendenhall and Redman went down with injuries. He scored his first career TD on a 16 yard run against the rival Ravens on December 2nd. This was a $4 card.
David DeCastro 2012 Topps Platinum Rookie AUTO (on card)
DeCastro spent all but 3 games injured during the 2012 season when he severely injured his knee during a preseason game. The Steelers will be looking for him to fully recover for the 2013 season. This card cost me $6 shipped.
The above two Rashard Mendenhall jersey relics were grabbed for $2 a piece. Even though Rashard lost his job midseason to Jonathan Dwyer, Mendenhall still possesses a lot of talent and will likely start the 2013 season as the Steelers leading back again.
A LeSean McCoy Jersey relic in a PITT U card? Yeah, I'll pick them up for $4 every chance I get. That's why I got two.
I just couldn't pass up this Shady rookie for $1 so I said what the heck. Why not?
To finish things off I grabbed a Santonio Holmes jersey relic card from 2006 Topps Total. Holmes will go down in football history for his catch with seconds left in Super Bowl XLIII. He won the Super Bowl MVP that year and was a key receiver for the Steelers for 4 years before being traded to the New York Jets in 2010. The above rookie jersey relic of Ton cost me only $2 and I couldn't be happier to add a jersey of his to my collection.
I grabbed
1 AUTO
8 RELICS
4 BASE/PARALLEL
for only $38.
That's less than $3 a card. Not too bad, right?
In addition to the game used relics above I grabbed these 3 Andrew McCutchen cards I needed for my Cutch PC. The below cards were picked up for $1 a piece which is a lil more than I would normally pay for parallels, but c'mon it's Cutch!!!!!
There wasn't a whole lot of baseball cards that I wanted from the seller, but he did have some nice football cards that I couldn't resist adding to my collection.
DeCastro spent all but 3 games injured during the 2012 season when he severely injured his knee during a preseason game. The Steelers will be looking for him to fully recover for the 2013 season. This card cost me $6 shipped.
A LeSean McCoy Jersey relic in a PITT U card? Yeah, I'll pick them up for $4 every chance I get. That's why I got two.
I grabbed
1 AUTO
8 RELICS
4 BASE/PARALLEL
for only $38.
That's less than $3 a card. Not too bad, right?
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
I got myself a Brian Giles patch
I still need a Brian Giles logoman patch, but at least I have a patch of the one time Pirates slugger.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Starling Marte Collection Update
I'm going to take a look at my Starling Marte collection today.
Starling Marte became only the 27th player in Major League history to hit a HomeRun in their very first pitch of the MLB career when he went yard on Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros last year.
The above cards are from 2012 Topps Minor League Baseball. I scored both relics for a combined $10 shipped which is a pretty sweet deal if you ask for my humble opinion.
Starling became one of my favorite players to root for in the minor leagues when he gave me a broken bat of then Pirates prospect Aaron Thompson. He also signed 6 autograph baseballs for me along with a few cards.
Marte has a cannon for an arm and could become a key part to the Pirates future outfield setup. His biggest issue is pitch recognition and swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. He doesn't walk often and that's why he won't be a good batter to hit in the leadoff spot for the Pirates in 2013. He did manage to get 12 steals in only 43 games though so he shows potential of being a baserunning threat on the bases.
Starling Marte became only the 27th player in Major League history to hit a HomeRun in their very first pitch of the MLB career when he went yard on Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros last year.
Starling became one of my favorite players to root for in the minor leagues when he gave me a broken bat of then Pirates prospect Aaron Thompson. He also signed 6 autograph baseballs for me along with a few cards.
Marte has a cannon for an arm and could become a key part to the Pirates future outfield setup. His biggest issue is pitch recognition and swinging at pitches outside the strike zone. He doesn't walk often and that's why he won't be a good batter to hit in the leadoff spot for the Pirates in 2013. He did manage to get 12 steals in only 43 games though so he shows potential of being a baserunning threat on the bases.
If anyone has any Starling Marte cards they are looking to trade please hit me up with a trade offer.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Charlie Morton for less than a stamp?
I love when ebay sellers list cards for .01 with free shipping. More importantly, I love when I can win those auctions for less than the price of a stamp. I managed to pick up this Charlie Morton card for 0.15 with free shipping. To make it better the seller (zackmcg22) included the card in a penny sleeve and a top loader. Top class seller there folks!
Charlie will begin the season the same way he ended 2012 as he tries to recover his Tommy John surgery. He remains one of my favorite players since he was born in the same town as me and I believe we went to preschool together.
I figured I would give you all an update to my Charlie Morton Collection.
2012
2012 Sega Card Gen (Japanese card game import)
2012 Topps Team Issue #PIT11
2012 Topps #516
2012 Topps (Wood Parallel) #516 (1//1)
2012 Topps Black Border #516 (9/61)
2012 Topps Mini Gold #516 (13/61)
2012 Topps Mini Black Printing Plate (1/1)
2011
2011 Topps Lineage Charlie Morton AUTO
2011 Topps Lineage Canary AUTO 4/10
2011 Topps Update #US235
2011 Topps Update GOLD #US235 numbered 64/2011
2011 Topps Update Target Red #US235
2011 Topps Update WalMart Blue #US235
2011 Topps Update #US235 Cognac Anniversary
2011 Topps Update #US235 Diamond Anniversary
2011 Topps Update Black #US235 numbered 43/60
2011 Topps Update Black #US235 numbered 57/60
2011 Topps Update Silk #40/50
2010
2010 Upper Deck #399
2010 Upper Deck #399 (GOLD) numbered 16/99
2010 Topps When They Were Young #WTWY-CM
2009
2009 Choice Marketing Gwinnett Braves #22
2009 DAV.ORG Limited Edition #143
2008
2008 eTopps #47 numbered 131/749
2008 International League Top Prospects #22
2008 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks #BDP51(RED) 5/5
2008 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks #BDP51(ORANGE) 19/25
2008 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks #BDP51(GOLD) 19/50
2008 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks #BDP51(X-FRACTOR) 55/199
2008 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks #BDP51(REFRACTOR)
2008 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks #BDP51
2008 Bowman Draft Picks #BDP51
2008 Bowman Draft Picks #BDP51(GOLD)
2008 Bowman Draft Picks #BDP51(BLUE) 179/399
2008 Bowman Draft Picks #BDP51(BLUE) 355/399
2008 Bowman Sterling #BS-CM (BLACK)19/25
2008 Bowman Sterling #BS-CM (GOLD) 17/50
2008 Bowman Sterling #BS-CM (refractor) 143/199
2008 Bowman Sterling #BS-CM
2007
2007 Grandstand Mississippi Braves
2006
2006 Choice Sports Cards Myrtle Beach Pelicans #14
2005
2005 MultiAd Inc Rome Braves AUTO IP
2003
2003 Grandstand Danville Braves AUTO IP
2003 Grandstand Danville Braves top prospect AUTO IP
2002 Upper Deck Future Gems #41
2002 Bowman Draft Picks #BDP91
2002 Bowman Draft Picks #BDP91 (gold signature, thicker stock)
2002 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks #BDP91
2002 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks #BDP91REFRACTOR 154/300
STOP!!!! (it's) HAMMER TIME!!!!
Can't touch this...
not for $7 shipped.
Joel Hanrahan has been one of the best closers in the NL the past couple years and was traded to Boston during this offseason. He remains one of my favorite players though and when I can pick up on card silver inked autos of the 2 time All-Star I can't say no. ESPECIALLY FOR $7.
Joel Hanrahan has been one of the best closers in the NL the past couple years and was traded to Boston during this offseason. He remains one of my favorite players though and when I can pick up on card silver inked autos of the 2 time All-Star I can't say no. ESPECIALLY FOR $7.
I'm in love, I'm all shook up
It's Valentine's Day!
Time to remember your significant other and spoil them with chocolates, flowers, stuffed animals, and jewelry.
Or in my case...take them to see Rascal Flatts.
I'm going to be away for a few days.
In the mean time, enjoy this dual auto of Presley and Cutch numbered 34/49 that I picked up before my six month sabbatical last year.
On a side note, my Andrew McCutchen collection page has been updated EXCLUDING AUTOs and RELICS. I will add my "hits" to the PC page in the next week or so. If you think that you have a Cutch hit that I don't already have please see my Cutch Hits Page to verify.
Time to remember your significant other and spoil them with chocolates, flowers, stuffed animals, and jewelry.
Or in my case...take them to see Rascal Flatts.
I'm going to be away for a few days.
Alex Presley & Andrew McCutchen 2012 Leaf Limited Match-Ups Dual Auto 34/49
In the mean time, enjoy this dual auto of Presley and Cutch numbered 34/49 that I picked up before my six month sabbatical last year.
On a side note, my Andrew McCutchen collection page has been updated EXCLUDING AUTOs and RELICS. I will add my "hits" to the PC page in the next week or so. If you think that you have a Cutch hit that I don't already have please see my Cutch Hits Page to verify.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Mariners Tribute (sort of)
The Seattle Mariners made history yesterday when they made the extension for Felix Hernandez official thus becoming the highest paid pitcher in MLB history.
This isn't a Mariners blog though...
BUT I'm going to take a look at former Mariner Edgar Martinez and current Mariner Jason Bay as they appeared together on this 2009 SP Generations Memorabilia card together. This card marks the 26th different player to appear on a relic or auto card with Jason Bay that I own. My goal is to get up to 38 unique players by the end of 2013. Why 38 you ask? It was his number during his playing days in Pittsburgh.
Here's a list of the others that I have memorabilia cards with Jason Bay
*if bold it means I also have an autograph of them with Bay too
Albert Pujols
Alex Rios
Alfonso Soriano
Andruw Jones
Bill Madlock
Bobby Crosby
Carlos Lee
Craig Wilson
David Wright
Freddy Sanchez
Gary Carter
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jose Castillo
Justin Morneau
Ken Griffey Jr.
Kenny Lofton
Mario Lemieux
Manny Ramirez
Matt Holiday
Nick Markakis
Ralph Kiner
And here is a list of the players that I have autograph cards with Jason Bay
Bill Mazeroski
Casey Kotchman
Dale Murphy
Dave Parker
It's unknown what position Jason Bay will be playing for the Mariners whether it's in the outfield or DH, but one thing is for sure he probably won't be able to put up Edgar Martinez numbers. Martinez is viewed as the greatest DH of all time. Never the less though, I'll be pulling for Jason to have a bounce back season this year and stay injury free.
For those of you that are interested in seeing my Jason Bay "hits" collection I set up a link here for easy access.
This isn't a Mariners blog though...
Here's a list of the others that I have memorabilia cards with Jason Bay
*if bold it means I also have an autograph of them with Bay too
Albert Pujols
Alex Rios
Alfonso Soriano
Andruw Jones
Bill Madlock
Bobby Crosby
Carlos Lee
Craig Wilson
David Wright
Freddy Sanchez
Gary Carter
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jose Castillo
Justin Morneau
Ken Griffey Jr.
Kenny Lofton
Mario Lemieux
Manny Ramirez
Matt Holiday
Nick Markakis
Ralph Kiner
And here is a list of the players that I have autograph cards with Jason Bay
Bill Mazeroski
Casey Kotchman
Dale Murphy
Dave Parker
It's unknown what position Jason Bay will be playing for the Mariners whether it's in the outfield or DH, but one thing is for sure he probably won't be able to put up Edgar Martinez numbers. Martinez is viewed as the greatest DH of all time. Never the less though, I'll be pulling for Jason to have a bounce back season this year and stay injury free.
For those of you that are interested in seeing my Jason Bay "hits" collection I set up a link here for easy access.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Busta move...with my first Buster Posey auto
Buster Posey may become one of the most decorated catchers of all time if his career continues to go the way it's started. In only 2 full seasons in the majors he has a Rookie of the Year, MVP, and 2 World Series titles. Not bad at all.
I was fortunate to pick this card up back in early 2012 and realized that I never scanned it in. It features autographs of Buster Posey and Pirates catching prospect Tony Sanchez. The 2009 Donruss Elite Passing the Torch dual auto was had for $20 and is currently my only autograph of Buster Posey.
Pitchers and Catchers reported to spring training this week. Here's hoping that this will be the year that Tony gets the call to the big leagues for his debut.
Pitchers and Catchers reported to spring training this week. Here's hoping that this will be the year that Tony gets the call to the big leagues for his debut.
Ain't no foolin, this card is 5 Toolin'
You always hear scouts talk about the tools that each player has, how they are 2 way players or 5 tool talents. What exactly is a 5 tool player in the eyes of scouts?
"A 5 tool player is one that has great speed, can hit for average, hit for power, a great throwing arm and is excellent defensively."
This 2012 Topps Triple Threads highlights 3 of MLB's best 5 tool athletes. Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, and recently traded Justin Upton. The card is numbered 23/27 and features jersey relics of the young superstars.
We've all seen Triple Threads cards before so I won't focus too much on the card. Instead I want to examine each of these players tools and if they truly are 5 toolin'. I will take a look at each of their 2012 statistics.
Besides Assists, it's really hard to judge sabremetrically how strong a player's arm is. Sure you can look at runs saved, but that also includes their range factor so believe me when I say that all 3 of these athletes possess a strong throwing arm, but that is probably their worse of their 5 tools.
First we'll start with last year's rookie phenom.
MIKE TROUT
great speed: 49 SB and only 5 CS. CHECK
hit for average: .326 (2nd place in AL) won a Silver Slugger CHECK
hit for power: 30 HR or 1HR per 18.6AB CHECK
excellent defensively: saved 20 runs and put up a 2.1defensive WAR CHECK
ANDREW McCUTCHEN
"A 5 tool player is one that has great speed, can hit for average, hit for power, a great throwing arm and is excellent defensively."
We've all seen Triple Threads cards before so I won't focus too much on the card. Instead I want to examine each of these players tools and if they truly are 5 toolin'. I will take a look at each of their 2012 statistics.
Besides Assists, it's really hard to judge sabremetrically how strong a player's arm is. Sure you can look at runs saved, but that also includes their range factor so believe me when I say that all 3 of these athletes possess a strong throwing arm, but that is probably their worse of their 5 tools.
First we'll start with last year's rookie phenom.
MIKE TROUT
great speed: 49 SB and only 5 CS. CHECK
hit for average: .326 (2nd place in AL) won a Silver Slugger CHECK
hit for power: 30 HR or 1HR per 18.6AB CHECK
excellent defensively: saved 20 runs and put up a 2.1defensive WAR CHECK
ANDREW McCUTCHEN
Monday, February 11, 2013
McCutchen 2013: Got Heeeeem
Excluding 1/1s my goal is to get every single Andrew McCutchen card produced in 2013. This includes those rare parallel cards and the like.
Here's what I have so far.
2013 Topps (SP) #122
2013 Topps Cut to the Chase #CTC21
2013 Topps (base) #122
2013 Topps Mini #TM34
2013 Topps Batting Leaders #189
2013 Topps Batting Leaders #189 (WalMart blue)
2013 Topps Chasing History Relic (grey jersey) #CHR-AM
If anyone can help me out with the parallels that would be greatly appreciated.
I need the pink, blue, red, gold, black, camo, emerald parallels of cards 122 and 189.
Here's what I have so far.
2013 Topps (base) #122
2013 Topps Mini #TM34
2013 Topps Batting Leaders #189 (WalMart blue)
If anyone can help me out with the parallels that would be greatly appreciated.
I need the pink, blue, red, gold, black, camo, emerald parallels of cards 122 and 189.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Maz Tri Fecta Complete
My local mall was having a card show today and I managed to add a card I've been after for a long time. That card is none other than a 1957 Topps Bill Mazeroski rookie card.
Maz is an 8 time Gold Glove winner and the all time leader in double plays at 2nd Base. Maz was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2001 by the Veterans committee after receiving no higher than 42% in his first 15 years of eligibility. Maz is most often remembered for hitting one of the most famous homeruns in World Series history when he hit a walk-off home run in the 1960 series against the power hitting New York Yankess in Game 7. Maz received a statue to immortalize that moment outside PNC Park in 2010 when the Pirates unveiled a statue in his honor. I was fortunate enough to attend that game it was unveiled. (Not surprisingly the Pirates lost that game as they did 104 other games that season.)
Anyway, I was able to pick up this card for a mere $30. Sure it's not a Gem 10, but it is in really nice shape and could have easily sold closer to $70-$80. Fortunately I have bought hundreds of dollars of cards from this guy before and he always puts his latest batch of Bucs cards aside for me and cuts me a deal. I'm super pumped to add this plundering to the treasure room.
The rookie now completes a trifecta of Maz cards for me.
Here's some other Maz cards that I previously never spotlighted on the PTR.
This 2004 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Ensemble Signatures card numbered 19/25 features 2 HOF players (Maz & Kiner) along with 2 players who looked like they were on pace to have HOF careers during their first 6 years in the league (Parker & Bay). This is one of my favorite AUTO cards I own as it has such a great amount of history displaying Pirates of yesteryear on it.
Kiner represents the 40s-50s Pirates
Maz represents the 50s-60s Pirates
Parker represents the 70s-early 80s Pirates
Bay represents the 00s Pirates.
If only Andy Van Slyke was on this card to represent the late 80s-90s Bucs, this card would be perfect.
Also not previously posted is a 2005 Sweet Spot Classic Authentic Game Used Jersey relic of Maz.that I picked up for $4 shipped (purchased with another item for free shipping).
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I also picked up this Jason Bay Bazooka Blasts bat relic at the card show for $3. It's a new addition to the PTR of my favorite Canadian Bucco. I really hope that Jason can turn his career back around in Seattle after a disastrous 3 years in NY. I might pick him up as my final draft pick in fantasy baseball this year just as a deep sleeper. Someone has to produce runs in Seattle, right?
Anyway, I was able to pick up this card for a mere $30. Sure it's not a Gem 10, but it is in really nice shape and could have easily sold closer to $70-$80. Fortunately I have bought hundreds of dollars of cards from this guy before and he always puts his latest batch of Bucs cards aside for me and cuts me a deal. I'm super pumped to add this plundering to the treasure room.
The rookie now completes a trifecta of Maz cards for me.
Here's some other Maz cards that I previously never spotlighted on the PTR.
Kiner represents the 40s-50s Pirates
Maz represents the 50s-60s Pirates
Parker represents the 70s-early 80s Pirates
Bay represents the 00s Pirates.
If only Andy Van Slyke was on this card to represent the late 80s-90s Bucs, this card would be perfect.
Also not previously posted is a 2005 Sweet Spot Classic Authentic Game Used Jersey relic of Maz.that I picked up for $4 shipped (purchased with another item for free shipping).
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I also picked up this Jason Bay Bazooka Blasts bat relic at the card show for $3. It's a new addition to the PTR of my favorite Canadian Bucco. I really hope that Jason can turn his career back around in Seattle after a disastrous 3 years in NY. I might pick him up as my final draft pick in fantasy baseball this year just as a deep sleeper. Someone has to produce runs in Seattle, right?
Saturday, February 9, 2013
New Additions to the PTR
Yesterday I showed off some new trade bait including some Japanese import gaming cards featuring MLB's finest. I also managed to pick up a few of my favorite Pirates from that set including Joel Hanrahan, Garrett Jones, and the PTR's favorite Bucco Andrew McCutchen.
I also found a few of the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) gaming cards of Pirates too including Hanrahan (Team USA), current Pirates closer Jason Grilli (team Italy), and Pirates swingman Chris Leroux (team Canada).
My recent Ebay purchases include a Ralph Kiner autograph for $10. I've been on a Ralph Kiner kick lately and will be adding to this part of my collection a lot more this year. I really want to focus more on my HOF Pirates collection this year so expect to see more Stargell, Clemente, Maz, Kiner, Honus Wagner, and the Waner brothers added to my collection this year.
I realized that I had never posted this prior to my "fallout" from the blogging community. It's a tri jersey featuring Jason Bay, Albert Pujols, and Ken Griffey Jr. that I won for $8.50
2 future HOFers and a Jason Bay. It's numbered 49/50 so yup, I'll take it.
I have several more cards that I still need to add to this site that were purchased from many months ago. Most of them are Jason Bay related. I'll try to do a few massive updates over the next couple weeks.
I also found a few of the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) gaming cards of Pirates too including Hanrahan (Team USA), current Pirates closer Jason Grilli (team Italy), and Pirates swingman Chris Leroux (team Canada).
My recent Ebay purchases include a Ralph Kiner autograph for $10. I've been on a Ralph Kiner kick lately and will be adding to this part of my collection a lot more this year. I really want to focus more on my HOF Pirates collection this year so expect to see more Stargell, Clemente, Maz, Kiner, Honus Wagner, and the Waner brothers added to my collection this year.
I realized that I had never posted this prior to my "fallout" from the blogging community. It's a tri jersey featuring Jason Bay, Albert Pujols, and Ken Griffey Jr. that I won for $8.50
I have several more cards that I still need to add to this site that were purchased from many months ago. Most of them are Jason Bay related. I'll try to do a few massive updates over the next couple weeks.