Oh Canada! Jameson Taillon WBC AUTO

I recently showed off the booklet that FINALLY gave me 38 different players to appear on a relic or autos with Jason Bay.  It featured all Canadian born players including Russell Martin, Jason Bay, Rich Harden, Justin Morneau, Erik Bedard, and Shawn Hill.

While Jameson Taillon wasn't born in Canada, his parents were so he was qualified to play for Team Canada in the recent WBC.  As is customary for Topps, they produced cardboard of the players involved.

There were several Pirates players featured in the 2013 Topps Tribute WBC release including Jameson Taillon, Wandy Rodriguez, and Jason Grilli.  I still need a Grilli auto from the set, but have already shown the  sepia Wandy Rodriguez I grabbed for 99 cents.  

2013 Topps Tribute WBC AUTO 35/35

Taillon pitched only 4 innings in the WBC allowing 1 earned run while striking out 3 member of Team USA (Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Braun, and Shane Victorino).  He threw 34 pitches of 52 for strikes so his command was pretty strong against an All-Star worthy lineup.  Not too bad for a kid that had never pitched above AA prior to the WBC.

I've said it before, the Pirates pitching staff should be very strong in the next couple years as more and more homegrown players begin to appear in the majors.  While many predict Cole to be the more dominant pitcher, I think that Taillon will one day surpass him strictly because his curveball is nasty.

The above card is my 18th certified auto of Jamo.