McCutchen Mailday #48: Cutch Autographs nearing 100 uniques

Over the years, I have added many Andrew McCutchen dual autographs to the PC.  Some of them are mind blowing and some feature guys that never made it to the majors.

For $30, I added another dual autograph of the Pirates Face of Franchise along with a former top prospect who never made it to the majors. 

6/25

Javier Herrera was once regarded a top prospect in the game and in 2005 he made it up to AAA as a 20 year old in Oakland's farm system.  Injuries appear to have prevented him from ever getting to the majors and the A's released him in 2008.  Since then he has bounced around from independent leagues to the Giants farm system and despite being a 30 year old in AA he is still trying to make it as a professional baseball player.  In just over 500 career minor league games he has a very good triple slash line of .281/.359/.461, but it looks like a lot of independent leagues are in his future as the Giants don't appear to have much more need of him than organization depth.

Two Great Pitchers: 1 Dual Auto

Sonny Gray and Gerrit Cole both will receive some Cy Young votes this year (even if they don't win the award).

Both of these two young superstar pitchers have their jersey and signature on this card, that I grabbed for $24 delivered.

BayDay BayDay: Gettin Miggy with it!!!!

The 2015 National has come and gone.  I still haven't made it to one yet, but hope to attend it next year.  Earlier in the year, I was trying to grab some autographs of current players who have the potential to be considered future Hall of Famers.

Two years ago, I was sent an Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz dual autograph in exchange for my redemption Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole Face of the Franchise dual autograph.  I still have that dual auto of ARod and Big Papi, but haven't received any serious offers to take it off my hands.  Earlier this year I purchased an Adrian Beltre and Felix Hernandez dual autograph because I consider both guys to be future Hall of Famers. 

Most of my collection that I show off on this site are Pirates related and clearly the Pirates haven't had any future Hall of Famers during the 20 year losing streak.  There could be a stretch argument that Aramis Ramirez could get in the Hall of Very Good, but it's doubtful he's a Hall of Famer.  McCutchen could one day land himself in the Hall if he continues his numbers for another decade. 

While Jason Bay will likely never receive the votes for a Hall of Fame berth, it is highly likely that Miguel Cabrera will be considered a 1st ballot Hall of Famer when he decides to retire.  Miggy has been suffering through injuries this year and has been placed on the DL for the 1st time in his career.  Jason Bay was one of my favorite players for the Bucs during his playing career and the chance to add a jumbo size dual autograph of Jason with Miggy numbered to 10 presented to good an opportunity to pass up. 

I submitted a best offer  on this card after contemplating a reasonable price for a few weeks and I can proudly say I am the new proud owner of this 2006 Hawaiian Trade Conference card. 

To show how large this card is I compared it to my 1991 Bobby Bonilla.

Dual Auto of 2 Future Hall of Famers?

It's safe to say that the Pirates won't be having any recent retirees make the Hall of Fame. The Pirates best hope for a Hall of Famer already retired is for Dave Parker to get inducted via veteran's committee.

Andrew McCutchen certainly looks like he could have a Hall of Fame career if he continues his success for another decade though.

This got me thinking who in today's game has what it takes to make it to the HoF? Albert Pujols is a certain lock. Miguel Cabrera certainly has the credentials to make a case. Alex Rodriguez has the stats to back up his case, but there is a lot of off field drama with him.

Like many of you I gave up on baseball during the 94 strike. The HomeRun chase with Bonds, McGwire, and Sosa brought me back. I didn't fully commit to the hobby again though until Andrew McCutchen debuted in 2009.

That's when I really got back into baseball (both as a fanatic and card collector).  When I was younger my 2 positions I would often play were Pitcher and 3rd Base. Occasionally I would be asked to play CF if the team we were facing had a lot of sluggers. Because of that I have always gravitated towards those positions when picking my favorite players.

What I saw of King Felix and Adrian Beltre over the past 6 years since rejoining the hobby makes me believe these guys will one day be forever enshrined in Cooperstown after retirement.

Because of that I needed to pick up a dual auto of both them in their Seattle uniforms. King Felix has such an awesome signature, right?

Of the players currently in today's game who do you think will one day make it to the Hall of Fame?

HOF Mojo!!!! DUAL AUTO w/Johnny Bench!!!!

I don't often collect multiplayer autographs featuring Neil Walker, but when I do I prefer for them to have Hall of Famers on them.  Que the most interesting man in the world....

Just kidding.

This is my first dual auto with Hall of Famer Johnny Bench on it.  It is only my second dual autograph with Neil Walker on it.  I also have one with Jason Kendall.  I also have a triple auto with Ralph Kiner and Jack Wilson.

Reds and Bucs finish up their 3 game series today.

Archrival Autographs: Cutch & Bruce

There's only one team that I truly hate in baseball and that's the Milwaukee Brewers.  The reason for the hate is based mostly on the past 8 years when the Brew Crew made a mockery of the Pirates and when Carlos Gomez became a regular in their lineup.  Carlos Gomez is the single most player I hate in all sports.

There's other teams that I just don't like, but for some reason I appreciate the actual rivalry they bring.  Such is the case with the Reds.  I know that every time we are in a close game with them, it's going to be hard fought on both sides and players will give the extra bit to gain an edge.  Aroldis Chapman is a true weapon in their bullpen, but our pitchers aren't afraid to throw at their best players either.

Two players that are linked on both teams due to their positions taken in the 2005 draft are Andrew McCutchen (11th overall) and Jay Bruce (12th overall).  To me, they represent what each team offers.  Cutch is the underdog little guy that can do it all and (for many years) was under the radar.  Bruce is the powerhouse playing on a team with many years of success.

I've been after this dual autograph for nearly 3 years.  I had contacted people from multiple sports card blogs and forums that posted theirs and every person that had a copy of this card said "It's PC, not for sale".  With only 15 copies produced, I knew that it would be a tough card to one day track down, but with my tax refund I splurged the $75 to add it to my collection.

Now I can say "It's PC, not for sale!"

The Buccos take on the Reds tomorrow as they return home to PNC Park for a week before heading east to Philly next Monday.

Double Sickness!!!! Kemp & Bautista Dual On Card AUTO!!!!

I've been picking up some nice Jose Bautista cards lately and my most recent addition is no different.

A Dual On Card Autograph of Matt Kemp and Jose Bautista numbered to 25.  The grade is a little low (only 9) but that is mostly due to an 8.5 grade on corners.  I'm willing to bet that Greg at Plaschke wouldn't mind having this in his collection.

I'm happy I was able to grab this for only $31 delivered.

I'm heading to Baltimore today for the Orioles home opener against the Jays.  It should be a lot of fun.

Remembering Oscar Taveras

I don't know why it has taken me so long to post this dual autograph of two of the NL's top outfield prospects heading into the 2014 season, but thought with Spring Training just around the corner it was now appropriate.  St. Louis announced last week that they plan to wear a number patch on their uniform in 2015 to honor the late Oscar Taveras.  Heading into Spring Training last year, both Taveras and Polanco looked like they would be competing against one another not only for top NL outfield prospect, but potential Rookie of the Year candidates.  Add in that they are division rivals and nearly the same skill set and age and it seemed like these young potential superstars could be forever linked to one another.

Sadly in late October the link between Taveras and Polanco was broken when Oscar passed away from a car accident resulting from him being 5 times the legal alcohol limit while driving.  I'm torn on if honoring Taveras is the right thing to do.  His untimely death appears to be self induced and because of that he took the life of his teenage girlfriend as well.  

Polanco has been given the right field job when the Pirates traded away Travis Snider in the offseason.  I suspect that Gregory will be a good rightfielder, but I truly think that Andrew Lambo is going to be the breakout star for the Pirates in 2015.  

The dual autograph represents my only Oscar Taveras autograph in my collection and it was purchased the day of his passing with a best offer in the $50 range.  I wasn't a big fan of Topps Supreme, but using these two subjects on the card together was a good idea by Topps.  National Treasures has also since linked these two players together for their dual jumbo patch booklets.

I recently grabbed another card featuring both players at a local mall card show.  I snagged it for $2 which I thought was a pretty good deal considering how much these things go for online.

From 2014 Bowman Chrome is a Dual-ing Die Cuts.

$5 gamble? Dual Auto of Austin Meadows and Reese McGuire

I normally don't buy non certified autographs online unless they come from a respected source that I have personally dealt with in person.  However, when the Pirates two 1st Round draft picks of 2013 ended up on the same card as in person autographs for $5 I just couldn't pass it up.

The seller lives not too far from me and claims that he got both of them at a West Virginia Power game.  That makes sense as their are several teams that play the Power within a two hour drive.

I seriously think the autos are real, but even if they aren't it's a nice looking card with some cursive writing and nice pen marks of two of baseball's top prospects.  I'll take that gamble every time for $5.

Super Bowl Sunday: 6 Time Super Bowl Champs DUAL AUTO!!!

One of my 2015 Collecting Goals was to add a pair of Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famers to my collection.  With this card, I am now half way there.  When I was looking to upgrade my Steelers collection, I knew that I wanted to go Quality over Quantity.  Getting a dual autograph of the two quarterbacks who have brought the Steelers 6 Super Bowl Championships seemed like a no brainer.

Hailing from 2005 Donruss Elite, this Passing the Torch dual auto numbered 25/50 features 4 time Super Bowl Champion Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw on the front

and

2 time Super Bowl champion (and potential future Hall of Famer) Ben Roethlisberger on the back.

With the Patriots and Seahawks playing today, it is a guarantee that one of them will tie the number of Super Bowl rings with someone on this card.  Could it be Tom Brady as he attempts to get the elusive number 4 tying him with Bradshaw and Montana for most all-time or will it be the young Russell Wilson tying Ben Roethlisberger and 10 others in the list of 2x Super Bowl champions?

Personally I'm pulling for the Seahawks because quite frankly, I hate Tom Brady and the Patriots.

GO HAWKS!!!!

A super sweet Dual Auto Booklet featuring Gerrit Cole and Zack Wheeler

With the injury plagued season that Gerrit Cole has had this year, his card prices have dropped substantially.  He's only made 2 starts since June.  This is good for me as it allows me to add some rather nice autographs and patches of his for less than normal prices.

Such was the case for the above dual ON CARD auto of Gerrit Cole and Zack Wheeler.  I've seen this card sell in the $35 - $50 range before and was very lucky to get it for literally a fraction of that price.  The card is hand signed and numbered to only 20 copies.  I've been wanting to get a Zack Wheeler autograph so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to add his John Hancock to my collection.  Wheeler has been a very consistent pitcher this year with a mid 3 ERA and averaging just under a strikeout per inning.  He will need to allow fewer walks in order to become a true front of the rotation pitcher though.

McCutchen Monday: Dual Auto with George Springer 2012 Bowman Top Picks

It's one of my 2014 Collecting Goals to get to 75 certified autographs of Andrew McCutchen.  I purchased this dual auto of Cutch and one of baseball's top prospects, George Springer, awhile ago.  It marks the 72nd certified auto in my collection to be showcased on the PTR.

2012 Bowman Top Prospects Dual AUTO George Springer and Andrew McCutchen 23/25

Both Springer and McCutchen were selected as 11th overall picks in the amateur draft and both play one of the key defensive positions on the diamond, centerfield.  Springer showed last year a tremendous amount of power and speed as he was able to hit 37 homeruns and 45 stolen bases while batting .303.  He has struggled since making his MLB debut on April 16th this year, but has started to hit more consistently over the past couple weeks.

It pays to be patient....

When the Bowman Platinum redemptions for the dual autos of Josh Bell and Bubba Starling were hitting eBay in 2012, they were going for well over a $100 due to the high expectations of both highschool teenage outfield prospects.  Bell suffered a season ending injury early in the season and Bubba didn't meet the expectations of the Royals fanbase.

Fast forward 18 months later and I was able to grab this dual auto of the young prospects for just over the price of a blaster.  Josh Bell is still making many sites top 100 lists, but Bubba has slipped due to his ineffectiveness at the plate in A ball.

I got a chance to see a few games with Josh Bell last year and the dude is an absolute power presence at the plate. In several at bats he was being pitched around as if he was the 2001 version of Barry Bonds. Minor league stats can be deceptive and I can say with full certainty that barring injury, Josh will be an impact player in a few years.

The latest Jason Bay Dual Auto enters the Treasure Room

I haven't added a new Dual Auto with Jason Bay on it since November 2013 when I added a Dontrelle Willis and Jason Bay autograph to my collection.

2007 UD Exquisite Rookie Signatures Common Numbers 35/38

My latest acquisition featuring Jeremy Bonderman is numbered 35/38.  For those that aren't familiar with 2007 Exquisite Rookie-Signatures from Upper Deck, there was several dual autographs in a series called Common Numbers.  Both Bonderman and Bay wore number 38, thus the odd card numbering limit.

The above certified dual auto ran me $6.99 delivered and marks my 49th autograph of Mr. Bay.

McCutchen Monday: Dual Auto Cutch & Cole 2/5

If this had been on card instead of sticker autos, this would be my favorite card in my collection.  This extremely low numbered (2/5) was purchased on ebay and features dual autos and dual patches of the two faces of the Pirates current organization.  Andrew McCutchen is coming off an MVP season and Gerrit Cole was the rookie flamethrower that still has 6 years of dominating pitching ahead of him.

What piece of cardboard can possibly top this for my favorite card purchased in 2014?
There's still 9 months left....but this will be very tough to top.

This marks my 69th certified Cutch auto added to the PC

Another Jason Bay DUAL AUTO: Dontrelle Willis 2005 Rookie Cup

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Jason Bay.  Last month I announced I wanted to update my Jason Bay partner project.

It was a lot of fun trying to get 38 different players to appear on a hit with Jason Bay.  So much fun, that I'm doing it again.  This time though, I want to get 38 unique players autographs with Jason Bay.

The above 2005 Topps Rookie Cups DUAL AUTO marks my 15th autograph of another player to appear on a piece of cardboard with Jason Bay.  Only 23 more to go...this is going to be fun.

Here is a list of the players that I have autograph cards with Jason Bay

Adam LaRoche
Bill Madlock
Bill Mazeroski
Bobby Crosby
Carlos Zambrano
Casey Kotchman
Dale Murphy
Dave Parker
Dontrelle Willis
Dustin Pedroia
Justin Morneau
Matt Holiday
Ralph Kiner
Tom Gorzelanny
Willie Parker

The NEW Jason Bay Partner Project collection goal

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Jason Bay.  Adding dual autos of him numbered to 38 copies for $9 makes it harder to resist adding to my collection.

It was a lot of fun trying to get 38 different players to appear on a hit with Jason Bay.  So much fun, that I'm doing it again.  This time though, I want to get 38 unique players autographs with Jason Bay.

2007 Ultimate Numbers Match Dual AUTO 5/38 Bay/Zambrano

The above 2007 Ultimate Collection Numbers Match DUAL AUTO marks my 14th autograph of another player to appear on a piece of cardboard with Jason Bay.  Only 24 more to go...this is going to be fun.  My goal is to complete this project by the end of 2014.

Here is a list of the players that I have autograph cards with Jason Bay

Adam LaRoche
Bill Madlock
Bill Mazeroski
Bobby Crosby
Carlos Zambrano
Casey Kotchman
Dale Murphy
Dave Parker
Dustin Pedroia
Justin Morneau
Matt Holiday
Ralph Kiner
Tom Gorzelanny
Willie Parker

2 of Baseball's Best Prospects dual AUTO

The Pirates farm system has vastly improved over the past couple years.  They've increased their scouting in the Latin America communities and we've already seen one of those players (Starling Marte) impact the major league roster.

MLB recently updated their top 100 prospects in baseball and the Bucs have 5 prospects in the top 100.  More importantly they have 2 of the top 15 prospects in baseball (Jameson Taillon and Gregory Polanco).  3 of the Pirates top 5 prospects are latin players (Gregory Polanco, Alen Hanson, and Luis Heredia).  The Pirates continue to rise through the standing thanks to a great farm system of homegrown talent.

2013 Bowman Inception DUAL AUTO Gregory Polanco and Alen Hanson 5/25

When this card was tipped off to me, I knew I had to pull the trigger on it unless it went over triple digits. Well, it barely went over triple digits which was hard to accept.  However, if these guys pan out as planned, this card could be the equivalent of a Jimmy Rollins/Andrew McCutchen dual autograph as those are the comparisons of the players.

I'm now officially done with Bowman Inception after acquiring this card.  I have the Gregory Polanco, Alen Hanson, and Barrett Barnes.

Jason Bay & Dustin Pedroia dual auto

One of my 2013 Collecting Goals is to get 38 unique players to appear on a jersey or autograph hit of Jason Bay.  Through July 1st I was sitting at 30 unique players.

I haven't been able to add many multiplayer auto or relic cards featuring Jason Bay lately because I've dried up most of the market on them.  Now I can add Bay's former teammate and former MVP Dustin Pedroia to that list.

2009 Topps Unique Dual Distinction DUAL AUTO 1/25 Jason Bay & Dustin Pedroia

When I saw this on ebay, I instantly bought it.  No questions asked...
Not only do I really like Dustin Pedroia as a player, but this brings my total of multiplayer auto or relic cards to 31.  My goal is only 7 away from being completed.

Here's a list of the others that I have memorabilia cards with Jason Bay 
*if bold and yellow 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
Edgar Martinez
Freddy Sanchez
Gary Carter
Jacoby Ellsbury
JD Drew
Jose Castillo 
Justin Morneau 
Ken Griffey Jr.
Kenny Lofton
Mario Lemieux
Mark Teixeira
Manny Ramirez
Matt Holiday
Nick Markakis
Ralph Kiner
Torii Hunter

And here is a list of the players that I have autograph cards with Jason Bay

Bill Mazeroski
Casey Kotchman
Dale Murphy
Dave Parker
Dustin Pedroia
Willie Parker

ONLY 7 MORE MULTIPLAYER CARDS TO GO!!!
The Red Sox play the Mariners today so it will be the first time that Pedroia and Bay have played against one another since Bay signed with the Mets a few years ago.

Dual Auto of Dualing Aces

I can't contain my excitement for these two pitchers making it to the majors.  While I'm more excited about Jameson Taillon, Gerrit Cole has already made his debut and delivered on every expectation placed upon him.

It would be great to have them both up so they can learn from AJ & Wandy before we part ways with them during the offseason.

I've been on a mad hunt for any cards featuring the future mound stars and this 2012 Bowman Sterling was a nice pickup for $60 a couple months ago.  Some of you may think, I can buy a box of Series 2 for the price of that card, but I would rather have this one card than a bunch of commons for teams I don't root for.  Just my thought process.

Without further delay, I present you my 2012 Bowman Sterling Dual Auto of Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon numbered 18/38.

2012 Bowman Sterling Jameson Taillon & Gerrit Cole Dual AUTO 18/38

Speaking of aces, I managed to complete the 2013 Gypsy Queen Dualing Aces insert set after picking up a handful at a mall card show.

Here's my favorite from each card suit.

I chose Adam Wainwright for one reason and one reason only, he looks the part of a baseball player.  He still wears the old school socks and is a competitor on the mound.

I chose Yu because he was my first pitcher I grabbed in fantasy baseball this year and has been lights out so far.  Hell, he almost threw a perfect game on his first start this year.

Kershaw was a fantasy baseball classic for me dating back to 2009, but this year he was ranked too high for me to grab.  I love this kid.  He's a strikeout machine with low walk numbers that racks up Ws.

Chris Sale has been a dark horse since he was drafted in 2010.  My ex girlfriend's sister was a classmate of his so I rooted for him from the moment he was drafted.  The fact that I am a closet White Sox fan probably helps. LOL!