Jameson Taillon Debut Patch

I've been waiting almost 6 years for this day to come.  I remember sitting in my small apartment on my busted up chair using my PC to watch the 2010 MLB Draft as the Pirates had the number 2 overall pick.  The 3 big names of the draft were all prep athletes.  Two of them have already become All-Stars (Bryce Harper and Manny Machado).  The third was the hard throwing highschool pitcher Jameson Taillon.  Man am I excited to see Jamo finally pitch in the big leagues.  I've had this card since August of 2013 patiently awaiting for his big debut to debut it.

This beauty was had for under $20!!!!!

2013 Pro Debut Patch 1/5

It features a large patch of the Jolly Roger from his 2012 All-Star Future's Game sleeve.  From the box score, Taillon didn't have a good outing.  He pitched 1 inning and gave up 2 hits (both doubles), allowing 1 run.  He didn't walk anyone, nor did he strike anyone out.  However he did throw 12 of his 17 pitches for strikes.  I remember watching the game and thinking damn, this kid is gonna be awesome in a few years.  He did an amazing job mixing up his speeds on his 4 pitch arsenal.

The back of the card has the normal small print text about not being from a specific season, blah blah blah.

MINT!!!!

There's a joke I'm sure that a guy that hasn't pitched in almost two years shouldn't get a lot of Mint cards.

I grabbed this card essentially for free by using some eBay bucks.

Jameson Taillon Superfractor!!!!

It's been nearly 5 years since Jameson Taillon was drafted out of high school with the #2 overall pick in 2010.  Since then Taillon has progressed a level each year, pitched in the 2012 Futures Game, and also served on Team Canada for the WBC striking out 3 members of Team USA in 3 innings of work.  Sadly he has also been sidelined for the past year and change recovering from Tommy John surgery.

I suspect that Taillon will get back to the mound for minor league games soon and could be a pitcher to keep an eye on if there is a string of injuries or ineffectiveness from one of the main starters.

The MLB Draft is tonight and I'm hoping the Pirates continue to add to their already stocked farm system with more elite talent.  The Pirates lower levels are filled with position players so maybe selecting a high school arm with the #19 overall selection is the way to go.

Around tax return time I snagged this 1/1 superfractor of the former first rounder, Jameson Taillon.  It marks my 3rd Superfractor.

Seeing Red: Jamo Red Refractor /25

My scanner is still not working properly, so I'm forced to update via my phone and screenshots of eBay items I've won. Below is an item I won a few months ago for under $5 of a top pitching prospect, Jameson Taillon.

The goofy looking image of Jamo is the red parallel numbered 21/25

A Tale of 1 City

I follow the Pirates minor league system as closely as I follow the major league roster.  With the way the Pirates used to do things before Neal Huntington took over, you could get maybe 3 years out of a player before you had to say goodbye to them.  They were in fan's eyes what the Oakland A's are doing now (but the Pirates had about 20 more losses each season).

Now the Pirates have a competitive team on the field for 162 games a year and also have a very interesting farm system rich with right handed pitchers drafted out of high school.  At the head of the class is Tyler Glasnow, but right behind him are Jameson Taillon and Nick Kingham.

Kingham is repeating in AAA to start the year, but will most likely be the first guy called upon to make his MLB debut this year.  Jameson Taillon, the 2nd overall pick in 2010, is still recovering from Tommy John Surgery last year.  It's likely that he will make his minor league season debut around June/July with the potential for a September callup.

Both the cards above feature Taillon and Kingham with the Pirates AA affiliate, the Altoona Curve.  I won both cards nearly 4 months ago for around $10 each.  The Taillon is numbered out of 75 and hails from 2013 Topps Pro Debut.  The Kingham is not numbered and is from 2014 Topps Heritage Minors.

I'm not complaining but is this real life?

Why are Jameson Taillon cards so cheap?

Is it because he's recovering from Tommy John?

Is it because he was drafted over 4 years ago and hasn't reached the majors yet?

Is it because he is in too many sets?

No matter what the reason...for $1.79 delivered I will not pass up an unlicensed on card auto of Jamo.

Can you fault me for not questioning?

Triple Auto: Jamo, Thor, Archie Bradley graded 9.5

Archie Bradley is set to make his MLB debut today against the LA Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw.  Talk about a tough matchup for your MLB debut.  I grabbed this graded 9.5 triple autograph of Jameson Taillon, Noah "Thor" Syndergaard, and Archie Bradley a few months back for $100. The card is numbered to only 10 copies and a few that I have seen raw sell on eBay often aren't as nice as this one.

It is very likely that barring unforseen injuries all 3 of these young men will make their MLB debuts this season.

Going Green: Best Mustache Award!!!!

I mustache you a question....

I remember listening to an interview with Jameson Taillon and Nick Kingham (who I featured in a card post yesterday) that they were growing team mustaches in 2013.  Because of that, Topps in their frequent tardiness captured both young men with their mustaches for the 2014 Topps Heritage Minors release.  I showed off the Kingham last year.

National Treasures Reverse Box Update #4: SICK JAMESON TAILLON PATCH!!!

I've been showing off my 2014 National Treasures reverse box eBay winnings a lot over the past 2 weeks.  I figured with only 8 cards per pack I should be on pace to show off the entire reverse box by the end of February without losing track of my other scheduled posts.

My most recent addition is

A very nice patch from Pirates pitching prospect Jameson Taillon numbered 2/25.  The above card ran me a winning bid of $2.99 with $3.50 shipping.  Considering that it came from less than an hour away, I wish I could have paid far less for shipping, but still getting this sweet relic card for under $6.50 very quickly put me in line to finish this reverse box with every card being a Pirate and less than 50 copies of each.

So far I have shown

Willie Stargell Cut AUTO and jumbo bat booklet /10

Gerrit Cole on card AUTO and jumbo jersey /49

Roberto Clemente bat relic /25

This is going to a great reverse box when it's all said and done.  I will have relics and autos of HOFers along with autos and prime jersey pieces of the Pirates bright future. For the above 4 cards I have spent $173 on a $213 budget for being halfway done.  I know I can easily obtain another 2 autographs and 2 other cards for much less than $252.  

Jameson Taillon: One Pitch at a Time

At this point in the Pirates season, I was really hoping that I would be talking about how Jameson Taillon came up mid June and helped to solidify the Pirates rotation.  It's hard to believe that the Pirates used a 5 man rotation consisting of Brandon Cumpton, Vance Worley, Edinson Volquez, Charlie Morton, and Jeff Locke at long stretches of the season and are with only a few weeks left in the season only 2.5 games out of first place.

I recently picked up this 2009 Team USA 17 under inscription of the former 1st round pick for $20 delivered.  With the season coming to a close soon, it's important that if the Pirates are going to push for another playoff run, they will have to do it "One Pitch at a Time".

Let's Go Bucs!!!!

World Cup vs. World Baseball Classic

The World Cup started yesterday and so many people throughout the world tuned in to watch their country's teams try to win the World Cup.  Why doesn't the World Baseball Classic generate as much credit as the World Cup throughout the World?  Is it because baseball isn't played globally?  Is it a lack of talent participating in the WBC?

As part of my ongoing quest to add cheap Jameson Taillon cards to my collection while he recovers from Tommy John surgery, I was able to add this nice patch card of the Texas native prospect for the small price of $8.

Katy Perry Presents: The Letter U

A nice set of tits is always appreciated, so in the style of Sesame Street and my favorite lady to ever wear an Elmo tshirt, I will allow Katy Perry to present today's letter (yes there are baseball cards in this post too)

Today's Letter is:

2007 SP By the Letter Jason Bay AUTO 7/25

You might be thinking there's no U in Jason Bay. Well Treasure Room fans, you are correct, but Upper Deck created a name plate of Bay that also spelled out PITTSBURGH. The above Jason Bay U marks my 5th letter in attempting that plate. I have the S B U R H.

2009 Upper Deck Team USA By the Letter  Jameson Taillon AUTO 42/100

The above 2 future front of rotation Pirates pitchers are from the Team USA by the letter line in 2009. Both Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon are represented.  Speaking of Jameson Taillon, if you haven't already checked out the sick patch of his I have from the 2012 Futures Game go check it out by clicking here. It also features the letter U.

Feeling Blue: The Jamo Patch Story

It shouldn't be a secret to anyone that reads my blog that I have been a HUGE fan of Jameson Taillon since he got drafted 2nd overall in the 2010 draft.  I saw him make his Bradenton debut (high A ball), his Altoona debut (AA ball) and saw him make one of his first starts in AAA.  I already had mentally prepared myself to attend his MLB debut game this year no matter where it was.  Unfortunately that won't be happening.  It was recently announced that one of the league's top prospects Jameson Taillon will be going under the knife for Tommy John surgery.  As a baseball fan, I can't worry because so many other pitchers go through it and fully recover the next year.  But as a Pirates fan, I have to be worried.  Remember Bobby Bradley?

Does it suck? Yes!  Does it make his cards cheaper now?  Absolutely!
Did I just buy 2 high priced patches before the news?  Unfortunately, yes.

Last October I showed off one of the most badass patches I own.  It featured the crown from the USA part of the 2012 Futures Game jersey.  It was the second of the Futures Game patches I bought of Jameson Taillon.  The first could be seen here dating back to February 2013.

I decided though that two of those cards weren't enough and was out to get more.

By negotiating with the sellers offer prices, I recently just purchased the above two cards for an additional $115 shipped.  I should note that the asking prices on these two cards was $175.  This brings my total to 4 of the 25 card print run.

My favorite one pictured above is the letters T and A from the back of his jersey and is numbered 2/25

The other one I purchased features the letter U and is a part of a star from the front of the USA jersey.  This is numbered 15/25.

To show off the others see below

Jameson Taillon West Virginia Power Patch

Not long ago I showed off a Gregory Polanco West Virginia Power manupatch from 2013 Pro Debut.  I recently came across a Jameson Taillon West Virginia Power manupatch from the 2012 Pro Debut set and quickly picked it up for $17 delivered.  I'll admit time and time again that I don't like manupatches much, but when they feature the awesome logo of the WV Power, I'm going to pick them up.

2012 Topps Pro Debut Manupatch West Virginia Power (Jameson Taillon)

Even though he's having elbow issues, Taillon should be up mid season 2014 to help the Pirates continue to make a strong push for the playoffs.  I'm really looking forward to seeing what this kid can do.  It's hard to believe he'll be just 22 in 2014.

Black is the New Black: Jameson Taillon Black AUTO

I absolutely love the Bowman Black autograph cards.  I've previously shown off my Starling Marte and Gerrit Cole Bowman Black autographs in the past that I've spent some good amount of coin on.  Well, now I can add the Pirates current top pitching prospect and 2010 #2 overall pick, Jameson Taillon to that list.  Purchased several months back for $51 delivered, I am really excited to add the second piece to the Pirates future top of the rotation starter to my collection.  This is the lowest amount of money I've spent on a Bowman Black silver ink auto and of all the Pirates prospects to emerge from the system the past few years, Jameson is the one that excites me the most.

2012 Bowman Black AUTO 14/25

Taillon will likely enter the 2013 in AAA and will be up midsummer to assist the Pirates make another playoff run.

I guess I have a quarter to spare

When Jameson Taillon refractors are available for a quarter, I will buy them EVERYTIME!!!!  Such was the case when this card popped up on ebay as part of a larger lot I was purchasing.

I had gotten a mini refractor of Jameson as part of my best ebay lot ever which ran me only 5 cents a card.

For those that are doing the math, that's two refractors of the Pirates top pitching prospect for 30 cents shipped.

I dream of Jamo

I've been waiting since June 7th, 2010 for Jameson Taillon to make his MLB debut.  I was ecstatic that the Pirates front office had the guts to try and sign a front of the rotation starter who was only in high school.  For sooooooo many years, Pirates fans had to deal with the Pirates front office drafting safe college pitcher picks like Daniel Moskos, Brad Lincolns, Bryan Bullingtons, and John Van Benschoten.  The last time the Pirates had drafted a high school pitcher in the first round was Sean Burnett in 2000.

Jameson Taillon is not only one of the top prospects in the Pirates farm system, but he is one of the top pitcher prospects in all of baseball.  I've said it many times.  I think Taillon will be just as good as Cole.  Which is frightening for the NL Central hitters opposing these two fireballing prospects.

So far Jameson has only made one spring training appearance, but in those two innings of work he allowed only an "excuse me" single while facing the minimum batters.  Jameson is the real deal.  Don't be fooled!

I dream of the day Jamo makes his debut.  Let's Go Bucs!!!!

The above card was part of a massive lot of Pirates cards I recently purchased on ebay.  It averaged out to 15 cents a card.

The Best Ebay Lot EVER!!! Only 5 cents a card!!!!

While browsing for some good deals on ebay, I stumbled across this ridiculously cheap lot of 670 Pirates cards for $35 with FREE SHIPPING.  When you break that down, it's only a little over 5 cents a card.  Forget about your dimebox heroes, these are nickel heroes.

As part of the lot were 4 autographs from Francisco Cordova, the last Pirate to be involved in throwing a No-Hitter. Mike Kingery, Jon Liever, and Steve Cooke were the other signatures in the lot.

Also were 10 new Andy Van Slyke cards for my collection which I showed off yesterday.

It was overflowing with complete team sets from Topps, Upper Deck, Fleer, Donruss, Gypsy Queen, Pro Debut, etc.

It had over half a dozen minis.

Plenty of duplicate Andrew McCutchens (31 to be exact)

Plenty of new Andrew McCutchens (8)

More Jason Kendall, Brian Giles, Freddy Sanchez, and Jack Wilson cards than I will ever know what to do with

A Garrett Jones 2010 UD Biography card I've been chasing for awhile along with some more favorites that are all new additions to the collection

Several gold, blue, sparkle parallels (but my favorite is the blue Alex Presley shown below)

Oddballs and Diamond Kings

Some Hall of Famers

and a boatload of rookie cards for Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Gregory Polanco, Josh Bell, Luis Heredia, Tony Sanchez, Nick Kingham and Austin Meadows including a 2013 Bowman Refractor mini of Jameson Taillon

Of course there was junk in there, but considering that the cards were only 5 cents a piece, I think I got my money worth.  What do you think?

$1 BOB: Jameson Taillon Insert

Jameson Tailon cards for $1 delivered, yes please.

Does it sort of look familiar?  It should.  I grabbed a Gerrit Cole 2013 Top Prospects for a $1 also back in October.

2013 Heritage Minors Team Set

I like Topps Heritage.  I said it, let's move on.
I came across someone selling the Pirates team set from Heritage Minors and pulled the $8 trigger for ten cards.  Dilson Herrera is no longer part of the organization as he was the centerpiece to the trade that brought Marlon Byrd, John Buck, and cash to the Pirates for their playoff push.

Of the 9 players still with the organization, 4 of them are listed as top 100 prospects in baseball (Taillon, Heredia, Hanson, and Polanco).  One is not too far removed from being on that list and if he can prove he's healthy, will likely return to being a top prospect (Josh Bell).

The Pirates future is bright, but....

The future star of this set though is Jameson Taillon (seen below)