The Best Damn McCutchen Collection...just got better

I take pride in my Andrew McCutchen collection.  I like the fact that I really started to collect Cutch in his rookie campaign and have been getting more and more aggressive adding to my collection every year.  The fact that he has blossomed into one of the most promising young superstars in the game today, only makes me more proud of it.  Prior to the 2009 season, guys like Alcides Escobar, Travis Snider, Colby Rasmus, Cameron Maybin, and Rick Porcello were all ranked higher than Cutch.  While all are servicable major leaguers in the game today, none of them are doing what Cutch is capable of.

Anywho, I decided to recently treat myself to some cardboard.  Here's what I came up with.

Up first is a nice 3 jersey relic of 2011 All-Stars Curtis Granderson, Justin Upton, and Cutch from 2011 Topps.  This serially numbered gem is an ebay 1/1 or as we call it in the real world 25/25.  This marks my 4th jersey relic featuring Justin Upton and Cutch on the same piece of cardboard.  This ran me $30 which is much less than some that I've seen sell for up to nearly triple digits.  

So many people have been posting about how they want to see Panini get a license and how annoying the Topps monopoly is.  I would have to agree, but that's a subject for a future post.  The above patch relic which actually has some stitching on it is numbered 15/25.  I managed to grab this for only $9.99.

 This might be my favorite multiplayer card featuring a Cutch relic I own.  Willie Pops Stargell is my favorite "vintage" player.  Andy Van Slyke was one of my favorite players from my youth and Cutch is my current favorite player.  Add in the fact that this marks my first AVS bat relic and the numbering of the card to 18 (AVS number) and the serial number of the card 8 (Stargell's number) and the saying "Pure Steel" .....well this card is just flat out awesome!!!!

Topps 5 Star is a really nice line of cards.  They are crazy overpriced, but sometimes you can find them on the cheap when the player's name is listed incorrectly.  This Cutch cost me only $8 shipped thanks to a no reserve and a low starting bid.  I will not release to you my saved searches for f-ed up spelling errors, but I love it when I can grab cards like this so cheap.

I also grabbed the above 9 cards I needed for my collection in a mega lot purchased for $25.  I had the sticker somewhere, but evidently misplaced it somehow.  The Heritage base cards I had in my Heritage team set binders, but not in my player collection binder.  The real gems of the above lot are the SP 2013 Heritage, the 2 2013 Heritage Refractors, and the 2009 T206 City Skyline variant.  I was most excited about the skyline variant as I have never been able to find that card for less than $8 by itself.  Also included in the lot were a few other Cutch cards I already had along with the below 2011 Lineage AUTO.  I already have that card, but if anyone wants to make a trade for the on card auto of one of baseball's promising young superstars let me know.

All those are nice cards, right?  While I like them all, they fail in comparison to this

CLEMENTE!!!! & CUTCH!!!!

Ok, so the design isn't jaw dropping.  The plain bat relic and jersey relic aren't anything to get excited about. But C'mon it's Clemente & Cutch TOGETHER on a card numbered to 50!!!

Cutch Kemp Upton together again

I've picked up a few Andrew McCutchen cards with other "5 tool" outfielders over the past year.  I even managed to grab a booklet with Cutch, Kemp, and Upton together last year for around $40.  I'm happy to add another card of these power and speed NL All-Stars.

From 2011 Triple Threads I got a 21/36 jersey relic featuring the former MVP runner ups.

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

great speed: 20 (lowest of his career) CHECK

hit for average: .327 (2nd place in NL) won a Silver Slugger CHECK

hit for power 31 HR .553slugging percentage CHECK

excellent defensively: .997 fielding percentage won a Gold Glove CHECK

JUSTIN UPTON

great speed: 18 with 8 caught stealing BETTER THAN LEAGUE AVERAGE

hit for average: .280 (won a Silver Slugger in 2011) CHECK

hit for power: 17 (31 in 2011) slugging .430 AVERAGE FOR POSITION

excellent defensively: saved 2 runs and put up a -0.4 dWAR NOT BETTER THAN AVERAGE

So it looks like the card features the players in the right order for guys that are 5 toolin' 

Mike Trout (if he can continue his success) will be the most tooled player in the game.

Andrew McCutchen, although he has lost some of his presence on the basepaths since 2010 is still a threat to steal, but has gained becoming a bigger threat at the plate with the bat.

Justin Upton had a monster 2011 season and will be pushed in Atlanta to put up better numbers now that he 

is playing alongside 2 other 5 tool outfielders his brother BJ Upton and Jason Heyward.