Mississippi State Bulldog southpaw Paul Maholm was drafted in the first round of 2003.
Maholm would go on to win 53 games with the Bucs including the most wins in the history of PNC Park. He's currently with the Cubs on a 1 year deal with an option for a second year.
The above Clear Path to Greatness Auto cost me $1.28 shipped. It will likely be my last Maholm autograph I choose to pickup since I now have 3 autographs of him.
To recognize the MLB Draft tomorrow, I thought I should show off the first and second round draft picks from the 2011 draft. I didn't even know this card existed until Greg sent me an email giving me the heads up about one popping up on ebay. The card is numbered out of 25 and features autographs of Gerrit Cole and Josh Bell. The dual auto ran me a pricey $55 shipped, but some copies of the card have sold for up to $90. I really like the basic design of this card, but it sure would be nice if there could be team logos on these guys.
I've talked about Cole fairly recently and how he's likely going to earn a promotion to AA soon since he's currently leading many pitching categories in the Florida State League.
Josh Bell, the powerful switch hitting corner outfield prospect has been out most of the season after tearing the meniscus in his knee in late April. The 19 year old had a batting average of .274 with 11 RBI and 1 HR in his 15 games before the injury. The Pirates organization does expect Bell to recover before the season is over.
The Pirates just wrapped up beating the Brewers 6-5 to win the series. The team when having 10 or more hits in a game are now 11-0 in 2012. Not to mention that the team improves to 20-0 when winning after the 7th inning. Jason Grilli and Joel Hanrahan continue to be 2 of the game's best setup man/closer act in the majors.
Since the Bucs won, someone will get a choice of a Paul Molitor/Alan Trammel 1978 Topps rookie card or a 2011 Bowman Sterling Taylor Jungmann Auto.
Let's see who our winner is shall we
It was a 3 game series
so I had to randomize it 3 times
to determine that Spiegel won the contest.
Molitor/Trammel 1978 rookie or Jungmann Auto
Choose your card Spiegel
The Pirates have an off day Monday, then will face the Reds in Cincinnati.
How does a Barry Larkin jersey card sound for the winner of that contest? You guys interested in that?
The quality control of baseball cards is terrible.
I notice a lot of companies even ones that are named Topps make an awful habit of screwing up names for Pirates players.
Who the hell is Pat Maholm?
Why is that bum shortstop Ronny Cedeno pictured on the future right field star Jose Tabata's card?
Why is Andy pictured on Adam LaRoche's card? Andy and Adam despite being brothers don't exactly look alike. I don't own the above card, but would like to add it to my collection one day through a trade, but I'll be damned if I'm going to spend money for a card with Andy's face and Adam's name on it.
But this card below absolutely baffled me so bad I had to overpay for it. I already have a lot of Daniel McCutchen autographs. I almost have his nameplate from 2010 Finest completed (just need the E). I've got about half a dozen other autographs from him on top of those 8 lettered autographed cards. I made a promise with myself after my last trade with Greg that the only other DCutch auto I would buy would be that darn letter E to complete the nameplate. I don't care if it's a $1 I'm not buying it. Well, I apparently lied to myself and just had to buy this 2009 Tristar autograph that features Andrew McCutchen pictured on Daniel McCutchen's card. The card cost me $2 shipped, but I think it was worth it for the chuckles.
On top of screwing up the front, Tristar also screwed up the back by saying that he was drafted by Pittsburgh. DCutch came over from the Yankees as part of the Xavier Nady trade in 2008.
To further clarify my black and white point of needing better quality control at card companies I present the below image which shows Andrew and Daniel together during their time with the Indianapolis Indians when this card would have been produced. They don't exactly look similar do they?
I recently made a trade with Collector's Crack in exchange for some extra 2012 Heritage I had. Mark helped narrow my 2012 Heritage Pirates Team Set needs to a few cards listed below 2012 Heritage Needs
151 Pirates Team Card
259 Neil Walker
477 Derrek Lee
492 Joel Hanrahan
any of the hits (Clemente, McCutchen, Stargell, or any of the real one autographs)
Here's the cards that Mark sent me
some Heritage needs and a bronze Maholm T206
some minis and a Bowman Chrome Brock Holt along with some vintage stickers
The real highlight of the trade was this little oddball item of Andy Van Slyke. I love getting oddball cards of Van Slyke, but this is my first noncard oddball of the 5x gold glover. It's a Sports Viewer keychain from 1991. I wish I could figure out how to take a better picture of the image through the view finder, but this is the best I can come up with.
Thanks so much for the trade Mark. I'm looking forward to another future trade and finally having the Pirates kick the Brewers ass this year now that Prince is gone.
A couple days ago I received a package from Drews Cards. This is my first time trading with Drew and he knocked this trade out of the park.
The two main cards that I wanted were this Freddy Sanchez 2008 UD Game Jersey and Jason Bay 2007 UD Masterpieces Stroke of Genius AUTO. I'm up to 32 Jason Bay hits now.
Drew didn't stop there though. He threw in a plethora of Pirates for my collection, many of which I didn't already have. Amongst the two team bags he sent the below cards.
To start off is this 1974 Dave Parker rookie card. The Cobra is one of my favorite players of yesteryear that I never got to see play in person. Watching highlight films of him and having the 1979 WS DVD though I can see why he was such an electrifying player in the 70s and 80s. I don't have many cards from the 1974 set and am happy to be able to cross this one off my needs. Thanks for this card Drew. I flipped the heck out when I saw it in the pile.
For comedy reasons I will show the lack of quality control at our favorite sports cards manufacturers. It frustrates me when card companies can't get the product right. Who is Pat Maholm? Why is Ronny Cedeno pictured on Jose Tabata's card? C'mon Topps and Upper Deck. Get your shit together. Fans notice this crap. I've been wanting to add the "Tabata" card to my collection since I saw it on the sell list, but when I saw it on ebay and COMC with that bum Cedeno pictured I refused to ever buy that card for my "Tabata" collection. Thanks to Drew I didn't have to buy it. Now the question is do I organize it with my Tabata collection in a binder or file it with all the other bums that have played in Pittsburgh. Yes Ronny Cedeno, I'm talking about you.
He also included 5 Ryan Doumit cards that I previously didn't have as part of my PC. I love that mini.
I also got a handful of Jason Bay cards that I previously didn't own. I'm hoping Bay has a bounceback year this year. He was always such a great ball player and I would hate to see his career continue to regress in NY like so many other ex greats have had their careers die for the Mets.
And finally here's some of my other favorites. Even though Aki Iwamura was absolutely terrible for the Bucs in 2010, he did have a cool looking T206 card. I've been wanting to add that Paul Maholm Gypsy Queen since GQ came out. I never bought a single pack of Gypsy Queen because I didn't like the overall player selection. The design is sweet though.
He included many more cards, but do you guys really want to see the likes of Shawn Chacon, Tom Gorzelanny, Jack Wilson, and Jeff Karstens? Probably not, but you're going to have to deal with it.
I'm sorry for the busted face grouping of these guys, but it just worked out that way.
Thanks again Drew for the great trade. I'm looking forward to trading with you again. I have a bunch more Jets if you want them including two more jersey cards (Braylon Edwards and Leon Washington). I'll get them scanned for you sometime this week.
This past year's trade deadline didn't include statements of "cutting payroll" or "rebuilding" mode. Instead at the trade deadline the Pirates were only a few games back (3 if I remember correctly) of the 1st place Milwaukee Brewers and acquired 2 veteran presences in Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick. Both were brought in to provide a spark to one of baseball's worst offenses especially in the middle of the lineup.
Had the Pirates not been competing for the playoffs at the trade deadline, Paul Maholm most certainly would have been dealt for a B level prospect. Paul was having one of the best first seasons of his career, but finished losing every game after the trade deadline and going on the DL for the first time in his career.
Paul Maholm's option of $9.5 million for 2012 was declined (rightfully so, I might add) and became a free agent. He stated time and time again that he was hoping to stay in Pittsburgh and liked the direction of the team. He asked for a contract extension multiple times prior to the season and even during the season. The Pirates were not able to come to terms with Paul. Yesterday, Paul signed a 1 year contract with division rival Chicago Cubs for $4.7 million. I wish Paul the best of luck in the windy city and hope that he can come back to the Pirates in 2013. He was a great supporter of the city and helped many charities in Pittsburgh during his career in Steel City.
Here's a few Paul Maholm cards that I own that were not previously posted. Enjoy!
2005 Bowman Futures Game Jersey #BDP127
2004 Bowman Signs of the Future
2004 Topps Pristine 494/499
2006 Upper Deck Special Endorsements AUTO
Also, I learned that "the invisible man" Pedro Ciriaco signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox. Why was he called the invisible man, you ask? Well, it seemed like Pedro was called up and down from AAA more times than he had plate appearances in 2011. He was on the 25 man roster for almost the whole season, but managed only 33 plate appearances.
He finishes his Pirate career with
a .333 batting average
1 RBI per every 5.57 plate appearances
an OPS of .863
and a career fielding percentage of .969 at the shortstop position while having a 1.000 percentage in OF, 3B, and 2B.
Call me crazy, but that sounds like Hall of Fame numbers. I actually really liked Pedro a lot. I thought that he wasn't given a fair shot in Pittsburgh and that he could be the Tim Tebow of the Pittsburgh Pirates. When he was on the field, they always found a way to win. There was at least 3 games last year, where the Pirates won solely because of something miraculous he did whether it was pinch running and sliding so hard it broke up a double play to extend the inning which ended with a game winning HR, or ripping a double down the line off a very good closer while pinch hitting, or making a diving catch to end the game. He just found ways to contribute. Best of luck to him as well in his new career with Boston. Pictured below is his 2011 Topps Heritage rookie blank back 1/1 purchased directly from the Topps Vault
I've been away for some time and didn't get a chance to react to the Pirates off season moves as they happened. Some made sense, some didn't. For this I'm going to give my opinion of the Pirates off season so far by looking at some cards I have.
The Good
The Pirates signed Nate McLouth to a MINOR LEAGUE deal for $1.75 million.
I like this signing a lot. Nate was awesome when he was in Pittsburgh. He even won a gold glove in CF in 2008 for the Bucs, as he was a breakout star. After signing a very team friendly contract in the offseason of 2008 and being told that "Nate McLouth is a large part of our plans for the Pirates future," he was traded to Atlanta in the summer of 2009 for Charlie Morton, Jeff Locke, and Gorkys Hernandez. Charlie had a breakout year last year. Jeff made his major league debut after starting the season in AA. Gorkys was promoted to AAA and is still ranked as the best defensive outfielder the Pirates have in the system. Nate on the other hand struggled A LOT for Atlanta and was even demoted to AAA while over there.
I have 2 jersey relics of Nate the Great and am happy to move them in my cardboard stack of "Former" Pirates to Current Pirates. The Allen & Ginter relic is like every other Ginter relic out there. Plain, boring, blah. But the Topps Authentic Ticket Stub & Jersey Relic is unique. I like this concept and hope Topps can revisit this idea again soon. I just wish Nate was wearing #13 instead of #49 in the photo.
It's nice to see a fan favorite back in Pittsburgh. Now if we could only get Jason Bay or Jose Bautista on a 1 year minor league contract, all will be right with the world
The Good
Ryan Doumit signs with the Twins before the Pirates have to offer arbitration for him, thus ensuring the Pirates get a draft pick compensation for losing Doumit (a type B free agent).
The Good
The Pirates signed often injured, but very talented Erik Bedard to a 1 year deal for $4.5 million + incentives. I like this signing. With the Pirates buying out Paul Maholm and his $9.75 contract, they lost a veteran lefty. While I will miss Paul, I think Erik will fill that role nicely for half the price. Let's just hope he can stay healthy.
The Bad
Ryan Doumit signs with the Twins on a 1 year deal for only $3 million and we sign Rod Barajas for $4 million.
I'm going to miss Doumit a lot. It's really sad actually. Doumit was never a top tier fielder, but his bat was something special. There was a number of times that I just knew he would come up with a huge hit when the Pirates needed it most. He's actually one of the main reasons, Trevor Hoffman was taken out of being the Brewers closer in 2010 when he hit 2 grand slams in back to back nights in the 9th inning off the then all-time saves leader.
I still plan on collecting cards of Dewey, even though he did stuff like what's below when runners were attempting to steal a base.
I'll miss you Ryan Doumit. At least, you're reunited with Matt Capps and Steve Pearce.
Anyone got an opinion on Rod Barajas? Because I sure as hell don't. I'm still mourning losing Doumit.
The Ugly
The Pirates avoid arbitration of players who could have proved to be useful next season. That list includes Steve Pearce, Ronny Cedeno, and Ross Ohlendorf. I don't think any of these guys are big time stars and probably don't deserve being on a 25 man roster for any team except the Pirates, but here's some facts. Prior to injuries Steve Pearce and Ross Ohlendorf were absolutely amazing in 2009 and 2010. They both wouldn't have gotten much of a pay increase and probably deserved taking a flyer on at spring training this year. Ronny Cedeno, for as inconsistent as he can be with the bat, is actually a damn good short stop. Few NL shortstops provided a better fielding UZR or fielding percentage than Cedeno.
I'm not terribly upset about these releases, but am dumb founded on taking a guy like Clint Barmes at SS and giving him all the money that these 3 could have made collectively. Clint Barmes is not that good. PERIOD
I have been busy trying to update everything to my Picasa webpage to show all my Pirate treasures, but lack of a fast quality scanner and lack of time has disabled that goal. Here's some older ebay winnings from earlier in the year that didn't get posted until now.
First up a Paul Maholm silk card
a Freddy Sanchez 2006 Topps Update All Star Game Jersey
Brian Giles Prime Patches SHOE JERSEY HAT
Chase D'arnaud Tristar AUTO
a dual relic of Willie Stargell & Dave Parker
2 game used bat relics & an auto of Al Oliver
an Oliver Perez AUTO
Dave Parker Topps Archives BAT
an Andy Van Slyke jersey relic
A Maury Wills Jersey relic 44/350
a Pedro Alvarez manupatch and triple signature of the Vanderbilt stars (Mike Minor, Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Flaherty)
a Ross Ohlendorf UD Signature Stars AUTO
2 Zach Duke jersey patches
and a Joel Hanrahan 2010 Peak Performance AUTO
I currently have several trades in the works so expect updates on that soon. Also my birthday is approaching so I will probably treat myself to some cards to celebrate.
I will add all my Dave Parker, Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski, Bill Madlock, and Jason Bay cards soon. I promise.
On a completely different note, my favorite pitcher Charlie Morton is on the mound again tonight so LET'S GO BUCS!
