Baseball Cards & Baseball Autographs...

[Dalkowski110]

In fact, if B.J. Upton hits one more homerun, he'll tie Babe Ruth and Carlos Beltran for the record in any one single postseason, with 8. Though Ruth's record is obviously the most impressive because he had the shortest time to do it in, the fact that only Beltran has since equalled it just shows you how tough it is, even for a modern player (thus making the Babe's feat all the more incredible).

[Dalkowski110]

As my 20th birthday looms approximately 12 hours away (for which I am getting, rather fittingly among other things, a *very* rare autograph of a *very* famous player), I'll post some autographs...

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-2003 Upper Deck USA Baseball Team USA Signed Jersey Red Ink Brent Lillibridge autograph/game-used jersey swatch. An outfielder while playing amateur baseball (shown on the card in center field, I believe), Brent was converted to shortstop when he was drafted in 2005 by the Pittsburgh Pirates. A fourth-round pick out of the University of Washington, Brent was widely projected as the next leadoff hitter for the Pirates. Despite a rather inauspicious professional debut in 2005, he improved in 2006, batting .305 with a .419 on-base percentage, 13 homeruns, 71 RBI's, 106 runs scored, and 53 stolen bases for the Class A Hickory Crawdads and Class A Advanced Lynchburg Hillcats. However, the Pirates traded Brent along with closer Mike Gonzalez to the Atlanta Braves for first baseman Adam LaRoche and prospect infielder Jamie Romak (who went bust, but whom I also really hope decides to wear the jersey number "3"...I've often considered writing him and telling him what a Romak-3 is, but would first need to find out if he was a conservative/libertarian or not...anyway, back to Brent Lillibridge). The Braves as of late (about 2003-current) have for some reason totally thrown the value of on-base percentage out the window. While it's true that guys like Chipper Jones can still draw tons of walks, consider that they were developed as players before this period. Gregor Blanco and Yunel Escobar, another two OBP specialists, were developed outside the Braves organization. Right now, the Braves only have three prospects that project to have above-average OBP's: Freddie Freeman, Jon Gilmore, and Jordan Schafer. While Schafer was taken during the 2005 draft, both Freeman and Gilmore were taken in the 2007 draft. Why is that, you ask? Probably because of Brent Lillibridge. You see, when the Braves acquired him, they told him to be more aggressive at the plate and swing earlier in the count. Unfortunately, proving you can't fix something that isn't broken, Lillibridge's plate discipline AND batting average plummeted through the floor. Between Class AA Mississippi and Class AAA Richmond, Brent batted .282 with a .341 on-base percentage, 13 homeruns, 58 RBI's, 78 runs scored, and 42 stolen bases. Not too shabby (59 point differential between BA and OBP), but consider that just one year earlier, he had a 114 point differential between his BA and OBP. In 2008, things went completely haywire. Brent started the season off in AAA ball, playing with Richmond. His complete season stats there (with three MLB call-ups to the Braves) consisted of a horrid .220 batting average, pitiful though improved .294 on-base percentage (74 point differential), 4 homeruns, 39 RBI's, 46 runs scored, and 23 stolen bases. In his brief time in the Majors, he was much worse. In 29 games, he batted .200 with a dreadful .228 on-base percentage (3 walks, 23 strikeouts), 1 homerun, 8, RBI's, 9 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases. I actually vividly remember his MLB debut, against the Mets. Dad and I had gone into NYC that day to do genealogical research and I brought along our transistor radio so we could listen to the ballgame. Brent went hitless in 4 at-bats, facing Mets right-hander John Maine, who struck him out in his first MLB at-bat. Tim Hudson, who was slated to be the Braves ace, also severely hurt his arm in that game. And Mets third-string catcher Gustavo Molina had his lone hit in a Mets uniform before being sent to AAA ball. Back to Brent, I think that if the Braves tell him to go back to how he was hitting in the Pittsburgh organization, he'll start looking like the blue chip leadoff man he once was. But if they keep insisting he swing at everything, he's not going anywhere.

-2001 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres Alhaji Turay rookie card, signed. If I remember correctly, Alhaji Rahman "Haj" Turay was the only professional ballplayer whose parents came from Sierra Leone (Ntema Ndungidi identified himself as being from Southern Rhodesia, in what is now Zimbabwe...he was quite pro-British, I recall). Turay himself was born in Auburn, WA, however. When the Mets drafted him in the second round of the 2001 draft, he was touted as the next Rickey Henderson, possessing a world of talent. Unfortunately, for every bit of talent there was narcississm. He refused to listen to anyone, would blow off fans asking for autographs, refused to do interviews with the press...you name it, if it was self-centered, he probably did it. And this was while he was playing in Rookie League ball in Kingsport as well as Class A Advanced ball in Brooklyn. but the most important people Alhaji didn't listen to from a baseball standpoint were his hitting coaches. They told him that he swung at everything and needed to develop plate patience. He blew them off, just like everyone else. He batted .245 with a .286 on-base percentage, 2 homeruns, 20 RBI's, 21 runs scored, and 8 stolen bases in only 43 games during his first professional year with Kingsport. In 2002, during his infamous year with Brooklyn, he batted .327 with a .380 on-base percentage (flukish, considering he only took 11 walks), 4 homeruns, 19 RBI's, 21 runs scored, and 7 stolen bases in just 40 games. The improved hitting earned him a promotion to Class A Capital City, where his hitting began falling apart. He batted .236 with a solid .324 on-base percentage, 6 homeruns, 45 RBI's, 44 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases in 85 games. Because he showed improved plate discipline, he was promoted to Class A Advanced St. Lucie for the 2004 season. His attitude problems were starting to improve as well, so the Mets decided to hang onto him. However, his hitting started to get iffy. He batted .256 with a .313 on-base percentage, 16 homeruns (a fluke), 44 RBI's, 35 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases in 86 games. In 2005, he injured his leg in a collission at home plate. As a result, he batted just .193 with a .250 on-base percentage, 4 homeruns, 13 RBI's, and 16 runs scored. Though he stole 4 bases, he was caught 6 times. Perhaps it had something to do with being on the bottom and watching all your former teammates sail right past you, but Alhaji had a genuine change of heart. He granted interviews with the press, would start staying after ballgames to sign autograph, signed autographs through the mail, and would pay attention to the fans. But it was too little, too late. Alhaji split the 2006 season between Class A Advanced St. Lucie (his third year there) and Class AA Binghamton. Between the two teams, he hit .246 with a .292 on-base percentage, 9 homeruns, 39 RBI's, 50 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases. Released because of his poor bat control, he played 2007 in three different independent leagues before retiring altogether. He was out of professional baseball at the age of 24. One only wonders what he'd have done had he grown up sooner.

-2006 Upper Deck Update Chris Schroder rookie card, signed. Chris Schroder, drafted in 2001 by the Montreal Expos, proved to be a very solid right-handed specialist reliever for the Washington Nationals from 2006-2007, though encountered some arm problems in 2008. Like most righty specialists, Chris throws straight-across sidearm. He was drafted as a three-quarter pitcher, but Expos/Nationals pitching coach Randy St. Claire converted him into a sidearmer around 2005 and he really soared through the Minors. Like most sidearm righty specialists, Chris throws a good two-seam fastball and a nasty slider, but he can also face lefty hitters with a good quality circle changeup. This came especially in handy when Nationals manager Manny Acta struggled to work even one left-handed reliever (Ray King) out of his bullpen. Chris debuted in the Majors at age 27 in 2006. He went 0-2 in 21 games, all in relief, pitching 28 1/3rd innings, striking out 39, and having a 6.35 ERA because of the 7 homeruns he gave up. After learning to mix his pitches better in the 2007 season, Chris turned in a very good season in relief. He went 2-3 in 37 games, all in relief, with 45 1/3rd innings pitched, 43 strikeouts, and a vastly improved 3.18 ERA. In 2008, he had two good games and two bad games, all in relief, resulting in a somewhat unfair 5.40 ERA. Though the Nationals planned to call him up in September, it was revealed that he'd been suffering from dead arm/tired arm. He still held his own as the closer for the AAA Columbus Clippers, posting an ERA of 3.97 despite his fastball being essentially taken away (dead arm does this to you). I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Chris will be in the Nationals bullpen for the 2009 season , though he'd look even better if he was used with a lefty reliever, especially in the left-handed-heavy NL Eastern Division.

Gotta go now! More later!

[Dalkowski110]

Well, here I am. Back, 20 (thus putting the worst decade of my life behind me), and with more autographs...

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-2007 Bowman Heritage Prospects Mike Carp, signed. Depending on whom you ask, left-handed-hitting Mike Carp is either the New York Mets first baseman of the future or a Quad-A platoon player who will never be able to hit lefty pitching. Mike was drafted in 2004 as part of Jim Duquette's only year as General Manager of the New York Mets. For the most part, Duquette's draft went disastrously. Only Carp and fellow first baseman Nick Evans are considered legitimate prospects from it. Carp began playing the year he was drafted and people immediately took notice of two things...his struggles against left-handed pitching and his very good plate discipline. Playing with the Rookie League Gulf Coast League Mets, Mike batted .267 with a .343 on-base percentage, 4 homeruns, and 26 RBI's in 57 games. Mike's power improved the next season. With Class A Hagerstown, he batted .249, but with a very good .358 on-base percentage, 19 homeruns, and 63 RBI's in 89 games. In 2006, Mike seemed to be on the fast track. Playing with the Class A Advanced St. Lucie Mets, he batted .287 with a superb .379 on-base percentage, 17 homeruns, and 88 RBI's in 137 games. In 2007, he came close to making the 40-man roster, but ran into back problems that severely curtailed his hitting. Between St. Lucie and Class AA Binghamton, Mike batted .251 with a .337 on-base percentage, 11 homeruns, and 48 RBI's in 98 games played (only one of which he played with St. Lucie...the other 97 were with Binghamton). He also struggled against left-handed pitching more than ever. In 2008, he finally changed his plate approach against left-handed pitchers. Free from back injuries, he batted .299 with a sparkling .403 on-base percentage, 17 homeruns, 72 RBI's, and he also played quite a bit in left field. Now aged 23 and with Ike Davis (see below) breathing down his neck, Mike is at somewhat of a crossroads. He's somewhat old for a AAA player (which he'll probably be next year) and barring injury, Carlos Delgado has the first base job locked down. With a possible move of the scrappy Daniel Murphy to second base, however, he *could* platoon with Fernando Tatis in left field should he have a stellar spring training. I would say that his future is very unclear.

-2000 Upper Deck SP Top Prospects Rick Asadoorian, signed. In my mind, the first half of Rick Asadoorian's career is the textbook of what a busted draft pick looks like. The second half is so unorthodox that I have no clue what's going to become of him. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Rick, a high schooler, was drafted because of two scouting terms that make most of the new generation of scouts cringe: "toolsiness" and "projectability." The funny thing is that it didn't start out this way; these fads started in the early 1970's. "Toolsiness" refers to a "toolsy" ballplayer, or one that shows some skill in each of the five tools that a non-pitching baseball player is measured: hitting for average, hitting for power, foot speed (particularly on the basepaths), fielding, and throwing arm. With the exception of his throwing arm and foot speed, Rick Asadoorian was a standout in none of these areas. Rather, he simply showed SOME talent with each skill. "Projectability" usually means that you can find a tall and skinny ballplayer and hope to God he bulks up (about a 50/50 chance). Thing is, if he doesn't bulk up, then there goes his ability as a power hitter. Of course, Rick Asadoorian never bulked up (listed at 6'2", 180 lbs and when I saw him play on TV, he looked even skinnier). The Boston Red Sox drafted Rick in the first round of the 1999 draft, out of high school. Asadoorian was signed as a draft and follow for two reasons. The first reason was that he wanted to finish high school without anything on his mind. And the second was that, being the Boston Red Sox first round draft pick, he held out for more money. His pro career began promisingly enough in 2000. Although he only batted .264, he posted an OBP of .350. He also hit 5 homeruns in 54 games, driving in 31. He even stole 22 bases, showing remarkable judgement on the basepaths by only being caught twice. It appeared that the Red Sox gamble had paid off. But then came his 2001 season. Rick was promoted to Class A Augusta. In long season A ball, most pitchers generally have better breaking and off-speed pitches, especially, than in the Gulf Coast League (which is basically a glorified instructional league). And as it turned out, Rick couldn't hit breaking pitches or changeups. His batting average plummeted to .212, his OBP sank to .294, he hit 6 homeruns, and collected 40 RBI's in 116 games, stealing 13 bases. Realizing the mistake they'd made, the Red Sox quickly traded Rick to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002. The Cardinals were banking on Rick's talent to somehow work for them where it had failed for Boston. Playing with the Class A Peoria Chiefs, Rick got his batting average up to .265, improving his OBP to .331. He also hit 8 homeruns and collected 55 RBI's while stealing 14 bases. But the Cardinals too began realizing their mistake. Rick collapsed in 2003. Playing with the Class A Advanced Palm Beach Cardinals, he hit just .192 with a .250 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, and just 10 RBI's in 44 games. In mid-season, the Cardinals dealt him to the Texas Rangers, proving P.T. Barnum's supposed quote "there's always a sucker." Rick improved with Texas' Class A Affiliate, the Clinton Lumber Kings. He batted .273 with a .340 on-base percentage, 5 homeruns, 22 RBI's, and 12 stolen bases. Promoted to the Class A Advanced Stockton Ports, he went right back to square one, batting .185 with a .221 on-base percentage, 4 homeruns, and 17 RBI's in 31 games. In 2004, still with Texas, Rick pulled himself together well enough to hit at AA ball. He batted .288 with a .328 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 27 RBI's, and 9 stolen bases in 81 games. However, a promotion to the AAA Oklahoma Redhawks proved disastrous. Although it was only 15 games, Rick batted .190 with a .306 on-base percentage (a fluke), no homeruns, 4 RBI's, and 1 stolen base. Texas allowed him to be taken in the Minor League phase of the 2004 Rule V Draft, which occured after the season. The Cincinnati Reds were the taker, but they were clearly taking him as roster filler, not as a prospect. With the AA Chattanooga Lookouts, he batted a surprising .271 with a .313 on-base percentage, 6 homeruns, 39 RBI's, and 11 stolen bases. But a peculiar thing happened there. The Lookouts were short a starting pitcher one day and the only one who really wanted to pitch was Rick, who hadn't pitched since high school. He was shelled in his one and only appearance to the tune of a 15.75 ERA, but still pitched 4 innings and felt more confident throwing off a pitching mound. At the time, the Reds paid it little attention and promoted Rick to Class AAA Louisville. He batted .211 with a .246 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, 7 RBI's, and 6 stolen bases over 33 games. Brought back to Chattanooga in 2006, Rick batted .267 with a .311 on-base percentage, 4 homeruns, 29 RBI's, and 5 stolen bases. But midway through the season, Chattanooga manager Jayhawk Owens decided that he'd liked Rick as a pitcher from the year before. Coming out of the bullpen, Rick worked 4 scoreless innings in 3 games. He struck out 7 and walked nary a batter. This time, he was put at pitcher for good. In 2007, splitting the season between Class A Sarasota and Class AAA Louisville as a middle relief pitcher (righty, throwing about 91-92 mph with his fastball, good slider, nice splitter, solid changeup), he went 1-1 in 49 games, all in relief, posting a 3.11 ERA in 66 2/3rd innings pitched. He walked only 37 and gave up just 51 hits, all the while striking out 60. Invited to Spring Training by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008, he pitched with their AA affiliate, the Jacksonville Suns, that season. His 6.75 ERA was a combination of two disastrous starts combined with a dead arm period. In a word: misuse. Although he'll be 28 years old next year and have a full decade of Minor League experience under his belt, I still have confidence that he can hook on as a relief pitcher with someone in the Majors. He has the stuff. He just needs a good pitching coach (something he lacked with the Dodgers). Middle relievers have caught on at later ages, so it's definitely not impossible.

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-Ike Davis signed 8x10. The son of Yankees and Twins ace reliever Ron Davis, Ike is shown here with the Arizona State Sun Devils. A left-handed hitting outfielder/first baseman, Ike was taken in the first round of the 2008 draft by the New York Mets. The Mets had three first-rounders that year: Davis, Reese Havens, and Brad Holt (all of whom I have autographs of). Davis was the first to be taken. Ike is a bit inconsistent in terms of being an average hitter and needs to calm down at the plate. With that said, his raw power is easily in the top five of all players taken in the 2008 draft. The problem is how to get at it. Ike has trouble repeating his somewhat complex swing. He kinda swings his arms back before his swing, then rocks them forward as he goes into his swing; like a pendulum. Former Dodgers slugger Shawn Green also did this, and also encountered similar problems in his early pro career. Ike was assigned to the Class A Short Season Brooklyn Cyclones shortly after he was drafted and had signed. He immediately started swinging at everything, and was also bothered by the wooden bat vs. the aluminum bat he was used to. He went almost 80 at-bats without a walk. Disturbed by this, the Mets instructed him to merely focus on driving the ball and calming down at the plate. The result was that Ike hit .256 with a solid .326 on-base percentage in 58 games. He also drove in 17 runs. But he didn't hit a single homerun. My guess is that he gets SEVERELY worked over by the Mets hitting instructors in Spring Training of 2009. In fact, his swing is *so* similar to Shawn Green's that I'd like to see Green being brought in to help Ike out with his swing. He's got a future, and one far better than his stats suggest.

More later!

[Dalkowski110]

Well, today was not exactly a happy day, but we must move on, not dwell on what happened, and remain vigilant as to our rights. But I think we all knew that, so onto the autographs.

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-2004 Leaf Certified Materials Mirror White Trot Nixon autograph. The first round pick of the Boston Red Sox in the 1993 draft, Christopher Trotman "Trot" Nixon was taken 7th overall that year. He signed as a draft and follow, beginning his pro career in 1994. Trot soon became well-known for good power and excellent plate discipline, as well as his scrappy, hard-nosed style of play. Called up in September, 1996, Trot debuted with the Red Sox by going 2-for-4 in 2 games. In 1998, he was called up again, this time for 27 games. He hit poorly, but when asked to focus on his plate discipline, he hit himself into the starting lineup as Boston's regular right fielder. In 124 games in 1999, he batted .270 with an excellent .357 on-base percentage, 15 homeruns, 52 RBI's, and 67 runs scored. In 2000, he just got better. Trot batted .276 with a .368 on-base percentage, 12 homeruns, 60 RBI's, and 66 runs scored. But in 2001, he put it all together. Trot batted .280 with a .376 on-base percentage, 27 homeruns, 88 RBI's, and 100 runs scored. In 2002, he continued his tear by batting .256 with a .338 on-base percentage, 24 homeruns, 94 RBI's, and 81 runs scored. In 2003, Trot has his best year ever. He batted .306 with a .396 on-base percentage, 28 homeruns, 87 RBI's, and 81 runs scored. He was well on his way to a good 2004 campaign, but had serious quadriceps problems. He only played 48 games that year, batting .315 with a .377 on-base percentage, 6 homeruns, 23 RBI's, and 24 runs scored. He rebounded despite a strained oblique in 2005 and managed to play 124 games, batting .275 with a .357 on-base percentage, 13 homeruns, 67 RBI's, and 64 runs scored. In 2006, his last season with Boston, Trot battled bicep problems and only played in 114 games. He batted .268 with a .373 on-base percentage, 8 homeruns, 52 RBI's, and 59 runs scored. However, looking for a more durable outfielder, the Red Sox let the fan favorite Trot Nixon elect free agency in the 2006 off-season. Signing with the Cleveland Indians, he was somewhat miscast as a utility outfielder. In 99 games, he batted .251 with a .342 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 31 RBI's, and 30 runs scored. However, he continued to grapple with injuries over the 2007 season and could only get a Minor League contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks for 2008. Though he played well in AAA ball, he never appeared in the Majors. After an injury to Moises Alou, the Mets acquired Trot for cash. In 11 games, he hit only .171 with a .293 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored. He soon hurt himself diving for a ball and when he recovered, he found himself in AAA ball. In my opinion, he's completely done as a Major League regular. In 42 postseason games, Trot batted .283 with a .348 on-base percentage, 6 homeruns, 25 RBI's, and 18 runs scored. With that said, he teaches an interesting lesson. We always admire the players that hustle, play the game gritty, and get their uniforms dirty. But when a player does it at the risk of his own health, as Trot Nixon often did, and actually stunts their career diving for balls they couldn't possibly get or plowing into a catcher on a play they couldn't possibly beat, is it really worth it? Hustling is one thing. Playing at the risk of life and limb is another.

-2003 Leaf Clubhouse Signatures Brian Lawrence autograph. A 17th round draft pick out of Northwestern State University of Louisiana, right-handed sidearm pitcher Brian Lawrence seemed an unlikely candidate for the Major Leagues. Though he throws a fastball, changeup, slider, and curve, his fastball tops off at 84-85 mph. Brian's changeup tops off at about 76 mph. His slider is a bit slower than his fastball and his curve is about the same as his changeup. However, he has terrific pitch command and can thread a needle with any one of his pitches. Brian came to the Major Leagues in 2001 with San Diego, acting as a swingman. He pitched in 27 games, starting 15 of them. He went 5-5 with a 3.45 ERA and, in 2002, earned a fulltime shot at the rotation. 2002 would turn out to be Brian's best year. He went 12-12 in 35 games, including 31 starts, posting a 3.69 ERA. after that, he started having a few problems against left-handed hitters. In 2003, Brian went 10-15 with a 4.19 ERA in 33 games, all starts. In 2004, he went 15-14 in 34 starts, improving slightly to a 4.12 ERA. But in 2005, he started having problems with his ulnar collateral ligament, which is the one they replace when a pitcher has Tommy John Surgery. He dropped to 7-15 in 33 games, all starts, with a 4.83 ERA. The Padres traded him to the Washington Nationals after that season for washed up slugger Vinny Castilla. But he never pitched for Washington, missing all of 2006 with Tommy John Surgery. The Colorado Rockies signed him to a Minor League contract in 2007, but after posting an ERA over 8.00, he was released. The immediately identifiable problem with Lawrence was that he was now throwing EVERYTHING except his curveball about 85 mph. His changeup quite literally sped up. The New York Mets picked him up after Colorado released him and worked on a two-seam fastball with him to help generate groundballs. After doing well in the Minors with AAA New Orleans, he received a promotion to the Major Leagues. Although his two-seamer carried him through AAA, Major Leaguers could hit it. Lawrence generally had little problem the first time through the batting order. But after that, he was toast. In 6 games, all starts, he went 1-2 for the Mets. He gave up 43 hits in 29 innings and was pounded to the tune of a 6.83 ERA. Granted free agency after the 2007 season, he latched on with the Atlanta Braves. After having a dreadful season for them in AAA in '08, his career seems in doubt. The lesson here is that generally, a guy who throws really softly who needs Tommy John Surgery rarely gets his stuff back. It also hurts his movement and pitch command, something it would hurt a power pitcher much less with.

-2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects Matt Dominguez autograph. Third baseman Matt Dominguez was drafted in the first round of the 2007 draft by the Florida Marlins. A five-tool player, Matt is the younger brother of Houston Astros prospect pitcher Jason Dominguez as well as the nephew of former sports agent Gus Dominguez. So baseball is indeed in Matt's blood. Playing on the same Chatsworth, CA high school team as fellow first round draft pick Mike Moustakas (of the Kansas City Royals), Matt is especially noted for his fielding abilities and strong arm. I can see him winning a Gold Glove one day. But it's his hitting that will carry him to the Majors. Like most high school players, Matt struggled his first year in pro ball. In 15 games between the rookie league Gulf Coast League Marlins and Class A short Season Jamestown Jammers, Matt batted .158 with a .183 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, 6 RBI's, and 3 runs scored. But he adjusted quickly after a promotion to the Class A Greensboro Grashoppers in 2008. There, he batted .296 with a .354 on-base percentage, 18 homeruns, 70 RBI's, and 59 runs scored in only 88 games. Right now he's looking a lot like the next David Wright. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on.

-1994 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Future Foundations Raul Casanova, signed. Raul Casanova is the perfect example of a guy who can be shuffled around several organizations, experience very little success, and still be called a top prospect. Raul broke into professional baseball after being drafted in the 8th round of the 1990 draft by the New York Mets. After all, switch-hitting catchers with power from both sides are hard to come by. But he quickly gained a reputation as a hacker; just a guy who swings at everything. At the end of the 1992, even the Mets saw the writing on the wall and traded him to the San Diego Padres as part of the trade that brought Tony Fernandez to the Mets (where Tony dogged it on purpose so he could be traded...jerk). After finally exhibiting plate discipline, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in 1996, not having played one game with San Diego. The Tigers were pretty quick to hype up Raul as the next big catcher. Basically, the next Rick Cerone. He was anything but. Raul split the 1996 season between the Majors and Minors. In the Majors, in 25 games, he batted a dismal .188 with a .242 on-base percentage, 4 homeruns, 9 RBI's, and 6 runs scored. Because this was the era of the longball, the Tigers chose to look at Raul's homerun numbers and make him the veryday catcher in 1997. That turned out to be pretty brutal. He batted .243 with a .308 on-base percentage, only hit 5 homeruns, had 24 RBI's, and 27 runs scored. In 1998, he played only 16 games with Detroit before being banished to the Minors. He signed with the Colorado Rockies, but was released before he could play in the Majors with them. The next team to take a chance on Raul was the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brew Crew used Raul as a utility catcher with some success from 2000-2002. In 2001, despite playing only 71 games, he hit 11 homeruns. But the Brewers released Raul in September, 2002. He got into a few games with Baltimore, who claimed him off waivers, but was released after the season. He drifted between the Baltimore, Boston, and Kansas City organizations in 2003 and 2004. In 2005, the Chicago White Sox briefly brought him to the Majors as a third-string catcher. But he played in only six games. He played in the Oakland A's organization in 2006, but never made the team. It took until 2007, when he made the last team ever to be called the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, to get a Major League job. He batted .253 with a .315 on-base percentage, 6 homeruns, 11 RBI's, and 12 runs scored in only 29 games played. But the Devil Rays also released Raul at the end of the 2007 season. So, in 2008, it seemingly ended where it began, with the New York Mets. Raul batted .273 with a .355 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, 6 RBI's, and 5 runs scored as the Mets third string catcher while both Ramon Castro and Robinson Cancel were injured. Now 36 years old, one wonders just how long Raul can stay in pro baseball. His Major League statistics aren't too impressive. He batted .236 with a .304 on-base percentage, 35 homeruns, 130 RBI's, and 98 runs scored in 387 career games in parts of 9 different seasons. His Minor League stats, however, are quite impressive. Over 18 professional seasons, Raul has batted .286 with a .346 on-base percentage, 118 homeruns, 536 RBI's, 403 runs scored, and 859 hits in total. He's the quintesenntial "Quad-A" catcher. Who knows; he may give it another go-round.

-2005 Upper Deck Origins Old Judge Autographs Dave Kingman autograph. If ever there was a player known for being one-dimensional, it was Dave Kingman. Though he did have a good arm, he couldn't hit for average, his batting eye was only good enough to keep him from being unacceptably bad with regards to his on-base percentage, he wasn't a particularly good fielder, and while he had good speed on the bases, he rarely used it. But there was one dimension of the game that Dave Kingman excelled at to a degree that few players have achieved without the aid of steroids or HGH: hitting homeruns. When Dave Kingman made contact with the baseball, he may as well have launched it into Outer Space. He was huge for a first baseman, standing 6'6" and weighing 210 lbs. A first baseman/outfielder at the University of Southern California, he set collegiate records for homeruns that would stand until Mark McGwire came along. In 1970, he was drafted with the first pick of the secondary phase of the draft, something that only existed from 1966-1986. That pick belonged to the San Francisco Giants, who bizarrely drafted Kingman as a right-handed pitcher. He was soon converted into a first baseman and outfielder, however (he did pitch two dismal innings in 1973, but that was it). Just one year after he was drafted, Kingman made the Major Leagues. In 41 games with San Francisco, he batted .278 with a .328 on-base percentage, 6 homeruns, 24 RBI's, and 17 runs scored. That was good enough for the Giants to keep him in the Majors. In 1972, Dave played as an everyday player. He batted just .225, but posted a fair .303 on-base percentage, slugged 29 homeruns, drove in 83 runs, scored 65 runs, and even stole 16 bases. 1973 saw him bat .203 with a .300 on-base percentage, 24 homeruns, 55 RBI's, and 54 runs scored. However, the Giants were souring on Kingman's surliness and bad attitude. In 1974, Kingman's power numbers went down somewhat due to an injury sustained in Spring Training (he batted .223 with a .302 on-base percentage, 18 homeruns, 55 RBI's, and 41 runs scored) and the Giants used this as an excuse to trade him to the New York Mets for cash after the 1974 season. "Kong" was well-liked in New York, at least at first. The Mets had never really had a power hitter of Kingman's caliber. In 1975, he batted .231 with an abysmal .284 on-base percentage, but he also pounded 36 homeruns, knocked in 88 runs, and scored 65. In 1976, he batted .238 with a .286 on-base percentage, yet somehow hit 37 homeruns, drove in 86 runs, scored 70, and even made his first NL All-Star Team. 1977 was an interesting year for Kingman. He split his time among four different teams: the New York Mets, the San Diego Padres, the California Angels, and the New York Yankees. At no time before or since has a player played with every division in both leagues during one single season. He also became the only man to hit a homerun with the Mets and Yankees in the same season. In that season, Kingman batted .221 with a .276 on-base percentage, 26 homeruns, 78 RBI's, and 47 runs scored. In 1978, the Yankees chose not to retain Kingman (who had only played 8 games with them) and allowed him to sign as a free agent with the Chicago Cubs (with whom he is portrayed on this card). He upped his batting average to .266 with a .336 on-base percentage, 28 homeruns, 79 RBI's, and 65 runs scored, all while recovering from an injury. In 1979, Kingman had his best season. He batted .288 with a .343 on-base percentage, 48 homeruns, 115 RBI's, and 97 runs scored. He was also named to the NL All-Star Team that year. In 1980, Dave Kingman was named to his third and final NL All-Star Team. After missing a good amount of the season with more injuries, he batted .278 with a .329 on-base percentage, 18 homeruns, 57 RBI's, and 31 runs scored. In early 1981, the New York Mets once again traded for Dave Kingman, this time giving up fan favorite outfielder Steve Henderson for him. This time, however, Kingman was most decidedly not a fan favorite. He got along terribly with the New York media. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, he batted .221, though with a pretty good .326 on-base percentage, 22 homeruns, 59 RBI's, and 40 runs scored. In 1982, his plate patience disappeared as he batted .204 with a .285 on-base percentage, 37 homeruns, 99 RBI's, and 80 runs scored. In 1983, he completely fell apart, batting .198 with a .262 on-base percentage, 13 homeruns, 29 RBI's, and 25 runs scored. His clashes with the media and fans intensified during 1983, and he was released after Spring Training in 1984. He hooked on with the Oakland A's, where he batted .268 with a .321 on-base percentage, 35 homeruns, 118 RBI's, and 68 runs scored. He won the Comeback Player of the Year Award that season. In 1985, his batting average dropped to .238, though he maintained a solid .309 on-base percentage, hit 30 homeruns, drove in 91, and scored 66. However, his relations with the media continued to worsen. He mailed a dead rat in a box to a female reporter and that's when pressure started coming down for him to retire. He played out the 1986 season, batting .210 with a .255 on-base percentage, 35 homeruns, 94 RBI's, and 70 stolen bases, before taking that advice and retiring. Over his 16-year career, Kingman batted .236 with a .302 on-base percentage, 442 homeruns, 1,210 RBI's, 901 runs scored, and 1,575 total hits. In my humble opinion, Dave Kingman has the most homeruns of anyone not associated with steroids who will never get into the Hall of Fame.

-1997 Donruss Signature Series Millennium Marks Javier Valentin autograph. Switch-hitting catcher Javier Valentin, the younger brother of long-time star shortstop/second baseman Jose Valentin, was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1993 draft by the Minnesota Twins. Though he could hit for power, Javier struggled to hit for any kind of average from the right side of the plate. He debuted with the Twins in 1997, though only played four games. In 1998, he served as the Twins' primary backup catcher. He batted just .198 with a pitiful .247 on-base percentage, though hit 3 homeruns, drove in 18 runs, and scored 11 runs in only 55 games. He improved in 1999, batting .248 with a .313 on-base percentage, 5 homeruns, 28 RBI's, and 22 runs scored in 78 games. In 2000, he was sent to the Minors to make room for a more promising catcher in Matt LeCroy. He wouldn't play in the Majors again until 2002, when he played 4 games for the Twins. In the off-season, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Gerry Oakes and Matt Yeatman, two prospects who never made the Majors. Though he seemed likely to get the utility catcher job out of Spring Training with the Brewers in 2003, they traded him to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for fellow journeyman Jason Conti, a utility outfielder. With Tampa Bay, Javier batted .222 with a .254 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 15 RBI's, and 13 runs scored in 49 games. He signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Reds in 2004 and it was there that he would finally come into his own. The Reds management realized what a poor right-handed hitter Javier was and started batting him against righties (so that he'd bat lefty) exclusively. Though he only hit .233 with an on-base percentage of .293, he'd been a bit unlucky with regards to balls he put into play. He also hit 6 homeruns, drove in 20 runs, and scored 18 runs. In 2005, he broke out. In 76 games, he batted .281 with a .362 on-base percentage, 14 homeruns, 50 RBI's, and 36 runs scored. He's hit well ever since. In 2006, he batted .269 with a .313 on-base percentage, 8 homeruns, 27 RBI's, and 24 runs scored. In 2007, he batted .276 with a .328 on-base percentage, 2 homeruns, 34 RBI's, and 19 runs scored. And in 2008, this past season, he batted .256 with a .326 on-base percentage, 4 homeruns, 18 RBI's, and 10 runs scored. A free agent this year, he's sure to attract a lot of attention as a solid utility catcher.

-1996 Leaf Signature Series Roberto Hernandez autograph. Roberto Hernandez, a right-handed relief pitcher drafted by the California Angels in the first round of the 1986 draft, is one of the most underated relievers to have ever pitched. Though he's usually cited as a "solid" or "good" set-up man or closer, when one looks at not only his stats but his sheer longevity, he's easily the equal of such dominant closers as Todd Jones, Rick Aguilera, Doug Jones, Jeff Reardon, and even Bruce Sutter. Well, Roberto didn't get his start as a reliever. The Angels developed him as a starter. Although he had good pitching mechanics, he quickly tired and didn't have good endurance. Further, the Angels ignored his 100 mph fastball (yes, he did hit 100 mph on a radar gun more than once) and told him to focus on developing a curveball and a changeup. In other words, they weren't developing him properly. But that didn't mean other teams weren't interested. In 1991, the Chicago White Sox offered college standout Mark Davis, who'd been a slugging first baseman at Stanford, for Roberto and another prospect (Mark Doran, though they didn't care and just wanted Roberto). The Angels took it instantly. Mark Davis played exactly three games in the Majors with the Angels. Roberto Hernandez would become synonymous with the term "White Sox closer." The White Sox brought Roberto to the Majors in 1991, using him as a swingman due to a somewhat weak rotation after ace "Black Jack" McDowell. Roberto struggled badly (a 7.80 ERA in 9 games, including 3 starts), but then the White Sox decided to overhaul his pitching repertoire. Used as a set-up man in 1992, Roberto now threw his 100 mph four-seamer as well as a slider. His curve was deleted. He was allowed to work on his changeup on his own time. Immediately, Roberto improved. He went 7-3 in 43 games, all in relief, posted a miniscule 1.37 ERA, and saved 12 games as he replaced the injured Bobby Thigpen as the team's closer late in the season. He pitched lights-out baseball as the White Sox closer (including being named to the AL All-Star Team in 1996) until the middle of the 1997 season. Traded to the San Francisco Giants as his contract was about to expire, Roberto was the set-up man to dominant and eccentric closer Rod Beck. In 1998, he became the first closer of the fledgling Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He led the team in saves and was second to set-up man Jim Mecir in games pitched. In 1999, Roberto pitched even better, this time being named to the AL All-Star Team. 2000 was Roberto's final year with Tampa Bay and, as usual, he did well. In January 2001, he was traded as part of a three-team trade to the woeful Kansas City Royals. With his fastball velocity beginning to go down, he developed his changeup fully and saw good success in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, he signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves. Pitching as a middle reliever for the first time since 1991, he didn't do well. He signed as a free agent the next year with the Philadelphia Phillies. Again being used as a middle reliever, he couldn't seem to stay focused and posted an ERA just below league average. In 2005, the New York Mets signed him as a free agent to act as the set-up man to much-disliked closer Braden Looper. Here, his slider, which now had a tendency to flatten out (he was 40 years old, after all), was modified by Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson into a slurve. The slurve can be described as a curveball thrown with a slider grip. It breaks more than a curve and can be used to substitute a slider. Further, Peterson converted Roberto's straight changeup into a screwball-breaking circle changeup, so as to be more effective against left-handed hitters. "The New Bert" as some Mets fans called him, pitched extremely well and was one of the three bright spots in an otherwise very weak bullpen. In 2006, much to the dismay of Mets fans, he signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He pitched well in half a season there, but the Mets reacquired him for the stretch run to act as a set-up man to closer Billy Wagner (set-up man Duaner Sanchez had been riding in a taxi that was slammed into by a drunk driver and had his arm destroyed, pretty much). In 2007 however, the Mets let Roberto walk yet again. Most Mets fans realized that getting rid of Roberto was a necessity; he'd be 42 years old and his fastball velocity was dropping like a stone. Sure enough, Roberto's 2007 season proved to be his worst. As middle reliever with both Cleveland and Los Angeles, Roberto posted a 6.41 ERA over 50 games. After that, he simply decided to call it quits. But his career stats are very impressive indeed: 67-71 in 1,010 career games, a 3.45 ERA during baseball's steroid era, 326 career saves, 667 games finished, and just 1,002 hits in 1,071 1/3rd innings pitched. Hardly a candidate for the Hall of Fame, but definitely an unrecognized, stand-up guy who was "Old Reliable" in the pathetic 2005 New York Mets bullpen.

More a little later today!

[Dalkowski110]

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-Pete Rose, Jr. signed 8x10. Yep, Pete Rose had a son that not only played professional baseball, but also briefly the Majors. He's interesting in that he's the only player ever to have his rookie card come as a batboy. He's featured with his father, Pete Rose, on a 1981 Fleer Card entitled "Pete and Re-Pete." Seven years later, Pete was drafted in the 12th round of the draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He was known for his aggressive style of play, something he got from his father, but Pete Jr. was even more pugnacious to his own teammates. He never figured out the Ty Cobb or Pete Rose style of baseball where your teammates are your allies and your opponents are your enemies. Instead, he was competing against everyone. Signing as a draft and follow, he made his professional debut in 1989. He showed good plate patience, some power, and as mentioned, aggressive play, but he was not a natural hitter. As such, just before the 1991 season began, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for pitching prospect Joe Borowski (who is still pitching in the Majors, incidentally). After playing just one season in the White Sox organization (with Sarasota, whom he's portrayed with in the photo), the Cleveland Indians took him in the Rule V Draft. After playing two years with the Cleveland organization (1992 and 1993) and really going nowhere, he was returned to the Chicago White Sox organization. They released him after the 1996 season. The Cincinnati Reds picked him up. And that is when he found steroids. In 1997, he hammered 25 homeruns in only 124 games. His previous career high had been 9, in 1992. It earned him a call-up in September to the Cincinnati Reds. He went 2-for-14, walked twice, and scored two runs. In 1998, he split his time between an independent league team, the Reds' AAA affiliate in Indianapolis, and the Pirates' AAA affiliate in Nashville. In 2000, after playing another year in independent ball, he played with the Reading Phillies, Philadelphia's AA afffiliate. He split 2001 between Reading and the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Reds' AA affiliate. He briefly played for Chattanooga in 2002 and that was it for organized baseball. He signed a contract with the Colorado Rockies in 2004, but was released before he could play a game with them or any one of their affiliates. In late 2005, he was convicted of distributing the steroid gamma butyrlactone (GBL) to his teammates in Chattanooga. Unfazed, he served his 1-month jail term in the offseason and continues to play independent league baseball to this day. To date, Pete Jr. has played 20 years in the Minors (including indepedent leagues), has batted .270 with a .341 on-base percentage, 151 homeruns, 984 RBI's, 863 runs scored, and 1,782 total hits.

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-1961 Topps Jim Brosnan, signed. Go to a bookstore and go to the sports section. Most of the books you see that are "written" by athletes have a second name attached to the title. A person you've never heard of. I hate to break it to you, but that second guy you never heard of is the one that actually writes the book. Input from the athlete can be extensive (Jim Bouton, Monte Irvin, Buck O'Neil, Elden Auker, Ty Cobb in his later years, and Christy Mathewson [for his time] especially) or it can be next to non-existent (Tim McCarver, Joe Morgan, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb in his earlier years, and Reggie Jackson to name a few). But Jim Brosnan had no ghostwriter. All three of his books...two of which were cynically hilarious diaries that he built up into books after the seasons he played and one of which was a fascinating examination of 1870's baseball...were written with no help at all. A writer from a young age, Jim was nicknamed "The Pitching Professor." He turned down a college scholarship to sign as a pitcher with the Chicago Cubs in 1946, at the age of only 16 (the fact he was offered a scholarship at 16 should speak to his intelligence). It took him eight years to climb through the Minors, and when he made the Majors in 1954 with the cubs, for lack of a better phrase, he got the snot pounded out of him. He posted an awful 9.45 ERA in 18 games pitched. Sent back to the Minors, he worked on a sinkerball and took off. In 1956, when he was brought back to the Majors, he went 5-9 in 30 games, including 10 starts, but posted a solid 3.79 ERA. Brosnan would later write that starting games weighed on him mentally and he preferred the comparative ease of the bullpen. Although he did well as a starter, he explained (correctly) that his stats showed that he was more erratic. In 1957, Brosnan improved to 5-5 in 41 games, including 5 starts. His ERA was a very good 3.38. The Cubs converted Jim into a full-time starter in 1958, but after he protested, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He flourished with his new team. Between both teams, he went 11-8 with a 3.35 ERA in 41 games, including 20 starts. But St. Louis tired of an underperforming Brosnan in 1959, and when he told his teammates that he was writing a journal about the season, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for two-way player Hal Jeffcoat. With Cincinnati, he met fellow brainy pitcher Jay Hook, whom he quickly befriended and eventually helped become the second athlete to write without a ghostwriter (Hook preferred articles to books, however, writing for Popular Mechanics). In the 1959 season, Jim went 9-6 in 46 games, including 10 starts. His ERA was a somewhat high 3.79, but it would improve. After the season concluded, he published The Long Season, one of my favorite baseball books. In 1960, he went 7-2 in 57 games, including 2 starts, posting a magnificent 2.36 ERA during his career year. In 1961, when the Reds won the NL Pennant, Jim went 10-4 in 53 games, all in relief, posting a very good 3.04 ERA. after the season, he wrote his very good book Pennant Race in a very similar style to The Long Season. In 1962, he went 4-4 in 48 games, all in relief, with a 3.34 ERA. In 1963, he suffered an arm injury and was dealt to the Chicago White Sox. Unfortunately, the White Sox were worried that his writing would disrupt his career. It got to a point that Jim and the White Sox refused to speak to one another. Regardless, he did pitch well for them. He went 3-9 in 51 games, all in relief, with a 3.13 ERA (2.84 on the White Sox). Though he attended Spring Training in 1964 with Chicago, they released him when he announced his plan to write another book. Furious, he retired and never took another job in professional baseball again. In a climate like today, I'm sure he'd be a brainy front office guy like Billy Beane. A shame. Nice guy, though.

I'm going to put more on later.

[Dalkowski110]

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-Isaac Galloway signed 8x10. Shown here at the 2007 AFLAC All-American Classic, outfielder Isaac Galloway was taken by the Florida Marlins in the 2008 draft. Though he fell a lot due to supposedly poor signability, he oddly signed faster than than any other Marlins prospect. A right-handed hitter, Galloway was a high school outfielder drafted because of his "toolsiness." He's a good contact hitter who doesn't get pull happy and knows how to hit. He also has solid power potential, blinding speed, and is a solid outfielder with an above average arm. He played 48 games with the rookie league Gulf Coast League Marlins this year, batting .286 with a .308 on-base percentage, 1 homeruns, 23 RBI's, 29 runs scored, and 4 stolen bases. A bit disturbing was that he took only 4 walks and struck out 33 times. He's going to have to do better than that to hack it in professional baseball. With that said, a high school hitter's stats his first pro season usually don't completely reflect what kind of player he turns into. Galloway has a lot of upside, and if he can learn plate discipline, he'll skyrocket through the Marlins system.

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-Aaron Hicks signed 8x10. Also playing at the AFLAC All-American Game, Aaron Hicks was the first first-round draft pick to be signed by anyone. The day after the Minnesota Twins took him, he signed. He's a converted shortstop (now a center fielder) who needs to work on his fielding, but his plate approach is there. He's one of those rare switch hitters that has the ability to drive the ball AND take walks from both sides of the plate. When a guy does that, he's usually destined for greatness. Although he was compared ad nauseum in the days leading up to the draft to the guy above, Isaac Galloway, Hicks is clearly a better ballplayer. In 45 games with the rookie league Gulf Coast League Twins, Aaron batted .318 with a fantastic .409 on-base percentage, 4 homeruns, 27 RBI's, 32 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases. Though he struck out 32 times, he drew 28 walks to make up for it. He's also got a terrific attitude and is one of the most unselfish guys in the Twins organization (when they asked him why he signed so early and for less than anyone expected, he responded jubilantly "Because I want to play!"). Aaron is definitely a guy to keep an eye on, and despite coming directly out of high school, he could be in the Majors pretty quickly. I look forward to watching him when (not if, when) he does.

More later!

[Dalkowski110]

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-2007 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Jason Dominguez autograph. The older brother of Matt Dominguez (see two posts up), Jason is a relief pitcher rather than a third baseman. He throws a good four-seam fastball in the 90-92 mph range along with a very good slider, making him especially tough against right-handed hitters. Drafted in 2007 out of Pepperdine University by the Houston Astros, Jason hit the ground running. With the Class A Short-Season Tri-City ValleyCats, he went 2-0 in 21 games, all in relief, posted a 1.35 ERA, and allowed only 13 hits and 8 walks in 33 1/3rd innings while striking out 26. Promoted to the Class A Salem Avalanche for the 2008 season, Jason began experiencing wildness. In 52 games (all in relief), he went 5-4 with a 3.81 ERA, threw 80 1/3rd innings, gave up 74 hits, walked 23, struck out 47, hit 6 batters, and threw 7 wild pitches. Although the ERA is at least fair, he's going to have to do better than that if he wants to make the Majors Leagues. Part of his wildness problems came with the development of a circle changeup; a pitch he can throw for good movement, but relatively poor control. If he can rebound from this year, he may have a solid Major League career as a middle reliever.

-2004 Donruss Signature Series Cliff Floyd autograph. Left-handed hitting outfielder Cliff Floyd has been a fan favorite practically everywhere he's gone. Unfortunately, he's also been one of the most injury-prone players in baseball. Taken by the Montreal Expos in the first round of the 1991 amateur draft with the 14th overall pick, Cliff reached the Majors just two years later, in 1993. His September call-up was largely a disappointment, as he went just 7-for-31 with no walks, although one of those hits was a homerun. In 1994, however, he came into his own, batting .281 with a .331 on-base percentage, 4 homeruns, 41 RBI's, and 43 runs scored in the strike-shortened season. He started off well in 1995, too, but then collided with Todd Hundley of the New York Mets while Hundley was running the bases (Cliff was playing a rare game at first base). Fracturing his wrist, he played very poorly. He only played 29 games that season, batting just .130 with a .221 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, 8 RBI's, and 6 runs scored. In 1996, Cliff was oddly relegated to the bench. He performed very well there, batting .242 with a very solid .340 on-base percentage, 6 homeruns, 26 RBI's, and 29 runs scored in 227 at-bats, but the Expos realized that they had no room for him with Vladimir Guerrero coming up the next year and traded him to the Florida Marlins for prospect reliever Dustin Hermanson (who had a solid career) and veteran utility outfielder Joe Orsulak (who barely played with the Expos). Cliff immediately started off his Marlins career by injuring himself. It was the first of two DL stints in 1997, and though he was initially going to platoon with switch-hitting center fielder Devon White, he became nothing more than a reliable bat off the bench yet again. He batted .234 with a very good .354 on-base percentage, 6 homeruns, 19 RBI's, and 23 runs scored in only 137 at-bats. When the Marlins started trading away their World Champion 1997 team, Cliff finally regained his starting job in left field. He batted .282 with a .337 on-base percentage, 22 homeruns, 90 RBI's, 85 runs scored, and also 27 stolen bases. In 1999, he wasted no time straining his quadriceps and missing over half the season. However, in the 69 games he did play, he batted .303 with a .379 on-base percentage, 11 homeruns, 49 RBI's, and 37 runs scored. In 2000, Cliff managed to stay healthy and had a fine year, batting .300 with a .378 on-base percentage, 22 homeruns, 91 RBI's, and 75 runs scored. He also stole 24 bases. The next year, 2001, would be Cliff's best. He batted .317 with a .390 on-base percentage, 31 homeruns, 103 RBI's, 123 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases. That year, he was named to the NL All-Star Team. In 2002, Cliff started off the season with the Florida Marlins, but was traded first to his old team, the Montreal Expos, and then acquired by the Boston Red Sox for their stretch run (in the latter-most trade, he made history in a rather bizarre way...Cliff was sent to the Red Sox by the Expos for pitching prospects Sun-Woo Kim and Seung-Jun Song, thereby making it the only trade in baseball history to involve multiple ballplayers of Korean descent). Between the three teams, Cliff batted .288 with an excellent .388 on-base percentage, 28 homeruns, 79 RBI's, 86 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases. A free agent in the off-season, he signed with the New York Mets in early 2003. One of the few bright spots in the lineup of a dreadful team, he nevertheless had problems with his calves and lost most of his speed. He batted .290 with a .376 on-base percentage, 18 homeruns, 68 RBI's, and 57 runs scored. In 2004, he was hit by a series of minor injuries that again limited his playing time. However, in limited action (113 games compared with 2003's 108 games), he batted .260 with a .352 on-base percentage, 18 homeruns, 63 RBI's, and 55 runs scored. He also found it in himself to steal bases once again, finishing fourth on the team with 11. In 2005, Cliff had his only fully healthy season with the Mets. He made the most of it, batting .273 with a .358 on-base percentage, a career-high 34 homeruns, 98 RBI's, 85 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases. In 2006, the injury bug came right back. Battling two calf injuries and a bicep problem, Cliff played in only 97 games. He batted .244 with a respectable .324 on-base percentage, 11 homeruns, 44 RBI's, 45 runs scored, and 6 stolen bases (and he wasn't caught stealing at all, either). However, the Mets found him too injury-prone to resign him, much to the dismay of some Mets fans who wanted to see him return as a pinch hitter. Instead, he found an everyday job with the Chicago Cubs, who gave him a one-year contract in 2007. Still hampered by injuries, he regardless batted .284 with a .373 on-base percentage, 9 homeruns, 45 RBI's, and 40 runs scored in 108 games. Because his range had severely declined in the outfield, the Cubs chose not to extend him, letting him go to free agency once more. This time, the Tampa Bay Rays picked him up with the intent of using him exclusively as a designated hitter. He batted .268 with a .349 on-base percentage, 11 homeruns, 39 RBI's, and 32 runs scored. The Rays only signed Cliff to a one-year contract and it remains to be seen where he'll play next year, or, considering his injury-prone nature and age of 36, whether he'll play at all next year. I'd like to see him as a lefty power bat off the bench for the Mets (the fanbase still gave him standing ovations in 2007 every time he came up while playing for the Cubs), but that's just me. Normally you don't call a guy who is injured 30% of the time a gritty ballplayer, but Cliff was kind of unique in that aspect. His injuries were real, he didn't hide them or alternately constantly say how he was battling them and using them as an excuse for poor play, and he did try and play through them.

-1996 Leaf Signature Series Jason Jacome autograph. Remember a few posts back, in my writeup on Brian Lawrence, where I said that it's usually harder for a soft-tossing pitcher to return from an arm injury than it is for a hard-thrower? Well, in Brian Lawrence's case, he went somewhat silently and didn't try pitching through his injury. In Jason Jacome's case, he flamed out spectacularly while pitching through arm problems. A 12th round draft pick of the 1991 New York Mets, Jason was a left-hander who threw about 91-92 mph with a good four-seam fastball, wicked slider, and solid changeup. Jason was signed as a draft-and-follow, starting his pro career in 1992. He rocketed through the Minor Leagues and plowed over pretty much any competition that went up against him, making his Major League debut in 1994. He went 4-3 in the strike-shortened season, starting all 8 games he pitched. His ERA was a superb 2.67 and he managed to throw a shutout while he was at it. However, because Jacome has been a Minor Leaguer at the start of the season, he was allowed to finish the 1994 season in the Minors, which did not go on strike. With the AAA Norfolk Tides, he experienced a heavy workload and was given far more innings pitched than he'd ever thrown before. Jacome came close to becoming a strike replacement player, but several teammates convinced him otherwise. As such, he missed 1995 Spring Training. Spring Training is of course where players condition themselves for the upcoming season. Because of shoddy pitching mechanics, an extremely heavy workload, and then nothing for a period of seven months, Jacome experienced a minor arm problem, causing his fastball velocity to tail off to about 85 mph (he also lost movement on his fastball and slider). When he came back, he went 0-4 in 5 games, all starts, while posting a horrible 10.29 ERA. The Mets traded him to the Kansas City Royals for league average reliever Derek Wallace in mid-season. With the Royals, Jacome went 4-6 in 15 games, including 14 starts, all the while posting a 5.36 ERA. In 1996, the Royals converted Jacome into a relief pitcher. He went 0-4 in 49 games, including 2 starts, posting a very good-for-the-league 4.72 ERA. In 1997, he split the season between Kansas City and Cleveland. Between both teams, he went 2-0 with a poor 5.84 ERA in 28 games, including 4 starts. In 1998, he started one game for Cleveland, gave up 8 runs in 5 innings, and that was it for his Major League career. He was sold to the Yakult Swallows of the Japanese Central League shortly following that disastrous start. However, he soon returned to the USA, where he would pitch in the Minors until the end of the 2004 season. His Minor League career stats are significantly more impressive than his Major League stats; he went 60-44 in 209 games, including 141 starts, posting an ERA of just 3.39.

-1996 Leaf Signature Series Andujar Cedeno autograph. The younger brother of Domingo Cedeno (see several posts up), Andujar was seen as a better prospect. Signed at the age of 16 by the Houston Astros in 1986 out of the Dominican Republic, it took him until 1990 to reach the Majors. He went 0-for-8 in 7 games during September. In 1991, his role with the Astros was a bit larger. After one-year wonder shortstop Eric Yelding collapsed, Andujar took his place. He batted .243 with a weak .270 on-base percentage, 9 homeruns, 36 RBI's, and 27 runs scored in 67 games. Unfortunately, he had next to no plate discipline at all. This showed itself quite evidently the next season, in 1992. Andujar batted a miserable .173 with a .232 on-base percentage, 2 homeruns, 13 RBI's, and 15 runs scored before losing his starting job. He regained it after a good Spring Training in 1993. Asked to take a less aggressive approach at the plate and take more pitches, he had his best season, batting .283 with a .346 on-base percentage, 11 homeruns, 56 RBI's, 69 runs scored, and also 9 stolen bases. In the strike-shortened 1994 season, he batted .263 with a .334 on-base percentage, 9 homeruns, 49 RBI's, and 38 runs scored, stealing only 1 base. The Astros realized that he couldn't keep it up due to his erratic approach at the plate and in December, 1994, he became part of a huge blockbuster deal between Houston and the San Diego Padres. The Padres received Andujar, third baseman Ken Caminiti, center fielder Steve Finley, first base prospect Roberto Petagine, reliever Brian Williams, and career Minor Leaguer Sean Fesh for outfielder Derek Bell, reliever Doug Brocail, infielder Ricky Gutierrez, lefty specialist Pedro Martinez (not THAT Pedro Martinez...different pitcher), outfielder Phil Plantier, and infielder/outfielder Craig Shipley. The Padres overwhelmingly won the deal with the presence of Caminiti and Finley. But Andujar Cedeno collapsed. He batted just .210 with a .271 on-base percentage, 6 homeruns, 31 RBI's, and 42 runs scored. He split the 1996 season between the Padres, the Detroit Tigers, and the Houston Astros once more. Each team thought they could get him back to his 1993 form, but they couldn't. He finished the 1996 season having batted .212 with a .247 on-base percentage, 10 homeruns, 38 RBI's, and 30 runs scored. He never played Major League Baseball again. He didn't play in 1997 or 1998, but made a comeback attempt in 1999, signing with the New York Yankees. He had a solid year at AAA, but hurt his leg and ended his season early. He took the 2000 season off and planned to make another comeback attempt in 2001. But it wasn't to be. On October 31, 2000, he was killed in a head-on collision between his car and a semi truck in Santo Domingo. He was only 31 years old.

-1996 Leaf Signature Series Mark Leiter autograph. The older brother of the better-known left-handed pitcher Al Leiter and the younger brother of very poorly-known Minor League right-handed pitcher Kurt Leiter, Mark, like his older brother, was a righty. He was drafted in the the 4th round of the 1983 draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Throwing only a two-seam fastball, slurve (I saw it on TV and in person; it's NOT a curve), and slider, he did relatively poorly (especially against lefties) and seemed destined for obscurity when the Orioles cut him in mid 1988. However, in 1989, perhaps to humor his brother Al who was pitching with the Major League team, the New York Yankees signed Mark. He learned a forkball, throwing it as a changeup, and immediately began succeeding. It took him just one year to reach the Majors armed with this new pitch. As a swingman in his rookie year of 1990, Mark went 1-1 in 8 games, including 3 starts, posting a horrible 6.84 ERA. In desperate need of a third baseman, the Yankees dealt him to the Detroit Tigers for soon-to-be-busted prospect Torey Lovullo. Still being used as a swingman, he wasted no time improving. He went 9-7 in 38 games, including 15 starts, posting a 4.21 ERA. In 1992, he went 8-5 in 35 games, including 14 starts, posting a 4.18 ERA. And in his final season as the Tigers' reliable swingman, 1993, he went 6-6 in 27 games, including 13 starts, posting a 4.73 ERA. He did poorly in 1994 Spring Training and the Tigers cut him. Picked up by the California Angels on a one-year contract, he was used as an ineffective middle reliever; he went 4-7 in 40 games, including 7 starts, posting a 4.72 ERA. The San Francisco Giants picked him up in 1995 and taught him a new pitch to use against lefties, the circle changeup (which breaks like a screwball). He went 10-12 in 30 games, including 29 starts, posting a 3.82 ERA and pitching his only career shutout. In 1996, he split the season between the Giants (with whom he did poorly) and the Montreal Expos (with whom he did okay). In total, he went 8-12 in 35 games, including a career high 34 starts, and posted a 4.92 ERA (not terrible considering how high the league was in terms of offense). Granted free agency after the season, Mark signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. He went 10-17 with a horrid 5.67 ERA, struggling primarily with endurance problems. In 1998, the Phillies responded by converting him into the team's closer. He did well, going 7-5 in 69 games, all in relief, with 23 saves and a 3.55 ERA. However, after the season, he injured his arm. The Seattle Mariners picked him up in trade after the season, and with them he pitched two innings worth of garbage relief in 1999. He attended Spring Training in 2000 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but was released and took a year off from baseball in 2000. In 2001, he again signed with his brother's team, the New York Mets. Mark pitched pretty well in Spring Training but was dealt to the Colorado Rockies for long reliever Brian Rose (who barely pitched). The Rockies VERY quickly turned around and traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers eight days later. With Milwaukee, he went 2-1 in 20 games, including 3 starts, posting a very good 3.75 ERA. However, at age 39 after the season had ended, he decided to retire on a high note. He remains one of only two Major Leaguers from Ramapo College of New Jersey, with right-handed relief pitcher Frank Eufemia (who pitched 39 games in 1985 and then retired) being the other.

-1996 Leaf Authentic Signature Dave Mlicki autograph. The older brother of career Minor Leaguer Doug Mlicki, Dave was also a right-handed pitcher. Unlike his younger brother, however, Dave had the full repertoire of fastball, changeup, slider, and curve. He also toyed with a knucklecurve. A 17th round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in 1990 out of Oklahoma State University, very little was expected from Dave. But just two years later, in 1992, he was in the Major Leagues with Cleveland. He struggled with his consistency and was quite wild that first season, but still put up respectable numbers for a rookie: 0-2 in 4 games (all starts) with a 4.98 ERA. He was sent back down the next year to work on his control, but called up again at the end of the season. He went 0-0 in 3 games, all starts, but put up a solid 3.38 ERA. Buried in the Cleveland Indians organization, which was very deep in pitching, he didn't pitch in 1994. But after the season, he was traded to the New York Mets with starter Paul Byrd (who is still pitching), reliever Jerry Dipoto (who is now an executive for the Arizona Diamondbacks), and Minor League outfielder Jesus Azuaje (who never made it past AA ball) for uber-prospect Jeromy Burnitz and then-Minor League reliever Joe Roa. It was a rare good trade for the Mets, though they would soon squander Paul Byrd and Jerry Dipoto in bad trades. Dave was used as the Mets fifth starter in 1995 (actually one of several), going 9-7 in 29 games, including 25 starts with an ERA of 4.26 (which wasn't that bad). Strangely, he was converted into a long reliever in 1996, going 6-7 in 51 games, including 2 starts, posting a 3.30 ERA. Under new manager Bobby Valentine, however, Dave was moved back into the rotation for 1997. Though he had some control issues, he did well. He was made famous that year for starting the first ever Interleague Game between the New York Mets and New York Yankees. With a crowd of over 56,000 on hand, Dave blew through the potent Yankees lineup and pitched a shutout. The final out was Derek Jeter, who struck out swinging. It was Dave's only shutout in a Mets uniform. He went 8-12 that year, posting a pretty good 4.00 ERA over 32 games, all starts. He had arm trouble in 1998, however, leading the Mets to trade him to the Los Angeles Dodgers with reliever Greg McMichael for washed up righty specialist Brad Clontz and sore-armed Japanese starter Hideo Nomo. Dave's arm problems cleared up and he pitched well with the Dodgers. He finished the season 8-7 in 30 games, all starts, with a 4.57 ERA. He also threw the second and last shutout of his career with the Dodgers. In 1999, the Dodgers oddly moved him back to the bullpen. Here he languished for a few games before demanding a trade (considering just how weak the Dodgers rotation was, he was justified to do so). The Dodgers packaged him with headcase reliever Mel Rojas and sent him to the Detroit Tigers for washed up starter Robinson Checo and two Minor Leaguers, none of whom would ever play with Detroit. With Detroit, Dave had his best year. He went 14-13 in 1999 (0-1 with the Dodgers, 14-12 with the Tigers), posting a very solid 4.60 ERA in 33 games, including 31 starts. He again had arm problems in 2000, going 6-11 in 24 games, including 21 starts, posting a 5.58 ERA. He'd completely lost his fastball by 2001 and went a combined 11-11 with Detroit and Houston, despite posting an awful 6.17 ERA. He gave it one last go-round in 2002, going 4-10 in 22 games, including 16 starts. However, his poor 5.34 ERA convinced him to call it quits. Regardless, I'll always remember him as the guy that made the Yankees look silly in the first ever Mets/Yankees game.

-1995 Upper Deck Darren Oliver, signed. The son of utility man Bob Oliver, Darren is a left-handed pitcher. He was drafted in the third round of the 1988 draft out of high school by the Texas Rangers. Although the Rangers have a terrible reputation with developing pitchers, Darren seems to be the exception to the rule. He throws three solid pitches: a four-seam fastball, a hard curve, and a good changeup. He made the Majors as a long reliever in 1993 for two games. He posted a 2.70 ERA and the Rangers called him back up for 1994. He went 4-0 in 43 games, all in relief, posting a 3.42 ERA. In 1995, the Rangers converted Darren back into a starter. He went 4-2 in 17 games, including 7 starts, posting a 4.22 ERA. His first full season as a starter was 1996. He went 14-6 in 30 games, all starts, and posted an ERA of 4.66 (good considering the league average). In 1997, he went 13-12 in 32 games, all starts. He also posted an ERA of 4.20. He hit a wall in 1998, struggling with dead arm/tired arm and was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals mid-season with Fernando Tatis and Mark Little for shortstop Royce Clayton and starting pitcher Todd Stottlemyre. Between the two teams, he went 10-11 in 29 games, all starts, posting an ugly 5.73 ERA (although it was a solid 4.26 in St. Louis). In 1999, Darren pitched his only full season with the Cardinals. Despite a 9-9 record in 30 games (all starts), he posted a respectable 4.26 ERA. After the season, he was granted free agency and signed with Texas once more. He fell to 2-9 in 21 games, all starts, posting a horrid 7.42 ERA. He was almost as bad in 2001, despite a record of 11-11. In 28 games, all starts, he posted a 6.02 ERA. The Rangers then traded him to the Boston Red Sox for troubled slugger Carl Everett. Darren missed a lot of the 2002 season due to injury, going 4-5 in 14 games, including 9 starts. In limited action, however, he posted a solid 4.66 ERA. The Red Sox released him and he first signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. But when it was clear the Cardinals weren't going to give him any playing time in the Majors, he asked for and got his release. The only team that would take him as a starter in 2003 was the Colorado Rockies. He improved to 13-11 in 33 games, including 32 starts, posting a deceptively-high 5.04 ERA (the league average, when park effects are factiored in for Coors Field, was near 5.00 before they kept the baseballs in a humidor prior to the game). He was signed after the season as a swingman by the Florida Marlins. In 18 games, including 8 starts, he went 2-3 with a terrible 6.44 ERA. The Marlins sold him to the Houston Astros in mid-season. He pitched well for the Astros, going 1-0 in 9 games, including 2 starts, posting a very good 3.86 ERA. He signed with the Colorado Rockies in 2005 once more, but they cut him before he could play with them. He also briefly had contracts with the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago Cubs before deciding to retire. But in 2006, he received an invitation to Spring Training from the New York Mets. Taught to use his two-seam fastball far more than his four-seamer, he made the team's bullpen out of Spring Training and became one of the most dependable long relievers in Mets history. He went 4-1 in 45 games, posting a 3.44 ERA. That year, in what would prove to be his last game in a Mets uniform, he turned in arguably the best relief performance by a Mets pitcher in postseason history. After washed up starter Steve Trachsel was knocked out of the box in Game 3 of the NLCS, surrendering five runs in just 1+ innings, Oliver came in. He pitched 6 shutout innings, allowed only 3 hits, walked 1, and struck out 3. As he walked off the mound to make way for fellow reliever Roberto Hernandez, he was cheered by the Cardinals fans (the game was at Busch Stadium) for his magnificant performance. In 2007, he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, where he acted as the team's long reliever. He went 3-1 in 61 games, all in relief, while posting a 3.78 ERA. In 2008, he went 7-1 in 54 games, all in relief, and posted a 2.88 ERA. He's now a free agent. Despite his age of 38, he's showing little sign of slowing down in his new role as a reliever and some team will doubtless pick him up.

More later!

[Dalkowski110]

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-1988 Topps Bobby Valentine, signed. Originally a prospect outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bobby Valentine went from phenom to bust to manager within twenty years. He was drafted out of high school in the 1968 amateur draft, taken with the fifth overall pick. He showed such prmise that by 1969, he earned himself a callup to the Majors Leagues, where he was used in 5 games as a pinch runner. To get an at-bat, however, he'd have to wait until 1971. A fourth outfielder at the age of 21, Bobby batted .249 with a .287 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, 25 RBI's, 32 runs scored, and 5 stolen bases in only 291 at-bats. The low OBP came primarily as a result of simply not being polished enough and in 1972, Bobby became an everyday outfielder for the Dodgers. He showed improvement, batting .274 with a .319 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 32 RBI's, 42 runs scored, and he also stole five bases. After the 1972 season, he was packaged with over-the-hill superstar Frank Robinson, pinch-running specialist Billy Grabarkewitz, solid starter Bill Singer, and nowhere prospect Mike Strahler and sent to the California Angels for ace pitcher Andy Messersmith and solid third baseman Ken McMullen. With California, Bobby seemed to break out. He was hitting .302 with a .323 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, 13 RBI's, 12 runs scored, and 6 stolen bases in just 32 games when disaster struck. In 1973, there was a chainlink fence in center field in Anaheim Stadium. It was supposed to be a much easier barrier for a fan to see through, as opposed to glass, plastic, or simply sealing it off. Players avoided it like the plague, however, figuring someone would get themselves hurt by tangling themselves up in it. They were right and that someone turned out to be Bobby. Charging after a fly ball at full tilt, he caught it and then immediately crashed into the fence. He was literally tangled up in it, and had shattered his leg. He never played anywhere near as well, especially in the field, as he had before the injury. 1974 would be Bobby's last hurrah. He batted .261 with a .308 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 39 RBI's, 39 runs scored, and 8 stolen bases in 117 games. The Angels traded him to the San Diego Padres in late 1975 for pitcher Gary Ross, and he did briefly play for San Diego that year. Between the Angels and Padres, he batted .250 with a solid .321 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, 6 RBI's, and 6 runs scored in only 33 games (he missed a good amount of time with a broken leg). He split his 1976 season between the Majors and the Minors, batting .367 with a .436 on-base percentage, no homers, 4 RBI's, and 3 runs scored. Of course, he'd only played 15 games, which was too small a sample size to judge his performance. But the Padres figured they'd do so anyway for 1977, and the end result was Bobby batting under .200 with a horrid OBP and then getting traded to (where else?) the Mets with a so-so reliever named Paul Siebert for Dave Kingman. He was even worse with the Mets than he was with the Padres. Between the two teams, Bobby batted .153 with a .220 on-base percentage, 2 homeruns, 13 RBI's, and 13 runs scored. He improved a bit in 1978, his only full season with the Mets as a player. In 69 games (now he was completely regarded as a utility player), he batted .269 with a .346 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, 18 RBI's, and 17 runs scored. The Mets being the Mets, they released him after the season despite his solid season as a pinch-hitter. He was picked up in 1979 by the fledgling Seattle Mariners, for whom he batted .276 with a .405 on-base percentage, no homeruns, 7 RBI's, and 9 runs scored in 62 games. Granted free agency after the season, he opted to retire. But Bobby's involvement in baseball was hardly over. He became a coach for the New York Mets and then, in 1985, he took over the struggling Texas Rangers as a manager. He had very little to work with, especially at first, but somehow dragged the 1986 Texas Rangers to a second place finish in the AL West. That was followed by two sixth place finishes, but in 1989, he piloted the team to fourth place. He finished third in both 1990 and 1991, and then ironically split time with the man he'd replaced, Toby Harrah, when he was fired mid-season and the team fell to fourth place. Bobby coached for the Cincinnati Reds in 1993 and managed the Mets AAA affiliate in Norfolk in 1994, but then went over to Japan to manage the 1995 Chiba Lotte Marines, whom he took from the cellar to second place in the Japanese Pacific League. It was here that Bobby learned that the media could be a powerful ally, something which would ultimately lead to his downfall. Back in the States in 1996, he split the season managing the Norfolk Tides and briefly the New York Mets (after Dallas Green had done so badly that the Mets could no longer overlook his numerous flaws and fired him). In 1997, he managed the struggling Mets to a very solid 88-74 record, which was good enough for third place in the NL East. With Bobby being a kid from Connecticut and knowing how to handle the media, they treated him with the reverence of Gil Hodges or Davey Johnson as far as Mets managers go, even though he wasn't particularly good. His bullpen management was infamously bad, he rode rookies mercilessly, taunted his own players, and he was immature as heck. But he got a bye on all of it because he talked a good game with the media. In 1998, though he again piloted the Mets to an 88-74 record, this time it was good enough for second place. In 1999, the Mets won 97 games and advanced to the NLCS, where they stalled out against the Atlanta Braves. In 2000, Valentine brought the team to its first National League Pennant since 1986. He lost the World Series in 5 games, largely due to 1) 3/5ths of the New York Yankees being loaded to the gills with steroids and 2) his own poor in-game management. In Game 1 one of the World Series, he foolishly inserted volatile closer Armando Benitez, who blew the lead. The Mets lost in extra innings. Not much he could do about Game 2 or Game 4 and he won Game 3, but he left in starting pitcher Al Leiter for far, far too long in Game 5, the final game. In 2001, the Mets dropped to third and despite Valentine continuing to make poor managerial decisions, he now solidly had the fanbase on his side by manipulating the media. In 2002, the team completely fell apart, going 75-86. Valentine feuded with his players, lost control of his clubhouse, and still was defended by the media and a good portion of the fanbase. Mercifully, general manager Steve Phillips saw fit to fire him in the 2002 off-season (though he replaced him with the even-worse Art Howe). He did commentary for ESPN in 2003, proved extremely lackluster at that, and then went back to the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Pacific League, where the media still loved him. It was Valentine who acted as an advance scout for the Mets when they signed disastrous shortstop Kazuo Matsui and he recommended other Japanese ballplayers that turned out to be complete busts as well. Regardless, he's still the manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines, and arguably the most popular manager that Japanese baseball has ever seen. There are rumors he might manage the Seattle Mariners in 2009, to which I say...they can have him!!!

-2005 Topps Jorge Julio, signed. Jorge Julio is the perfect example of a guy who almost any team in baseball will take a chance on, simply because he can throw hard. Signed by the Montreal Expos out of Venezuela in 1996, he pitched in the Minors as a starter with their organization. However, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for busted third base prospect Ryan Minor before he could pitch in the Majors. The Orioles converted Jorge into a closer, figuring correctly that they could get more velocity out of him that way. He pitched very well and in 2001, earned a Major League call-up in September. He went 1-1 in 18 games, all in relief, with an ERA of 3.80. The next year, he was given the Orioles closer job. He went 5-6 in 67 games, all in relief, saving 25 games, and posting a remarkable 1.99 ERA. In 2003, a bit of the luster wore off. He went 0-7 in 64 games, all in relief, saved 36 games, and his ERA climbed to 4.38. In 2004, he went 2-5 in 65 games, all in relief, saving 22 games and posting a 4.57 ERA. The wheels fell off in 2005, when he went 3-5 in 67 games, all in relief, lost his closer job, and posted a 5.90 ERA. In 2006, the Orioles traded him and perceived Quad-A pitcher John Maine (who is now the Mets' number three starter) to the Mets for public relations trainwreck Kris Benson, who spent most of his time in Baltimore on the DL. While John Maine made the trade an easy win for the Mets, Jorge Julio was still pretty lousy with the Mets. In 18 games pitched, he went 1-2 with a 5.06 ERA. He was then traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for starter Orlando "el Duque" Hernandez, making the trade even more favorable to the Mets. With that said, Jorge was able to pull himself together at least for a while in Arizona, going 1-2 in 44 games with 15 saves and posting a solid 3.83 ERA. However, the Diamondbacks realized just how volatile Jorge was and traded him in the offseason to the Florida Marlins for project pitcher Yusmeiro Petit. Jorge was made the Marlins closer for the Opening Day roster and he was awful. In 10 games, he failed to record a single save, lost 2 games, didn't win any, and posted an astronomical 12.54 ERA. He was traded to the Colorado Rockies for washed up starter Byung-Hyun Kim. There, being used as a middle reliever, he once again rebounded after a change of scenery, going 0-3 in 58 games, all in relief, and posting a 3.93 ERA. However, the Rockies let Jorge go as a free agent at the end of the season. He hooked on with the Cleveland Indians and immediately started looking like his old self in 2007. He went 0-0 in 15 games, all in relief, and posted an ERA of 5.60. Desperate for bullpen help, he was signed by the Atlanta Braves to a Minor League contract. Though he struggled in the Minors, he was incredible upon reaching the Majors, going 3-0 in 12 games, all in relief, while posting a miniscule 0.73 ERA. The Braves have opted not to resign Jorge, however, and have let him pass onto free agency. What he'll do next year is anyone's guess, though I'd not be completely surprised if for a fourth straight year, a team takes a flier on him, gives up after he's been pounded, and then another team takes a flier on him and has him pitch well in the second half of the season.

-1993 Topps Jose Valentin, signed. A power-hitting shortstop/second baseman known for his good attitude and his moustache, Jose Valentin is the older brother of utility catcher Javier Valentin. Signed as an amateur free agent by the San Diego Padres in 1986, he was traded with pitching prospect Ricky Bones (who turned out okay) and prospect outfielder Matt Mieske (who also turned out about average) to the Milwaukee Brewers just after Spring Training in 1992 for malcontent slugger Gary Sheffield. That year, the Brewers called Jose up to the Majors in September after he played well in the Minors. He played in 4 games, went 0-for-3, and also pinch ran and scored a run. He was a September call-up once again in 1993, though this time he saw more action. In 19 games, he batted .245 with a .344 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, 17 RBI's, and 10 runs scored. He got the regular starting job at shortstop in 1994, and played well in the strike-shortened season, batting .239 but with a very good .330 on-base percentage, 11 homeruns, 46 RBI's, 47 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases in only 97 games. In 1995, he took a bit of a dip after he was told to be more aggressive at the plate. He batted .219 with a weak .293 on-base percentage, 11 homeruns, 49 RBI's, 62 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases. 1996 would be Jose's finest season with the Brewers. Returning to his old plate approach, he batted .259 with a good .336 on-base percentage, 24 homeruns, 95 RBI's, 90 runs scored, and 17 stolen bases. The RBI total would be a career high. He dropped to a .253 batting average with a .310 on-base percentage in 1997, hitting 17 homeruns, driving in 58 runs, scoring 58 runs, and stealing a career high 19 bases (equalled in 2000). He continued playing at least well in 1998, however, batting .224 but also posting a very good .323 on-base percentage, hitting 16 homeruns, driving in 49 runs, scoring 65, and stealing 10 bases. In 1999, Jose was suffered a leg injury and his play suffered. In 89 games, he batted .227 though with an excellent .347 on-base percentage, 10 homeruns, 38 RBI's, 45 runs scored, and 3 stolen bases. In 2000, he was traded with washed up former pitching prospect Cal Eldred to the Chicago White Sox for two project pitchers: Jaime Navarro and John Snyder, who were even worse with Milwaukee than they were with the White Sox. An odd result of Jose's leg injury suffered the previous season was that he changed his batting stance slightly, closing up a bit more. This allowed him full extension of his hands (something which he never quite had) and allowed him to hit for more power. He also worked intensely with the White Sox on making better contact. Sure enough, he batted .273 with a .343 on-base percentage, 25 homeruns, 92 RBI's, 107 runs scored (a career high), and 19 stolen bases (tying his career high). In 2001, he kept on going, batting .258 with a .336 on-base percentage, 28 homeruns, 68 RBI's, 74 runs scored, and 9 stolen bases. Despite the decreases in RBI's and runs scored, this was due to his being moved down in the batting order. Statistically, he was the third-best shortstop in the American League in 2001, trailing only Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. He continued playing well in 2002, batting .249 with a .311 on-base percentage, 25 homeruns, 75 RBI's, and 70 runs scored. However, it was around that time that he started having knee problems and he pretty much lost his speed. In 2003, however, he kept going at it with the bat, batting .237 but with a respectable .313 on-base percentage, 28 homeruns, 74 RBI's, and 79 runs scored. In 2004, White Sox manager Jerry Manuel, who endorsed Jose's plate patience, was sacked in favor of Ozzie Guillen, who hated walks. Okay, now for a mini-rant: Ozzie Guillen hates walks. The whole principle of walks and on-base percentage is not to make outs. Ozzie rarely walked as a player (and also rarely struck out), but ruining a perfectly good player's approach by shoving your ideas down his throat with zero feedback is not what I'd call being a good manager. He and Fred Haney are in my opinion the two worst managers ever to win a World Series. Okay, mini-rant over. Well, under Guillen, Jose's batting average dropped to .216, his once-very good on-base percentage sunk to .287, he hit a career-high 30 homeruns, drove in 70 runs, scored 73, and refused to re-sign with the White Sox. In 2005, he spent the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers trying to get his old plate approach back. As a utility player in 56 games, he batted just .170, but walked to the tune of a .326 on-base percentage, hit 2 homeruns, drove in 14 runs, scored 17, and used his now-healing legs to steal 3 bases. However, the Dodgers let him go. In 2006, he signed on as a Minor League free agent with the New York Mets. He made the team out of Spring Training, took the place of the dreadful Kazuo Matsui at second base, and became a fan favorite. He batted .271 with a .330 on-base percentage, 18 homeruns, 62 RBI's, 56 runs scored, and 6 stolen bases. In 2007, Jose was having a solid year, batting .241 with a .302 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 18 RBI's, and 18 runs scored with 2 stolen bases over 51 games when against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he fouled a ball off his tibia, breaking it. He played a few games in the Mets Minor League organization in 2008, but then was released and called it quits. A long-time Puerto Rican League manager, coach, and even briefly an owner, rumor has it that he might be brought back to the Mets as the team's first base coach, a position that is currently open (due to Valentin's friendship with general manager Omar Minaya, manager Jerry Manuel, most of the players on the team, his winning attitude, and his baserunning skills as a player, I'd say he's got a shot at it).

-1978 Topps Al Hrabosky, signed. Left-handed pitcher Al Hrabosky is one of my favorite all-time baseball personalities. He was crazy, but kind-hearted. Drafted in the first round of the 1969 draft, Al was taken with the 19th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals. Initially groomed as a starter, Al tore up the Minors with his 95 mph+ four-seam fastball in 1969 and was in the Majors by 1970. Here, he was erratic. He pitched well in his only start (which would in fact be the only Major League start of his career), though his 15 relief appearances varied from solid to terrible. Aside from the fastball, he only threw a so-so curveball. He was sent back to the Minors for most of 1971, pitching only one game in the Majors (2 scoreless innings in relief). He had a similar season in 1972, going 1-0 in 5 games, all in relief, and again posting a 0.00 ERA. In 1973, the Cardinals brought him to the Majors full time, pairing him off with right-hander Orlando Pena as a set-up man to closer Diego Segui. He went 2-4 in 44 games, nailed down 5 saves, and had a terrific 2.09 ERA. In 1974, he was finally taught a forkball as a change of pace to supplement his blazing fastball and weak curve. Thrown to lefties and righties alike, the forkball helped him out. And it was also in 1974 that Al began developing his persona. He'd psych himself up on the mound with his back facing the hitter, slamming the ball into his glove and getting as visibly angry as humanly possible. He let out a scream once, but the Cardinals said that crossed the line, so he didn't do it again. He went 8-1 in 65 games that year with a 2.95 ERA, saving 9 games while alternating with right-hander Mike Garman as the team's closer. In 1975, he decided to take his antics up another level. This time, he took to wearing a Gypsy Rose of Death ring to ward off werewolves (On which he commented "I don't even remember the stupid story I made up for that, it was so far-fetched--probably a family heirloom from Dracula."). He also grew a Fu Manchu moustache. Nicknamed "The Mad Hungarian," he became one of the first closers to regularly enter a game with his own theme music. However, unlike Trevor Hoffman or Maraiano Rivera or Billy Wagner, who use heavy metal to come in, Al preferred The Hungarian Rhapsody. He later said that he needed a bit of an ego boost when he got to the mound that year, but that the fans liked it so much, he kept on doing it. Whatever the truth, it worked. Al went 13-3 in 65 games with 22 saves and an ERA of 1.66. In 1976, he regressed a bit to 8-6 in 68 games with 13 saves and a 3.30 ERA. In 1977, he suffered from chronic dead arm, going 6-5 in 65 games with 10 saves and an ERA of 4.38. In an odd move, the Cardinals traded him to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Kansas City's closer, Mark Littell. With Kansas City, the Royals agreed to keep all of his quirks and superstitions in place, and the loudspeakers still blared "The Hungarian Rhapsody" every time he came into a game. He went 8-7 in 58 games with 20 saves, posting an ERA of 2.88. In 1979, Al went 9-4 in 58 games with 11 saves, and posted an ERA of 3.74. In 1980, he hit free agency. Initially, he wanted to sign with the Cardinals (again), but the Atlanta Braves quadrupled St. Louis' offer, despite having no intention of using him as a closer. Instead, the PR-starved Braves wanted to use Al as a gate attraction, as well as the team's set-up man to closer Rick Camp. The Mad Hungarian, still continuing his rituals, did well with the Braves. He went 4-2 in 45 games, notched 3 saves, and posted a 3.62 ERA. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, Al sparkled as the Braves left-handed specialist. He went 1-1 in 24 games with 1 saves, posting a miniscule 1.07 ERA. Unfortunately, Al injured his elbow during 1982 Spring Training. He went 2-1 in 31 games, saved 3 games, and posted a poor 5.54 ERA before being released. He pitched in Spring Training with the 1983 Chicago White Sox, but then retired. After his playing career concluded, Al became a broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals and opened a sports bar (Al Hrabosky's Ballpark Saloon) right near Busch Stadium. The sports bar is currently among the most popular in St. Louis and Al is still broadcasting with the Cardinals.

More later!

[Dalkowski110]

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-1996 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Rookie Class Osvaldo Fernandez, signed. Right-handed pitcher Osvaldo Fernandez was the first and so far only member of the Cuban Nacional Serie Holguin Hounds (historically a pretty weak team) to make the Major Leagues or even play US professional baseball. He was also signed VERY quickly after he'd defected, even considering that most Cuban defectors of the period signed much more quickly than they do now. Armed with a fastball, curve, slider, and changeup, Osvaldo had the tools to be a starting pitcher. Unfortunately, he had neither the mechanics nor the proper development. While Cuban baseball is of very high quality...equivalent to roughly Class A Advanced or Class AA...it's NOT Major League quality. It surprised everyone when the San Francisco Giants announced that they'd stick Osvaldo, a relatively unproven pitcher and considered a prospect in Cuban baseball, directly into the Major Leagues. He went 7-13 in 30 games, including 28 starts, with a 4.61 ERA and it was not because he was mediocre. No, it was that he was lights-out when he was on and absolutely horrible when he wasn't. There was no inbetween. Further, his previous high in innings pitched in Cuba was something on order of 80. He pitched 171 2/3rd innings with San Francisco in 1997. They'd given him no opportunity to stretch his arm out. In 1997, Osvaldo was again a member of San Francisco's rotation, going 3-4 in 11 games, all starts, and posting a 4.95 ERA. After his 8th game or so, it was evident that he was suffering a dead arm period. But the Giants ignored that and kept pitching him as a starter. Finally, it go so bad that they had to shut him down else they'd risk injuring his arm, or so they thought. In fact, they had injured his arm and he required Tommy John Surgery. He missed all of 1998 and most of 1999, pitching just a few games in the Minors during the '99 season. In 2000, he signed a Minor League contract with the Cincinnati Reds. He pitched well enough the first half of the season in AAA ball to justify a callup to the Majors. In 15 games, including 14 starts, he went 4-3 with a 3.62 ERA. However, 2001 would prove that the Giants were not 100% to blame for Osvaldo's arm injury. He didn't have very good pitching mechanics, hooking his wrist very violently and hyperabducting his elbow. Pitching injured with the 2001 Reds, Osvaldo managed a record of 5-6 in 20 games, including 14 starts, posting a monstrously bad 6.92 ERA. He split the 2002 season between the AAA affiliates of the San Francisco Giants and Montreal Expos, also attending Spring Training with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2003. By that time, his listed age was 34 and he was probably older. So he retired after that. One wonders what would have happened to him had a team correctly developed him and perhaps used him as a relief pitcher.

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-Aaron Crow signed 8x10. Shown here pitching with the University of Missouri, right-handed pitcher Aaron Crow was tabbed as the top right-handed pitcher in 2008 draft. He could be best used to illustrate two principles. The first is that you can have all the talent, mental make-up, and good pitches in the world and still be rendered avoided like the plague due to your awful pitching mechanics. The second is just how corrupt and inefficient the Washington Nationals front office is. Aaron Crow can throw his four-seam fastball in the high 90's, throws a vicious slider, and has a pretty good changeup, too. He reads like a book of "what not to do" when developing proper pitching mechanics. He exhibits slow arm timing, hyperabducts his elbow, violently hooks his wrist, and has a risky arm action in general. For these reasons, the first couple teams avoided him, instead opting for safer position player picks or, in the case of the Baltimore Orioles, left-handed pitcher Brian Matusz, who is acknowledged to have good mechanics from the standpoint of injury prevention. But then the Washington Nationals came on the clock and picked him. That's not indefensible...not all pitchers with poor mechanics fall apart. They're merely more likely to do so. But how they handled Crow is. Nats General Manager Jim Bowden was, at the time of the draft, being investigated in a scandal wherein he and Jose Rijo, the club's director of scouting in the Dominican Republic, were skimming money off the signing bonuses of Dominican amateur players. For three weeks, he gave ridiculously low-balled offers to Crow and then stopped talking to him altogether, simply because he was to preoccupied with the scandal to be bothered. Crow and his agent repeatedly tried contacting Bowden over the next few months, but only managed to contact him just a few days before the signing deadline. Incredibly, Bowden was still offering low-ball, below-slot money. Aaron Crow came down $5 million with regards to his asking price and into the range where any rational front office would've signed him. Jim Bowden went up by $350,000. In the end, by the time the signing deadline passed, Crow (who was lowering his demands like crazy) and Bowden were $750,000 apart with Bowden refusing to alter his offer any further. Crow has stated that the experience was so strange that he's no longer willing to sign with the Nationals if Bowden is still there. Now pitching with the independent league Fort Worth Cats, he'll be eligible to be drafted again next year. No one has come up with a logical explanation as to why Bowden refused to budge except one, and if this one is true, what he did was illegal. If a team fails to sign a draft pick, they get an extra first round draft pick the next year. However, the team actually has to engage in serious negotiations with the draft pick; i.e. not just pick him and then say "we're doing this so we can get an extra pick next year." However, a lot of people (myself included) are pretty sure that after those first three weeks, this is exactly what Bowden had planned. If he gets two terrific draft prospects next year (and 2009 is going to be a rich draft class), he'll come out looking pretty good. But then again, Bowden has been so bad that the Nationals are considering firing him. The case of Aaron Crow should illustrate just how bad he is. As for Crow, he'll reenter the draft in 2009 and is considered a likely first round pick. The little inscription he added to this picture, "1st Rd Pick," is still going to hold true; of that I have no doubt. I sincerely hope he turns out well, despite his flawed pitching mechanics. He could make a dominating closer.

More later!

[Dalkowski110]

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-2004 Bowman Sterling Refractors Brian Bixler rookie card autograph/game-used jersey swatch. Brian Bixler, drafted in the second round of the 2004 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of Eastern Michigan, was ballyhooed as one of the best shortstops in the entire 2004 draft. He was a toolsy player with some power and speed, but he was most noted for his excellent batting eye. In that first professional season, he batted .276 with a .321 on-base percentage, no homeruns, 21 RBI's, 40 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases in just 59 games at the Class A Short Season level. In 2005, he was promoted to Class A ball, where he batted .281 with a .343 on-base percentage, 9 homeruns, 50 RBI's, 74 runs scored, and 21 stolen bases. He continued his rise in 2006, splitting the season between A Long Season and AA. He batted a combined .302 with a .384 on-base percentage, 8 homeruns, 52 RBI's, 82 runs scored, and 24 stolen bases. Figuring that Bixler would be their shortstop and leadoff hitter of the future, the Pirates dealt away superior prospect Brent Lillibridge to the Atlanta Braves organization. Even if Bixler eventually does turn out and Lillibridge doesn't, that's a pretty bad idea. You never trade your top talent unless you're getting something of high value in return. "Dave Kingman Lite" first baseman Adam LaRoche and Minor Leaguer Jamie Romak do not constitute high value. The Pirates made another front office blunder by failing to promote Bixler in September, 2007. They simply figured that existing shortstop Jack Wilson would be fine. Bixler batted .274 with a very good .368 on-base percentage, 5 homeruns, 51 RBI's, 77 runs scored, and 28 stolen bases in AAA ball in 2007. In 2008, Bixler made the Pirates out of Spring Training and the Pirates immediately thrust him into the role of starting shortstop (Jack Wilson had been injured), something he was clearly not ready for. Naturally, with Pittsburgh's poor planning and Bixler having no Major League experience, he did terribly. He batted a pathetic .157 with a .229 on-base percentage, no homeruns, 2 RBI's, 16 runs scored, and 1 stolen base in 50 games. There exists a batting statistic called OPS+; basically it's on-base percentage plus slugging percentage in relation to the league average. A league average hitter has a score of 100. The famously-terrible hitter Mario Mendoza managed an OPS+ of 41 over his career. But all Brian Bixler managed in the Major Leagues in 2008 was 15. Only Tony Pena Jr. was worse that year. And it gets better...the Pirates had no backup plan when Bixler imploded save for 37-year-old veteran Chris Gomez, who is basically washed up. Gomez and a little-known shortstop prospect named Luis Cruz split time at shortstop until Jack Wilson could return. As for Bixler, only time will tell how he rebounds, or even if he can rebound. He played well on a AAA level in 2008, batting .280 with a .346 on-base percentage, 7 homeruns, 36 RBI's, 44 runs scored, and 23 stolen bases in AAA ball. But he did terribly when he was called back up in September. He'll be 26 next year and he likely won't get too many more chances. Only time will tell.

-2004 Fleer Greats of the Game Autograph Collection Don Newcombe autograph. Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946, Don Newcombe was part of Branch Rickey's original effort to intigrate baseball. Rickey had signed Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Joe Black, Dan Bankhead, and Don Newcombe from the Negro Leagues (in Newcombe's case, from the Newark Eagles) with the intention of only playing them 1-2 years in the Minors, realizing that the high quality of play in the regular season of the Negro Leagues had seasoned them to about AA or AAA level. Although Black and Bankhead didn't make it over the long term (Black blew his arm out after a terrific first two years and Bankhead let the verbal abuse and threats get to him), Robinson and Campanella became Hall of Famers, with Campanella's amazing career only ending after he'd been paralyzed in a car accident. Newcombe was somewhat of a mix of everything the others experienced. He opened his career with the 1946 Nashua Dodgers, thus becoming the first black pitcher in the New England League. In 1947, he was promoted to the Class AAA Montreal Royals, where he proved that both a fine pitcher and a fine hitter, often being called on to pinch hit (it came in handy that he was a left-handed hitter and a right-handed pitcher). After repeating AAA ball in 1948, Newcombe joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949. He threw a plus fastball in the 90's, a hard curve, and a good changeup that took him to his first NL All-Star Team, a record of 17-8 with a sparkling 3.17 ERA, five shutouts, and the first ever National League Rookie of the Year Award (in 1947 and 1948, when Jackie Robinson and Alvin Dark won the award, it applied to both leagues). Indeed, "Newk" was probably Brooklyn's best pitcher at the age of only 23. But 23-year-old pitchers are often impressionable, and Newcombe was about to gain the reputation as baseball's first ever postseason choker. In Game 1 of the 1949 World Series, manager Burt Shotton shocked everyone when he started Newcombe and not left-hander Preacher Roe against New York Yankees ace pitcher Allie Reynolds. It was a brilliant pitcher's duel, as Reynolds gave up only 2 hits and Newcombe was entering the bottom of the 9th having given up just four. But Reynolds had walked four batters. Newcombe hadn't walked a single man and had struck out 11. He was in complete control. The 29th batter that Newk faced was aging Yankees utility man Tommy Henrich. Newcombe's first pitch, a hard curve, missed the plate. He then went to his fastball, which also missed, although he didn't think so. Frustrated, he threw the exact same pitch to the exact same location. Henrich launched it into the stands for the first ever walk-off homerun in World Series history. Whatever happened in the mind of young Newk dogged him for the rest of his career. He pitched in Game 4 of the World Series as well, pitching shakily for three scoreless innings before being knocked out completely in the 4th. However, whatever happened didn't seem to hurt his regular season play. In 1950, he went 19-11 with a 3.70 ERA in a very high-offense league, being named to his second NL All-Star Team. In 1951, Newk and Preacher Roe were once again the two best pitchers on the team and Newk was named to his third NL-All-Star Team. He went 20-9 with an excellent 3.28 ERA. And once again, he was called on to pitch in a postseason atmosphere. Game 3 of the 1951 National League Playoff between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants wasn't technically a postseason game. It along with the two other games in the best-of-3 series that determined who went to the World Series representing the National League was considered a regular season game. Once again, Newk dominated until the 9th inning. He imploded after getting just one out (and it was a perilous one at that...Monte Irvin barely missed a homerun). However, he's never blamed for blowing that game. Rather, the relief pitcher who came in and let all of his inherited baserunners score after giving up a homerun to Bobby Thomson (Ralph Branca) is generally undeservedly blamed for the whole thing. Newk didn't pitch again until mid 1954, joining the US Army and serving stateside from 1952 to mid 1954. He then rejoined the Brooklyn Dodgers. He went 9-8 in 29 games, including 25 starts, with an unimpressive ERA of 4.55 though he did improve down the stretch. The rust was fully shaken off in 1955, when Newk went 20-5 with a 3.20 ERA and was named to his fourth and final NL All-Star Team (and also batted .359 with a .395 on-base percentage and slugged 7 homeruns in only 117 at-bats!). Although 1955 would be famous as the year the Brooklyn Dodgers won the World Series, Newk didn't exactly do his part once the Dodgers got there. Facing Yankees ace Whitey Ford in Game 1, he was battered for 6 runs, all of which were earned, in just 5 1/3rd innings. Manager Walter Alston made the decision to start rookie relief pitcher Roger Craig (of 1962 New York Mets fame) when Newcombe's spot in the rotation came up in Game 5, sensing something was wrong. His gamble paid off, as Craig beat the Yankees and ace reliever Clem Labine picked up the save. Two days later, Johnny Podres shut out the Yankees and the Dodgers picked up their only World Series win in Brooklyn. In 1956, Don Newcombe had one of the finest seasons of any post-WWII pitcher. He went 27-7, hurled 5 shutouts, posted a 3.06 ERA, pitched 268 innings, and struck out 139 while walking only 46. Though amazingly he failed to make the NL All-Star Team, he won both the first ever Major League Cy Young Award (it was only awarded to one league until 1967) and the NL MVP Award, a rare honor for a pitcher. However, because Brooklyn made the World Series again, Newk would have an otherwise-spectacular season marred forever. Apprehensive about Newk's volatility in the World Series, manager Walter Alston went with dependable starter Sal Maglie in Game 1 of the World Series. Maglie pitched well enough to beat the Yankees and Whitey Ford. He saved Newk for Game 2, where he pitched horribly. He went 1 2/3rds painful innings and was hammered for six runs. However, he was relieved by first Ed Roebuck (who finished the second inning) and then Don Bessent. Bessent pitched 7 solid innings as the Yankees incredibly managed to blow the lead, losing 13-8. Though Yankees pitcher Don Larsen would pitch a perfect game in Game 5 (the only perfect game in postseason history), the Dodgers came back and won Game 6 under the reliable pitching of swingman Clem Labine. However, Alston had boxed himself into a corner for Game 7; the only available starter was Newk. He gave up 5 earned runs in only 3 innings, surrendering two homeruns to Yogi Berra and one to Elston Howard. Little-known Yankees starter Johnny Kucks hurled a three-hit shutout that day and the Yankees won the World Series. Newk would never pitch in another postseason and now his reputation as a choker was etched into baseball history for good. He dropped to 11-12 in 1957, the Dodgers' last season in Brooklyn. However, he was the victim of poor luck, hurling 4 shutouts and posting a 3.49 ERA. But in 1958, he injured his arm, splitting the season between Los Angeles and Cincinnati. He learned to take a little off his fastball and get some sink to it there. While he was 0-6 with a 7.85 ERA in Los Angeles, he went 7-7 with a solid 3.85 ERA with Cincinnati. In 1959, he came back to go 13-8 with a 3.16 ERA, though he was still battling arm trouble. In 1960, he split the season between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians, and by now his arm problems were getting pretty bad. Between the two teams, he went 6-9 in 36 games, including 17 starts, posting a 4.48 ERA. He retired before 1961 Spring Training. Interestingly, in 1962, the good-hitting Newk decided to try his hand as a position player with the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League. Despite being one of the first black players in the Major Leagues, he called the racism he faced in Japan "much worse" than what he faced in the United States, and retired after one season (despite hitting .262 with a .316 on-base percentage and 12 homeruns in just 279 at-bats). When he came back to the US, he worked in the front office with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had finished his Major League career 149-90 in 344 games, including 294 starts, posting a pretty good 3.56 ERA.

-2004 Upper Deck SPx SPxCiting Rookies Chris Aguila autograph/game-used jersey swatch rookie card. Chris Aguila holds the rather amusing distinction of being the longest-tenured member of the Florida Marlins organization, despite only playing 10 seasons in their organization. Chris was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1997 amateur draft out of high school. As a result, he also turned out to be the last player in the Marlins organization from the 1997 World Championship season. However, it would take him until 2004 to make the Majors, as he never quite learned plate discipline. He batted only .222 with a poor .255 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 5 RBI's, and 10 runs scored that year in 29 games. In 2005, he had another relatively poor season, batting .244 with a .272 on-base percentage, no homeruns, 4 RBI's, and 11 runs scored in 65 games. 2006 would be Chris' last season with Florida. He batted .232 with a career-high .298 on-base percentage (which is still awful), no homeruns, 7 RBI's, 5 runs scored, and he also stole 2 bases in 47 games. In 2007, Chris signed as a Minor League free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but failed to make the Major League team. In 2008, he was invited to Spring Training with the New York Mets and hung around long enough to play with the Class AAA New Orleans Zephyrs. He also briefly played with the Mets, batting .167 (2-for-12) with a .286 on-base percentage (2 walks), no RBI's, and no runs scored before being returned to the Minors. Over 12 Minor League seasons, Chris has been far more impressive. He has a .280 batting average with a .344 on-base percentage, 123 homeruns, 1,099 hits, 583 RBI's, and 611 runs scored. Chris' off-the-field activities are also somewhat amusing. His hobby is the Samoan (he has a Samoan mother and a Filipino father) fire knife dance; i.e., dancing with knives that are on fire. I think he has more of a future in fire knife dancing than in baseball at this point, though he's an interesting footnote in several areas.

-2005 Bowman Sterling Jed Lowrie autograph/game-used jersey swatch rookie card. The first-round draft selection of the Boston Red Sox in 2005 out of Stanford, switch-hitting shortstop Jed Lowrie figures to be one of the many talented young players on the Red Sox in the coming years. Like the Oakland A's, the Boston Red Sox typically draft position players with high on-base percentages. Jed is no exception. Debuting in 2005 with the Class A Short Season Lowell Spinners, he batted .328 with an astronomical .429 on-base percentage with 4 homeruns, 32 RBI's, 36 runs scored, and 7 stolen bases. In 2006, playing with the Class A Advanced Wilmington Blue Rocks, though his batting average dropped, his on-base percentage stayed high relative to it. He batted .262 with a .352 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 50 RBI's, 43 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases (he began cutting down on running so much in 2006). In 2007, Jed split the season with the Class AA Portland Sea Dogs and Class AAA Pawtucket Red Sox. In 133 total games, he batted .298 with a fantastic .393 on-base percentage, 13 homeruns, 70 RBI's, and 82 runs scored. In 2008, his impressive Minor League stats (.268 with an excellent .359 on-base percentage, 5 homeruns, 32 RBI's, 35 runs scored) at AAA combined with the underperforming of shortstop Julio Lugo at the Major League level led to Jed breaking into the Major Leagues. He hit .258 with a respectable .339 on-base percentage, 2 homeruns, 46 RBI's, and 34 runs scored in 81 games. He also fielded well at not only shortstop but also third base and second base. He is Boston's best young infielder with under a full season of play and could be a future star.

-2008 Upper Deck Premier Premier Rookie Signatures Justin Maxwell rookie autograph. A promising outfielder, Justin Maxwell was drafted in the 4th round of the 2005 draft by the Washington Nationals out of the University of Maryland. Perhaps figuring the Oakland A's and Boston Red Sox had something when they continually drafted guys who walked a lot, the Nationals drafted Justin on the basis of his plate discipline. Thus far, they've not regretted it. Justin was signed as a draft-and-follow; that is, he was drafted and signed during the 2005 season, but started playing professionally in the 2006 season. Between the Class A Short Season Vermont Lake Monsters (gotta love that as a team name...) and the Class A Savannah Sand Gnats, Justin batted .252 with a very good .337 on-base percentage, 5 homeruns, 40 RBI's, 44 runs scored, and 21 stolen bases in just 91 games. In 2007, splitting the season between the Class A Hagerstown Suns and Class A Advanced Potomac Nationals, he batted .281 with a .363 on-base percentage, 27 homeruns, 83 RBI's, 86 runs scored, and 35 stolen bases. This was so good that the Nationals called him up at the end of the season. In 15 games, he batted .269 (7-for-26) with a .296 on-base percentage, 2 homeruns, 5 RBI's, and 5 runs scored. His first Major League hit was a grand slam homerun off Marlins lefty reliever Chris Seddon. In 2008, Justin began the season with the Class AA Harrisburg Senators, batting .233 but with a spectacular .367 on-base percentage, 7 homeruns, 28 RBI's, 35 runs scored, and 13 stolen bases. Unfortunately, he broke his wrist in a game against the New Britain Rock Cats while making a spectacular catch. However, with a combination of his positive attitude, determination, and talent, I have no doubt that Justin will make up for his lost time and make it to the Major Leagues as a regular within the next two years. With the Puerto Rican Winter League Caguas Creoles, Justin is currently hitting .333 with 3 homeruns in only 5 games. He's also walked 6 times to post a spectacular .500 on-base percentage. This guy has the physical and mental make-up to be one of the next generation of stars. And because he's stuck with such a lousy team, he isn't getting much attention. But you'll be hearing a lot more about him down the road.

-2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects Wendell Fairley autograph. Drafted in 2007 by the San Francisco Giants out of high school in the first round, Wendell Fairley was another guy taken because of his ability to get on base, whether by hitting his way on or taking a walk. He only played in instructional leagues in 2007, not debuting in real pro baseball until 2008. With the rookie league AZL Giants, Wendell batted .259, but with an amazing .388 on-base percentage, 2 homeruns, 17 RBI's, 39 runs scored, and 7 stolen bases in only 52 games. Wendell is usually one of those "toolsy" players that are drafted simply because they can do a little bit of everything, but a "toolsy" pick usually doesn't exhibit the remarkable plate discipline that Wendell has shown. A left-handed hitter, he can hit both lefties and righties. He's also a good fielder and while his power is still developing, it's already starting to show itself. Look for Wendell in the coming years as a staple in the San Francisco Giants outfield.

-2007 Topps '52 Rookies Autographs Edwar Ramirez rookie autograph. If any pitcher has ever proven that simply telling a pitcher to throw a certain pitch more often leads to success, it would be right-hander Edwar Ramirez. Currently the set-up man for famed closer Mariano Rivera, Edwar started out in the Anaheim Angels system in 2001. He threw a four-seam fastball, a circle changeup with a screwball-like break, and a curve. Debuting in 2002, Edwar was pretty much a disaster, throwing his straight fastball and mediocre curve over and over. After he blew his arm out in 2004 and missed a season due to Tommy John Surgery, the Angels gave up on him. The New York Yankees then signed him as a Minor League free agent, converting him into a reliever for the Class A Advanced Tampa Yankees. Tampa's pitching coach taught Edwar to throw softer with his fastball, start throwing a slider as opposed to a curve, and told him to throw that circle changeup that broke just like a screwball more often. So often, in fact, that everything else including his fastball would be a secondary pitch. The results were undisputable. Pitching mostly with that circle changeup, Edwar posted a 1.16 ERA in 19 games, all in relief. In 2007, he split the season between Class AA Trenton and Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In 34 games, he posted a remarkable 0.79 ERA. Called up to the Majors, Edwar was nervous and had trouble locating his circle changeup. Therefore, he pitched off his fastball. In only 21 innings, he surrendered 7 homeruns, leading to an 8.14 ERA. In 2008, the Yankees settled him down and convinced Edwar that his circle changeup was his key pitch. Whenever he had a problem, he was to go to it. Therefore, in 2008, he finally reached his potential. In 55 games, all in relief, he pitched 55 1/3rd innings, struck out 63, walked only 24, gave up 44 hits, and posted an excellent-for-the-American League 3.90 ERA. Edwar figures to be a staple in the Yankees bullpen and a set-up man for Mariano Rivera and whoever his successor(s) may be for years to come.

More tomorrow!!!