Baseball Cards & Baseball Autographs...

[Dalkowski110]

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-1961 Fleer Wes Ferrell, signed. Shown here on a 1961 Fleer baseball card (the third ever commemorative set released by a major card maker), Wes Ferrell is what is sometimes called a "toolbox." He was not only a five-tool player as a position player, but also a superb pitcher. In fact, although Ferrell certainly could've cut it in the Majors as a hitter (or so said his managers and teammates), he spent 374 of his 548 games as a pitcher, with 161 as a pinch-hitter and 13 as an outfielder. He threw a fastball, a curve, a changeup, a slow curve, and he also played around with a slider. Wes was the younger brother of Rick, a Hall of Fame catcher. However, Wes both made the Majors Leagues first and most people that have really looked at the two brothers actually think that Wes (who is not currently a Hall of Famer) belongs in Cooperstown while Rick was a bit of a mistake. Wes' Major League debut was not exactly impressive. At the age of 19, he pitched an inning of mop-up relief for the 1927 Cleveland Indians and surrendered three earned runs. He was called back up in late 1928, however, and started two games. Although he lost both of them, he posted an excellent 2.25 ERA; that ensured that he'd be back for 1929. Wes was an "effectively wild" pitcher, getting batters to chase his darting curveball to set up his fastball. But when they didn't chase his curve, it'd miss the strike zone. In 1929, Wes went 21-10 in 43 games, including 25 starts. In 242 1/3rd innings, he struck out 100 (a solid K/9 ratio for the era) but also walked 109. However, he posted a very good 3.60 ERA and also led the Cleveland Indians in saves as a relief pitcher with 5. In effect, he was a starter/closer, and at the age of 21, no less. In 1930, Wes got better. He went 25-13 in 43 games, including 35 starts, posting a 3.31 ERA. In 296 2/3rd innings, Wes also struck out 143 while walking "only" 106. In 1931, Wes had his finest year as a hittter as well as a pitcher. In only 48 games, he batted .319 with a .373 on-base percentage, 9 homeruns, 30 RBI's, and 24 runs scored. Though he had speed, his managers rarely asked him to steal bases, fearing he'd injure his arm while sliding. He was of course a very good pitcher that year, too, going 22-12 in 40 games, including 35 starts, posting a 3.75 ERA. In 1932, Wes went 23-13 in 38 games, including 34 starts, posting a solid 3.66 ERA. Wes hurt his arm in 1933, but managed to pitch through it. Despite an 11-12 record, he still posted a 4.21 ERA. Considering that offense was up and pitchers' ERA rose, it actually wasn't that bad against the league average. Further, Wes was named to the AL All-Star Team; 1933 was the first ever All-Star Game as the event still exists (there were [usually] charity All-Star Games played between random teams dating back to the 1870's). But the Indians merely used Wes' All-Star status to trade him to the Boston Red Sox with second baseman Dick Porter for erratic-though-promising left-handed pitcher Bob Weiland, the well-traveled outfielder Bob "Suitcase" Seeds, and $25,000. Wes was not only Boston's second best pitcher, but he also joined his brother Rick to form a brother battery with him. Wes went 14-5 in 26 games, including 23 starts, posting a 3.63 ERA. In 1935, Wes had completely rebounded from his old arm injury, going 25-14 in 41 games, including 38 starts, posting a 3.52 ERA. In 1936, Wes went 20-15 in 39 games, including 38 starts, posting a 4.19 ERA (which was actually pretty good considering how much the league ERA had shot up). Wes injured his arm again in 1937, going only 3-6 in 12 games, including 11 starts, posting a horrid 7.61 ERA. But the Red Sox decided to trade Wes along with his brother Rick and young Mexican leadoff hitter Mel Almada to the Washington Senators for speedy outfielder Ben Chapman and the incredibly-well-traveled right-handed pitcher Bobo Newsom (he played with NINE teams in 20 seasons). Wes reinvented himself with the Senators, throwing a variety of slow curves and changeups and largely abandoning his fastball. He went 11-13 with the lowly Senators in 25 games, including 24 starts, but he posted a very good 3.94 ERA. In fact, he made his second and last AL All-Star Team. In 1938, Wes once again split the season between two teams. Though he pitched somewhat well for Washington in his second season with them, he was released after a stretch of bad games. Picked up by the New York Yankees just two days after he was released, it was clear that Wes' arm problems were getting worse. Between both teams, he went 15-10 in 28 games, including 26 starts. But he'd posted a dreadful 6.28 ERA. He started just three games in 1939, going 1-2, before he hurt his arm. He pitched a single game in Brooklyn in 1940 (he got a no-decision) and in 1941, he finished up his Major League career with the Boston Braves. He went 2-1 in 4 games, including 3 starts, posting a 5.14 ERA. He kept on playing in the Minors, mostly as an outfielder, until 1949. Overall, Wes went 193-128 in 374 games, including 323 starts, posted a 4.04 ERA, pitched 2,623 innings, struck out 985, and walked 1,040. As a hitter, he batted .280 with a .351 on-base percentage, 38 homeruns, 208 RBI's, 175 runs scored, 2 stolen bases, and 329 career hits. Wes hit 37 of those 38 homeruns while playing the position of pitcher (the other one came as a pinch-hitter). Not even Babe Ruth hit that many as a pitcher.

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-1992 Upper Deck Minors Shawn Estes, signed. Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round with the 11th overall pick of the 1991 draft out of high school, left-hander Shawn Estes never quite lived up to his hype. When he was drafted, he threw a mid 90's four-seam fastball, a low 90's two-seam fastball, a hard curve, and a changeup. But before he could pitch in the Majors, Shawn was traded to the San Francisco Giants with infielder Wilson Delgado for flamethrowing reliever Salomon Torres (who retired less than a week ago, incidentally) in 1995. Shawn pitched well enough to earn a September call-up with the Giants. He went 0-3 in 3 games, all starts, posting a 6.75 ERA. But he also showed flashes of great promise and was brought up to pitch in July, 1996. On August 30 of that year, he started a game against the New York Mets and got a win, pitching 8 2/3rd innings, giving up four runs (Giants closer Rod Beck came in to get the final out). That was the first game I ever attended. All I can say was that he was as dominant as his stat line looked. And he showed more of that in 1997, going 19-5 with a 3.18 ERA and being named to the NL All-Star Team. He's never been able to duplicate that success. In 1998, Shawn pitched injured, going 7-12 in 25 games, all starts, posting a 5.06 ERA. In 1999, he rebounded to 11-11 in 32 games, all starts, posting a 4.92 ERA. In 2000, he went 15-6 in 30 games, all starts, with a solid 4.26 ERA. In 2001, he was 9-8 in 27 games, all starts, posting a 4.02 ERA before hurting his arm again. In 2002, he radically altered his pitching repertoire. He now threw only his two-seam fastball, and he now threw it in the mid 80's. He also threw a cut fastball, a 12-to-6 curve, and a sinking changeup. But before he could try out his new pitches, the Giants traded him to the New York Mets for solid utility man Desi Relaford and flamboyant, fan favorite Japanese outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo. Naturally, Shawn fell apart and was instantly disliked, though he did gain a reputation for grittiness on the mound and his popularity with fans changed on June 15, 2002. In 2002, you have to understand that the Mets were a "nowhere" team. But they were facing the New York Yankees in one of the two annual "Subway Series." To Mets fans at the time, winning those games meant more than winning a World Series. Shawn was the unlikely pitcher sent to the mound against the hated Roger Clemens, who had, in a fit of "roid rage," thrown a baseball bat at Mets superstar catcher Mike Piazza in 2000 World Series. In 7 scoreless innings, Estes struck out 11 Yankees hitters, including steroid-fueled slugger Jason Giambi twice and clean-playing-though-hated shortstop Derek Jeter once. Further, the game was played at Shea Stadium, meaning there was no DH and National League rules were used. In the bottom of the fifth, with Roger Cedeno on first, Estes lunged at a Roger Clemens fastball, driving it over the centerfield fence for a two-run homerun. However, perhaps most fitting was when Clemens came up to bat. Estes hurled a fastball directly at his head, sending him sprawling. And just like that (the Mets went on to win 8-0 behind homeruns from Estes and Mike Piazza), he was a fan favorite. Oddly, it proved to be his last win in a Mets uniform. Shawn went 4-9 with the Mets despite a solid 4.55 ERA, suffering from lack of run support. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on August 15, for whom he went 1-3 in 6 games, all starts, and posted a horrible 7.71 ERA. The Mets got a Minor Leaguer by the name of Elvin Andujar, a washed up outfielder named Raul Gonzalez, a relatively solid outfielder named Brady Clark, and a left-handed pitcher named Pedro Feliciano in return. Feliciano still remains the Mets primary left-handed specialist.

-1992 Upper Deck Minors Aaron Sele, signed. Aaron Sele is yet another perfect example of what happens when a ballplayer is so hyped that he cannot possibly live up to the expectations put before him. The first round pick of the Boston Red Sox in the 1991 draft out of Washington State University, Aaron Sele was seen as somewhat of a successor to then-Red Sox ace Roger Clemens from the moment he was drafted. Aaron threw a four-seam fastball in the high 80's-low 90's, a big, looping, 12-to-6 curve, and a good changeup. Because he was 6'5", scouts at the time said he would develop much more speed on his fastball. But Aaron remained gangly at 6'5", 218 lbs (listed...he looks a lot thinner). For the worst reason imaginable...to make the draft pick look like a good one...the Red Sox rushed Aaron from Short Season A ball to the Majors in all of two years. He handled the Majors quite well at first, going 7-2 in 18 games, all starts, and posting a 2.74 ERA during the 1993 season. He finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting to Tim Salmon (who did deserve the award) and Jason Bere (who was actually not as good as Aaron). In 1994, Aaron continued to pitch reasonably well, going 8-7 in 22 games, all starts in the strike-shortened season while posting a 3.83 ERA. In 1995, Aaron hit his first bump in the road. He experienced elbow pain resulting from what turned out to be severe dead arm. The Red Sox had given Aaron so many innings without properly developing him and stretching his arm out that they had put him at severe risk of an arm injury. A decision was made to shut him down for the rest of the season. He went just 3-1 over 6 games, all starts, while posting a 3.06 ERA. In 1996, Aaron pitched through another injury, this one related to his ribcage. He went 7-11 in 29 games, all of which were starts, but also put up a 5.32 ERA. That's actually not as bad as it sounds...the league average ERA was 5.02...but it's still not very good. It was about then that Red Sox fans started losing their patience with Aaron. Despite putting up a solid 13-12 record in 1997, Aaron struggled in his 33 starts and was the benefactor of a good-hitting lineup; his ERA was an astronomical 5.38. Just a few weeks after the season had concluded, the Red Sox traded him to the Texas Rangers with mediocre middle reliever Bill Brandenburg (who never amounted to anything) and utility catcher Bill Haselman (who was actually pretty good; why the Tigers got rid of him after one season is totally beyond me) for toolsy prospect Damon Buford (who fizzled) and clubhouse poison utility man Jim Leyritz (whom they dumped after he got first baseman Mo Vaughn hooked on steroids). Aaron reacted very well to the lack of pressure on him and went 19-11 in 33 games, all starts, pitched 2 shutouts, and posted a 4.23 ERA (the best of any Texas Rangers starting pitcher). He was also named to the AL All-Star Team that year. In 1999, Aaron continued pitching well with Texas, going 18-9 in 33 games, all starts, pitching 2 more shutouts, and posting a very good-for-Texas 4.79 ERA. In 2000, Aaron hit free agency and signed with the Seattle Mariners, a more pitcher-friendly ballclub. He went 17-10 in 34 games, all starts, hurled two more shutouts, and posted a 4.51 ERA, also being named to his second and last AL All-Star Team. In 2001, Aaron went 15-5 in 34 games, including 33 starts, posting an ERA of 3.60. Granted free agency after the season, he signed with the Anaheim Angels. Perhaps it was the years of pitching so many innings without rest, perhaps it was a slightly risky arm action, perhaps it was his poor development, and perhaps it was some combination of the three, but Aaron Sele started having arm problems that first season and was never the same. He went 8-9 in just 26 games, all starts, posting a 4.89 ERA. He then went downhill even further, going 7-11 in 25 games, all starts, with a 5.77 ERA. In 2004, he rebounded to a record of 9-4 in 28 games, including 24 starts, but put up a below average 5.05 ERA. In 2005, again a free agent, he signed with Seattle, where he was a fan favorite. He went 6-12 in 21 games, all starts, and posted a 5.66 ERA. In 2006, he hooked on with the Los Angeles Dodgers, going 8-6 in 28 games, including 15 starts as the team's swingman. He posted a solid 4.53 ERA, but the Dodgers let him go. In 2007, he signed a Minor League contract with the New York Mets and was given an invitation to Spring Training. When Chan-Ho Park, who had been penciled in as the team's long reliever, blew apart late in Spring Training, Sele took his place and made the Major League roster. While Sele wasn't that impressive, going 3-2 in 34 games, all in relief, and posting a 5.37 ERA, he also wasn't being used enough. He would go stretches of weeks without being used or even so much as warming up. The end result was that the Mets bullpen was collectively exhausted from one pitcher basically sitting there doing nothing and Aaron looked rusty every time he came in to pitch. The Mets broadcasters, Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling, all joked that he'd entered the witness protection program and would sometimes humorously ask "Aaron Sele? He's still alive?" It was hilarious then, but Aaron's presence on the Major League roster likely contributed to the infamous 2007 September collapse. As the bullpen started wearing out, Sele was still fresh, but when he was put into games, he'd just go in and it would be great adventure. You didn't know what to expect out of him. He could never get three consecutive outs. By contrast, Philip Humber, a right-handed pitcher with a lot of upside and a similar pitch repertoire, was not being used at all. Had Humber and Sele been juxtiposed in 2007 and liteally nothing else been done, I sincerely believe that the New York Mets would have won the NL East. Needless to say, Aaron retired after the 2007 season. He's currently a roving pitching instructor in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.

[Dalkowski110]

Well, I had this picture with complete write-ups for each player and my computer froze up before I could post them. Twice. Instead of just posting the picture, though, and getting back to it, I'll post brief notes about each player. Feel free to chime in with questions or comments about the Nix brothers. Note however that the first two players, Chris Short and Eddie Stanky, are given full writeups because I saved them to MS Word (something I'll do in the future to prevent loss of posts). I'll also post links to the players' baseball-reference.com pages so you can see their statistics. If you have a question about how a certain stat works, just ask me.

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-1967 Topps Chris Short, signed. Chris Short is a name you don't hear too much today, which is unfortunate, because he was one of the best left-handed pitchers in Philadelphia Phillies history, after only the great Steve Carlton and the also-underrated Curt Simmons. He threw a four-seam fastball in the low 90's, a good curve that he could change speeds on (throw it like a fastball and get a hard curve, throw it like his changeup and get a slow, looping curve), and a good changeup. But what differentiated Chris from all other pitchers was how unbelievably slowly he worked. My Dad, a former beer vendor at Shea Stadium, said that he sold more beer in the games that Short started than anyone else. He'd go a full minute in between pitches if he felt like it, though it was usually more like 30-40 seconds. Naturally, this distracted hitters, though it also had the negative effect of distracting his fielders. He had the nickname "The Human Rain Delay." Chris broke into the Majors with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1959. He went 0-0 in 3 games, including 2 starts, and struggled badly with his control, posting an 8.16 ERA. The Phillies at first didn't see much with regards to his future and used him as a swingman in 1960. In 42 games, including 10 starts, he went 6-9 with a solid 3.94 ERA. He had more control problems in 1961, again being used as a swingman. He went 6-12 in 39 games, including 16 starts, but posted an ugly 5.94 ERA. 1962 was Chris' last season as a swingman. He went 11-9 in 47 games, including 12 starts, posting a 3.42 ERA. However, in 1963, the Phillies were forced to throw flamethrowing Jack Hamilton (whom I posted about earlier in this thread) into the bullpen due to his chronic wildness. Chris was the natural replacement and he didn't disappoint, going 9-12 in 38 games, including 27 starts, posting a 2.95 ERA and hurling 3 shutouts. 1964 was an infamous year in Phillies history. The team blew a 6 1/2 game lead with just 10 games to go; a record ironically bested (worsted?) by the NL East Division Rival New York Mets in 2007. Part of this came out of manager Gene Mauch's mind-bogglingly dumb strategy of only using his two best pitchers...Chris and Hall of Famer Jim Bunning...for those ten games. Naturally, they were both lucky that their arms didn't fall off. Chris finished the season 17-9 in 42 games, including 31 starts, posting a superb 2.20 ERA and being named to the NL All-Star Team. Although the Phillies fell out of contention in 1965, Chris kept plugging away, going 18-11 in 47 games, including 40 starts, posting an ERA of 2.82. He also threw a career-high 5 shutouts. In 1966, he went 20-10, posting a 3.54 ERA. Though it was his only 20-win season, it was far from his best. His 1967 season, where he went 9-11 in 29 games, including 26 starts, was actually far better; he'd posted a 2.39 ERA and was named to the NL All-Star Team once more. Chris went 19-13 in 1968, posting a 2.94 ERA in 42 games, including 36 starts. However, he hurt his arm in 1969, probably from overuse (which was relatively common in the 1960's). He went 0-0 in 2 games that year, both starts. He posted a 7.20 ERA. Although he rebounded in 1970, Chris was never the same pitcher after that. He lost the "darting" motion he'd had on his fastball, something that most hitters recalled when they talked of facing Chris. He went 9-16 with the 1970 Phillies, although his league average 4.30 ERA indicates that he was the vistim of non-support as well as a "sore wing." In 1971, Chris went 7-14, and this time, he was starting to run out of gas pretty quickly. He posted a solid 3.85 ERA that year, but he was pretty much a 5-inning or 6-inning pitcher. In 1972, the Phillies converted Chris into a left-handed specialist. He went 1-1 in 19 games, all in relief, while posting a 3.91 ERA. The Phillies cut ties with Chris, who had been in the organization since 1957, after the season. In 1973, the Milwaukee Brewers, starved for pitching, picked Chris up with the intention of using him as a long reliever. He went 3-5 in 42 games, including 7 starts, but posted a 5.13 ERA. It was clear to both Chris and organized baseball that he was through. Strangely, Chris never appeared on a baseball card until the one you see in the picture, 1967 Topps. The native of Milford, DE is also the winningest Delawarean in Major League history, going 135-132 over his career. His career ERA was a solid 3.43.

-1967 Topps Eddie Stanky, signed. First off, I'm sure Niner will recognize Eddie Stanky as the 14-year head coach of the University of South Alabama's baseball team. Second off, Eddie was one of those rare players who is beloved by the traditionalists, the stat geeks, those who admire grit in a baseball player, and those somewhere inbetween all at once. He had good speed and plenty of intangibles and was a leader in the clubhouse. He walked a lot, to the tune of a career .410 on-base percentage (which is superb). And grit? Well, the way Dad tells it, Eddie Stanky made David Eckstein look like a slacker. And David Eckstein is one of the grittiest players in baseball today. Stanky was a 4F and made the Majors at age 26 in 1943 with the Chicago Cubs. He batted only .245, but got on base to the tune of a .363 on-base percentage. He didn't hit any homeruns and drove in only 47 runs, but he also scored 92 times. After starting the 1944 season with the Cubs, it was clear that Eddie didn't quite fit in with the Chicago Cubs brand of baseball and after playing only 13 games off the bench, he was traded to the Brooklyn Dodgers for left-handed pitcher Bob Chipman. That was probably the best thing that could happen to Eddie, as Leo Durocher was managing the Brooklyn Dodgers at the time. At first, Durocher didn't have much of an idea what to do with Eddie. He admired his hustle, grit, and aggressiveness, but he merely batted him near the bottom of the order. He finished the 1944 season batting .273 with a .375 on-base percentage, no homeruns, 16 RBI's, and 36 runs scored. But in 1945, Durocher had a bit of a revelation: this guy gets on base! I'll bat him leadoff! For the day, the idea was quite radical. You either put a guy who had a lot of speed (regardless of how he hit) or a guy who didn't strike out much (irregardless of how much he walked) in the leadoff spot. But Durocher realized that he could generate more run production by dropping right fielder Luis Olmo to the third spot and first baseman/left fielder Augie Galan (another guy who walked a lot though not as much, but with better power) to the number two hole. All Eddie Stanky had to do was get on base. Despite hitting only .258, Eddie put up a spectacular .417 on-base percentage, hit his first Major League homerun, drove in 39 runs, and scored 128. Brooklyn finished third in 1945 with essentially the same team that it had in 1944 when they finished 7th, but this time, with a better constructed batting order and Eddie getting on base and scoring a bunch of runs was helping them out. In 1946, it was more of the same: Eddie batted .273 with a .436 on-base percentage, no homeruns, 36 RBI's, and 98 runs scored. In 1947 (Eddie: .252 with a .373 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 53 RBI's, 97 runs scored), the Dodgers brought Jackie Robinson to the Major Leagues. Although Eddie continued to remain at second base (where he made his first NL All-Star Team) and Jackie was a first baseman that year, the Dodgers realized that they have to choose between Jackie (who got on base at about the same clip that Eddie did, but stole more bases and hit for a higher batting average) and Eddie. Robinson simply didn't have the power of a league average first baseman, plus you had Gil Hodges coming up in AAA ball. With Leo Durocher gone and managing the New York Giants, the Dodgers dealt Eddie to the Boston Braves for two prospects, neither of whom panned out. Manager Billy Southworth continued Leo Durocher's strategy of batting Eddie leadoff, although halfway into the season just after the All-Star Game (Eddie was named to his second NL All-Star Team), Eddie got hurt breaking up a double play and was out for the season. In 67 games, he batted .320 with a .455 on-base percentage, 2 homeruns, 29 RBI's, and 49 runs scored. In 1949, he played full-time again with the Braves, batting .285 with a .417 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, 42 RBI's, and 90 runs scored as Boston's leadoff man. In late 1949, after the season had ended, the New York Giants (aka Leo Durocher's team) traded for Eddie and young shortstop Alvin Dark by sending away aging sluggers Sid Gordon and Willard Marshall, washed up shortstop Buddy Kerr, and pitching prospect Red Webb (who never pitched for the Braves). Durocher helped Eddie how to hit to the opposite field; in the Polo Grounds, the right field foul pole was just 258 feet away from home plate. Eddie was looking to hit homeruns to up his contribution to the team. And, of course, it worked. Eddie batted a career-high .300 with a huge .460 on-base percentage, 8 homeruns, 51 RBI's, and 115 runs scored. He was also named to his third and final NL All-Star Team. In 1951, Eddie concentrated on hitting balls to the opposite field for easy homeruns. He batted .247 with a .401 on-base percentage, a career-high 14 homeruns, 43 RBI's, and 88 runs scored. After the 1951 season, to Leo Durocher's dismay, Eddie was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Chuck Diering (who was a disaster) and pitcher Max Lanier (who was merely washed up when the Giants snagged him). However, the Cardinals didn't intend to use Eddie as an everyday player; they already had future Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst at second base; they intended to use Eddie as a player/manager. In 53 games played, Eddie batted .229, but with a .373 on-base percentage, no homeruns, 7 RBI's, and 13 runs scored. As a rookie manager, Eddie guided the Cardinals to third place. In 1953, his final season as a player, Eddie batted .267 with a .405 on-base percentage, no homeruns, 1 RBI, and 5 runs scored in 17 games played. Once again, the Cardinals finished third. In 1954, Eddie retired as a player. The Cardinals fell to 6th place. In 1955, after just 36 games as a manager, Eddie was fired after getting into an argument with the front office. His successor, Harry Walker, didn't exactly help, guiding the club into 7th place. He didn't get another managerial job until 1966, when the Chicago White Sox needed to replace all-time great manager Al Lopez. He managed the team to 4th place with a young team. In 1967, Eddie again finished in fourth place. However, this time, the White Sox had come within three games of the pennant. In 1968, he was one of three managers of the weak-hitting White Sox that finished in 8th place. Furious with his firing, he became the baseball coach at the University of South Alabama. He was hired in 1977 by the Texas Rangers to manage the team, which he did through Spring Training along with a single game during the 1977 season. However, his combined regret of leaving his collegiate coaching position along with the general unruliness of the team caused him to resign after just that one win. Eddie was inducted into the Mobile, AL Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

-2008 Topps Chrome Jayson Nix autograph. Notes: Jayson, a second baseman, is the younger brother of Laynce Nix and has to date played only one Major League season with the Colorado Rockies in 2008. He also inexplicably came off the rails in 2004 in the Minors after having a few dazzling seasons, basically proving that even with position players, there's no such thing as a sure-fire prospect. He is currently on the roster of the Chicago White Sox (claimed off waivers after the 2008 season) and hopes to earn a spot with the Major League team in 2009.

Jayson Nix's stats:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/n/nixja01.shtml

-2005 Donruss Classics Significant Signatures Laynce Nix autograph. Laynce, an outfielder, is the older brother of Jayson Nix. Though he has impressive power and has shown it in AAA ball, he's also got terrible plate discipline. He's shown on this card with the Texas Rangers, but was one of several players the Rangers dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers for slugging outfielder Carlos Lee in 2005. The Brewers gave him some playing time at the Major League level, where he wasn't very good and designated him for assignment after the 2008 season. He's currently a free agent who will likely fill some Minor League roster spot in 2009.

Laynce Nix's stats:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/n/nixla01.shtml

[Dalkowski110]

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-2007 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Jess Todd autograph. The top right-handed pitcher in the St. Louis Cardinals system, Jess was drafted in 2007 out of the University of Arkansas in the second round of the draft. Though he started in college, Jess was originally looked upon by the Cardinals as a future closer. This was due to his mid 90's four-seam fastball, sharp-breaking slider, and lack of a changeup. In 2007, playing with the Class A Short Season Batavia Muckdogs (gotta love some of these Minor League team names...), Jess went 4-1 in 16 games, including 7 starts, pitching 58 and 1/3rd innings, striking out 69, and walking just 14 while posting a 2.78 ERA. In Jess' 2008 season, he really impressed after developing a changeup, which he can throw for strikes. Between Class A Advanced Palm Beach, Class AA Springfield, and Class AAA Memphis, he went 8-6 in 28 games, including 24 starts, pitched 153 innings, struck out 136, walked only 42, gave up just 116 hits, and posted a 2.88 ERA. Jess also has a superb arm action and terrific mechanics, making him likely to last a long time. Although Jess has only pitched two professional seasons, if he has a good Spring Training, he'll be tough to ignore for the bullpen-depleted Cardinals in 2009. He also pitched in the 2008 All-Star Futures Game for the US team.

-2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Tim Alderson autograph. Tim Alderson is the top right-handed pitching prospect in the San Francisco Giants farm system. You'll find a full write-up of him on page two, where I posted his 2006 Topps AFLAC card.

-1987 Topps Billy Beane, signed. Perhaps you picked up a book either because it was a best-seller or because your friends told you it was the craziest thing they'd read about baseball in 2003 called "Moneyball." Written by Michael Lewis, it outlines the strategies, quirks, unorthodox methods, and life of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane. He was a high school standout in baseball and soon became a top prospect, signing with the New York Mets after being drafted in the first round of the 1980 draft. He almost immediately regretted it, having turned down a scholarship to Stanford University. He never developed plate patience as a Minor Leaguer and his hair-trigger temper allowed him to get easily flustered and go into multi-week slumps. He played in 148 Major League games over 6 seasons from 1984-1989 (between the Mets, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, and Oakland A's), batting .219 with a .246 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 29 RBI's, and 30 runs scored. Then he became the first man in Athletics history to request a move to the front office and have it granted. Contrary to popular belief, Billy Beane did not introduce the advanced statistics known as Sabermetrics into baseball. His predecessor, A's general manager and former USMC officer Sandy Alderson, was the one who did that. Beane merely advanced Sabermetrics into the way of running the A's. He also started running the team out of the front office after the firing of Tony LaRussa. Gone were stolen bases (although they have returned in recent years, since most Sabermetricans do not believe steals to be as much of a risk as Beane does), hit-and-run plays, batting speedy guys leadoff, and drafting high school players. In were a new focus on getting on base and creating runs, batting the guy with the highest on-base percentage leadoff, and a new program outlining the drafting of almost exclusively college ballplayers. At first, the A's coaching staff itself didn't really know how to handle the new player development program. According to Mark Teahen, currently of the Kansas City Royals, his coaches would shout at him him if he didn't take enough pitches or altered his plate approach at all. This was NOT what Billy Beane was looking for and while he ultimately traded Teahen, he also straightened out his coaching staff. The odd thing is that while Beane may have put a great emphasis on all these things and brought them together, he didn't invent them. Why Beane incites so much anger in the hearts of baseball "traditionalists" and such great baseball personae as Leo Durocher (thought stolen bases were overly risky, batting the most patient hitter leadoff regardless of how fast he was), Walter Alston (never hit-and-ran), Frank Cashen (eschewed long-term contracts with free agency), and the 1980's Boston Red Sox (placed emphasis on drafting college ballplayers) get passes is really beyond me. Perhaps it's Beane's insistence that clubhouse chemistry doesn't matter (something he ignored and resented as a ballplayer and probably his worst flaw) or that clutch hitters don't exist (often confused with "clutch hitting doesn't exist"...which is absurd and something Beane himself has stated DOES exist), but he really gets trounced on and unfairly so. In my opinion, while he has his flaws, Beane is probably the second-best general manager in baseball, second only to Theo Epstein of the Boston Red Sox (that guy is going to be in the Hall of Fame in about 30 years).

-1980's TCMA Rick Ferrell, signed. The elder brother of Wes Ferrell, whom I profiled two posts ago, Rick was one of the greatest defensive catchers of all time. However, though he was a good singles hitter with a knack for getting on base, he wasn't much else with the bat. Over 18 season from 1929-1947 (he didn't play in 1946), he batted .281 with a superb .378 on-base percentage, only 28 homeruns, 734 RBI's, 687 runs scored, and 1,692 career hits. His career high in batting average was .315 in 1932, and his career high in on-base percentage was .406, which he got both in 1932 and 1936. He played with the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox, and Washington Senators. He'd also played in the Minors in the Detroit Tigers organization, though they foolishly and inexplicably released him in 1928, two years after he signed with them. From 1934-1938, he was his brother Wes' personal catcher, playing on first the Red Sox and then the Senators with Wes. He was named to 8 AL All-Star Teams, though only played in 2 All-Star Games. After his impressive career concluded, he became a coach with the Senators and Tigers, then becoming the general manager of the Tigers from 1959-1962. He served as an assistant general manager from 1963-1975 and a special assistant to the GM from 1976-1978. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

-2002 Bowman Heritage Certified Autographs Clem Labine AU. Signed at age 17 by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944, Clem Labine took six years to reach the Major Leagues. However, once there, he would become arguably the finest relief pitcher in Dodgers history. Clem's Major League debut with Brooklyn was pretty brief...he pitched all of two innings in one game in 1950. But in 1951, Clem was called up in mid season and pitched well as a swingman, going 5-1 in 14 games, including 6 starts, while posting a 2.20 ERA. He struggled with his control in 1952, however, going 8-4 in 25 games, including 9 starts, while posting a dreadful 5.14 ERA. Dodgers manager Chuck Dressen realized that Labine wasn't much of a starter due to his control problems and moved him to the bullpen. He went 11-6 in 37 games, including 7 starts, posting a 2.77 ERA. In 1954, Dressen was sacked in favor of Walter Alston. Alston realized that Labine wasn't much use as a starter at all, but misused him that first year as a long reliever. He went 7-6 in 47 games, including 2 starts, posting a 4.15 ERA. In 1955, he alternated Clem with fellow reliever Ed Roebuck as his closer. Clem improved, going 13-5 in 60 games, including 8 starts, saving 11 games and posting a 3.24 ERA. In 1956, Alston made Clem his primary closer (Don Bessent also got 9 saves). Clem went 10-6 in 62 games, including 3 starts, saved 19 games, and posted a 3.35 ERA while being named to his first NL All-Star Team. In 1957, the Dodgers' final season in Brooklyn, Clem went 5-7 in 58 games, all in relief, saving 17 games, posting a 3.44 ERA, and being named to his second and last NL All-Star Team. In 1958, with the Dodgers now playing in Los Angeles, Clem pitched through dead arm to go 6-6 in 52 games, including 2 starts, saving 14 games but also posting a league average 4.15 ERA. Though Clem kept his closer's role in 1959, it was his last year in that role. He went 5-10 in 56 games, all in relief, saving 9 games and posting a 3.93 ERA. In 1960, after just a few games with the Dodgers, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for pitching prospect Ray Semproch, who never panned out. Labine pitched very poorly in Detroit and was actually released on August 15. Just one day later, the Pittsburgh Pirates picked him up and he pitched extremely well down the stretch with them. Between the three teams, Clem went 3-4 in 42 games, all in relief, racked up 6 saves, and posted a 3.65 ERA (5.82 with the Dodgers, 5.12 with the Tigers, and 1.48 with the Pirates). In 1961, Clem stayed with the Pirates and was used as Roy Face's primary set-up man. He did very well, going 4-1 in 56 games, including 1 start, posting a 3.69 ERA. Oddly, Pittsburgh released him after the season. In 1962, the former Brooklyn fan favorite signed with the original New York Mets. By now, he was 35 years old and starting to have arm problems, which became apparent in Spring Training. Clem pitched in just 3 games with the Mets, not getting a single decision and posting an 11.25 ERA. He retired after that. He'd gone 77-56 over 513 career games, including 38 starts, posting a 3.63 ERA and saving 96 games. He was especially well-known for his ability to get slugging St. Louis Cardinals outfielder/first baseman Stan Musial out. Musial only got 10 hits in 41 at-bats against Clem, failing to hit any homeruns off him.

-1989 Pacific Legends George Kell, signed. George Kell, the elder brother of Skeeter Kell (whom I posted about earlier, I think on page 1 or 2) is a Hall of Fame third baseman who also gained fame as the broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers from 1958-1996. George was a fine hitter from his debut in 1943 until his last games in 1957. Over 15 seasons, he batted .306 with a .357 on-base percentage, 78 homeruns, 870 RBI's, 881 runs scored, and 2,054 career hits. He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984. He played for the Philadelphia A's from 1943-1946, the Detroit Tigers from 1946-1952, the Boston Red Sox from 1952-1954, the Chicago White Sox from 1954-1956, and the Baltimore Orioles from 1956-1957. He was selected to 10 AL All-Star Teams and won the 1949 AL Batting Title, beating out Ted Williams with a batting average of .343. Though he rarely struck out, George also didn't walk much, either. His career high in on-base percentage was "only" .424, achieved in 1949. He's a borderline Hall of Famer, but I have no problem with him being in. Interestingly, the Philadelphia A's were not the first team to sign George. The first team that signed George was the Brooklyn Dodgers. Strangely, they released him just before the 1942 season, with George having played quite well both years he played in the Dodger farm system in 1940 and 1941. The A's purchased him in 1943. Considering the Dodgers always lacked a good third baseman during the 1950's and many argue that that would have propelled them to more World Series victories against the Yankees (while Billy Cox was fine defensively, he was a weak hitter), one wonders what would have happened had the Dodgers kept George and not foolishly released him to make room in their farm system.

More later!

[dhtaxi]

THIS IS A AWESOME POST MY FREIND.

KEEP IT UP.

[Niner]

I remember when Eddie Stanky came back to South Alabama from the Texas Rangers. Don't you think that gave the college kids on the Jag team a thrill to know he thought more of them than the professional game?

Stanky field is newly rebuilt and there is a bronze statue of him out front. Not bad...try retiring from a company in the real world and see what they do for your memory.

[Dalkowski110]

I've seen photos of the statue of Stanky...he was well-liked by pretty much everyone who knew him, or so I've read. And have no fear...I'm going to keep this one going a *long* time. I have hundreds of autographs left to post!

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-2002 Donruss Fan Club Paul Lo Duca autograph. If anyone went from gritty gamer to steroiding zero literally overnight, it was Paul Lo Duca. A 25th round draft pick from Arizona State University in 1993, Paul was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, being a catcher, he was stuck behind the best-hitting catcher in baseball history, Mike Piazza, during Piazza's prime. When Piazza was dealt to the Marlins (who traded him literally days later to the Mets), Paul was stuck behind first Charles Johnson and then Todd Hundley. He didn't get an everyday catching job until age 29. However, he debuted in the Majors in 1998, aged 26. Called up in September, he went 6-for-14 with no homeruns, no walks, 1 RBI, and 2 runs scored. The Dodgers noted that he had remarkable plate discipline, though rarely walked (or struck out). In 1999, Paul got into 36 games. He batted .232 with a .312 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 11 RBI's, and 11 runs scored. In 2000, Paul was once again stuck as a backup, batting .246 with a .301 on-base percentage, 2 homeruns, 8 RBI's, and 6 runs scored in 34 games. But this time, outgoing free agent catcher Todd Hundley introduced Paul to his "secret to success": human growth hormone. He also put him in touch with former Mets clubhouse guy Kirk Radomski, who seven years later would be one of the central figures in baseball's Mitchell Report. Simply put, Paul started doing EVERYTHING. He was on three different kinds of steroids, HGH, the amphetamines known as "greenies"...and this sickening chemical enhancement unfortunately helped him to a starting job with the Dodgers in 2001. He batted .320 with a .374 on-base percentage, 25 homeruns, 90 RBI's, 71 runs scored, and he upped his cap size as his head literally started swelling. In 2002, Paul batted .281 with a .330 on-base percentage, 10 homeruns, 64 RBI's, and 74 runs scored. He began turning some heads as the Dodgers' up-and-coming catcher despite his age. In 2003, he batted .273 with a .335 on-base percentage, 7 homeruns, 52 RBI's, and 64 runs scored. He was also named to the NL All-Star Team that year. By this time, Paul, who'd always had a hair-trigger temper, got even worse as the steroids made him have "roid rage." He'd just snap at umpires, teammates, reporters, etc. However, in the press it was merely made out as "grit" and Paul became a fan favorite. In 2004, the Dodgers got themselves a new general manager. Paul DePodesta was leery of having heavily-steroided-up players because of the injury risk they presented. Paul Lo Duca got on the NL All-Star Team once again that year, but DePodesta wisely traded him to the Florida Marlins with fellow steroider Guillermo Mota (righty pitcher; set-up man) and the unproductive Juan Encarnacion for first baseman Hee-Seop Choi, starting pitcher Brad Penny (who later became the ace of the Dodgers), and Minor League lefty specialist reliever Bill Murphy. Lo Duca somehow stopped steroiding while on the Marlins and his production for the season started tailing off. Between the Dodgers and Marlins, Paul batted .283 with a .338 on-base percentage, 13 homeruns, 80 RBI's, and 68 runs scored. In 2005, Paul's last season in his first stint with the Florida Marlins, he batted .283 with a .334 on-base percentage, 6 homeruns, 57 RBI's, and 45 runs scored. In 2006, the New York Mets were looking for a catcher to replace Mike Piazza (of all people) and Lo Duca was unfortunately the best one available. He was acquired for Minor Leaguers Dante Brinkley (a first baseman who hit a wall, figuratively speaking) and Gaby Hernandez (who only throws two solid pitches and really doesn't have much of a future). He had a really flukish year in 2006, batting .318 with a .355 on-base percentage, 5 homeruns, 49 RBI's, and 80 runs scored. He was also named to the NL All-Star team for his third and likely final time. In 2007, Paul spent time on the DL and also played poorly the first half of the season. His explosions at fellow teammates, reporters, and the front office quickly had management disallusioned with him. He hit .272 with a .311 on-base percentage, 9 homeruns, 54 RBI's, and 46 runs scored in his final season with the Mets. Signing in the off-season with the Washington Nationals, it was revealed that year in the Mitchell Report just how badly Paul had abused steroids. He really got the heck booed out of him by the Mets fans. He was doing terribly in mid-season when Washington cut him. The Florida Marlins proceeded to re-sign him. He did much better there and also got booed even more heavily by the Mets fans after he dissed the team going into the final week of the season. In 2008, he batted a combined .243 with a .321, no homeruns, 15 RBI's, and 16 runs scored in 73 games. He also finally publicly apologized for his steroid and HGH abuse. A free agent, he doesn't seem likely to play again.

-2005 Leaf Materials New Generation Signatures Ubaldo Jimenez autograph rookie card. It's rare that a young pitcher will go through a farm system without much publicity if he's dominating, but it happened with Ubaldo Jimenez, a right-hander who is poised to become the ace of the Colorado Rockies. Jimenez has superb pitching mechanics when it comes to the standpoint of injury prevention, and thus far his only arm-related injury was a minor shoulder strain a few years back in the minors after he slid into second base. He's touched 100 mph on a radar gun with his plus plus four-seam fastball. He also throws a plus slider and a solid changeup. Signed in 2002, he made his Major League debut in late 2006, going 0-0 in 2 games, including 1 start, with an ERA of 3.52 over 7 1/3rd innings for the Rockies. He made the team's rotation in 2007 after starting the season in AAA ball. In the Majors, Ubaldo went 4-4 in 15 games, all starts, while posting a 4.28 ERA. He experienced control problems, walking 37 batters in 82 innings, but also striking out 68. 2008 was Ubaldo's first year in the rotation for the full year. In 198 1/3rd innings pitched (34 games, all starts), he went 12-12 with a 3.99 ERA, struck out 172, walked 103, hit 10 batters, and uncorked 16 wild pitches. He also led all qualifying Major League starting pitchers in average fastball velocity, which was 94.9 mph. He also gave up just 11 homeruns despite playing in hitter-friendly Coors Field. Obviously, Ubaldo needs to work on his control a bit, but he's not even 25 years old. I would say that if he can cut down on his walks a little, he's far and away the ace of the Rockies, even with Aaron Cook and Jeff Francis present.

-2005 Upper Deck Past Time Pennants Past Time Signatures Felipe Alou autograph. Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent in 1955, Felipe Alou was the first of six Alou family members to play professional baseball. The others were his brothers, Matty and Jesus, and his sons, Moises, Jose, and Felipe, Jr. His nephew, Mel Rojas, also pitched in the Major Leagues as did his cousin, Jose Sosa. Felipe debuted in the Majors in 1958, one year after the New York Giants had moved to San Francisco. He played with the Giants from 1958-1963. In 1964, he was traded to the Milwaukee Braves. He stuck with them until 1970, when he was dealt to the Oakland A's. Felipe started 1971 with the A's, but was traded after just two games to the New York Yankees. He played with them from 1971-1973, splitting the 1973 season between the Yankees and the Montreal Expos, whom he would later manage. In 1974, Felipe concluded his career with the Milwaukee Brewers. Over 17 seasons, he batted .286 with a .328 on-base percentage, 206 homeruns, 852 RBI's, 985 runs scored, 107 stolen bases, and 2,101 career hits. He was an NL All-Star three times. Though he hit for a high average, Felipe was prone to statistical flukes because he didn't walk that much. For example, in 1966, he belted 31 homeruns. His career average per season was just over half that, at 16. He also hit a career-high .327 that year. Felipe was a good but not great player, being statistically similar to the likes of Ken Griffey, Sr. and Chet Lemon. From 1992-2001, Felipe managed the Montreal Expos. It should be noted that Felipe was piloting the team in 1994, when they so famously were steamrolling the National League when the Strike hit and ultimately destroyed the franchise. He also managed the San Francisco Giants from 2003-2006, but retired after his son Moises had left the franchise to play for the New York Mets. From 2007 to the present day, he's held the title of Special Assistant to the General Manager for the San Francisco Giants. A brief trivia note is that while Felipe played with the Dominican Team that won the 1955 Gold Medal at the Pan American Games (which, surprisingly, is the only Dominican National Team ever to win a gold medal in the Pan American Games) and was indeed scouted by the Giants at that event, he garnered far more media attention for breaking the national record for javelin throwing at that event.

[Dalkowski110]

After a brief hiatus, I'm back.

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-Lonnie Chisenhall signed 8x10. Drafted in the first round of the 2008 draft by the Cleveland Indians out of Pitt Community College, Lonnie Chisenhall was among the top talents in this most recent draft. He has excellent plate discipline, can hit for average, can hit for power, has above average speed on the basepaths, is a very good fielder, and has a great arm. He also bats left-handed, which is uncommon for a shortstop. If one were to look at him and ask why he didn't go higher than 29th overall, I wouldn't blame them. Well, he didn't start out with Pitt Community College. Instead, he started out with the University of South Carolina with the intent of playing there until 2009. Well, then his off-the-field issues came to light when he was arrested for burglary and grand larceny. He was kicked off the team, kicked completely out of the school, and sank like a stone on everyone's draft charts. His only regret basically boiled down to getting caught. In fact, some people were confused as to why the Indians had taken Chisenhall so high in the draft. He debuted professionally in 2008 with the Class A Short Season Mahoning Valley Scrappers, batting .290 with a .355 on-base percentage, 5 homeruns, 45 RBI's, 38 runs scored, and 7 stolen bases in only 68 games played. He led the team in RBI's, led it in homeruns, was second in batting average, and third in on-base percentage, all during his first professional season. The question is if Chisenhall can stay on the field. If the answer is "yes," then the Indians almost certainly have their next shortstop (or second baseman or third baseman) of the future. If the answer is "no," then Chisenhall will just be another player looked back on a la Willie Aikens or LaMarr Hoyt where we wonder "can you imagine what this guy would have been like if he wasn't such a piece of garbage off the field?" Regardless, he has a heck of a lot of promise at this point.

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-2007 Just Minors Lars Anderson autograph. A first baseman in the Boston Red Sox organization, Lars Anderson is not your typical first baseman. For one, he doesn't hit for much power. In 252 professional games, he's only hit 29 homeruns. For another, he's projected by the Red Sox to bat second or third; most first basemen bat fourth or fifth. And finally, he has perhaps the best plate discipline and ability to make contact of anyone in the Red Sox organization. Debuting in 2007, the left-handed-hitting Anderson batted .292 with a superb .393 on-base percentage, 11 homeruns, 78 RBI's, and 82 runs scored in 134 games between the Class A Greenville Drive and the Class A Advanced Lancaster JetHawks. In 2008, he followed that up by batting .317 with a spectacular .417 on-base percentage, 18 homeruns, 80 RBI's, and 85 runs scored in a season split between the Class A Advanced Lancaster JetHawks and Class AA Portland Sea Dogs (of Portland, ME, not Portland, OR). He could make his Major League debut as early as September of next season, possibly earlier. He's definitely one guy I would say to watch for.

-2007 Just Minors Shairon Martis autograph. A right-handed pitcher with the Washington Nationals, Shairon Martis was originally signed out of Curacao by the San Francisco Giants in 2004. He arrived in the Nationals organization just before the trade deadline in 2006 for veteran lefty specialist Mike Stanton. Although he was seen as having the raw tools to pitch well, he didn't really put it all together until 2007. It was then that he found out how to take full advantage of his four-pitch arsenal, consisting of a 94 mph four-seam fastball, a plus curveball, an above average slider, and a Major League quality changeup. He went 14-8 in 28 games, including 27 starts, posted a 4.23 ERA, walked only 52 while striking out 108 in 151 innings, and giving up 150 hits. The ERA may seem a bit bloated for a guy supposed to be a front-end-of-the-rotation pitching prospect, but keep in mind he puts that up in the hitter-friendly Carolina League. In 2008, in the Minors, Shairon went 5-6 in 21 games, all starts, posted a 3.64 ERA, walked only 45 in 116 1/3rd innings pitched (vs. 99 strikeouts), and gave up 115 hits. His season was cut short when he went to play for the Dutch National Team in the 2008 Olympics. Pitching against Team USA and Team Canada, he had the misfortune of pitching in a bandbox of a baseball field as well as being subject to the universally-tiny strikezones of the Olympic umpires. Though he gave up 10 hits in 10 innings, two went for homeruns and he also walked 5 batters. Regardless, the Washington Nationals rewarded Shairon with his first taste of the Major Leagues after he came back from the Olympics. Unfortunately, he was erratic after the long layoff from pro baseball and while he showed some signs of brilliance, he also showed some games where he was flat-out pounded. Shairon went 1-3 in 5 games, including 4 starts, posting a 5.66 ERA with Washington. He pitched 20 2/3rd innings, struck out 23, walked 12, gave up 18 hits, but also gave up 5 homeruns, which really inflated his ERA. That said, if he can cut down on the homeruns and also a little on the walks, he'll be fine. He's still only 21 years old.

-2006 Upper Deck F/X Special Endorsements Ken Griffey, Jr. autograph. If you're not sure who center fielder Ken Griffey, Jr. is and you're a baseball fan, then you've probably been living in a cave for the past 20 or so years. A superstar without steroids, Ken Griffey, Jr.'s closest statistical comparables are Frank Robinson and Willie Mays. The son of Cincinnati Reds slugger Ken Griffey and brother of Minor League player Craig Griffey, Ken was drafted out of high school with the first overall pick of the 1987 amateur draft. He was hyped from the start as the next Willie Mays and perhaps he was the only player in the past quarter century to live up to such hype. He made his Major League debut in 1989, just two years after he was drafted. Playing full time for the Seattle Mariners, he batted .264 with a .329 on-base percentage, 16 homeruns, 61 RBI's, 61 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases. And that was just the beginning. Ken played in the hitter-friendly Kingdome, which at the time was a bit like Coors Field (home of the Colorado Rockies) is now. Thin air and small dimensions allowed Ken to add a few homeruns to his yearly total during his prime. In 1990, he batted .300 with a .366 on-base percentage, 22 homeruns, 80 RBI's, 91 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases. In 1991, he batted .327 with a .399 on-base percentage, 22 homeruns, 100 RBI's, 76 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases. Moved into the cleanup spot in 1992, Ken's power started coming through, and in a big way. He batted .308 with a .361 on-base percentage, 27 homeruns, 103 RBI's, 83 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases. But he really got it going in 1993. Ken batted .309 with a .408 on-base percentage, 45 homeruns, 109 RBI's, 113 runs scored, and 17 stolen bases. In Strike-shortened 1994, he batted .323 with a .402 on-base percentage, 40 homeruns, 90 RBI's, 94 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases. Ken was injured with a hamstring problem in 1995, but played through it to some extent, batting .258 with a .379 on-base percentage, 17 homeruns, 42 RBI's, and 52 runs scored in only 72 games. However, the hamstring problem combined with the Kingdome's incredibly hard artificial turf would cause numerous problems for Ken down the road. He rebounded in 1996, batted .302 with a .392 on-base percentage, 49 homeruns, 140 RBI's, 125 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases. In 1997, Ken batted .304 with a .382 on-base percentage, 56 homeruns, 147 RBI's, 125 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases. He was named the American League MVP that year. In 1998, he batted .284 with a .365 on-base percentage, 56 homeruns, 146 RBI's, 120 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases. 1999 would be Ken's final season with the Seattle Mariners (to date anyway...he's rumored to go back to them after this year as a free agent). He batted .285 with a .384 on-base percentage, but lost some of his power to the brand new, pitcher-friendly Safeco Field, hitting "only" 48 homeruns, driving in 134 runs, scoring 123, and stealing a career-high 24 bases. Ken had been named to every AL All-Star Team during his playing career until now with the exception of his 1989 rookie year, bringing his total to 10. In 2000, Ken requested a trade to the Cincinnati Reds, where his father was a coach, after having a falling out with the Mariners' management. The Reds sent Mike Cameron (a solid outfielder), Brett Tomko (a decent starter at the time), Antonio Perez (a hot prospect at the time), and Jake Meyer (a B grade prospect who never made the Majors) to the Mariners to get Ken. He did very well his first season with Cincinnati, batting .271 with a .387 on-base percentage, 40 homeruns, 118 RBI's, 100 runs scored, and 6 stolen bases. He was also named to his first NL All-Star Team, which was his eleventh overall All-Star Team. However, people began to worry about his low stolen base totals and how he suddenly lost a lot of speed. There was talk about his old hamstring injury and playing on the hard artificial turf, but most Reds fans dismissed it. In 2001, Ken got off to a good start, batting .286 with a .365 on-base percentage, 22 homeruns, 65 RBI's, and 57 runs scored in 111 games. Then he tore his hamstring. In 2002, he played well in limited action, battling his hamstring problems once again. In only 70 games, he batted .264 with a .358 on-base percentage, 8 homeruns, 23 RBI's, and 17 runs scored. His season ended after he made a diving catch only to hyperextend his knee. In 2003, it was more of the same. In 53 games, he batted .247 with a .370 on-base percentage, 13 homeruns, 26 RBI's, and 34 runs scored. But this time, he fell down the stairs at his house, hurting his hamstring yet again. In 2004, playing in only 83 games, Ken batted .253 with a .351 on-base percentage, 20 homeruns, 60 RBI's, and 49 runs scored. During that season, he first badly hurt and then completely tore his hamstring (despite this, he was named to his second NL All-Star Team). He began to ponder retirement until Cincinnati Reds team doctor Tim Kremchek devised a procedure to reattach Ken's hamstring with three titanium screws. A revolutionary feat in sports medicine, both Ken and Dr. Kremchek silenced their doubters as Ken finally had his first full season in four years in 2005. He batted .301 with a .369 on-base percentage, 35 homeruns, 92 RBI's, and 85 runs scored. In 2006, Ken batted .252 with a .316 on-base percentage, 27 homeruns, 72 RBI's, and 62 runs scored. Unfortunately, he collided with the outfield wall and suffered a knee injury, thus only playing in 109 games. But Ken's knee healed much faster than his problematic hamstring and he came back in full force in 2007, batting .277 with a .372 on-base percentage, 30 homeruns, 93 RBI's, and 78 runs scored. That year, he was named to his third NL All-Star Team, his 13th overall. In 2008, the 38-year old Ken Griffey, Jr. split the season between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox, who acquired him for their stretch run in the AL Central Division. Between the two teams, he batted .249 with a .353 on-base percentage, 18 homeruns, 71 RBI's, and 67 runs scored. Currently a free agent, as I said, Ken will likely sign with the Seattle Mariners in the 2008-2009 off-season. Over his 20-year career, Ken's batted .288 with a .373 on-base percentage, pounded 611 homeruns (without steroids or very much health, for that matter), driven in 1,772 runs, scored 1,612 runs, stolen 184 bases, and racked up 2,680 career hits. If he retired today, he would be a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame. Much like Mickey Mantle, who played in agony due to chronic knee problems and likely missed out on 700+ homeruns due to it, Ken will likely always be thought of as the guy who should have broken Hank Aaron's record, had his hamstring only held up a bit more.

-2007 Just Rookies Trevor Cahill autograph. Drafted by the Oakland A's in the second round of the 2006 draft, Trevor Cahill is a right-handed pitcher in the Oakland A's organization. He throws a 93 mph four-seam fastball, a devastating knuckle-curve, a good slider, and a good changeup. Because he was drafted out of high school, he was a very uncharacteristic draft pick for the normally "college players only" A's GM Billy Beane. Even more uncharacteristic was just how bad Cahill's mechanics are. Usually, Beane drafts pitchers with pretty good mechanics (following the debacle that was the 2002 draft where basically everyone but Joe Blanton trashed their arms), but Trevor Cahill is an example of how NOT to pitch. He has poor arm timing, a painfully slow tempo, he's a "tall-and-fall" pitcher who locks his glove side knee, hyperabducts his pitching elbow, and doesn't stay closed. I have no idea how this guy is even able to throw a baseball without pain. With that said, he's gotten one, all-important thing: results. In 2006, he missed most of the season with arm problems. But in 2007, he was dominating. He went 11-4 in 20 games, including 19 starts for the Class A Kane County Cougars, posting a 2.73 ERA, pitching 105 1/3rd innings, walking only 40, striking out 117, and giving up just 3 homeruns. In 2008, Trevor once again wowed everyone. Between the Class A Advanced Stockton Ports and Class AA Midland RockHounds, he went 11-5 in 21 games, including 19 starts, posted a 2.61 ERA, pitched 124 1/3rd innings, gave up just 76 hits and 50 walks, struck out 136, and allowed all of 5 homeruns. He also appeared for the US Team in the 2008 All-Star Futures Game. He also pitched for Team USA in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, posting a 2.25 ERA in 2 games (Cuba hit him kinda hard while Japan didn't hit him at all). If his arm holds out, he has an extremely bright future.

-2008 Upper Deck USA Baseball National Team Autographs Cody Satterwhite autograph. A right-hander drafted and signed by the Detroit Tigers out of the University of Mississippi, Cody is a flame-throwing relief pitcher who projects well as a closer. His four-seam fastball can touch 95 mph and he's not really filled out yet, either. He also throws a late-breaking slider that's nearly unhittible, though unfortunately also nearly uncontrollable. To offset these two pitches, he throws a servicible changeup, as well. Cody's main problem seems to be repeating his delivery, which should come as no surprise when one watches him. He almost curls himself into a ball, then flies his front shoulder open, and then starts the rest of his windup. It's really crazy-looking. What the Tigers plan to do, however, is to have him keep him front shoulder closed so that he can more easily pace himself. He also gets frustrated with himself at times and just grooves that 95 mph heater of his right down the middle. Again, that's something the Tigers have to iron out of him. He's done well so far in his fledging pro career, however. With the Rookie League Gulf Coast League Tigers as well as the Class A Advanced Lakeland Flying Tigers, he went 0-0 in 20 games, all in relief, saved 3 games, and posted a 3.92 ERA. In 20 2/3rd innings pitched, he gave up just 20 hits and struck out 24, though he also walked 13 and uncorked 5 wild pitches. Though he's not the sure bet prospect that Tigers first round pick Ryan Perry is, he does have a similar ceiling should he harness his control.

More later!

[Dalkowski110]

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-2004 Upper Deck Diamond Collection Pro Sigs Tony Armas, Jr. autograph. Son of A's and Red Sox outfielder Tony Armas and nephew of Marcos Armas, Tony Jr. was signed by the New York Yankees in 1994 as an amateur free agent. Armed with a low 90's fastball, changeup, slider, curve, and split-fingered fastball, he was quite advanced considering he signed at age 16. He performed well in the Minors, but was traded to the Boston Red Sox in one of just a handful of Yankees/Red Sox trades in the past 25 years during the 1997 season. Just half a season later, he was traded to Montreal as part of the deal that made Pedro Martinez a member of the Boston Red Sox. Tony finally made his MLB debut in late 1999 as a highly-routed right-handed pitching prospect. He lost the only game he pitched in, a start in which he threw six innings. However, he only gave up one earned run and Montreal made him a member of the starting rotation in 2000. However, he struggled with injuries and was only able to pitch in 17 games, all of which were starts. He did well in limited action, going 7-9 with a good-for-the-era 4.36 ERA. 2001 would be Tony's first full season. That year, he made all 34 of his scheduled starts, going 9-14 with a solid 4.03 ERA. Tony again had a full season with the Expos in 2002, going 12-12 in 29 games, all starts, and posting a 4.44 ERA. After 2002, however, came the injuries. In 2003, Tony started out extremely well, going 2-1 in 5 games, all starts, and posting a 2.61 ERA. However, after being removed from a game in pain, he had to have season-ending shoulder surgery. This spilled over into the 2004 season and he had trouble bouncing back. That year, he went 2-4 in 16 games, all starts, while posting a fair 4.88 ERA. In 2005, pitching with the relocated and renamed Montreal Expos, the Washington Nationals, Tony struggled with even more arm problems, going 7-7 in 19 games, all starts, and posting a high 4.97 ERA. He was able to put together a complete season in 2006, but the arm problems had taken their toll. He'd lost almost all of his speed and his breaking pitches lost a lot of movement as well. He went 9-12 in 30 games, all starts, and posted a poor 5.03 ERA. Granted free agency after the season, he signed with the dreadful Pittsburgh Pirates. Initially slated to be a starter, he was knocked around so badly that he was made the team's long reliever. He went 4-5 in 31 games, including 15 starts, posting a woeful 6.03 ERA. Signed by the New York Mets as a Minor League free agent after the season, he was initially slated to be the team's long reliever, but his work papers weren't filled out correctly, causing him to miss most of the first half of the season. Tony only pitched three lackluster games in a New York Mets uniform (2 relief appearences and 1 start), posting a 7.56 ERA despite a record of 1-0. Though he looked sharp as a long reliever in his second game, he hurt his arm in the third game and that was that. He went on the DL for the rest of the season. He'll be 31 years old next season, which is about the middle of a player's career, so I don't expect him to retire. It should be interesting to see where exactly he resurfaces, however.

-2005 Upper Deck Past Time Pennants Past Time Signatures Ken Griffey, Sr. autograph. The father of the legendary Ken Griffey, Jr. and Minor Leaguer Craig Griffey, Ken Sr. is often overlooked as a pretty solid player in his own right, though nowhere near as capable as his son. A 29th round draft pick out of high school by the Cincinnati Reds, Ken could hit pretty well but couldn't field. This was evidenced by his eyesore .811 fielding percentage during his first professional season. But he really worked hard at it and soon enough, he became a solid right fielder. He made the Majors in 1973, just as the famed "Big Red Machine" teams were starting to come together. He played with Cincinnati until 1982, when the Yankees acquired him for next to nothing. He stayed with the Yankees until mid 1986, when he was traded to the Atlanta Braves for speedy outfielder Claudell Washington. Ken played with the Braves until mid 1988, when he was released and signed with the Cincinnati Reds once again. Though he initially planned to retire as a Red in 1990, he found himself still playing when his son, Ken Griffey, Jr., was an active member of the Seattle Mariners. As a result, he signed with Seattle in the middle of the season and became the first of just two father/son duos in history to play on the same team (Tim Raines and Tim Raines, Jr. being the other). Ken and Junior were teammates on the 1991 Mariners as well before Ken Sr. finally decided to retire. He'd been named to three All-Star Teams, all as a member of the Cincinnati Reds (1976, 1977, 1980). Over his 19-season career, he batted .296 with a .359 on-base percentage, 152 homeruns, 859 RBI's, 1,129 runs scored, 200 stolen bases, and 2,143 career hits. As a hitter, he was very similar to Felipe Alou; he had a high batting average, didn't walk much, but didn't strike out much, either. As a result, his stats would often fluctuate wildly from season to season. For example, Ken batted .336 in 1976 but never came close to that before or after. He also hit 21 homeruns in 1986, though part of that was playing in the launching pad known as Atlanta Fulton County Stadium for half a season. He was also a very speedy baserunner in the early part of his career, stealing over 10 bases a year from 1975 to 1982 (including 34 in his career year, 1976). In 1980, he was the All-Star Game's MVP. After his playing days were done, he coached with the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds.

-2008 Bowman Signs of the Future Will Inman autograph. A top pitching prospect with the San Diego Padres, right-hander Will Inman owes his tremendous success to a severe mechanical modification that the Padres gave him in 2008. He was drafted in 2005 in the third round of the draft out of high school by the Milwaukee Brewers as a fairly traditional, three-quarter armslot pitcher who threw a low 90's two-seam fastball, inconsistent slurve, and solid changeup. Between the rookie league AZL Brewers and the higher-quality rookie league Helena Brewers, Will went 6-0 in 15 games, including 5 starts, and posted a 1.91 ERA. In 47 innings, he struck out 59, walked 12, and gave up only 29 hits. He looked like an ace. But almost all of his success could be chalked up to his incredible two-seam fastball. He repeated this success in 2006 with the Class A West Virginia Power, going 10-3 in 23 games, including 20 starts, posting a 1.70 ERA. In 111 innings, he struck out 134, walked 24, and gave up just 25 hits. But 2007 would test him. Starting the season with the Class A Advanced Brevard County Manatees, he did pretty well, and was promoted to AA Huntsville. Although he'd figured out his changeup, his slurve was pretty much lifeless at this point and he got hammered. He was traded that season to the San Diego Padres for Padres set-up man Scott Linebrink. The Padres left Inman as-is at first, letting him pitch with Class AA San Antonio. He finished the season a combined 8-11 in 28 games, all starts, posting a 3.28 ERA (1.72 with Brevard County, 5.45 with Huntsville, and 4.17 with San Antonio), pitching 159 innings, striking out 180, allowing 58 walks, and allowing 127 hits. In 2008, the Padres radically altered Will's delivery. Instead of throwing with a traditional three quarter armslot, he was now throwing straight-across sidearm with a windup that made it seem like he was actually about to throw it submarine/straight underarm. The modification to his arm action also made him a bit more durable, as he was throwing with less effort and more movement. And it worked. In 2008, repeating AA with San Antonio, he went 9-8 in 28 games, all starts, posting a 3.52 ERA with 119 hits surrendered in 135 1/3rd innings pitched as well as 71 walks and 140 strikeouts. The new delivery gave Will a weapon that he'd previously struggled with: his slurve now moved like it was on fire. His changeup also started moving a bit more, though he lost a little bit of fastball speed. He did so well that he appeared in the 2008 All-Star Futures Game for the US Team. Will is expected to make his Major League debut some time next year, which would make him one of only three straight-across sidearm-throwing starting pitchers (Jake Peavy and Randy Johnson are the other two...you could also put Brian Lawrence into this, but we don't know if he'll be starting next year; Aaron Heilman may also start next year, or he might keep being used as a reliever). He has a very bright future and, pitching in the friendly confines of San Diego's Petco Park, he should be pretty dominant.

-1997 Donruss Signature Series David Ortiz rookie card autograph. One man's garbage is another man's treasure. That phrase should sum up the career of David "Big Papi" Ortiz, perhaps the most well-liked man to currently wear a Boston Red Sox uniform. David started out in the Seattle Mariners organization in 1992, aged only 16 (the youngest a player can possibly be to sign a professional contract). He spent two years simply being the property of the Mariners before actually starting out his professional career. This probably sounds incredibly stupid. That's primarily because it IS incredibly stupid. Not only does the player experience no development or organized competition, but it leaves him exposed at a far earlier age to baseball's Rule V Draft, in which a player who has been under a pro contract must be on a team's 40-man roster or else he will be claimed by another team. David played well for three years in Seattle's farm system and was nowhere near Major League-ready when the Minnesota Twins literally took him for free. Sort of. The Twins went through a bizarre agreement with Seattle in which Ortiz would be traded as the player to be named later in a deal that had sent aging slugger Dave Hollins to the Mariners in case Ortiz wasn't Major League ready (normally, a Rule V Draft Pick has to play the entire year on the Major League roster of a team in order for that team to keep him). As it turned out, David was indeed nowhere near Major League ready. In 15 games with Minnesota, he batted .327 with a .353 on-base percentage, 1 homerun, 6 RBI's, and 10 runs scored. Sounds good, but consider that he walked 2 times and struck out 19 times. In 1998, David reverted to his usual routine of merely getting on base via the walk. In 86 games, he batted a respectable .277 with a .371 on-base percentage, 9 homeruns, 46 RBI's, and 47 runs scored. But David didn't fit in with the Twins' "small ball or no ball" mentality; the very mentality that Theo Epstein, Billy Beane, J.P. Ricciardi, Josh Byrnes and the like are trying to minimize in baseball. In 1999, David appeared in just 10 games with the Twins, going hitless in 20 at-bats. He actually walked 5 times, thus having a .200 on-base percentage despite not having any hits. He played the rest of the year in the Minors. In 2000, David had an excellent season by just about anyone's standards except those of the Twins. He batted .282 with a .364 on-base percentage, 10 homeruns, 63 RBI's, and 59 runs scored as a platoon player at first base with the far-inferior Ron Coomer. In 2001, David batted .234, but still posted a very good .324 on-base percentage, hit 18 homeruns, drove in 48 runs, and scored 46. Incredibly, the Twins demoted him to the Minor Leagues once again. In 2002, the Twins told Ortiz to change his plate approach and take fewer walks (!!!). David batted .272 with a .339 on-base percentage (which is pretty low for him), 20 homeruns, 75 RBI's, and 52 runs scored. Incredibly, the Twins still used him as a platoon player and were angry that he didn't know how to bunt well (!!!). As tensions grew between David and the Twins, he asked for his outright release, which he got in December, 2002. The next year, Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein signed David to be his designated hitter. In 2003, David batted .288 with a .369 on-base percentage, 31 homeruns, 101 RBI's, and 79 runs scored. It was during that year the Red Sox fans gave David the moniker "Big Papi." In 2004, Big Papi batted .301 with a .380 on-base percentage, 41 homeruns, 139 RBI's, and 94 runs scored. He was named to his first AL All-Star Team that year and also played in his first World Series. In 2005, Big Papi worked on taking even more walks, something that the Twins had once discouraged him from doing, but something that both felt natural and something that the Red Sox liked. He batted an even .300 with a fantastic .397 on-base percentage, 47 homeruns, 148 RBI's, and 119 runs scored. He was not surprisingly named to his second AL All-Star Team. In 2006, Big Papi hit .287 with a .413 on-base percentage, 54 homeruns (which led the American League), 137 RBI's, and 115 runs scored. He also was named to AL All-Star Team number 3. In 2007, he batted .332 with a .445 on-base percentage (which led the American League), pounded 35 homeruns, drove in 117 runs, scored 116 runs, and was named to AL All-Star Team number 4. In 2008, Big Papi played hurt most of the season and struggled to find his swing until late in the year. As a result, he batted .264, though with a very good .369 on-base percentage, 23 homeruns, 89 RBI's, and 74 runs scored in 109 games played. Despite this, he was named to his fifth AL All-Star Team. He should be quite a bit better next year and of course maintain his status as a franchise player for the Boston Red Sox. In another way, David Ortiz also represents some of the most glaring flaws of the brand of hyper-traditionalist baseball employed by the Twins. Had they accepted him for the player he was, he'd be pushing them to AL Central pennants each year and he'd likely have far more impressive career stats.

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-Yasmani Grandal signed 8x10. The current catcher for the University of Miami Hurricanes, Yasmani Grandal was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2007, but did not sign. A switch-hitting catcher, he's far better as a right-handed hitter. He needs work as a left-handed hitter. He also may develop some power, though it would be along the lines of 10-15 homeruns a year at most. But the reason he's a top draft prospect is his defense. Very few catchers even at a college level are as polished defensively as Yasmani. He's a good game-caller, a mature handler of pitchers, he centers his glove well, has an excellent throwing arm, and basically plays incredible, Major League caliber defense. The closest I've seen to someone as good defensively to him in the past two years is Oakland A's prospect catcher Petey Paramore. But he'll definitely be the best defensive catcher in next year's draft. Seeing who gets him should be interesting; the Red Sox are probably still interested and there's a good chance he's still on the board when they pick.

More later!

[Dalkowski110]

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-2004 Just Minors Jeff Keppinger, signed. Infielder Jeff Keppinger has one talent, and that's to make contact with the baseball. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2001 draft out of the University of Georgia by the Pittsburgh Pirates, "Kep" never played with the Pirates. Instead, he was traded with Kris Benson to the New York Mets for infielder Jose Bautista, infielder/outfielder Ty Wigginton, and pitching prospect Matt Peterson (who never made it) on July 30, 2004. The Mets under horrid general manager Jim Duquette viewed Kep as a cheaper replacement for fan favorite Ty Wigginton, but while Kep was probably a better hitter, he wasn't half the fielder. Called up immediately after the trade, Kep batted .284 with a .317 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 9 RBI's, and 9 runs scored. The Mets attempted to use him as a second baseman, but he turned out pretty disastrously in the field. I actually saw Kep and one way to describe him was "robotic." He also seemingly made contact with every pitch. He'd rarely walk or strike out. Just fouled off everything until he got the pitch he liked. Kep spent the whole 2005 season in the Minors and was traded to the Kansas City Royals in mid 2006 for infielder Ruben Gotay. The Royals brought Kep back up to the Majors to give him a second chance. He didn't do as well. He played in 22 games, batted .267 with a .323 on-base percentage (kind of a fluke), 2 homeruns, 8 RBI's, and 11 runs scored. Now, that sounds a little better than his offensive stats with the Mets, but he was a butcher in the field. He went from below average to complete abomination. With no place on the Royals, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Minor Leaguer Russ Haltiwanger before the 2007 season. Kep split the '07 season between the Minors and the Majors. He finally stuck that year. In 67 games, he batted .332 (a fluke, but still...) with a .400 on-base percentage, 5 homeruns, 32 RBI's, and 39 runs scored. The best man on the Reds bench (he even fielded okay, playing shortstop), he was retained for 2008. He regressed to the mean, batting .266 with a .310 on-base percentage, 3 homeruns, 43 RBI's, and 45 runs scored in 123 games, but he solidified himself (ate age 28) as a reliable bench player who seems destined to play in the Majors for years to come.

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-Matty Alou signed 8x10. Matty Alou was best remembered as the slap-hitting Alou brother with the best bat control. Like Felipe, he neither walked nor struck out much. Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent in 1957, Matty made the Majors in 1960 with the San Francisco Giants, albeit for only one game. He went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Though he played well from 1961-1965, the Giants' crowded outfield didn't really have much room to acoomodate him. As such, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Ozzie Virgil (who was over the hill) and Joe Gibbon (who proved to be a useful reliever). It was with the Pirates that Matty really came into his own. He batted over .300 in 4 of his five seasons there (1966-1970) and was named to two NL All-Star Teams. In 1971, he was acquired by the St. Louis Cardinals for solid starting pitcher Nelson Briles (even trade). Matty did well there, but only played for the Cardinals in 1971 and the first half of 1972. He was traded to the Oakland A's for basically garbage halfway through the season. Matty also played well for the A's, but was traded in 1973 to the New York Yankees. He didn't even play a full season before the Cardinals purchased him back for their stretch run. But after just 11 games with St. Louis once more, he was sold to the San Diego Padres, for whom he finished his playing career in 1974. Over his 15-year career, Matty batted .307 with a .345 on-base percentage, 31 homeruns (only averaged 3 a year), 427 RBI's, 780 runs scored, 156 stolen bases (he was used as a leadoff hitter by the Pirates), and 1,777 career hits. Because he walked so few times, his batting average was prone to fluky jumps and dips. In 1966, with Pittsburgh, he batted .342 (which led the National League). The year before, with San Francisco, he hit .231. After his MLB career was over, Matty played three years in Japan with the Teiheiyo Club Lions, where he batted leadoff.

More later!

[Dalkowski110]

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-2007 Bowman Draft Signs of the Future Carlos Marmol autograph. Signed as an outfielder at the age of 16 out of the Dominican Republic by the Chicago Cubs, Carlos Marmol has since become one of the most dominant set-up men in baseball. Though he could hit for contact and he had good speed, Carlos had no plate patience and no power. He did however have a strong right arm. As such, the Cubs converted Carlos into a pitcher. Throwing with a straight-across sidearm delivery, he could attain speeds of 95-97 mph and he also threw a vicious slider and decent changeup. As a starter, he steamrolled his way through the Minors until he made his Major League debut in 2006. Carlos struggled badly with his control that year, and also had a tendency to get hit extremely hard by left-handed hitters. He went 5-7 in 19 games, including 13 starts, gave up 71 hits in 77 innings, struck out 59, walked 59, and gave up 14 homeruns. In 2007, the Cubs converted Carlos from a straight-across sidearm pitcher to a high sidearm pitcher, much like Pedro Martinez. He was also used exclusively out of the bullpen. The conversion to high sidearm turned out to give Carlos' slider even better movement and it didn't detract from his fastball speed or movement, either. He went 5-1 in 59 games, all in relief, and posted a terrific 1.43 ERA. In 69 1/3rd innings pitched, Carlos allowed only 41 hits, struck out 96, and walked 35. By the end of the year, he'd gone from righty specialist/long reliever to set-up man for then-closer Ryan Dempster. In 2008, Carlos was once again the set-up man for the Chicago Cubs, going 2-4 in 82 games, all in relief, and posting a 2.68 ERA. He pitched 87 1/3rd innings, gave up only 40 hits, walked 41, and struck out 114. He was also named to his first NL All-Star Team. With the departure of Cubs closer Kerry Wood via free agency, Carlos will likely now close out games for the Cubs for the foreseeable future. And indeed, the 25-year-old pitcher's future seems extremely bright.

-2007 Bowman Sterling Josh Outman autograph. Drafted in the 10th round of the 2005 draft out of Central Missouri State by the Philadelphia Phillies, left-hander Josh Outman used one of the strangest pitching motions I've ever seen prior to getting drafted. Simply put, you can't even describe it. His younger brother, Zach Outman, is also a pitching prospect that currently employs the same motion. You can view it here...just scroll to the bottom of the page...

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Back to Josh. Josh's pitching motion was so strange that the Phillies gave serious thought to not drafting him at all. However, with the help of his father, Josh changed his pitching motion to a far more conventional windup. An unfortunate side-effect of this, however, was Josh having less control over his slider and curve (his low 90's fastball and changeup are pitches he can still control). He went 2-1 in 11 games, including 4 starts, posting a 2.76 ERA during his first pro season in 2005 with the Class A Short Season Batavia Muckdogs. In 2006, he rocketed up the Phillies depth chart after going 14-6 in 27 games, all starts, for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, posting a 2.96 ERA. In 2007, Josh split the season between the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers and the Class AA Reading Phillies. Between both teams, he went 12-7 in 27 games, including 25 starts, and posted a 2.99 ERA. It was in AA ball that his control issues started affecting his performance. He walked 23 and struck out only 34 in 42 innings, posting a 4.50 ERA. Bizarrely, this prompted the Phillies to convert him into a relief pitcher. Starting the 2008 season with Reading, he went 5-4 in 33 games, including 5 starts, while posting a 3.20 ERA. Just before the trade deadline, the Phillies traded Josh along with shortstop prospect Adrian Cardenas to the Oakland A's for starter Joe Blanton. The A's realized just how bad an idea having Josh in the bullpen was and converted him back into a starter. He did well enough in AA and AAA ball to earn a September call-up to the Major Leagues. Josh went 1-2 in 6 games, including 4 starts, posting a 4.56 ERA. In 25 2/3rd innings pitched, he gave up 34 hits, walked 8, and struck out 19. The A's are relatively well-known for letting their players do their own thing with regards to pitching and have supposedly considered letting Josh pitch with the strange mechanics that he grew up with. Either way, he projects to be an excellent pitcher.

-2002 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres Future Gems Jeff Francoeur game-used jersey swatch rookie card. Drafted in the first round of the 2002 draft out of high school by the Atlanta Braves, Jeff Francoeur is an excellent example of what happens when you tell your players NOT to take walks. Jeff tore through the Minors, but was encouraged to aggressively hack at the plate as opposed to be patient and try and work walks. Normally, this wouldn't TOO badly hurt a player who rarely struck out, but Jeff struck out a ridiculous amount of times to begin with. However, he posted impressive homerun totals and got to the Majors in 2005. Playing in 70 games, he batted .300 but with a very low .336 on-base percentage. He also hit 14 homeruns, drove in 45 runs, and scored 41 runs. In 2006, Jeff was made the Braves' everyday right fielder (literally...he played in all 162 games). He batted a respectable .260, but posted an awful .293 on-base percentage. He walked precisely 23 times and struck out 132 times. But he also hit 29 homeruns, drove in 103 runs, and scored 83 runs. Even the swing-happy Braves were concerned with his plate approach and encouraged him to try and work as many walks as he could in 2007. As a result, he batted .293 with a solid .338 on-base percentage (42 walks), 19 homeruns, 105 RBI's, and 84 runs scored. He completely fell apart in 2008. Basically thinking too much at the plate, torn between taking walks and his usual hacking away, he batted a mere .239 with a poor .294 on-base percentage, 11 homeruns, 71 RBI's, and 70 runs scored. Still shy of his 25th birthday, Jeff is now considered a project hitter; one whose plate approach was seriously screwed up and needs un-screwing up. As a testament to just how unpopular Jeff currently is, I bought a certified autograph of him a few weeks ago for $4.99. That same certified autograph would have gone for about $25-$30 two years ago. Only time will tell what happens to him.

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-1999 Fleer Mystique Fresh Ink Kris Benson autograph. Right-hander Kris Benson was the number one overall draft pick in 1996, taken out of Clemson University by the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates. He could throw a 96 mph fastball, a vicious slider, a solid curveball, and a Major League caliber changeup. Kris reached the Majors in 1999 after tearing his way through the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Pitching with a dreadful team, he went 11-14 in 31 games, all starts, but also posted a very good-for-the-era 4.07 ERA Most scouts noted that Kris almost seemed afraid to try for strikeouts. Even though he had the raw stuff of a strikeout pitcher, he generally tried pitching like he was Greg Maddux or Tom Glavine with an 85 mph fastball. As a result, he struck out only 139 batters in 196 2/3rd innings. In 2000, however, the Pirates were able to combat this somewhat. Kris went 10-12 in 32 games, all starts, still with an awful team, but improved his ERA to an excellent-for-the-era 3.85. He also upped his strikeout ratio, K'ing 184 batters in 217 2/3rd innings. It was in 2001 that Kris' career went into a tailspin. On March 8th of that year, the Pirates, impressed with Kris' pitching, signed him to a four-year contract. As a result, his family moved to Pittsburgh. That's when his trainwreck of a wife, Anna Benson, gave her first interview to Penthouse Magazine and gave explicit details of all Kris and Anna's problems. Kris also chimed in and whined about how the Pirates were mishandling him. It was perhaps poetic justice that Kris sprained his elbow less than a week afterward, causing him to miss the entire 2001 season and the beginning of the 2002 season with elbow-ligament transplant surgery. Kris went 9-6 in 25 games, all starts, for the Pirates in 2002. He posted a below-average 4.70 ERA, however, and also started getting back into the bad habit of pitching like he had an 85 mph fastball. In 2003, he had tendonitis in his right elbow that got so bad that he had to miss part of the season. He went 5-9 in 18 games, all starts, while posting a below-average 4.97 ERA. In 2004, Kris started the season 8-8 with the Pirates in 20 games, all starts, and had an ERA of 4.22, which was pretty solid. As such, he was starting to attract attention from both the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets. The Pirates were desperate to deal Kris and his wife, who'd since been banned from the Pirates clubhouse. The Phillies were generally regarded to have offered the better deal, offering a combination of cash and a young first baseman who showed a great deal of promise by the name of Ryan Howard. Incredibly, the Pirates passed on one of the greatest sluggers in baseball and traded Kris to the New York Mets with Jeff Keppinger (at least us Mets fans LIKED Kep...) for fan favorite utility man Ty Wigginton, infielder Jose Bautista (who'd been with the Mets for three days), and Minor League pitcher Matt Peterson. The problems with the trade was twofold: Ty Wigginton, at the time, was more valuable to the Mets than Kris Benson. The second problem was that it was almost universally acknowledged that the trade had been made for reasons of public relations; about the only good thing the Bensons did was set up a wildly successful charity for the NYPD and FDNY after 9/11. Kris finished the season 4-4 in 11 games, all starts, posting a lackluster 4.50 ERA for the Mets. Combined, he went 12-12 in 31 games, all starts, with a 4.31 ERA. After the season, his wife Anna did a nude photoshoot with FHM magazine and a Howard Stern interview. Incoming Mets General Manager Omar Minaya told Kris to basically have his wife shut up or ship out. Kris had a so-so 2005 season, going 10-8 in 28 games, all starts, and posting a league average 4.13 ERA. After the season, Anna Benson became even more uncontrollable. At a Christmas Party for children, she wore a skimpy outfit that you'd normally find in a "you need to be 18 to buy this" type magazine. She was negotiating to pose nude for Playboy. Kris also continued whining about pitching coach Rick Peterson trying to get him out his mentality of pitching like he was practically afraid of throwing his fastball. On January 22, 2006, Omar Minaya made what is acknowledged to be his best trade, acquiring front line pitching prospect John Maine (who has since become the Mets number two starter after only Johan Santana) and reliever Jorge Julio (whom he spun to the Diamondbacks after a few games for former Cuban ace Orlando "el Duque" Hernandez) for Benson and nothing else. Kris went 11-12 in 30 starts for the 2006 Orioles, frustrating veteran pitching coach Leo Mazzone as he posted a 4.82 ERA, still not throwing his fastball correctly. In 2007, he tore his rotator cuff and missed the entire season. 2008 saw him sign a Minor League contract for the pitching-starved Philadelphia Phillies. After posting an ERA in excess of 5.50, he was released. Currently a free agent, Kris claims that he's not going to retire. Still, it would take one heck of a desperate team to sign him. Billy Beane is famous for stating that team chemistry is meaningless; obviously his greatest flaw. A four-word answer can be given in disagreement to Beane's statement: "Kris and Anna Benson."

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-Craig Griffey signed 8x10. Craig Griffey is the Griffey that you've probably never seen or heard much about. Drafted in 1992 by the Seattle Mariners, the younger brother of the famous Ken Griffey, Jr. and son of Ken Griffey, Sr. was seen as the future leadoff man for the Mariners. Beginning his career with the Class A Short Season Bellingham Mariners, he batted .250 with a solid .318 on-base percentage in 63 games, hitting 1 homerun, driving in 21 runs, scoring 30, and stealing 15 bases. However, it soon became evident that while Craig had a good batting eye, was an excellent fielder, and a speedster on the basepaths, he also couldn't hit a quality breaking pitch. Playing 6 seasons in the Seattle Mariners organization and part of one season in the Cincinnati Reds organization, Craig played 573 games, batted .222 with a .303 on-base percentage, 11 homeruns, 174 RBI's, 246 runs scored, and a surprising 101 stolen bases. Although Craig being drafted by the Seattle Mariners was largely acknowledged as a courtesy to his brother, he inunto himself was not half bad as a prospect until he hit the higher levels of pro ball.

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-2001 Topps Reserve Certified Autographs Valentino Pascucci rookie autograph. Every once in a while (and only every once in a while these days), you'll get a player who for some reason doesn't make the Major Leagues despite putting up impressive numbers in every aspect of his game, being a good clubhouse guy, and even being a team leader. Such is the case of Valentino "Val" Pascucci, a huge first baseman/outfielder drafted by the Montreal Expos out of the University of Oklahoma in the 15th round of the 1999 draft. Gifted with a superb batting eye, no one really expected 6'6" Val to put up the numbers he did in 1999, playing for the Class A Short Season Vermont Expos. He batted .351 with a .462 on-base percentage, 7 homeruns, 48 RBI's, and 62 runs scored. Obviously, those numbers at least turned some heads. Val split the 2000 season between the Class A Cape Fear Crocs and the Class A Advanced Jupiter Hammerheads. Between the two teams, he batted .289 with a .394 on-base percentage, 17 homeruns, 76 RBI's, and 87 runs scored. In 2001, people finally started taking notice of just how good Val was. He opened the 2001 season with the Class AA Harrisburg Senators, batting .244, but with a solid .335 on-base percentage, 21 homeruns, 67 RBI's, and 79 runs scored. The Expos regardless had Val repeat AA ball, perhaps because of his low batting average. In 2003, again with Harrisburg, Val batted .235 but with a huge .364 on-base percentage, 27 homeruns, 82 RBI's, and 73 runs scored. In 2003, the Expos saw fit to promote Val all the way to...the Class AAA Edmonton Trappers, where he hit .281 with a .411 on-base percentage, 15 homeruns, 85 RBI's, and 80 runs scored. Concerned with his power being down, the Expos had Val repeat AAA ball yet again in 2004. This time, he batted .298 with a .414 on-base percentage, 25 homeruns, 92 RBI's, and 83 runs scored. Finally, he was called up to the Major Leagues. In 32 games, Val batted only .177, but managed to post a .297 on-base percentage, hit 2 homeruns, drove in 6 runs, and scored 6. Though then-Expos GM Omar Minaya planned on using Val as a starting player for the 2005 season, the move to Washington and Minaya's hiring by the Mets very likely derailed Val's career. The new Washington GM, Jim Bowden, inexplicably released Val almost as soon as he got the job. Signed by the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Pacific League, he was still mostly kept on the bench because manager Bobby Valentine didn't think highly of players like Val (i.e. ones who took a ton of walks and hit a lot of homeruns; like David Ortiz). When Valentine crony slugger Benny Agbayani was injured, however, Val finally got his chance to play. He batted .284 with a .392 on-base percentage in 33 games. His power numbers, which I only have in slugging percentage form, were more impressive than any of the other three gaijin players on the club (in Japanese pro ball, you can only have three gaijin players on your team). In 2006, Val batted .222 with a .332 on-base percentage and hit 13 homeruns in just 203 at-bats. Still, that was good enough for third on the team. Frustrated by his lack of playing time, Val returned to the US and signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs released Val after he had a lackluster Spring Training, but he hooked on almost immediately with the Florida Marlins. The Marlins assigned him to the Class AAA Albuquerque Isotopes (the only baseball team in history to be named after the one on The Simpsons and actually admit it...). The Isotopes played in a field with similar batter-friendly tendencies to Coors Field in Colorado, only they were even more exaggerated. Val batted .284 with a .389 on-base percentage, pounded 34 homeruns, drove in 98 runs, and scored 93. He was picked up by the Philadelphia Phillies the next season on a Minor League contract. Though he hit okay, he was released a quarter of the way through the season based on his atrocious defense. He was then picked up by the man who had planned on giving him a Major League career in the first place: New York Mets GM Omar Minaya. Bewilderingly, despite Val batting .290 with an incredible .410 on-base percentage, 27 homeruns, 81 RBI's, and 72 runs scored in 114 games, he never appeared in a Mets uniform. He came very close twice, but was passed over in favor of first Chris Aguila and then Robinson Cancel. Val is a Minor League free agent right now, and pushing 30. Still, as Minor League slugger and current Oakland A's DH Jack Cust showed, a power-hitting Minor Leaguer with a great eye and solid batting average tends to age well. I genuinely wish Val well in his pursuit of an everyday Major League job; he does deserve it.

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-2007 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Jake Arrieta autograph. A promising right-handed pitcher drafted by the Baltimore Orioles out of Texas Christian University in the fifth round of the 2007 draft, Jake Arrieta throws a 93 mph four-seam fastball, a good curve, a good changeup, and a servicible slider. Making his pro debut in 2008 as a draft-and-follow, Jake's best weapon turned out to be his excellent pitch command while hurling for the Class A Advanced Frederick Keys. He went 6-5 in 20 games, all starts, and posted an excellent 2.87 ERA. In 113 innings pitched, Jake walked just 51 while striking out 120. He also allowed only 80 hits and 7 homeruns over that timeframe. Jake also pitched in the 2008 All-Star Futures Game for the US Team, as well as in the 2008 Summer Olympics for Team USA. Though Jake only pitched one game, it was a heck of a game. Against the People's Republic of China, Jake allowed only two singles over 6 innings, walking none and getting the win. He figures to be one half of one of the best lefty/righty prospect pitcher punches in baseball, combined with 2008 draftee Brian Matusz. Although Jake's arm action is a little bit borderline, I think it's safe to say that he's not an injury-prone trainwreck and will turn into a very good pitcher in the years to come.

More later!