Milsurp After Hours

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-2007 Just Justifiable Zech Zinicola autograph. Aside from winning a few "Only a Ballplayer Can Be Named..." competitions, Zech Zinicola is an interesting sleeper prospect with the Washington Nationals. He's a righty relief pitcher who throws a fastball, sharp-breaking slider, and changeup. He got his start in professional baseball in 2006, where he looked like he would come busting out of the gate in under two years to become the Nationals closer. But then he hurt his arm in 2007 Spring Training. Although he recovered pretty quickly, he struggled with his command and control that year and finished with an ERA over 5.00 in AA ball. This year, in 2008, his command improved significantly. He pitched very well in A Advanced ball and AA ball, but struggled in AAA. He gave up entirely too many hits (44) and walked 17 in 33 innings. To say nothing of giving up 6 homeruns. However, Zinicola is an extremely talented pitcher. Although he'll likely repeat AAA ball in 2009, he'll probably also do far better and at the very least get himself a call-up in September.

-2003 Bowman's Best Darrell Rasner rookie autograph. Darrell Rasner, originally drafted by the Montreal Expos, pitched in only five games with that organization on the Major League level, and that was after they'd moved to Washington in 2005. In 2006, the New York Yankees selected him off waivers. He pitched well in 2006 and appeared well on his way in 2007, but his season was cut short when during one of the two annual Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees, Mets left fielder Endy Chavez lined a pitch off his forearm. Although he threw two fastballs and looked okay, he broke a bone when trying to throw a curveball and misssed the rest of the season. This year, it once again looked like Rasner was doing well when he started having problems with dead arm/tired arm in late July. No cure for that; you just have to pitch through it. And Rasner has. Unfortunately for him, he's pitched terribly through it, ballooning his ERA to 5.38. I see a future for him either on another team or in the extremely weak New York Yankees bullpen.

-2002 Bowman's Best Blake McGinley rookie autograph. Blake McGinley is a perfect example of how NOT to develop a promising pitcher. A left-hander, McGinley was correctly drafted by the Mets as a relief pitcher. However, from the onset, he was pitching 2+ innings a game and starting to wear his arm out. What you're supposed to do is ease a pitcher into throwing a high number of innings. By 2005, the fastball/slider/curve pitcher had reinvented himself as a sinkerballer to save his arm. However, he now threw only one breaking pitch, a slider. Although he was good enough to even start a few games on a AAA level, he wasn't good enough for the Majors. He pitched through 2006 with the Mets organization before being released, then signed on with the Florida Marlins. He pitched with their AA and AAA affiliates with diminished velocity and movement before simply retiring.

-2007 Bowman Signs of the Future Andrew McCutchen autograph. The number one prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates system, McCutchen is an outfielder who can hit for average and power, has great speed on the basepaths, is a very good fielder, and has a great arm. Many five-tool players like McCutchen tend to flame out rather early; after all they were probably overdrafted as a result of having all the tools, but not having any of said tools polished. Not so with Andrew McCutchen. Drafted in 2005 at age 18, he's rocketed through the Pittsburgh Pirates system and should make his MLB debut next year. Although 2007 was a disappointing season for Andrew, all of his other seasons have been well above average. Also, unlike a lot of Minor League outfielders, Andrew is already posting .990+ fielding percentages with great range. A prototypical number three hitter, Andrew is definitely one to keep an eye on.

-2007 Bowman Heritage Signs of Greatness Jorge Cantu autograph. Jorge Cantu was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998. He wasn't yet 17 years old and didn't play his first professional game until 1999, when he played a few games before leaving the organization to finish high school. However, while he did well in his first Minor League season, he was still mostly a "projectability prospect;" that is, a prospect who hasn't yet filled out and while he has no yet, his swing is such that he will eventually. Many other projectability prospects (though not Cantu) haven't yet learned proper plate discipline. In 2003, mostly playing AAA ball, Jorge Cantu hit 7 homeruns. But then, when he repeated AAA ball, he hit 22 homeruns in just 368 at-bats. He quickly found himself in the Major Leagues, where he finished the season well. In 2005, in full time action, he batted .286 (albeit with a relatively poor .311 on-base percentage), hit 28 homeruns, and drove in 117 runs. His lack of plate patience started to catch up with him in 2006. That year, he only hit .249 with 14 homeruns and 62 RBI's. In 2007, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays traded him after a terrible start to the Cincinnati Reds for some low-caliber prospects and cash. He started hitting in no time and seemed destined to become a fixture in Cincinnati's infield. Bizarrely, they didn't offer him a contract after the season had ended. The Florida Marlins, in desperate need of infielders, quickly signed him and alternated him at first base and third base. This year, he's hit .274 with a .323 on-base percentage (his plate discipline has somewhat improved), 26 homeruns, and 83 RBI's. Although he may not be a fixture with the notoriously trade-happy Marlins, he'll catch on somewhere and has now regained his status as a solid ballplayer.

-2000 Fleer Autographics Ryan Anderson autograph. Ryan Anderson may have been the most hyped pitching prospect of the 1990's to never pitch in the Major Leagues. He was a left-handed pitcher drafted by the Seattle Mariners and given a signing bonus of over $2 million. He threw 100 mph, had a vicious slider, a nasty changeup, and a knee-buckling curve. At 6'10" and 225 lbs., he reminded many observers of Randy Johnson. He was given the nicknames "Little Unit" and "Space Needle" by the Seattle press. However, he had extremely poor pitching mechanics that resulted in no less than three shoulder surgeries and many in the Seattle organization questioned his work ethic and endless cockiness. Although his attitude improved after he had surgery, Seattle released Anderson at the end of the 2003 season. In 2005, he attempted a comeback with the Milwaukee Brewers organization, but did poorly with little velocity and no bite on his slider. His attitude problems a thing of the past, Ryan simply retired. He hopes to open a steakhouse in the near future.

-1999 Fleer/Sports Illustrated Greats of the Game Autograph Collection Bo Belinsky autograph. And speaking of wasted talent, here we have Bo Belinsky, who was tabbed as the next Sandy Koufax (the Los Angeles Angels quickly pointed out that his mother was Jewish...although Bo identified with the Polish Catholic aspect of his ethnic background). Bo didn't begin his career with Los Angeles, though. Instead, he started out in the Baltimore Orioles organization, one of many left-handers the team signed in an attempt to get some to work out. On the way up, in Pensacola in the Alabama-Florida League, he met another Polish Catholic left-hander by the name of Steve Dalkowski (aka my namesake). It was Bo who introduced Steve to alcohol; Steve is now recovering (albeit very well) from alcohol-induced dementia. The manager whose idea it was to have Steve room with Bo Belinsky was fired. The Orioles left him exposed to the expansion draft in 1961, but the Los Angeles Angels instead took coveted right-hander Dean Chance. By the end of 1961, the Orioles had reached the end of the rope with Belinsky. When I interviewed Steve Dalkowski, he said most of the rumors floating around were that while the Orioles could put up with Bo drinking and womanizing (he would later gain notoriety for dating actresses), they could not put up with him trying marijuana. The Orioles almost certainly paid the Angels to take Belinsky in the Rule V Draft at the end of the 1961 season. From an on-field performance standpoint, it worked. In his first Major League season, Bo Belinsky went 10-11 (with a terrible team), had a respectable 3.56 ERA, threw three shutouts, and struck out 145 batters in 187 innings. He also threw a no-hitter. In 1963, he had arm problems, but they seemingly went away in his successful 1964 season. But near the end of that season, he beat up an elderly LA Times sportswriter and was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Then he completely blew his arm out in 1965 and drifted between several different teams. After having been cut after the 1970 season, Bo started to have regrets about the way he lived his life. In the late 1980's, he found God, swore off alcohol, drugs, and womanizing, and became a substance abuse counselor. Although he found work as a customer relations head for an automotive group in Las Vegas, he didn't gamble. But hard living had taken its toll and Belinsky died of a heart attack brought about by vascular problems and bladder cancer at the age of 64.

-2000 Fleer Skybox Autographics Damion Easley autograph. Damion Easley is the second baseman and best right-handed bat off the bench this year for the New York Mets. Before then, he was with a few different teams that he'd struggled with as well as the Detroit Tigers, where he was an All-Star for a single season (1998). He could seemingly never control his wild swing and while he hit for power, he couldn't hit for average. Then, with the Mets, he stopped trying to hit for power and his batting average went up. Although he's only hit 16 homeruns in 2 season with the Mets (he hit 38 with Detroit in 1998), he's also hit first .280 and then .272. The former is his highest batting average since 1992, when he hit .313 in his second year of Major League baseball with the California Angels. Although he's primarily been a second baseman over his career, he's played every position except pitcher, catcher, and center field while with the Mets and is a fan favorite.

-2007 Topps '52 Rookies Autographs Levale Speigner rookie autograph. A journeyman, Levale Speigner has pitched well in the Minors (as well as out of the bullpen, where he has a solid 4.58 ERA), but has been shelled to the tune of an ERA of an 11.79 ERA as a starting pitcher in the Majors. A sinkerball pitcher, most of his starting troubles came as the result of not having a starter's mindset. Most of his bullpen troubles have come as the result of having poor fielding Washington Nationals infield behind him. He could work well for the relief-pitching-starved Nationals, so long as he never starts another game.

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-2007 Upper Deck Black Prominent Numbers Joel Zumaya autograph. Joel Zumaya, a right-handed pitcher with the Detroit Tigers, is probably the hardest thrower is modern professional baseball. On a modern radar gun, he topped off at 104 mph. However, at 60'6" (the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate), Zumaya's fastest pitch registered 92.7 mph. By comparison, an exhausted Steve Dalkowski hit 93.8 mph without a pitching mound or a warmup (about 105 on a modern radar gun), Atley Donald hit 96 mph (about 107), Bob Feller hit 98.5 mph (about 108 mph on a modern radar gun), and Nolan Ryan hit 100.1 (a shade over 109 mph on a modern gun). Many baseball fans often wonder as to why pitchers have gotten faster over the years; it's because the radar gun reads the pitch just ten feet from the pitcher's hand. That said, Zumaya still throws incredibly hard. Although he's suffered from control problems this year, he's usually not too bad and gives up very few hits. He's also had terrible luck with regards to having freak injuries, too. He got tennis elbow just before the 2006 World Series arfter playing the video game Guitar Hero. In Spring Training 2007, he ruptured a tendon in his middle finger after hurting it while playing catch. After the 2007 season, while helping his parents evacuate their home from encoraching wildfires, a suitcase containing a bowling ball fell on his shoulder and he needed surgery. He's come back with relatively poor control (and has been unable to take the closer's role from washed up closer Todd Jones) and one can only wonder what the next weird injury is going to be. I hope nothing, considering the Tigers are my AL team.

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I have to get off now, so I'll blaze through this one...

-2006 Just Stars White Donald Veal autograph (top pitching prospect with the Chicago Cubs)

-2006 Topps '52 Rookies Henry Owens rookie card, signed (Pitching prospect with the Florida Marlins; the Mets traded him away. His disastrous pitching mechanics have landed him on the DL over a dozen times in the Majors and Minors)

-1989 Pacific Legends Carl Erskine, signed (Erskine was the number two starter on the 1950's Brooklyn Dodgers teams)

-2003 Upper Deck Team USA Signed Jersey Huston Street autograph/jersey swatch (Street is the Oakland A's closer)

-2006 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Ultimate Signatures 3 Sean Casey autograph/Oliver Perez autograph/Jason Bay autograph. (Casey is a good bench bat and great clubhouse guy with the Boston Red Sox after having played well with Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, Perez is the number three starter for the New York Mets, and Bay is the regular left fielder with the Boston Red Sox)

-2004 Bowman Chrome Draft Gio Gonzalez autograph (A star pitching prospect with three organizations, the promising left-hander has hit some bumps in the road in his rookie season in the Majors, but he should be fine. He gave up the 250,000th homerun in Major League history to Tigers DH Gary Sheffield while with the Oakland A's, his current team).

-2004 Fleer Genuine Insider Genuine Autographs Magglio Ordonez autograph ("Maggs" is the star outfielder for the Detroit Tigers right now and probably the only guy who has consistently hit well this year. To see the autograph, you actually pull out a little tab on the bottom of the card. It's kinda neat, though you unfortunately cannot display the card with the autograph showing.)

More later!

I can't get over how much you know about the players you have in your collection. Amazing catalog of knowledge as well as the large number of signed cards.

Thank you very much for the compliments! Baseball is second only to guns as a hobby of mine and honestly, while I like guns more, I probably know more about baseball. My firsthand experience with the sport itself (i.e. playing it) has been mixed.

As a right fielder in Little League, I dropped both of the fly balls hit to me and made contact with a pitched baseball precisely once, but I also had a good arm, good plate discipline (I walked 18 times in 26 plate appearances), and I was fast (I stole 16 bases and wasn't caught once). They moved me to pitcher (which I'd been wanting to do) during the Fall Instructional Clinic. I pitched a 6-inning game there where I struck out 11 batters.

At age 13, I moved up to Babe Ruth League ball, where I pitched well in scrimmages (what you'd call intra-squad games in organized baseball), but then got so physically ill that I couldn't continue. I tried pitching again in the early spring, but I felt something in my arm and was in agony. Combination of horrible pitching mechanics and zero conditioning.

After taking six years off, I've started pitching in my backyard with much better pitching mechanics and I throw about 200 pitches a week without strain on my arm. I modeled my pitching motion on mid career Bob Feller and that seems to have worked (watched a bunch of slow-motion clips of him). I have nowhere near the speed I had in Little League or Babe Ruth League relative to my age group, but it's fun and gets me out of the house.

Do you think you will play with an organized team of some sort again? Pitching isn't all speed you know. Or maybe get into coaching some day?

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-Judy Johnson signed Hall of Fame plaque postcard. I'll reprint the text as it appears on the card: "Considered best third baseman of his day in Negro Leagues. Outstanding as fielder and excellent clutch hitter who batted over .300 most of career. Helped Hilldale team win three flags in row, 1923, '24, '25. Also played for 1935 champion Pittsburgh Crawfords." Judy Johnson (who got his nickname because he stuttered as a child with his given name of Julius) was perhaps the hardest man in black baseball to strike out, too, according to the pitchers who faced him. He'd foul off any pitches he didn't like. Unfortunately, by the time baseball integrated, Johnson was well past his prime.

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-Al Jackson signed 8x10. A fixture on the awful 1962-1965 New York Mets, Jackson became the staff ace once Roger Craig left. The problem of course was that Jackson was almost exactly the same type of pitcher Craig was...a sinkerball pitcher who relied heavily on his infield defense (which was non-existent on the early 1960's Mets). Jackson was a left-hander with a good curve and changeup, too, so he would get more strikeouts than Craig, but he still relied far too heavily on the groundball to pitch effectively for the Mets. During the pitiful 1962 season, Jackson went 8-20 with a 4.40 ERA, though showed flashes of brilliance by throwing four shutouts, including 2 one-hitters. He improved to 13-17 the next year, and his ERA got better too, dropping to 3.96. Over his entire career, Jackson went 67-99, but with a solid 3.98 ERA. Interestingly, he briefly came back to the Mets as a reliever in 1968 (they traded him away in 1966 and he responded by having his best ever season with the St. Louis Cardinals; he again pitched well in 1967). Early in the 1969 season, when the Mets went on to win the World Series against all odds, they sold Jackson to the Cincinnati Reds after a calcium deposit showed up in his elbow. That one transaction could sum up his entire hardluck career in microcosm.

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-1975 Topps Rookie Catchers-Outfielders Gary Carter RC/Marc Hill RC/Danny Meyer RC/Leon Roberts RC. Well, first off, "RC" stands for "rookie card." The key guy here is Gary Carter, the Hall of Fame catcher with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets as his two primary teams. Nicknamed "Kid" initially because he craved attention "like a little kid," the moniker soon was changed to reflect his undying enthusiasm. He went to the All-Star Game 11 times, was an excellent fielder, and could hit for both power and average. He finished his career with a .262 batting average (but a much higher .335 on-base percentage), 324 homeruns, 2,092 hits, and 1,225 RBI's. He hit .280 in postseason play (with a .320 on-base percentage) and in 30 games, he got 33 hits, including 8 doubles, a triple, and 4 homeruns. He had 21 RBI's over that span. I have his autograph in the post I had to rush through.

-1975 Topps George Brett RC. George Brett, a terrific five-tool player, is arguably the greatest third baseman of all time (Mike Schmidt may be better, but Brett is the hands-down winner as greatest third baseman ever to play in the American League; Schmidt only played in the National League). He batted .305 with a .369 on-base percentage, had 3,154 hits, stole 201 bases, hit 317 homeruns, drove in 1,595 runs, and was selected to 13 All-Star teams over his 21-year career. He was the American League MVP in 1980. Because of his superb hitting prowess, his fielding is often overlooked, but in his prime, he was a fine fielder.

-1999 Fleer/Sports Illustrated Greats of the Game Autograph Collection Bill Lee autograph. Nicknamed "The Spaceman" because of his positively bizarre behavior, Lee's career was probably curtailed simply because no sane man wanted to manage him. A whacked out leftover from the late 1960's, he didn't smoke marijuana, he ATE it. A rabble-rouser in every clubhouse he was in, he would immediately start trying to undermine his manager as soon as Spring Training began. Yet, he loved the fanbase of the Boston Red Sox (the team that he pitched for from 1969-1978) and cooperated just enough to have three excellent years with them as a starter from 1973-1975. He ran into arm problems in 1976, but in 1978 came back at full strength. In 1979, he signed with the Montreal Expos and went 16-10. However, he quickly declined afterwards, injuring his arm again. He was done by 1982. He went 119-90 over his career with a pretty good 3.62 ERA. Though a lunatic, Lee is at the very least a person who loves baseball.

-2006 Bowman Signs of the Future Troy Tulowitzki autograph. The future of the Colorado Rockies at shortstop, Troy draws many valid comparisons to a younger Derek Jeter, though is a far superior fielder. Though he's had a sub-par 2008, it's because of first a hip problem and then getting hit by a flying bat shard. In 2007, which seems to be the season he's most likely to replicate without the problems of 2008, he batted .291 with an excellent .358 on-base percentage, 24 homeruns, 99 RBI's, 104 runs scored, and 7 stolen bases. Tulowitzki also finished runner-up to Ryan Braun in the NL Rookie of the Year voting that year.

-2006 Upper Deck World Baseball Classic Inaugural Images Ormari Romero. The ace pitcher of the Santiago de Cuba Wasps in the Nacional Serie, Romero is also a member of the Cuban National Team. He pitched well during the World Baseball Classic, which is supposed to replace Olympic baseball and will be held every three years; that started in early 2006 and the second one will be held in early 2009.

More later!

"Do you think you will play with an organized team of some sort again? Pitching isn't all speed you know. Or maybe get into coaching some day?"

Probably not. While pitching isn't all speed and I can throw in the 80's (I throw a four-seam fastball, changeup, palmball, slider, and curve for strikes), I'm also 5'7". While I could see myself pitching with an amateur league once I move, I can't see myself ever playing any kind of serious organized baseball. Coaching? I'd honestly love that, but you have to have connections/prior playing time with a professional or college team for that, almost without exception.

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-2002 Just Justifiable Minors Rich Harden autograph. Tabbed as the fourth ace of the Oakland A's pitching rotation (after Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, and Mark Mulder) when he came up in 2003, Rich Harden has been nothing short of phenomenal; 41-20 with a 3.25 ERA and 601 strikeouts in 601 innings pitched over his career. He throws a hard, mid 90's 4-seam fastball, hard curve, slider, and hybrid split-fingered fastball/knuckleball he calls "the spuckler." But there's a hitch: Rich Harden can't stay healthy. With the exception of 2004, he's been injured somehow every year of his career. Worse, it's mostly been arm-related problems. What seems to mystify Harden's observers is that he has a very low risk arm action with regards to injury. Although he flies open with his glove (which is risky for your arm because your torso undergoes a lot more stress), I've never seen or heard of a pitcher that merely flies open being injured this much. It's possible he has a poor conditioning regimen or is just a very physically frail individual, but after that, I'm out of options. The A's finally gave up on Harden this year, trading him to the Chicago Cubs for the usual boatload of prospects. With the Cubs, in 10 starts, he's 5-1 with a 1.65 ERA (though in only 60 innings, and therefore not eligible for the ERA title).

-2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects Mitch Canham first year card autograph. Mitch, who was drafted in 2007, batted .285 in his first full season this year with a superb .382 on-base percentage (when a guy shows that much plate patience, even in the low Minors, he'll make the Majors somehow), 8 homeruns, 81 RBI's, 41 extra-base hits, and (surprisingly for a catcher) 13 stolen bases. Mitch has shown himself to be a good fielder and game-caller behind the plate and is likely on the fast track to make the Majors Leagues.

-2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects Daniel Bard first year card autograph. Daniel Bard was taken straight out of college by the Boston Red Sox in the 2006 draft, but didn't sign until the season was over. He started his pro career the next year. This is what's called a "draft-and-follow" and it was for the most part banned in the 2007 season (only a player who is completely done with schooling may be allowed to be signed as a draft-and-follow now). Well, Daniel Bard can throw 100 mph, has a vicious slider, a plus changeup, and a developing curve. The problem in 2007 was that he couldn't find the plate with a roadmap. In 75 innings, though he gave up only 76 hits, he also walked 78 and struck out 47. He threw an incredible 27 wild pitches. It became obvious that Bard was suffering from a mental block and cards like this one plummeted so far on eBay that I got this one (auction advertised free shipping) for $1.76. But the Red Sox made an interesting decision with Bard this year. He'd been used as a starter. After deleting his curveball, they converted him into a reliever in 2008. At Class A Greenville, he posted an incredible 0.64 ERA in 28 innings, surrendering only 4 walks and striking out 43. As a reward, he was promoted to the Class AA Portland Sea Dogs, where he "dropped" to a 1.99 ERA in 49 1/3rd innings pitched with 64 strikeouts and 26 walks (though he gave up only 30 hits). Daniel Bard appears well on his way to the Boston Red Sox relatively weak bullpen and is finally realizing his potential.

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-2006 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Exquisite Rookie Signatures Reflections Jeremy Bonderman autograph/Justin Verlander autograph. I talked a little bit about Bonderman above. Great talent, but a risky arm action that curtails (though probably doesn't destroy) his career. Justin Verlander is another story. His pitching mechanics are the kind a kid should copy in Little League or Babe Ruth League. The 2006 AL Rookie of the Year went 17-9 with a 3.63 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 186 innings with fewer than 130 professional innings pitched the previous year. The next season, he went 18-6 with a 3.66 ERA in 201 innings pitched with 183 strikeouts. He made the AL All-Star Team that year, too. However, because the Tigers rushed him to the Majors so fast, Justin has been having problems with dead arm/tired arm (not an injury; you have to pitch through it, though doing so is not fun). His infield defense (aside from strikeouts, Justin also generates a lot of groundouts) has also been atrocious. As such, his 10-16 record with a 4.78 ERA is really a lot better than it looks. He's also kept up his strikeout rate, and in 192 innings, ahs struck out 151. He's likely to improve markedly next year with this season as an aberration. Justin throws a high 90's fastball that occassionally will hit triple digits, a knucklecurve, a slider, and a changeup.

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-2006 Upper Deck SP World Baseball Classic Future Watch Norberto Gonzalez. The left-handed ace of the Cienfuegos Shrimpers in Cuba, I wrote about Norberto at length in my first post.

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-2006 Upper Deck SP World Baseball Classic Future Watch Eriel Sanchez. I wrote about the slugging Sancti Spiritus Roosters catcher in my first post. However, note the typo on the card calling him "Elier Sanchez." Although there is a guy who pitches in Cuba named Elier Sanchez (a left-handed starter with a good screwball, also a member of the National Team, but I can't for the life of me remember which team he pitches for), this is not him.

-2007 Just Minors Autograph Bonus Oscar Tejeda autograph. A shortstop signed out of the Dominican Republic at age 17 in 2007 by the Boston Red Sox, Oscar is a "projectability prospect." The type where he has the kind of physique to become a five-tool player, but isn't one yet. However, four of his tools are present: hitting for average (though he only hit .261 this year, he proved markedly statististically unlucky, with a ton of line drive outs), speed (stole 11 bases in 97 games), fielding (incredible range for his age), and a good arm (although he needs to control it...he threw something on order of 15 balls he fielded right past his first baseman). The power isn't there yet; he only hit four homeruns. With that being said, I'll take plate patience over power any day of the week. And plate patience is something Oscar Tejeda is definitely NOT short on. He put up a .301 on-base percentage, 40 points higher than his batting average, and that's considering that he gets swing-happy at times. His plate discipline will only improve. With shortstop a weak position for Boston, Oscar has a legitimate shot at taking the starting spot in a four or so years.

-1968 Topps Braves Rookie Stars Jim Britton RC/Ron Reed RC. Although Jim Britton didn't go very far due to arm problems combined with control problems, Ron Reed was at first a very solid starter and then reinvented himself as an ace reliever. 1968 was Ron Reed's third year of Major League service (and his first full season), but in 1968, Topps sometimes gave out rookie cards pretty late, as is the case here. He went 11-10 with a 3.35 ERA that year...not bad, but he was a surprise addition to the 1968 NL All-Star Team. He improved to 18-10 with a 3.47 ERA the next season, but hurt his arm in 1970. He rebounded very quickly, having a pretty good 1971, but had arm problems again in both 1972 and 1973. Despite a good season in 1974 and a good start to a season in 1975, the Braves dealt him to the St. Louis Cardinals because they considered him an injury risk. At the end of the season, the Cardinals traded Reed to the Philadelphia Phillies for a power-hitting center fielder prospect named Mike Anderson. Anderson never really panned out, but Reed would be converted into a relief pitcher in Philadelphia, where he shined. He ripped off 8 very good seasons in a row and pitched lights-out baseball in both the 1980 and 1983 World Series. In 1984, the Phillies traded Ron to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for aging former Mets number two starter Jerry Koosman. Not sure it was the first time a 41-year-old pitcher was traded for another 41-year-old pitcher, but it's not something that happens every day. Despite an excellent record in 1984 as Chicago's closer, he retired the next season. Ron also played NBA basketball (a sport about which I know precisely nothing) from 1965-1967. He threw a fastball, a slider, a curve, and an occassional slip-pitch. His incredibly herky-jerky delivery is probably what contributed to his injuries as a starting pitcher.

-1963 Fleer Maury Wills RC. Yes, that's correct. Maury Wills, the 1962 NL MVP, did not have a rookie card until 1963. Though he came up in 1959, he had a contract dispute with Topps, only resolving it in 1967. Although Fleer produced baseball cards from 1981-2005 without interruption, they tried in 1963 to challenge Topps' monopoly. However, primarily due to a limited set checklist, they failed. As for Maury Wills, he was the feared leadoff hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A switch-hitter who was an expert in drag-bunting, Wills became the first player since the Dead Ball Era in 1920 to steal over 100 bases (105 to be exact). A gritty ballplayer who was very difficult to strike out, Wills also had pretty good plate discipline and was good at working walks. Though he would hit only 20 homeruns over his 14-year career, Maury proved that the longball isn't everything. He got 2,134 hits, scored 1,067 runs, drove in 458 (considering how weak the bottom of the Dodger batting order was and Wills batted leadoff, that's by no fault of his own), stole 586 bases over his career, and hit .281 with a .330 on-base percentage. Though some see Wills as a Hall of Fame candidate, for me he misses, albeit not by that much.

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Rafael Furcal autograph. The current shortstop of the Los Angeles Dodgers and a five-tool player. I wrote about him on the first page, I believe.

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Mark Mulder autograph. Mark Mulder was one of the three aces of the Oakland A's pitching staff from about 2000-2004, the other two being Tim Hudson and Barry Zito. Mulder struggled his rookie year in 2000, going 9-10 with a 5.44 ERA, but he showed flashes of brilliance. In 2001, his brilliance was realized as he went 21-8 in 229 1/3rd innings pitched with a 3.45 ERA and 153 strikeouts. He also threw four shutouts. He followed that up with a year where he went 19-7 with a 3.47 ERA. In 2003, though he only went 15-9, he posted a 3.13 ERA and made the AL All-Star Team. In 2004, his last with the Oakland A's, he went 17-8 with a 4.43 ERA, though still made the AL All-Star Team. Sensing something may have been wrong with his arm, A's GM Billy Beane dealt him to the St. Louis Cardinals for Danny Haren (last year's ace of the A's since dealt to the Diamondbacks for SIX prospects), Kiko Calero (a good set-up man for a few years), and Daric Barton (the current A's starting first baseman). In 2005, Mulder went 16-8 for the St. Louis Cardinals with a 3.64 ERA. But he also began having arm problems. From 2006-2008, he has gone a combined 6-10 with an ERA in excess of 8.00. Mulder's case is an interesting one as while he has a good arm action, his tempo (that is, how fast he gets the ball to the plate) is downright awful. From watching comparative videos of him, he seems to be fighting his own momentum as opposed to when he was healthy in 2004. He's probably not done...no left-hander retires at the age of 30...but his glory days are likely long gone unless some pitching coach corrects his flawed mechanics.

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Juan Salas rookie autograph. I wrote about Salas earlier. Tampa Bay Rays reliever signed as a shortstop.

-2000 Bowman Draft Mike Bynum rookie autograph. Mike Bynum looked like a very promising left-handed starting pitcher when he was drafted (in the first round of the 1999 draft), but arm problems derailed his career completely by 2004. His inability to get Major League right-handed hitters out also hurt him. In 2003, with the San Diego Padres, he gave up 14 homeruns in just 36 innings. But 2004 (where he pitched a third of an inning, gave up four earned runs, posted a 54.00 ERA...) was not the end of him in professional baseball. The Detroit Tigers and New York Mets both tried him out in Spring Training and he almost made the Tigers in 2005. However, another arm injury put him out of action until 2007, which is when the Mets tried him out in Spring Training and concluded (correctly) that he was done.

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Kevin Gregg rookie autograph. Once the Marlins closer, Kevin Gregg recently lost the job due to inexplicable control lapses. He'd been relatively successful over the course of his career, but has blown something on order of six or seven save opportunities this year. The right-hander throws a fastball, a slider, and a curve. He also had a marginally successful career with the Angels. The Oakland A's surprisingly released him before he ever threw a Major League pitch with them.

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I'll try and make this a little shorter and easier to read.

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Yorvit Torrealba rookie autograph. The Colorado Rockies backup catcher who did a great job down the stretch in 2007 with them.

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Chris Richard autograph. Chris Richard was tabbed as the next Cal Ripken for a while but went bust due to a near total inability to hit left-handed pitching.

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Milton Bradley autograph. Nicknamed "Gameboy" for obvious reasons, Milton Bradley has a long rapsheet and has played for six teams in nine seasons. With that said, he's a very good ballplayer on the field. His 2007 season came to and end when he suffered a hip injury while charging an umpire (who was verbally baiting him to come attack him...real smart!).

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Eric Munson autograph. Another hyped prospect that went bust, Eric Munson's idea of hitting was to swing wildly at every single pitch until you made contact and hit a homerun. Nicknamed "The Human Air Conditioner" because he struck out so much, Munson hit 49 homeruns in only 1,055 at-bats. But over that same span, he also hit only .214 with a decent (considering his batting average) .289 on-base percentage (and most of that is due to two years of patient hitting with the Houston Astros, 2006 and 2007). He was also a very poor fielder. He's still playing professional baseball in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, but I think it's safe to call Munson a bust.

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Rob Bell autograph. Rob Bell was a pretty solid swingman for 7 years with a couple different teams. He looked like he was going to be a full-time starter at first, but had serious control problems that made him into a "sixth starter." This year, pitching in the Chicago White Sox organization, he's struggled badly at AAA ball (ERA of 8.03) and the outlook for his ever making the Majors again doesn't look too good.

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Pat Burrell autograph. The slugging left fielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, Burrell is known for his surly attitude toward the Philadelphia fans (probably as a result of getting booed so much). "Pat the Bat" finally comes up for free agency after the season and may well leave Philadelphia. As a hitter, his resume is pretty good: .257 career batting average (but with a superb .367 on-base percentage), 249 homeruns in 1,296 career games, 820 RBI's, and 651 runs scored. However, his fielding is atrocious.

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Grant Roberts autograph. Grant Roberts was considered the most promising pitcher in the New York Mets farm system for several years. However, horrendous attitude problems, video-taping himself smoking marijuana, abusing his girlfriend, and being clubhouse poison in general made sure his talent went completely to waste. I know of three different people (none of whom know each other) that asked Grant for an autograph at a game and were flipped the bird and/or cussed out crazily.

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Jason Tyner autograph. A contact hitter who relies solely on contact (all of 4 homeruns in his professional career), Tyner is a career .275 hitter with a solid .314 on-base percentage. A career fourth outfielder due to his complete lack of power, Tyner was regardless the New York Mets' first round draft pick in 1998. Though the round afterward was somewhat weak, the pick was considered a head-scratcher, even at the time. Tyner's full name is Jason Renyt Tyner, with his middle name being his last name spelled backwards. He also had the interesting disinction of having a character on the TV series JAG named after him (when Petty Officer Tyner was finally given a first name, series creator and baseball fan Donald Bellisario said it was Jason because of the speedy outfielder; he would later name all sorts of characters in his various TV series at least partly after ballplayers; NCIS main character Leroy Jethro Gibbs was acknowledged to have been named partly for 1950 NL Rookie of the Year Sam Jethroe [and possibly Negro League legend Leroy "Satchel" Paige] and in the same series, a character that used the alias last name of "DiNardo" had it picked up from Oakland A's swingman Lenny DiNardo).

-2000 Bowman Draft Autographs Jason Marquis rookie autograph. A right-hander who needed a change of scenery to live up to his promise, Jason struggled with the Braves before being dealt to the Cardinals, where he finally started living up to his billing. In the 2006 off-season, he signed on with the Chicago Cubs coming off his worst year. However, again a change of scenery did him well, as he's proven a very solid back-end-of-the-rotation starter in his two years with the Cubs. A groundball-dependent sinkerballer, Jason's main problems is that he gets so few strikeouts that he's literally a statistical creation of how well his infield defense is. On a good-fielding team, he should have much to worry about. On a bad one, he'll he pretty bad. Jason is actually a pretty good hitter for a pitcher and has four career homeruns with a batting average over .200.

More later!

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-2003 Leaf Limited Phenom Autographs Jose Contreras rookie autograph. Ever seen the movie Major League? Well, probably...most baseball fans have. But if you haven't, there's this character named Pedro Cerrano who is a swing-at-everything hitter with a lot of power who defected from Cuba for reasons of religious freedom. One of the coaches in the film asks "what's his religion?" The Cleveland Indians manager responds "Voodoo." Throughout the film, we get to see Pedro make offerings of rum to Jobu, the god that helps him hit breaking pitches, ask to sacrifice a live chicken before a playoff game, and worship baseball cards of Willie Mays. Okay, that's gotta be all Hollywood, right? Wrong! Although a few parts were exaggerated a bit, the religion that the imaginary Cerrano subscribed to is real, albeit called "Santeria," or "Way of the Saints" (probably got renamed for the movie because they didn't want to get sued by any practitioners of Santeria). It evolved in Cuba in the 1700's blending African and Spanish beliefs into one religion. Well, it got treated like any other religion when communism came to Cuba...it was banned and brutally suppressed. Now, enter Jose Contreras. Golden right arm, can throw 95-96 mph, knee-buckling curve, great slider, awesome changeup, and he threw a screwball that he's since deleted from his repertoire. Well, it took him no time flat to become the ace of the Pinar del Rio Green Sox and he quickly earned a spot on the Cuban National Team. But Jose was not only a devout follower of Santeria, he was an ordained priest in its teachings. As Castro's atheist regime and the ace pitcher that was also a Santeria priest started to bind against each other, Contreras fled the National Team when it was touring in Mexico. He debuted the next year with the New York Yankees at age 33 (approximately) and showed tremendous promise, going 6-1 with a 2.34 ERA as a starter (though 1-1 with a 7.43 ERA out of the bullpen). He was wildly inconsistent in 2004, though this was probably due to a strained muscle in his shoulder as well as Castro threatening the well-being of his wife and two daughters (desperate, he later paid a smuggler over $10,000 to get them out...I don't blame him). The Yankees traded Contreras midway through the season to the Chicago White Sox, where he immediately improved. Between the two teams, he went 13-9 with a 5.50 ERA. In 2005, he went 17-9 with a 3.61 ERA and began throwing a sinker to replace his screwball. The following year, he went 13-9 with a 4.27 ERA and made the AL All-Star Team. Pitching injured in 2007 after having thrown out his back, he went 10-17 with a 5.57 ERA. He quickly rebounded in 2008, however, going 7-6 with a 4.54 ERA. But the probably-40+ year old Contreras ruptured a tendon when a ground ball bounced off his leg. He's expected to miss the rest of this season and, given his age, he may never be the same pitcher he once was. Contreras, along with good friend Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez are two of Castro and communism's harshest critics, even among Cuban defectors. It was Contreras who first spoke out that the Cubans who had said they were only playing baseball in the US to make Cuba look good was nonsense and that they were saying it out of fear of physical harm coming to their families. Good guy in my book, even if his religious beliefs are a little unique.

-2001 Topps Golden Anniversary Prospect Autographs Rocco Baldelli. A top prospect taken in the 2000 Amateur Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Rocco Baldelli was nicknamed "The Woonsocket Rocket" because of his hometown. A five-tool player, Rocco could hit for power and average, had good speed, could field, and had a great arm. In 2003, he burst onto the Major League scene, batting .289 with a fair .326 on-base percentage, 11 homeruns, 27 stolen bases, and 78 RBI's. He was third in AL Rookie of the Year voting. The next year, he upped his homerun and walk totals. He appeared destined for stardom. And that's when the injuries happened. In 2005, he had to miss the entire season. In 2006, he was looked upon as a "glass player." In 2007, he was accused of dogging it. But in Spring Training, 2008, he was put on the 60-day disabled list after being diagnosed with an unknown mitochondrial illness that caused chronic fatigue (suffering from a rare chronic fatigue illness myself, I can sympathize). He's played in 20 games down the stretch this year, only used on days where he's gotten a day off to rest. Baldelli's days as a ballplayer are probably sadly numbered. What he has is not too terribly different from what I have, and when I feel bad, I can barely get myself out of bed. Even though it probably doesn't look like it on paper, the mere fact that he's playing at all is a testament to his devotion to and love of baseball. Sorry I only have time for two players, but I have to get off now.

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-2007 TriStar Autothentics Elvis Andrus autograph. Elvis Andrus is a top prospect for the Texas Rangers, coming to the organization via the trading away of top slugger Mark Teixeira to the Atlanta Braves. Originally tabbed as a five-tool player at shortstop, it's doubtful that he'll ever develop power. However, Elvis can excellent plate discipline, walks a lot, and can steal bases with the best of them. Also a good bunter. He's a future leadoff or two-hole hitter who hasn't yet turned 20.

-2007 TriStar Autothentics Collin Balester autograph. Collin Balester was the last real pitching prospect that the Montreal Expos drafted. Equipped with a good fastball, overhand curve, and great changeup, the right-hander finally made the Majors this year. He's done pretty well, going 3-6 this season in 13 games (all starts) with 73 innings pitched, only 27 walks, 45 strikeouts, and league average 4.54 ERA (which is pretty good considering his experience level). He's had trouble with the homerun ball on occassion, but with polish and experience, he should make a good top of the rotation starter with the Washington Nationals for years to come.

-2006 Topps Autographs Clint Barmes autograph. A promising infielder with great defensive abilities for the Colorado Rockies, Clint Barmes had his career somewhat curtailed in the most bizarre of ways. In 2005, after it looked like he'd finally broken out and got himself a starting job, teammate Todd Helton (an avid hunter, supporter of gun rights, religious Christian, and all-round good guy) gave him a huge slab of frozen venison as a gift. Well, apparently Todd forgot to tell him you're supposed to cut game into small pieces. When attempting to haul the meat up the stairs of his apartment, he slipped and fell down the stairs, and then frozen side of venison fell right on top of him, breaking his collarbone. Barmes struggled through 2006 and 2007, though after shifting to second base in 2008, he's finally putting up the kind of numbers that he was supposed to put up (batting a career high .291 with a solid .322 on-base percentage, 8 homeruns, 38 RBI's, 38 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases in only 361 at-bats). Still, Clint's injury has to rank up there as one of the strangest over the past decade in baseball.

-2006 Upper Deck SPx World Baseball Classic Winning Materials Shunsuke Watanabe game-used jersey swatch card. Due to a back injury, Japanese right-hander Shunsuke Watanabe throws straight underarm. I can't remember who did the comparison, but somebody got a few photographs together of past and present submarine pitchers and found that Watanabe had the lowest release point of any of them. His style of pitching brings to mind Elden Auker (see page one)...sinkers, changeups, curves, forkballs, and something called the gyroball; he basically throws everything at a hitter but the kitchen sink. Although he plays in Japan currently (with the Chiba Lotte Marines, managed by US-born former Mets manager Bobby Valentine), he's given the Major Leagues thought and would probably work really well as a late inning relief pitcher type over here.

-1990 ProCards Manny Acta, signed. Manny Acta, as a player, was a nowhere Minor Leaguer who could field well at second base (and had a great arm) but couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat. However, he went onto a Minor League managing and then coaching career that brought him through several organizations. A revered bench coach, Manny was a terrific instructor and clubhouse presence. And it's for exactly that reason that the Washington Nationals signed him on to be their manager in 2007. Using a combination of old-school baseball and basic sabermetric (think Bill James or Billy Beane) principles, he took a team that was so bad they were expected to lose more games than the 1962 Mets and briefly competed with them, finishing over the Florida Marlins in the NL East. This year, however, Acta's ballclub was plagued by the injury bug and his team is well in last in the NL East. But I wouldn't write Manny off. He's a very smart guy who knows baseball; once a real organization with actual talent and a general manager who knows what he's doing needs a manager, Manny Acta is generally thought of as the next Terry Francona-type manager with the ability to take a competitive team and push it all the way to the World Series.

-1979 TCMA Sandy Consuegra, signed. See the first page for a description of Sandy, who arguably had the best slider in Cuban baseball history (if only he could've thrown some other pitch, too...)

-2006 Topps Generation Now Curtis Granderson, signed. Curtis Granderson, the leadoff man for the Detroit Tigers, is one of the best guys to get an autograph of through the mail in all of baseball. He signs everything and he'll throw in a note here and there. Well, the first time I ever saw "Grandy" on TV was June 16, 2006 on WGN against the Chicago Cubs. I saw the double (number 15 that season; he wound up with 31) depicted on the card. As such, I just had to send that one, even though it was a glossy card and likely to smear (it did, I have Granderson on non-glossy cards, though). He signed the card and also threw in a nice note. A 20/20 man with an annual total of about 20 steals and 20 homers, it's nice to see that a current player like Granderson still cares about the fans and hasn't let the fame go to his head.

-2006 Bowman Prospects Blue Yobal Duenas first year card. Yobal Duenas (with a tilde over the n) was a guy who one of my friends who came here from Cuba said to keep an eye on if and when he ever defected. Slick-fielding infielder, not much of a bat. Played shortstop and second base with the Pinar del Rio Green Sox (which has given MLB its second most successful Cuban defectors, as my Green Sox fan friend always points out). He defected in early 2004 at age 33 (shaved a year off his listed age) and spent almost an entire year with no baseball activities. He appeared in 4 games with the Gulf Coast League Yankees that year and that was it. In 2005, he rebounded and split the year between AA and AAA. He batted .265 with a .296 on-base percentage in 78 games, even hitting three homeruns. However, he was out of condition and injured a few times. He retired after 2006 Spring Training, though proved he could hold his own in pro baseball.

-2008 Topps Create Your Own Card Steve Dalkowski. In 2008, Topps announced a promotion where you could create your own baseball card and they'd print it. You had to print out 8 of 'em at least, but they would do it. So I did Steve Dalkowski, my namesake and sports idol. I currently have that card autographed (signed in person) and framed on my wall.

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Dennis Ribant signed 8x10. Dennis Ribant was probably the most talented pitcher that the mid-1960's New York Mets produced as a home-grown product. He had a great fastball, slider that broke almost exactly like Bob Gibson's, and he'd throw a slow curve with the same grip as the slider, only his arm slowed down. Broke straight down. The Mets strangely used Ribant as a reliever his first two years, which I think stunted his development. Then, in 1966, he went 11-9 (with a last place team) in 188 1/3rd innings pitched and had a good ERA of 3.20. Unfortunately, the Mets coaching staff had not yet acquired Rube Walker, its first good pitching coach. Ribant's mechanics were altered dramatically and he wound up hurting his arm. The Mets traded him to the Pirates the next year, where he went 9-8 as a swingman (38 games, 22 starts) with a poor-for-the-era 4.08 ERA. The Tigers picked him up in 1968 and he pitched very well exclusively as a relief pitcher while the Tigers tried getting to throw how he'd thrown in 1964 and 1965. They did, but his pitching through arm problems had really started to destroy his arm. He went to the White Sox, did poorly there, and then pitched 8 games between the Cardinals and Reds in 1969. He pitched in the Minors in 1970 and then he was done. My Dad is convinced that had the Mets not altered his delivery, he'd have been the fourth part of the 1-2-3 punch in the 1969 Mets starting rotation that was Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, and Gary Gentry (Nolan Ryan was a swingman at that stage in his career). I also believe he played professional hockey.

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-2006 Bowman Originals Buybacks 2005 Bowman Draft Yunel Escobar rookie autograph. Yunel Escobar was the key pinch-hitter off the bench for the Ciudad Habana Industriales from 2001-2004, playing primarily shortstop but also a myriad of other positions when the situation called for it. Defecting in early 2005 because he could no longer stand the Castro government interfering with his life, Yunel entered the amateur draft, unlike most Cuban ballplayers, who simply sign as amateur free agents. The Atlanta Braves took him in the second round, based partially on the advice of catcher Brayan Pena, who had been Yunel's neighbor growing up and played on the same youth teams. He did extremely well in the Minors and was in the Majors by 2007. Able to get his family out of the country that year (and saying that for the first time in his entire life, he was truly happy), he hit .326 with a fantastic .385 on-base percentage with Atlanta (in 94 games, albeit, but it was no fluke). He was a rocky fielder, but improved this year playing shortstop every day. This year, he's hit .288 with a .366 on-base percentage, 10 homeruns, 60 RBI's, 71 runs scored, 36 total extra-base hits, and fielded his position well. He's likely got a lock on the shortstop position for the next few years, at least. Off the field, Yunel says that his current number one goal is to learn English to the best of his ability. He's made great strides and now does interviews in English (I guess he saw the success Adrian Hernandez had with that; I was told "El Duquecito" is working on becoming a professional translator).

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-2005 Topps Rookie Cup Kevin Whelan autograph rookie card/Roger McDowell autograph. Kevin Whelan is a promising reliever in the New York Yankees organization (traded from the Tigers organization), but the real story here is Roger McDowell. The right-handed closer for the 1986 and 1988 New York Mets (opposite lefty closers Jesse Orosco and Randy Myers), Roger McDowell was a true workhorse out of the bullpen, and in the 1986 World Champion season went 14-9 (with a 3.02 ERA, to boot). Over his career, he went 70-70 with 723 games pitched, 159 saves, and a sparkling 3.30 ERA. Best known off the field for his clowning around, McDowell would sometimes light firecrackers in the bullpen, give fellow players the hot foot, go at his fellow relief pitchers with squirt guns, occassionally wore his uniform backwards or upside-down, and once showed up to Spring Training wearing a kilt. He would often play catch with a frisbee with the fans and, when asked for his autograph, he'd always give it, though would sometimes ask "Can I have yours, too?" Currently the Atlanta Braves pitching coach, he's toned down the zany behavior, but will still sign autographs if you send him a baseball card and a nice note.

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-2006 Bowman Sterling Howie Kendrick autograph/game used jersey swatch card. Howie Kendrick is the tremendously promising second baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (gotta love that team name...). Though his career has been hampered because of freak injuries (i.e. breaking his hand after getting hit by a pitch, having a bat shard hit him during batting practice, and then breaking his finger while trying to bunt after getting hit by the pitch), he hasn't shown signs of falling apart. In 246 career games, Kendrick has batted .306 with a fine .333 on-base percentage, 12 homeruns, 22 stolen bases, 106 RBI's, and 120 runs scored. He's also a fine fielder with great range and an above average arm. Howie Kendrick is a guy to keep an eye on.

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-2005 Donruss Signature Series Prospect Combos Brandon McCarthy rookie autograph/Anibal Sanchez rookie autograph. I have to go, so I'll make this quick: McCarthy is a high-ceiling prospect for the Texas Rangers (since traded from the Chicago White Sox) who has had a myriad of arm injuries due to a risky arm action. If he can make it through the injuries though, he'll be a tremendous talent. Anibal Sanchez is significantly less risky, though he too is overcoming an arm surgery (as a result of being overworked/having his arm trashed by Florida Marlins rookie manager Joe Girardi). Dealt from the Boston Red Sox to the Florida Marlins in early 2006, Sanchez missed most of the 2007 season with Tommy John surgery. He's back in 2008, however, and doing fine though despite two rough starts. If he's used correctly and not run into the ground, he projects as an ace level starter. During his rookie season in 2006 with the Marlins, he threw a no-hitter.

More later!

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-2004 Fleer Greats of the Game Autograph Collection Rusty Staub autograph. Rusty Staub was one of the early Houston Colt .45's and was in fact the last active player to play while the team was called that/before Colt sued the team for copyright infringement. He came up in 1963. A left-handed-hitting outfielder/first baseman, Rusty truly busted out with the inaugural 1969 Montreal Expos, becoming the team's first legitimate star. He earned the moniker "Le Grand Orange," thus becoming the first player the Montreal press gave a nickname. Despite that, he lasted only three seasons before being dealt to the New York Mets. There, he became an integral part of the pennant drive in 1973. With a woeful offense, Rusty was the Mets' lone power hitter that could also hit for a respectable average. True to the intelligence level of their front office, in 1976, the Mets decided to trade Rusty to the Detroit Tigers for a washed up Mickey Lolich. Though he only played three and a half seasons in Detroit, here too he was a fan favorite. In 1979, Rusty briefly went back to the Montreal Expos for their stretch run, but they traded him to the Texas Rangers in the off-season for two never-was busted prospects. After a so-so season with the Rangers, Rusty re-signed with the New York Mets, serving as the best left-handed bat off the bench on the 1984 and 1985 teams that made serious playoff runs but fell short. Rusty retired after the 1985 season, missing the 1986 Mets by a year. In 2,951 career games, he batted .279 with an excellent .362 on-base percentage, 292 homeruns, 2,716 hits, 1,466 RBI's, and 1,189 runs scored, playing with mostly weak teams until the end of his career. In his lone postseason appearance, during the 1973 season with the Mets, Rusty batted .341, including .423 in the World Series (which he'd almost certainly been MVP of had the Mets won). An extreme borderline Hall of Fame candidate, I would say that Rusty falls short.

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-2002 SPx Top Prospects Signatures Hansel Izquierdo rookie autograph. A former member of the Cuban Junior National Team who defected at Miami International Airport in 1993, Hansel has played professional baseball in one form or another since 1995. He first played in the Florida Marlins organization but was soon traded to the Chicago White Sox. He never played with the White Sox in the Majors, being traded to first the Indians and then back to the Marlins. With Florida in 2002, he appeared as a swingman in 20 games (18 relief appearances, 2 starts) for the Major League team. With a 4.55 ERA, he was decent, though not above average. Back to the Minors in 2003, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox, and then the Montreal Expos. In 2004, he split the season between the Yankees, Cubs, and Pirates organizations. In 2005, his last season in US baseball, he played in the Pirates organization. In 2006, he played in the Mexican League team in Navojoa. In 2007, he signed on with the Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan. Although he pitched well there, he was asked by gamblers to throw a game (apparently not that rare in Taiwanese baseball) and had enough after that, returning to the Mexican League in 2008 with Tabasco. With a 62-54 professional record, Hansel is one of the rare pitchers since 1990 with over 100 decisions in non-Major League professional baseball.

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-2007 Topps 2006 Highlights Angel Pagan autograph. I wrote a little bit on Mets fan favorite Angel Pagan earlier.

-2006 SP Authentic Rookie Authentic Signatures Ruddy Lugo autograph. The brother of Boston Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo, Ruddy was signed this year by the New York Mets but was extremely inconsistent in the Minors. Though he was nearly brought into a game twice, Ruddy was released in September after not having throw a pitch. He throws a high 90's fastball, a changeup, and a slurve (curveball with a slider grip). Because he's been in professional baseball since 1999 and only pitched in the Majors in 2006 and 2007, his future is quite uncertain.

-2005 Donruss Prime Patches Major League Materials Livan Hernandez autograph. The first REALLY high-profile Cuban defector to pitch in the Majors, Livan Hernandez was a promising starter with the Isla de Juventud Grapefruit Croppers. He lived in such poverty that he could only afford one shirt and was miserable because of the lack of freedoms. In 1995, he defected in Mexico. To this day, he's extremely charitable because of the feeling of having nothing in Cuba. Quickly signed by the Florida Marlins, Livan pitched in only one game in 1996. But in 1997, during the Marlins championship year, he went 9-3 in 17 games (all starts) with a 3.18 ERA (extremely good for the era). He was the winning pitcher in Game 1 and Game 5 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians. He would later pitch with San Francisco, Montreal/Washington, Arizona, Minnesota, and Colorado. Still pitching at the supposed age of 33 (yeah, right...), his career record is 146-139 with a 4.37 ERA. Livan, who is the half-brother of Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, uses a similar system of changing arm angles and throwing a myriad of junk pitches to achieve success. In 2004 and 2005, he appeared on the NL All-Star team. In 12 post-season games, he has a 3.97 ERA and a won/loss record of 7-3.

-2006 Upper Deck Clear Path to Greatness Signatures Alay Soler autograph. A former pitcher with the Pinar del Rio Green Sox, Alay Soler was one of a handful of Cuban ballplayers to go to college in Cuba. In Cuba, you go to college for one of two reasons: 1) you're a communist or 2) you're highly intelligent and the Castro government wants to make you a communist. Alay Soler was not the former (he's a registered Republican) and didn't want to become a communist. He defected in late 2003 (and was one of the few players since 2000 that specifically listed political views as his reason for defecting, as opposed to poverty or baseball), though missed the 2004 and 2005 seasons due to the slow immigration process from the Dominican Republic (where he'd ended up) to the United States (where he wanted to legally wind up). He caught fire after signing with the New York Mets, pitching incredibly well in Minor League baseball before being called up. In his second Major League start, against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he threw a complete game shutout. Unfortunately, he never won another Major League game. He got hit hard his next four times out and was released during early 2007 after struggling in Spring Training. He struggled badly with Pittsburgh's AA affiliate in Altoona that year, and was released at the end of the season. He finally ended up signing with the Independent League Long Island Ducks, with whom he still pitches. His decline was likely due to his lack of conditioning during the two years he'd missed.

Okay, I'll get more up later!