Card of the Day: 1999 Upper Deck 10th Anniversary Alex Rodriguez

As much of a weirdo as A-Rod is, and as much as I hate the Yankees, I have to respect what he’s done. I just have to.

Trades with Rhubarb Runner and BA Benny

Apologies guys for combining both trades into one post, but I’ve run late on this one long enough. My first trade was with Rhubarb Runner from e Reyhahn, Reyhahn, a blog I’ve enjoyed for quite awhile now. He contacted me with a trade proposal, and we worked something out, with an eye toward a future, larger trade, I hope (the holiday season is just kicking me around timewise). Here’s a sample of what he sent!

 

2009 Topps Traded Gold

 

Very cool, goes straight into the Zim collection. I dig it.

 

2009 Topps Gold

 

And then here’s that OTHER Zim. I’m always happy to get Jordan’s cards, and I like this one a lot – I feel the photo works a lot better with the gold borders than the white ones.

 

2010 Topps Opening Day Blue

 

I think this was my first Opening Day blue card for this year, and I like it a lot. I may try to collect the entire team set.

And the centerpiece of the trade on my end. Everts never really panned out to be much, but I’ve been trying to get his autograph and GU for awhile now; I like obtaining stuff like this from obscure players almost as much as the All Stars, and it’s a nice addition to the collection. Thanks, David! I still plan to dig through that

Okay, now to Mike’s trade. Mike, of course, runs BA Benny’s Baseball Card Buffet and Pack Rip Cafe, both of which are great blogs worth checking out. This was actually our second trade, a follow-up to our previous trade. This began when I saw he had broken a box of 2010 Topps Update and scored some Nationals and Senators that I wanted. Let’s look at the targets first:

 

2010 Topps Traded Gold

 

Well, duh. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to part with this one, but I appreciate that he did. It’s definitely going to occupy a cherished spot in my collection, especially as it has both Stras and Zim on the same card. Very cool.

That coloring job is horrific, but I will always ALWAYS want a card with The Big Train on it. Walter Johnson was the man.

 

Original Back

 

I’ll also always want cards with Killebrew as a National/Senator. He was in Washington for such a brief time that these cards, even reprints, are always a treat.

There were a few other update cards, but that was the core of what I wanted. Of course, it wouldn’t be a trade without a few throw-ins, and he threw in a LOT of cards. My favorite, and what turned out to be my favorite of the package even ahead of the Strasburg, is this:

Detwiler will likely not become much, but this is cool because I have the non-gold edition of this card…putting the gold next to the regular is incredibly sweet. Like I said, sometimes it’s not about the player’s star power; there are lots of other factors.

1999 Bowman Chrome International

The 98 and 99 Bowman Chrome International cards are AWESOME, and this one is no exception.

2006 Topps Own the Game

2006 Topps Stars

A couple of cool 06 Topps inserts.

2006 Topps Trading Places

Another insert that seemed highly appropriate next to Soriano.

2007 Bowman Heritage Refractor/Rainbow

Are these refractors or rainbow cards? I’m never quite sure. Either way, love the set, and I like Jesus Flores. I keep holding out hope he’s not injured again.

There was a lot more stuff, but this is all I really have room for. Thanks a lot, guys! I hope you enjoy what I sent your way.

Expos and Nationals All-Bust Teams 1: All-Failure Expos

This is an idea that’s been kicking around in the back of my head for awhile, and, as I’ve now reached the 500th post, I thought it was time to do something special.

My plan is to separate the two eras, as it wasn’t fair to either team to lump them together. Entry 1 is the Expos; Entry 2 the Nationals; Entry 3 a Battle Royale determining who is the “better” (worse) failed prospect. When that’s done, I’m going to try to acquire some of these key rookie cards that I don’t already have.

The guidelines for this battle:

• Player must have either been a hyped player or selected in the first three rounds.
• Not going for a full 25-man staff. Five starting pitchers, but max three relievers. They’re already kind of failed prospects in some respect as most are converted starters.
• I don’t have to own the key cards (yet). In fact, some may not be available. But I will make an effort to obtain them.

Without further ado…

• 1B: Thomas Pittman – A Supplemental first rounder in 1997, Pittman was a high school first baseman who started with a .152/.264/.196 line in rookie ball and never progressed past High A. His career ended in 2001 with a .244/.301/.373 line. Yuck. Key Card: 1996 Roox Prep Stars. I was unable to find a picture of Pittman, so here’s a sample Roox Prep Star card.

• 2B: Henry Mateo – He was seen as the heir apparent at 2B in Montreal behind Jose Vidro. I don’t think he was ever seen as a phenom or anything like that, but the thought was that he would be a serviceable middle infield guy, and it didn’t pan out. Not a giant disappointment like some of these other guys, just a mild blip. Key Card: 2004 Upper Deck pro Sigs auto

• SS: Hiram Bocachica – Boy, did this guy have high hopes behind him. I’ve already covered him. Key Card: 1997 Bowman Chrome.

• 3B: Boi Rodriguez – My description of Rodriguez when I reviewed 1990 Best: “Boi Rodriguez was someone who could do a convincing impersonation of a prospect, but never really hit enough to get a cup of coffee in the majors. It also didn’t help that as a corner infielder he never slugged above .446 in full-time action.” Key Card: going with the 1990 Best card here.

• C: Nelson Santovenia – Hard to believe, but this guy was a touted prospect at one point. I always thought of him as a guy who took up space in my junk wax packs, but he was a highly drafted catcher that just never lived up to the space Gary Carter left. Key Card: 1991 Topps Desert Shield

• OF: Glenn Murray – Another guy I’ve already talked about. Key Card: 1995 Signature Rookies Auto

• OF: Chris Schwab – Chris was the very first failed prospect covered on NatsTown! You can view his story here. Key Card: 1994 Bowman

• OF: Josh McKinley – Another one I’ve already covered: “McKinley was the Expos’ first choice in the 1998 draft, so big things were expected of the guy. It seems he was a pretty well-regarded amateur player who played with Austin Kearns and Michael Cuddyer in the 1997 World Junior Championships. Unfortunately, it seems that he couldn’t hit in the minors. At all. His highest OPS was a SLG-heavy .834 in 2003.” Key Card: 2004-05 USA Baseball National Team Alumni Sig

• SP: Clint Everts –Everts was picked in the 2002 draft ahead of Prince Fielder, Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher, Zack Grienke, Cole Hamels, and Matt Cain, just to name a few. To this day he has not made the major leagues. He’s still 25, so I’m sure it will happen eventually, but he amply demonstrates the risks of picking a high school pitcher so high. Key Card – 2003 Topps Blue Chips Autographs

• SP: Tavo Alvarez – Already covered him as Failed Prospect #6. Key card- Tough choice. Nothing really stands out; ended up going with his 1993 Fleer Ultra.

• SP: BJ Wallace – Failed Prospect #17. Not sure if he was a bad choice or bad luck. Key Card- 1993 Bowman

• SP: Josh Girdley – The failed prospect so nice, I’ve featured him twice, once as a Failed Prospect, and once as an autograph. Key Card – 1999 Topps Traded Autograph

• RP: Don Levinski – I never even realized Don was an Expos prospect; I remember him as an Orioles relief prospect in 2004, but sure enough, he was a 2001 second-rounder who got dealt first to the Marlins, then the Orioles. I only ever had one card of him, but I saw him pitch for Frederick in 2004 during what would be the beginning of the end of his career. Key Card – 2004 Bowman’s Best auto

• RP: Nate Minchey – Failed Prospect #11. He did at least make the majors for awhile, I suppose. Key card – 1988 O-Pee-Chee Draft

So that’s our all-failure Expos team. Let’s recap:

1. 1B – Thomas Pittman (Never made majors) Career WAR: 0.0
2. 2B- Henry Mateo (Made majors as Expo) Career WAR: -0.7
3. SS- Hiram Bocachica (Made majors as Dodger) Career WAR: -1.1
4. 3B – Boi Rodriguez (Never made majors) Career WAR: 0.0
5. C – Nelson Santovenia (Made majors as Expo) Career WAR: 0.8
6. OF – Glenn Murray (Made majors as Phillie) Career WAR: -0.6
7. OF – Chris Schwab (Never made majors) Career WAR: 0.0
8. OF – Josh McKinley (Never made majors) Career WAR: 0.0
9. SP – Clint Everts (Never made majors) Career WAR: 0.0
10. SP – Tavo Alvarez (Made majors as Expo) Career WAR: -0.3
11. SP – BJ Wallace (Never made majors) Career WAR: 0.0
12. SP – Josh Girdley (Never made majors) Career WAR: 0.0
13. RP – Don Levinski (Never made majors) Career WAR: 0.0
14. RP – Nate Minchey (Made majors as Red Sox) Career WAR: -1.0

That’s right, Nelson Santovenia is the MVP of this sad squad. We’ll look at the Nationals soon.

Finds From The National Part 8: The Throwbacks

As always, I’m a sucker for old-school style revivals, and I came across some that I had never seen before during The National.

Not sure how I feel about this. There are some pretty significant changes to the 1989 design, and they’ve thrown some foil on it. It’s also a lot glossier than the original issue. So it’s not really true to the original, but the set still seems worth having. Just a note, this is the second A-Rod 1989 design card I have, each with a different team. Now they just need to make one in a Yankees uniform and I’ll complete the trifecta. Oh, and I got one other card of this set:

Now that’s a sweet card.

I also found some cards that I was blissfully ignorant of: chrome versions of old Bowman cards! I scooped up every copy I found, which wasn’t much. Anyone know more about these and how many there are?

I also picked up a few 2002 Donruss Originals for my set, short prints, but I haven’t gotten to scanning them and they’re already in the binder with the set. Oh, well. Their time will come on the site.

Okay, only one more entry to go! I thought this might end up taking the whole week, and it looks like it will. Stay tuned…

Nats Autograph: Adam Kennedy

1999 Team Best Autographs

I originally got this because it has the old-school Prince William Cannons logo and uniform, but when Kennedy signed to the Nationals it became a nice little bonus for my Nationals auto collection. Err, that is, if you can consider those hieroglyphics an autograph. I’m not the biggest Kennedy fan…yes, he’s a middle infielder, but he still has an 88 OPS+ career. Add in that his WAR this season for the Nats is 0.1 with a .258/.333/.333 line, and yuck. But I still like this card!

Failed Prospect: Josh Girdley

Girdley appears to have been one of those first-round draft picks that just never panned out; he was apparently a signability pick who was further limited by injury. He was out of baseball by 2004, at age 23, leaving with a lousy 7-15 minor league record and 4.10 career ERA, never advancing past High A.

1999 Bowman

1999 Topps Traded

1999 Topps Traded Chrome

Michael Barrett: The Early Years

I realized last night that I have a considerable collection of cards from Michael Barrett’s early career.

1999 Team Best Autographs

1998 Arizona Fall League Prospects Gold

1998 Bowman

1998 Bowman Chrome

Failed Prospect: Josh McKinley

1999 Topps Traded

We haven’t done one of these in awhile, so why not? McKinley was the Expos’ first choice in the 1998 draft, so big things were expected of the guy. It seems he was a pretty well-regarded amateur player who played with Austin Kearns and Michael Cuddyer in the 1997 World Junior Championships. Unfortunately, it seems that he couldn’t hit in the minors. At all. His highest OPS was a SLG-heavy .834 in 2003.

He never made the majors, and was retired by age 24. So, yeah, a wasted pick. Oh, and I also have the chrome version of this card:

Oddball Parade

Thought I’d show some of my oddballs…

1989 OPC Sticker

1999 Private Stock Mini

1993 Diamond Marks

2003 Bazooka Joe

1993 Diamond Marks

1995 Signature Rookies

Panini Sticker

1994 Tombstone

1986 Leaf

1989 Toys R Us Rookies

1989 K-mart

Nats Auto: Alex Escobar, The Forgotten National

Alex looked like he was going to be something special in 2006, and then he just imploded with injuries. I still have fond memories of the guy, though, so this autograph was a must-have. I hope he catches on somewhere soon.