Random Topps Pro Debut Card of the Week: 2010 Topps Pro Debut #399 Anderson Hidalgo

It's Minor League Monday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Pro Debut Card of the Week:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2010 Topps Pro Debut #399.
• Player Name, position, team: Anderson Hidalgo, third baseman, Beloit Snappers.
• Level-League, Team Affiliation: A-Midwest League, Minnesota Twins.
  
• Minor League Stats (stats with team depicted only): 81 G, 282 AB, 38 R, 89 H, 25 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 28 RBI, 3 SB, 24 BB, 50 SO, .443 SLG, .818 OPS, .316 AVG.
• Any special information about player: Signed with the Twins as a Free Agent before the 2006 season. Bats: right. Throws: right.
• Major League Debut: n/a.
• Baseball America Organizational Ranking After Season with Team: n/a.
• Blurb on the back: "Standing only 5-foot-9, Hidalgo may not have the size and power associated with the classic third baseman, but that doesn't mean he can't hit. After smacking .309 in four seasons at lower levels, he made his full-season debut for the Beloit Snappers in 2010, and skirted .300 much of the year."
• Official Topps Rookie Card: n/a.
• Commentary: Maybe there is a collector out there who collects players who have two common last names as their player name. If there is (and I'm sure there has to be one...) then Anderson Jose Hidalgo would be the player for you. Since signing with the Twins, Hidalgo was taking the slow path up the majors, playing in the rookie leagues for full seasons at a time. Case in point: he spent two seasons in the foreign leagues (Venezuela in 2006 and Dominican Republic in 2007), the Gulf Coast Twins in 2008, the Elizabethtown Twins of the Appalachian League in 2009 (which should have been the team depicted on Hidalgo's jersey), and then the Beloit Snappers in 2010. With the Snappers, Hidalgo would hit a minor league career high .316. He would spend the next two seasons with the Twins' Florida State team, the Fort Myers Miracle, where he appeared in 100 games in 2011, along with six home runs and 44 rbi's. The following year was not much better as his average dipped below .240. The Twins released Hidalgo after the 2012 season. Not giving up on his dreams, however, Anderson joined the independent Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League in 2013, and hopes to latch onto a team for the 2014 campaign..

Next week's featured card will be: 2013 Topps Pro Debut #101. Post will arrive at 9:00 AM CST. Hope you enjoyed this week's installment of Minor League Monday.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama