And Just Like That...The Season is Over!!!

Your 2014 World Series MVP, Madison Bumgarner!!!

For two teams that were not supposed to be here when the World Series started, it proved to be one great series. Two shutouts, three blowouts, and two 3-2 games later, the San Francisco Giants win their third World Series title in five seasons over the upstart Kansas City Royals, thus ending the 2014 MLB season.

So congratulations once again to the San Francisco Giants, the 2014 MLB World Series Champions, for winning their third World Series title in 5 big league seasons. And congratulations to the AL Champion Kansas City Royals for an incredible run in the postseason and for making it really interesting these last few days.

It's going to be a wild offseason, with free agents getting ready to move, and teams ready to restock for the 2015 season. Topps is getting their final stats ready for the 2015 campaign. Take your time folks. You have until February to get the new cards to the masses.

I can't wait. And for now, every team, even my Cubbies, are 0-0.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

ANNOUNCEMENT: Contest Involving 2014 Topps All-Star Rookie Team!!!

It is time once again start the one contest that I hold on this humble, little blog every year. It is a contest of a very high magnitude (for me anyway).

Last night, my annual post on "Meeting the Possible Candidates for the 2014 Topps All-Star Rookie Team" will appear on the blog. With that post, the contest begins.

What do you have to do to enter???

To enter the contest, e-mail me your eleven picks for the team at bdj610@hotmail.com with "All-Star Rookie Team Contest" in the subject line (do not leave your picks in the comments section). Your job is to select the players who you think Topps will bestow their Rookie Cup for their eponymous 2015 Topps set. There are eleven spots open for this team, one for each of these positions: 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, C, three outfielders (regardless of where they play), one left-handed starting pitcher, one right-handed starting pitcher, and one relief pitcher.

If you get more players correct than I do when Topps officially announces the 2014 All-Star Rookie Team (normally announced late in November), you will automatically win a hobby pack of 2014 Topps Updates and Highlights (the regular packs, not the jumbos). So let's say I get seven of the eleven spots right, and you get eight of the eleven correct, you win a free pack of cards!!! (This means if I totally bomb and get all eleven players wrong, then EVERYBODY wins!!!)

Anybody who correctly predicts all the players on the team will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win the grand prize:

A complete 150-card set of 2005 Topps Rookie Cup (suggested Beckett Value $20.00-$40.00).

The drawing (if needed) will be held after the official announcement is made and all winners will be notified via e-mail. Their names will be announced on the blog soon afterwards.

Only one entry per person. Entries must be received by Saturday, November 2, 2013 at 11:59 PM CST.

Good luck to all.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Meet the Possible Contenders for the 2014 Topps All-Star Rookie Team

Okay, the season is more than two weeks over, and the World Series will begin next Tuesday (if you had the Royals and Giants in your World Series pool, you were right...AND YOU'RE LYING!!!). What better time than now to discuss the Top Rookies of 2014?

Why?

Because these are the guys that are going to be strong contenders for the 2014 Topps All-Star Rookie Team, that's why.

Anyway, perusing the MLB website, they have added a set of statistics in a section called the Top Rookie Tracker. This section features just a handful of the players MLB believes are contenders for either League's Rookie of the Year. And believe it or not, the players on the list they have provided stats for well represent each of the positions Topps uses for their Rookie All-Star team (1b, 2b, 3b, ss, three outfield, c, rhp, lhp, and relief pitcher…ahem...will explain this in a minute). So below is a list of potential nominees that the 30 MLB managers will see when they cast their votes for the 2014 Topps All-Star Rookie Team. The stats are as of the end of the 2014 regular season:

First Basemen:
Jose Abreu, CWS (145 G, 0.317, 36 HR, 107 RBI, 0.964 OPS, 3 SB)
Eric Campbell, NYM (85 G, 0.263, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 0.68 OPS, 3 SB)
C. J. Cron, LAA (79 G, 0.256, 11 HR, 37 RBI, 0.739 OPS, 0 SB)
Tommy Medica, SD (102 G, 0.233, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 0.694 OPS, 6 SB)
Jon Singleton, HOU (95 G, 0.168, 13 HR, 44 RBI, 0.62 OPS, 2 SB)
Kennys Vargas, MIN (53 G, 0.274, 9 HR, 38 RBI, 0.772 OPS, 0 SB)

Second Basemen:
Tommy La Stella, ATL (93 G, 0.251, 1 HR, 31 RBI, 0.644 OPS, 2 SB)
Kristopher Negron, CIN (49 G, 0.271, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 0.81 OPS, 5 SB)
Rougned Odor, TEX (114 G, 0.259, 9 HR, 48 RBI, 0.698 OPS, 4 SB)
Joe Panik, SF (73 G, 0.305, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 0.711 OPS, 0 SB)
Jonathan Schoop, BAL (137 G, 0.209, 16 HR, 45 RBI, 0.598 OPS, 2 SB)
Kolten Wong, STL (113 G, 0.249, 12 HR, 42 RBI, 0.68 OPS, 20 SB)

Third Basemen:
Nick Castellanos, DET (148 G, 0.259, 11 HR, 66 RBI, 0.7 OPS, 2 SB)
Brock Holt, BOS (106 G, 0.281, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 0.711 OPS, 12 SB)
Mike Olt, CHC (89 G, 0.160, 12 HR, 33 RBI, 0.604 OPS, 0 SB)
Marcus Semien, CWS (64 G, 0.234, 6 HR, 28 RBI, 0.673 OPS, 3 SB)
Yangervis Solarte, SD (131 G, 0.260, 10 HR, 48 RBI, 0.705 OPS, 0 SB)

Shortstops:
Javier Baez, CHC (52 G, 0.169, 9 HR, 20 RBI, 0.551 OPS, 5 SB)
Xander Bogaerts, BOS (144 G, 0.240, 12 HR, 46 RBI, 0.66 OPS, 2 SB)
Wilmer Flores, NYM (78 G, 0.251, 6 HR, 29 RBI, 0.664 OPS, 1 SB)
Chris Owings, ARI (91 G, 0.261, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 0.706 OPS, 8 SB)
Danny Santana, MIN (101 G, 0.319, 7 HR, 40 RBI, 0.824 OPS, 20 SB)
Eugenio Suarez, DET (85 G, 0.242, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 0.652 OPS, 3 SB)
Chris Taylor, SEA (47 G, 0.287, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 0.692 OPS, 5 SB)

Outfielders:
Jackie Bradley, Jr., BOS (127 G, 0.198, 1 HR, 30 RBI, 0.531 OPS, 8 SB)
Michael Choice, TEX (86 G, 0.182, 9 HR, 36 RBI, 0.57 OPS, 1 SB)
Billy Hamilton, CIN (152 G, 0.250, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 0.648 OPS, 56 SB)
Ender Inciarte, ARI (118 G, 0.278, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 0.677 OPS, 19 SB)
James Jones, SEA (108 G, 0.250, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 0.589 OPS, 27 SB)
Kevin Kiermaier, TB (108 G, 0.263, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 0.765 OPS, 5 SB)
Jake Marisnick, HOU (65 G, 0.249, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 0.607 OPS, 11 SB)
David Peralta, ARI (88 G, 0.286, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 0.77 OPS, 6 SB)
Gregory Polanco, PIT (89 G, 0.235, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 0.65 OPS, 14 SB)
Jorge Soler, CHC (24 G, 0.292, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 0.903 OPS, 1 SB)
George Springer, HOU (78 G, 0.231, 20 HR, 51 RBI, 0.804 OPS, 5 SB)
Oscar Taveras, STL (80 G, 0.239, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 0.59 OPS, 0 SB)

Catchers:
Travis d'Arnaud, NYM (108 G, 0.242, 13 HR, 41 RBI, 0.718 OPS, 1 SB)
Josmil Pinto, MIN (57 G, 0.219, 7 HR, 18 RBI, 0.705 OPS, 0 SB)

Right-Handed Starting Pitchers:
Chase Anderson, ARI (21 GS, 9-7, 4.01 ERA, 105 SO, 1.373 WHIP)
Trevor Bauer, CLE (26 GS, 5-8, 4.18 ERA, 143 SO, 1.379 WHIP)
David Buchanan, PHI (20 GS, 6-8, 3.75 ERA, 71 SO, 1.292 WHIP)
Jacob deGrom, NYM (22 GS, 9-6, 2.69 ERA, 144 SO, 1.140 WHIP)
Kevin Gausman, BAL (20 GS, 7-7, 3.57 ERA, 88 SO, 1.315 WHIP)
Collin McHugh, HOU (25 GS, 11-9, 2.73 ERA, 157 SO, 1.022 WHIP)
Jake Odorizzi, TB (31 GS, 11-13, 4.13 ERA, 174 SO, 1.280 WHIP)
Matt Shoemaker, LAA (20 GS, 16-4, 3.04 ERA, 124 SO, 1.074 WHIP)
Marcus Stroman, TOR (20 GS, 11-6, 3.65 ERA, 111 SO, 1.171 WHIP)
Masahiro Tanaka, NYY (20 GS, 13-5, 2.77 ERA, 141 SO, 1.056 WHIP)
Yordano Ventura, KC (30 GS, 14-10, 3.20 ERA, 159 SO, 1.295 WHIP)

Left-Handed Starting Pitchers:
Roenis Elias, SEA (29 GS, 10-12, 3.85 ERA, 143 SO, 1.314 WHIP)
Tyler Matzek, COL (19 GS, 6-11, 4.05 ERA, 91 SO, 1.394 WHIP)

Right-Handed Relief Pitchers:
Dellin Betances, NYY (70 G, 5-0, 1.40 ERA, 135 SO, 0.778 WHIP, 1 SV)
Jeurys Familia, NYM (76 G, 2-5, 2.21 ERA, 73 SO, 1.177 WHIP, 5 SV)
Ken Giles, PHI (44 G, 3-1, 1.18 ERA, 64 SO, 0.788 WHIP, 1 SV)
David Hale, ATL (45 G, 4-5, 3.30 ERA, 44 SO, 1.466 WHIP, 0 SV)
Tommy Kahnle, COL (54 G, 2-1, 4.19 ERA, 63 SO, 1.194 WHIP, 0 SV)
Carlos Martinez, STL (57 G, 2-4, 4.03 ERA, 84 SO, 1.41 WHIP, 1 SV)
Jake Petricka, CWS (67 G, 1-6, 2.96 ERA, 55 SO, 1.370 WHIP, 14 SV)
Donn Roach, SD (16 G, 1-0, 4.75 ERA, 17 SO, 1.681 WHIP, 0 SV)
Daniel Webb, CWS (57 G, 6-5, 3.99 ERA, 58 SO, 1.493 WHIP, 0 SV)

If you're wondering why I separated the starting pitchers from the relief pitchers, and then if they are right handed or left handed, allow me to explain (conspiracy theory time folks…get something to drink, this may take a while).

As you all know, Topps instituted what I am calling the "Stephen Strasburg" rule in 2010. Somehow, Strasburg was added to the ASRT even though he only pitched in 12 games. Now, Strasburg is a right-handed pitcher. But so is Neftali Feliz, at the time, the star closer for the Rangers, and a player many people believed should have been named onto the team as the RHP. In past years, it didn't matter if a pitcher was a starter or a reliever, only ONE RHP or ONE LHP was chosen for the team (of course there were exceptions…tie votes came into play).

So what does Topps do? For the 2010 Topps All-Star Rookie Team, they added a relief pitcher spot. This ensured not only Feliz' spot on the team, but gave Topps justification to include their poster boy Strasburg.

Then in 2011, instead of continuing the trend of having three pitchers (a RHP, a LHP, and a RP), Topps went back to the two-pitcher format, but instead of it being a RHP and LHP as in years past, the 2011 Topps All-Star Rookie Team included just one Starting Pitcher and one Relief pitcher. In 2012, Topps went back to a "three-person pitching staff" which included a Starting RHP, a starting LHP, and one reliever. This was done again in 2013.

Back to the point. As in past years, this blog has done a contest where the object is to outguess me in choosing the Rookie Teams. The Grand Prize, if a contestant correctly guessed all the members of said team, was a complete 150 card set of 2005 Topps Rookie Cup (appropriate, no?). Anyway, while few have come close, none have won the grand prize. Those who did guess more players correctly than I did would win a pack of that year's Updates and Highlights/Update Series.

Well, we're doing it again.

So take a look at the list above, send me an e-mail (bdj610@hotmail.com) with your picks by November 2, 2014. You can pick the following (11 players total):

• One player each for 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, C,
• Three players for OF,
• One Starting RHP, Starting LHP, Relief RHP.

After November 2, I will make my selections and then we will all wait together until the formal announcements have been made. If you out guess me, let's say I guess seven of the 10 or 11 spots correctly, and you guess eight or more, then you automatically win a Hobby pack of 2013 Topps Update Series. If you guess all the players correctly (if there are ten or eleven, who knows), then you will be entered into a drawing to win the 2005 Topps Rookie Card base set (Beckett Value $20.00 - $40.00). It's that easy. This year, the field is wide open in certain positions (second base, shortstop, outfield, pitcher), so anything goes.

So here's to hopefully many entries by November 2. Good luck.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The 2014 Topps Update Series Checklist is Now Live!

The highly anticipated 2014 Topps Update Series, the final eponymous set of the year, comes out next Wednesday (give or take). Yesterday, Topps posted the checklist on their website (if you can't find the link, don't worry, I couldn't find it either. Here it is if you need it. You can go to their site and download the 32 page checklist, or feel free to peruse the checklist below. Once again, since I don't collect auto or relic or manufactured relic or parallel cards, I am not posting them here. But if you like your base and regular insert sets, and want a checklist, here you go:

BASE:

US-1 Albert Pujols Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US-2 Derek Jeter New York Yankees
US-3 Tom Wilhelmsen Seattle Mariners
US-4 Mark Reynolds Milwaukee Brewers
US-5 Jair Jurrjens Colorado Rockies
US-6 Jose Molina Tampa Bay Rays
US-7 David Price Detroit Tigers
US-8 Josh Harrison Pittsburgh Pirates
US-9 Francisco Rodriguez Milwaukee Brewers
US-10 George Springer Houston Astros Rookie
US-11 Robbie Ross Jr. Texas Rangers
US-12 Brian McCann New York Yankees
US-13 Andrew Heaney Miami Marlins Rookie
US-14 Justin Grimm Chicago Cubs
US-15 Joba Chamberlain Detroit Tigers
US-16 Andrew Brown New York Mets
US-17 Yangervis Solarte San Diego Padres Rookie
US-18 Aramis Ramirez Milwaukee Brewers
US-19 Bronson Arroyo Arizona Diamondbacks
US-20 Gregory Polanco Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie
US-21 Bryan Holaday Detroit Tigers
US-22 Kendrys Morales Seattle Mariners
US-23 Ubaldo Jimenez Baltimore Orioles
US-24 Tony Sanchez Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie
US-25 Masahiro Tanaka New York Yankees Rookie
US-26 Mookie Betts Boston Red Sox Rookie
US-27 Shin-Soo Choo Texas Rangers
US-28 David Freese Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US-29 Tyler Skaggs Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US-30 Elian Herrera Milwaukee Brewers
US-31 Francisco Rodriguez Milwaukee Brewers
US-32 Mark Trumbo Arizona Diamondbacks
US-33 Grady Sizemore Philadelphia Phillies
US-34 Gavin Floyd Atlanta Braves
US-35 Marcus Stroman Toronto Blue Jays Rookie
US-36 Vance Worley Pittsburgh Pirates
US-37 Leury Garcia Chicago White Sox
US-38 Jason Giambi Cleveland Indians
US-39 Brock Holt Boston Red Sox
US-40 Stephen Vogt Oakland Athletics
US-41 Drew Stubbs Colorado Rockies
US-42 J.D. Martinez Detroit Tigers
US-43 Pat Neshek St. Louis Cardinals
US-44 Jesus Guzman Houston Astros
US-45 Pedro Ciriaco Kansas City Royals
US-46 Jake Marisnick Houston Astros
US-47 Steve Tolleson Toronto Blue Jays
US-48 Scott Hairston Washington Nationals
US-49 Willie Bloomquist Seattle Mariners
US-50 Jacob deGrom New York Mets Rookie
US-51 Brandon Guyer Tampa Bay Rays Rookie
US-52 Chase Anderson Arizona Diamondbacks Rookie
US-53 Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers
US-54 Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US-55 Jon Lester Boston Red Sox
US-56 Huston Street Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US-57 Jacob deGrom New York Mets Rookie
US-58 Raul Ibanez Kansas City Royals
US-59 Brandon McCarthy New York Yankees
US-60 David Ross Boston Red Sox
US-61 Ryan Kalish Chicago Cubs
US-62 Adam Eaton Chicago White Sox
US-63 David Murphy Cleveland Indians
US-64 LaTroy Hawkins Colorado Rockies
US-65 Chad Qualls Houston Astros
US-66 Marc Krauss Houston Astros
US-67 Scott Van Slyke Los Angeles Dodgers
US-68 Justin Turner Los Angeles Dodgers
US-69 Dellin Betances New York Yankees
US-70 Jarrod Saltalamacchia Miami Marlins
US-71 Justin Masterson St. Louis Cardinals
US-72 Chris Young New York Mets
US-73 Francisco Cervelli New York Yankees
US-74 Antonio Bastardo Philadelphia Phillies
US-75 Nick Punto Oakland Athletics
US-76 Daric Barton Oakland Athletics
US-77 Wil Nieves Philadelphia Phillies
US-78 Reid Brignac Philadelphia Phillies
US-79 Clint Barmes Pittsburgh Pirates
US-80 Josh Harrison Pittsburgh Pirates
US-81 Seth Smith San Diego Padres
US-82 Joaquin Arias San Francisco Giants
US-83 Brandon Hicks San Francisco Giants
US-84 Brandon Maurer Seattle Mariners
US-85 Daniel Descalso St. Louis Cardinals
US-86 Cesar Ramos Tampa Bay Rays
US-87 Allen Craig Boston Red Sox
US-88 Jon Singleton Houston Astros Rookie
US-89 Stephen Drew New York Yankees
US-90 Steve Lombardozzi Baltimore Orioles
US-91 Nate McLouth Washington Nationals
US-92 Jeff Samardzija Oakland Athletics
US-93 Troy Patton San Diego Padres
US-94 Tuffy Gosewisch Arizona Diamondbacks Rookie
US-95 Vidal Nuno Arizona Diamondbacks Rookie
US-96 Eugenio Suarez Detroit Tigers Rookie
US-97 Salvador Perez Kansas City Royals
US-98 Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs
US-99 Scott Kazmir Oakland Athletics
US-100 Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox Rookie
US-101 Kyle Blanks Oakland Athletics
US-102 Daniel Murphy New York Mets
US-103 Starlin Castro Chicago Cubs
US-104 Luis Sardinas Texas Rangers Rookie
US-105 Ehire Adrianza San Francisco Giants Rookie
US-106 Collin Cowgill Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US-107 Josh Collmenter Arizona Diamondbacks
US-108 Ryan Doumit Atlanta Braves
US-109 David Lough Baltimore Orioles
US-110 Jackie Bradley Jr. Boston Red Sox
US-111 Emilio Bonifacio Atlanta Braves
US-112 Alfredo Simon Cincinnati Reds
US-113 Oscar Taveras St. Louis Cardinals Rookie
US-114 Jeff Francis New York Yankees
US-115 Nyjer Morgan Cleveland Indians
US-116 Brett Anderson Colorado Rockies
US-117 John Lackey St. Louis Cardinals
US-118 Collin McHugh Houston Astros
US-119 Mike Dunn Miami Marlins
US-120 Randy Wolf Miami Marlins
US-121 Kyle Crockett Cleveland Indians Rookie
US-122 Jeff Baker Miami Marlins
US-123 Lyle Overbay Milwaukee Brewers
US-124 Nick Tepesch Texas Rangers
US-125 Jason Bartlett Minnesota Twins
US-126 Omar Quintanilla New York Mets
US-127 David Phelps New York Yankees
US-128 Luke Gregerson Oakland Athletics
US-129 Mike Adams Philadelphia Phillies
US-130 Tony Watson Pittsburgh Pirates
US-131 Chris Denorfia Seattle Mariners
US-132 Tyler Colvin San Francisco Giants
US-133 Chris Young Seattle Mariners
US-134 Tony Cruz St. Louis Cardinals
US-135 Jake Odorizzi Tampa Bay Rays
US-136 Dioner Navarro Toronto Blue Jays
US-137 Doug Fister Washington Nationals
US-138 Asdrubal Cabrera Washington Nationals
US-139 Jason Hammel Oakland Athletics
US-140 Nick Hundley Baltimore Orioles
US-141 Chris Dickerson Cleveland Indians
US-142 Jon Lester Oakland Athletics
US-143 Jake Peavy San Francisco Giants
US-144 Hector Rondon Chicago Cubs Rookie
US-145 A.J. Pierzynski St. Louis Cardinals
US-146 Neftali Soto Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US-147 James Jones Seattle Mariners Rookie
US-148 Kyle Parker Colorado Rockies Rookie
US-149 C.J. Cron Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Rookie
US-150 Jon Singleton Houston Astros Rookie
US-151 Robinson Cano Seattle Mariners
US-152 Josh Donaldson Oakland Athletics
US-153 Kurt Suzuki Minnesota Twins
US-154 Yu Darvish Texas Rangers
US-155 Devin Mesoraco Cincinnati Reds
US-156 Ronald Belisario Chicago White Sox
US-157 Joe Smith Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US-158 Eric Chavez Arizona Diamondbacks
US-159 Tyler Pastornicky Atlanta Braves
US-160 Delmon Young Baltimore Orioles
US-161 Edward Mujica Boston Red Sox
US-162 Yoenis Cespedes Boston Red Sox
US-163 Ramon Santiago Cincinnati Reds
US-164 Joe Kelly Boston Red Sox
US-165 Justin Morneau Colorado Rockies
US-166 Andrew Romine Detroit Tigers
US-167 Jeff Francoeur San Diego Padres
US-168 Austin Jackson Seattle Mariners
US-169 Chone Figgins Los Angeles Dodgers
US-170 Matt Davidson Chicago White Sox Rookie
US-171 Chase Whitley New York Yankees Rookie
US-172 Tucker Barnhart Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US-173 Jose Bautista Toronto Blue Jays
US-174 Jace Peterson San Diego Padres Rookie
US-175 Oscar Taveras St. Louis Cardinals Rookie
US-176 Michael Brantley Cleveland Indians
US-177 Dee Gordon Los Angeles Dodgers
US-178 Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers
US-179 John Baker Chicago Cubs
US-180 Chris Taylor Seattle Mariners Rookie
US-181 Tony Gwynn Jr. Philadelphia Phillies
US-182 Chris Colabello Minnesota Twins
US-183 Kelly Johnson Boston Red Sox
US-184 Danny Santana Minnesota Twins Rookie
US-185 Juan Francisco Toronto Blue Jays
US-186 Arismendy Alcantara Chicago Cubs Rookie
US-187 Jonathan Herrera Boston Red Sox
US-188 Paul Maholm Los Angeles Dodgers
US-189 Brandon Cumpton Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie
US-190 Jose Altuve Houston Astros
US-191 Yoenis Cespedes Oakland Athletics
US-192 Pat Neshek St. Louis Cardinals
US-193 Robinson Chirinos Texas Rangers
US-194 Hector Santiago Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US-195 Gerald Laird Atlanta Braves
US-196 Erisbel Arruebarrena Los Angeles Dodgers Rookie
US-197 Marcus Stroman Toronto Blue Jays Rookie
US-198 Adam Jones Baltimore Orioles
US-199 Julio Teheran Atlanta Braves
US-200 Masahiro Tanaka New York Yankees Rookie
US-201 Derek Norris Oakland Athletics
US-202 Rubby De La Rosa Boston Red Sox Rookie
US-203 Cole Figueroa Tampa Bay Rays Rookie
US-204 Chris Capuano New York Yankees
US-205 Reed Johnson Miami Marlins
US-206 Chris Perez Los Angeles Dodgers
US-207 Rajai Davis Detroit Tigers
US-208 Joakim Soria Detroit Tigers
US-209 Roger Bernadina Cincinnati Reds
US-210 George Springer Houston Astros Rookie
US-211 Jordan Schafer Atlanta Braves
US-212 Randy Choate St. Louis Cardinals
US-213 Stefen Romero Seattle Mariners Rookie
US-214 Tommy La Stella Atlanta Braves Rookie
US-215 Paul Goldschmidt Arizona Diamondbacks
US-216 Andrew McCutchen Pittsburgh Pirates
US-217 Charlie Furbush Seattle Mariners
US-218 David Carpenter Atlanta Braves
US-219 Mike Olt Chicago Cubs
US-220 Roenis Elias Seattle Mariners Rookie
US-221 Gregory Polanco Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie
US-222 Brandon Moss Oakland Athletics
US-223 Yasiel Puig Los Angeles Dodgers
US-224 Jared Burton Minnesota Twins
US-225 Luis Avilan Atlanta Braves
US-226 Chris Coghlan Chicago Cubs
US-227 Ryan Wheeler Colorado Rockies
US-228 Aaron Crow Kansas City Royals
US-229 Sam Fuld Oakland Athletics
US-230 Kurt Suzuki Minnesota Twins
US-231 Brendan Ryan New York Yankees
US-232 Scott Carroll Chicago White Sox Rookie
US-233 Nelson Cruz Baltimore Orioles
US-234 Felix Hernandez Seattle Mariners
US-235 Tommy Hunter Baltimore Orioles
US-236 Jerome Williams Texas Rangers
US-237 Jorge Polanco Minnesota Twins Rookie
US-238 Giancarlo Stanton Miami Marlins
US-239 Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox
US-240 Aaron Sanchez Toronto Blue Jays Rookie
US-241 Michael Choice Texas Rangers Rookie
US-242 Javier Lopez San Francisco Giants
US-243 Jesse Chavez Oakland Athletics
US-244 Daisuke Matsuzaka New York Mets
US-245 Andrew Heaney Miami Marlins Rookie
US-246 Erick Aybar Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US-247 Tony Watson Pittsburgh Pirates
US-248 Brayan Pena Cincinnati Reds
US-249 Eduardo Nunez Minnesota Twins
US-250 Yu Darvish Texas Rangers
US-251 Ike Davis Pittsburgh Pirates
US-252 Adrian Nieto Chicago White Sox Rookie
US-253 Kevin Kiermaier Tampa Bay Rays Rookie
US-254 Adrian Beltre Texas Rangers
US-255 Jonathan Lucroy Milwaukee Brewers
US-256 Garrett Jones Miami Marlins
US-257 Eduardo Escobar Minnesota Twins
US-258 Matt Carpenter St. Louis Cardinals
US-259 Craig Kimbrel Atlanta Braves
US-260 Jhonny Peralta St. Louis Cardinals
US-261 Rene Rivera San Diego Padres
US-262 Eddie Butler Colorado Rockies Rookie
US-263 Kyle Seager Seattle Mariners
US-264 Freddie Freeman Atlanta Braves
US-265 Yoervis Medina Seattle Mariners
US-266 Drew Smyly Tampa Bay Rays
US-267 Jonathan Diaz Toronto Blue Jays Rookie
US-268 Matt Shoemaker Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Rookie
US-269 Max Scherzer Detroit Tigers
US-270 Hunter Pence San Francisco Giants
US-271 Juan Perez San Francisco Giants Rookie
US-272 Mark Ellis St. Louis Cardinals
US-273 Martin Prado New York Yankees
US-274 Chris Withrow Los Angeles Dodgers
US-275 Boone Logan Colorado Rockies
US-276 Rougned Odor Texas Rangers Rookie
US-277 Chris Sale Chicago White Sox
US-278 Rafael Montero New York Mets Rookie
US-279 Kevin Frandsen Washington Nationals
US-280 Cole Gillespie Toronto Blue Jays
US-281 David Buchanan Philadelphia Phillies Rookie
US-282 Glen Perkins Minnesota Twins
US-283 Tyson Ross San Diego Padres
US-284 Robbie Ray Detroit Tigers Rookie
US-285 Cody Allen Cleveland Indians
US-286 Brandon Barnes Colorado Rockies
US-287 Mike Bolsinger Arizona Diamondbacks Rookie
US-288 Aroldis Chapman Cincinnati Reds
US-289 Adam Wainwright St. Louis Cardinals
US-290 Cam Bedrosian Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Rookie
US-291 Jake McGee Tampa Bay Rays
US-292 Chase Utley Philadelphia Phillies
US-293 Tom Koehler Miami Marlins
US-294 Chris Martin Colorado Rockies Rookie
US-295 Greg Holland Kansas City Royals
US-296 Tyler Moore Washington Nationals
US-297 Zack Greinke Los Angeles Dodgers
US-298 Bobby Abreu New York Mets
US-299 Charlie Blackmon Colorado Rockies
US-300 Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers
US-301 Mookie Betts Boston Red Sox Rookie
US-302 Tom Gorzelanny Milwaukee Brewers
US-303 Jarred Cosart Miami Marlins
US-304 Nick Martinez Texas Rangers Rookie
US-305 Sean Doolittle Oakland Athletics
US-306 Logan Forsythe Tampa Bay Rays
US-307 Santiago Casilla San Francisco Giants
US-308 Zelous Wheeler New York Yankees Rookie
US-309 Alexei Ramirez Chicago White Sox
US-310 Troy Tulowitzki Colorado Rockies
US-311 Josh Tomlin Cleveland Indians
US-312 Matt Thornton New York Yankees
US-313 Derek Dietrich Miami Marlins
US-314 Corey Dickerson Colorado Rockies
US-315 Carlos Gomez Milwaukee Brewers
US-316 Ian Krol Detroit Tigers
US-317 Marwin Gonzalez Houston Astros
US-318 Logan Schafer Milwaukee Brewers
US-319 Ricky Nolasco Minnesota Twins
US-320 Koji Uehara Boston Red Sox
US-321 Josh Satin New York Mets
US-322 Drew Pomeranz Oakland Athletics
US-323 Chase Headley New York Yankees
US-324 Alexi Amarista San Diego Padres
US-325 Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox Rookie
US-326 Joaquin Benoit San Diego Padres
US-327 Jonny Gomes Oakland Athletics
US-328 Dustin Ackley Seattle Mariners
US-329 Todd Frazier Cincinnati Reds
US-330 Daniel Webb Chicago White Sox Rookie

So here are a few quick notes:

• There are 69 cards on the above list that have the word Rookie listed at the end. However, the checklist Topps posted does not differentiate between which card is the rookie card and which is part of the Rookie Debut subset that Topps stated they would include as part of the set. Ten names are listed twice, so they will most likely be getting the Rookie Debut: Andrew Heaney, George Springer, Gregory Polanco, Jacob deGrom, Jon Singleton, Jose Abreu, Marcus Stroman, Masahiro Tanaka, Mookie Betts, & Oscar Taveras. Abreu and Tanaka are most likely part of the All-Star subset, so that should leave 57 rookie cards in this set.
• The Future Stars theme is over (for now...)
• There are cards for Josh Harrison, Francisco Rodriguez, Pat Neshek, Tony Watson, and Dellin Betances, the five All-Stars who didn't have base cards in the regular set (or in the retail sets), in Update Series. Betances is the only one of the five who has only one card in the set. This means that the other four definitely will have both base cards and All-Star subset cards. No word where Betances lies (Topps really should have listed which cards were part of the All-Star Subset). Kurt Suzuki, who had a card in Series 1 as a member of the Athletics, has both an All-Star card and a regular card as a member of the Twins (he did have a Twins retail set card). Of course, injured All-Star Matt Wieters does not have a Topps card...again.
• Speaking of All-Star subsets, there were a grand total of 81 players who were named All-Stars in July. Topps said they had 60 cards set aside for an All-Star subset. Even with all the injuries and Sunday replacements, there should have been 68 active participants on the rosters. I can count 63 cards as part of this subset. Lots of guys were left off, including active roster players like Mark Buehrle, Henderson  Alvarez, Miguel Montero, Tim Hudson, Fernando Rodney, Ian Kinsler, and Tyler Clippard.

Now for the fun inserts sets that are going to be part of many master sets that will be sold on the Bay and extra cards in your packs:

THE FUTURE IS NOW
FN-CY1 Christian Yelich Miami Marlins
FN-CY2 Christian Yelich Miami Marlins
FN-CY3 Christian Yelich Miami Marlins
FN-GP1 Gregory Polanco Pittsburgh Pirates
FN-GP2 Gregory Polanco Pittsburgh Pirates
FN-GP3 Gregory Polanco Pittsburgh Pirates
FN-GS1 George Springer Houston Astros
FN-GS2 George Springer Houston Astros
FN-GS3 George Springer Houston Astros
FN-JA1 Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox
FN-JA2 Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox
FN-JA3 Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox
FN-JS1 Jon Singleton Houston Astros
FN-JS2 Jon Singleton Houston Astros
FN-JS3 Jon Singleton Houston Astros
FN-MB1 Mookie Betts Boston Red Sox
FN-MB2 Mookie Betts Boston Red Sox
FN-MB3 Mookie Betts Boston Red Sox
FN-MW1 Michael Wacha St. Louis Cardinals
FN-MW2 Michael Wacha St. Louis Cardinals
FN-MW3 Michael Wacha St. Louis Cardinals
FN-NC1 Nick Castellanos Detroit Tigers
FN-NC2 Nick Castellanos Detroit Tigers
FN-NC3 Nick Castellanos Detroit Tigers
FN-OT1 Oscar Taveras St. Louis Cardinals
FN-OT2 Oscar Taveras St. Louis Cardinals
FN-OT3 Oscar Taveras St. Louis Cardinals
FN-YV1 Yordano Ventura Kansas City Royals
FN-YV2 Yordano Ventura Kansas City Royals
FN-YV3 Yordano Ventura Kansas City Royals

1989 TOPPS MINIS DIE CUT
TM-AB Adrian Beltre Texas Rangers
TM-AG Adrian Gonzalez Los Angeles Dodgers
TM-AJ Adam Jones Baltimore Orioles
TM-AM Andrew McCutchen Pittsburgh Pirates
TM-AR Alexei Ramirez Chicago White Sox
TM-BB Billy Butler Kansas City Royals
TM-BH Bryce Harper Washington Nationals
TM-CB Clay Buchholz Boston Red Sox
TM-CD Chris Davis Baltimore Orioles
TM-CG Carlos Gonzalez Colorado Rockies
TM-CKE Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers
TM-CKI Craig Kimbrel Atlanta Braves
TM-DC David Cone New York Mets
TM-DJE Desmond Jennings Tampa Bay Rays
TM-DJT Derek Jeter New York Yankees
TM-DO David Ortiz Boston Red Sox
TM-DW David Wright New York Mets
TM-EE Edwin Encarnacion Toronto Blue Jays
TM-EL Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays
TM-GM Greg Maddux Atlanta Braves
TM-GSP George Springer Houston Astros
TM-GST Giancarlo Stanton Miami Marlins
TM-HK Hiroki Kuroda New York Yankees
TM-HR Hanley Ramirez Los Angeles Dodgers
TM-IK Ian Kinsler Detroit Tigers
TM-IR Ivan Rodriguez Houston Astros
TM-JA Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox Rookie
TM-JC Jarred Cosart Houston Astros
TM-JE Jacoby Ellsbury New York Yankees
TM-JF Jose Fernandez Miami Marlins
TM-JH Jason Heyward Atlanta Braves
TM-JM Joe Mauer Minnesota Twins
TM-JV Joey Votto Cincinnati Reds
TM-LG Luis Gonzalez Arizona Diamondbacks
TM-MCA Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers
TM-MCI Matt Cain San Francisco Giants
TM-MSC Max Scherzer Detroit Tigers
TM-MST Mel Stottlemyre New York Yankees
TM-OV Omar Vizquel Cleveland Indians
TM-PF Prince Fielder Texas Rangers
TM-PG Paul Goldschmidt Arizona Diamondbacks
TM-RA Roberto Alomar Baltimore Orioles
TM-RB Ryan Braun Milwaukee Brewers
TM-RC Robinson Cano Seattle Mariners
TM-RH Roy Halladay Philadelphia Phillies
TM-TT Troy Tulowitzki Colorado Rockies
TM-VG Vladimir Guerrero Texas Rangers
TM-VM Victor Martinez Detroit Tigers
TM-YD Yu Darvish Texas Rangers
TM-YS Yangervis Solarte New York Yankees

FOND FAREWELLS New Insert Set for Update Series

FF-AK Al Kaline Detroit Tigers
FF-CR Cal Ripken Jr. Baltimore Orioles
FF-DJ Derek Jeter New York Yankees
FF-GB George Brett Kansas City Royals
FF-JS John Smoltz Atlanta Braves
FF-MM Mark McGwire St. Louis Cardinals
FF-MR Mariano Rivera New York Yankees
FF-OV Omar Vizquel Toronto Blue Jays
FF-PK Paul Konerko Chicago White Sox
FF-PM Paul Molitor Minnesota Twins
FF-RC Rod Carew California Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
FF-RH Roy Halladay Philadelphia Phillies
FF-RY Robin Yount Milwaukee Brewers
FF-TH Todd Helton Colorado Rockies
FF-WS Willie Stargell Pittsburgh Pirates

WORLD SERIES HEROES New Insert Set for Update Series

WSH-AP Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals
WSH-BM Bill Mazeroski Pittsburgh Pirates
WSH-BR Brooks Robinson Baltimore Orioles
WSH-BSA Bret Saberhagen Kansas City Royals
WSH-BSU Bruce Sutter St. Louis Cardinals
WSH-CC Chris Carpenter St. Louis Cardinals
WSH-CH Cole Hamels Philadelphia Phillies
WSH-CS Chris Sabo Cincinnati Reds
WSH-DC Davd Cone New York Yankees
WSH-DE David Eckstein St. Louis Cardinals
WSH-DF David Freese St. Louis Cardinals
WSH-DJ Derek Jeter New York Yankees
WSH-DO David Ortiz Boston Red Sox
WSH-DS Duke Snider Brooklyn Dodgers
WSH-EM Eddie Murray Baltimore Orioles
WSH-FV Fernando Valenzuela Los Angeles Dodgers
WSH-GB George Brett Kansas City Royals
WSH-GC Gary Carter New York Mets
WSH-GM Greg Maddux Atlanta Braves
WSH-GS Gary Sheffield Florida Marlins
WSH-HA Hank Aaron Milwaukee Braves
WSH-IR Ivan Rodriguez Florida Marlins
WSH-JB Josh Beckett Florida Marlins
WSH-JBE Johnny Bench Cincinnati Reds
WSH-JL John Lackey Anaheim Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
WSH-JM Joe Morgan Cincinnati Reds
WSH-JP Jonathan Papelbon Boston Red Sox
WSH-JS John Smoltz Atlanta Braves
WSH-LH Livan Hernandez Florida Marlins
WSH-MRA Manny Ramirez Boston Red Sox
WSH-MRI Mariano Rivera New York Yankees
WSH-MS Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Phillies
WSH-MW Mookie Wilson New York Mets
WSH-OH Orlando Hernandez New York Yankees
WSH-PMA Pedro Martinez Boston Red Sox
WSH-PMO Paul Molitor Toronto Blue Jays
WSH-PS Pablo Sandoval San Francisco Giants
WSH-RA Roberto Alomar Toronto Blue Jays
WSH-RC Roberto Clemente Pittsburgh Pirates
WSH-RH Rickey Henderson Oakland Athletics
WSH-RJ Reggie Jackson New York Yankees
WSH-RJA Reggie Jackson Oakland Athletics
WSH-RJO Randy Johnson Arizona Diamondbacks
WSH-SC Steve Carlton Philadelphia Phillies
WSH-SK Sandy Koufax Los Angeles Dodgers
WSH-TG Tom Glavine Atlanta Braves
WSH-TL Tim Lincecum San Francisco Giants
WSH-TS Tom Seaver New York Mets
WSH-WF Whitey Ford New York Yankees
WSH-WS Willie Stargell Pittsburgh Pirates

ALL STAR ACCESS New Insert Set for Update Series
ASA-AC Aroldis Chapman Cincinnati Reds
ASA-AJ Adam Jones Baltimore Orioles
ASA-AM Andrew McCutchen Pittsburgh Pirates
ASA-ARA Alexei Ramirez Chicago White Sox
ASA-ARI Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs
ASA-BM Brandon Moss Oakland Athletics
ASA-DG Dee Gordon Los Angeles Dodgers
ASA-DJ Derek Jeter New York Yankees
ASA-DM Daniel Murphy New York Mets
ASA-EA Erick Aybar Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
ASA-FH Felix Hernandez Seattle Mariners
ASA-GS Giancarlo Stanton Miami Marlins
ASA-JB Jose Bautista Toronto Blue Jays
ASA-JS Jeff Samardzija Chicago Cubs
ASA-KU Koji Uehara Boston Red Sox
ASA-MCA Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers
ASA-MCR Matt Carpenter St. Louis Cardinals
ASA-MS Max Scherzer Detroit Tigers
ASA-MT Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
ASA-RC Robinson Cano Seattle Mariners
ASA-SP Salvador Perez Kansas City Royals
ASA-TT Troy Tulowitzki Colorado Rockies
ASA-YC Yoenis Cespedes Oakland Athletics
ASA-YD Yu Darvish Texas Rangers
ASA-YP Yasiel Puig Los Angeles Dodgers

POWER PLAYERS

PP-AG Adrian Gonzalez Los Angeles Dodgers
PP-AJ Adam Jones Baltimore Orioles
PP-AM Andrew McCutchen Pitsburgh Pirates
PP-AP Albert Pujols Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
PP-AR Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs
PP-AW Adam Wainwright St. Louis Cardinals
PP-CGN Carlos Gonzalez Colorado Rockies
PP-CGO Carlos Gomez Milwaukee Brewers
PP-CK Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers
PP-FH Felix Hernandez Seattle Mariners
PP-GS Giancarlo Stanton Miami Marlins
PP-HR Hanley Ramirez Los Angeles Dodgers
PP-JA Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox
PP-JB Jose Bautista Toronto Blue Jays
PP-JE Jacoby Ellsbury New York Yankees
PP-JU Justin Upton Atlanta Braves
PP-MC Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers
PP-MS Max Scherzer Detroit Tigers
PP-MTA Masahiro Tanaka New York Yankees
PP-MTR Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
PP-PG Paul Goldschmidt Arizona Diamondbacks
PP-RC Robinson Cano Seattle Mariners
PP-SR Sergio Romo San Francisco Giants
PP-TT Troy Tulowitzki Colorado Rockies
PP-YV Yordano Ventura Kansas City Royals

The hunt begins Wednesday. Save me a Master Set, will you??!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610’s 2014 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams…The Final Rosters

I was a bit busy yesterday, so I'm sorry if you were waiting for this post (sure you were, right??!)

After going over stats and arguing with myself as to who deserves to be on the team, I have finally finished completing my 36-man teams. I think I can say with confidence that the players who made my All-Star Teams were worthy of inclusion, not just because many of them are major superstars, but because their statistics were high enough above their peers that made them stand out from the rest. And believe me, it was tough to choose. Certain players were left off (I'll list them at the bottom for honorable mentions...and a possible twist.

So, without further ado, here are the players who made my 2014 MLB End of Year All-Star Teams (in alphabetical order by position):

American League First Basemen Jose Abreu, White Sox Miguel Cabrera, Tigers Albert Pujols, Angels Second Basemen Jose Altuve, Astros Robinson Cano, Mariners Brian Dozier, Twins Third Basemen Adrian Beltre, Rangers Josh Donaldson, Athletics Evan Longoria, Rays Shortstops Erick Aybar, Angels Alexei Ramirez, White Sox Jose Reyes, Blue Jays Outfielders Jose Bautista, Blue Jays Michael Brantley, Indians Yoenis Cespedes, Red Sox Nelson Cruz, Orioles Jacoby Ellsbury, Yankees Torii Hunter, Tigers Adam Jones, Orioles J. D. Martinez, Tigers Mike Trout, Angels Catchers Yan Gomes, Indians Brian McCann, Yankees Salvador Perez, Royals Designated Hitter Victor Martinez, Tigers Pitchers Zach Britton, Orioles Wade Davis, Royals Felix Hernandez, Mariners Greg Holland, Royals Corey Kluber, Indians Jon Lester, Athletics David Robertson, Yankees Fernando Rodney, Mariners Chris Sale, White Sox Max Scherzer, Tigers Jered Weaver, Angels

National League First Basemen Lucas Duda, Mets Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers Anthony Rizzo, Cubs Second Basemen Dee Gordon, Dodgers Daniel Murphy, Mets Chase Utley, Phillies Third Basemen Todd Frazier, Reds Casey McGehee, Marlins Anthony Rendon, Nationals Shortstops Starlin Castro, Cubs Ian Desmond, Nationals Johnny Peralta, Cardinals Outfielders Carlos Gomez, Brewers Matt Holliday, Cardinals Andrew McCutchen, Pirates Hunter Pence, Giants Seth Smith, Padres Denard Span, Nationals Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins Justin Upton, Braves Jayson Werth, Nationals Catchers Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks Buster Posey, Giants Designated Hitter Justin Morneau, Rockies Pitchers Madison Bumgarner, Giants Aroldis Chapman, Reds Johnny Cueto, Reds Zack Greinke, Dodgers Kenley Jansen, Dodgers Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers Craig Kimbrel, Braves Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals Adam Wainwright, Cardinals Tony Watson, Pirates Jordan Zimmermann, Nationals

Most of the position players were chosen based on statistics comparing the top eight position players in each league (hits, runs, home runs, rbi's, walks, strikeouts, stolen bases, caught stealing, and batting average). In most cases, the players I had chosen earlier due to the one person per team rule made the top three.

In previous years, I tended to show a little more bias to Chicago players (on both sides) in cases where if I thought I could choose them over another person, I would (hey, I'm from Chicago, what can I say). But since I'm now announcing these publicly (compared to doing this privately in my mind), I thought I'd try to be as open minded as I can and pick the proper deserving players. Although both Chicago teams didn't fare very well this season (heck, even the priest of our church said prayers couldn't help them win the division this year, and this was before Opening Day). But all five Cubs or White Sox players who were selected to participate in the game (save the guy who was traded to Oakland) made it onto the teams this year. Sole player reps on teams this year include the Astros (Altuve), Rangers (Beltre), Rays (Longoria), Red Sox (Cespedes), Twins (Dozier), Diamondbacks (Montero), Padres (S. Smith), Phillies (Utley), and Rockies (Morneau). The Tigers send a league-high five players to the AL squad. The Nationals again have five players to the team, most in the NL. The Orioles and Cardinals each send four players onto the All-Star Teams.

There are 22 players on both rosters making my All-Star Teams for the very first time, eleven on each side.

Are there snubs? You bet. On the AL, as mentioned before, the DH spot was an issue, only because I only allow one spot on the roster for it. It was a three-man race between the Astros' Chris Carter, the Red Sox' David Ortiz, and the Tigers' Victor Martinez. Although MLB makes the AL add two DH's to their team (a starter voted by the fans, and then a backup voted by the players), with all of the great hitters already on the team, I see no need to add more than one DH to the teams, especially when I actually run simulations. Second base was also very contentious. Because I picked Brian Dozier of the Twins during my "every team needs a rep" portion in selecting the teams, it knocked out the Tigers' Ian Kinsler. It was a toss-up either way between Kinsler and Cano, for the last second base position.

On the NL side, I decided to place NL batting champion Justin Morneau as the DH. That left one first baseman spot open. It was also a tossup between the Braves' Freddie Freeman and the Dodgers' Adrian Gonzalez, with Gonzalez eventually being my pick. Second base was a tough call between Dee Gordon of the Dodgers and the Pirates' Neil Walker. Because I'm taking into consideration that I am actually simulating games, I decided to add the speedy Gordon rather than the Walker as there are enough sluggers on the NL side. The NL outfield started with Stanton, Smith, and Gomez. I actually wound up picking two more RF's (Pence/Werth), CF's (McCutchen/Span), and LF's (Holliday/Upton). But those picks left out players like Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies, Matt Kemp of the Dodgers, and Marcell Ozuna of the Marlins.

Now it's time to add a poll to this website, something I haven't done in quite a while, and will leave it up and running for a while. This is also the first time I'm going to let the readers (if I have any out there) have a say on who makes these teams, so if this works (meaning I get enough people voting), it may be something I'll do every year.

Just like MLB's Final Man Vote, I am going to list five players for each league. Tell me which snub should have been added to the team. The players are:

American League RP Dellin Betances, Yankees DH Chris Carter, Astros SP Wei-Yin Chen, Orioles 2B Ian Kinsler, Tigers DH David Ortiz, Red Sox

National League OF Charlie Blackmon, Rockies 1B Freddie Freeman, Braves OF Matt Kemp, Dodgers RP Francisco Rodriguez, Brewers 2B Neil Walker, Pirates

I'll give this a go for two-weeks. The players with the most votes (and you will only be allowed to pick one player, unless you go on multiple computers and continually vote) will be added to the above teams in what I will call the "HBC Final-Man selection." They will be added to the rosters when I run my simulations next year. Again, if there are enough votes for this, I will make this a yearly thing. Otherwise, this might just be a one-hit wonder and will be scrapped.

So ends the presentation for my 2014 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams. Please feel free to comment, debate, tell me that I did a good job, or that I don't know what I'm talking about and should have put in this person for another.

I promise I will get to running the simulations (thanks to SBS baseball) once the stats are uploaded onto the website next year. This way, we can see which of the above squads would win if they faced each other. I will also make sure images of all the cards of the players (if I have to, I'll try and make some) once the Cyber Museum uploads images of the 2014 Update Series cards on their site.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's 2014 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams...Every Team Needs a Representative

With the pitching staffs set in our last All-Star Team post, the next step is to make sure that every team gets at least one representative. I believe in the All-Star rule that every team, no matter how well or how poorly they did, has at least one person they could tag as an All-Star, based on his performance on the field. If it means that another person gets snubbed, that's sadly the way it goes. It does not matter how many spots there are on an All-Star team, someone always manages to be left out.

Now the pitching staffs from both sides locked in one representative from nine of the AL teams and seven of the NL teams. So that means in this post, I am going to name six position players in the AL, and eight in the NL.

On the American League side, the Orioles, White Sox, Indians, Tigers, Angels, Royals, Yankees, Athletics, and Mariners have representatives. These six players will ensure that the AL has all 15 teams represented:

• OF Yoenis Cespedes, Red Sox (.260, 22 HR, 100 RBI)
• 2B Jose Altuve, Astros (.341, 7 HR, 59 RBI)
• 2B Brian Dozier, Twins (.242, 23 HR, 71 RBI)
• 3B Evan Longoria, Rays (.253, 22 HR, 91 RBI)
• 3B Adrian Beltre, Rangers (.324, 19 HR, 77 RBI)
• OF Jose Bautista, Blue Jays (.286, 35 HR, 103 RBI)

With two of the three 2B and 3B positions filled, it's going to be very tough to pick the player who takes the final spot. Many worthy candidates will be left out, I can sadly guarantee. The hardest team to find a proper player rep was probably the Red Sox. Yes, the defending World Series champs had an extremely bad year. And yes, David Ortiz had another fantastic year. The problem is that there is only one spot for the DH, and there were too many guys to consider there. Now, I'm not going to say if Big Papi made the team yet (stay tuned on Thursday to find out), but I figured that Cespedes, with his combined numbers with the A's and Red Sox, was a proper pick. Now, could he be the only BoSox player going?

In the NL, the Braves, Reds, Dodgers, Pirates, Cardinals, Giants, and Nationals have representatives. These eight players will ensure that the NL has all 15 teams represented:

• C Miguel Montero, Diamondbacks (.243, 13 HR, 72 RBI)
• 1B Anthony Rizzo, Cubs (.286, 32 HR, 78 RBI)
• 1B Justin Morneau, Rockies (.319, 17 HR, 82 RBI)
• OF Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins (.288, 37 HR, 105 RBI)
• OF Carlos Gomez, Brewers (.284, 23 HR, 73 RBI)
• 1B Lucas Duda, Mets (.253, 30 HR, 92 RBI)
• 2B Chase Utley, Phillies (.264, 25 HR, 85 RBI)
• OF Seth Smith, Padres (.266, 12 HR, 48 RBI)

Before you go screaming that the 1B spots are now full and that someone may be left out, understand that Justin Morneau won the NL batting title this year, so he needs to be on here. Now, does this mean that he can't be moved over to the DH position (as that is usually filled by the hitter with the best average who had not been picked for the team after the fielding positions were filled)? Duda and Rizzo were picked because they were the best power hitters on their respective teams (Mets and Cubs). Adding Stanton, Gomez, and Smith leaves six outfield spots open, which works out well considering that normally, the OF spots are usually filled by guys who wind up being the sole representative of their team.

Now before you start to say, "Where's this guy?" or, "Why didn't my guy make the team?" Please keep in mind that I'm not done filling out the team. These 14 guys are only here so that all 30 teams have a player. The best (trust me) is still yet to come.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's 2014 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams...The Starting Pitchers

Yesterday, I named the bullpens for each of my 2014 End of the Year All-Star Teams. Now it's time to name the starters.

To recap, here is my American League relief corps:

• Zach Britton, Orioles
• Wade Davis, Royals
• Greg Holland, Royals
• David Robertson, Yankees
• Fernando Rodney, Mariners

and the National League bullpen:

• Aroldis Chapman, Reds
• Kenley Jansen, Dodgers
• Craig Kimbrel, Braves
• Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals
• Tony Watson, Pirates

So, who would they be relieving???

Starting with the American League six-man rotation, we have (in alphabetical order):

• Felix Hernandez, Mariners (15-6, 2.14 ERA, 248 K's)
• Corey Kluber, Indians (18-9, 2.44 ERA, 269 K's)
• Jon Lester, Athletics (16-11, 2.46 ERA, 220 K's)
• Chris Sale, White Sox (12-4, 2.17 ERA, 208 K's)
• Max Scherzer, Tigers (18-5, 3.15 ERA, 252 K's)
• Jered Weaver, Angels (18-9, 3.59 ERA, 169 K's)

Honorable mentions go out to (meaning, if I had more space, I'd would have added) Wei-Yin Chen of the Orioles (16-6, 3.54, 136 K's), Phil Hughes of the Twins (16-10, 3.52, 186 K's), Matt Shoemaker of the Angels (16-4, 3.04, 124 K's), David Price of the Tigers (15-12, 3.26, 271 K's), and Dallas Keuchel of the Astros (12-9, 2.93, 146 K's). Most teams cringe just thinking about facing just one of these six aces, imagine if they were all on the same team.

In the National League, my All-Star six man rotation includes:

• Madison Bumgarner, Giants (18-10, 2.98 ERA, 186 K's)
• Johnny Cueto, Reds (20-9, 2.25 ERA, 242 K's)
• Zack Greinke, Dodgers (17-8, 2.71 ERA, 207 K's)
• Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers (21-3, 1.77 ERA, 239 K's)
• Adam Wainwright, Cardinals (20-9, 2.38 ERA, 179 K's)
• Jordan Zimmermann, Nationals (14-5, 2.66 ERA, 182 K's)

Honorable mentions go out to Doug Fister of the Nationals (16-6, 2.41 ERA, 98 K's), Wily Peralta of the Brewers (17-11, 3.53 ERA, 154 K's), Tyson Ross of the Padres (13-14, 3.54 ERA, 1954 K's), Jake Arrieta of the Cubs (10-5, 2.53 ERA, 167 K's), and Julio Teheran of the Braves (14-13, 2.89 ERA, 186 K's). These guys had great numbers in 2014, and would make a dominant rotation on their own.

So the pitching staffs are done. Next, we'll get to the position players. The first step is to ensure that every team has a representative, regardless of what position he plays. At this point, five AL teams and seven teams from the NL need to have a player. I have a few people in mind. Who will they be? Tune in some time tomorrow and find out.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's 2014 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams...The Relief Pitchers

As the playoffs are going into full swing, it's time for my favorite time of the year, the naming of bdj610's End of the Year All-Star Teams.

With the introduction of the 2014 bdj610's End of the Year All-Star Teams, it will be the 26th straight season that I've been creating these imaginary teams. How significant is this? Let's put it this way. Twenty-nine MLB teams have made the playoffs since I first started this back in 1988. The final team, the Royals, just made the playoffs for the first time since 1985. And by the way they're playing, they'll be really hard to beat.

But I digress.

If you want to know what the heck I'm talking about and why I have created All-Star Teams for both leagues since I was 12 years old, please review the introduction and brief history (ahem...brief???) as to why I have done this every year for the past 26 years.

Quick rules on how I comprise the teams:

• Two teams, one American League team, and one National League team
• There are 36 spots on each team (three first basemen, three second basemen, three third basemen, three shortstops, nine outfielders, three catchers, six starting pitchers, four relief pitchers/closers, one relief pitcher/set-up, and one DH-the NL spot is taken by the player with the highest average who did not make the team at any position)
• Every team gets a representative. No exceptions. If a player gets snubbed by a guy who is only there because a team needed a rep, then that's sadly the way it goes.

This is going to be a four-post process. Today, I will announce the bullpen staffs for each team.

Why start with the bullpens?

Because it's relatively simple. The top four guys with the most saves are automatically on the teams. Usually.

Last year, I started with the National League staff, this time, I'll begin the American League closers. On this year's team are:

• Fernando Rodney, Mariners (1-6, 2.85, 48 saves)
• Greg Holland, Royals (1-3, 1.44, 46 saves)
• David Robertson, Yankees (4-5, 3.08, 39 saves)
• Zach Britton, Orioles (3-2, 1.65, 37 saves)

These four players led the American League in saves. Others I had considered were actual 2014 All-Stars Sean Doolittle of the Athletics (2-4, 2.73 ERA, 22 saves, 0.73 WHIP) and Glen Perkins of the Twins (4-3, 3.65 ERA, 34 saves).

The National League closers for the 2014 team are:

• Craig Kimbrel, Braves (0-3, 1.61, 47 saves)
• Trevor Rosenthal, Cardinals (2-6, 3.20, 45 saves)
• Kenley Jansen, Dodgers (2-3, 2.76, 44 saves)
• Aroldis Chapman, Reds (0-3, 2.00, 36 saves, 0.83 WHIP)

I get that Aroldis was out for a period earlier in the season (thanks to a line drive to the head), but based on his numbers, if he were to pitch another 10 to 15 games, he could have easily been up there with Kimbrel and Rosenthal. The fact that he came back as soon as he did and not miss a beat is incredible enough. Francisco Rodriguez of the Brewers (5-5, 3.04, 44 saves, 0.99 WHIP), Steve Cishek of the Marlins (4-5, 3.17, 39 saves), and Jonathan Papelbon (2-3, 2.04, 39 saves, 0.90 WHIP) were also considered for the bullpen spots. Side note:  Rosenthal becomes the third different Cardinals closer to make it onto the All-Star team for the third consecutive season (Edward Mujica in 2013, Jason Motte in 2012).

If recent All-Star Game history has shown us, it's that middle relief pitchers, those guys who ride the bullpen, and barely ever get any baseball cards, are now an important part of any All-Star bullpen. So many great pitching performances this year by so many different players, it's just so hard to choose just one player to fill this spot. But one spot is available on both sides for a middle reliever. When all was said and done though, the two players I selected were more than qualified to make it onto the respective teams.

The AL Middle Reliever for the 2014 team is Wade Davis of the Royals. He led the AL in holds with 33, earned an impressive 9-2 record (which means that he was able to hold the opposing team down just before the Royals would mount one of their famous comebacks), an ERA of 1.00, struck out 109 batters, and achieved a 0.85 WHIP. Opposing batters could only muster a .151 batting average against him. The only other person who was considered was Yankees' All-Star Dellin Betances (5-0, 1.50 ERA, 135 K's, 1.09 WHIP, .149 BAA, 22 holds).

The NL Middle Reliever for the 2014 team is the Pirates' Tony Watson. His 34 holds were good for second in the NL, but a 10-2 record (which also means that he kept opposing teams down before his Bucs would rally), along with a 1.63 ERA, 81 strikeouts, and a 1.02 WHIP was more than enough to get him added as the middle reliever. Others in consideration for this spot include Tyler Clippard of the Nationals (7-4, 2.18 ERA, 82 K's, 40 holds), and Pat Neshek of the Cardinals (7-2, 1.87, 68 K's, 0.79 WHIP, 25 holds).

So right now, we've named the bullpens for each team. Who will fill out the rest of the rosters? Tomorrow, I will name the six starting pitchers that will round out the pitching staffs on each team.

By Wednesday, every team will get a representative as I announce just some of the players who will take spots on both leagues' rosters.

And finally on Thursday, I will round out the rest of the rosters and introduce the complete American and National League teams.

Wait and see. It's going to look good I promise.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Comparing the Major League Debut Classes of 1994 and 2014.

In 1990, Topps created a set honoring the players who made their MLB debut during the 1989 campaign. It was a relatively successful set, with future HOF's like Ken Griffey, Jr., and Deion Sanders (okay, he's in the Football HOF) and others. In 2009, I created a post comparing the MLB Debut classes of 1989 and 2009 in honor of that set. To coincide with the MLB Debut 1990 and 1991 boxed sets, I also wrote a post comparing the MLB Debut classes of 1990 and 2010 and again for the MLB Debut classes of 1991 and 2011.

Sadly, they stopped creating this set. I wish they would bring it back, if only so that every player who makes it to the majors has at least one Topps card to call his own. But even though Topps stopped the MLB debut sets (and they don't plan on making them any time soon), I continued comparing the MLB Debut classes of 1992 and 2012 & 1993 and 2013. As the 2014 MLB season ended just ended, now would be a good time to review this year's 2014 MLB debutantes and compare them to the class of 1994. These have been fun posts for me to write, and it's nice to look back to see how the future stars of my youth (I was 18 in 1994), performed over the years. This article will be a bit more special for me as I will be attending my 20 Year High School Reunion next week.

According to Baseball Reference, 18,408 athletes have entered their names into the annals of Major League Baseball record-keeping. In fact, 234 of them made their MLB Debuts in 2014. That's 234 more players that have etched their names into history books, baseball encyclopedias, and baseball websites. Two hundred thirty-four more players who finally reached the pinnacle of their professional careers, no matter how long or how brief their stay was. They can honestly say that they have arrived.

In 1994, 114 players made their big league debuts, down from 203 players the year before (don't forget that the season ended a bit early thanks to the players' strike). Among the first of nine players to debut was Alex Gonzalez (who debuted on April 4, 1994), the last was Duane Singleton (who made his first appearance on August 4, 1994). Eleven players who would debut during the 1994 campaign would go on to become All-Stars at some point in their careers. We'd all get to know their names on a regular basis like Alex Rodriguez, Garret Anderson, Armando Benitez, Jeff Cirillo, Charles Johnson, Mike Lieberthal, Ricky Bottalico, Jon Lieber, Jose Lima and Chan Ho Park. Players who had high expectations, but eventually faded from the spotlight (William VanLandingham, John Hudek, Gar Finnvold, Kurt Miller) also made their debuts in 1994.

Believe it or not, one player who made his debut in 1994 was still on a MLB roster during the 2014 season (ehh...technically, he was...right?). The debutantes of 1994 (as of the end of the 2014 season) combined for 30 All-Star Game appearances, 2,489 home runs (654 by A-Rod), 10,705 runs batted in, 1,283 stolen bases, and a batting average of about .262. Pitchers who debuted in 1993 have gone on to a combined record of 1379-1464, saved 829 games, completed 100 games, faced 111,690 batters, struck out 18,750 of them, gave up 3,344 home runs, and had a cumulative ERA of 4.59.

At any given point during the 2014 season, there were 750 players on active rosters (not counting those on the disabled list). And in amongst the shuffling of talent, 234 baseball players, some who'd toiled in the minors for a very long time (Jumbo Diaz and Guilder Rodriguez come to mind), and at least one player who was drafted in the 2014 free agent draft (Brandon Finnegan), got to step onto the field of a major league stadium for the very first time and play at least one inning of major league baseball. One hundred two of them were position players, the other 132 stepped onto the pitcher's mound for the very first time. Of the 234, two were born in 1994 (Rougned Odor and Dilson Herrera), and the oldest player to debut was 33 years old (Tsuyoshi Wada).

The 2014 debutantes combined for two All-Star Game appearances (Jose Abreu and Masahiro Tanaka), 247 home runs, 1,140 runs batted in, 179 stolen bases, and a cumulative .243 batting average. Pitchers went 200-233 with an ERA of 4.06, striking out 3,304 batters, and saved 18 games.

Just for fun, let's compare both classes:

• Players making debut: 1994 = 114; 2014 = 234
• Position Players/Pitchers: 1994 = 46/68; 2014 = 102/132
• Earliest Debut: 1994 = Hector Carrasco, Tim Davis, Alex Gonzalez, James Hurst, Tim Hyers, Blaise Ilsley, James Mouton, Roberto Petagine, and A. J. Sager (April 4, 1994); 2014 = Alex Guerrero (March 22, 2014)
• Latest Debut: 1994 = Duane Singleton (August 4, 1994); 2014 = Jose Pirela (September 22, 2014)
• Youngest at time of Debut: 1994 = Alex Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975, or 18 years, 346 days old); 2014 = Rougned Odor (February 3, 1994, or 20 years, 94 days old)
• Oldest at time of Debut: 1994 = Billy Taylor (October 16, 1961, or 32 years, 171 days old); 2014 = Tsuyoshi Wada (November 5, 1981, or 33 years, 137 days old)
• Shortest Career: 1994 = Duff Brumley (2 games, 3.1 innings pitched) and Quinn Mack (5 games, 5-21 with 2 rbi, 1 walk, and a .238 AVG); 2014 = Ryan Buchter, Jarrett Grube, Justin Marks, Melvin Mercedes, Hector Neris, Rudy Owens, Red Patterson, Francisco Pena, Jorge Rondon, and Drew VerHagen each have only one MLB game under their belt (Pena was a 9th-inning defensive replacement in his lone game and does not yet have an official plate appearance. Buchter, Grube, and Neris each faced 3 batters, but only Grube is credited with 0.2 innings pitched).
• Longest Career, Seasons: 1994 = Alex Rodriguez (suspended for the entire 2014 season due to the Biogenesis scandal); 2014 = only time will tell.

Of the players from the debut class of 2014, just like in 1994, there could be some Hall of Fame candidates. Most may go on to All-Star caliber, or very long careers in the bigs. And for some, this may be their only year in the majors. But all of them can say that they achieved their dream of being a Major League Ballplayer.

And nothing can take that away from them.

I've clamored before about wanting to bring back the Major League Debut set. But I know in today's age of exclusive contracts and rookie card restrictions that a set of this type might never see the light of day again. And although I have a feeling that many collectors would not want to get a set that might have stars but plenty of "never will be's" amongst them, a set like this could contain the only card of a player who played in one inning of major league ball.

Who knows what the future will bring for the 234 players who first appeared in 2014. Most might never play in the majors again, disappearing in the obscurity of minor league baseball for the rest of their professional careers. Creating a set called the 2015 MLB Debut 2014 would give them a slim piece of cardboard immortality.

Oh well, I can dream, can't I???

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

P.S. Some time this week, I will post my picks as to who I think will make the 2014 Topps All-Star Rookie team. There will be a contest involved. Details to come soon. jba