Strasburg and Bumgarner out of the ASG, Scherzer and Colon Named Replacements.

Another round of player replacements were named yesterday as both Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals and Madison Bumgarner of the Giants will not be participating in next Tuesday's All-Star Game. Both pitchers are fine.

Strasburg pitched last night, becoming the first NL pitcher to notch a 12-0 record to start a season since 1912. And even though Strasburg made the NL All-Star Team, he and general manager Mike Rizzo "mutually agreed that Strasburg would not pitch in the Midsummer Classic after going through an upper back strain a few weeks ago."

While Strasburg will still take in the festivities (he is a San Diego native and attended San Diego State University), teammate Max Scherzer will take his spot on the roster.

Scherzer is also having a fine season for the Nationals, with a 9-6 record, a 3.21 ERA in 18 starts this year. He also has 155 strikeouts, a 0.97 WHIP, and a BAA of .195. He joins a growing Nationals contingent that includes second baseman Daniel Murphy, outfielder Bryce Harper, and catcher Wilson Ramos.

On the other hand, Madison Bumgarner is scheduled to pitch on Sunday. Because of that Sunday starter rule, he could either be replaced on the roster by another pitcher, or he could choose to participate, but possibly be put on an extremely strict pitch count. Bumgarner decided against pitching in the game on short rest, so Terry Collins tabbed Bartolo Colon, the elder statesman of his starting rotation, as his replacement.

The 43-year old Colon, now a 4-time all-star, sports a 7-4 record, a 3.28 ERA. and 65 strikeouts in 17 starts. He has been a steady presence on a Mets rotation that, while full of young arms, have had a bit of growing pains. It will be his first All-Star Game trip since 2013. He joins (? - I'll get to this in a minute) fellow pitchers Noah Syndergaard, Jeurys Familia, outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, his manager, and the rest of the Mets coaching staff to San Diego.

So add Scherzer's card #'s 209 or WN-9 and Colon's card #'s 381 or NYM-16 to your binders (I'm trying to help here...)

To the (?) part of the program. In last night's ballgame against the Nationals (you know, that 12th win for Strasburg), both Syndergaard and Cespedes were taken out because of possible injuries (arm fatigue, right quad strain respectively). Get ready for more All-Stars making the trip to San Diego before Tuesday.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Diaz Replaces Carpenter on NL ASG Roster

2015 Springfield Cardinals Grandstand #3 Aledmys Diaz

In last night's game against the Pirates, Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter strained an oblique muscle as he was trying to check his swing during his at-bat in the third inning. He suffered a similar injury back in 2012, and the MRI results indicated that he would have to be placed on the DL to recover. He is the fourth Cardinal to be placed on the DL this week alone.

Even though Carpenter was the only Cardinal named onto the NL All-Star team, Terry Collins could pick anyone from any other team to take his place. But he made sure that a player from the St. Louis team would have some representation on the active roster.

Aledmys Diaz, the Cardinals' rookie shortstop, was named as Carpenter's replacement. His credentials include a .319 average, 12 home runs, 44 runs batted in, 54 runs scored and a slash line of .382/.534/.916 (that would be OBP/SLG/OPS). He is among the league leaders in batting average, runs scored, and doubles.

The 25-year-old now joins the swelling ranks of first-time All-Stars, and players aged 26-younger attending with full All-Star honors.

If you're looking for any Aledmys Diaz cards to add to your roster, you're out of luck. He presently has three minor league cards, all regional releases. No Topps cards to speak of, not even on the retail end. So attached is his 2015 minor league card.

Stay tuned for more All-Star team roster updates as they happen.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Kluber Replaces Estrada on AL ASG Roster

One night after being named to the American League All-Star Team, Marco Estrada of the Toronto Blue Jays was placed on the 15-day DL due to continuing soreness issues in his lower back. While he has been taking cortisone shots for the pain, the team decided that it would be best for him to take the time off and use the All-Star break to rest. He still will make the trip to "America's Finest City," with fellow Blue Jays Josh Donaldson, and Edwin Encarnacion. But now that he was placed on the DL, a replacement for him needed to be named.

That replacement will be the 2014 AL Cy Young winner, Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians. As of this writing, Kluber has a record of 8-8 with an ERA of 3.79 in 17 starts. While that initially doesn't look all that great, he has 114 strikeouts in 114.0 innings pitched, a WHIP of 1.04, and three complete games, two of them shutouts.

Now a first-time All-Star, Kluber joins fellow Tribesmen Francisco Lindor and Danny Salazar for the festivities in San Diego.

So add Kluber's #64 card from the 2016 Topps set or the CI-2 card from the retail set if you have it to your All-Star Binder. Please tell me someone else is doing this too. I can't possibly be the only one.

Stay tuned for more All-Star team roster updates as they happen.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The 2016 All-Star Rosters Have Been Announced...What Do You Think???

Yesterday, ESPN hosted the MLB All-Star Team Selection Show. Starters that were voted by the fans, the reserves selected via the player ballot and by the respective managers, were announced officially.

I love this time of year, if only because it allows for a break in what is a long season and celebrates the game's best players. And what I do, as I have done every year since I really stated following the game, is take out the cards of the players who made each roster and put them in a special binder (my All-Star binder...if you will). I do this because it helps me not only recognize the players who became all-stars that particular year, but during the game, I use it to keep track of who's in the game as it progresses. Yes, I'm a geek.

So without further ado, here are the 2016 MLB All-Star Game rosters as announced on Tuesday night (with 2016 Topps Card # and retail team set # if applicable, for those of you playing along and putting them into your All-Star Binders):

American League Starters

1B-Eric Hosmer, Royals (#9, KCR-2)
2B-Jose Altuve, Astros(#317, HA-7)
3B-Manny Machado, Orioles(#175, BO-1)
SS-Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox (#368, BRS-54)
OF-Mookie Betts, Red Sox (#84, BRS-5)
OF-Jackie Bradley, Jr., Red Sox (#425, BRS-7)
OF-Mike Trout, Angels (#1, A-11)
C-Salvador Perez, Royals (#50, KCR-1)
DH-David Ortiz, Red Sox (#126, BRS-1)

American League Pitchers

P-Marco Estrada, Blue Jays (#466, TBJ-17)
P-Cole Hamels, Rangers (#588, TRA-11)
P-Danny Salazar, Indians (#460, CI-12)
P-Chris Sale, White Sox (#160, CWS-1)
P-Steven Wright, Red Sox
RP-Zach Britton, Orioles (#63, BO-13)
RP-Wade Davis, Royalsº (#307, KCR-13)
RP-Andrew Miller, Yankees (#218, NYY-14)
RP-Dellin Betances, Yankees (#369, NYY-15, selected by MGR)
RP-Brad Brach, Orioles (selected by MGR)
RP-Alex Colome, Rays (selected by MGR)
RP-Will Harris, Astrosª (#331 selected by MGR, replaces Davis)
RP-Kelvin Herrera, Royals (#393, selected by MGR)
RP-Craig Kimbrel, Red Sox (#13 with the Padres, BRS-12, selected by MGR)

American League Reserves

1B-Miguel Cabrera, Tigers(#250, DT-1)
2B-Robinson Cano, Mariners (#268, SM-4)
3B-Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays (#200, TBJ-1)
SS-Francisco Lindor, Indians (#439, CI-1)
OF-Carlos Beltran, Yankees (#567, NYY-10)
OF-Ian Desmond, Rangers
OF-Mark Trumbo, Orioles (#39 with the Mariners, BO-8)
C-Matt Wieters, Orioles
DH-Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays (#89, TBJ-7)
SS-Eduardo Nunez, Twins (#534, MT-12, selected by MGR)
C-Stephen Vogt, Athletics (#506, OA-8, selected by MGR)


American League Final Man Candidates

2B-Ian Kinsler, Tigers (#275, DT-3)
3B-Evan Longoria, Rays (#388, TB-6)
2B-Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox (#246, BRS-4)
OF-Michael Saunders, Blue Jays (#630)
3B-George Springer, Astros (#53, KCR-10)

National League Starters

1B-Anthony Rizzo, Cubs (#327, CC-6)
2B-Ben Zobrist, Cubs(#447, CC-5)
3B-Kris Bryant, Cubs (#350, CC-1)
SS-Addison Russell, Cubs (#562, CC-4)
OF-Yoenis Cespedes, Mets (#407, NYM-17)
OF-Dexter Fowler, Cubs
OF-Bryce Harper, Nationals (#100, WN-1)
C-Buster Posey, Giants (#300, SFG-1)

National League Pitchers

P-Jake Arrieta, Cubs (#264, CC-9)
P-Madison Bumgarner, Giants (#600, SFG-9)
P-Johnny Cueto, Giants (#416, SFG-15)
P-Clayton Kershaw, Dodgersº (#24, LAD-1)
P-Noah Syndergaard, Mets (#43, NYM-11)
RP-Jeurys Familia, Mets (#190, NYM-14)
RP-Kenley Jansen, Dodgers (#458, LAD-13)
RP-Fernando Rodney, Marlins
P-Jose Fernandez, Marlins (#118, MM-10, selected by MGR))
P-Jon Lester, Cubsª (#151, CC-8, selected by MGR, replaces Kershaw)
P-Stephen Strasburg, Nationals (#637, WN-8, selected by MGR)
P-Julio Teheran, Braves (#52, AB-7, selected by MGR))
RP-Marc Melancon, Pirates (#336, PPI-12, selected by MGR)
RP-A. J. Ramos, Marlins (#42, MM-12, selected by MGR)

National League Reserves

1B-Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks (#259, AD-1)
2B-Daniel Murphy, Nationals (#554, WN-5)
3B-Nolan Arenado, Rockies (#12, CRO-1)
SS-Corey Seager, Dodgers (#85, LAD-8)
OF-Adam Duvall, Reds (#584, CR-6)
OF-Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies (#683, CRO-2)
OF-Marcell Ozuna, Marlins (#572, MM-8)
C-Wilson Ramos, Nationals (#658, WN-2)
1B-Wil Myers, Padres (#625, SDP-4, selected by MGR)
3B-Matt Carpenter, Cardinals (#616, SLC-5, selected by MGR)
OF-Odubel Herrera, Phillies (#68, PP-8, selected by MGR)
C-Jonathan Lucroy, Brewers (#344, MB-1, selected by MGR)

National League Final Man Candidates

1B-Brandon Belt, Giants (#424, SFG-2)
OF-Ryan Braun, Brewers (#298, MB-2)
SP-Jake Lamb, Diamondbacks (#288, AD-5)
OF-Starling Marte, Pirates (#83, PPI-7)
SS-Trevor Story, Rockies

º Injured, will not participate
ª Named as replacement

The rosters once again will consist of 34 active players. Each team is already at 34 players and we haven't even gotten the final man voting in yet. Why is that?

Wade Davis of the Royals is on the DL. So manager Ned Yost added Astros closer Will Harris to the AL bullpen. That was announced off the bat (pun intended).

On the National League side, Clayton Kershaw was just placed on the DL, meaning a replacement needed to be named. After finding this article on ESPN's website, I think it's safe to say that Lester was named as his replacement.

Without clicking the article, Terry Collins initially had nine "manager choices," including finding representatives for six teams (Braves, Brewers, Cardinals Padres, Phillies, Pirates). After naming players from each of those teams (Teheran, Lucroy, Carpenter, Myers - would have been Rodney had he not been traded last week -, Herrera, and Melancon), the other three players he picked were Strasburg, Fernandez, and Ramos. This leaves Lester as the only possible choice as the replacement.

Including the players on the Final Man balloting, eight players do not have cards in the eponymous Topps set or any of the retail sets. Those players include pitchers Brad Brach, Alex Colome, Steven Wright, infielder Ian Desmond, and catcher Matt "No-Topps-Cards...Yet" Wieters on the AL side, and pitcher Fernando Rodney, outfielder Dexter Fowler, and shortstop Trevor Story from the NL. Each should have cards in the expanded Update series. In the meantime, every other player has a card that at least features them on their current team as long as you count the retail sets.

As it seems to be the case these past few years, there is a lot of youth on both rosters, as well as a ton of first-time All-Stars to boot (about 26 at last count, 13 on each side). Of the 17 elected starters, twelve of them are 26 years old...or YOUNGER!!! If you look at the Final Man Nominees, all ten candidates are hitters.

Chicago is extremely well represented this year with eight players between both teams, including the entire infield for the Cubs (Rizzo, Zobrist, Bryant, Russell). Look, I know the Cubs have been (up until these last two weeks) very dominant. And while this doesn't top the eight Cubs that represented the team in 2008, the fact that more than half of the starting lineup are Cubs makes me happy. I voted...once. That was it. I know you could vote more than that, but how is that fair? Boston has six players punching their tickets to San Diego, and a possible 7th if Pedroia wins the Final Man.

Rumors have it that Bumgarner is scheduled to start on Sunday. The rule is in effect that if any of them are in line to pitch that day, they will have to be replaced. And today, Marco Estrada of the Blue Jays landed on the DL. This is just the beginning. If history is an indicator, expect both active rosters to dramatically change by the time July 12 comes. As always, I'll make sure to help you add cards to your All-Star binders by providing card numbers for the players added onto the All-Star teams.

Let's hear the answers to these questions:

Who do you think should have been chosen that wasn't (not even for the Final Man ballot)?

Of the players selected, who shouldn't be going to the game?

Were the guys you wanted from your team chosen?

If not, then who should have represented your team?

Let the debates begin.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Hey Anonymous:

Just to let you know that I haven't abandoned the blog, even though it's the first time that I've actually missed posting something at least once during a month (and for the record, it's six months of inactivity before I remove myself from the SCBR).

But I will be back. After all, the All-Star Game is coming soon, and this humble, little blog gets very busy once the All-Star rosters are announced.

So get your All-Star binders ready. On Tuesday, when the initial rosters are announced, you'll want to fill them with your 2016 Topps cards, whether they're from the eponymous set or the 17-card retail sets.

Until then,



Happy Birthday America!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

It's MLB's Opening Day (or Was that Yesterday)!!!

Work keeps me busy and away from this humble, little blog. I do have drafts of articles I want to post on here, but then a project comes up, so reality comes first and the blog goes back to the back burner.

But that's last month. Spring Training is now over. Yesterday, six teams started their 162-game quest to reach the postseason. Today, eighteen teams do the same (two games have already been postponed thanks to the snowstorms in the east coast).

Hobby wise, I've been keeping track of the comings and goings. I joined Topps Bunt this year and have a decent amount of cards so far. I'm having fun with it and as crazy as it sounds, I'm going to try for a complete "virtual" set of 2016 cards. I've also joined the contests...okay one anyway. Thanks to my 9-card lineup, I have a grand total of 840 on the scoreboard (heavy on Cardinals...they lost, right?). Should have picked Liriano as one of my cards instead of Wainwright. Trying again today, so wish me luck.

Regarding MLB Debuts in 2016, on Opening Day, two players took the field for the first time in a MLB uniform:

Jeremy Hazelbaker, an outfielder who joined the Cardinals after a seven-season career in the minor leagues (with Boston, Los Angeles, and St. Louis). He was added to the Cardinals' roster after Ruben Tejeda was placed on the DL. He appeared in the seventh inning, leading off as a pinch hitter for Adam Wainwright, striking out in five pitches against the Pirates' star reliever Tony Watson.

With Wainwright now out of the game, the Cardinals sent Seung-hwan Oh, an eleven-year veteran of the Korean and Japanese baseball leagues, to pitch the bottom of the seventh. He faced five batters, walking Matt Joyce, inducing John Jaso to ground out 4-3, walked Andrew McCutchen, and struck out David Freese (looking) and Starling Marte (swinging).

Hazelbaker does not have any Topps produced MiLB cards. His only cardboard appearances were back in 2009, with autographed cards in the 2009 Donruss Elite Extra Edition set. He also appears in the 2009 TRISTAR Prospects Plus set.

Oh signed with the Cardinals as a free agent in January. He already had a storied career in both Korea (seven-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year 2005, five-time KBO Relief Man Award) and Japan (All-Star 2015, CLCS MVP 2014), In eleven seasons in both leagues, he has recorded 357 saves, a 1.81 ERA, and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings in 646.1 IP. He was also on the 2006 Korean Team for the World Baseball Classic. He has no baseball cards in the US.

It's going to be a great year for baseball in Chicago. There are extremely high expectations on both sides of town. Should be a lot of fun.

Are you ready?

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Éirinn go brách! Celebrating at Home...Again.

For those wondering what happened to me, I'm still here. Work has been extremely busy, and that's a good thing.

Some quick Hobby Notes:

I have completed my 2016 Topps Master set. With all of the Heritage hub bub lately, I take comfort knowing that the Gypsy Queen (the 2016 edition anyway) will set sail soon.

There is a big card show this weekend down the street from my house. Do I plan on buying stuff? Maybe. I'm hoping to get a lot of free stuff. But more importantly, I'm there to feel the environment. I love these big card shows. I love watching the people. I might not go for the autographs, but to see fathers (and mothers) with their sons (and daughters) sharing the Hobby we all love, makes me appreciate all that is good about it.

But I digress.

Today is St. Patrick's Day. It is the day that honors St. Patrick, who is the patron saint of Ireland. It also commemorates the arrival of Christianity to the Emerald Isle. In fact, it is said (thanks Wikipedia) that he used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity.

My family will be enjoying boiled corned beef brisket with all the veggies (potatoes, carrots, cabbage) tonight. I would like to apologize to my sister...AGAIN...because we will not be able to join her and the rest of the family for dinner (it's a school night, there are still dance classes happening). Meanwhile, I've been playing Irish music on the computer all afternoon, just to get into the mood.


If anybody says, "Top of the morning to you," to you today, make sure to respond in kind, "And the rest of the day to yourself."

Public Service Announcement (as my wife just said that she found the Bailey's): As you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, please remember to celebrate responsibly.



Now for the baseball portion of the program. If you're wondering, while there are many baseball players of Irish descent, 47 native-born Irish men made at least one appearance in the majors.
The last native born Irish player was Joe Cleary. Born in County Cork, Cleary only appeared in one game (08/04/1945) in 0.1 inning of work for the Washington Senators. But in that eventful inning, he struck out one batter (the good news), but allowed five hits, three walks, and seven earned runs to score. Saving time for the math, but seven runs in 1/3 innings equals an ERA of 189.

So now, a quick toast to everyone, Irish or just-for-the-day:

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be at your back.
May your cards collections grow to unmeasurable heights in both volume and value.
May the quest for new cards be swift.
May the journey of life treat you well today and always.
And may a certain North Side baseball team win it all this year (just have a decent season...please).
If you catch my drift.

Sláinte!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama