bdj610's Topps Baseball Card Blog

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Random Topps Team Set of the Week: 2007 Topps Toronto Blue Jays

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Team Set of the Week:

Team: 2007 Toronto Blue Jays
Record: 83-79, third place, AL East Division.
Manager: John Gibbons
Card on the Top: Roy Halladay

The checklist consists of the following players:

The cards in order from the set (the checklist at the end was cut from the back of the package. What, you don't do that?):

There are no key differences between the team set and 2007 Topps eponymous set. Topps used the same pictures from the base set for the retail ones. There isn't even a difference in picture cropping among the fourteen. It's like you can take the fourteen cards from the base set, pack them into the retail set, and unless somebody looked at the back of the cards, nobody would know the difference.

Oh well.

Next week's featured set will be the 2008 Chicago White Sox. Hope you'll be here when we compare the cards from the retail set to their counterparts found in Topps and Topps Updates and Highlights sets. And let's hope there are some differences. This was just sad...sorry Blue Jays fans.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama7

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1997 Topps #354 Darren Bragg

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Saturday, November 16, 2013:

Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1997 Topps #354.
Player Name, position, team: Darren Bragg, outfielder, Boston Red Sox.
Major League Debut: April 12, 1994.
Last Line of Statistics: 1996 stats (Red Sox): 58 G, 222 AB, 38 R, 56 H, 14 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 6 SB, .365 SLG, 36 BB, 39 SO, .252 AVG.
Any special information about player: Drafted by the Mariners #22nd, June 1991. Traded by the Mariners to the Red Sox 07/30/1996. Bats: left. Throws: right.
Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 4. This is his second Topps card.
Blurb on the back: "Center field had been a fluid situation for several years in Boston - until Darren arrived in a trade last July. It was former manager Kevin Kennedy who insisted Bragg be included in the deal that sent pitcher Jamie Moyer to Seattle, saying, "I've always liked his fight." Almost immediately after his acquisition, the Red Sox turned their season around by winning 52 of their final 84 games. "The day Bragg joined us and showed he was a tough leadoff hitter was the day we seemed to start really picking up, assessed Kennedy. On August 24th, Darren hit the first HR by a left-handed hitter of ex-teammate Randy Johnson since 1992 - a grand slam."
Commentary: When your regular outfield consists of Ken Griffey, Jr. in center and Jay Buhner in right, and you have a platoon system in left field, playing time would be at a premium at best to show that you have what it takes to play every day. Then it was fortunate for Darren William Bragg that the M's gave him that opportunity by trading him to Boston in a deadline deal in 1996. In 1997, Bragg's first opportunity to be an everyday player, he would appear in 153 games, hit for a .257 average, with 9 home runs, 57 runs driven in (usually batting second, eighth, or ninth) and stealing 10 bases. During his two-plus years in Beantown, Bragg would hit for a combined .264, score 154 runs, hit 20 homers, drive in 136 rbi's, steal 21 bases, and have percentages of .346/.395/.741. He would sign on with the Cardinals for the 1999 season, then continue his major league journey with the Rockies, Mets, Yankees, Braves, and Reds before calling it a career in 2004. Since retirement, Bragg has worked as a hitting coach and opened his own company helping out youngsters with their hitting.
Beckett value: $0.07-$0.20.
How many cards of this player do I own?: 4 cards.

Tomorrow is Retro Sunday, the one day of the week that we feature a card from 1951-1975. The card we will feature tomorrow is: 1956 Topps #88. Come back at 1:00 PM CST to see who (or what) it is.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Friday, November 15, 2013

Introducing the 2013 Topps All-Star Rookie Team!!!

The MLB managers have spoken, and today, Topps has announced the players named to the 54th All-Star Rookie Team!!! (If the player's name is in bold, it means I predicted that they would make the team earlier this month).

1B Matt Adams, St. Louis Cardinals (.284 batting average, 17 HR, 51 RBI, 2013 stats)
2B Jedd Gyorko, San Diego Padres (.249, 23, 63)
3B Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies (.267, 10, 52)
SS Jose Iglesias, Detroit Tigers (.303, 3, 29)
OF Wil Myers, Tampa Bay Rays (.293, 13, 53)
OF Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers (.319, 19, 42)
OF Christian Yelich, Miami Marlins (.288, 4, 16)
C Evan Gattis, Atlanta Braves (.243, 21, 65)
RHP Jose Fernandez, Miami Marlins (12-6, 2.19 ERA, 187 K's)
LHP Hyun-jin Ryu, Los Angeles Dodgers (14-8, 3.00, 154)
RP Jim Henderson, Milwaukee Brewers (60 IP, 2.70, 75, 28 Saves)

So I guessed 10 out of now 11 spots correctly. I guessed Darin Ruf for the third outfielder's spot and Paco Rodriguez as my left handed reliever. I did a lot better than last year (when I got 9 of 11 correct).

Now my comments. At least now Topps is showing some consistency with naming three pitchers to the team (two starters, 1 reliever). Good thing that I asked those entering the All-Star Rookie Team contest to name four pitchers (two right-handers, two-left handers) just in case.

So congratulations to all. Each player will now get the illustrious rookie cup trophy added to their 2014 Topps cards.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Random Topps Card of the Day: 2011 Topps #91 Lucas May

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Friday, November 1, 2013:

Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2011 Topps #91.
Player Name, position, team: Lucas May, catcher, Kansas City Royals.
Major League Debut: September 4, 2010.
Last Line of Statistics: 2010 stats (combined statistics from Chattanooga, AA-Southern; Albuquerque, AAA-Pacific Coast; Omaha, AAA-Pacific Coast): 104 G, 375 AB, 63 R, 106 H, 21 2B, 3 3B, 16 HR, 59 RBI, 4 SB, 36 BB, 86 SO, .483 SLG, .831 OPS, .283 AVG.
Any special information about player: Drafted by the Dodgers #8th, June 2003. Traded by the Dodgers to the Royals 07/28/2010. Bats: right. Throws: right.
Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 1. This is his first Topps card.
Blurb on the back: "Pot-luck. That's what Eddie Rodriguez called adding Lucas to the Team USA roster in 2009. "It was supposed to be Buster Posey who was supposed to come with us, but he pulled a hamstring or a groin," the U.S. skipper said. May clubbed a key homer in the medal round against Cuba, hastening his journey to the Majors in '10 after eight seasons in the minors."
Commentary: Ladies and gentlemen, here is today's version of Crash Davis. Not that it's a bad thing, seeing that he's presently 29-years-old, and still has a chance of catching on somewhere in the majors. But Lucas James May's career in the major leagues is all of 25 days. From September 4 through September 29, 2010, May was on a major league team. After eight seasons of toiling in the Dodgers' minor league system, and then being traded in the heat of a pennant race in 2010, May finally made it to the big leagues. In 2010, he appeared in 12 games for KC, hit .189, drove in six rbi's, and started 10 of the 12 games at catcher. But that is all that is presently in May's major league dossier. Since his cup of coffee with KC, May has spent the last three years travelling the AAA circuit, first with Omaha, then Reno (the Diamondback's Triple A team). In 2012, he was shuffling off to Buffalo as a minor league free agent signee of the Mets. In 2013, he signed another minor league deal, this time with the Pirates, and playing for their farm team in Indianapolis. In 11 seasons in the minors, May is hitting a combined .254 with 108 home runs, 499 rbi's, and has offensive percentages of .315/.421/.735 in 916 career minor league games. May is once again a free agent, hoping to sign with another club. As a catcher, he is expected to arrive in spring training early with the pitchers. To whatever team signs him, maybe it would be good to let him get his 500th rbi in the minors, and then call him up to stay in the majors in 2014. I'm sure he deserves the shot.
Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.25-$0.60.
How many cards of this player do I own?: 1.

Tomorrow's card will be: 1997 Topps #354. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Flash back with the blog tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Introducing Your 2013 MLB Most Valuable Players - Awards Truly Deserved

In recent years, Topps has reserved six cards within Series 1 for the AL and NL award winners that are being announced this week (the 2013 set added two more cards to the subset, honoring the AL and NL Defensive Players of the Year, and then honored all 8 in Series 2). Once again, however, this year's preliminary checklist doesn't specify what numbers are being held for the them. But yesterday, we learned who was named the Most Valuable Players in both the National and American Leagues.

Congratulations to both Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers for being named the National League and American League Most Valuable Players for 2013. Incredible seasons by both players (leading his team to their first postseason berth since in TWO DECADES, and a season that showed no letdown after winning the first batting Triple Crown since 1967) gave the voters enough reason to select these two extraordinary players the award.

What more can be said about Miguel Cabrera. One year after leading the American League in home runs, runs batted in, and batting average, (along with slugging percentage, and OPS), Cabrera continued to strike fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers everywhere. No, he didn't hit the most home runs and rbi's (although 44 and 137 in a year would certainly lead in many other seasons), but he did hit .348 which did lead the AL, and lead in all the offensive percentages (.442/.636/1.078). Tigers players have now won the MVP award for three consecutive seasons, with teammate Justin Verlander winning it in 2011. Cabrera captured 23 of the 30 first place votes, which gave him 385 points in the overall ballot. In second place for the second season in the row was Mike Trout of the Angels (282, 5 first place votes), followed by Chris Davis of the Orioles (232, 1), Josh Donaldson of the Athletics (222, 1), Robinson Cano of the Yankees (150), Evan Longoria of the Rays (103), Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox (99), Adrian Beltre of the Rangers (99), Manny Machado of the Orioles (57), World Series MVP David Ortiz of the Red Sox (47), Jason Kipnis of the Indians (31), Cy Young Award Winner Max Scherzer, another Tigers teammate (25), Adam Jones of the Orioles (9), Edwin Encarnacion of the Blue Jays (7), Greg Holland of the Royals (3), Carlos Santana of the Indians (3), Coco Crisp of the Athletics (3), Jacoby Ellsbury of the Red Sox (3), Torii Hunter of the Tigers (2), Hisashi Iwakuma of the Mariners (2), Koji Uehara of the Red Sox (2), Yu Darvish of the Rangers (1), Felix Hernandez of the Mariners (1), Salvador Perez of the Royals (1), and Shane Victorino of the Red Sox (1).

Andrew McCutchen, the first Pirates player to win the MVP award since Barry Bonds (incidentally, Buster Posey, last year's MVP was the first Giants player since Bonds to be named MVP), led the Pirates to the promised land after 20 years of last place finishes and late season collapses. After securing their first winning season since 1992, the goal of making the playoffs was so close. When it was achieved, it was with the Bucs centerfielder leading the way. Although he did not lead in any of the major hitting categories, (.317, 21 homers, 84 rbi's) the fact that without McCutchen, and all the intangibles he provided, the Pirates would have had another season of "what if." Now it's just a matter of time before they become a consistent contender in the very competitive NL Central. "Cutch" received 28 of the 30 first place votes (409 points), which blew away the competition, including finalists Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks (242), and Yadier Molina of the Cardinals (219, 2 first place votes), Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals (194), Freddie Freeman of the Braves (154), Joey Votto of the Reds (149), Cy Young Winner Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers (146), Hanley Ramirez of the Dodgers (58), Carlos Gomez of the Brewers (43), Jay Bruce of the Reds (30), Craig Kimbrel of the Braves (27), Shin-Soo Choo of the Reds (23), Jayson Werth of the Nationals (20), Andrelton Simmons of the Braves (14), Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers (10), Hunter Pence of the Giants (7), Troy Tulowitzki of the Rockies (5), Allen Craig of the Cardinals (4), Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers (4), last year's MVP Buster Posey (3), Adam Wainwright of teh Cardinals (3), Michael Cuddyer of the Rockies (3), Matt Holliday of the Cardinals (2), and Russell Martin of the Pirates (1).

As with the last two sets of awards, here for your viewing pleasure are the 2013 Topps cards of your MVP's. Too bad they didn't make cards for the managers (congratulations to both Terry Francona of the Indians and Clint Hurdle of the Pirates by the way).

With everything all said and done, did your guy win?

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1987 Topps #233 Russ Morman

(Before I begin, I would like to wish my parents, Leslie and Maridel Anama, a Happy 40th Anniversary!!!)

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Thursday, November 14, 2013:

Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1987 Topps #233.
Player Name, position, team: Russ Morman, first baseman, Chicago White Sox.
Major League Debut: August 3, 1986.
Last Line of Statistics: 1986 stats (White Sox): 49 G, 159 AB, 18 R, 40 H, 5 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 1 SB, .358 SLG, 16 BB, 36 SO, .252 AVG.
Any special information about player: Drafted by the White Sox #2nd, June 1983. Bats: right. Throws: right.
Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 1. This is his first and only Topps card.
Blurb on the back: "Russ was All-American at Wichita State Univ.."
Commentary: There is something about the 1987 Topps set that brings me back. Maybe it's because it was the first set of cards introduced to me by my mother when I first arrived in the US. Maybe it's because of the wood borders and circle logos. Maybe it's the unique fonts used by Topps on the front AND back of the cards. But there is something about this set that makes me think back to when I was younger. Even the 1989 Topps set, my favorite set of all-time, doesn't give me that feeling of retrospect. Many collectors I've met over the years have mentioned this set as a watershed product (turning point, something of important change was about to or was already occurring). It would turn out to be the beginning of the junk wax era, where everybody and their mothers (literally) thought that collecting cards would be the key to future financial growth (people were seriously planning their retirement on cards from this set...looking back now...you can only sympathize with them, nodding accordingly while laughing hysterically...at first...on the inside). This may be the only Topps card of Russell Lee Morman's playing career, but he did manage to stay in the professional game, and even make more appearances in the majors, all the way through 1999. The ultimate minor league journeyman, Morman's career path would take him to places from Glen Falls to Appleton, Buffalo to Hawaii (yes, I'll get to this in a minute...stay with me here), from Vancouver to Omaha, as well as Edmonton, Charlotte, Durham, and Calgary. In between his minor league travels, he'd join the big club for a few games with the White Sox, Royals, and Marlins. In 1987, after a nice cup of coffee with the Pale Hose, he was assigned to Triple A Hawaii of the Pacific Coast League. Can you imagine? "Honey, bad news. I didn't make it to the Chicago White Sox. Good news? Yeah...WE'RE SPENDING THE YEAR IN HAWAII!!! (I do not know if Morman what Morman's marital status was at the time...bare with me and enjoy the imagined conversation, will you?) With the Islanders, Morman appeared in 89 games, hit for a decent .269 average, with 9 home runs, 53 rbi's, and a OPS of .830. The next year though, the White Sox moved their AAA team from the sunny beaches of Hawaii to Vancouver. Morman would appear in 207 games as a major leaguer, hitting for a .249 average with 8 home runs, 34 rbi's, and percentages of .304/.366/.670. He made his final appearance in the majors with the Marlins in 1997, but continued his run in the minors first with the Bulls in 1998 as a first year Devil Rays minor leaguer, and then back in the Marlins' farm system with the Calgary Cannons. Upon retirement, Morman learned the craft of managing in the Marlins and Red Sox' organizations. He is presently working as a hitting coach in the San Francisco Giants' minor league system.
Lo-Hi Beckett value: $0.01-$0.05.
How many cards of this player do I own?: 1.

Tomorrow's card will be: 2011 Topps #91. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Until tomorrow everybody.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama