Cards on Cards with Stickers

Kerry from Cards on Cards emailed me to let me know he had some cards to send me in PWE, little did I know there would be stickers, too!

Just in case you thought I only collect Twins, here's Barry Bonds, whose 2001 season could have been the combined production of two identical players. 

Another sticker! And I tried to find these Rosies on TCDB, but I couldn't place them. There's Panini Prizm, Donruss Optic, Donruss Holo... But these are 2019 Donruss Optic Prizms, which I can't seem to find an entry for... I was going to start being really vigilant about logging my cards into TCDB as soon as I acquire them, but I've already fallen behind.

Oh well, whatever they are, they are awesome. Thanks Kerry!

Stay Cool - Keep In Touch - Have A Great Summer - Blog Bat Around

Matt from Diamond Jesters says "Consider your standard 9-pocket binder page. Nine places to summarize 2019 in baseball card form. Which 9 would you choose? Which sets would you choose?"

Oh, I am considering it! This was actually much harder than I thought it would be, as I had several cards swapped in and out of each spot on the list. I some tough decisions, but ultimately something had to give. I don't call this blog Highly Subjective lightly - I could probably make a new list tomorrow and every day next week and still change my mind again later. But Matt was right, this was fun to put together a 2019 Yearbook page.

1 - 2019 Topps Yoan Moncada  Right away I had a really hard time picking just one card from the 2019 Topps flagship offerings. I would be lying if I said I was a White Sox "fan" but even I can't deny that they are a fun team to watch. Moncada came to Chicago in a trade with Boston for Chris Sale. Moncada, along with Eloy Jimenez, Tim Anderson, and Luis Robert form a youthful and dynamic nucleus. I really loved this card as soon as I pulled it from a pack. Throwback uni, base running action, helmet flying off. . . what better way to kick things off?

2 - Topps NOW Ichiro - 2019 was the year of the rookie, to be certain. But the first major memorable moment of the season came in March, as the Mariners and A's kicked off the season in Japan. It was thought by many that Ichiro was already done, but he made one last stand in his home country, playing for his first MLB team. This, to me, is what Topps NOW is really best suited to capture. I don't need a card of every game winner, but there are always those moments in a season that deserves extra attention.

3 - 2019 Donruss Willians Astudillo  - Poor Panini! Thank goodness for catchers, right? The "other" baseball card company had another year stuck as an afterthought to the Topps juggernaut. I felt like throwing them a bone, as they did produce a large volume of cards in 2019. I hope one day they will regain the license from MLB. In the mean time, I think Panini should try to find more ways to stand out. Astudillo was the pick because his card was among the few that looked interesting. The lack of logos is not as bad on catcher cards, especially once the cap and mask has been tossed aside.

4 - Stadium Club - Jose Berrios This set never fails to find great photos. This image is actually from 2018, taken before the game started by Berrios in Puerto Rico at Hiram Bithorn Stadium against Cleveland. One of the things I always look for in my cardboard is context. I don't necessarily mean identifying the exact second a photo was taken, but an image that tells a story is so much more compelling to me than a generic batter at the plate or pitcher in the windup. As this card illustrates, however, even a seemingly mundane action (a pitcher in the windup) can make for a fantastic shot.  

5 - Topps Heritage Pat Neshek - Nick already covered a lot of what I want to say about this card in his "Cards of the Year" post. I'm going to repeat it anyway. Pat is well known among collectors for his quirky delivery on the mound, and his unique signature that incorporates a baseball (with stitches). But most of all, Neshek is a fellow cardboard enthusiast! The pose chosen for this card was a nod to one of the greatest cards of the original 1970 set, and of course Pat hits it out of the park. 

6 - Topps Archives Javy Baez - Not much to say about this one, Javy is one of my favorite players, the 1958 Topps All-Star subset has long been one of my favorite vintage designs. I am not a big fan of The Living Set, or Gypsy Queen, or A&G (though this year's design was my favorite so far). There were lots of sets to choose from, but I wasn't really into any of them ... oh well!

7 - BBM Chiba Lotte Marines: PUMP UP Kennys Vargas - Oh, you thought that just because he's no longer in the states that I would leave out the great Kennys Vargas?!?! Incorrect, I say! Vargas spent 2019 in Japan playing for the Chiba Lotte Marines and their minor league affiliate. Maybe not the plan he had in mind for the year, but I have to admit that I'm very glad it resulted in this bright and bold insert from the Chiba Lotte Marines' Team Issue set. 

8 - TOPPS X LINDOR: Puerto Rican Heritage Eddie Rosario - Seeing as I primarily collect Twins among current releases, I think it's pretty remarkable that this is only the 3rd Twins card in this Yearbook Page. Topps has been working hard to cover every possible niche from vintage to modern, sets on demand and pre-packaged complete sets of their traditional flagship design. Starting with Bryce Harper last year, Topps has called in some of the bigger names in MLB to help design an exclusive set of cards. Eddie is a big-time fan favorite in Minnesota, and I'm sure he's a hit in Puerto Rico as well.

9 - Topps Throwback Thursday 1995 Crystal Ball Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.  - As I mentioned in the beginning, 2019 was the year of the rookie. Vlad was the player with the biggest hype, but there was also Tatis, Pete Alonso, Yordan Alvarez, Aristedes Aquino, Luis Arraez, and on and on! There was no shortage of cards to choose from for this wild card spot, but I had to go with this one. The on demand, extremely online version of Topps can be annoying at times, but I have to say that the variety can make everyone happy some of the time. I suspect that's the point!

Never change! Friends Forever! Class of '19 RULEZ!

Swearing a Blue (pinstriped) Streak

So... yeah. That's 16 straight postseason losses by the Twins against New York. There was some reason to be hopeful this time, but ultimately it came down to pitching (or the lack thereof) for the Twins. Jose Berrios was undone by a high pitch count and some poor defense, going only 4 innings in Game 1. He surrendered just 1 earned run, and struck out 6 Yankees, but it wasn't going to be enough on a night where the bullpen was unable to get outs.

Well, you tried...

Berrios had a short start, Jake Odorizzi gave the Twins 5 solid innings in Game 3. He was the only pitcher on the roster with a positive WPA (win probability added). Brusdar Graterol pitched a clean inning of relief with a pair of strikeouts, one of the few highlights of the Twins bullpen in the postseason. Eddie Rosario had a homer in Game 3, the only run the Twins would score. Jorge Polanco was the Twin with the highest WPA, mostly from his 2-3 performance in Game 1. His homer in the first inning gave the Twins their only lead of the series.

Missing in Action . . . 

Luis Arraez had a fantastic rookie season, but a high ankle sprain on the final day of the season put a damper on an otherwise sterling debut. Even with a flat tire, Arraez had 5 hits in the 3 game series, 4 of them doubles. But the injury would be more noticeable on the defensive side, where a pair of miscues in the first game led to a Yankees rally. Marwin Gonzalez, C.J. Cron, and Max Kepler all had a tough time in the series having missed significant time in September due to nagging injuries. Kepler went 0-10 in the series, but did manage to reach base 3 times on walks.

Missed opportunities . . . 

While they weren't noticeably injured, they also had sub par showings in the post season. Sano and Garver went a combined 3-24 with 13 strikeouts. Jonathan Schoop only had 2 plate appearances, striking out both times. Nelson Cruz had a big home run in Game 1, but was held in check for the balance of the series by the Yankees' pitching staff.

Willians Astudillo was not on the postseason roster, but he still had a card in this set. I do enjoy adding Astudillo cards to my collection, but I would have liked to have a Randy Dobnak card, regardless of the outcome of his start.

Here are the card backs for those interested. I do have one more complaint - When these sets were first listed on the Topps website, the Twins were the only Division Champ that did not have an Autograph version of the set. I assumed after checking back a few days in a row that Topps was just going to do the non-Auto version of the Twins set, so I pulled the trigger early. I found out later that an Autograph version was offered, but I didn't want to pay for a whole 2nd set (at a higher price) to get the auto. Thanks Topps.

 It would be easy to complain about the injuries, the Pineda suspension, etc, but the fact is that the Yankees were the better team in that series from start to finish. If the Twins want to get this monkey off their back, they are going to have get more from their starting pitching and have more depth to weather the storm. It's not like the Yankees were all healthy...

It was a short postseason run for the Twins, but the season was still a ton of fun. I look forward to the off season with high hopes for some better starting pitching.

Trading Up North Again

Douglas from Sportscards From The Dollar Store surprised me with a nice stack of cards this month.

As has been the custom from our trades, the four major North American sports were all represented!

In Hockey, both the expansion Wild and the (much earlier) expansion North Stars were included. 1990 Bowman was so terrible for baseball, but for hockey I don't mind it at all - maybe it's the inclusion of more on-ice action and less portrait shots.

The Wolves will be trying again to make some progress in the talent rich Western Conference, but without Rose and Jimmy Butler. Butler is somewhat of an enigma - he does really endear himself to his new team, but is seemingly quick to spoil a good thing. He's also pretty good at burning bridges, I doubt the Wolves will be trying to orchestrate a reunion.

Back to Hockey, I thought this was the coolest one- a clear acetate card reminiscent of a freshly zamboni'd rink.

And a hit! Jordan Greenway was a 2nd round pick of the Wild back in 2015 out of Boston University. He played in 81 games last season, scoring a dozen goals and assisting a dozen more. He'll be looking to increase his production this season, as he's in the final year of his rookie contract. He's a big dude, 6'6" to be exact, and the Wild will be counting on him to provide a physical presence in the offensive zone, probably on their 3rd shift.

Speaking of talented youngsters, the Twins are well stocked. Alex Kiriloff made Lewin Diaz expendable in yesterday's Sergio Romo trade, despite the fact that Diaz was projected to be MLB ready as soon as 2020.

Recent first rounder Royce Lewis was just promoted to AA taking Lewin's roster spot. He will most likely take over at Short, with someone else shifting over to be the everyday 1B. It won't be Willians Astudillo, who remains with the Big League squad, albeit on the IL for the forseeable future.

A couple more hits! Jose Berrios is the team Ace, and Twins fans will be hoping for a strong finish to 2019 from the young right hander, who just made his first All-Star squad.

Last but not least is the speedy Jake Cave. He was sent down to AAA this week, as Byron Buxton returned from injury. Given Buxton's history and the grind of the full season on all the outfielders, chances are Cave will get another shot to contribute to the Twins in 2019.  

Thanks so much for these, Douglas! I don't have a great package to send you - yet. But I'll have something headed your way as soon as I do!

New Verse, Same As the First

Hey what's the deal, this is the third time you've shown this card?!?!

Or is it the first? In addition to a Twins' win, I also picked up a Minnesota Twins Team Set from Target Field. They look just like the regular issue Topps cards, but are labeled as Team Set cards on the back.

Here's the checklist, and there are a few names missing in my opinion. Joe Mauer, of course, retired, but that doesn't mean he should have been left out! Also. . . . no Byron Buxton? I know he had a disappointing 2018, but that's cold, Topps. You'll feel salty when Buxton wins Comeback Player of the Year this season.

The big name free agents / waiver claims are all here, and Jake Cave gets his first shot at a regular Topps Twins card (he's not in Series 1).

Favorite photo of the set is Jason Castro's card, also left out of Series 1, but that's to be expected since he only played in 19 games last season recovering from a knee injury.

And guess what? Willians Astudillo is now going to be a regular on this blog, and there is nothing you can do to stop it! Did you know that Astudillo currently has the highest batting average in MLB history? If the minimum is 100 at bats, that is, it is 100% TRUE! His .382 Career Average (33 games) makes Ty Cobb look like Mario Mendoza! Ok, maybe not. And sure, this is completely ridiculous and unsustainable, but who cares? He's got my vote for the All-Star Game already.

Opening Day!

I meant to post this yesterday, but I got sidetracked before I had to leave for the game- Jose Berrios pitched a gem facing off against Corey Kluber and the Twins are undefeated!! I think they'll probably run the table this year and go 162 - 0. Eat your heart out, 1972 Dolphins!

On Saturday I went to my local Card Shop and picked up a box of Opening Day. Just $28, but the catch is that there are no guaranteed hits. Oh well!

I got yer "guaranteed hit" right here, buddy!

Kikuchi is the latest in a long line of players to come to the U.S. from Japan, and even though he's not getting nearly the hype of Ohtani, he is a very good pitcher and should make a good impression this year.

A handful of favorites from the box - Stadium Club worthy, in my opinion.

Hey! It's the first Willians Astudillo card in a retail Topps set! I would have gone back for another box if this card wasn't in the first one!

Astudillo broke camp with the MLB club, and should be on the roster at least until Miguel Sano recovers from his leg injury. During the spring, Astudillo had over 50 plate appearances and had just 1 walk- and zero strikeouts. Looking for to seeing him get some playing time soon in MN!

Happy Opening Day everyone!

On Demand, Two Cards, Three Dimensions

Short post, just wanted to share the Twins in the recent 3D set that Topps sold in packs online from their site. I did not buy any from Topps directly, knowing that my chances of getting these cards were slim to none.

So, I waited for them to appear on eBay, and I ended up buying both cards from the same seller. Didn't get the thrill of the hunt, but still satisfied to find these guys.

NOW That Will Leave A Mark

Didja ever order a Topps NOW card and the guy gets traded before the thing arrives? NOW that really stings, Topps!

It's a nice curtain call for Dozier, though I think it's a bittersweet final image.

In more promising prospects, Topps issued a set of cards for the AL and NL All-Star rosters, which included Jose Berrios. He pitched 1 inning, allowed no hits and one walk. Since the AL won the game, Berrios was credited with a Hold.

Last but not least, local kid Joe Mauer made headlines by passing Kirby Puckett on the career Doubles list. He has more than any other Minnesota Twin, and is 3rd all-time for the Washington Senators / Twins franchise, behind Joe Judge (421) and Sam Rice (479). His next milestone? He currently has 992 career runs scored. Barring injury he should be able to reach 1,000 by the end of the season.

Serve & Volley

Jim aka grcl from cards as i see them claimed a couple cards from my Allen & Ginter post last week, and he's already forwarded a return package! Larry Walker at the bat rack fills two mini collections at once!

Mitch Garver has been a busy guy recently - making headlines at the plate, behind the plate, and on the mound for the Twins. He pitched a clean 8th inning for the Twins in a blowout loss to Cleveland, then blasted a 3 run homer in the very next game. He's starting to get more regular playing time as the season has progressed.

Zack Granite, on the other hand, is now buried on the depth chart in AAA after some bad injury luck and some subpar play on the field. Very surprising to get this Jose Berrios auto, thanks so much for including that!

Speaking of Jose, this is my first look at the National Baseball Card Day issue - at first I thought "Is Jim some kind of Wizard? NBCD isn't until this coming Saturday." Jim explained that this was given away at a Twins game earlier in the month, which makes much more sense than my theory.

This is one of those stats that is impressive, but made less impressive if you think too hard about what it's actually saying. Berrios had a really hot start in 2017, won 7 games before the end of June.

Jim, thanks much for the great cards!