Blog Bat Around: My All Autograph Team

Zippy Zappy came up with the most recent Blog Bat Around idea, trying to build the best autograph roster possible using cards from your collection. His rules require you to trim your list down to a starting roster full of position players, a designated hitter, a starting pitcher, two relievers, and a closer. I looked at that and decided that instead I would try to build a full 25-man roster. I ran into a little trouble with filling out my pitching spots, but in the end I was able to build a full 25-man roster. It's made up of a mixture of my favorite players as well as the best guys I could find for a given position. If you just want to see which players I picked to match Zippy Zappy's format, you can skip past all the pictures and go to the bottom of the post.

Catcher - Craig Biggio

Craig Biggio played most of his career as a second baseman, but he played a few hundred games at catcher. That's good enough for me to justify placing him here in my roster. This beautiful autograph relic card came to me as a prize in a contest over at Collecting Cutch.

First Base - Wally Moon

Here's another guy who I'm playing out of position a little bit. He played 136 games at first base and his 1963 Topps cards lists his position as OF - 1B, so I'm putting him here. I just had a lot of outfielders on my list, and not a lot of good autographs featuring first basemen.

Second Base - Jose Altuve

I'm lucky I got this card recently, as it is my first autograph of the Astros' star second baseman, Jose Altuve. It's a nice-looking card, and it hasn't been featured here on my blog yet. He fits right in on an all-time roster, as the defending AL MVP.

Shortstop - Omar Vizquel

I think this card is still in my collection. I pulled it from a box of Topps High Tek. Vizquel may not quite be a Hall of Famer, but he'll be a solid defensive presence for my team. I kind of wish I had a Carlos Correa autograph for this spot, but I don't.

Third Base - Yangervis Solarte

Third base was kind of a black hole in my collection when it comes to autographs, so Yangervis Solarte is my guy here. So far this year, he's the 32nd-best hitter in fantasy baseball, although I imagine that ranking will fall a bit as time goes on.

Left Field - Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson was primarily a right fielder, but he made 834 appearances in left field. He won the 1958 NL Gold Glove award for his play in left field, so I think he'll do all right there for my team. I waited three years for Topps to send this Topps Archives redemption for a framed mini autograph, and by the time they sent it they couldn't be bothered to put the frame on it.

Center Field - Fred Lynn

Fred Lynn gets my center field spot. A lot of the autographs in my collection come from Topps Archives products, and this one is no different. This is probably one of the first autographs I pulled when I got back into collecting in the middle of 2013, and it even came out of a retail blaster. I have typically had terrible luck with retail breaks of Archives, but not this time.

Right Field - George Springer

Going back to the home team for The Raz Card Blog, we've got George Springer in right field. That's where he's made the majority of his appearances so far, so I didn't have to push him out of position to get him onto the roster.

Designated Hitter - Aaron Judge

I have a nice power bat in my DH spot, with Aaron Judge looking to follow up his monster rookie year with another great season. I pulled this autograph from a blaster of Gypsy Queen before Judge-mania really set in and baseball cards disappeared from store shelves.

Catcher - Evan Gattis

My back-up catcher is Evan Gattis. I had to find an excuse to get this card into this post, as it's one of my favorites from my collection. I went crazy on 2014 Topps Stadium Club, and this was a card I pulled from the product.

Bench - Bo Jackson

The potential of Bo Jackson was undoubtedly greater than the reality turned out to be, but I was at a very impressionable age when Bo Knows was everywhere. If there was a Hall of Hype, he could be one of the first guys inducted.

Bench - Josh Reddick

I couldn't get all of my main player collection guys onto this list, but I think Reddick will fit in just fine on this roster. I watched him hit a grand slam tonight to go along with another home run, so he's got power in his bat. He is better known for his glove, though, making acrobatic catches at the wall. I have autographed cards featuring him as an Astro, but I like the way this one from his time on the A's looks.

Bench - Francisco Lindor

I probably should have picked an infielder who plays more positions for this bench spot, but Lindor has been about as good as it gets at the shortstop position over the last couple of years. I guess my manager will have to work out those playing time issues.

Starting Pitcher 1 - Randy Johnson

I've got a pretty decent staff ace here in Randy Johnson. This is the other card in this post that hasn't been featured here on the blog yet. I got it a couple of months ago, but just haven't found the right moment to post it. He put up a lot of numbers, and was probably one of the most intimidating guys to ever step foot on the mound.

Starting Pitcher 2 - Phil Niekro

My second starting pitcher is another Hall of Famer, knuckleballer Phil Niekro. Batters should be suitably bamboozled by his offerings the day after facing Johnson's flamethrower stuff. 

Starting Pitcher 3 - Luis Tiant

I went with Luis Tiant as my next starter. I considered a couple of other guys for his spot, but I couldn't deny his career numbers and kept him in the rotation.

Starting Pitcher 4 - Roy Oswalt

Oswalt was one of the key pitchers during the Astros' last run to the world series, and for several years he was a perennial Cy Young contender. He never quite got there, with a large part of that thanks going to Randy Johnson. Not a bad guy to have as your fourth starter. 

Starting Pitcher 5 - R.A. Dickey

He might be the one guy who doesn't quite fit in here, but I can't keep R.A. Dickey off of this team. He does have a Cy Young to his name, although the rest of his career hasn't quite lived up to that. I still like collecting his cards, though, and I want him on my team. Maybe he and Niekro can share knuckleball tips with each other.

Relief Pitcher - Michael Fulmer

I had to bump a couple of starters down to my bullpen. Hopefully their egos can handle it. I'll start off here with the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year. He should be able to handle long relief duties for this team.

Relief Pitcher - Jim Abbott

Jim Abbott may not have had the greatest career on paper, but I couldn't leave this fan favorite off of this roster. He was a career starter, so hopefully he'll be able to eat up some innings out of the bullpen.

Relief Pitcher - Kent Tekulve

Kent Tekulve is the first lifetime reliever in my bullpen, and he was a pretty good one. He spent a couple of years in the Cy Young conversation, made an All-Star appearance, and was a key part of the Pirates' 1979 World Series team. But the real reason he's on this roster is that he always looked awesome on his baseball cards.

Relief Pitcher - Rollie Fingers

Here's another Cardboard All-Star, Rollie Fingers. He's got a great baseball name and the mustache of a silent film villain. He had a Cy Youg award and some World Series rings, but if he gets into the Hall of Fame, there are probably a lot of other relief pitchers who should be in ahead of him. This Blog Bat Around isn't about who should and shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame. I'll still collect his cards and put him on my autograph team.

Relief Pitcher - Charlie Morton

Charlie Morton is another lifetime starting pitcher, but he pitched four innings of relief to close out Game 7 of the World Series last year, so you know he can handle the pressure. His career has been a bit bumpy, but he seems to have found himself in Houston, with a 17-7 record so far as an Astro.

Relief Pitcher - Billy Wagner

Billy Wagner is one of just six players with over 400 career saves, so he gets a spot in this bullpen. I probably should have made him the closer on the team, but he didn't quite make the cut, and instead will play the role of set-up man in my bullpen. He's a 7-time All-Star and a great Astro, so I had to include him on the roster.

Closer - Goose Gossage

Goose Gossage doesn't have as many saves as Billy Wagner, but he's in the Hall of Fame, he has 9 All-Star appearances, he's got a World Series ring, and he threw the ball really hard. He's pretty opinionated, but the eccentric closer is kind of a stereotype in baseball. You've got to be a little off to thrive in the pressure cooker of finishing off baseball games.

So that's the best 25-man roster I could come up with from my autograph collection. I'll type it all out here, and bold my choices if I stuck to Zippy Zappy's restrictions.

C - Craig Biggio

C - Evan Gattis

1B - Wally Moon

2B - Jose Altuve

SS - Omar Vizquel

3B - Yangervis Solarte

IF - Francisco Lindor

LF - Frank Robinson

CF - Fred Lynn

RF - George Springer

DH - Aaron Judge

OF - Bo Jackson

OF - Josh Reddick

SP - Randy Johnson

SP - Roy Oswalt

SP - Phil Niekro

SP - Luis Tiant

SP - R.A. Dickey

RP - Michael Fulmer

RP - Jim Abbott

RP - Kent Tekulve

RP - Rollie Fingers

RP - Charlie Morton

RP - Billy Wagner

CL - Goose Gossage

edit: I was so focused on the relative merits of baseball players that I forgot to include a card featuring the signature of a baseball player's relative! In the celebrity baseball fan spot of my roster, I am selecting Kate Upton, spouse of Justin Verlander, one of Houston's current ace pitchers.

Now my roster is complete. You can't have a good baseball game without some fans in the stands.

A Christmas Package from Stealing Home

I feel bad for not posting about this package earlier. It arrived right in the middle of my Cyber Week breaks. Stealing Home from the All Trade Bait, All The Time blog sent out a bunch of Christmas packages in December, and I was one of the lucky recipients of a bubble mailer full of baseball cards. He hit on several of my player and team collections.

I was happy to see a bunch of Randy Johnson cards in this package. The Big Unit just seemed like such an intense and dominating guy on the field. I really should pursue more of his cardboard. There are also a couple of Astros pitchers here, one maybe a little more well-known than the other. Goose Gossage also makes an appearance here, with a Topps Archives issue. 

Next up are some more Astros and some Athletics from a variety of years and card brands. I was primarily a basketball collector during my teen years in the 90's, so most baseball cards from earlier than 2012 or so are going to be new to my collection.

Following the Astros and A's, we have some Blue Jays content and a couple of guys with impressive mustaches. For a second I was confused as to why Franco and Aase made it into the package, but then I noticed that they are both sporting some impressive lip fur.

Closing things out are a couple of horizontal cards, a Heritage card celebrating the Astros, who would go on to win the World Series, and the other showing Eddie Murray at different points in his career, but always sporting an impressive caterpillar under his nose.

Thanks for the fun card package, Stealing Home! I had a great Christmas, and I hope that you did too!

Pack of the Day 163: 2017 Topps Archives Rack Pack

This is going to be a pretty quick post, as I have a pretty big test tomorrow and I need to get to bed very soon. I had to make a Wal-Mart run this evening, and I happened to stop by the card aisle to see if they had any 2017 Topps Archives. They only had rack packs, so I grabbed one. I feel like rack packs cost too much for what you get, but that's what I had available to me.

Here's the front of the pack. There are 18 cards inside, plus a little security tag on a blank card. These packs didn't even appear to have been felt up by the local pack searcher, so that was nice. Usually he gets to everything first and damages it and leaves the shelves a mess.

Here are the pack odds. Remember, these are for rack packs, so the odds on other packaging will be different. There is also the NPN info, for people who are into that. I keep meaning to give it a try, but I never do. I guess Topps is probably counting on that.

Here are the vertical cards from the pack. There are some 1992-patterned cards at the top, and beneath them are the 1982-design cards. Tom Seaver's got some good UPF (Ugly Pitching Face) going on up there. It was very pleasant to see that the cards this year are printed on thicker stock. It doesn't feel quite as thick as Heritage, but it's thicker. The 1960 and 1982 designs also have a rough texture to the backs, while the backs of the 1992 design are smoother. But the thick stock is nice, and I am glad that Topps listened to the collectors on that.

That Rollie Fingers 1960-design card was the first one out of the pack. I was pretty happy to get it. I am also a big fan of the Randy Johnson card up there. I scanned a couple of card backs, but Julio Teheran's card apparently took a ride on the scanner glass. You'll just have to imagine what the missing edge looks like. The Dansby Swanson card at the bottom right is the promised 1960 Topps Rookie Star insert mentioned on the front of the pack. I also pulled his base card. I guess it's a Dansby Swanson hot pack.

Tucked into the middle of the pack was this Al Kaline tallboy insert, a 1959 Bazooka insert. I scanned the back because I think it looks better than having a single card photo centered in the post, not because it is particularly exciting. It would have been nice to pull a parallel in the pack, but it wasn't to be.

Overall I like the design and execution of this year's Archives product based on this small sample. Topps listened to the complaints about the card stock, which is a nice move on their part. I don't know how much more of this I will pick up, but if the prices don't go crazy I could see myself trying out a Hobby box of Archives this year.

What's in the Box 4: August 2016 Baseball Loot Locker

I've been watching The Loot Locker on Facebook and Twitter for a while, and in August I finally went ahead and ordered one. For $20 + $5 shipping, you get 3-6 Hobby packs of cards and some hobby supplies shipped to you in a 400-count card storage box. They offer Loot Lockers for Baseball, Football, Hockey, and Basketball. One in every 25 Loot Lockers comes with a bonus of $10+ in extra packs, and 1 in every 250 Loot Lockers contains some sort of high-end bonus product. 

Loot Locker has some kind of partnership with Ultra-Pro, so they feature their logo on the box label. Other than the label, it's a pretty standard 400-count card box.

Here is what I received in my Locker. The Ultra-Pro baggie contains some top loaders, some team bags, and some card sleeves. I got 2 packs of 2016 Allen & Ginter, 2 packs of 2016 Topps Chrome, and 1 pack of 2016 Panini Diamond Kings. I guess my Loot Locker was one of the randomly-seeded bonus lockers, as I also got a box of 2016 Onyx Authenticated Platinum Elite, which is admittedly a product and company I wasn't familiar with.

Not much came out of the Allen & Ginter packs. These are the most interesting cards that came out of them. Most of the Allen & Ginter cards in the two packs had that ding in the upper right corner that you can see on the Rollie Fingers card. It's impossible to know if that came from the manufacturer or the shipping process.

The Topps Chrome was a Nick Markakis hot lot, as I pulled the base and the Prism Refractor versions of his card. Outside of that, Max Scherzer was the most interesting base card.

Diamond Kings featured a couple of familiar faces in Luis Severino and George Springer. 

It also contained this Alex Bregman Diamond Kings Materials Framed dual relic card, numbered # 71 / 99. It's a pretty cool card and features a player on my favorite team, the Houston Astros Baseball Club. That's about it for the regular stuff you can expect from a Loot Locker.

I was kind of interested to see what this Onyx Authenticated Platinum Elite stuff was all about. I have to admit that I am pretty skeptical about 'off-brand' cardboard. This isn't something I would go out and purchase on my own. The front of the box promised four cards total, with two autographs. The base cards (Alex Reyes, Yeudy Garcia) look pretty much like the autograph cards, but without colored foil. Both of my autographs were the basic Blue Foil variety, which supposedly are limited to a print run of 200. There are other colors of parallel with different print runs.

My autographs were Alec Mills and Anderson Espinoza. I had to look them up. Both are promising players, I guess. Prospecting isn't really something I do, so these aren't names I am familiar with. This was a nice bonus, but I'm not really in the right demographic for this product. None of the autographs or base cards feature much information about the player, just an advertisement for the various colored parallels you can pull.

Obviously the cards you wind up pulling have a big impact on how much you like a Loot Locker or similar product. After accounting for my state's tax and a couple dollars in hobby supplies, I wound up spending about $4.25 per pack for the Allen & Ginter, Chrome, and Diamond Kings. I guess that's all right for Hobby packs. I am not accounting for the Onyx box in those numbers, but the chance at getting something extra in your Loot Locker probably plays into the decision to buy it.

I would probably buy another Loot Locker, but it's not an every-month purchase for me yet. My collecting habits these days don't leave a lot of room for opening random wax. At the moment I find better value for myself chasing singles and collated sets over opening packs and hoping for big hits. Every month Loot Locker posts a list of the packs that will ship out that month, so you can pick and choose based on the products you like. They also let customers vote on what packs might appear, so you can campaign for a product you want to try out.

Pack of the Day 125: 2 Packs of 2013 Panini Cooperstown

I have finally reached the end of that repack I've been going on and on about for the last month. I guess there were a couple packs of Panini Triple Play in there, but I didn't even open them. I guess that really speaks to how I feel about that product, because I can't help opening anything within five feet of me that even resembles a pack of cards, but I've probably got 6 or 7 packs of Triple Play piled around my desk.

This particular repack contained two retail packs of 2013 Panini Cooperstown, with 6 cards in each pack. I'll be honest; baseball for me started in the early 1990's and I've only picked up on previous baseball history organically as it was presented to me, so I am far from this product's target audience. I recognize Zack Wheat and Bill Mazeroski by name, but I don't know anything else about them. I may have heard Frankie Frisch's name before but it's not ringing any bells.

Again, I am recognizing some names here but not much else. Dave Winfield sneaks onto my radar as his career was winding down just as I got into sports. The other guys I recognize as famous dudes, but I couldn't tell you anything about them. That Cap Anson guy on Cap Anson's card who is probably Fred Pfeffer has got quite a mustache. Apparently there is a mix-up in the photo files and this happens all the time for Cap Anson. I hear he (Cap Anson, not Fred Pfeffer) was pretty racist so that cancels out all his cool points if he also had a sweet mustache.

Hey, Barry Larkin is a guy I recognize! And Warren Spahn is pretty famous, too! I am pretty sure the Larkin card is part of an insert set, and the Spahn card is some sort of Green Ice parallel. I guess I'd rather pull a Green Ice card than a Yellow Snow one. The Rollie Fingers disc is a pretty nice PC pull. This would have been more relevant about a month ago, but Night Owl talked about how infrequently baseball's commissioners get cardboard recognition. Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis is the one major exception that Night Owl noted, as his name sounds so old-timey and cool that the card companies can't help themselves. He sure looks like a grumpy fellow. I bet he and Brian McCann would get along pretty well.