25 Years of Baseball

2005 Leaf #124 Livan Hernandez

2005 Leaf #288 Livan Hernandez (Checklist)

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH212 Guillermo Mota
2. #UH49 Ryan Ludwick
3. #UH218 Salomon Torres
4. #UH16 Paul Janish (Rookie)
5. #UH166 Ryan Braun (Home Run Derby)
6. #UH204 Franquelis Osoria
7. #UH12 Trot Nixon
8. #UH318 Kyle Farnsworth
9. Take Me Out to the Ballgame #BG 100th Anniversary
10. Year in Review #YR174 Nick Markakis

…and checklist 2 of 3.

The Take Me Out to the Ballgame card is not a bad pull.  They came one in every two 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights hobby boxes.  I scanned the back of the card big and bold so you can sing along.  Here we go…

Today we’re celebrating the transition from Expos to Nationals in 2005…

2005 Donruss #250 Livan Hernandez

2005 Ultra #111 Livan Hernandez

2005 Topps #386 Chad Cordero

2009 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH44 Seth Smith
2. #UH241 DeWayne Wise
3. #UH114 Chris Coghlan (Rookie)
4. #UH244 Johan Santana (All-Star)
5. #UH232 Tim Lincecum (All-Star)
6. Ring of Honor #RH100 Roy Campanella
7. Topps Town #TTT70 Hunter Pence
8. #UH10 Tommy Hanson (Rookie)
9. #UH177 Neftali Feliz (Rookie)
10. #UH246 Javier Vazquez

As the best prospect in the Braves’ organization (according to Baseball America), Tommy Hanson is perhaps the hottest of the three hot rookies in this pack.  Neftali Feliz was similarly billed by Baseball America as the best prospect in the Rangers’ organization.  Chris Coghlan won last year’s NL Rookie of the Year award.

“Upon watching film of a young Tommy slicing up Minor Leaguers, Braves veteran Chipper Jones declared: “The kid is ready.”  Indeed, the 22-year-old seemed prepared when he got the Major League call in June 2009, winning his first two decisions.  The success was no fluke; Hanson averaged 10.7 Ks per 9 IP through three-plus seasons on the farms.”

Chris from On Card Autos contacted me a couple weeks ago and we arranged a Cubs-for-Nationals trade.  He sent me an impressive collection of over two hundred 2005-2009 Nationals cards (with a couple 2004 Expos thrown in for good measure).  Since I almost exclusively buy Topps flagship, I probably would have never seen any of these brands of cards if it weren’t for Chris.  Thanks Chris!

Now since there are quite a few cards here and I like to have my cards neatly organized in my database, I’m going to take my time integrating these cards into my collection.  What I’ve come up with is the “25 Years of Baseball Nationals Countdown to Opening Day”.  Each day from today until Nationals Opening Day on April 5, I’ll introduce some of the new Nationals cards I acquired from this trade.

With 58 days left ’til Nationals Opening Day, here’s the first selection of Nats:

2004 Ultra #250 Nick Johnson

2005 National Pastime #23 Brad Wilkerson

2006 SP Authentic #24 Austin Kearns

2007 UD Masterpieces #67 Ryan Zimmerman

2008 UD A Piece of History #150 Justin Maxwell (Rookie)

2009 Topps Allen and Ginter #174 John Lannan

2009 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH72 John Mayberry Jr. (Rookie)
2. #UH205 Dallas Braden
3. #UH161 Andrew Bailey (All-Star)
4. #UH156 Heath Bell (All-Star)
5. All-Star Stitches #AST-14 Francisco Rodriguez (Jersey Relic)
6. Topps Town #TTT53 Felix Hernandez
7. #UH146 Juan Cruz
8. #UH25 Orlando Hudson

“Embedded in this premium card is a relic swatch cut from a MLB® All-Star workout jersey worn by Francisco Rodriguez New York Mets® Pitcher during the 2009 MLB® All-Star Game® Exhibition.  This MLB® All-Star Game® stitches relic card is brought to you by 2009 Topps Updates & Highlights baseball.”

Wow, they really gotta do something about these relic card backs.

1) First of all, according to the careful wording describing the relic, this jersey swatch was never worn at the All-Star Game.  It was probably worn during workout the day before and thrown into a bin as the players left the locker room… which actually sounds kind of gross now that I think of it that way.

2) Shouldn’t they actually put some information about the event or the player on the back of the card instead of congratulating you for finding a “premium card” with a piece of sweaty pants embedded in it?

3) What’s with all the ®’s?  That just smacks of large corporations trying to fence off their property from the evil consumers.  Seriously, if Topps wants to market their cards towards kids, they shouldn’t put all that legal jargon on the cards.

2008 Topps Series 2:

1. #574 Scott Baker
2. #630 Chris Carpenter
3. #413 Wandy Rodriguez
4. #433 Carlos Silva
5. #529 Masahide Kobayashi (Rookie)
6. #362 Fernando Hernandez (Rookie)
7. Gold Foil #503 Jeremy Bonderman
8. #387 Sean Marshall
9. #647 Randy Winn
10. #511 Jeff Francis

…and Series 2 checklist 2 of 4.

…and 10% off a Fathead.

“One of Japan’s best relievers, Masahide saved at least 20 games for the Chiba Lotte Marines in each of the last seven years.  Great durability, a deceptive delivery and a nasty slider are his hallmarks.  “He can throw it any time for strikes,” Indians scouting director John Mirabelli says of Kobayashi’s best pitch.  His fastball touches the mid-90s.”

Kobayashi was kind of a bust for the Indians.  He pitched in 57 games in 2008, including 9 save opportunities, and ended up with a 4.53 ERA and blowing 3 of his save opportunities.

In 2009, he provided relief in 10 games early in the season allowed the 9 Runs… his ERA ballooned to 8.38.  He was sent down to triple-A and didn’t fare much better, so the Indians released him in July 2009.

Masahide Kobayashi is currently back in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants as a 35-year-old reliever.

2008 Topps Series 1:

1. #160 Ben Sheets
2. #110 Justin Morneau
3. #58 Matt Holliday/Ryan Howard/Miguel Cabrera (League Leaders)
4. #269 James Loney (Topps All-Star Rookie)
5. #216 Ryan Garko
6. #20 Daisuke Matsuzaka
7. Own the Game #OTG12 Magglio Ordonez
8. Gold Foil #277 Aubrey Huff (Topps All-Star Rookie)
9. #18 J.D. Durbin
10. #182 Billy Buckner (Rookie)

In 2007, Magglio had the second most RBIs (139) in the Major Leagues.  The number one position was held by A-Rod, who had 17 more (156).