“Ryan, part of a five-pitcher haul taken high in the 2005 draft by Florida, developed a slider to go with a mid-90s fastball and change-up in ’07.  That helped him strike out six and allow just two hits over five innings to pick up his first MLB win on June 8, 2008.  ”We welcome another bulldog,” Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said.  ”I love toughness.””

This former 1st round draft pick is currently working in the Texas Rangers bullpen.

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH235 Eddie Guardado
2. #UH260 Emil Brown
3. #UH193 Jeremy Affeldt
4. #UH309 John Bowker (Rookie Card)
5. #UH81 J.C. Romero
6. #UH225 Ryan Tucker (Rookie Card)
7. #UH204 Franquelis Osoria
8. #UH12 Trot Nixon
9. #UH318 Kyle Farnsworth
10. First Couples #FC-15 Abraham Lincoln/Mary Lincoln

Let’s see what 5 hobby packs of 2008 Topps Series 1 yields:

PACK 1

1. #295 Tim Wakefield
2. #54 Victor Martinez
3. #287 Justin Morneau/Johan Santana/Joe Mauer (Classic Combos)
4. #259 Emilio Bonifacio (Rookie Card)
5. #166 Andy Sonnanstine
6. #124 Bob Geren (Manager)
7. Gold Border #325 Jim Leyland (Serial#1774/2008) (Manager)
8. #83 Mark Reynolds
9. #21 Edwin Encarnacion
10. #38 Preston Wilson

PACK 2

1. #107 Shawn Green
2. #209 Andy Phillips
3. #161 Matt Garza
4. #155 Carlos Zambrano
5. #272 Anthony Reyes
6. Year in Review #YR56 Jeremy Accardo
7. Gold Foil #245 Dan Haren
8. #81 Ray Durham
9. #39 Yovani Gallardo
10. #325 Jim Leyland (Manager)

PACK 3

1. #28 Kyle Kendrick
2. #117 Boof Bonser
3. #45 Dontrelle Willis
4. #8 Stephen Drew
5. #64 Mike Lowell
6. Year in Review #YR53 Oliver Perez
7. Gold Foil #281 Carlos Ruiz (Topps All-Star Rookie)
8. #248 Jose Contreras
9. #278 Xavier Nady
10. #57 Wladimir Balentien (Rookie Card)

PACK 4

1. #227 Alfredo Amezaga
2. #35 Cole Hamels
3. #218 Clint Hurdle (Manager)
4. #306 Scott Olsen
5. #262 Brett Myers
6. Own the Game #OTG1 Alex Rodriguez
7. Gold Foil #138 Dan Wheeler
8. #121 Mike Cameron
9. #308 Felipe Lopez
10. #169 Adam Lind

PACK 5

1. #251 Dan Johnson
2. #12 Jason Bartlett
3. #276 Brad Ausmus
4. #127 Steve Pearce (Rookie Card)
5. #197 Melky Cabrera
6. #48 Zach Duke
7. Gold Border #42 Corey Hart (Serial#1688/2008)
8. #78 Radhames Liz (Rookie Card)
9. #168 Phil Hughes
10. #174 Julian Tavarez

“A home run in his first plate appearance of the season was a good omen (for a change) for Casey in 2007.  After a few frustrating years, he stayed healthy and got back on the road to stardom.  His .296 AVG was the highest among American League first basemen, and (over multiple seasons) he closed out a streak of 115 consecutive games without an error.”

Kotchman was brought up from the minor leagues to play for the Tampa Bay Rays after Manny Ramirez retired.

2008 Topps Series 2:

1. #567 David Eckstein
2. #379 Hideki Okajima (Topps All-Star Rookie)
3. #521 Jayson Werth
4. #601 Felipe Paulino (Rookie Card)
5. #492 Harvey Garcia (Rookie Card)
6. #333 Jayson Nix (Rookie Card)
7. Gold Border #373 Casey Kotchman (Serial#1417/2008)
8. Stars #TS24 Pedro Martinez
9. #643 Matt Murton
10. #525 Gary Matthews

Five hobby packs of 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

PACK 1:

1. #UH90 Dan Haren
2. #UH325 Clay Hensley
3. #UH211 Brett Tomko
4. #UH297 Cory Wade (Rookie Card)
5. #UH100 Jay Bruce (Rookie Card)
6. #UH105 Dan Giese (Rookie Card)
7. #UH222 Dave Borkowski
8. #UH306 Casey Kotchman
9. #UH96 Vladimir Nunez
10. Gold Foil #UH208 Kerry Wood (All-Star)

PACK 2

1. #UH308 Shelley Duncan
2. #UH314 Wilson Betemit
3. #UH283 Alex Cintron
4. #UH229 Adrian Gonzalez (All-Star)
5. #UH173 Randy Johnson (Highlights)
6. #UH191 Ian Kinsler (All-Star)
7. #UH83 George Sherrill (All-Star)
8. #UH197 Michael Young (All-Star)
9. Gold Foil #UH43 Jason Bartlett
10. #UH131 Manny Ramirez (Highlights)

PACK 3

1. #UH250 Pedro Feliz
2. #UH43 Jason Bartlett
3. #UH60 Jim Edmonds
4. #UH262 Brian Wilson (All-Star)
5. #UH232 Geovany Soto (All-Star)
6. #UH167 Justin Morneau (Home Run Derby)
7. #UH89 Joakim Soria (All-Star)
8. #UH59 Cliff Lee (All-Star)
9. #UH263 Eric Patterson
10. Gold Foil #UH104 Omar Infante

PACK 4

1. #UH176 Brad Wilkerson
2. #UH38 Carlos Villanueva
3. #UH242 Raul Chavez
4. #UH285 Kosuke Fukudome (All-Star)
5. #UH16 Paul Janish (Rookie Card)
6. #UH166 Ryan Braun (Home Run Derby)
7. #UH107 Jason Varitek (All-Star)
8. #UH68 Jonathan Papelbon (All-Star)
9. #UH35 Hanley Ramirez (All-Star)
10. Year in Review #YR144 Carlos Guillen

PACK 5

Mark Worrell’s claim to fame had nothing to do with his pitching.  He hit a three-run homer on his first major league at-bat in 2008.

1. #UH274 Albert Pujols (All-Star)
2. #UH4 Brent Lillibridge (Rookie Card)
3. #UH172 Evan Longoria (Home Run Derby)
4. #UH262 Brian Wilson (All-Star)
5. #UH125 John Smoltz (Highlights)
6. #UH232 Geovany Soto (All-Star)
7. #UH167 Justin Morneau (Home Run Derby)
8. #UH18 Andy Phillips
9. Highlights Autographs #HA-MW Mark Worrell (Autograph)
10. Gold Border #UH310 Kyle Lohse (Serial#0491/2008)
11. Gold Foil #UH281 Chris Aguila

Five hobby packs of 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

PACK 1

1. #UH6 Yamid Haad
2. #UH310 Kyle Lohse
3. #UH61 Randy Wolf
4. #UH202 Josh Hamilton (Home Run Derby)
5. #UH118 Justin Morneau/David Ortiz (Classic Combos)
6. #UH274 Albert Pujols (All-Star)
7. #UH237 Manny Ramirez
8. #UH84 Julian Tavarez
9. Gold Border #UH271 Brad Thompson (Serial#1300/2008)
10. Gold Foil #UH58 Scott Kazmir (All-Star)

PACK 2

1. #UH326 Kevin Mench
2. #UH120 Angel Berroa
3. #UH140 Dana Eveland
4. #UH119 Ken Griffey Jr. (Season Highlights)
5. #UH88 Dan Haren/Russ Martin (Classic Combos)
6. #UH299 Jolbert Cabrera
7. #UH209 Carlos Guillen (All-Star)
8. #UH46 Kevin Youkilis (All-Star)
9. World Baseball Classic Preview #WBC11 Adrian Gonzalez
10. Gold Foil #UH226 Brian McCann (All-Star)

PACK 3

1. #UH40 Jon Rauch
2. #UH8 Jeff Mathis
3. #UH142 Adrian Gonzalez/Matt Holliday (Classic Combos)
4. #UH143 Chipper Jones (Season Highlights)
5. #UH304 Brad Lidge (All-Star)
6. #UH203 Joe Crede (All-Star)
7. #UH52 Derek Jeter (All-Star)
8. #UH269 Robert Andino
9. World Baseball Classic Preview #WBC24 Chin-Lung Hu
10. Mickey Mantle Story #MMS67 Mickey Mantle

PACK 4

1. #UH217 Willy Aybar
2. #UH7 Josh Anderson
3. #UH19 Johnny Estrada
4. #UH4 Brent Lillibridge (Rookie Card)
5. #UH172 Evan Longoria (Home Run Derby)
6. #UH125 John Smoltz (Highlights)
7. #UH300 CC Sabathia
8. #UH221 J.D. Drew (All-Star)
9. #UH270 Justin Duchscherer
10. Ring of Honor #RH-BS Bruce Sutter

PACK 5

1. #UH170 Greg Smith (Rookie Card)
2. #UH182 Sidney Ponson
3. #UH62 Matt Albers
4. #UH313 Tim Lincecum (All-Star)
5. #UH226 Brian McCann (All-Star)
6. #UH286 Aaron Cook (All-Star)
7. #UH76 Francisco Rodriguez (All-Star)
8. #UH58 Scott Kazmir (All-Star)
9. #UH23 Cristian Guzman (All-Star)
10. First Couples #FC-13 Millard Fillmore/Abigail Fillmore

“Zack is back.  A phenom as a teen, he’s weathered a few rough years and a temporary switch to the bullpen to again become a promising young starter.  After being returned to the rotation last August 24, he compiled a 1.85 ERA in seven starts.  ”I feel like I’m a starter, but other people make that decision,” Greinke says.  Apparently he’s made it for them.”

Zack Greinke will begin the 2011 season on the disabled list, after his fractured a rib during a pick-up basketball game early in Spring Training.

2008 Topps Series 1:

1. #178 Dustin Pedroia (Rookie of the Year)
2. #275 C.C. Sabathia (Cy Young Award)
3. #322 Scott Kazmir/Johan Santana/Erik Bedard (League Leaders)
4. #177 Josh Anderson (Rookie Card)
5. #192 Jim Edmonds
6. #69 Bobby Cox (Manager)
7. Gold #46 Zack Greinke (Serial#1437/2008)
8. #293 Gavin Floyd
9. #102 Ross Ohlendorf (Rookie Card)
10. #132 Ramon Vazquez

I just opened up a fresh hobby box of 2008 Topps Updates & Highlights, so today I’ll start off my post with a box-topper…

My exclusive Chrome Refractor Rookie Card is:

Chrome #CHR9 Josh Banks (Rookie Card)

Josh Banks signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants earlier this year.  He has been ineffective as a Major Leaguer so far.

Now on to the regular pack…

“Called upon to replace departed starter Sidney Ponson, Eric picked up his first Major League victory on June 29, 2008, pitching into the sixth inning of a 5-1 Rangers win over the Phillies.  The former first-round draft pick blossomed in ’05, when he compiled a 12-6 record with Clinton while leading the Class A Midwest League with 152 strikeouts.”

It’s a strange coincidence… Eric Hurley was the Chrome box topper from the previous box of 2008 Updates I opened.  After missing the past two seasons due to injuries, Hurley is back and looking sharp in Spring Training.

2008 Topps Updates & Highlights:

1. #UH163 Miguel Cairo
2. #UH205 Octavio Dotel
3. #UH121 Jacque Jones
4. #UH87 Ryan Langerhans
5. #UH63 Eric Bruntlett
6. #UH45 Eric Hurley (Rookie Card)
7. #UH181 Runelvys Hernandez
8. #UH258 Arthur Rhodes
9. #UH186 Wes Littleton
10. Year in Review #YR176 Moises Alou

Shawn Green retired before the 2008 season as one of the best-known Jewish baseball players ever to play the game.

2008 Topps Series 1:

1. #152 Bronson Arroyo
2. #100 Ryan Howard
3. #98 Ryan Howard/Chase Utley (Classic Combos)
4. #228 Geoff Blum
5. #229 Dustin Pedroia (Topps All-Star Rookie)
6. #303 Jose Lopez
7. 50th Anniversary All Rookie Team #AR47 Shawn Green
8. Gold Foil #318 Ned Yost (Manager)
9. #240 Jim Thome
10. #292 Mark Loretta