New Arrival: Luis Arraez, 2b, Minnesota Twins
Luis Arraez was never ranked as one of the Twin’s Top 10 prospects as he was moving up through the system. This is insane when you consider what he has accomplished at the major league level.
Collecting Cleveland Baseball Since 1982
Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
From the Collection: Mark Teixeira, if, Texas Rangers
I really liked Texas Rangers-era Mark Teixeira. During his rookie season, he was on a Rangers team that was filled with players that are some of my all-time favorites, including Einar Diaz, Alex Rodriguez, Hank Blalock, Ryan Christenson, Juan Gonzalez, and Ryan Ludwick. That was a fun team.
From the Collection: Jeremy Sowers, p, Cleveland Indians
I was a fan of Jeremy Sowers while he was pitching at Vanderbilt, and was excited when Cleveland drafted him with the 6th overall pick of the 2004 draft.
New Arrival: Logan Allen, p, Cleveland Guardians
Logan Allen was Cleveland’s 2nd round pick in the 2020 draft, out of Florida International University. This season Allen is pitching at AA Akron and is having a fantastic campaign, going 5-3 with a 3.33 ERA and 104 K’s in 73 IP. In fact, he is so good that just[…]
From the Collection: Justin Verlander, p, Detroit Tigers
Justin Verlander is when it comes to autographs, an unpleasant person. But gosh, he sure is a good pitcher.
From the Collection: Sandy Koufax, sp, Los Angeles Dodgers
I got this autograph through the mail years ago, and it is one of my favorite pieces in my collection. Ballpoint has a bad habit of smearing when you sign cards like this, so I have no idea how he managed to sign it perfectly, put it back in the envelope, and it still comes out perfect.
From the Collection: Robin Roberts, sp, Philadelphia Phillies
I’m not a huge Phillies fan, so I sometimes fail to appreciate what a great pitcher Robin Roberts was.
From the Collection: Cliff Lee, p, Cleveland Indians
The 2007 Cleveland Indians were a good team. They won 96 games, and beat the Yankees in the ALDS, but could not quite get past the David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez-led Red Sox in the ALCS. The Cleveland rotation had a good rotation, with two 19-game winners in CC Sabathia and Roberto Hernandez, and a 15-win season from Paul Byrd. But it is tempting to think what would have happened if Cliff Lee would have been a productive member of that rotation.
Cleveland Minor League Hall of Fame: 1986 Procards Charleston Gators Sandy Alomar Jr.
Is this Sandy Alomar’s first card? Oh gosh no. Alomar’s first minor league card is 1984 Spokane Indians Newspaper #22. I have never even had a chance to buy this card. It’s a bummer. But this is his second minor league card, so it will have to suffice until I can get his Spokane card.
Odds and Ends: 1991 Fleer Cleveland Indians Team Set
1991 Fleer baseball was a massive set–720-cards, that was produced en masse during the height of the Junk Wax Era. So, with almost 3 million copies of each card floating around, there is nothing rare about this set.