Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
Jason Grilli was the 4th overall pick of the 1997 draft, selected by the Giants out of Seton Hall. He would spend 15 seasons in the majors, the vast majority of it pitching out of the pen. Retired with a 34-37 record/79 saves, with a 4.22 ERA/1.367 WHIP. His best[…]
I got this autograph in 2014 while Reyes was with the Padres Low-A team. Franmi Reyes has pop. Since making the majors with the Padres in 2018 he has gotten 755 at-bats in the majors and has hit .260/.321/.507 with 53 HR. This past summer, after being traded to the[…]
Matt Murton was the Red Sox first-round pick back in 2003. He was not with the organization long, being part of the package that sent Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs in 2003. He was well thought of as a prospect, ranking in ranking the Red Sox #5 prospect in 2003,[…]
I wrote the Taylor Harbin while he was playing for Clemson University back in 2007. I really like Clemson and wrote to their players a lot back then. That season Harbin hit .296/.343/.510 with 11 HR. He was a solid mid-range draft prospect. He was drafted in the 8th round[…]
Pitcher Kade Strowd was drafted out of West Virginia University in the 12th round of the 2019 draft by Baltimore. His numbers in college were not great. Over three seasons he carried a 5.31 ERA/1.591 WHIP. And while he gave up plenty of hits and walks, he also struck out[…]
Years ago, while he was in college, I wrote to Mike Minor. He ended up not signing the card that I sent, but did write me a nice note and signed a bio page. Been a fan ever since and I was happy to see him have a career year[…]
— I was able to snag these two Cody Bellinger cards at a very good price. Bonus it was the same seller, so I even saved on shipping. The Topps Update card is kind of hot right now, so getting it at a good price it pretty thrilling. I grabbed[…]
I always think of Andruw Jones as kind of a bust. I have no idea why. He had an amazing career and is a borderline Hall of Fame player. And what’s nice is that his cards, and especially his autographs, are kind of cheap. I was able to get this[…]
Everyone talks about Nolan Jones, but I think Tyler Freeman is the better Indians prospect. He split the 2019 season between Low-A Lake Country and High-A Lynchburg and hit well at both stops. .306/.368/.410 with 3 HR and 19 stolen bases Unlike Nolan, Freeman’s biggest issue is power. He just[…]
I remember really digging Jason Heyward back in the day. Mostly because he was considered a generational talent. The Braves manager at the time even comparted him to Hank Aaron. And when he hit a 3-run HR with his first swing in the majors…he seemed destined for greatness. Ten seasons[…]