Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
Mallex Smith was drafted in the 5th round (165th overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2012 out of high school in Florida. He has zero power, but his ability to put the ball in play, excellent speed and plus defense made him one of the better center field prospects[…]
Chad Pinder was drafted in the supplemental 2nd round (71st overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2013 out of Virginia Tech. Coming up through the A’s system he was a solid hitter with good power who was able to play multiple defensive positions. From 2013 to 2017 he rated four times in the[…]
Beau Taylor was drafted in the 5th round (166th overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2011 out of Central Florida. In his eight seasons in the game, he has ranked twice in the A’s Top 30 prospect lists, topping out at #19 for the 2013 season. He has moved slowly,[…]
Austin Meadows was drafted in the 1st round (9th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013 out a Georgia high school. It feels like he has been around forever. Mostly because you saw his name whenever you talked about Pirates top prospects. From 2013-2018 he consistently rated as one of[…]
Adam Rosales was drafted in the 12th round (362nd overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2005 of Western Michigan. Coming out of college he was projected to a utility player in the majors. He didn’t have any plus tools, but his value lied in him being able to hit his weight[…]
Rodolfo Duran, c, Philadelphia Phillies – Signed as an international free agent by the Phillies in 2014. Spent all of 2018 in Low-A ball, his first time there, and hit .260/.304/.495 with 18 HR. A 20-year-old catcher with plus power is pretty exciting. Stephen Tarpley, p, New York Yankees –[…]
I got this autograph in 2016 when Santa Clara University was here in Hawaii. Steve Berman had a great junior season with Santa Clara, hitting .297/.432/.466 with 4 HR in 2016. He would be drafted in the 31st round of the draft that season by the Dodgers. Berman has moved[…]
Aguilar signed with the Indians as a non-drafted free agent on Nov. 13, 2007. He made it to affiliate ball in 2010 and was almost immediately recognized as one of the best power prospects in the organization. From 2011-2014 he was rated one of the Indians Top 25 prospects, showing[…]
I started digging on Bobby Bradley in 2014. Bradley was a 3rd round pick out of a Mississippi high school back in 2014. He was assigned to the Arizona League and went on to hit .361/.426/.652 with 8 HR. Those were some of the best numbers of player in the[…]
This was signed in 2017 during Spring Training. Shawn Armstrong was drafted out of East Carolina University in the 18th round of the 2011 draft. He moved quickly through the system, advancing more than a level per season before finally making it to the majors in 2015. He spent most[…]