Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
From 2002-2012, while playing for the Saitama Seibu Lions, infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima was one of Japan’s best ballplayers. He was selected to eight All-Star teams, won three Gold Gloves, had had a career .302 batting average with 162 homers. Plenty of Major League Baseball clubs were interested in him, and[…]
The Card: 1972 Topps Jim “Mudcat” Grant Being a fan of both the Cleveland and Oakland organizations, it’s nice when a player plays for both franchises at some point. It’s even better when that player was good, and Mudcat Grant was certainly that too. Mudcat Grant made the majors in[…]
I was able to get this autograph while Sean Doolittle was pitching for the University of Virginia. He would be drafted the next season, but the Oakland Athletics, with the 41st overall pick.
First baseman Daric Barton was a huge prospect while in the minors. Taken 28th overall by the Cardinals in the 2003 draft, from 2005-2008 he was one of the Top 65 prospects in the game. When the Oakland traded Mark Mulder in 2004 to the Cardinals, Barton, along with Kiko[…]
Joe Blanton had a very nice 13-season career. I will always remember him most as being part of those amazing mid-2000’s Oakland rotations that included the likes of Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, Dan Haren, Rich Harden, and Kirk Saarloos. I got this autograph right after he was drafted,[…]
Santiago Casilla spent 15-seasons in the majors, most of them very good.
Tyler Soderstrom was drafted by the Oakland Athletics with the 26th overall pick of the 2020 draft. He was considered one of the best prep catchers in the country, with a plus-plus bat that projects to hit for average and power.
This Eephus League Baseball scorebook was signed by Sean Doolittle in 2012, while he was with the Athletics and they were visiting Cleveland for a three-game weekend series. Doolittle has had a great career. Since making the majors in 2012, he has had four seasons of at least 22 saves,[…]
Catcher Gerald Laird spent 13 seasons in the major leagues (2003-2015) with almost a half dozen teams. He was never really a full time starter, and only got into 120 or more games twice in his career. He retired following the 2015 season with a career line of .243/.305/.353 and[…]
Nick Allen was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2017 draft out of Francis Parker HS in San Diego. He has become one of the better prospects in the system, and opened the 2021 season as Oakland’s #6 prospect. I am thinking he will be in the top[…]