Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
Brad Lincoln was the 4th overall pick of the 2006 draft out of the University of Houston. I followed him because of his college career, particularly his junior season in 2016. He went 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA/0.96 WHIP. He struck out 152 over 127.2 innings. Very impressive numbers. He[…]
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[…]
Barret Barnes is having a nice season in AA, hitting .258/.381/.458 with 9 HR. The problem is that he is doing it as a 27-year-old. Barnes spent all of 2018 with the Sugar Land Skeeters, and Indy team. Barnes was originally a supplemental 1st round selection of the Pirates back[…]
I got this autograph while Sean Murphy was playing with the low-minors back in 2016. He was the A’s 3rd round pick in 2016, out of Wright State. Over the last couple of seasons, he has gone on to become one of the best catching prospects in the minors. Fangraphs[…]
I am not sure if Brad Zunica is going to make it to the majors. But if he does, it won’t be because he lacks pop. Zunica was drafted in the 15th round of the 2015 draft by the Padres. He is hitting .235/.333/.439 with 12 HR in 2019 in[…]
Feels like Tommy Hunter has been around forever. He was the Rangers 1st round pick back in 2007. He made the majors within a year, and despite a rough rookie season put together a couple of nice seasons in the Texas rotation. But eventually he transitioned to a pen arm,[…]
This is what I wrote about Austin Gomber back in 2016: 4th round pick of the Cardinals in 2014 out of Florida Atlantic. Was awesome in 2015 (15-3, 2.67 with 140/34 K/BB in 135 innings, 97 hits), and rated one of the Cardinals Top 15 prospects coming into 2016. This[…]
I know that he lost Game 7 of the World Series and all…but I still miss Bryan Shaw. I got this autograph that season–2016–while on vacation. Dude was a rock while he was with the Indians. From 2013-2017 he averaged 72 innings, 61 hits and 67 K’s.[…]
Back in 2016, I drove the two hours from Lake Country to Mahoning Valley to see the Astro’s short-season affiliate play the Scrappers. One of the big reasons I wanted to make the drive to get Stephen Wrenn. Wrenn was the 6th round pick of the Astro’s out the University of Georgia. Being[…]
Neat autograph that I was able to get in person during the 2016 season. Nelson Cruz got on my radar back in the early 2000s when he was traded by the Mets to the Athletics for Jorge Velandia. But like so many A’s prospects during that time, he never made the majors[…]