This autograph is super cool.
On July 6th, 2012 the Lake County Captains played the West Michigan Whitecaps. The Captain’s line-up had two future major league players batting at the top of the order, with Jose Ramirez leading off and Francisco Lindor in the #2 hole. Ramirez lead off the game with a home run, setting the tone for what would be a 9-2 victory over the Whitecaps.
What is cool is that this was Ramirez’s first HR in affiliate ball, and he would sign this card after the game. His autograph has changed quite a bit, and it’s weird to see him sign with his Captain’s number (#10) instead of the number he would wear the rest of his career (#11). At the time Ramirez was not considered a particularly exciting prospect, not ranking on Baseball America’s 2012 Cleveland Top-30 prospect list. It wouldn’t be until 2013, following a strong season with Lake County, that he would make the list–and even then, it would be at #23.