New Arrival: 1996 Best 1st Round Picks #FR8 Jake Westbrook
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One of my side collections is tracking down the first minor league card of notable — and occasionally not-so-notable — Cleveland players. Most of the time, it’s easy and fun. But there are occasional challenges. The 1984 Spokane Indians Newspaper #22 Sandy Alomar Jr. is a card that I have yet to see for sale. Drives me nuts.
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Similarly, this 1996 Best 1st Round Picks #FR 8 Jake Westbrook was a card that was impossible to find. I’ve had eBay searches for what feels like years, waiting for one to show up. It should not be a rare card. These “1st Round Picks”, 20 cards in total, were inserted at a 1 in 6 packs. And this one bugs me since Westbrook is on the “notable” side of the fence. From 2004-2006 Westbrook won 44 games for Cleveland, and in 2010 was the headline in a trade that brought Corey Kluber (and one of my favorites, Ryan Ludwick) to the organization.
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Sure enough, finally, one popped up. I think I paid $3.
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This card is a weird one for my collection. Normally, I like to get the first team-issued card of a player. No collegiate or college cards. I am iffy on cards like this. It was issued a solid year before his first team-issued card (1997 Best Asheville Tourists #25, which is inexplicably hard to find as well), but does show him in a Rockies uniform. I guess if I ever find a nice copy of his 1997 Asheville card, I will get it, but until then, I consider this player off my checklist.