Silver and Gold

I am trying to get into the Christmas spirit so in tribute to the Burl Ives song Silver and Gold from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer here are a pair of parallels from 2007 Just Minors Triple Autos.

The cards were not pack inserted, but have been slabbed by Beckett Grading Services. 

They feature sticker autos of Andrew McCutchen, Daniel Moskos, and Steve Pearce. 

The gold is limited to 10 copies and the silver is limited to 25 copies (mine is jersey numbered 22/25).

I may show off some more silver and gold parallels in the future.

What is your favorite claymation movie?

A Pair of Uncirculated 1/1s Leads To A Question

I am having a bit of writer's block so I decided I would go through some autographs sitting in a box that were never scanned in.  

I remember desperately trying to get to 100 unique autographs of Cutch back in 2015.  

I now have almost three times that total.  

There are two boxes of cards with certified autographs that haven't been scanned yet.  Among them are the two 1/1s pictured above.  I acquired these from a seller who has a LARGE inventory of Just Minors products. 

If there is one thing I really want to focus on with my collection this year is getting the collection updated in my Google spreadsheet document.  

With a staycation planned in a couple weeks, I think it is possible to tackle getting the collection fully updated by March.  Getting everything scanned in? That likely won't happen.

How do you find time to scan and update?  Do you have a specific day or time you do it?  Do you catalog everything upon receipt of the new cards for your collection?  Any websites or tools you use to assist with it?

The Channel is Phil's Pulls

What's up everyone?

His name is Phil. 

The channel is Phil's Pulls

In case you are unfamiliar, Phil Hughes, a former top pitching prospect for the New York Yankees collects baseball cards and has a YouTube Channel.

I have a pair of Phil Hughes/Andrew McCutchen printing plates that were never released from Just Minors in 2006.

It should also be noted that the former World Series Champion also sold me a very special 1/1!

My 4th superfractor of my other main PC guy, Charlie Morton.

Phil sent this card in record time, receiving it only 2 days after payment was made.  Thanks Phil!

I had some packages go out today to the following zip codes 07044, 95119, 36618, 46516, 62450.

Elliptical Man, please email me your address to collect your prizes.

A Look Back to The Future

Turn on those flex compacitors and travel with me at a fast speed of 88mph cause we are going Back To The Future.

I've mentioned Back To The Future a few times on this blog before. Here. Here. Here.

Let's look back at what the future of the Pirates had to offer.

The Pirates transitioned out of their former management group in 2007 and hired Neal Huntington to be their General Manager for a rebuild in 2008.

The Pirates hadn't had a winning record since 1992, the last year they would make the playoffs too.

The team was focusing on drafting and developing their own players.

Their four previous draft picks prior to Huntington taking over were

(2004) Neil Walker, a switch hitting local product High School catcher in 2004.  He would later be turned into a utility player before settling in as a Silver Slugger second baseman.  He played in the majors with the Pirates from 2009 until 2015.  He was traded prior to the start of the 2016 season for Jon Norse.

(2005) Andrew McCutchen, a toolsy quick handed outfielder from high school in 2005.  He became the face of the franchise of the resurgent years for the Pirates.  He made 5 All-Star teams, won an MVP, won a Gold Glove award, 4 Silver Sluggers, and was the 2015 Roberto Clemente Award recipient for his charitable contributions and work with the community.  He will forever be an All-time Pirates great despite playing with the team for only 2009-2017.

(2006) Brad Lincoln, arguably one of the top college pitchers in the 2006 draft.  He made his debut with the team in 2010 after having multiple injuries in the minor leagues.  He started 22 games for the Pirates from 2010 to 2012 when he was eventually converted to a reliever.  Lincoln thrived in the bullpen for the Pirates that season, appearing as a late inning guy with a K/9 over 10 and an ERA under 2.25.  He was traded to Toronto for Travis Snider.  Pirates fans will forever be upset that Lincoln was selected in front of former Cy Young Winners Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, and Max Scherzer.

(2007) Daniel Moskos, a lefty college arm that the team thought could impact immediately at the professional levels in 2007.  This is arguably one of the most controversial picks in the history of the franchise because Matt Wieters, one of the most coveted catchers in recent memory, was available.

Just Minors is known to have produced A LOT of pairings of autograph subjects for minor league prospects.

This is just one of a dozen printing plates I have of Andrew McCutchen from a Just Minors product.  This pairing features Cutch, Jose Tabata, and Brad Lincoln.

The More You Know: Double Ear Flaps?

Do you see what Andrew is wearing in this 1/1 Uncirculated Glossy Auto?

The helmet he is sporting as a teenager playing for the Gulf Coast League Pirates has double ear flaps.

Currently, the only player I can think of that wears the double ear flaps is Jed Lowrie who enjoyed an All-Star season last year for the Oakland Athletics.

I decided to research some cards on COMC to see if I can see a trend of when the general players association stopped wearing double ear flaps.

The A's don't keep players for very long, but I thought I could use Rickey Henderson and his many stints with the A's as a foundation.

1984 Topps Highlights of the 83 season

Still only 1 flap...

1981 stickers. Still only 1 flap...
Ok, maybe we need to go back further?

What happened to most players wearing the double ear flap helmets?  I remember I had no choice but to wear the double ear flaps when I was playing in little league during the 80s and 90s.

That makes sense because while researching this, I learned that minor league players are REQUIRED to wear double ear flaps.

In 1983 it became mandatory for major league players to wear at least one ear flap unless they were grandfathered in prior to that mandate.  When Tim Raines retired in the 2003 season he became the last player to not wear ear flaps on his batting helmet.

Did you know that double ear flaps are required for all players in the minors and college ranks, but not required at the major league level?

Thanks for Being a Loser, Greg Maddux...

Did the title of this post, get your attention?

I sure hope so, because had it not been for Greg Maddux losing a meaningless game to the Cincinnati Reds on September 28th, 2004 the Reds could have had a better draft position than the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2005 draft.  That Reds victory over the Cubs ensured that no matter what, the Pirates would be drafting ahead of the Reds even with a three game set to close out the 2004 season looming.

Of course it is well documented that the 2005 draft class was a great draft class with names like Justin Upton, Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Andrew McCutchen, Jay Bruce, Ryan Braun, Alex Gordon, and the list goes on and on.

The Pirates had the 11th overall pick which they used on Andrew McCutchen and that pick transformed the entire organization.

The Reds used the following pick, 12th overall, on Jay Bruce.  Bruce was a highly touted prospect of his own and even cracked the top 5 overall prior to his call up.  An article was written on Blog Red Machine about Nick Senzel and the Reds prospect system since Jay Bruce made his debut.

Here are my cards of Cutch with Jay Bruce

 This dual on card autograph of Cutch and Bruce was released in 2012 Museum and is numbered to only 15 copies.

I also have a triple sticker autograph of Cutch, Bruce, and Troy Tulowitzki.

It is numbered 3 of 3 and was uncirculated.

With the first pick of the NFL Draft...

There is speculation that the Arizona Cardinals may use the first overall pick to select former 1st Round Baseball prospect, Kyler Murray.  Kyler was selected 9th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft.  Unlike most other sports where the draft picks can make immediate impacts on their teams, baseball is a slower process.

It is because of that process that Murray ultimately chose to try his luck in football.

Another player who was drafted 9th overall was Bill Rowell in the 2006 draft.  Rowell looked like he would ascend through the minors tearing up the rookie league as a 17 year old batting .328/.415/.503 for an incredible and impressive .918 OPS.  The following year as an 18 year old he continued his success batting at a .273 clip.  When he approached A+ as a 19 year old he began to falter and was out of baseball by the time he was a 22 year old repeating the Gulf Coast League and AA.

Javy Baez has been the most recent success story to be selected 9th overall, but there is still hopes that Austin Meadows and Ian Happ could contribute long careers from that draft selection.

The all time top five WAR leaders to have been selected 9th overall are Kevin Appier  (54.7), Barry Zito (32.0), Geoff Jenkins (21.7), Mark Kotsay (21.3), and John Danks (20.2).

The position players listed above had a career earnings of roughly $48M with an average of a 15 year career and 3 years in the minors.  It is likely that if Murray gets selected 1st overall, he could top those earnings on his rookie contract.

Baseball contracts are guaranteed.
Football contracts are not.

Both sports require extreme levels of athleticism and commitments from the athletes involved. 

The draft ultimately comes down to scouting, player drive, and health.  For every Peyton Manning selected 1st Overall there is a Ryan Leaf.  The same can be said that for every Javier Baez selected 9th overall there is a Billy Rowell.

One thing that can't be said after this week is that for every Kyler Murray in baseball there is a Kyler Murray in football.  Some of the most famous two sport athletes before had never been drafted in 1st Round of multiple leagues.  Bo Jackson and John Elway, both famous for their football feats were selected in the second rounds of the MLB drafts by the New York Yankees.  Both players used their two sport capabilities to get drafted in football else where.  Jackson didn't want to play for the Bucaneers so he reentered the baseball and football drafts.  Elway didn't want to play for the Baltimore Colts and demanded a trade or else he would play for the Yankees.

Jackson would again be drafted in the forth round by the Royals a few years later after his success at Auburn.

Do you think Murray goes in the 1st Round of Thursday's draft?

Cutch V Batman: Dorkness Recesses aka F**k Batman

San Diego Comic Con is in full effect at the time of typing this.  I had always wanted to attend it just once as I am a nerd deep inside.

Fans were previewed a trailer for the new Titans TV show exclusive to DC's streaming service.

The trailer begins with Robin saying "F*** Batman".  The DC Universe aka Zak Snyder's playground is always so dark.  When I think of the Titans I think more fun than brooding and morbid.  The show should have followed in Marvel's footsteps and did something similar to how the characters of Guardians of the Galaxy interact.  Instead we get "F*** Batman"

Let me clarify something, I am a big fan of Batman.

I am not a big fan of the Reds.  They historically have beaten my Pirates in all the important games.

Let's travel back to the year 2012.
With the Pirates on the cusp of finally breaking their 20 year losing streak they would have to face the Reds in the final home series and win out or risk losing their 82nd game and thus ensuring another losing season.  That year, like the previous year, the Pirates were in first place at the All Star break.  Like the previous year the team suffered a second half collapse.

On September 28th, 2012 the Pirates would face Homer Bailey.

Homer Bailey, who looks an awful lot like Christian Bale, made sure the Pirates would lose their 82nd game in a way only the Pirates and their faithful fans could bear witness too.  Bailey was masterful that day as he pitched a no hitter using 115 pitches over 9 innings.

His only blips were a walk to Andrew McCutchen and an infield error that Scott Rolen booted off a Clint Barmes one base error.

With Bailey having a terrible season, it seems appropriate to show off how well Cutch has hit Bailey over his career.

Oddly enough, the only year that Bailey contained Cutch was during Cutch's MVP 2013 season.

Following the 2013 season, Bailey met with new Reds manager Bryan Price and wanted to make sure the team was heading in a direction of winning divisions and competing for the postseason.  The Reds seemed determine to go deep in October and signed Bailey to a 6 year $105million extension in February 2014.  It is currently one of the worse contracts given out in the past few seasons only being outdone by the Chris Davis Orioles contract.

I took advantage of a 20% off coupon on eBay a few months ago and snagged this card that I had long desired.  While the price is still too high for a guy who has had a WHIP over 2 and ERA in the 6s the past few years, I wanted the card to remember the guy who secured the Pirates 82nd loss of the 2012 season as it would be the last time the Pirates would have a losing season for 3 years.

Oh and "F*** Batman" this is one of only 2 copies in world.

Scripture Sunday Luke 14:11

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted"

I won't always be showing off cards of Cutch with inscriptions as I only have about 5 of them if memory serves correctly.

This 2005 Just Minors card featuring Cutch in his Gulf Coast League Pirates uniform features an on card autograph with an inscription Luke 14:11

This verse holds meaning to me in many ways.  In my job I often give credit to others and recognize the team effort rather than taking credit for my own actions in the success of the team.  A good example of this is that we have a new department manager who is our youngest dept mgr in our company and he has taken on a strong desire to learn and be successful through me.  He has approached me several times in trying to make his Gross Profit and Net Income of dept better.  I gave him a few suggestions and it has paid massive dividends.  My supervisor came to me thanking me for the time I spent with him and making the store operations better because of his success.  Rather than own it and say "Yeah. I am the best and can make anyone successful" I simply said "Collin is the future of our company. He has a strong desire to learn. All I did was offer some suggestions. He is the one that executed it ... and did it brillaintly".

It's important to stay humble in our lives.

Small Sample Size Theatre

I was really considering using one of my Andrew McCutchen Home Run challenge cards in yesterday's matchup.

Unfortunately the numbers didn't play in Cutch's favor as he was facing Stephen Strasburg.  For those that forget Strasburg had a historic debut against the Pirates in 2010 striking out 14 batters including McCutchen once.

Prior to yesterday's game Cutch had only 3 hits (all singles) in 22 at bats.

Who would have thought he would take Strasburg yard in the 1st inning?

Today, Cutch and the Giants will be facing southpaw Gio Gonzalez.  Gio is one of the most underappreciated pitchers in the game. He has nearly 1,700 career strikeouts, over 125 Wins, and a career ERA of 3.58.  He is a two time All Star (2011 and 2012) and the 2012 NL Wins leader.

In his career Gio has faced Cutch for 23 at bats dating back to 2010.  Cutch has a career .929 OPS against the 2012 NL wins leader.  He hasn't connected for a homerun yet, but does have a .522 slugging percentage and 4 extra base hits.

Prior to the 2008 season both players were ranked as top 100 prospects in the game with Cutch at #24 and Gio at #56 according to baseball prospectus.  Gonzalez would make his MLB debut later that year and Cutch would debut the following June.

Because of their prospect status Just Minors featured the two on their 2005 Interleague Match-Ups series.

I currently have the Gold/10

AND

The Silver/25

Both are still sealed by the tamper proof Just Minors stickers.
There is currently an uncirculated black /2 on eBay but the seller is asking nearly $100 for the card.

Here's hoping Cutch takes Gio yard today so I can win one of those super rare winner cards.

Remembering The 2005 Draft

With the MLB Draft happening today I thought I would look back at the year my favorite player, Andrew McCutchen, was drafted by the Bucs.  The 2005 MLB draft is considered by many to be one of the greatest drafts in recent memory.  Of the first 50 overall picks, 10 of them went on to become an All-Star.  Only two of those ten were selected to only one All-Star Game (Ricky Romero and Jacoby Ellsbury).  Ryan Braun leads the class with 6 All-Star appearances while Andrew McCutchen and Troy Tulowitzki have 5 Midsummer Classic appearances.  Justin Upton has four and Jay Bruce and Alex Gordon have three selections.  The Nationals first ever draft selection, Ryan Zimmerman, has made two All-Star selections.

The First Round Selections have two MVP winners (Ryan Braun 2011 and Andrew McCutchen 2013), an ALCS MVP winner (Matt Garza 2008), and a handful of World Series Champions.

Matt Garza is the only player from this class to throw a No Hitter, having thrown the Tampa Bay Rays first ever NoNo.

The 2005 Class Was Stacked!!!!
I have been wanting to get as many 2005 draftee cards with Cutch as possible.

I have been eyeing up this card for a long time.  This particular card has three of the most notable draftees.  Andrew McCutchen and Jay Bruce had a dual signed Topps card, but this is my first auto with Troy Tulowitzki.

Tulo is a 5 time All-Star, 2 time Gold Glover (turned an unassisted triple play), 2 time Silver Slugger, and currently holds the MLB record for a career .985 fielding percentage at Shortstop.  Had it not been for injuries, Tulo was on a clear path to the Hall of Fame.  He finished in the top 10 MVP voting 3 times in his career and has the second most WAR of the draft class just a tick behind Ryan Braun and just a tick ahead of Cutch.

Jay Bruce was selected with the pick right after Cutch and has appeared in 3 All-Star Games and won 2 Silver Slugger awards.  He finished in the top 10 MVP voting twice.

Memento starring that other (guy) Pearce

Have any of you watched the movie Memento starring Guy Pearce and Carrie Ann Moss?

I love that movie, but I feel that it is a movie you can't watch too often.  For instance the last time I saw it was probably about 7 or so years ago.

If you haven't seen it I highly encourage you to check it out.  It's a thriller which stars a man who can't make any new memories.  He uses Polaroids to try to piece together things that have happened in his life.

I began thinking about the movie when I got my latest Cutch card in hand the other day.

Why, you ask?

Well because it had a Steve Pearce autograph on it.  I bought the card fairly cheap for a Cutch autograph (under $20) and it was a card I didn't have so I felt inclined to add it to the collection.

The problem is like all Just Minors autographs there is no information about the players on the card.

Steve Pearce, I thought.

I remember him.

How?

The memories of a first basemen of the future began to surface through my brain as I remembered reading all about this prospect that rose 3 minor league levels in a single season and had 25+ HR pop with a strong hit tool that could cause him to be a .300 hitter.

In 2008 he was ranked the Pirates third best prospect below Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker.

Look at how he ranked for individual grades though.
Best hitter for average, best power hitter, and best strike zone discipline.  Those 3 tools should keep a first baseman in the majors for a very productive career.

But what happened to him?

Did we trade him before he reached his potential like we did with Jose Bautista?

No!  Delwyn Young happened.

Steve Pearce was finally healthy at the major league level and hitting really well (by 2010 Pirates standards) when DY through a ball so far away from the 1B bag that Pearce got injured trying to stop the throw from going into the visitor bleachers.  His bat never returned to be the same as he made adjustments to try and battle through more injuries over his career.

Steve Pearce like Guy Pearce in Memento probably goes through life now recollecting everything and trying to piece together what went wrong.  After 3 stints with the Orioles, 2 times with the Yankees, and many seasons of taking the bus from Indy to Pittsburgh, Steve caught on with Toronto last year and became the FIRST PLAYER in MLB history to hit 2 Walkoff Grand Slams in the same week.

Triple autos for under $20

Last Friday I showed off all 125 certified autographs of Cutch in my collection.  That doesn't include my in person autographs I have from Spring Training and PiratesFest events I have attended.

2 cards I showed, but never spotlighted in my collection were a pair of Just Minors triple autos.

With the Arizona Fall League rosters announced today, it's important to remember that no prospect is a sure thing.

I had just snagged these triple autos /3 for less than $20 each a few weeks before that post.

Michael Bourn is the second most accomplished player on this card.  He enjoyed success when he was traded from the Phillies to the Astros.  With Houston, Bourn lead the National League in stolen bases from 2009-2011 and won two Gold Gloves (2009 and 2010).  He would later be traded to Atlanta during the 2011 season.  The following year he would become an All-Star for the second time in his career.  He would become a free agent and sign with Cleveland for the 2012 season.  Things recently have fallen apart as the speedster with elite defense hasn't played in the majors this year.  Through 2016, Bourn amassed 23.4 WAR over 11 seasons.

Chris Nelson has posted a -2.4 over 5 years with the Rockies, Yankees, Padres, and Angels. He hasn't appeared in the majors since 2014.

Drew Stubbs is the second most accomplished player on this card.  He has had a career WAR of 8.4 over his 9 year career with the Reds, Rockies, Rangers, Braves, Orioles, and Giants.  He has hit 92 homeruns and swiped 161 bags.  His best year occurred in 2014 with the Rockies when he batted .289 with 15 HR and 20SB.  He was viewed as a future 5 tool athlete while a prospect, but never could hit for enough average to stick in the lineup everyday.

Brian Dopirak never appeared in the majors and has been out of playing professional baseball since 2012.  Prior to 2005 he was the #21 best prospect according to Baseball America.  Over 10 minor league seasons, Dopirak hit 162 homeruns while slashing.279/.334/.482.  Those look like really good numbers, but Dopirak was a first baseman playing in the minors for teams that had Derrek Lee and Lyle Overbay/Edwin Encarnacion/Kevin Millar at the major league level.

All 125 Unique Cutch Autos in my Collection

Today is a wonderful day!!!

I've been driving a rental car for almost a month as I have been having extensive work done on my car.  Today I get my car back and am really looking forward to it.

To celebrate my auto coming home, I thought I would showcase all my Cutch autos.

Yup!!!!

All of them.
I have a few more hopefully on the way and maybe I can even work out a trade to acquire another that I need.

First up the 1/1 Printing Plates

Now to show them off by year begining with the most expensive autograph in the collection.

"2004"
This beautiful BGS graded 9.5 with 10 auto is extremely tough to find as it was a redemption program card.  The card technically wasn't produced until 2006, but is classified as a 2004 Bowman Chrome Aflac All American card.  The card is numbered to only 125 copies, but it's believed that not all 125 were redeemed.

2005
2005 was the year that Cutch was drafted and because of that he has several different autographs in Topps Chrome, Bowman Sterling, and Bowman Heritage.  Pictured on the Chrome side are a Base, Refractor, Black (/200), and Red XFractor (/25) along with a Cyan Printing Plate (1/1).  The Bowman Sterlings are again sticker autographs and also included are two jersey swatches.  The Black Refractor case is severely damaged but the card appears to be fine.  It'snumbered /25 copies.

Bowman Heritage offered the first On Card Autographs of Cutch in a Pirates uniform.  The Red Ink is hand numbered to 51 copies to celebrate the Bowman 51 release.

Amongst my other 2005 autographs are 5 Just Minors cards including a pair of Gio Gonzalez (/25 and /10 respectively), Cole Hamels (/25), Michael Bourn/Chris Nelson Triple (/3) and a base solo (/200). I also have a PSA authentic with Luke 14:11 inscription.

2006
2006 included a lot of buyback autographs along with some Just Minors autos.  The Stubbs Triple is /5 and the Andrew Miller is /2.

2007
A lil bit of Bowman and A LOT of Just Minors stickers autos.  The Golds are /10, Silvers /25, and Triple Black /5.

2008
Only Just Minors released autographs of Cutch in 08.  Silver Heyward /25, Triple Gold /10, and Triple Black /5.

2009
Cutch would make his MLB Debut this year.  By far my favorite of the group is the Go Bucs 22 inscription.  I believe it may be an unofficial 1/1 inscription.

2010
I have built many rainbows for 2010, but haven't completed any yet.  The Triple Threads and Bowman Platinum rainbows are awesome looking despite not being complete.  This would be the first Cutch booklet autos too (both /10 or less).

2011
This is a year that Cutch began being recognized as an elite talent.  He would be selected to his first All-Star game and appear in many releases with certified autographs.

I can not get the blue ink on the Marquee Frame auto to scan well.  It's a stunning signature though.  The Canary Lineage is /10 and the Gypsy Queen Auto/Relic is /25.

2012
This was the year that Cutch signed for many many different releases.  It also saw a sticker dump from Upper Deck.  Among some of the dual autographs to appear with Cutch this year would be Ralph Kiner, Gerrit Cole, Jay Bruce, George Springer, and Alex Presley.  This year also released the hexabook which I showed earlier this year.

2013
The National League MVP began getting fewer and fewer autographs in releases in 2013.  Arguably one of the game's top 5 tool talents he appeared in less than a handful releases with certified autographs in 2013.

2014
There weren't many options for Cutch autos in 2014.  Elite offered a few color parallels and Topps used some sticker autographs on previously released cards including the Photo Variant Zoltan sign (/5) and Power Players (/25).

2015
2015 saw even fewer autographs of Cutch hit the market.  Allen & Ginter booklets and All-Star Patch sticker autographs were the only releases.

2016
Were it not for National Treasures, Cutch would have had no new certified autographs in 2016.  Numbered to only 5 copies these booklets with sticker autographs were the only offerings.

2017
There have been a few Hits Memorabilia 1/1 autos released this year and I have one en route.  Immaculate just released a few autographs as well for 2017.  Is it possible we see more autographs from Topps soon?  I hope so.


So there they are all 125 unique Cutch autos in my collection.
Over half of them are numbered /50 and nearly 50% are numbered to /25 or less.