The card shown is a 1/1 Garrett Jones auto bat piece card. Garrett had a tough path to the majors as he was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1999 and released after 3 years in the system. The Twins picked him up and he slowly made his way up in the system but being a first baseman he was blocked by Justin Morneau. He made his major league debut in 2007, but his time was limited. After the 2008 season he became a free agent and was signed to a minor league contract by the Pirates.
Garrett instantly became a fan favorite in Pittsburgh as he hit the ground running when he got his chance to play. He blasted 7 homeruns in his first 12 games and was named NL rookie of the month for July. Garrett was a mainstay in the middle of the lineup through the 2012 season. Unfortunately he struggled in 2013 and the Pirates non tendered him after the season and he went on to sign with the Marlins.
At least Garrett can say he is the only Pirate to do this...
I still remember watching that game. The ball legitimately alomost hits that person on the bike.
ReplyDeleteCould you imagine how much air time that homerun would have received if the bike guy got plunked? On a side note.....How bad did Jones suck last year?
DeleteI was there too, standing on the rotunda in left field. At the time, I knew it was a bomb but I had no idea it made it to the water.
ReplyDeleteAs frustrating as Garrett was at times, I will miss him on the North Shore this season. Great Card!
Even the announcers were a little hesitant to comment because the initial worry was if the ball was going to stay fair. Like Micah said above, the highlight would have been if the guy on the bike was hit by the ball.
DeleteGarrett was an easy guy to root for because of the tough road he had to the majors. It was rough watching him struggle last year. I was actually surprised the Marlins gave him so much money. At least he'll get to play a lot.
Interesting, Jones was taken just two picks after one of my guys, Bobby Scales, in the 14th round, 1999. Jones and Brandon Lyon are the only players from that round with positive WAR. Also, Pujols was taken in the previous round that year while Jake Peavy went one later.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, nice 1/1!
Thanks Dennis! Just shows how much of the baseball draft is luck. Guys like Jones always makes me wonder how many good players never get a chance at the major league level because they are blocked by a veteran. Jones had to kill the ball for the Pirates to call him up because he was not on the 40 man.
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