A Rare Plate

2011 Topps Update Derrek Lee Printing Plate

This is my second variation of this rare gem.  One of my favorite things to look for as a Pirate collector is rare cards of former Buccos that had really short stays.  Lee only had 100 bats for the Bucs as he broke his wrist shortly after being acquired in a waiver deal.  Needless to say he only shows up in a couple of sets.  

Looks like the Buccos might be in some serious trouble as the injury bug looks to be hitting them at the wrong time.  With McCutchen, Cole and Walker all banged up it is going to take some role players having to pick up some major slack.   My hope is that we can get some reinforcements via waiver deals as in years past, but the crop of players seems to be weaker this year.  It really is amazing they have done as well as they have.  McCutchen, Walker and Russell Martin have been the only players on the team that have had years comparable or better than years past.  Core players such as Cole, Marte and Pedro Alvarez have had down years.  

Who wants to trade?  I'm still sitting on a good bit of trade bait so shoot me an email if you have some Pirates or WVU Mountaineers.  

Master Series 1/1

Jason Bay 2003 Donruss Signature Series 1/1 Auto

Nice to see the Pirates take two out three against the Dodgers.  Big assist goes out to the Cardinals for hitting Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig in the hands with pitches the series before.  Hanley sat out the whole series and Puig only played the last few innings of tonight's game.  The Pirates did play without Pedro Alvarez and Starling Marte, but losing Puig is no comparison.  

The above card has been in my possession for close to ten years.  If I recall it was one of my first 1/1's to enter my collection.  This one holds a special place as it was an auto of my favorite Pirate at the time.  I've been trying to sneak a few Bay autos on the blog in between all the trades and new Buccos.  He is one of the main focal points of my collection so I have plenty to choose from.  

Let's Go Bucs!  Season high 7 games above .500!

My First 2014 Allen and Ginter Card

2014 Allen & Ginter Jason Grilli Mini 1/1

Excuse the poor picture as I had to use my phone.  Big thanks goes out to Greg from Plaschke Thy Sweater is Argyle as he is the one who brought this auction to my attention.  Grilli cards have never been that expensive, but are now even more affordable after he was dealt to the Angles.  This 1/1 was purchased last week for around $15.  Good price for a 1/1!

Bay Day 1/1

2005 Leaf Century Collection Jason Bay 1/1 Auto

I haven't shown off many of my Jason Bay autos since I started the blog even though I have more of his autos than any other Pirate.  Bay was the best player on some horrible Pirate teams.  Anybody who followed the Pirates in the mid 2000's probably has a soft spot for the former Bucco outfielder.  Injuries derailed his career but at his peak he was an all star caliber player.  

Most Bay autos would sell for $10-35 depending on rarity during his prime years.  I remember at the time thinking that buying an auto of a Pirate for $35 seemed like a lot of money.  It is amazing how success can change the card market.  Even the most common Andrew McCutchen auto sells for $50 bucks now.  How times do change.  

1/1 Letter Patch

Jason Grilli 2014 Topps Series 1 Letter Patch 1/1

Normally my wife and I travel a good bit in the summer, but as most of you know my surgery has put a halt to any plans of leaving town.  My days are spent in a recliner watching baseball with lots of Internet exploring mixed in between. Not a bad set up for sure, but cabin fever starts to hit pretty hard after the first week. Now it has been two weeks and I'm sure I'm driving my wife nuts.  I'm sure she is happy to leave for work every morning so she doesn't have to listen to me threaten to drive off somewhere to get out of the house.  In my mind I'm still my active 31 year old self, but in reality my leg begs to differ.  

With my new found free time I've spent a good bit of it on eBay.  For the most part I've been striking out trying to add Pirates except for adding the Grilli card above.  I've seen several letter patches for McCutchen, but this is the first one that I've noticed of Grilli.  Thankfully I won the auction and was able to add my first 1/1 of the former Pirate closer.  

Grilli was traded to the Angels not long after I added this card for Ernesto Frieri.  You don't often see two struggling closers get traded straight up for each other, but I suppose both GM's thought  a change of scenery would be beneficial for both to regain value.  The benefit for the Pirates is that Frieri is only 28 years old and has several years of team control left while Grilli is 37 years old and in the last year of his contract. The Pirates have had luck with turning around struggling bullpen arms in the past (Joel Hanrahan, Mark Melancon) so hopefully history can repeat itself again with Frieri.  

My hope is that I can venture down a few stairs to get to my cards this weekend.  If so, it is my intention to send out a bunch of cards in the mail.  While I was unable to add many cards to my collection lately on eBay I've had better luck adding trade bait for some of my blogger friends!  

Thanks for reading!

Jumping Jack Flash 1/1

2005 Topps Finest Jack Wilson 1/1

Here is another card from the mid 2000's.  I've owned this Jack Wilson 1/1 for a long time.  He was never a high seller on eBay so if I recall correctly I grabbed it not long after the 2005 set released for a reasonable amount.  A glove first shortstop, Jack manned short for the Bucs from 2001-09.  The Pirates have had a hard time trying to fill Jack's shoes since he was traded to the Mariners.  I'm hoping Jordy Mercer continues to progress to stop the shortstop carousel.  

Two big series right before the All Star break for the Buccos against the Cardinals and the Reds.  The Pirates have made some headway in the standings and now are only 4 1/2 games out of first.  Lets hope the Cardinals continue to struggle so we can finally catch up to those pesky Brewers.

A 1/1 Madlock from Asia

2013 Topps Supreme Magenta Printing Plate Bill Madlock Auto

Topps Supreme was an Asia only release, but many autos still hit eBay soon after the release.  The price point was high and the checklist was mediocre so you could find some reasonable deals on some big names. It would have been a perfect release to do a reverse box purchase and hunt down a ton of autos for the price of one box.  

This Madlock is the second printing plate that I've seen hit eBay since the products release.  I don't always search for Mad Dog so it is possible the others have hit as well, but I was happy to finally win a copy.  This is the Magenta version and it ran me around $35.  I have some unique autos of Madlock, but since this is from an Asia only release I would venture to say this one takes the prize.  

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday.  Remember to shoot me an email if you ever want to trade.  Thanks for reading.

El Toro

2011 Triple Threads 1/1

Pedro has had the power stroke going early.  He hit a huge 3 run homer in the game against the Cubs yesterday that helped propel the Bucs to the win.  I'm hoping this will be the year he finally puts it all together and stays consistent for the whole season. 

I've mentioned it a lot before but 2011 Triple Threads is one of my favorite sets.  It was one of the first sets to feature multiple hits of the current core of the team (Cutch, Alvarez, Walker).  I probably have at least 30 hits from the set including several 1/1's.  Last year a seller sold off a ton at one time in which I was able to win most for a reasonable price.  I think it helped that the auctions went off first thing in the morning.  This card was purchased by itself a few years back.  At the time Pedro was selling cheap so I think I only spent around $30 if my memory serves me correctly.  

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Thanks for reading.

Spanky 1/1

2013 Leaf Memories Buy Back 1/1

I've been on a hot streak finding the Pirates out of this set.  Last month I showcased the Bob Walk 1/1 and I obtained a copy of the /5 version in a trade with Too Many Verlanders.  Several Pirates are in this set so it will be fun to hunt them down.

Mike Spanky LaValliere was a fan favorite in Pittsburgh.  He was acquired when the Pirates traded Tony Pena to the Cardinals for Andy Van Slyke, Mike Dunne and LaValliere.  Needless to say that deal really worked out for the Bucs.  A defensive catcher LaValliere along with Don Slaught formed an effective platoon during the successful early 90's Pirate teams.  Obviously not an Adonis, it is easy to see why Spanky is a fitting nickname.  

Thanks for checking out the blog.  The Bucs beat the Cubs this afternoon so it is a good day!  

Short Stay Mr. Lee

Derrek Lee had a very short Pirates career.  He was obtained at the tail end of the 2011 season right before the Pirates had a team meltdown and tanked the rest of the season.   Only a couple of games after his debut, Derrek broke a bone in his hand and had to sit out the a good part of the remainder of the season.  He only had 100 at bats for the Bucs.  During the offseason the Pirates attempted to resign Lee, but he chose to retire.  

One of the weirder things I love to collect is finding rare cards of players who had short Pirate careers.  This printing plate from 2011 Topps Update is a great example.  I think the only Pirate with a shorter career to have a "high end" hit was Benito Santiago.  He had an auto in the Pirates uniform with only 23 at bats.    

Garrett Jones

I'm a huge fan of Triple Threads.  It is by far my favorite high end release  I'm always looking for Pirate hits, most notably from the 2011 edition.  Several months a go I made a purchase of around 30 different relic/auto cards from the set and have made it my mission to see how many of the "triple play" combos I can make.  Each card had 3 variations numbered the same.  I just recently completed all three of the Mccutchen jersey variations numbered to 9.

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...

Elroy Face

Elroy Face is not a household name, but he revolutionized the reliever position in baseball.  Making his debut in the 50's Face became a workhorse for the Pirates.  Throwing multiples innings a game and often during it 3 or 4 times a week he easily broke the appearance record in a season for the Pirates.  When his career was over he held the NL games appeared record all the way until 1986 when Pirate Kent Tekulve broke the record.  Elroy still shows up at some Pirate games and local charity golf events at the age of 86.  

The above card is from Panini America's Pastime and is a 1/1 cut signature.  I was excited to see this card as Elroy doesn't have much in the way of certified autos.  It is really clean and sharp signature.

If you get a chance take a look at Elroy's Wikipedia page as his career is very interesting.  

In the Name

Good ol' Bob Walk!  This is a 1/1 from the Leaf Memories set.  I picked this up on Ebay right before Christmas for 10 bucks.  Always fun to find random gems such as these for a reasonable price.

Anybody open up any of the "new" Donruss set?  I've heard a lot of people claiming Panini did a terrible job of separating the cards.  People who opened up multiple boxes were getting the same relic or auto several different times.  Looked like a fun set and the price is not outrageous, but early reviews seem so so.

My friends and I are opening a few boxes this week so I should have some new trade bait to post this week!

WTF JW2 1/1

I own a lot of unique cards but this one probably takes the prize.  This is a 2004 Donruss Elite Aspirations 1/1 auto of Jack Wilson.  Did his kid sign it?  Maybe he thought he would make the 1/1 extra special?  All I know is that this is one of the weirder cards I've ever seen.

Jack used the same walk up music his entire career.  Jumpin Jack Flash....Great Song!

Wilson was a mainstay in the Pirates lineup from 2001 to 2009.  A plus defender most of his career he would often make crazy defensive plays going to his right and making jump throws to first.   He earned his only All Star appearance in 2004 when he had a career offensive year accumulating over 200 hits.  The Pirates have had trouble filling Jack's shoes since his trade to the Mariners in 2009.  Lets hope Jordy Mercer can develop into a productive everyday shortstop.

Who is Jose Tabata?

Most Pirates fans would agree that Jose Tabata has not lived up to his potential.  Jose had a successful rookie campaign in 2010 where he hit .300 with a great obp of .346.  He accumulated 1.9 WAR in just 450 at bats.  Things were looking up as the Pirates looked to have another young outfielder to go along with Andrew Mccutchen.  Seeing this potential the Pirate front office locked up Tabata to a team friendly 6 year deal. 

The rookie season has proven to be mostly a mirage.  Jose has been unable to recapture is rookie season success.  Since 2011 he has had trouble staying on the field and has been in manager Clint Hurdle's dog house several times for lack of effort.  Jose did not reach 400 at bats in both 2011 and 2012.  Losing playing time to the likes of Travis Snider and Garrett Jones the past few seasons and the emergence of Starling Marte has put Tabata's Pirate future in question.

In 2013 Jose was able to rebound to a certain extent.  After Starling Marte got hurt in the second half of the season he was able to recapture some of his rookie season magic.  He accumulated 1.1 war mainly in just the second half of the season.  He played a key part in the Pirates playoff run during the dog days of summer. 

So what does 2014 have in store for Jose Tabata?  Most project him to be slotted in as the opening day right fielder, but it seems to be temporary.  Top prospect Gregory Polanco will start the season in AAA and could be ready by mid season.  It seems that Jose's best bet for future playing time would be playing well enough to make himself attractive to other teams.  With a team friendly contract and still being only 25 years old, Jose can still be very valuable.

My own personal belief is that Tabata will be moved at some point over the next year.  Most projections already have Polcano as a + defender and better base runner than Tabata.  While Tabata is a nice insurance policy if one of the everyday guys get hurt like Marte did last year,  his time will be coming to an end as a Pirate.  Some other team will see a young cost controlled outfielder and make a nice match for the Pirates to fill a need either before the deadline or during next offseason. 

This is a wood 1/1 from 2011 Topps Triple Threads.  This was an Ebay purchase several years a go as I went and purchased many high end Tabata cards when he was struggling in 2011. 

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=2411&position=OF

A.J. Burnett

(Via my good pal Micah White who is also a diehard Pirates fan.)

Last March, A.J. Burnett said, "If I was to keep playing, I wouldn't want it to be anywhere else but Pittsburgh."  10 months later, that may no longer be the case.  It appears that Burnett will continue to keep playing in 2014, but if it is in Pittsburgh, it will likely be because the Pirates offered him the best deal.  And, as any long time fan of this club will tell you, the chances of the Pirates paying market value or above for any free agent are pretty slim.  If Burnett does land elsewhere in 2014, there are sure to be hard feelings among many Buccos fans, and in some ways, it will look as if he did go back on his word about only wanting to be in Pittsburgh.  However, the Pirates didn't exactly show a great desire to keep A.J. in the 'Burgh when they declined to make a 14.1 million dollar qualifying offer which could have made Burnett's decision easier.

So, did the Pirates make a mistake by not making that qualifying offer?  Last year, Burnett's 209 strikeouts led all free agent starters, and placed him first in K/9 rate.  For the more sabermetrically inclined, his 2.80 FIP and 2.92 xFIP were also tops.  While his 4.0 WAR trailed only James Shields and Jon Lester.  Not to mention that Burnett led the Pirates in all these stats as well as innings pitched.  Shields' and Lester's club options were both picked up for 12 and 13 million respectively, and both are considerably younger than Burnett.  But, we have also seen Hiroki Kuroda, who is one year older, sign a one year 16 million dollar deal with the Yankees.  Given his age and comparable, if slightly less impressive, stat line last season, Kuroda might be the best comparison to A.J. this off season.  And while it's impossible to guess what he will ultimately receive, I think it's safe to say that 14.1 million is easily within the range of market value for other comparable free agent starters.

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=sta&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2013&month=0&season1=2013&ind=0&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=19,d

I'm not usually a fan of printing plates, but A.J. does not have any Pirate related relics or autos on the market.  This printing plate is from Topps Heritage and cost less than $10 on EBAY.