Powerful Cards

When Jared sent a bunch of big name rookie cards last week that was only half the package! The Pirates portion packed a punch with old and new.  It was like winning two contests!!!!

Ted Power is what happens when you cross John Candelaria and Bob Walk. 

Bob Patterson is wearing a trash bag under his jersey. 

Sluggo is giving the death stare to the cameraman.  The Pirates catching tandem of Don Sluggo Slaught and Mike Spanky LaValliere had 10 WAR nicknames. 

I'm convinced this is Ted Power batting.

I think their might be an autograph version of this card in that Archives Signature set.  I'm pro Tony Pena Pirate autographs.

Belinda was pitching when Sid Bream scored in the playoffs against the Pirates.

I love Marte, but his freaking suspension killed the Pirates last year.

This is a quality picture.

I have a lot of Jason Kendall cards, but I feel like one pops up everyday that makes me think I don't have it.

Reese Mcguire for a time was seen as the Pirates catcher of the future.  He got traded two season back to the Blue Jays and has lost a good bit of his prospect luster.  The bat just never developed.

COBRA

Almost like an old Studio card.

Polanco is such a tease.  He is always the perennial breakout candidate, but for whatever reason can't seem to put it together.  Even when his bat was inconsistent during his first couple of seasons, defense and base running made him extremely valuable.  Now he has been plagued by hamstring issues which has zapped most of his non hitting value.  The Pirates have a good bit invested in him so I hope he can "breakout" for real this year.

It is kind of weird, but for as long as the Pirates have been around they really haven't had many Hall of Fame caliber pitchers that spent the majority of their career as a Bucco.

I think Kang is never going to suit up again in the MLB.  He played a little winter ball, but was cut from his team.

Always happy to get some Melancon cards!

Neil Walker was still a catcher when this card came out!

Now we are getting into the real heavy hitters! This looks like a max effort Bob Walk fastball.  May God have mercy on the hitter and catcher.

Likely scoping out the ladies in the stands. Actually who am I kidding.....they flock to him.

The hair creates extra force.

Gerrit Cole was almost traded today.  That may signal the end for Cutch too.

I really hope Glasnow pans out.

Thanks for the cards Jared.  Since my computer has been down I've been experimenting with different scan techniques.  These turned out nice....(shhh...I used my work scanner)!

Thanks for reading.

The Big Names

 I won a contest!!! Jared from Cards My Mother Didn't Throw Out recently held a contest in which the prize was some great rookie cards of big name players.  These are some welcome additions to the collection.

Joey Votto gets a little lost in the shuffle since he plays in Cincinnati.  You could actually make an intriguing argument that Votto could have won the MVP.  Dingers won out and Stanton got the award. 

 I never quite understood the hate that Bryce Harper gets from some people.  Ultimately he will get the last laugh after this coming season when he hits free agency.  He is going to shatter the biggest contract in MLB history. 

 Phone scan apps don't do very well with Chrome cards....  Another guy that tends to fly under the radar.  The guy doesn't even seem to talk much. 

 Having a stud young shortstop is an easy way to get your team back to the top.  Seager is sooooo good.

 Sanchez will somehow get to fly a little under the radar now that Judge and Stanton will be the focal point of the Yanks.

 Surefire Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre. 

 Hey a Pirate! Josh Bell is firmly entrenched as the Pirates first baseman. 

 Kind of thought the Dodgers might trade Pederson this offseason as part of a big Stanton deal. 

Now for the autos!

 O'neill got released by the Yankees last year, but he caught on with the Rangers.

 Brown got a cup of coffee with the Giants a few years back, but as far as I can tell he is out of professional baseball.  Looks like the last couple of years have been spent in the Indy Leagues.

 Jon Gray is currently part of the Rockies rotation.  He has considerable upside and is always a sabermetrics favorite. 

Thanks for the contest Jared! I'll show the beer and Pirate cards soon. 

Thanks for reading.

Trade: Cards My Mother Didn't Throw Out

It is always exciting to get cards from a new trade partner.  A couple weeks back I approached JayP from the new blog Cards My Mother Didn't Throw Out about a trade. We exchanged addresses and before I knew an envelope was in my mailbox.

 Like most people who collected the cards before the internet I relied on Beckett Magazine for my card news and price guide. It was always exciting to get the new magazine and check how valuable my 1989 Donruss set was.

Now it is almost comical to look at a copy of the magazine from the junk wax era.

You could make a pretty fun mini collection just chasing new releases of legend players. I'm not talking "hits", but cards like this awesome Legendary Cuts Honus Wagner. What a cool looking card.

 A couple of cool Jason Kendall's. If you were a fan of the Pirates in the late 90's you loved Kendall. The guy could do everything. He was such a unique talent for the catcher position. He was a high obp guy who could run well.  I'm digging the action shot on the Premier Prospects card.

 A lot of people forget that Wakefield was a Pirate.

 Giles consistently put up MVP numbers for the Pirates, but the team was so horrible that he was an after thought. Also hurt that their was a guy named Bonds in San Francisco.

 The Warren Morris is a parallel numbered /200. Hey, there is another modern Wagner. Maybe I should start that mini collection.

The old timey warmup that Maz is wearing looks like a Hefty bag.

I really liked the early 2000's Archives sets.  I would often open boxes and chase the Fan Favorite Pirates. The new sets have really priced out a majority of recreational box busters. The Major League and Will Ferrell autos made the prices shoot well past $100 a box. That is a little rich for my blood.

Thanks for breaking the ice JayP.  I'm still waiting on a card for you, but is expected tomorrow. I'll work on the return package this weekend.  I think you will really like it.

Thanks for reading!