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Here is a card that is right in my wheelhouse.  Two guys that haven't received much cardboard love lately in David Freese and Jordy Mercer and obscure rookie Jose Osuna all on the same card! If only John Jaso could have somehow got on the card it would have been perfect!

I'm glad the Pirate NOW pace has slowed down some.  They had a week in which 3 cards were produced which is a little pricey.  Since I'm hopelessly addicted to adding these cards I'm glad they are back to their middle of the road production pace like last year!

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Digging Deep

I think every team has that player that has been around for a long time, but for whatever reason lacks a decent amount of cardboard. For the Pirates this would be starting shortstop Jordy Mercer. He is well into his fifth season as a Pirate and other than some flagship cards here and there his card catalog is lacking.

2013 Topps Update Jordy Mercer Blue Sapphire /25

When I saw this parallel pop up on eBay I knew I wanted to grab it.  I also knew it would likely be one of those deals where I pay more in shipping than the actual card. I hate doing that, but the allure of adding a card of Mercer I didn't have was too much.  So here we are! 

Overall it is a pretty nice looking card. In hand the background doesn't look as green as it does in the scan.  Looks like he is playing in overgrown grass in that picture.  

Does your team have a guy that has been around for a long time, but lacks cards? Jordy's reason is that he wasn't a huge prospect. Those guys tend to not get the Bowman love. 

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Silver Framed

Late post as I was watching the Mountaineers beat Texas. Looks like we are getting hot at the right time of year.

I'm not one to chase the Topps parallels. In my mind I keep thinking it would be cool to try and complete a rainbow, but to date I've been able to talk myself out of it. I'll leave that to crazy people like Zippy.

With that being said a couple of the parallels have caught my attention in Topps. I'm really digging the /10 acetate cards and /20 silver frame cards. I made one big acetate purchase last month by picking up the Gregory Polanco. Since I spent a good bit of money on that card I figured I would go for a more complimentary player rather than a star with the silver frame

2015 Topps Silver Frame Parallel Jordy Mercer /20

First off these cards are thick and more solid than I expected. When Chris pulled the Hamels in the group break it didn't look that thick to me. Either way I was intrigued and wanted to get one for my collection. This Mercer was a nice compromise at less than $10 shipped. Overall I still like the acetate cards a little better, but these are a nice change of pace. For better or worse at least these have a unique characteristic. 

If I were to chase another silver or acetate card I would probably go for that Pirates team card. 

This was my favorite Pirates card in Series 1.

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Some Needles in a Haystack

Pirate shortstop Jordy Mercer doesn't have much in way of autographs or relics.  In terms of recent sets, Panini's Americas Pastime was the only one to feature Mercer.  Recently on eBay I was searching for some Mercer cards in came across a nice lot of older issued Mercers.  Less than $15 later it was at more doorstep.

2008 Upper Deck Series 2 Patch Auto /99

 2008 Upper Deck Series 2 Red Ink Auto /50

 2008 Donruss Elite Auto /483

2008 Donruss Elite Aspirates Auto /75

I guess he was trying to be different and printed his name on the patch auto.  Would have been nice if he would have signed it normally, but either way it is a nice card. I'm a big fan of college cards so I'm partial to the Aspirations die cut featuring Jordy in his Oklahoma State Cowboy uniform.  

In terms of Jordy as a player I've been pleased with his development.  I didn't think he could stick at short, but he has turned himself into a league average shortstop.  If not for a terrible April and May, Jordy could have produced some big numbers. Thankfully management stuck with him and he went on to produce almost a 3 WAR season.  Not bad considering he was close to losing his starting job.  

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Jordy Mercer

Is Jordy Mercer the shortstop of the future?  Unfortunately, it's still probably too early to answer this question.  But, there was reason for optimism last season.  In 365 plate appearance, Mercer was able to hit .285/.336/.435 to go along with 8 homeruns and 22 doubles which actually stacks up well against NL shortstops with a minimum of 350 plate appearances (as seen here).  A promising start, but given the small sample size, can he sustain over a full season of play?  His BB% was considered below average and his .330 BABIP might suggest some regression is on the horizon.  Perhaps due to some of these factors, the projections for 2013 are not terribly optimistic.  But despite a less than favorable outlook for the upcoming season, I still think there is a case to be made for Mercer as a viable option at short for the Pirates going forward.  For comparison, we are going to look to the right side of the Pirates infield. 

In 2010, Neil Walker made his debut as second baseman for the Bucs after spending nearly six years in the minors falling from top prospect to a guy who was being looked at as super utility player.  After being called up, Walker went on to hit .296/.345/.462 in 469 plate appearances (seen here).  Like Mercer, his BB% and BABIP suggested regression, and many were unsure if Walker could sustain his early success.  But, as Matt wrote just the other day, Walker has continued to build on his early success and has become a solid if unspectacular player, and big part of the Pirates lineup.  Let's say Mercer is able to improve his BB% as Walker has continued to do since his rookie season, he too may be able to ease the regression that may come in other areas of his game.   

Now, this isn't a perfect comparison.  After all, Mercer was never considered to be the caliber of prospect that Walker was. But, considering how pricey a free agent shortstop can be (see Jhonny Peralta), the Pirates might do well to see what they have in Mercer, and if Mercer's upside turns out to be a poor man's Neil Walker, the Pirates could certainly do a lot worse.   

The above card is from the new Panini America's Pastime set and is numbered to 10.