TTM Success - Brendon Little

Here are a few prospect cards that I had hoarded a couple years ago in hopes of getting them signed while graphing at the Wood Ducks.

I had these really nice Brendon Little cards and finally found a working address for him, since I never got him when Myrtle Beach came through.   The above 2018 Bowman Chrome gold refractor is really great, and one of the main reasons why I was itching to send the cards off in the first place.

I also got his 2017 Bowman, 2018 Heritage Minors and a 2018 Bowman Chrome gold shimmer refractor signed.  Both of the gold parallels are numbered out of 50.

Little (b. 1996) was a first round pick in the 2017 June Amateur Draft by the Cubs out of the State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota.  He made his major league debut last season, pitching in one game for the Cubs.  He has a record of 0-1 with no strike outs and a 40.50 ERA.

I mailed to Little on January 4 and got the cards back on February 6, for a 33-day TAT. 

Logan K Returns Some Autographs

A cool thing that happened when Chris and I were on our road trip out west was meeting some of the local graphers at the stadiums that we went to.  I was able to connect with one of the ones from Wichita, and he agreed to take some cards that I missed and try to get them signed.  He had never done a 50/50 with someone before, but that's not quite what we did.  Instead, we pretty much did a league swap.  I got him some Wood Ducks, and also some of their opponents.  Logan worked on some of my Wichita stuff, and also took some other teams.

Logan saw Corpus Christi after I had left Wichita, so he took some of the cards I had for them.  I was really happy to get the above Matt Ruppenthal from my Midwest League All Star set completed, as well as the Joe Perez 2017 Bowman Chrome purple refractor.

Logan sent back a few of the Wichita team set guys I missed; he is still working on some of the others.  I tried to get Simeon Woods-Richardson, but missed him completely.  I would have knocked out several of his cards, had I been able to stop him.  He signs TTM, but it is still nice getting people in person.

Here are the rest of the Corpus Christi guys that Logan got for me.  I had these pulled and put aside with Astros stuff, since Fayetteville is their Low A team.  I had never pulled the higher-up guys out of the box (thanks for not getting around to it).  It ended up making for a quick search when Logan told me he was seeing Astros AA guys.

Thanks for getting the autographs for me, Logan.  Next year, we will be able to swap early on, and knock out a lot more stuff!

Dylan D With the 50-50 Returns

My friend, Dylan, approached me early this year about sending him cards for 50/50s this season.  I was happy to oblige, since it helped me move a bunch of cards.  In the end, I sent him a ton of stuff (probably way too much), but I did get some nice signatures back.  The card that I wanted back more than any other was the above 2017 Bowman orange parallel of Scott Hurst.  I had this card in my Bowman box since I busted 2017 Bowman, and really wanted to get it signed.  Dylan was happy to help, and the card is now in my album.

Along with the 50/50s, Dylan sent me some extras that he accumulated along the way.  He hinted at this Sandy Alcantara a few months ago, and then I forgot that it was coming.  I was really happy to get it, though, along with another huge surprise.

Dylan helped me get some of my Jackson Kowars signed.  I missed him when he came through Kinston, so it was nice to get some of his cards done.  I was especially happy that his Carolina League All Star card got signed.

Here is an assortment of what Dylan was able to get signed for me.  The 2019 Topps Holiday Willians Astudillo is a really cool card.  I also like that he was able to get some of my 2019 Bowman Heritage cards done (by Brewer Hicklen and Luken Baker).

I completely missed Astudillo when I saw Jacksonville at Durham early this season.  He was on the taxi squad early that week, then showed up the next night.  This is after I took his cards out of my book, thinking he wouldn't be on that trip.

Here are some of the extras that Dylan included.  There might be a card or two from Drake, as the stacks got mixed up a bit.

I believe most of these are ones that Dylan sent back, since they still have my tags on the back of most of them.

Finally, here's the huge surprise that Dylan included in the package.  I was floored when I saw a Zack Greinke signed card included with my stuff.  I guess he had no problem signing for Dylan while he was on a rehab assignment, since Dylan isn't Pat Neshek.

Thank you so much for taking my 50/50s, and also for the extras, Dylan.  I regret not stopping in Memphis to say hello when we were on our graphing trip out west.  I will try to meet up next year.

Autograph Care Package From Nick

With my TTM stack shrinking to a more manageable size, I can now try to get some signed cards that were from trades, care packages and 50/50s scanned and into my album.  The first one of these that I wanted to move was a small package of cards from fellow 1987 Topps set builder, Nick.  He needed some of the cards that I had (it may have even been a signed 86 Topps), and sent me these that he had gotten.  I love the above 2017 Bowman Trevor Rogers.  I had gotten him TTM, but that card was personalized.

Nick sent five 2017 Bowmans and three 2018s.  I am glad to add these to the autograph album.

With all of the cards that I am set to scan and post, I am going to fill up an album pretty fast.  I need to change my closet around to house all of these albums.  That may be another project that I do while I am off, if I am unable to travel where I want to this weekend.

Thank you so much for the cards, Nick.  I hope you like the one I sent you.

Past 50-50s From Andrew

Graphing season is about to start up next week, and I have been thrashing to get some stuff together for an early-season series out of town.  In doing so, I had to search for a snap case of cards I didn't get signed last season, which led me to go through a ton of stuff on my desk.  I realized that I had a ton of stuff that still needed to be scanned and blogged.  That means I'm going to have to start back doing blogs at least twice a day to knock down some of the non-TTM stuff I have sitting here.  The first of which was a stack of cards I got back from Andrew while we were at the National.

Andrew actually had these cards since at least the 2019 season, when Chris and I visited him in Evansville.  He was going to get Wander Franco on a ball for me that year (he did, thanks, Buddy!) and also took some 50/50s.  COVID messed up us meeting in 2020, so I had to wait til the 2021 National to collect some of the cards he had waiting for me.  The above completed dual of Mike Siani and Jonathan India is one I actually forgot about, but was happy to see in the stack.

I'm pretty sure all of these came from Andrew.  The problem was, stacked fall over from time to time, and stuff gets mixed up.  I remember him giving me the Amir Garrett 2016 Heritage Minors and the Harrison Bader 2017 Bowman.  He maybe had the 2015 Naquin as well, or I may have picked it up, myself.  Andrew can tell me, but I think he did give it to me.

So, I'm hoping to reduce this stack of non-TTM autos in the coming days, but the fun part is that there is some nice stuff that I completely forgot about.  I guess that's a sad thing to say about the condition of my desk.  Thanks for the cards, Andrew!

TTM Success - Taylor Walls

When I can get a 2013 Perfect Game card signed, I get pretty happy.  I bought a couple boxes of 2013 Perfect Game at the National a few years ago, and still have a bunch of base cards left over.  I have been able to get a few of them signed, and when I saw that Taylor Walls was signing TTM, I sent this one, and a few other cards out to him.  He doesn't have much of a signature, but hey, they're signed.

I also got a 2019 Stars & Stripes, 2020 Stars & Stripes, 2017 Bowman and 2018 Pro Debut signed by Walls.

Walls (b. 1996) made his major league debut this season for the Rays.  He was a 3rd round pick by the Rays out of Florida State in the 2017 June Amateur Draft.  So far, he has 16 hits, 1 home run and a .246 batting average.

I mailed to Walls on January 2 and got the cards back on February 19, for a 48-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brendan Murphy

I got some nice cards out of one of my boxes with this TTM success from Brewers prospect, Brendan Murphy.  I had been holding onto his cards with the hope that I would see him with the Carolina Mudcats, but I missed the opportunity.  He may still come through Carolina, but he hasn't pitched anywhere since 2017, so it is probably unlikely.  He is listed with the Mudcats for this season, so we will have to see if he can finally get back on a mound.

I got some really nice cards signed.  The card at the top is a 2017 Panini Elite Extra Edition die cut numbered 82/99.  The cards above are all from 2017 Bowman.  There are two different shades of blue refractors, a Bowman Chrome and Bowman base.  I always liked this version of Bowman, and have gotten a bunch of them signed at Wood Ducks games.  If Murphy does make it onto Carolina's roster, I may be able to knock out a few more.

Murphy (b. 1999) was a 4th round pick by the Brewers in the 2017 June Amateur Draft out of an Illinois high school.  He pitched in Arizona for the Brewers rookie ball team in 2017.  He went 0-2 with 11 strike outs and a 6.19 ERA.

I mailed to Murphy on December 21 and got the cards back on December 31, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Andrew Sopko

I was able to get some cards out of my prospects box with this TTM success from Andrew Sopko.  I especially was happy to get this 2017 Topps Heritage Minors card signed, as I have done a good job in getting rid of most of the extras I had, so getting anything else signed is good.

Also moving any 2017 Bowman card is a good thing, too.  I have a bunch of them, still, and I really liked getting those signed, but that has slowed down (even before COVID).

Sopko (b. 1994) was a 7th round pick by the Dodgers in the 2015 June Amateur Draft out of Gonzaga.  So far, he has 5 minor league seasons for the Dodger and Blue Jay organizations.  He has reached as high as AAA, but has yet to crack the majors.

He has a minor league record of 30-25 with 434 strike outs and a 3.89 ERA.

I mailed to Sopko on January 8, 2019, and got the cards back on October 16, 2020, for a 647-day TAT.

TTM Success - Joey Morgan

I got some recent prospect cards signed with this TTM success from Joey Morgan.  He signed a 2018 Topps Pro Debut, a 2017 Bowman Chrome and 2017 Bowman (both below).

Morgan (b. 1996) was a 3rd round pick by the Tigers in the 2017 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Washington.  He has reached as high as AAA and so far has 116 hits, 6 home runs and a .211 batting average across 3 seasons in the minors.

I mailed to Morgan on September 2 and got the cards back on September 24, for a 22-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jorge Mateo

I had a bunch of Jorge Mateo cards that fell into my box of shame, as I had sent them to someone who was going to try to get him in person in 2019.  They didn't get him, and I didn't want to put the cards back in my boxes, so that was a big reason the box of shame was created.  Later on, my friend, Jackson, did a private signing with Mateo.  I was able to get at least one card out of the box, get it signed, and get it into my album.  The card is a 2017 Bowman Chrome, and it turned out pretty well.

Mateo (b. 1995) made his MLB debut this year with the Padres.  He appeared in 22 games and had 4 hits, no homers and a .154 batting average.

I mailed to the signing on July 6 and got the card back signed on August 18, for a 43-day TAT.

TTM Success - Chance Adams

I was able to get a few cards out of my minors box and have them signed when I got this TTM success from Chance Adams.  He has a lot of nice cards, and I am glad I got the ones signed that I did.

My stack of 2017 Topps Heritage minors has gotten smaller and smaller, which is nice.  It allows me some room to add more cards to the box.  I'm surprised that I have been able to get as many cards signed as I have from that set.

Adams (b. 1994) has played in the majors since 2018 and has a record of 1-2 with 27 strike outs and a 8.18 ERA.  He was a 5th round pick in the 2015 June Amateur Draft by the Yankees.

I mailed to Adams on July 23, 2019, via the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Railriders and got the cards back on March 2, 2020, for a 223-day TAT.

TTM Success - Tyler Stephenson

I added a few autographs of Reds prospect, Tyler Stephenson with this TTM success that I got back recently.

I was able to get a few cards out of my Bowman box, and get them signed.  They all turned out well.

Stephenson (b. 1996) was a first round pick (11th overall) by the Reds in the 2015 June Amateur Draft.  So far, he has reached AA, and has 355 hits, 28 home runs and a .263 batting average.

I mailed to Stephenson on January 2 and got the cards back on January 11, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jo Adell

I added another prospect auto to my album when I answered a call to send cards to the Jo Adell Foundation.  I sent this 2017 Bowman Defining Moments card, along with a donation of $25.00, and it came back signed.

Adell (b. 1999) was a first round pick (10th overall) by the Angels in the 2017 June Amateur Draft.  So far, he has reached the Angels AAA team, and has 269 hits, 35 home runs and a .298 batting average across 3 minor league seasons.  He is a non-roster invite for this year's Spring Training.

I mailed to Adell on December 17 and got the card back on January 11, for a 25-day TAT.

Christmas Gift From Keegan

 My buddy, Keegan, sent me some autos for Christmas.  I had sent him some autos for Christmas because I appreciate him helping me out this past season with some 50/50s, and he reciprocated by sending some autos of his own.  This 2013 Bowman Brandon Beachy is a card that I really like.  I'm stuck with a bunch of 13 Bowman, as a lot of the guys that I have are now out of baseball, and it is hard to get those cards signed.

Keegan also sent these 4 cards: 2012 Elite Extra Edition Jesmuel Valentin, 2017 Bowman Jacob Heyward, 2018 Bowman Jojo Romero and 2018 Bowman Adam Haseley.

Thank you so much for the Christmas gift, Keegan!

Graphing The Wood Ducks Exhibition Game

It took three seasons, but the Wood Ducks finally got an exhibition game completed against Mount Olive University.  The last two were rained out, but this one was played for 12 innings (even though the Woodies were well ahead of the Trojans after the top of the 9th was completed).  Apparently they wanted to stretch a few pitchers out.

There are a lot of new faces on the team, but there are also some familiar ones this season.  I have been stockpiling Rangers prospect cards and ended up with a bunch that I can take with me to games to get signed.  I am also taking 50/50s and consignments this season, but there are a couple players I won't be taking (Leody, Anderson).

I also picked up some Hickory and Spokane team sets so I can get some of the guys who aren't in commercial products yet.  It helped out yesterday.  There are some pretty cool players who I was already able to get to sign some stuff.

I also took care of some stuff I got at the most recent card show in Raleigh, like the two Eric Jenkins cards above.  He was really nice, once again.  I hope he has a big year this year.

I was also able to knock out a ton of Peter Fairbanks cards that I had picked up after the "meet the team" event back in 2017.  We saw him then, but had no cards.  He then got hurt and came back last season.  He was impossible to get to sign anything last year, so I was glad I was able to get him as he came off of the field last night.  Now, I won't have to bother him again.

It was nice seeing Michael Matuella again.  I had to ask him about his Duke Blue Devils, but I did wait until he was done signing.  Everyone's bracket is busted, so it's ok.

Buried in the middle of this group of cards is Tyreque Reed.  This dude is huge.  He looks like he should be playing football, but I'm glad he is a Wood Duck.  I'm looking forward to seeing him crush a few baseballs.

Aside from Leody and Anderson, Bubba Thompson is probably the biggest Rangers prospect on the team.  I was told ahead of time that he will sign anything you have.  That was not the case on Monday.  Maybe he will sign more later on, but yesterday, he was only two-per.  I got him twice, though, so I was able to get some cards out of the way.  I took several 50/50s on him, so I hope that he will help get them done.  We will see as the season progresses.

The biggest news of the day came when I finally broke down and purchased season tickets for my son and I.  It was only a matter of time, and I was happy to do it.  I imagine it will save me money in the long run, so that's a plus.

Now I sit and wait for the season to start on Thursday.

I Made A Friend, And He Hooked Me Up With Some Autos

I never did get to Buies Creek this season for a game.  I really wanted to, but never got the chance.  Instead, I went elsewhere and got autos.  During the season, however, I made friends with a few of the graphers who come regularly to Wood Ducks games.  One of them, Ben, also came to the Mudcats while we were there.  The more and more we chatted at games, the more and more we enjoyed ourselves.  At the end of the season, while I was in Kinston catching the Wood Ducks against the Dash, Ben went to Buies Creek.  He was more than willing to take a few cards for me, and hooked me up with a few autos.

Unfortunately, the game ended early due to rain, so Ben's graphing was limited, but he was able to get me the above cards.  He missed out on JB Bukauskas, since he had been promoted a few days prior.  Still, I was happy with the cards that Ben got done for me.

Thanks so much, Ben!  I can't wait to graph the Wood Ducks with you next season!

July 26, 2018 - Hillcats at Wood Ducks

With all of my National posts, I fell behind on my graphing posts.  So, here are some cards I got signed when the Lynchburg Hillcats came to town right before I left for the National.  I got a bunch of 50/50s done, and a few for myself.

The above Stars and Stripes Justni Garza was part of a 50/50 for Gerard.  I didn't have any of these, so it was nice to add one to the album.

I was really happy to get a few of these 2013 Perfect Game Micah Miniard cards signed.  Chris ended up with one, since I had several.

I was able to get a few 2017 Bowman Ernie Clement signed.  He was super nice, and ended up going on the DL right after I left for the show.  He has since been promoted to Akron, after playing only 33 games in the Carolina League.

Finally, I got a few cards signed by Leody Taveras.  He has been tough this year because he only signs one card per person.  So many people have asked me if I can take 50/50s of him, I finally had to start refusing stuff.