June 24-25, 2023, Graphing of Syracuse Mets at Durham Bulls

Early last week, I had taken off so I could go to Durham and graph the Syracuse Mets.  The weather was crap, so I cut that time off short and went back to work.  I changed around my plans for the weekend, and set off to Durham for two days of graphing.

The first day (Saturday) was with my friend, Jesse (with a surprise appearance from Billy), and Sunday was with Chris and our friend, Jordan.  We all racked pretty well and came away happy, even though a couple of the Syracuse guys were less than friendly.

I was able to get some cards signed for my friend, Max, and got some cool stuff from him for myself, like the above 1995 UD Minors Durham card.  It shows the old Durham ballpark, and I got it signed by Jalen Beeks. 

I ordered some cards for a few of the Mets players so we could be covered on most of them.  Jose Butto was one of those guys. I got his 2023 Heritage and 2023 Topps.  The blue 2010 Pro Debut of TJ McFarland was really cool.  It was in one of my Orioles boxes and shows McFarland as a Kinston Indian.

I was really happy to get the 2022 Topps Cosmic Chrome signed by Tylor Megill. He was a late addition to the Mets roster, and someone who's cards I was able to find quickly Friday night.

Michael Perez was someone who's cards I found Sunday morning while I was waiting for Jordan to show.  I just happened to look through some guys I sent out for TTMs and found Perez with my stack of Brandon Lowe cards.

The two Tyler White cards on the bottom were quick pickups from sportlots when I decided to go on this trip.

Dennis Santana was super nice.  There was a meet the team event for the Bulls Sunday afternoon. You could pre-register and go on the field for a signing.  While we were down there, some of the Mets guys were out stretching.  Santana came over and signed.  McFarland reprimanded me saying that no one was going to come over for us (after Santana), which made me feel kind of dumb, but that didn't stop some of the Mets guys from playing catch with folks (adults and kids) and posing for photos with several people in Mets gear.  Oh well, maybe he didn't know what was going on.  We definitely didn't cross any barriers, so I know I wasn't doing anything wrong. 

JP Arencibia was really cool outside.  He would call folks out who didn't know who he was, but was cool about it.  He signed everything we had, so Max will get some Arencibia cards returned to him signed since he helped keep me from having to search my boxes and saved me time.

DJ Stewart proved to be very difficult, but did finally stop for us outside after Sunday's game.  He was one per, and signed for Chris and I.  One of the other graphers complained that he didn't have any cards, so I gave him one of mine.  When he handed it back to me signed, I was glad to take it.  It just seemed like he wanted to meet the players and not keel any of the autos. 

I was glad to finally get Jonathan Arauz.  I had missed him when he was with Norfolk, and I wanted to get my silver pack 1986 Topps Chrome mojo signed.

Megill signed everything Jesse and I had on Saturday.  We were also able to get David Peterson on two cards.  He and Megill look alike somewhat. 

I ordered this 2019 Topps Mini of Jimmy Yacabonis so I would have something else of him to sign.  It seems like be has been everywhere I've been the last few years.  

Here are several landscape oriented cards that we got signed.  These all turned out nicely.

Ben Gamel was really cool.  I had a few of my own cards, along with some that Max sent.  I did keep the first edition that Max sent me, but I added a few guys to his stack that he didn't send me, so hopefully that washes out.

I finally got a couple guys that I missed earlier this season (and last season) in Kyle Manzardo and Michael Mercado. The Elite Extra Edition Mercado has been in my box of shame for a while, but is now finally signed.

I can't believe I hadn't gotten Ryan Burr on his Stars and Stripes card before.  These two are a couple others that have floated around my desk for years.

Greg Jones was really cool, but quiet.  He inscribed a 2022 Heritage Minors for Billy "Go Seahawks" since the two of them went to UNCW.

There's an old man named Bill who I always see in Durham.  He wasn't there Saturday that I could see, but I did run into him on Sunday.  He's very funny, and hooked Mr up with a couple Blake Hunt team set cards to get signed at the meet the team event.  They turned out great.

I picked up a team set for the meet and greet.  It lasted an hour, but we were done in less than 30 minutes.

The only Bulls player on the active roster who wasn't at the event was Cooper Criswell, who was starting that night.  I got him outside after the game.

I'm exhausted still, but had a great time on the road for the first time with some fellow Wood Duck graphers.  

In all, we got the following autographs: Jonathan Arauz x 3, JP Arencibia x 15, Carlos Cortes x 5, Jaylin Davis x 7, Joey Lucchesi x 6, TJ McFarland x 4, Tylor Megill x 8, Hunter Parsons x 2, David Peterson x 3, Denyi Reyes x 2, Mike Vasil x 1, Tyler White x 3, Jimmy Yacabonis x 1, Jonathan Aranda x 8, Cooper Criswell x 2, Nick Dini x 4, Ben Gamel x 7, Niko Hulsizer x 12, Greg Jones x 4, Kyle Manzardo x 5, Michael Mercado x 3, Kam Misner x 3, Luis Patino x 4, Erasmo Ramirez x 2, Jose Butto x 3, John Curtiss x 1, Zach Muckenhirn x 2, Eric Orze x 1, Michael Perez x 3, Dennis Santana x 8, DJ Stewart x 3, Jaylen Beeks x 1, Ryan Burr x 4, Roberto Alvarez x 2, Osleivis Basabe x 2, Trevor Brigden x 2, Ruben Cardenas x 2, Tristan Gray x 1, Kenny Hook x 2, Blake Hunt x 2, Michael Johns x 2, Trevor Kelley x 2, Jose Lopez x 2, Evan McKendry x 2, Hector Lopez x 2, Brian Reith x 2, Josh Roberson x 1, Reinaldo Ruiz x 2, Nathan Wiles x 2 and Wool E Bull x 2 (172 total autographs).

Some Autos From Max

I don't see him as much as I would like to these days, but I know that my great friend, Max, is around, and he is thinking of me.  He has helped me get so many autos lately, I alwas appreciate a care package from him.

He messaged me recently looking for guys who would be at the AAA All Star Game.  I sent him a bunch of cards, and like always, Max sent me a bunch back signed.

We were both disappointed that some of the bigger names elected not to go to the game, but Max still came away with some really nice stuff.

Former Orioles first rounder, DJ Stewart was one of the players I was able to send Max who had a bunch of cards.  Max was able to get a few of them signed, and sent these three back.

Here are some others that he was able to send me.  All of the cards turned out really well.

I was happy to help him locate the cards, as I was able to pull a bunch from my Bowman box, and make room for some new stuff.

Finally, Max came through again and knocked a card off of my 1987 set.  This one was Geno Petralli, and looks sharp.

Thanks so much, Max.  You're one of my favorite people, and I know that even though we don't talk every day, we are still here for each other.

May 5, 2018, Graphing of Louisville Bats at Norfolk Tides

I'm no longer sick, I have missed the last couple Wood DUcks series due to prior obligations, and they were out of town this weekend, so I decided to go  on the road for the first time this season.  My son and I went to Norfolk, which is about 2 and a half hours away, and see the Tides take on the Louisville Bats.  I had goals of getting Nick Senzel and Dick Schofield, but I failed at those parts of the trip.  Still, Chris and I did really well, and we came away with some great autos.

The best part was that I was able to go through my boxes at the last minute, pull some cards out that had been in there for a long time, and ge tthem signed.  The above Garabez Rosa is a prime example.  I have had this 2010 Pro Debut since I bought the back back in 2010, and had hoped to get it signed.  It didn't turn out the best, but it is still signed.

Overall, we had a great time at the game last night.  The weather was really comfortable, even though it got a bit chilly toward the middle of th game.  The Tides won 8-3 behind two home runs and 5 errors from the Bats.  Jonathan Schoop was there on an injury rehab assignment, so we got to see him, too.  We weren't able to get him on any cards, but with what we came away with, I'm ok.

The worst part of the game was the woman with season tickets near where we (and some others) were standing, waiting to get autographs.  She was really snarky when I asked if I was in her way of her seats, then she loudly called Chris out for supposedly not saying excuse me as he walked past her.  Let's not mention that he DID say excuse me, or that she never uttered those two words when we were standing near her seats.  I think she was just a miserable person who enjoyed passing that off onto other people.  I knew Chris said excuse me, but I tried to diffuse her situation by saying I would handle his "lack of manners", to which she replied "It's not a big deal, kids don't listen to their parents anyway..."  That told me all I needed to know.  However, the group behind us was a bunch of screaming 12-13 year old boys, so I'm sure she just enjoyed that.  The boys behind us (and their families) were very friendly, and we ended up chatting with them throughout the game.

Back to the cards.  I ordered two Staedtler pens from Amazon, and last night was the first time we have used them.  Overall, they worked great, but two of the cards (the 15 DJ Stewart refractor above and the purple Joey Rickard Heritage) didn't turn out too well.  They had been pre-prepped prior to Fan Fest, but I guess maybe they didn't take.  I had heard that you didn't need to rep with a Staedtler, but I guess I should keep it up.  Oh well, they're still signed.

As you can see, everything else really looked sharp.  The coolect thing was being able to snag Dilson Herrera, since he didn't have a number on the roster, but I recognized him based on his cards, which I am usually terrible at.

I was glad to use a couple cards (two the Fasseros) that I got last weekend in a box lot from Goodwill, and a card out of the 1996 Topps box that I bought a couple months ago.  I was also able to use a few of the tons of 2014 Bowman that I have.  It really feels good to be able to pull a few cards from my boxes and not have to return them there.

IP Autos From Michael

I am really behind on my posts.  It also doesn't help that my desk is a mess and I sat this stack of cards in a spot that conveniently made me forget about them.  About a month ago, I got a package from my buddy, Michael.  He had gone to a bunch of Orioles and Orioles affiliate games this summer.  I sent him some cards to 50/50, and he hooked me up!

From what Mike says, Mark Hendrickson is a tough signer, so I was really happy to get this 2009 Topps back.

I had sent Michael a few generic Orioles cards, just in case he had something to get signed if he ran into any Orioles alumni who he might not have cards of.  Conveniently, he ran into Ron Hansen, and got these done for me.

 I was able to add two more Ryan Ripken cards to my album, thanks to Michael.  Ripken actually had a decent year at low A Aberdeen.  The Orioles sent him to the  AFL, so maybe he can continue in the organization.  I wouldn't mind meeting him.  I know it is a very long shot for him to make the majors, but it is still cool to see him in the organization.

Michael is close personally with Adrian Marin, so it is a bit easier for him to get autos from Marin, as opposed to some other players.  He hooked me up with some nice cards.

Finally, here are two autos from DJ Stewart and Tim Berry.  Berry returned to the organization last year, and I was surprised that he didn't get called up when the rosters expanded.  Surely, he could have done better than Ubaldo.

Thanks for the cards, Michael!

Christmas Gift From Adam G.

I received a surprise Christmas gift from a kid on Instagram that I have followed for quite a while. His name is Adam, and he is a huge Orioles fan from Florida.  I believe he "graphs" the Orioles at Spring Training, but I'm not 100% sure.  Anyway, he sent me this nice DJ Stewart IP auto on a 2015 Bowman.  This will look nice in my auto album, I think.  Stewart is a former First Round pick of the Orioles, but has struggled since he was drafted.  I'm hoping he can turn it around and not become another Billy Rowell.

Thank you so much for the card, Adam!  I really appreciate it!

Instagram Trade With Dugan - DJ Stewart Auto

I love these Leaf Trinity auto cards.  I have a few of them now, and always enjoy finding more.  I got a message from my friend, Dugan, recently and made a quick and easy deal to land this DJ Stewart.  I traded Dugan a Bowman Chrome auto of Ruddy Giron from this year in order to get the Stewart.

Stewart has yet to live up to his potential as a first round draft pick.  He was promoted to Frederick this season, even though his numbers at Delmarva weren't all that impressive.  He ended the season with 105 hits, 10 home runs and a .254 batting average.  He was supposed to be a power hitter, but has yet to really demonstrate that in the O's system.  My hope is that he can work through it and re-establish himself during the 2017 season.

Thanks so much for the trade, Dugan!  I love the card.

Orioles Prospect Pickups From The National

As the Orioles crap the bed on this season, now is as good a time as any to look toward the future.  While I was at the National, I utilized the bargain boxes to add some O's "prospects" to my collection.  The above DJ Stewart jumbo relic/auto cost me less than $5.00, but is a pretty cool card.  Stewart hasn't really lived up to his "first round draft pick" billing, but since his promotion from Low A Delmarva to High A Frederick, Stewart's batting average has picked up by 42 points from .230 to .272.  He had 4 homers at Delmarva this year, coupled with another 4 at Frederick.  He should develop more power, but that remains to be seen.  So far, Stewart appears to be far away from reaching the Majors, but one can still hope.  The kid is only 22, so hopefully he can continue to improve.

This Chance Sisco was a dine box find.  Sisco might be the top Orioles prospect, and may see playing time in the majors next year.  He is only 22, but holds a .322 career average over 4 minor league seasons.  The Orioles desperately need a high average player who can get on base.  Compared to the dismal .230 average that Matt Wieters is showing this season, Sisco may be an upgrade over the former phenom.  Sisco isn't regarded as a plus defender, but Wieters seems to have regressed defensively somewhat, and has always been suspect as his game-calling.  I look forward to seeing what Sisco can do, but I doubt he gets a call up in September.  We may have to wait to see how he performs in Spring Training 2017.  By then, Wieters may likely be gone.

24 year-old Drew Dosch is batting .256 with an OBP of .306 at AA Bowie this season.  He has 7 homers and has struck out 87 times.  He was a 7th round pick in 2013 and hopefully will continue to move up in the O's system.  He's a third baseman who has Manny Machado to look up at in the depth chart for a couple more seasons before Manny leaves via free agency.  I got this card for less than $5 out of a bargain box.  This 2015 Bowman Chrome blue refractor auto is numbered 28/150.

I was excited to find this Cole Billingsley auto in a bargain box for $3.00.  He is currently at Short Season (A) Aberdeen and is batting .283 with 3 homers over the course of 46 games.  Not bad for his first season of pro ball.  I look forward to following Billingsley's career as he rises through the ranks.  Hopefully he will make the majors, which would be really cool for a kid featured on a 2010 Bowman card at the age of 16.

Finally, we have a 2016 Bowman Inception Trey Mancini auto that I picked up for less than $15.  I love these cards.  My buddy Robert busted two cases of Inception and actually pulled this same card.  I wanted to get it from him, but he sold it before I had a chance to make an offer.  Oh well.  This card is not numbered,  but the auto is on-card.

Mancini sports a .306 average across 4 minor league seasons.  He was promoted to AAA Norfolk, a notoriously unfriendly park for hitters' stats, but has batted a respectable .279 with 13 home runs over 118 games.  Mancini stands a chance to be called up when rosters expand on September 1.  If anything, he must be added to the Orioles 40-man roster this off season, or they risk exposing him to the Rule V Draft (where any team can draft him for the price of $50,000, but must keep him on their 25-man roster, or offer him back to the O's for $25,000).  It is a no-brainer that Mancini is added to the 40-man no later than the off season.

Card Show Gift From Dugan

I'm working on catching up on a lot of posts.  So much so, I haven't sent off too many TTMs lately so I can get some other stuff posted.  I had something I had gotten from my buddy, Dugan, at the last card show that I wanted to post.  He gave me this DJ Stewart relic from Stars and Stripes baseball that I really liked.  Stewart hasn't done nearly as well as I had liked, but I am hoping he picks it up and can contribute to the O's in the future.

Regardless of how Stewart is doing, I really appreciate Dugan thinking of me and hooking me up with this card.  Dugan is a great guy and I'm happy that we have been able to meet up at shows.