Another TTM Success From Roberto Hernandez

Another pass through my Topps boxes caused me to pull a few more Roberto Hernandez cards out and send them to him TTM for signature. The above 1999 Topps turned out great.

I also sent out the above 1993 Topps and 2004 Topps. Both also turned out well. 

I had previously gotten Hernandez to sign TTM two other times (in 2017 and 2019). 

I mailed to Hernandez on January 3 and got the cards back on January 13, for a 10-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Kyle Sleeth

Here is a 2004 Topps that I got signed TTM recently by Kyle Sleeth. I remembered him from a poster that used to hang on a bathroom wall at the former card shop in Winston-Salem. 

Sleeth (b. 1981) was a first round (3rd overall) pick by the Tigers in the 2004 June Amateur Draft out of Wake Forest. 

He played in the minors in 2004, 2006 and 2007, in the Tigers system, reaching AA. He had a record of 12-21 with 192 strike outs and a 6.30 ERA.

I mailed to Sleeth on January 3 and got the card back on January 12, for a 9-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Tom WIlson

Here is a 2004 Topps that I got signed TTM by Tom Wilson.  He signed the card in black Sharpie, and it turned out nicely.

Wilson (b. 1970) played in the majors from 2001 to 2004 for the A's, Blue Jays, Mets and Dodgers.  He had 140 hits, 15 home runs and a .253 batting average. 

I mailed to Wilson on March 15, 2014, and got the card back on September 11, 2025, for a 545-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jake Westbrook

One of my longest TTM turn-around times happened recently when I got this lot of cards back signed by Jake Westbrook.  I had sent the cards out in 2020, and finally got them all back signed this past August.  A five-year turn.  I never give up on my TTMs, but at some point, you have to be realistic that some of that old stuff isn't coming back.  I was able to cross Jake Westbrook off of the ledger, and that was a great feeling.

I sent an assortment of Topps cards, from 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011.  On top of that (and this post), I also sent a 2008 Upper Deck.

All of the cards turned out great.  I was surprised that he signed all of the cards.  I try not to send that many these days, if I can help it.  Still, he signed them all and I'm glad.

Westbrook (b. 1977) played in the majors from 2000 to 2008 and 2010 to 2013 for the Yankees, Indians and Cardinals.  He had a career record of 105-103 with 965 strike outs and a 4.32 ERA.  He was an All Star in 2004.  He won the World Series with the Cardinals in 2011.

I mailed to Westbrook on June 5, 2020, and got the cards back on August 12, 2025, for a 1,894-day TAT.

TTM Success - Tim Spooneybarger

My friend Ryan sent me a bunch of cards to try TTM. One of the successes I got back was from Tim Spooneybarger on some early 2000s cards.  The above 2003 Topps turned out nicely.

The above 2004 Topps also turned out nicely.  I recall a time when I didn't have very many signed 2004s in the album. Now they have caught up with some of the other years in the album.

Spooneybarger (b. 1979) played in the majors from 2001 to 2003 for the Braves and Marlins.  He had a record of 2-3 with 68 strike outs and a 3.24 ERA.

I mailed to Spooneybarger on February 5 and got the cards back on February 26 for a 21-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Mark Prior

Over the last week or so, TTMs have been scant to some in.  Checking the mail every day has been a drag, since the mailbox is virtually empty when I open it.  One reason why may be because over the last month or so, most of the TTMs I have sent out have been to Spring Training.  Spring Training TTMs are a chore every season and I keep saying I'll cut back next season.  This year (like the last several), I sent out 50 Spring Training TTMs.  So far, only 3 have come back.  The players and coaches sometimes hold the cards (if they do sign at all) and send in the off-season.  One success came back in January from 2024 Spring Training.  So I have a little tiny sliver of optimism that maybe I'll see some of this year's attempts come in.

This TTM success from 2024 Spring Training came in from Mark Prior.

Prior is the pitching coach for the Dodgers.  I had gotten him TTM back in 2020, again from Dodgers Spring Training. 

I mailed to Prior on February 10, 2024, and got the cards back on January 14 for a 339-day TAT.

TTM Success - Kyle Davies

Several Topps cards came back signed TTM from former pitcher, Kyle Davies.  I don't have a lot of 2009 Topps in the autograph album, so i was glad to get this one in there.

He also signed a 2004, 2008 and 2010 Topps.  All of the cards look great.  They had sat in the to-be-TTMed box for some time, and I finally got some mailed out.

Davies (b. 1983) played in the majors from 2005 to 2011 and 2015 for the Braves, Royals and Yankees.  He had a record of 43-65 with 547 strike outs and a 5.57 ERA.

I mailed to Davies on September 28 and got the cards back on October 10, for a 12-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Aaron Guiel

After a trip out of town for work this week, I came home to a few TTM successes.  This one from Aaron Guiel on a 2004 Topps came in on Tuesday.

Guiel (b. 1972) played in the majors from 2002 to 2006 for the Royals and Yankees.  He had 239 hits, 35 home runs and a .246 batting average. 

I mailed to Guiel on February 13 and got the card back on May 28, for a 105-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ron Gardenhire

When these cards came back signed from Ron Gardenhire, I had thought I had gotten him previously.  It turns out, no, these were the only cards I had sent him.  They are now signed, and it looks like I don't have anything else out to him.   I got his 1982 Topps rookie card done.  I may have to finish the card off by taking advantage of some private signings at some point.

I also got a 1983 Donruss, 2004 Topps and a 2006 Topps signed.  All of them turned out well.

Gardenhire (b. 1957) played in the majors from 1981 to 1985 for the Mets.  He had 165 hits, 4 home runs and a .232 batting average.

He managed the Twins from 2002 to 2014, to a record of 1,068-1,039 and the Tigers from 2018 to 2020 to a record of 132-241.  His overall managerial record was 1,200-1,280 (.484 win %).  He was the AL Manager of the Year in 2010.  He finished second five times (2003, 2004, 2006 2008 and 2009).

I mailed to Gardenhire on March 31, 2022, and got the cards back today (April 8, 2024), for a 739-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Eric Gagne

Back in November; I got Eric Gagne to sign a few cards TTM.  I had a few more that I had put aside, so I decided to try him again. The cards turned out nicely. I got this 2004 Topps All Star signed. I had to choose between this one and his record breaker card. I think I chose well.

The decision had already been made to include these two in the mailer.  The (left) 2006 Fleer Ultra Gold turned out great.  The card on the right is a 2004 Fleer Draft Edition thar came out of the boxes I inherited from the former LCS. These two are a couple nice additions of some obscure sets to the autograph album. 

I mailed to Gagne on March 9 and got the cards back on March 25, for a 16-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Lance Carter

Here is a 2004 Topps card that I got back signed TTM from Lance Carter.  The card turned out well, and I was able to add a random player to my autograph album. 

Carter (b. 1974) played in the majors in 1999 and from 2002 to  2006 for the Royals, Devil Rays and Dodgers.  He had a record of 13-12 with 127 strike outs and a 4.15 ERA.  He was an All Star in 2003.

I mailed to Carter on March 14 and got the card back on March 22, for an 8-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Chad Fox

Here is another TTM success that I got back from former pitcher, Chad Fox.  I had gotten him back in 2016 and forgot.  I sent out this 2004 Topps thinking that this would be a new player in my album, but the tags told me otherwise. They really come in handy, if you haven't used them before. Just click on a tag and it'll take you to other posts with the same tag.  

Anyway, I mailed to Fox on December 4 and got the card back on December 23, for a 19-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Trey Hodges

Here is a nice 2004 Topps that came in signed TTM from Trey Hodges.  2004 Topps is a set that I used to have very little bulk inventory, but I got a broken factory set that I've been using for TTMs.

The card turned out nicely.  He doesn't have much of a signature, but it looks good on this card.

Hodges (b. 1978) played in the majors from 2002 to 2003 for the Braves.  He had a record of 5-3 with 72 strike outs and a 4.77 ERA.

I mailed to Hodges on November 30 and got the card back on December 11, for an 11-day TAT. 

Last 2023 50-50s From Max

A box of cards came in from Max recently that had the rest of the 50/50s he was able to take for me toward the end of the season.  He knocked out a bunch of cards that I sent to him, starting with the above 2022 Topps Chrome MLB Logo refractor of Jackson Kowar that I found at the National. This card is really cool and turned out great.  I'm glad I was able to find it and send it along. 

Max got one of my 1991 Crown Orioles cards signed; this one being of Rex Hudler.  

Max took the A's, Diamondbacks, Rangers, Royals and a couple other teams.  It was cool that he got the two World Series teams.  The 2006 Topps Diamondbacks team card is signed by Denny Stark, by the way.

Max also hit the Rockes and got a few guys I'd probably never see.  The German Marquez Topps Archives (bottom, middle) looks great.  I was also glad to get some 2023 Topps signed.  Kyle Freeland had signed for me TTM, but it was nice to get a few more of his cards out of the boxes and into the album. 

The Paul Blackburn cards at the bottom of this scan had been in my to-be-TTMed box for a long time.  He stopped signing when I pulled them, so it was great that Max could fi ally get some ink on them for me.  I'm surprised I still had some Jerry DiPoto cards left, but I did, and they got done.

The Rodolfo Castro on the 87 Topps design was a cool card.  I'm glad Max sent that one back. He knows how much I like that set.  Jack Suwinski lives or grew up near Max, so I think he actually knows him personally.  I forget what he told me, so I'll have to check again with me how that works.  I've sent him a few Suwinski cards, and the 2022 Topps Update that I got back looks sharp.

A couple more Bob Brenly cards were taken care of this time around. I like the 2004 Topps, a set that I have been trying to get more of into the album.  Those mid-2,000s sets were some that I unloaded my bulk at past shows, so there aren't as many of those in my stash as there are other eras.

I'm always happy to add one of my Midwest League cards to the autograph album. I got this set a while back from an old friend, and have been chipping away at it over the years.  Alek Thomas was a guy who I thought may be tough to get from that set, but Max hooked it up.  He also got me Zach Davies, a former Oriole farmhand who I haven't been able to graph.

The above 2015 Topps is signed by Tuffy Goeswich; the 2019 Topps Rainbow Foil A's card is signed by Lucas Erceg, and the 2023 Topps Diamondbacks team card is signed by Scott McGough. Max always helps put with the team issue stuff, in case he is out of anyone.  I have been putting more of these aside for future use with him, myself and other 50/50 stuff.  These team cards do come in handy.

Thank you as always for the awesome stack of signed stuff, Max.  I'm excited to see what we can get out of the boxes in 2024!

TTM Success - Casey Myers

A 2004 Topps was signed recently for me by Casey Myers.  He kept the 2004 Bowman Chrome that I sent.  Still, this one was a nice card to add to the autograph album.

Myers (b. 1978) was a 9th round pick by the A's in the 2001 June Amateur Draft out of Arizona State.  He played in the minors from 2001 to 2008, all in the A's system.  He reached AA.  He had 387 hits, 28 home runs and a .291 batting average. 

I mailed to Myers on October 18 and got the card back on November 13, for a 26-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Eric Gagne

He could have gone down in history as one of the greatest closers ever, but a link to HGH did that in.  Still, Eric Gagne had a run as the dominant reliever in the game.  I saw that he was signing TTM, so I sent off some early-2000s Topps cards and got them back signed.  The above 2004 Topps turned out well.

I also got this 2001 Topps and this 2002 Topps signed.  It is hard to see the signatures on them, but they are definitely signed.

Gagne (b. 1976) played in the majors from 1999 to 2008 for the Dodgers, Rangers, Red Sox and Brewers.  He had a record of 33-26 with 718 strike outs and a 3.47 ERA.  He tied the then NL record for saves with 55 in 2003.  Between August 6, 2002, and July 5, 2004, he set a major league record for converting 84 saves in a row. He was an All Star in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He won the World Series with the Red Sox in 2007.  He was the 2003 NL Cy Young Award winner.  His best MVP finish was 6th (also 2003).

I mailed to Gagne on October 3 and got the cards back on November 9, for a 37-day TAT. 

TTM Success - David Aardsma

These David Aardsma cards sat in my "to be TTMed" box for a very long time.  Once mailed, they were out there for a long time, as well.  They finally came back signed, and turned out great.  Above is a 2004 Topps.

Here are a 2010 Topps, 2011 Topps and a 2005 Fleer Ultra.  

Aardsma (b. 1981) played in the majors in 2004, from 2006 to 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2015 for the Giants, Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox, Mariners, Yankees, Mets and Braves.  He had a record of 16-18 with 340 strike outs and a 4.27 ERA.

I mailed to Aardsma on April 19, 2021, and got the cards back on June 6, 2023, for a 778-day TAT.

TTM Success - Eric Wedge

Oops. I meant to post this yesterday, but got busy searching boxes of cards and forgot. Anyway, I got some nice cards back signed TTM from Eric Wedge.  The above 1993 Score turned out nicely and comes from a very underrepresented set in my albums.

I also got a couple Topps (2004 and 2005) cards signed. These also turned out nicely.

Wedge (b. 1968) played in the majors from1991 to 1994 for the Red Sox and Rockies.  He had  20 hits, 5 home runs and a .233 batting average.

He managed the Indians from 2003 to 2009 and the Mariners from 2008 to 2010.  His managerial record was 774-846 (.478 win %).

I mailed to Wedge on May 6, 2021, and got the cards back on March 10, 2023, for a 673-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Buck Showalter

The Mets aren't doing nearly as well as preseason pundits would have predicted but it isn't Buck Showalter's fault.  He's a great manager, and there's only so much he can do.  

Anyway, I found some of his cards and sent to him TTM again.  I finally got his 1992 Topps signed, which turned out great.

I also liked these Upper Deck cards with Buck modeling the Diamondbacks jerseys before the team came out.  They're really cool.  I also got his 2004 Topps card signed.

I mailed to Buck on February 13 via Mets Spring Training and got the cards back on February 21, for an 8-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Kevin Millwood

Another private signing popped up and immediately I thought of a card that I wanted to get signed.  This 2011 Topps Heritage retail black parallel of Kevin Millwood always jumped out at me when I would go through my Orioles box.  I don't know what it is, but I just wanted to get the card signed.  So, when I saw Millwood show up on SCN for a signing, I dug through my box and found the card.

I decided that I also wanted to send off this 2004 Topps Season Highlights card that I had rescued from a factory set that had been headed to the dumpster at my former LCS.  I just thought the card would look cool in my album, so I sent it along, as well.

Millwood (b. 1974) is a North Carolina native and played in the majors from 1997 to 2012 for the Braves, Phillies, Indians, Rangers, Orioles, Rockies and Mariners.  He had a career record of 169-152 with 2,083 strike outs and a 4.11 ERA.  He won the ERA title in 2005 (2.86) and was an All Star in 1999.  His best finish in the Cy Young race was 3rd (NL) in 1999.  His best MVP finish was 26th, also in 1999.

I mailed to the signing on September 11 and got the cards back on October 16, for a 35-day TAT.  I forgot what I paid in fees.