TTM Success - Ryan Goins

A more-recent card was added to the autograph album when this 2016 Topps came back signed TTM by Ryan Goins.  I had gotten Goins in person a few years back when he came to Durham with Gwinnett, but didn't get his 2016 Topps done.

Goins (b. 1988) played in the majors from 2013 to 2020 for the Blue Jays, Royals and White Sox.  He had 353 hits, 22 home runs and a .228 batting average. 

I mailed to Goins on March 24 and got the card back on November 1, for a 222-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jimmy Nelson

Some mid-2010s cards were added to the autograph album when I got this TTM success from Jimmy Nelson.  The above 2015 Topps turned out great.  This was a great-looking set and I'm glad that I've gotten quite a few of them signed over the years. 

Another great looking set was 2016 Topps.  There are a lot of collectors who I know that love this set.  There were some pretty strong sets in the back half of the decade.

Nelson (b. 1989) played in the majors from 2013 to 2017, 2019 and 2021 for the Brewes and Dodgers.  He had a record of 34-48 with 622 strike outs and a 4.12 ERA.  He finished 9th in the NL Cy Young Award voting in 2017.

I mailed to Nelson on March 7 and got the cards back on March 18 for an 11-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Justin Nicolino

Something I like to do from time to time (especially during the offseason) is go through the box of shame and pull some cards that I can try to send out TTM.  This helps reduce the cards in the box and make room for more guys that I'll miss out on the next season.  I got two Justin Nicolino cards out of the box.  I missed him in 2023 when he was with High Point. 

I got Nicolino TTM back in 2022 on a couple cards.  This time around, he signed a 2016 Topps (top) and 2012 Topps Pro Debut (above).  Both of the cards turned out nicely. 

I mailed to Nicolino on September 20 and got the cards back on January 15 for a 117-day TAT.

2024 National Paid Signer - Ozzie Smith

The next paid signer from the 2024 National that I'll show is Ozzie Smith.  I hadn't met Smith before, and I wanted to get the above 2016 Topps Perspectives insert signed. The card turned out great.

Smith was really nice, as was expected.  He showed the card off to the handler at the table with him.  I don't think Smith had seen the card before. 

Smith's price has increased quite a bit over the last few years, but meeting him and getting my card signed was still worth it. 

Gerard Gets Salty

My buddy, Gerard, got a few more Jarrod Saltalamacchia cards signed for me at the Cape Cod League.  I had pulled several this past winter and was glad to dig them out for him (and also a few for my buddy, Aidan).

Both of these cards turned out nicely.  Gerard got me a few more signed, but they were duplicates.

Thanks for getting my cards signed for me, Gerard!

TTM Success - Jace Peterson

This TTM success from Jace Peterson came in from Spring Training the other day, and was a nice surprise. I hoped the cards would come back signed, and I wasn't disappointed. I especially liked adding the above 2019 Topps, which shows Peterson as an Oriole .

I also got one of the several 2012 Topps Pro Debut cards that I jad of Peterson out of the box. 

Finally, Peterson signed a 2016 and a 2017 Topps to cap off the return.

Peterson (b. 1990) has played in the majors since 2014 for the Padres, Braves, Yankees, Orioles, Brewers, A's and Diamondbacks. He has 545 hits, 42 home runs and a .228 batting average. 

I mailed to Peterson via Diamondbacks camp on March 2 and got the cards back on April 1, for a 30-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Billy Burns

This TTM success got a couple more recent cards into my autograph album when this 2016 Topps and the below 2014 Bowman of Billy Burns came back signed.  2016 Topps is a really nice set.  Topps tried some tricks with their photography that make the cards look different from other Topps sets from around that time. 

I always liked 2014 Bowman because that was the first Bowman set of recent that I really got into. There were a ton of parallels, and I had a run of something like 30 Chris Davis parallels.  It was crazy. A pot of the 14 Bowman base cards have been sitting in a box now, since a lot of those players have moved up to MLB or out of baseball.  Getting one signed is always good.

Burns (b. 1989) played in the majors from 2014 to 2017 for the A's and Royals.  He had 228 hits, 5 home runs and a .270 batting average. He finished 5th in the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year voting. 

I mailed to Burns on October 7 and got the cards back on October 28, for a 21-day TAT. 

Another TTM Success From Mark Lowe

Oops.  I didn't realize that I had gotten Mark Lowe TTM a couple years ago.  I actually got another 2010 Upper Deck done, but this one has a better signature.

I didn't have these two Topps cards, though.  I got a 2012 Topps Update and a 2016 Topps signed this time. Both of these turned out great.

I mailed to Lowe on May 2 and got the cards back on September 19, for a 140-day TAT.

September 12, 2023, Graphing of the Bats at Bulls

Last week was Birthday Week, so I kicked off my days off starting on Tuesday by hitting Durham all day for some graphing.  I got there at noon to do arrival and did pretty well.  I was by myself until time to get in line to get in pregame.  The goal of the trip was pretty simple; get the above 2020 Bowman Chrome orange refractor of Niko Hulsizer signed.  I got it done on arrival, so the rest of the day was gravy.

Jalen Beeks forgot his code to get in the clubhouse door, so he was a bit of a captive audience.  He signed all 8 cards i had in my book.  I had two cards left over, so i asked him if he wanted those for his family, and he happily accepted.  I thought i had Nick Dini already, but it looks like i had forgotten his cards the last time I was in Durham.  So, I finally got his card signed.  I was able to get Javy Guerra inside during stretching. I had to wait for him to finish stretching and warming up, but he did come over, climb the steps and ask "ok, let's see what you have got there..."  I imagine he was expecting me to have cards of the other Javy Guerra, but no, I had his 2016 Bowman!  He was impressed and signed both of my cards.

I only had the one 2022 Topps Update Cole Sulser, but got it signed during stretching.  He was really nice.  Silvino Bracho was with Louisville and signed all of the cards I had.

I didn't have a whole lot for Louisville, but did well, nonetheless.  Matt Reynolds was the guy who put me on the board on this trip when he signed his 2016 Topps rookie card.  It was good that I went out there on a Tuesday, the first game of the series. The Louisville players were unsure of which door to go in, and would ask me for directions.  That let many of them let their guard down and they would sign for me.

I had to leave the game early due to rain.  I had to make sure I got home at a decent time so I could get up early Wednesday for the next day of Birthday Week.

In all, I got the following autographs: Jalen Beeks x 8, Steve Chase x 2, Cooper Criswell x 1, Nick Dini x 4, Javy Guerra x 2, Niko Hulsizer x 2, Tsutomu Kamiya x 2, Cole Sulser x 1, Silvino Bracho x 8, Alejo Lopez x 1, Alec Mills x 3, Matt Reynolds x 1 and Teddy Stankiewicz x 1 (36 total autographs).

Another TTM Success From Johnny Giavotella

Back in 2020, my friend, Gerard, sent a surprise TTM out to Johnny Giavotella for me.  I found a few more of his cards, and sent one of my own recently.  The above 2016 Topps was the big reason for the submission; I like the Gatorade bath shot on the card.

I also had this 2008 Elite Extra Edition that I wanted signed.  It didn't scan well, but the card looks fine.

I mailed to Giavotella on February 3 and got the cards back on February 26, for a 23-day TAT.

TTM Success - Caleb Cotham

A nice TTM success from Caleb Cotham yielded me a couple signatures on a 2016 and 2017 Topps.  The above 2016 turned out nicely; the 2016 set is a nice one for autograph, and I have seen several people use this design for their custom cards that they make.

This 2017 Topps also turned out nicely.  I don't mind this design, and have been able to get quite a few signed.  I also enjoyed the Pro Debut set from that year; a bunch of signed versions of those are in my autograph album.

Cotham (b. 1987) played in the majors from 2015 to 2016 for the Yankees and Reds.  He had a record of 1-3 with 32 strike outs and a 7.15 ERA.

I mailed to Cotham on February 2 and got the cards back on February 12, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ben Paulsen

2016 Topps is a really nice looking set, and the cards look even better when they get a little ink on them.  I was able to get this 2016 Topps signed by Ben Paulsen, and the card turned out pretty well.

Paulsen (b. 1987) played in the majors from 2014 to 2016 for the Rockies.  He had 130 hits, 16 home runs and a .271 batting average.

I mailed to Paulsen on November 16 and got the card back on June 23, for a 219-day TAT.

June 15-17, 2021 Graphing of Cannonballers at Wood Ducks

This past week's graphing was between the Kannapolis Cannonballers and Down East Wood Ducks.  I had bought a couple lots of Perfect Game cards of Cody Freeman and Jayce Easley.  Freeman has been super nice when we have gone to the games.  He has walked up to us a few times and talked to us before games.  The Perfect Game cards look really nice when signed.

Easley has a really nice signature, and his cards look great.  I also bought a green parallel 2020 Bowman Draft of Thomas Saggese, which turned out really well.  The card is numbered 20/99 and didn't cost me a whole lot.

The Jared Kelley cards I got signed turned out really well.  He wasn't on the roster, but was traveling with the team.  I was able to get everything I had signed, and was really happy about it.

I took some 50/50s and these two Panini Prizms were part of my take.  They both turned out great.

I really like these 2019 Bowman Chrome Franchise Futures signed by Matthew Thompson really looks great.  I love these cards, and wish I could complete this one.  I'm hoping I can get someone who will get me Andrew Vaughn cheaply so I can get it done.

I got every Matthew Thompson I had signed, and mixed in a couple other guys who limited.  James Beard was one per, while Lency Delgado was 2 per.

I had gotten John Ely before, but these 2007 Bowmans came out of my card shop boxes.  I also got all of the Andrew Dalquist cards that I had signed.

I even got a Patrick Leyland card that was in my 2019 Delmarva set signed.  I just happened to remember that he was in that set.  He is now a coach for Kannapolis, and was really nice.

Finally, my buddy Dugan let me know that Keyvius Sampson was with Kannapolis on a rehab assignment.  I was able to find a bunch of his cards really quickly, which was nice.  They turned out great.  Sampson was really cool, and signed everything I had.  I was glad to get these cards out of my boxes.

It was tough, since Chris was out of town, but I got some help from Dugan and my buddy Tyler.  I ended up with:

James Beard x 7, Andrew Dalquist x 7, Lency Delgado x 8, Pat Leyland x 1, Bailey Horn x 8, Keyvius Sampson x 10, John Ely x 4, Jared Kelly x 13, Matthew Thompson x 28, Cody Freeman x 10, Leury Tejada x 4, Thomas Saggese x 10, TK Roby x 10, Antonio Cabello x 10, Jayce Easley x 4 and Evan Carter x 1, or 135 autographs total.  Not bad for having limited help and missing 3 games of the series.

TTM Success - Keith Hessler

Here are a couple nice cards I got signed by Keith Hessler via TTM.  They are a 2016 Topps gold and a 2016 Topps base.

Hessler (b. 1989) played in the majors from 2015 to 2016 for the Diamondbacks and Padres.  He had a record of 1-1 with 23 strike outs and a 5.56 ERA.

I mailed to Hessler on December 4 and got the cards back on January 14, for a 41-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ryan LaMarre

Here are a couple nice cards I got signed TTM by Ryan LaMarre.  I had the 2016 Topps with my stuff, and I found the below 2010 Bowman at my LCS a while back.  Both cards turned out really well.

LaMarre (b. 1988) played in the majors from 2015 to 2019 for the Reds, Red Sox, A's, Twins and White Sox.  He had 53 hits, 4 home runs and a .236 batting average.

I mailed to LaMarre on October 27 and got the cards back on December 14, for a 48-day TAT.

TTM Success - Taylor Jungmann

I got a few nice cards back signed from Taylor Jungmann.  The above 2011 Bowman Chrome turned out really well.

Jungmann also signed a 2016 Topps and a 2017 Topps gold.  Those also turned out really well.

Jungmann (b. 1989) played in the majors from 2015 to 2017 for the Brewers.  He had a record of 9-13 with 126 strike outs and a 4.54 ERA.

I mailed to Jungmann on November 16 and got the cards back on November 27, for an 11-day TAT.

TTM Success - Shawn Armstrong

Shawn Armstrong has the kind of last name you'd want for a pitcher.  Up there with Josh Outman and way better than Bob Walk.  I was able to get a couple cards signed TTM by Armstrong, and both turned out great.

Armstrong (b. 1990) is from New Bern, NC and was a graduate of ECU.  He has played in the majors since 2015 for the Indians, Mariners and Orioles.  He has a career record of 4-2 with 130 strike outs and a 4.05 ERA.  Armstrong appears to be set in the Orioles bullpen for the 2021 season, after a strong effort in 2020 (2-0 with a 1.80 EA).

I mailed to Armstrong on October 30 and got the cards back on November 5, for a 6-day TAT.

TTM Success - Carson Blair

I was finally able to get this 2016 Topps black parallel signed TTM by Carson Blair after it had sat in my box for years. It turned out well, I think.

I also got his base card signed, and it turned out great.

Blair (b. 1989) played in the majors in 2015 for the A's. He had 4 hits, 1 home run and a .129 batting average.

I mailed to Blair on April 27 and got the cards back signed on June 8, for a 42-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brian Dozier

I sent out a ton of TTM requests this winter while I was bored and waiting for Spring Training to start.  Several of them came in, but a bunch are still hanging out there in Limbo.  One of the autographs that surprised me when it came in was this signed 2016 Topps from Brian Dozier.  The card turned out really well.

Dozier (b. 1987) has played in the majors since 2012 for the Twins, Dodgers and Nationals.  He has 1,053 hits, 192 home runs and a .245 batting average.  He was an All Star in 2015, and his best finish in the MVP voting was 11th in 2017 (AL), the same season he won his only Gold Glove Award.  He won the World Series with the Nationals in 2019.

I mailed to Dozier on January 2 and got the card back on May 6, for a 125-day TAT.

TTM Success - Lonnie Chisenhall

I had sent to him once before, but I guess those cards are long gone.  I finally was successful in getting a TTM return from Lonnie Chisenhall.

I had watched Chisenhall while he was with the Kinston Indians years ago, but never did get his autograph.  I finally was able to do it when he started signing from his home.  I had him sign a 2010 Pro Debut Tools of the Trade (bottom left), 2014 Topps Gold (bottom middle), 2015 Bowman (bottom right) and a 2016 Topps (top).

Chisenhall (b. 1988) was a first round pick by the Indians out of Pitt Community College here in Winterville (applause!!) in the 2008 June Amateur Draft.  He was the 29th overall pick that year.  He played in the majors from 2011 to 2018 for the Indians.  He played last season for the Pirates AAA team, the Indianapolis Indians.  His Major League totals include 578 hits, 64 home runs and a .268 batting average.

I mailed to Chisenhall on April 10 and got the cards back on May 4, for a 24-day TAT.