TTM Success - Tommy Joseph

A private signing came around with Orioles (likely soon-to-be-former) assistant hitting coach, Tommy Joseph.  My friend Michael hosted the signing and hooked me up with some cards i didn't have.

This signing was cool in that I got a few Topps Heritage cards added to the autograph album. I can't remember which cards were mine and which were ones Michael chipped in.

Joseph (b. 1991) played in the majors in 2016 and 2017 for the Phillies.  He had 200 hits, 43 home runs and a .247 batting average. 

I mailed to Joseph on April 21 and got the cards back on May 15 for a 24-day TAT. I paid a fee of $6/card.

Another Care Package From Drake

My friend Drake sent me another scare package recently.  He sent me some really nice cards, some of which I'd never have been able to get myself.  The above 2019 Bowman of Ryan Costello is a really nice autograph.  Costello passed away a few years ago while playing in Australia; I never got to see him play.  My buddy Jackson was on that tour of Australia when Costello passed, along with former Wood Ducks manager, Steven Mintz.

In this batch of cards, Drake sent signed cards of Anthony Vizcaya, Brandon Winokur, Tanner Hall, Charlee Soto, Jaime Ferrer, Billy Amick, Byron Chourio and Kaelen Culpepper.  Drake gets down to Fort Myers at times and helped me by taking a 50/50 of some Twins prospects.  I don't think the Byron Chourio was originally mine.  I don't remember having a blue parallel, so it may have been part of the gift Drake paired with sending back my 50/50s.

Here are signed cards of Joshua Baez, Zach Levenson, Triston Casas, Ed Howard, Alex Binelas, Brett Baty, Ezequiel Pagan and Bobby Wahl.  I do know that the pink Joshua Baez was mine.  Drake saw Springfield and got some cards signed for me there.  The rest are extras he had gotten in the past.

Here are Thomas Jones, Justin Lavey, Hunter Mink, Blake Loubier, Kyle Gaedele and Sam Coonrod.  Drake is close to one of the Frontier League teams and also can see a few teams in the American Association.  He took some Sam Coonrod cards for me, along with a couple Kyle Gaedele.

These are a few landscape-oriented cards of Sam Coonrod and Brandon Winokur.  I know these are a few that I sent for 50/50s.

Drake also sent cards like this Jose Rondon 2015 Bowman Chrome mini purple shimmer.  He said that someone owed him cards and finally paid up.  He sent me some of the extras from that deal, I believe.

Finally, Drake sent some great surprises in the package like CC Sabathia, Allen Craig, Desmond Jennings, Miguel Olivo, WIll Venable, Tyler Glasnow, Marcus Thames and Carlos Rodon.  All of these are guys I wouldn't normally get to see.  I did see Typer Glasnow back when he was on rehab in Durham.  The Sabathia was a definite surprise.

Drake hooks me up more often than not.  I really appreciate the autographs and look forward to the next care package.  Thanks so much, Drake!

May 17, 2025, Graphing of the Legends at Rockers

On Saturday, I made a trip to High Point for the first time this season. I always enjoy graphing the Atlantic League, and was able to get some more cards out of my boxes.  I also picked up a 2022 High Point team set, just for fun. I only got two of the cards signed, but it doesn't matter.  With the amount of random team set guys I'm seeing these days, I figured $10 wasnt a bad price to pay.

I got a bunch of Jordan Luplow cards out of the Box Of Shame.  He signed 6 of the 9 cards I showed outside after the game. 

I mistook Tanner Tully for another pitcher, and even called him by that name, but their cards were beside each other on the page and Tully hooked me up.

A trip to High Point isn't complete until you can add more Frank Viola cards to the autograph album.  I got a bunch of him done, and a few will be headed to Max in Chicago.

A lot of the guys I got were ones I had gotten before, so this trip really was a "clean out the box" trip.

In all, I got the following autographs: Nick Laio x 1, Curtis Terry x 8, Tanner Tully x 2, Patrick Wicklander x 1, Ben Aklinski x 1, Tommy Doyle x 4, Luis Gonzalez x 2, Jordan Luplow x 6, Drew Mendoza x 3 and Frank Viola x 10 (38 total autographs).

TTM Success - Chance Sisco

A friend of mine from Instagram held a private signing with former Oriole, Chance Sisco recently.  I had some Sisco cards left over from when I saw him last season with Lancaster.  I also raided my old Sisco PC for some other nice cards, like the above mini gold shimmer from 2015 Bowman Chrome.

I also got a 2017 Bowman, 2013 Bowman Chrome black shimmer, 2018 Topps and 2018 Donruss Optic pink parallel signed through the event.

Sisco (b. 1995) played in the majors from 2017 to 2021 for the Orioles and Mets.  He had 102 hits, 16 home runs and a .197 batting average. Sisco signed with the Cardinals this off-season.

I mailed to the signing on November 14 and got the cards back on December 26 for a 42-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $5/card.

TTM Success - Chris O'Grady

Here are a couple nice 2018 Topps cards that I got signed TTM by Chris O'Grady.  The above foil parallel looks pretty cool now that it is signed. I had his cards put aside for a long time and finally mailed them off; it seems like that's the story with a lot of my TTMs.  That's because I constantly pull stuff to send to folks, then pull more stuff for more folks and stuff gets buried. I've tried to call a lot of the older pulls and make room in my to-be-TTMed box before I start adding new stuff.  I've made a pretty decent dent.

O'Grady (b. 1990) played in the majors in 2017 and 2018 for the Marlins.  He had a record of 2-2 with 38 home runs and a 4.73 ERA.

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

Carson Sends Some Spring Training Autographs

My friend, Carson W. took some cards from me for some Spring Training 50/50s.  We missed the boat pretty much, however, when his mail carrier didn't deliver the box on time.  What would have been a nice haul ended up being bare bones. Still, Carson hooked me up with some autos, and I've got some new stuff to add to the autograph album.  Former Oriole, Jack Flaherty was a highlight of the package.

Carson got my Zach McInstry 2021 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary card signed, along with my Spencer Torkelson Hi-Fi Futures card.  I believe the Jimmy Crooks III, Cooper Hjerpe  Brandon Marsh and Shelby Miller were Carson's cards that he sent to make up for the mail snafu.

Thanks for hooking me up with these autos, Carson.  Let's hope next Spring Training goes a little better. 

Christmas Gift From Sam

My friend, Sam, sent me a surprise package for Christmas. I hadn't heard from him since he hooked me up with a couple cases of ROMLBs a few months ago. He's been busy working.  Sam sent me a ton of autos to clean out his collection. There were some great guys in the stack that he sent me, like the above 2014 Bowman Josh Hader.

I'm going to try and name all of the players that Sam sent, so everything is searchable.  That helps me with future graphing and posts, which is something should have been doing all along.  In this scan are cards of Ryon Healy, Jake Skole, Logan Shore and Braden Bishop, It has been a while since i added a 2015 Panini Contenders, which was one of the Braden Bishop cards (top left).

The top left dual of Braden Bishop and Austin Rei is one i could finish.  I've seen that Rei has been signing.  The rest of the cards in this scan are of Marvin Gorgas, Bryson Brigman, Nick Wells, Raul Mondesi and Logan Allen.

Johendi Jiminian (bottom center and right) is a guy that I've never heard of.  I'd have tried to send to him TTM if i had some of his cards, with that unique name.  The other guys in this scan are Delino DeShields Jr, Lance McCullers, Hunter Dozier, Cameron Rupp, Vernon Wells and Luke Jackson.  Jackson used to be Sam's guy for a while. 

The next batch of guys was Mike Nikorak, CJ Edwards, Jacob Nix, Scott Blewett, Foster Griffin and DJ Peters.  I had gotten Blewett myself a while back, but never on the 2016 Bowman.  I don't know how I missed that back then.

The next guys are Ariel Jurado, Mitchell White, Jose DeLeon, Grant Holmes, Mike White, Mike Leake, Travis Kuhn and Justin Nicolino.  I jad hoped to catch Nicolino last season in High Point.  I believe he was on one of the teams I saw there.  I e gotten Grant Holmes before.  He's been around for quite a while.

Finally, here is Max Muncy on a 2013 Panini Prizm and a 2014 Midland RockHounds teak set card.  I was also happy to see this Daniel Vogelbach 2013 Bowman Chrome.  Danny Effin Burgers.

Sam also sent me a stack of certified autos and several signed baseballs.  I don't know what I did for Sam to send me all of this stuff, but I am so appreciative. Sam has taken care of me as of late.  I hate that we don't get the chance to talk like we used to around 10 years ago, but he's still a good friend.  Thank you so much, Sam!

TTM Success - Derek Dietrich

This was a nice TTM success that came in from Derek Dietrich that added some recent cards to m autograph album.  The above 2018 Topps turned out nicely.

I also got three different 2019 Topps (top left, 2019 Topps Update; top right, 2019 Topps Holiday and bottom left, 2019 Topps base) and a 2020 Topps signed by Dietrich.

Dietrich (b. 1989) played in the majors from 2013 to 2020 for the Marlins, Reds and Rangers.  He had 536 hits, 84 home runs and a .245 batting average.

I mailed to Dietrich on October 11 and got the cards back on January 9, for a 90-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brent Suter

Some recent Topps cards came back signed with this TTM success from Brewers pitcher, Brent Suter.  This was a request I sent out once Spring Training got under way this season, and the cards finally came back signed.  I sent Suter a 2018 and a 2020 Topps.

Both of the cards came out nicely.  His signature is pretty simple, but the cards are still signed and in m album.

Suter (b. 1989) has played in the majors since 2016, all with the Brewers.  He has a record of 36-19 with 338 strike outs and a 3.51 ERA.

I mailed to Suter on March 14 and got the cards back on October 8, for a 208-day TAT.

TTM Success - Ryan Rua

TTM successes have been very slow to come in this summer, but they haven't been non-existent.  This one from Ryan Rua was a good one to move a few cards out of my boxes.  The above 2018 Topps turned out great.

Rua also signed a 2012 Topps Pro Debut, 2015 Topps Heritage, 2015 Topps Chrome and a 2016 Topps.  All of the cards turned out well.

Rua (b. 1990) played in the majors from 2014 to 2018 for the Rangers.  He had 164 hits, 23 home runs and a .236 batting average.

I mailed to Rua on June 14 and got the cards back on June 24, for a 10-day TAT. 

2021 50/50s From Jack

Slowly, I am catching up on my 50/50s from this past summer and filing cards into my album.  I spent a good part of today going through a box I had by my side with a bunch of stuff I wanted to post.  I wanted to make sense of what was in there, and try to get some stuff moved along.

This 50/50 was with a fellow Instagrammer named Jack, who hit me up and asked if I could help him out with cards from some Phillies and Blue Jays minor league teams.  I was able to move out a bunch of cards, and get some decent stuff back, like the above 2016 Bowman Platinum Jhailyn Ortiz.  This card came from a bunch of packs my mom got me for Christmas, so it was cool to be able to get at least one of the cards signed.

I was also able to move some of these Team USA cards that were in the boxes that came from my former LCS.  I had a bunch of Cole Stobbe and Kevin Gowdy cards, and was happy to send them along.

It is always a good time when I can continue to thin out my 2017 cards; the first period of minor league stuff that I bought into heavily.  I have not renewed my boxes of 2017 Pro Debut or 2017 Heritage Minors, instead opting to let the stacks dwindle down to make room for more recent stuff.

I was glad that Jack was able to get me some Kevin Gowdy cards signed.  Gowdy actually showed up on the Down East Wood Ducks roster for a bit, but didn't appear in Kinston at all.  I ordered Gowdy cards, anyway, but ended up having to box those, since he never came here.  I think his placement on the roster was a procedural move, or maybe he was here while I was out of town.  I don't remember.

Thanks for taking the 50/50, Jack.  I hope we can do more next season.

TTM Success - Troy Scribner

There is an autograph on the above 2018 Topps Chrome reverse negative.  It is really hard to see on the scan, but in person, the auto can be seen when the card is held at an angle.  I sent TTM to Troy Scribner because I really wanted one of these reverse negative cards in my autograph album.  I wish it showed up better, but it is still signed and I was glad to get it back.

He also signed this 2018 Topps base, and it turned out really well, also.

Scribner (b. 1991) played in the majors in 2018 and 2019 for the Angels and Diamondbacks.  He had a record of 2-2 with 22 strike outs and a 4.28 ERA.

I mailed to Scribner on March 1 and got the cards back on April 21, for a 51-day TAT.

TTM Success - Lucas Sims

I had gotten him IP before, but also sent off some cards to Lucas Sims.  He only signed one of the cards I sent, but that's ok.  This 2018 Topps turned out well.

Sims (b. 1994) has played in the majors since 2017 for the Braves and Reds.  He has a record of 8-7 with 151 strike outs and a 4.94 ERA.

I mailed to Sims on January 28, 2020, and got the card back on December 26, 2020, for a 333-day TAT.  I sent 3 cards, and he signed one.

TTM Success - Cory Gearrin

I got a couple nice cards signed recently by Cory Gearrin.  The above 2011 Bowman Chrome is actually a purple parallel, but the scanner makes it look blue.  The card still looks great, and I am glad it came back signed.

He also signed a 2018 Topps, which also turned out really well.

Gearrin (b. 1986) has played in the majors since 2011 (missing the 2014 season) for the Braves, Giants, Rangers, A's, Mariners, Yankees and Twins.  He has a career record of 13-12 with 283 strike outs and a 3.61 ERA.

I mailed to Gearrin on November 1 and got the cards back on November 19, for a 9-day TAT.

TTM Success - Caleb Joseph

It was able to get a good many cards out of my Orioles box for this TTM that I sent to Caleb Joseph.  Joseph was in the Orioles organization for a long time, and when he finally got to the majors, there were a lot of O's fans who were really happy for the guy.  He was probably a season away from giving up his dream of playing in the majors when he finally got the call.

I got some really cool card signed, starting with the above 2016 Topps Mini that my buddy, Ryan gave to me.

I couldn't send a TTM request to him without sending the above 2010 Bowman.  I had so many of these and never was able to get one signed at Fan Fest.

I also got cards from 2015 and 2018 Topps signed, and they turned out really well.

Joseph (b. 1986) has played in the majors since 2014 for the Orioles, Diamondbacks and Blue Jays.  He has 281 hits, 32 home runs and a .222 batting average.

I mailed to Joseph on November 3 and got the cards back on November 16, for a 13-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brandon Kintzler

I got some nice cards back from Brandon Kintzler recently.  The above 2014 Topps red foil parallel had the signature wipe a little bit, but the card is still a nice card to put into my album.  

He also signed a 2011 Bowman Chrome and a 2018 Topps; both of which had better signatures on them.

Kintzler (b. 1984) has played in the majors since 2010 for the Brewers, Twins, Nationals, Cubs and Marlins.  He has a career record of 22-23 with 313 strike outs and 3.31 ERA.  He was an All Star in 2017.

I mailed to Kintzler on September 30, 2019, and got the cards back on November 2, 2020, for a 399-day TAT.

TTM Success - JT Riddle

I added another 2020 Topps to my autograph album (and also a 2018 Topps) when I got this TTM success back from JT Riddle.

Both cards turned out great. I don't know what it is, but I do enjoy the Marlins colors on cards and find myself sending a lot of them out. It might help that my good friend, Dugan, is a huge Marlins fan.

Riddle (b. 1991) has played in the majors since 2017 for the Marlins and Pirates. He has 160 hits, 19 home runs and a .224 batting average.

I mailed to Riddle on June 4 and got the cards back on June 23, for a 19-day TAT.

TTM Success - Nate Jones

I added some recent cards to my album with this TTM success from former White Sox, now Reds, pitcher, Nate Jones.  The above 2019 Topps gold turned out really well.  I like being able to get inserts and parallels signed, and this one will look really good in the album.

I also got Jones's 2013 Update, 2017 Topps and 2018 Topps signed.  All look really nice, I think.

Jones (b. 1986) has played in the majors since 2012 for the White Sox.  He has a career record of 22-13 with 318 strike outs and a 3.12 ERA.

I mailed to Jones via Reds Spring Training on February 10 and got the cards back on March 12, for a 31-day TAT.