TTM Success - Will Banfield

A TTM success from Will Banfield came in recently that I had forgotten that I had sent out.  The above 2019 Topps Pro Debut turned out pretty well. 

I also got a 2018 Bowman Draft and a 2018 Bowman base signed.

Banfield (b. 1999) was a second round pick by the Marlins in the 2018 June Amateur Draft out of Brookwood High School in Georgia.  He has played in the Marins system since 2018, reaching AA.  He has 244 hits, 29 home runs and a .207 batting average. 

I mailed to Banfield on February 3, 2022, and got the cards back on January 27, 2023, for a 358-day TAT.

50-50 Returns From Isaac

This season's 50/50 returns are coming back in, and I am pretty happy with what I was able to get signed this year.  When I went on my road trip in July, I made contact with some folks ahead of time to find out about graphing habits at some of the ballparks I was scheduled to go to.  One of the folks I had reached out to was a guy named Isaac, who graphed the Tennessee Smokies.  He wasn't able to meet up at the game, but was willing to take the stuff that I missed out on while we were there and get some of those cards signed.  One of the cards I really wanted back was the above 2019 Topps Pro Debut Cole Roederer.  He skipped over this card when we saw him in person.  No issues, though, Isaac took care of me.

I missed Jamie Vermilyea completely when we were there, so I was glad to get all of the cards of him that I had pulled signed.  I have a ton of 2007 Bowman, and I really didn't want to have to put those back in the box.  Isaac also helped me with the team set cards, so getting them done was nice, as well.

I also missed Riley Thompson completely, but Isaac came in behind me and got these knocked out.

I don't think I saw Alexander Canario when I was there, but Isaac got this 2020 Heritage Minors done.  I know I saw Peyton Remy when he was with Myrtle Beach, but getting this 2017 Bowman Chrome signed was still nice.

Finally, here are some of the other team set cards that I missed.  I was glad to not have to put these back with the set, and can add them to my album.  I don't know if I will be able to complete the set, but I know I have a few cards knocked out already.  I can try again necxt season, depending on where the guys I'm still missing are assigned.

Thank you so much for taking these cards for me, Isaac.  I'll have to get up with you again next season and get some more cards out of my boxes.

TTM Success - Grant Lavigne

 Here are some cards that I got signed TTM by Rangers prospect, Grant Lavigne.  I had seen Lavigne when he played for Asheville, but these cards came out, and I saw that he was signing TTM.

These are all 2019 versions of Topps products (Heritage Minors - Top, Pro Debut - above left, and Bowman - above right).

Lavigne (b. 1999) was a first round draft pick (42nd overall) by the Rockies in the 2018 June Amateur Draft out of Bedford High School in New Hampshire.  He has reached A ball in the Rockies system (Asheville),  Over his two seasons in the minors, he has 176 hits, 13 home runs and a .272 batting average.

I mailed to Lavigne on January 6 and got the cards back on February 28, for a 53-day TAT.

Some Cards From Dugan

It took him a while, but my good friend, Dugan, sent me back cards that he had tried to get signed for me last season, and added a couple nice cards in the process.

I love the deckle edge Ryan Mountcastle card from 2018 Heritage.

The above Richie Martin patch auto from Leaf Trinity was really nice.  I didn't know this card existed.

Finally, Dugan was able to get two of the cards I sent to him signed.  Rain cut his trip short, or he would have been able to get a couple Columbia Fireflies done for me.  Oh well, I appreciate the effort.

Thanks so much for the cards, Dugan.

White Sox Fest 50/50s From William

I submitted some White Sox cards to a kid named William who goes be the handle "memorabiliamadness" on Instagram.  He was attending this year, and since my friends Max or Anthony weren't going, I went ahead and hooked William up with some cards.

He took a bunch of my White Sox base cards off of my hands, and instead of paying me for them, he offered to get a few cards signed for me.

I was especially excited about the above 2019 Topps Pro Debut Luis Robert gold parallel that William got signed for me outside of the event, before it even started.  He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to get it signed, and he was able to knock it out early.

He also took care of some team set needs that I had.  The above Dane Dunning Dash card actually used to belong to a kid Chris and I knew from Wood Ducks games.  Since the kid has since unfollowed us and is no longer talking to either of us, I guess the card is mine.  He ended up becoming too cool for cards anyway, so I'll happily add another Dunning to my album.

William also got two 2017 Carolina League Top Prospects Zack Collins cards signed for me.  I have several cards left from this set, so I was glad to get two of them out of my box.  Chris got the other one.

Thank you so much for getting these cards taken care of for me, William!

TTM Success - Carlos Cortes

I have been trying to add some more prospect cards to my autograph albums and this TTM success from Carlos Cortes was one that came in successfully recently.

The above 2019 Pro Debut gold is numbered 40/50 and turned out really well.  Cortes signed with a silver Sharpie, and I think it was a nice touch.

I also sent this 2018 Bowman Chrome refractor.  The silver Sharpie really looks good on this one, especially in person.

Cortes (b. 1997) was a 3rd round pick by the Mets in the 2018 June Amateur Draft out of the University of South Carolina.  So far, through two minor league seasons, Cortes has 164 hits, 15 home runs and a .258 batting average.  He is likely to move to Single A Columbia this season, right down the street from where he played college ball.

I mailed to Cortes on October 25 and got the cards back on December 5, for a 41-day TAT.

Some 50/50s From Vince

I sent a few cards off to my friend, Vince in Illinois, toward the end of the MiLB season.  He got a few of the cards signed for me, but wasn't able to see all of the teams that he thought he would have.

Still, a few of the cards got done, and turned out well.

I had bought a Midwest League All Star set because I knew some of the guys would come up through the Carolina League, and Vince told me he would try to get some of the guys that I might not see.  He got these 4 cards done, and they look great.

He also got these two Freudis Nova cards done.  Nova is likely to come through Fayetteville next season,  but it was nice to go ahead and get these two cards signed.

Thanks for taking the 50/50s, Vince!

Some California League 50/50s

I got a DM on Instagram earlier this season from a guy in California who watched me bust my 2019 Pro Debut boxes on my livestream.  He took a couple cards of a guy in that set, and got a 50/50 done for me.  He, then, offered to get me some cards signed by some of the guys in the California League (mostly), so I sent a bunch of cards his way.

He was only able to get a few of the cards done for me, but it was definitely quality over quantity.  He pushed the above Austin Beck shimmer refractor to the front of the line when I was able to cross JP Martinez off of his want list for his 2019 Pro Debut set.  The Beck turned out great, and I was super excited to get it back signed.

These 4 cards were the only other ones that he was able to get done for me.  I was disappointed, mainly because he had promised to get a Heliot Ramos done for me, but it didn't get signed, and didn't even make it back in the package.  My feelings aren't really hurt by that or anything, because stuff happens, but the thing I dislike the most is spending a ton of time searching for cards, then having to go and put it all back in the box.

Anyway, I'm glad I got what I got.  We'll see if I do another 50/50, or maybe if I do one, it might be on a much smaller scale.

Some Autos From Michael

My friend, Michael, sent me a package recently that had a good many autos from this season.  I really appreciated the package, and there was some really good stuff inside.

I missed seeing Jackson Kowar this season, as he wasn't with Wilmington for very long.  So, I was really glad Michael sent me this Pro Debut.

Chris Lee is no longer in the Orioles system.  Last I saw was that he was pitching for the Saint Paul Saints; this was when I was at the National.  I don't think Jonathan Villar will be with the Orioles next season, as he is having a great year and has built up some trade value.  He sure has been fun to watch.

Thanks for the cards, Michael!  I really appreciate it.

Some 50/50s From Zach S.

I've known this kid, Zach S., on Instagram for some time now.  Probably at least 2 years.  Our initial meeting did not go well; he tried to scam me out of some cards.  After a while, and some apologies, we got to chatting again, and reservedly, I sent him a handful of cards for him to try a 50/50 since he saw the Fort Wayne Tincaps, and also since he was taking a trip to Florida and would see Fort Myers.

Zach thanked me for trusting him with my cards, and he came through.  He got me autos of Blaze Alexander, Alek Thomas, Jackson Goddard, Levi Kelly and Royce Lewis.

All of the cards turned out well, and I feel like Zach did a good job.  I think I will send him a few more 50/50s to do next year, since he has earned back my trust.

He tried really hard with Fort Myers, but since he wasn't all that experienced with the park, he didn't do too well.  He also ended up not seeing nearly as many games as he thought, so this was the only Royce Lewis that he was able to get done.

Thanks for getting my cards signed, Zach.  We will definitely do some more next season.

TTM Success - Mason McReaken

My friend, Gerard, told me that Mason McReaken was signing cards TTM at his home address, and had recently been released by the Braves.

I sent two 2019 Pro Debut cards to him to sign, and he sent them both back, one personalized, the other with just a signature.

McReaken also wrote me a letter thanking me for writing to him, and also telling me that he is working on getting the 2019 Pro Debut set signed.  So, I will have to get up with him and see his needs list and see if I can help him!

McReaken (b. 1996) played one season (2018) in the Braves system, reaching Danville of the Appalachian League (short season single A).  He went 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA in 7 games.  He was an undrafted free agent out of Southern Illinois Edwardsville.  From the back of the baseball card numbers, it looks like McReaken was doing pretty well.  I'm not sure why he was let go, but maybe if I do some trades with him, and get to know him, an appropriate time may come where I can ask that question.

I mailed to McReaken on August 14 and got the cards back on August 22, for an 8-day TAT.

August 2019 Graphing Recap of Tourists at Grasshoppers

I went to my parents' house recently to pick Chris up from his trip out there.  While we were there, I decided to go see the Tourists at Grasshoppers.  I had some cards sat aside, and left them at home, so he and I went to the local card shop out there and picked up some single Bowmans.

We ended up getting quite a bit signed, but a lot of the cards were duplicates from when we saw the Grasshoppers in Hickory, and the Tourists in West Virginia.

I was able to get some Pro Debut signed, which was nice.  I happened to have those cards with me, which helped.  It was more of me leaving in a hurry and leaving the cards I pulled on my dresser.  Oh well, I ended up getting some stuff done, and we were happy with how the game went.

Some Additional Autos From Trades and 50/50s

In my catching up with scans and blog posts, I have finally gotten to a point where I can show these cards that I got within the last few months that other folks have sent me.

The above Casey Golden Pro Debut auto came from a fellow Instagrammer who ended up taking a bunch of California League cards for me for 50/50s.  This Casey Golden started it, which I sent to him in a PWE and he got them back to me fairly quickly.

This David Murphy came from a trade I made with someone who I met while I was in line for the Eddie Murray signing back in April.  The guy wanted Eric Gagne on a 2002 Topps, and he heard me say that I was going to Nashville to graph.  I was able to get his Gagne done and mailed out to him.

He also sent me this Topps Town signed by Kevin Youkilis.  Youk is an auto I didn't think I would get, so I was happy that it was included.

Finally, my friend, Rich, sent me this Ralph Garza that he was able to get signed earlier this season.  I sent Rich some AAA cards for the Astros, and hopefully he will be able to get some of them signed.

I'm about to head to the airport to fly back from Chicago and the 2019 National.  There should be a ton of posts forthcoming, so brace yourselves.