August 2019 Graphing of the Mudcats At Wood Ducks

The first series in Kinston after I got back from the National was between the Mudcats and Wood Ducks.  I took a bunch of the cards that I found at the National, and got them signed.

This Tristen Lutz was in a box at the National for $2.00.  It turned out really well, and I was happy to get it signed.

I continued to work on my Mudcats set when I got these cards signed by Christian Taugnet and Pat McInerney. 

These Mario Feliciano cards turned out great.  I thought I had gotten him earlier in the season, but I guess I didn't.

I was able to get Brice Turang on a 2019 Pro Debut.  He signed a lot better for us during this series than the past one, so I was able to get some 50/50s done, as well.

I got these two Lutz cards from the National as well.  The left one is the glossy version of his 2018 Heritage Minors, and the right one is a 2017 Bowman Chrome refractor.

I liked this Stars and Stripes relic that I found cheap in a relic/auto box at the show.  I got Devin Hairston to sign it, and I hope to add some of the other guys to it.

My friend, Ben, gave me this Brewers autograph card.  I got it signed by Payton Henry, and it turned out well.

I found more Phil Bickford cards than anything at the National.  I was able to get them all signed, and of course, they all look great.

They're all parallels, and will look awesome in my album.

I was disappointed that there weren't more places that had Bowman parallels at the National, but I was able to find some good stuff.

I finished up my Yanio cards when I got this last custom card signed.  I got it from a Rangers fan that I 50/50 with, and got all of his stuff done.

I found some nice Eric Jenkins cards while at the show.  The above card is a mini 2017 Bowman.  I found some of these of Leody Taveras and Anderson Tejeda that I will put away.

Both of these parallels of EJ turned out well.

I was really happy when I found this 2016 Bowman Chrome Orange Shimmer refractor in a quarter box at the show.  I ran into a bunch of them and hoped there would be someone in there who I could get to sign.  When I saw this Jairo Beras, I was stoked.  I also found this Rize card at a booth that had a bunch of there, and some Perfect Game cards.

These two Michael Matuella cards turned out well.  I like the black refractor from 2015 Bowman Chrome (left).

I had seen someone at a Wood Ducks game with the Bubba Thompson on the left.  I was glad to find one at the National.  I also found the blue parallel from 2017 Bowman.  The blue parallels look great when signed.

Speaking of blue parallels, these two Noah Bremers really look great.  I don't know why I didn't have any of these before, but I was glad to add them now.

July 2019 Graphing Recap of Hillcats at Wood Ducks

Running low on Wood Ducks card, I was glad that I got my 2019 Carolina League All Star and Top Prospects sets in from my friend, Michael.  Additionally, I was able to add Noah Bremer back to my autograph album, since he was activated from the DL recently.

The coolest thing about his card in this year's team set is that I actually own the jersey that he is wearing on the card.  Also, my dog is on the jersey, so my dog now has a baseball card.  When I asked Noah to sign this, I told him about the jersey, and he remembered me getting it that night, which was cool.

My friend John, in Texas, sent me some Frisco team set cards that I was able to get done by Jairo Beras.  Tim Brennan was called up from Hickory, so I got his card done; Diosbel Arias has an All Star card, and Bubba Thompson took care of his Top Prospects card.

I was able to get Yanio Perez on his team set card, as well.  Of the Wood Ducks left on this team (and not out injured), that leaves me with JP Martinez to get for my set.  The rest are waiting on returns from the DL, and the stack I sent out to John.

I had a few Hillcats that I needed to get, especially this relic card from 2019 Pro Debut of Will Benson.  Benson was one per, but he was really nice.  I had him sign this card first, and it looks awesome.

I also got these done, a 2019 Midwest League All Star card, 2017 Bowman Chrome and a 2017 Heritage Minors.

Oscar Gonzalez was in the Carolina League All Star set, and the Top Prospects set, so those got done.  Tyler Freeman was really tough but I did come away with these two cards, so I was happy with the results.

Justin Garza was really nice, so I got the die cut Elite Extra Edition and a Stars and Stripes completed.

Finally, I hit Juan Hillman for quite a few cards, but the only ones I needed were the Elite Extra Edition and Carolina League All Star.

Graphing Recap - Mudcats at Wood Ducks

Another Wood Ducks season is under way, and I have gotten off to a great start with my and Chris's graphing.  I knocked out some of the new Leody Taveras cards that I picked up in the offseason.  He is still really tough, but so far, I have been pleased with what I have been able to get signed.

He had quite a bit of stuff in 2018 Heritage Minors, so those cards have been working their way into my graphing book to get signed.  I have expedited my efforts by having folks that I know around me try to get him as well.  I don't think he will be here for very long, so it is a race against the clock to get my stuff done and help some others with their cards.

Noah Bremer has been really cool,  He even commented that he's sure we can't wait to get an action shot to replace the 2017 Bowman Draft portrait.

I am learning all of the new faces, and am try to meet the players when I am able.  A few of the new pitchers look alike, so it has been tough getting them.  Clay Middleton also resembles one of them, so I had to get him once I realized it was him (the catcher's gear helped).

Yohel Pozo was in all of the Hickory sets I had recently picked up, so I was glad to get these done.

I also finished off the coaches from the Hickory and Spokane sets that I grabbed.  At least, I finished off the coaches that moved up to the Wood Ducks.

Tyler Phillips is easy to recognize.  He is a pretty big guy with long hair.  He is also really nice.  He started Opening Day.

I also got Phillips's Spokane card done.

The only Mudcat that I had cards of was Tristen Lutz.  I got everything of him done right away, which was nice.  I'll end up with a Mudcats team set, but that's something I will tackle at a later date.

The biggest takeaway was that I now have season tickets for the Wood Ducks.  I can also use tickets for the games that I miss as free vouchers to get folks in to later games.  So, come on down and catch a game with me!

Graphing The Wood Ducks Exhibition Game

It took three seasons, but the Wood Ducks finally got an exhibition game completed against Mount Olive University.  The last two were rained out, but this one was played for 12 innings (even though the Woodies were well ahead of the Trojans after the top of the 9th was completed).  Apparently they wanted to stretch a few pitchers out.

There are a lot of new faces on the team, but there are also some familiar ones this season.  I have been stockpiling Rangers prospect cards and ended up with a bunch that I can take with me to games to get signed.  I am also taking 50/50s and consignments this season, but there are a couple players I won't be taking (Leody, Anderson).

I also picked up some Hickory and Spokane team sets so I can get some of the guys who aren't in commercial products yet.  It helped out yesterday.  There are some pretty cool players who I was already able to get to sign some stuff.

I also took care of some stuff I got at the most recent card show in Raleigh, like the two Eric Jenkins cards above.  He was really nice, once again.  I hope he has a big year this year.

I was also able to knock out a ton of Peter Fairbanks cards that I had picked up after the "meet the team" event back in 2017.  We saw him then, but had no cards.  He then got hurt and came back last season.  He was impossible to get to sign anything last year, so I was glad I was able to get him as he came off of the field last night.  Now, I won't have to bother him again.

It was nice seeing Michael Matuella again.  I had to ask him about his Duke Blue Devils, but I did wait until he was done signing.  Everyone's bracket is busted, so it's ok.

Buried in the middle of this group of cards is Tyreque Reed.  This dude is huge.  He looks like he should be playing football, but I'm glad he is a Wood Duck.  I'm looking forward to seeing him crush a few baseballs.

Aside from Leody and Anderson, Bubba Thompson is probably the biggest Rangers prospect on the team.  I was told ahead of time that he will sign anything you have.  That was not the case on Monday.  Maybe he will sign more later on, but yesterday, he was only two-per.  I got him twice, though, so I was able to get some cards out of the way.  I took several 50/50s on him, so I hope that he will help get them done.  We will see as the season progresses.

The biggest news of the day came when I finally broke down and purchased season tickets for my son and I.  It was only a matter of time, and I was happy to do it.  I imagine it will save me money in the long run, so that's a plus.

Now I sit and wait for the season to start on Thursday.