TTM Success - Cole Billingsley

I finally sent off a card to an Orioles minor league affiliate to try to get a TTM success.  I figured that since I had 4 of these 2010 Bowman Cole Billingsley cards, I would see if I could get one signed.  You may remember that I bought a whole stack of the 2010 Bowman Team USA 18U cards out of a dime box at the 2012 National.  I was able to sell a few Albert Almoras and Alex Bregmans, but I kept the Cole Billingsleys (and some of the other guys) to see if any of them would some day make the majors.  Luckily, Billingsley was drafted by the Orioles this year, and is now playing at Single A Short Season Aberdeen this year.  As of last night he is batting .281 with 3 home runs and 15 RBI.  He will probably be shut down once Aberdeen's season ends, as I did not see him listed as one of the O's headed to the Arizona Fall League.

I mailed to Billingsley on June 30 and got the card back on August 8 for a 39-day TAT.  I mailed to Ripken Stadium.

Orioles Prospect Pickups From The National

As the Orioles crap the bed on this season, now is as good a time as any to look toward the future.  While I was at the National, I utilized the bargain boxes to add some O's "prospects" to my collection.  The above DJ Stewart jumbo relic/auto cost me less than $5.00, but is a pretty cool card.  Stewart hasn't really lived up to his "first round draft pick" billing, but since his promotion from Low A Delmarva to High A Frederick, Stewart's batting average has picked up by 42 points from .230 to .272.  He had 4 homers at Delmarva this year, coupled with another 4 at Frederick.  He should develop more power, but that remains to be seen.  So far, Stewart appears to be far away from reaching the Majors, but one can still hope.  The kid is only 22, so hopefully he can continue to improve.

This Chance Sisco was a dine box find.  Sisco might be the top Orioles prospect, and may see playing time in the majors next year.  He is only 22, but holds a .322 career average over 4 minor league seasons.  The Orioles desperately need a high average player who can get on base.  Compared to the dismal .230 average that Matt Wieters is showing this season, Sisco may be an upgrade over the former phenom.  Sisco isn't regarded as a plus defender, but Wieters seems to have regressed defensively somewhat, and has always been suspect as his game-calling.  I look forward to seeing what Sisco can do, but I doubt he gets a call up in September.  We may have to wait to see how he performs in Spring Training 2017.  By then, Wieters may likely be gone.

24 year-old Drew Dosch is batting .256 with an OBP of .306 at AA Bowie this season.  He has 7 homers and has struck out 87 times.  He was a 7th round pick in 2013 and hopefully will continue to move up in the O's system.  He's a third baseman who has Manny Machado to look up at in the depth chart for a couple more seasons before Manny leaves via free agency.  I got this card for less than $5 out of a bargain box.  This 2015 Bowman Chrome blue refractor auto is numbered 28/150.

I was excited to find this Cole Billingsley auto in a bargain box for $3.00.  He is currently at Short Season (A) Aberdeen and is batting .283 with 3 homers over the course of 46 games.  Not bad for his first season of pro ball.  I look forward to following Billingsley's career as he rises through the ranks.  Hopefully he will make the majors, which would be really cool for a kid featured on a 2010 Bowman card at the age of 16.

Finally, we have a 2016 Bowman Inception Trey Mancini auto that I picked up for less than $15.  I love these cards.  My buddy Robert busted two cases of Inception and actually pulled this same card.  I wanted to get it from him, but he sold it before I had a chance to make an offer.  Oh well.  This card is not numbered,  but the auto is on-card.

Mancini sports a .306 average across 4 minor league seasons.  He was promoted to AAA Norfolk, a notoriously unfriendly park for hitters' stats, but has batted a respectable .279 with 13 home runs over 118 games.  Mancini stands a chance to be called up when rosters expand on September 1.  If anything, he must be added to the Orioles 40-man roster this off season, or they risk exposing him to the Rule V Draft (where any team can draft him for the price of $50,000, but must keep him on their 25-man roster, or offer him back to the O's for $25,000).  It is a no-brainer that Mancini is added to the 40-man no later than the off season.

National Pickup - Jim Thome Signed Baseball

I believe the last transaction I made at the National was pairing up a Joe Torre signed baseball with this Jim Thome ball for a great deal ($125, I believe).  I had seen Thome balls at the show going for $125 alone, so, essentially, I got the Torre for free.

I have wanted a Thome ball for some time now, especially since I was right beside him twice at Camden Yards (back when he played for the Twins), but couldn't get him to sign.  I was running around the National during the final minutes of the show looking for a vendor who had cheap Vladimir Guerrero balls, but I found the guy with Torre and Thome instead.  Adding the Hall of Famer (Torre) cheaply won out over Vladdy.

Thome (b. 1970) played in the Majors from 1991 to 2012 for the Indians, Phillies, White Sox, Dodgers, Twins and Orioles.  He was a 5-time All Star who finished as high as 4th in the NL MVP Voting (2003).  He appeared in two World Series with the Indians (1995 and 1997), but never won a ring.  He retired after the 2012 season, one in which he was traded to the O's for the stretch run.  The 2012 Orioles would fall to the Yankees in the ALDS that year.

Thome had 2,328 hits, 612 home runs and a .276 batting average.  His home run total currently ranks 7th all time.  He will be eligible for Hall of Fame voting in 2018.

Joey Rickard Pickups From The National

It seems that every year, the Orioles are able to find usable pieces in the December Rule V Draft.  Ever since they were able to pick Ryan Flaherty up in the 2011 version, they have been active in the draft and have been able to keep the guys they have picked.  They were able to stash T. J. McFarland and Jason Garcia on the roster and now they remain in the organization (although, McFarland was designated for assignment today to make room for the return of Tommy Hunter.

I didn't think too much this year when the Orioles added a Rays far hand to the roster via the draft, but based on his strong spring, Joey Rickard really raised some eyebrows.

Rickard made the Orioles Opening Day roster out of Spring Training, and performed strongly over the early part of the season.  He came back down to Earth, then was sidelined with a thumb injury that has put him out until mid-September.

Rickard has already endeared himself to many O's fans.  He's young (25), has some speed, and has been getting on base.  Currently, he has a .268 batting average with 5 home runs over the course of 85 games.  When he gets back to the active roster, I believe he will be an important table setter for a team that desperately is trying to make the playoffs.

I picked up these Chrome cards at various vendors at the National.  They are Rickard's first Topps offerings, and they look great.  I got his auto at the top of the page for around $10, and the other two cards (his base chrome, and the prism refractor) were in dime boxes.

TTM Success - Kent Tekulve

It has been a while since I have gotten TTM successes on a regular basis, but some trickle in here and there.  I think I have two others, aside from this one, that I still need to post.

I mailed to Kent Tekulve on April 20 of this year, and got back three of the five cards that I sent.  He kept the 1977 and 1983 Topps that I sent.  No big deal.  He signed the cards in sharpie, one that was about to give out, but the cards still turned out ok.  The cards came back on August 8, for a 110-day TAT.

This 1983 Topps Super Veterans card might be my favorite of the bunch.  I like being able to get some different types of cards signed TTM, and these are really nice ones to try to go for.

Tekulve (b. 1947) played in the majors from 1974 to 1989 for the Pirates, Phillies and Reds.  He had a career record of 94-90 with an ERA of 2.85, 779 strike outs and 184 saves.  He finished as high as 5th in the NL Cy Young voting (twice, 1978 and 1979).  He also won the World Series with the Pirates in 1979.  He appeared on the 1995 Hall of Fame ballot, yet only received 1.3% of the vote.

Jonathan Schoop Pickups From The National

A National Card Show wouldn't be complete without my picking up Jonathan Schoop cards dirt cheap.  I have continued to take advantage of him being grossly underrated, which is fine, since I can get some really nice stuff of his.

This year, I picked up some great parallels and a couple autos.  The above green refractor from 2015 Topps Chrome is numbered 7/99 and came out of a dollar box.  It was cheaper than a dollar because I got a bulk deal on it, so that made it even better.

This 2011 Bowman Platinum blue parallel was also in a dollar box.  Even worse, it was unsleeved, just floating around loose in the box.  It is numbered 9/199 and now resides in a penny sleeve and top loader.

This 2014 Bowman Chrome Mini blue parallel is numbered 112/250.  It was ALSO in a dollar box and was floating around loose.

I don't remember what I paid for this 2011 Leaf Valiant Schoop auto, but I believe it was in a $5.00 box.  Not too bad for a nice auto.  This is a cool-looking card that definitely looks better in person.  It didn't scan all that well.

Finally, here is a nice 2014 Tier One auto numbered 211/399 that was priced at $7.00, but I got cheaper since it, too, was part of a bulk deal.  I need to sit down and count how many Schoop autos I have.  I'm sure I have a bunch now.

Schoop is having a great season for the Orioles. batting .282 with 20 homers through 127 games.  He has been a solid piece for the Orioles and could very well top out at more than 30 home runs this year.  I believe Schoop will have a few big moments for the O's down the stretch.

A Gift From Frankie At The National

I spent a lot of time at the National with my good friend, Frankie.  The National was in hit back yard, and he was a very gracious host to Andrew and I while we were there.  Early on at the show, Frankie surprised me with this awesome 2016 Museum Collection Manny Machaco quad relic.  It has a nice piece of orange patch, as well.  The card is numbered 42/75.

I really appreciated Frankie hooking me up with this card.  He didn't have to give it to me, but he did.  I love Museum Collection, and this Machado will look great in my collection!  Thanks Frankie!