Monday, January 31, 2022

TTM Success - Tai Tiedemann

While looking for addresses for players in 2021 Bowman Draft, I discovered that one of the players I was looking for had a brother who had been in the Rangers organization.  So, once I found the address (for Ricky Tiedemann), I pulled my Tai Tiedemann cards that I had stockpiled while hoping he would move up to the Wood Ducks.
I got cards from 2017 and 2018 Spokane and 2019 Hickory signed by Tiedemann,

Tiedemann (b. 1996) was an 8th round pick by the Rangers in the 2016 June Amateur Draft out of Long Beach City College in California.  He played in the Rangers system from 2016 to 2021, reaching AA (and bypassing the Wood Ducks completely, since the minors were restructured last season.  He has a 16-12 record with 208 strike outs and a 3.94 ERA.

I mailed to Tiedemann on January 10 and got the cards back on January 19, for a 9-day TAT.

Sunday, January 30, 2022

Another TTM Success From JJ Bleday

Here are some great cards I was able to pull from my prospects boxes and get signed TTM from Marlins prospect, JJ Bleday.  The above 2019 Bowman Chromw Draft Pick Breakdown card was one I absolutely wanted to get signed, so I sent it out to Bleday, along with the below inserts from 2020 and 2021 Heritage Minors.
I got a full sig on the Chrome and a short sig on the two Heritage Minors cards, but they all look really cool.

Bleday (b. 1997) was a first round (4th overall) pick in the 2019 June Amateur Draft by the Marlins out of Vanderbilt.  He has played in the Marlins system since 2019, reaching AA.  He has 120 hits, 15 home runs and a .224 batting average.

I mailed to Bleday on January 3 and got the cards back on January 18, for a 15-day TAT.

TTM Success - Michael McGreevy

Here is another 2021 Bowman Draft that I got back signed TTM, Michael McGreevy.

McGreevy was a first round (18th overall) draft pick in the July 2021 draft by the Cardinals out of UC Santa Barbara.  He played at two levels of the Cardinals system this past season (Florida Complex League and Low A).  He went 0-2 with 7 strike outs and a 9.39 ERA.

I mailed to McGreevy on January 10 and got the card back on January 18, for an 8-day TAT. 

Friday, January 28, 2022

TTM Success - Joe Mack

Here's another 2021 Bowman Draft, this one from Marlins pick, Joe Mack.
Mack (b. 2002) was a first round pick (31st overall) by the Marlins out of Williamsville East High School in East Amhurst, New York.

He played at the Florida Comple League last season and had 7 hits, 1 home run and a .132 batting average.

I mailed to Mack on January 7 and got the cards back on January 18, for an 11-day TAT. 

Thursday, January 27, 2022

TTM Success - Jack Kochanowicz

Stepping away, for a brief moment, from my 2021 Bowman Draft TTM successes, I received this TTM success from Jack Kochanowicz on a 2019 Bowman Draft.  The card turned out nicely of course.

Kochanowicz (b. 2000) was a 3rd round pick by the Angels in the 2019 June Amateur Draft out of Harriton High School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.  He played at Low A Inland Empire this past season, going 4-2 with 73 strike outs and a 6.91 ERA.

I mailed to Kochanowicz on January 6 and got the card back on January 18, for a 12-day TAT.

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

TTM Success - Cade Povich

Another 2021 Bowman TTM success came in over the last few weeks; this one was from Twins prospect, Cade Povich.  He signed the cards in a really thin blue marker, but they look really nice.
Povich (b. 2000) was a 3rd round pick by the Twins in the July 2021 amateur draft out of the University of Nebraska.  He played at two levels in the Twins system this past season, Rookie level and Low A.  He had a record of 0-0 with 19 strike outs and a 0.90 ERA.

I mailed to Povich on January 7 and got the cards back on January 18, for an 11-day TAT.

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

TTM Success - Landon Marceaux

Another 2021 Bowman Draft TTM success came in recently, this time from A's prospect, Landon Marceaux.  He signed three of my cards; a base, chrome and a refractor.
Marceaux (b. 1999) was a 3rd round pick by the Angels in the 2021 July Amateur Draft out of LSU.  He played at the Angels rookie level complex team this past season.  He went 0-1 with 6 strike outs and a 14.73 ERA across 3.2 innings (2 games).

I mailed to Marceaux on January 7 and got the cards back on January 18, for an 11-day TAT.

Monday, January 24, 2022

TTM Success - Chad Patrick

A nice wave of 2021 Bowman Draft TTMs has begun to come through.  That makes checking the mail fun again.  I have sent off a ton of TTM requests already this month, after sending only sporadically to end 2021.  This success came from Chad Patrick after I had to change the address I wrote on the envelope, after I had already mailed the cards.
The folks at my post office know me well enough where after one of my friends told me I had sent to the wrong address, I was able to ask before the envelope left the building, and they allowed me to dig through the bin and find my envelope.  Apparently, my friend is friends with Patrick, so he told him that my cards were on the way, and he graciously signed for me.  The purple chrome parallel I showed is numbered 241/250.

Patrick (b. 1998) was a 4th round pick by the Diamondbacks in the July 2021 Amateur Draft out of Purdue.  He played at Low A Visalia this past season, where he went 0-0 with 6 strike outs and a 4.76 ERA.  This was only over 2 games, by the way.

I mailed to Patrick on January 7 and got the cards back on January 15, for an 8-day TAT.

Sunday, January 23, 2022

TTM Success - JT Schwartz

There were no logged attempts to get JT Schwartz TTM when I mailed my card off a couple weeks ago, so I may have been one of the first folks to mail to him.  That's always kind of cool, being able to add someone to the SCN database.  I don't actually log my attempts on there until I get something back from the player.  I think by the time my card came in, someone else had added him to the database, but I know my success was the first logged one.  I used a good address lookup site and did some research into Schwartz and found a working address.  The card turned out nicely.

Schwartz (b. 1999) was a 4th round pick by the Mets in the 2021 July Amateur Draft.  He played this past season at Low A Port St. Lucie.  He had 16 hits, no home runs and a .195 batting average.

I mailed to Schwartz on January 7 and got the card back on January 15, for an 8-day TAT.

Saturday, January 22, 2022

TTM Success - Micah Ottenbreit

Micah Ottenbreit was the first TTM success to come in this year from 2021 Bowman Draft.  It can be fun trying to get some of the new players to sign what usually is th first card in their careers.  I, and some friends, try to get successes from as many of the players as we can.  A lot of them, I have to do some research and find addresses to send to, which makes it like a scavenger hunt.  I sent off close to 30 TTMs to these guys, and have already been successful on quite a few.

Ottenbreit (b. 2003) was a 4th round pick by the Phillies in the 2021 July Amateur Draft out of Trenton High School in Michigan.  He played in the rookie level Florida Complex League this past season, going 1-0 with 4 strike outs and a 4.50 ERA.

I mailed to Ottenbreit on January 7 and got the card back on January 15, for an 8-day TAT.

Friday, January 21, 2022

TTM Success - Shane Drohan

The above 2020 Bowman Draft Chrome refractor really scanned nicely.  Here is another series of recent cards that came back signed.  I went through a handful of 2020 Bowman Draft as I was waiting for 2021 Draft to come in and dropped these in the mail when I saw that Drohan signed.  All of the cards turned out great.
Drohan (b. 1999) was a 5th round pick by the Red Sox in the 2020 June Amateur Draft out of Florida State University.  Last season he played at Low A Salem (who did not come through Kinston).  He had a record of 7-4 with 86 strike outs and a 3.96 ERA.

I mailed to Drohan on January 3 and got the cards back on January 15, for a 12-day TAT.

Thursday, January 20, 2022

TTM Success - Spencer Strider

There have been quite a few cards removed from my prospects boxes recently.  I sent off a few 2021 Pro Debut and Heritage Minors cards via TTM and had to make room for my 2021 Bowman Draft that came in.  One of the players I sent to earlier this month was Spencer Strider.  He has been signing regularly, so I got my 2021 Topps Pro Debut, a 2020 Bowman Draft and 2020 Bowman raft Chrome signed.
The cards turned out great.

Strider (b. 1998) was a 4th round pick by the Braves in the 2020 June Amateur Draft out of Clemson.  He made his Major League debut this past season, appearing in 2 games.  He went 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA and no strike outs.

I mailed to Strider on January 3 and got the cards back on January 15, for a 12-day TAT.

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

TTM Success - Jose Rosado

When I sent these cards TTM to Jose Rosado, Betty White was sill alive (so was Chris Cornell), the card shop was still open in Greenville, the Wood Ducks had finished their first month of ball and I had no idea what social distancing was.  My point is, these cards were out there for a very long time.  Still, the cards finally came back, even though it looks like Rosado used a marker that may have been older than Betty White.
I had mailed the cards to the Trenton Thunder, back when they were still a team (thanks, Rob Manfred).  I was excited to see the super old stamp that I had used, and was happy to finally cross Rosado off of my TTM list.

Rosado (b. 1974) played in the majors from 1996 to 2000 for the Royals.  He had a record of 37-45 with 484 strike outs and a 4.27 ERA.  He was an All Star in 1997 and 1999.

I mailed to Rosado on May 3, 2017, and got the cards back on January 14, 2022, for a 1,717-day TAT.

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

TTM Success - Bill Plummer

TTMs are flowing back into my mailbox, after what felt like a long dry spell.  I have sent off all sorts of different types of cards, even venturing back into the box of vintage football cards that my friend, Max, gave me.  This TTM success, however, was from Bill Plummer on some nice 70s cards and a 1992 Topps from when he was a manager.
Plummer's signature is neat and compact, but looks great on the cards that I sent.  I mailed out a 1973 Topps, 1976 Topps, 1977 Topps and a 1992 Topps.  All of the cards turned out great.

Plummer (b. 1947) played in the majors in 1968 and from 1970 to 1978 for the Cubs, Reds and Mariners.  He had 168 hits, 14 home runs and a .188 batting average.

He managed the 1992 Mariners to a 64-98 record (.395 win %) during his only stint as a manager.

I mailed to Plummer on November 8 and got the cards back on January 14, for a 67-day TAT.

Monday, January 17, 2022

TTM Success - Andre Nnebe

Here is a former Carolina Mudcat that I saw this past season, but was unable to have sign anything.  Andre Nnebe didn't have any cards until 2021 Topps Heritage Minors came out after the minor league season was over.  I saw that he signed TTM, so I ended up getting one of my cards signed that way, instead.

Nnebe (b. 1997) was a 28th round pick in the 2019 June Amateur Draft out of Santa Clara University by the Brewers.  He has played two seasons in the minors in the Brewers system.  He has 84 hits, 10 home runs and a .241 batting average.  The Brewers allowed him to play in the Independent Leagues during the 2020 COVID season, which was pretty smart.  It kept him active, however, he did struggle with Carolina this past season.  He may stay back at Low A to start the 2022 season.

I mailed to Nnebe on January 3 and got the card back on January 13, for a 10-day TAT.  This was my first 2022 TTM success.

Sunday, January 16, 2022

TTM Success - Andrew Moffitt

My big box of Orioles cards that my buddy Max sent me yielded another obscure player to try to sent to TTM.  Andrew Moffitt had only one logged attempt at TTM on the SCN database, and it was someone to sent to the Bluefield Orioles in 2005.  I took a shot, using the nice address lookup website I've found, and tried Moffitt myself.  Luckily, I was correct with the address I found and got this nice 2004 Upper Deck SP Prospects card signed.

Moffitt (b. 1981) was a 10th round pick by the Orioles in the 2004 June Amateur Draft out of Wichita State University.  He played in the minors in 2004 and 2005, reaching A ball, all in the Orioles system.  He had 61 hits, 12 home runs and a .258 batting average.

I mailed to Moffitt on December 22 and got the card back on January 12, for a 21-day TAT.

Saturday, January 15, 2022

Another TTM Success From Manny Mota

When I was at the Raleigh card show a few weeks ago, I made a purchase from my friend, Kurt, who specializes in lover grade vintage cards.  I love looking through his bargain bins, and usually find some nice stuff that I can drop in the mail for TTMs.  This time around, I found a couple beat up Manny Mota cards that I thought would look good when signed.  I was right.
The cards I sent were a 1967 Topps and a 1968 Topps.  I figured that someone building a set may use these as placeholders until they upgraded to better cards and then trashing these.  Instead, I got them signed and added them to a forever home in my autograph album.  The condition of the cards doesn't really matter to me like it does for some others.  They still look great.

I mailed to Mota on December 21 and got the cards back on January 11, for a 21-day TAT.

Friday, January 14, 2022

TTM Success - Blaze Jordan

TTM success have started to come back in over the last few days, after being dry the first week and a half of the year.  This one that came in from Red Sox prospect, Blaze Jordan, was a nice one to get back.  The above 2021 Bowman Chrome Dawn of Glory turned out great, even with the personalization.
This 2021 Topps Pro Debut 1991 design also looks nice, and I was glad I sent it along.

Jordan (b. 2002) was a 3rd round draft pick by the Red Sox in the 2020 June Amateur Draft out of DeSoto Central High School in Mississippi.  He played at two levels of the Red Sox system in 2020; rookie level Gulf Coast League and Low A Salem.  He has 34 hits, 6 home runs and a .324 batting average.

I mailed to Jordan on December 21 and got the cards back on January 10, for a 20-day TAT.

Thursday, January 13, 2022

87 Topps Pickup - Andy Allanson

Apparently, Andy Allanson doesn't sign TTM.  I've checked.  So, when I finally saw a signed 87 pop up for sale in one of the Facebook groups I'm in, I grabbed it.  I was confident that the card was legit, because the person selling it is a fellow builder of the signed set.  He wanted to upgrade this card due to a small blemish on the back, and I took it for my set.

Allanson (b. 1961) played in the majors from 1986 to 1989, 1991 to 1993 and 1995 for the Indians, Tigers, Brewers, Giants and Angels.  He had 357 hits, 16 home runs and a .240 batting average.

I picked the card up for $50.00, which seems high, but since Allanson signatures are hard to get, I went with it.

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

TTM Success - Andrew Pullin

Here is a random 2012 Bowman card that I found in one of my boxes, which I was able to have signed TTM.  This is a blue parallel Andrew Pullin numbered 282/500.  I was able to find an address for him and send it off.

Pullin (b. 1993) was a 5th round pick in the 2012 June Amateur Draft by the Phillies out of Centralia High School, in Centralia Washington.  He played in the Phillies system from 2012 to 2018, reaching AAA.  He had 625 hits, 64 home runs and a .273 batting average.

I mailed to Pullin on December 22 and got the card back on January 10, for a 19-day TAT.

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Facebook Pickup - Argenis Salazar Signed 1987 Topps

Now that I am at 90% complete on my signed 1987 Topps set, finding cards I need is getting tough.  Recently, I reached out to a promoter on Facebook who sees a lot of the Latin players.  It turned out that he had done a signing with Argenis Salazar fairly recently and I missed it because my checklist had him as Angel Salazar.  So, I quickly took this card that he offered and crossed Salazar off of my list.

Salazar (b. 1961) played in the majors from 1983 to 1984 and 1986 to 1988 for the Expos, Royals and Cubs.  He had 188 hits, 2 home runs and a .212 batting average.

I paid $6.00 shipped for the card.

Monday, January 10, 2022

2021 National Pickup - Burleigh Grimes Signed Card

This 1983 Donruss Hall of Fame Heroes card signed by Hall of Famer, Burleigh Grimes, was among the assortment of deceased former player signed cards I found at a vendor's table at the National.  I liked the card and thought it would make a nice addition to my autograph album, so I picked it up.

I had added Grimes on a baseball (thanks to my awesome mom) a couple years ago, but I figured, at the price this card was at, I'd be dumb to leave it in the box at the show.  Now, it is in my album.

Sunday, January 9, 2022

2021 National Pickup - Elrod Hendricks Signed Card

Elrod Hendricks was a coach with the Orioles when I met him back in 2005.  I got him to signed a cheap baseball, which has since faded to oblivion.  I wish I knew then what I know now, because I would have come off the money for better baseballs.  So, when I saw this 1975 Topps signed by Hendricks, I added him to my autograph album.  He was nice to us when we met him, but he did admonish the group of us for going crazy when Don Mattingly, then a Yankees coach, walked by.  Again, if I knew then what I know now, I would have dropped an 87 Topps on Mattingly to sign.  He didn't stop, though, so it probably didn't matter.

Hendricks (b. 1940 - d. 2005) died only a few months after I met him.  He had been in the Orioles organization for a very long time as a player and coach.  He played in the majors from 1968 to 1979 for the Orioles, Cubs and Yankees.  He had 415 hits, 62 home runs and a .220 batting average.  He won the World Series with the Orioles in 1970.  Hendricks died of a heart attack in 2005, just one day short of his 65th birthday.  He had been reassigned in the Orioles organization following that season, after serving 28 years as the Orioles bullpen coach.  He had a mild stroke in April of that year, which led to him being reassigned.

Saturday, January 8, 2022

2021 National Pickup - Razor Shines Signed Card

Not all of the signed cards I bought from this vendor at the National were deceased.  I picked up this Razor Shines card because of his name, and because I've wanted to get one of his signed cards in my album for a while.  This 1987 Indianapolis Indians card is pretty cool, and also features the old 80s Pepsi logo.

Shines (b. 1956) played in the majors from 1983 to 1985 and 1987 for the Expos.  He had 15 hits, no home runs and a .185 batting average.

I thought Shines had more of a career than that, but I probably was only focusing on the front of the cards of his and not the back.

Friday, January 7, 2022

TTM Success - Wayne Tolleson

Finally, I have added a Wayne Tolleson signed 1987 Topps to my set.  I had sent to him TTM a while back, but never got my card back signed.  Thankfully, a signing came up on SCN, and I added the card that way.

Tolleson (b. 1955) played in the majors from 1981 to 1990 for the Rangers, White Sox and Yankees.  He had 559 hits, 9 home runs and a .241 batting average.

I mailed to the signing on December 7 and got the card back today (January 7) for a 31-day TAT.  I paid a fee of $10.00.

Thursday, January 6, 2022

2021 National Pickup - Johnny Oates Signed Card

The next signed card I found at the National was this 1992 Topps signed by former Orioles manager, Johnny Oates.  I knew how tough finding Oates's autograph is, so I picked it up from the same vendor where I found my Cal, Sr. autographed card.

Oates (b. 1946 - d. 2004) played in the majors in 1970 and from 1972 to 1981 for the Orioles, Braves, Phillies, Dodgers and Yankees.  He had 410 hits, 14 home runs and a .250 batting average.  

Oates managed the Orioles from 1991 to 1994 and the Rangers from 1995 to 2001.  His overall record was 797-746 (.517 win %).

Fun fact, one of my son's elementary school gym teachers was the widow of one of Oates's coaches (Greg Biagini).

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

2021 National Pickup - Cal Ripken Sr Signed Card

When I went to the National this past year, I stopped by a vendor who had boxes of signed cards that they had gotten TTM or IP.  They had several deceased players at some really good prices, so I picked up a decent amount of cards.  I intended to post them after the National, but I was so far behind with TTM and IP graphing posts, I put them in a drawer and forgot about them.  Going through the cards now, it is kind of an embarrassment of riches, because of all of the cool cards I forgot I had.  These definitely need to get into the autograph album, so I will start with one of the cooler cards I picked up, this signed 1982 Donruss Cal Ripken, Sr.

I have seen Sr's autograph plenty of times, so I know this one is legit.  I immediately put it aside once I saw it in the vendor's box, because I knew, if nothing else, this one was going home with me.

Ripken (b. 1935 - d. 1999) was a minor league player, coach and manager in the Orioles system for 36 years (from 1957 to 1992).  Signed as a minor league catcher in 1957, he played in the Orioles minor league system until 1964.  In 1961, he began coaching and managing in the Orioles system, starting with the Leesburg Orioles in the Class D Florida State League.  He would reach the majors as a coach beginning in 1976, before finally becoming the Orioles manager in 1987.

As Orioles manager, he had a record of 68-101 (.402 win %).  This was capped off by an 0-6 start in 1988 before being fired; that Orioles team would go on to lose 15 more games in a row,  to start the season 0-22, a Major League record.

Monday, January 3, 2022

First 2022 TTM Success - Mike Mussina

Right before the holidays, I sent off a batch of TTMs to wrap up the year.  One of the requests was a repeat to Hall of Famer, Mike Mussina.  I had several cards of his sitting aside waiting to be sent out, and I had a little bit of money available to pay his fees.  So, I took the four cards that I most wanted to get back and sent them out.  The above 2020 Topps Turkey Red turned out so well.  This card is super sharp; I am glad I chose it to send out.  It was my 4th choice to send, but might look the best of all of these.
Here are the other three cards that I sent.  The one on the left is a 1999 Fleer Ex clear acetate card that looks amazing.  In the middle is a 1997 Flair Showcase and the one on the right is a 2000 Pacific Invincible.  All of the cards I chose turned out great.  I have several more that I probably will send sometime later on.  I have to recover from the holiday spending and some of the private signings that I have taken part in.

I mailed to Mussina on December 22 and got the cards back today (January 3), for a 12-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $10/card.

Sunday, January 2, 2022

A Few Signed Cards From Leyton

Continuing to whittle down my stack of stuff I received recently brought me to these four cards that a friend on Instagram, Leyton, sent me in return for some help getting some cards signed for him.  He sent back some good stuff, like this 2018 Bowman Austin Beck.
He also sent a 2018 Bowman JoJo Romero, 2018 Bowman Chrome Will Craig and a 2018 Bowman Chrome Blayne Enlow.  All of the cards are really nice and have finally been moved to my autograph album after sitting on my desk for about 6 months.

Thanks for the cards, Leyton, I hope we can help each other out again, soon.

A Couple Signed Cards From Past Trades

As I continue to clean out my box of cards I meant to scan and blog, I have realized how far behind I was.  Thankfully, I have had an opportunity to catch up and get some stuff moved into my album.  Not too terribly long ago, I was messaged by someone who needed a signed 1986 Topps card; I believe it was an extra Darrell Evans that I got from the National.  In return he offered me this 1985 Donruss signed by Bruce Benedict.  I don't have many signed 85 Donruss at all, so this was a nice card to take off of his hands.
Ok, so this one, embarrassingly, came from a trade I made in 2019.  I met a guy in line at the April Orioles game we went to, who heard Chris and I talking about taking a trip to Nashville.  He desperately needed a 2002 Topps Eric Gagne signed, and I ended up being able to help him out.  In return, he sent me this 2011 Topps Update signed by Chris Perez.  I had sent to Perez TTM a while ago, but never got anything back, so that's why I took this card.

I'm glad I am getting through this stack.  I've found a few cards that I have forgotten about, and am glad to finally get them off of my desk and into my album.

Christmas Gift From Gerard - Some Awesome Cody Freeman Cards

Cody Freeman, much like Nolan Reimold, is going to be one of those players who, if I see a card, whether I have it or not, I'm going to pick it up.  My good friend, Gerard, added 6 cards to my small Cody Freeman PC with this awesome Christmas gift.
Cody doesn't have many cards out just yet, but the stuff that is out there looks really awesome.  He was in 2019 Leaf products, and there are quite a few autographs in there.  These cards look awesome, and I am really happy that Gerard hooked me up with them.
This printing plate came in separately.  Cody has a great signature, and one of the cards that I picked up for myself actually has a very early version before he perfected it to what it is on this card.  He even pointed it out to me when I showed him what I had picked up.

Cody is a great guy, and messages me here and there.  He was excited to see that one of my friends was looking out for me with his cards, which was really cool.

Thanks for the Christmas gift, Gerard!

Saturday, January 1, 2022

Some Signed Cards From Cal

These signed cards from my friend, Cal, have been sitting in a box to be blogged for quite a while, so I was glad to get them scanned and blogged today.  The above 2005 Topps Heritage David Segui is a nice card.  I didn't open much of this product back in the day, so it is nice to add one of them to the album.
Here are the other two cards from Cal, a 1978 Topps Al Bumbry and a 2003 Donruss Team Heroes Travis Driskill.  Both of these are nice, as well.  I didn't already have the Bumbry, which was strange for me, so that was nice to add to the album.

Thanks for the cards, Cal, I appreciate them!  I wish I had posted them sooner, but better late than never.