June 6, 2026, Graphing of the Knights at Bulls

Yesterday, Jesse and I made another trip to Durham, this time to see Charlotte. I hadn't seen the Knights in a long time, so it was nice to get some White Sox guys into my autograph album. 

Scott Aldred helped me get some older Topps cards out of my boxes. The 1992 Topps gold turned out great. I was also glad to finally get Dustin Harris on something other than team set cards.

Chad Pinder was one of the best "gets" we got. I had been told that he would be one per, but he did almost whole pages for us.

I had pulled almost every Pinder card I had last season when he was managing Kannapolis. I missed him, and had to dump his cards into the Box-of-Shame. 

It was nice to get almost all of his cards done. Now they don't have to go back in the box.

Hagen Smith was another guy who almost signed everything we had. I think I have one extra card of his left. Jesse impressed everyone when he was the only person who was able to get Everson Pereira to sign. He only signed for Jesse, but it was cool.

Finally, I chipped away at the Bulls team set. I also got a handful of other cards signed by the Bulls guys.

I was kind of disappointed that a good many Knights guys were on the IL. I have a lot of stuff left over. 

In all, we got the following autographs: Scott Aldred x 4, Dru Baker x 4, Dustin Harris x 4, Braden Montgomery x 2, Ben Peoples x 1, Everson Pereira x 1, Chad Pinder x 16, Hagen Smith x 10, Reid Brignac x 2, Bryan Broecker x 2, Michael Grove x 1, Brody Hopkins x 2, Cooper Kinney x 3, Austin Slater x 2, Chase Solesky x 2 and Owen Wild x 2 (58 total autographs).

TTM Success - Nick Hundley

Another former Oriole was added to the autograph album when I got this TTM success back from Nick Hundley.  I saw that he was signing (after I tried and failed to get him TTM in the past), so I sent off a couple cards.  The above 2014 Topps Update was the key card I wanted back.  I'm glad it did come back, because it is a great shot.

I also got this 2017 Topps back.  Both cards were inscribed with Bible verses.

Hundley (b. 1983) played in the majors from 2008 to 2019 for the Padres, Orioles, Rockies, Giants and A's.  He had 766 hits, 93 home runs and a .247 batting average.

I mailed to Hundley on March 26 and got the cards back on June 16 for an 82-day TAT.

TTM Success - Pedro Alvarez

Whoops. I forgot to post last night.  Here is a great TTM success that I got back from Pedro Alvarez.  I got him on this 2017 Topps that shows him in an Orioles uniform. 

I also sent this 2014 Bowman that turned out great.

Alvarez (b. 1987) played in the majors from 2010 to 2018 for the Pirates and Orioles.  He had 704 hits, 162 home runs and a .236 batting average.  He led the NL in home runs (36) in 2013.  That season he was an All Star and won the Silver Slugger Award. 

I mailed to Alvarez on March 22 and got the cards back on April 19 for a 28-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jason Grilli

Here are several.cards that I got back signed TTM from former pitcher, Jason Grilli.  He signs through the same group as Sean Casey.  He also included an extra card, much like Casey did.

Grilli (b. 1976) played in the majors in 2000, 2001, from 2004 to 2009 and from 2011 to 2017 for the Marlins, White Sox, Tigers, Rockies, Rangers, Pirates, Angels, Braves and Blue Jays.  He had a record of 34-47 with 694 strike outs and a 4.22 ERA.  He was an All.Star in 2013.

I mailed to Grilli on November 4 and got the cards back on November 12 for an 8-day TAT.  I paid his fee of $5/card.  He even sent a note back saying it sent him some good ones.

TTM Success - Jace Peterson

This TTM success from Jace Peterson came in from Spring Training the other day, and was a nice surprise. I hoped the cards would come back signed, and I wasn't disappointed. I especially liked adding the above 2019 Topps, which shows Peterson as an Oriole .

I also got one of the several 2012 Topps Pro Debut cards that I jad of Peterson out of the box. 

Finally, Peterson signed a 2016 and a 2017 Topps to cap off the return.

Peterson (b. 1990) has played in the majors since 2014 for the Padres, Braves, Yankees, Orioles, Brewers, A's and Diamondbacks. He has 545 hits, 42 home runs and a .228 batting average. 

I mailed to Peterson via Diamondbacks camp on March 2 and got the cards back on April 1, for a 30-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Clint Robinson

Here are some nice cards that I got back signed TTM from Clint Robinson.  He signed my cards with a lime green Sharpie.  It was an interesting choice, but the cards look pretty nice. The above 2008 Bowman Chrome scanned nicely, even though the signature kind of blends onto the background of the card.

I also got a 2011 Topps Heritage Minors and a 2017 Topps signed.  They also look nice with the green Sharpie.

Robinson (b. 1985) played in the majors in 2012 and from 2014 to 2016 for the Royals, Dodgers and Nationals.  He had 133 hits, 15 home runs and a .257 batting average. 

I mailed to Robinson on January 16 and got the cards back on January 29, for a 13-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Nick Ahmed

These cards came back signed TTM from Nick Ahmed.  I had sent to Diamondbacks Spring Training.  The above 2021 Panini Mosaic blue parallel turned out great.  These were really nice cards that I ended up with a lot of.  I was glad to get this one signed and into my album.

I also got a 2011 Bowman Chrome, 2017 Topps and a 2022 Topps signed.

Ahmed (b. 1990) has played in the majors since 2014 for the Diamondbacks.  He has 678 hits, 70 home runs and a .234 batting average.  He was a Gold Glove Award winner in 2018 and 2019.

I mailed to Ahmed on February 14 and got the cards back on June 6 for a 112-day TAT.

TTM Success - Tyler Naquin

Tyler Naquin is a player who I've kept an eye on for a while since a good friend of mine is a big fan of his.  I was actually surprised that I even had some Naquin cards left over, as I usually give them to my friend.

All of the cards are personalized, but that's ok.  All of then turned out nicely. 

Naquin (b. 1991) played in the majors from 2016 to 2022 for the Indians, Reds and Mets. He is currently on AAA Nashville's 7-day IL.  He has  439 hits, 61 home runs and a .264 batting average.

I mailed to Naquin on October 12 and got the cards back on February 25, for a 136-day TAT.

Spring Training Returns From Drake

My friend, Drake, may appreciate how I have my autograph albums set up almost as much as I do.  I enjoy the variety of each page and how so many different cards from different sets populate the albums.  Drake has helped me get cards signed for a few years now, and he really came through during this year's Spring Training.

He even mentioned to Maikol Escotto (above) how the card he was signing would end up as the cover photo of a future blog post (even though I don't blog by request).  I honored Drake's wishes and put this card first as part of a deal we made while he was assembling the return package.

Drake helped me clear a lot of room in my prospects boxes by taking the cards he took for Spring Training.  He also helped get a bunch of cards out of the box of shame, which clears room for some missed opportunities from this season.

I was really happy to add the 2022 Panini Capstone Pablo Lopez (top right) to the album.  Those cards look really nice, and look even better signed.

I was really happy with the 2022 Topps Cosmic Chrome Griffin Jax that Drake got done for me.  That was a cool box that I ordered off of Topps.com, and this is the first from that set that I have been able to get signed.

Drake got Joey Gallo to sign (top left), but Gallo switched markers on him.  I don't care, though, he gets added to the album anyway.  The 2014 Bowman Byron Buxton turned out nicely, as well.

Several Bowman Draft highlight this page, as well as a 2017 Topps Heritage Minors Chance Sisco.  I missed Sisco a few times, but was finally able to get this card out of my boxes.

Drake added a couple extras of his own, like the 2019 Topps Heritage Minors Brock Deatherage blue parallel and the 2014 Leaf Perfect Game Andrew Cabezas.  He also tossed in the 2022 Panini Prizm Curtis Terry, which was nice, since Terry is a former Wood Duck.

There is a 2001 Topps Rocco Baldelli that Drake got done for me, as well as a 2020 Topps Big League orange parallel of Chance Sisco that I really wanted to get signed.  Drake read my mind, and got that one taken care of for me.  He also provided me with several project cards with multiple players to try to get signed.  Thanks buddy!

I was surprised to see this 2021 Topps Heritage Minors Austin Martin stickers insert get signed.  I'm sure it was tough to add it to his page, but it is cool to add one of these to my album.  Martin was tough last season when I went to Wichita, so for Drake to get two cards done for me out of my box of shame, I was really happy.

Finally, Drake added this 1989 Donruss signed by David Cone that Drake traded for.  He had a friend get Cone at Royals opening day (I think), and it is something really awesome to add to the album.

Thank you for all of your hard work, Drake!

Christmas Gift From Drake

My friend, Drake, sent me a nice stack of autographs for Christmas this year.  One of the cards was the above 2020 Bowman Chrome blue refractor of Randy Florentino.  This card is numbered 144/150.  He was a former Wood Duck who is now in the Orioles system, which is cool.

Drake sent this really cool Topps Now card signed by Randy Arozarena, which will be awesome in my album.  I love Topps Now cards, and rarely have an opportunity to get them signed.

Here is an assortment that Drake sent; a lot of these are from when Drake has graphed in the past.  He mostly sees Illinois-area teams and Florida State League teams when he is on vacation.

Drake helped me add some 2022 Stars & Stripes cards and also some different Topps base cards to my album.  I don't have many 2021 Topps cards at all in the album, and the above Adam Plutko helps that cause.  The truth is, 2021 Topps is hard for me to go through quickly with the tiny font on the front of the card; they are very hard to read at a glance.

Finally, here is a 2017 Topps Roman Quinn.  This is the only landscape oriented card, so it got scanned by itself.  I had been trying to get Quinn a few times, but now I at least have this card in the album.

Thank you so much for the cards, Drake!

TTM Success - Will Middlebrooks

My friend, Michael, approached me about a private signing with Will Middlebrooks, so I signed up. I had wanted this 2014 Topps Chrome orange refractor signed for a while, so once I was able to find the card, I sent it off.

I also sent a couple Topps cards (a 2015 and a 2017); both turned out well. 

Middlebrooks (b. 1988) played in the majors from 2012 to 2017 for the Red Sox, Padres, Brewers and Rangers. He had 262 hits, 43 home runs and a .228 batting average. He won the World Series in 2013 with the Red Sox.

I mailed to the signing on April 15 and got the cards back on June 18, for a 64-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jake Barrett

A few more cards came out of my boxes with this TTM success from Jake Barrett.  Topps Heritage is always a nice choice when getting a card signed, and this 2016 Heritage of Barrett turned out nicely.

I also got a 2014 Bowman out of my box, as well as a 2017 Topps.  These two cards also turned out nicely when Barrett signed them.

Barrett (b. 1991) played in the majors from 2016 to 2019 for the Diamondbacks and Yankees.  He had a record of 2-4 with 92 strike outs and a 4.45 ERA.

I mailed to Barrett on January 11 and got the cards back on May 14, for a 123-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Luis Gonzalez

There were a bunch of times I would go through my boxes and see these Luis Gonzalez cards.  I had meant to send them a couple years ago, but ith COVID messing with the 2020 season, I didn't want to take the chance, in case Gonzo wasn't with the Diamondbacks like normal.  I waited until this season and finally dropped these cards in the mail.  Thankfully, they came back signed, and look great.

I am really excited to add the above 2002 Donruss Studio Stars card to the album.  I enjoyed the 1995 Studio set that looked like credit cards; it was, and still is, a very unique set.  I have a few of those signed, and this Gonzo was the first of the 2002 variety.

This 2002 Topps didn't scan too well, but the sentiment of the card was captured.  I was glad to get one of these signed and into my album, as well.

Finally, I have a 2002 Fleer Authentix, 200 Upper Deck SPX and a 2017 Topps Memorable Moments insert; all of the cards look great.

I mailed to Gonzalez on March 23, via the Dioamondbacks, and got the cards back on April 9, for a 17-day TAT.

Another TTM Success FromChase Anderson

Another TTM success came in from Spring Training; this time from pitcher, Chase Anderson.  I had gotten him in the past, but had a few more cards I wanted to put into my album, so I sent to him when I had heard that Spring Training was a go this season.  The above purple parallel from 2014 Bowman is the card that I really wanted to get back.  It turned out nicely.

I also had Anderson sign a 2017 Topps, 2019 Topps, 2021 Topps Update and a 2020 Topps Heritage.

I mailed to Anderson via Tigers camp on March 15 and got the cards back on March 24, for a 9-day TAT.

Another TTM Success From Aaron Altherr

Aaron Altherr had responded to a previous TTM request back in 2019, but I had to send to him again after I gathered these three cards.  The above 2018 Topps Hi-Tek was what sold me on sending again, and the card looks awesome.  These are some of the best cards to get signed, and I was glad I had found this one.

I also had the above 2018 Topps X-Fractor and 2017 Topps Rainbow Foil that went along for the ride and came back looking great.

Altherr (b. 1991) last played in the majors in 2019 for the Mets, and has since played in Korea.  This season, he hasn't appeared in any games, however.  In his last two seasons in Korea, he has had 268 hits, 63 home runs and a .276 batting average.

I mailed to Altherr on February 15 and got the cards back on March 1, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Caleb Cotham

A nice TTM success from Caleb Cotham yielded me a couple signatures on a 2016 and 2017 Topps.  The above 2016 turned out nicely; the 2016 set is a nice one for autograph, and I have seen several people use this design for their custom cards that they make.

This 2017 Topps also turned out nicely.  I don't mind this design, and have been able to get quite a few signed.  I also enjoyed the Pro Debut set from that year; a bunch of signed versions of those are in my autograph album.

Cotham (b. 1987) played in the majors from 2015 to 2016 for the Yankees and Reds.  He had a record of 1-3 with 32 strike outs and a 7.15 ERA.

I mailed to Cotham on February 2 and got the cards back on February 12, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Nick Noonan

Here are some cards that I was able to get signed TTM recently from Nick Noonan.  I had seen Noonan when I was on one of my graphing trips with Chris, but didn't take any of his cards with me.  I was glad to get a couple of them signed, so it ended up working out.

I have a bunch of these 2007 Tristar Prospects Plus cards, and they look pretty nice when signed.

I also got a 2017 Topps signed by Noonan.

Noonan (b. 1989) played in the majors in 2013, 2015 and 2016 for the Giants and Padres.  He had 28 hits, 1 home run and a .193 batting average.

I mailed to Noonan on February 4 and got the cards back on February 12, for an 8-day TAT.