TTM Success - Reggie Crawford

This TTM success from Reggie Crawford took a while, but finally came in a while back.  He signed a 2022 Bowman Draft, and inscribed my name. 

Crawford (b. 2000) was a first round (30th overall) pick by the Giants out of the University of Connecticut. He has played in the Giants system in 2022 and 2023, reaching High A.  He hasn't played this season, due to injury.  So far, he has 7 hits, 1 home run and a .194 batting average in 24 minor league games.

I mailed to Crawford on January 3, 2023, and got the card back on August 6, 2024, for a 581-day TAT.  He kept my three other cards.

West Coast 50-50 Return From Ryan

Usually, I have a hard time getting 50/50 offers from folks on the west coast; there are quite a few teams who's prospect cards just reside in my boxes.  I finally found someone who could take some cards for Spokane and their opponents.  This helped me get some Benny Montgomery cards signed, as well as some other Rockies guys.  Ryan is the guy who helped me with these cards, and he got this dual of Benny Montgomery and Jaden Hill done for me this season.

He also got my blue refractor taken care of.

I was glad to get some Rockies stuff done, since I had a lot of it and it was piling up.

Ryan also took some Giants guys and knocked out a bunch for me.  It always seems like the Giants don't have much as far as prospects go or they just don't send them to Richmond.  Also, when I go to Richmond, I usually only focus on the away side. 

Anyway, I appreciate Ryan getting these done for me.  I hope I can send him some more stuff next year.

TTM Success - Anthony Hall

This 2022 Bowman Draft card signed by Anthony Hall is the latest card from that set that I want to show off.  It came back signed TTM in black Sharpie. It turned out nicely. 

Hall (b. 2001) was a 4th round pick by the Yankees in the 2022 July Amateur Draft out of the University of Oregon.  He has played in the Yankees system since 2022, reaching Low A.  He has 54 hits, 8 home runs and a .270 batting average.

I mailed to Hall on January 9 and got the card back on March 6, for a 56-day TAT.

TTM Success - Justin Boyd

Here are a couple more signed 2022 Bowman Draft cards that came back TTM from Reds prospect, Justin Boyd.  My sky blue parallel turned out great.

Boyd (b. 2001) was a 2nd round pick by the Reds in the 2022 July Amateur Draft out of Oregon State.  He has since been traded to the Guardians.  He has played in the Reds and Guardians systems since 2022, reaching High A.  He has 22 hits, 1 home run and a .177 batting average.

I mailed to Boyd on January 9 and got the cards back on February 27, for a 49-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jordan Beck

My 2022 Bowman Draft TTMs slowed down substantially once Spring Training came around, but some still trickled in like the above Jordan Beck.  Beck has a nice signature; the cards turned out nicely.

Beck (b. 2001) was a first round pick in the July 2022 Amateur Draft out of the University of Tennessee by the Rockies.

He has played in the Rockies system since 2022, reaching High A.  He has 100 hits, 21 home runs and a .287 batting average.

I mailed to Beck on January 13 and got the cards back on February 22, for a 40-day TAT. 

Spring Training 2023 50-50s From Dylan

My friend, Dylan, took a bunch of cards to Spring Training for me this year and racked.  He got me a lot of great signatures on some really nice cards, like the above 2022 Topps Heritage Minors insert of Khalil Watson.

Dylan his Brady House for me before i was able to get him for myself.  Im surprised Dylan was able to get me two House cards, but they're awesome.

He also knocked out a bunch of Watson cards for me.  I may see Marcelo Mayer later this summer, so I might take this one and try to get him on it.

Dylan saw the Marlins, Cardinals, Nationals and a couple other teams.  He racked it for me and I can move these into my album.

I hadn't gotten Elijah Green before, so these were a great add to the album. I got James Wood last season, but these were new to me, so they're great additions as well.

I'm always happy to add some Jordan Walker to the collection, and Dylan hooked it up.  I think Walker is going to be a good one.  Folks just need to be patient with him.

Finally, here are a couple other Cardinals that Dylan hit for me, a Treyjyn Fletcher and Alec Burleson.

Thanks for taking these 50/50s from me, Dylan!

TTM Success - Cole Young

Here are a coupke nice 2022 Bowman Draft cards that I got back signed TTM from Mariners minor leaguer, Cole Young.

Both cards turned out nicely signed in Black Sharpie.

Young (b. 2003) was a first round (21st overall) pick by the Mariners in the 2022 June Amateur Draft out of North Allegheny High School in Pennsylvania. He has played in the Mariners system since 2022, reaching  Low A.  He had 75 hits, 4 home runs and a .287 batting average.

I mailed to Young on January 3 and got the cards back today February 16, for a 44-day TAT. 

Memorial Day Weekend 2023 Graphing in Augusta and Columbia

Happy Memorial Day to everyone. This weekend, I drove by myself to Augusta and Columbia for a little break and graphing since last week was a tough one.  On Tuesday, I got confirmation that the Wood Ducks would be moving to Spartanburg and would be replaced supposedly with a wood bat league team.  Yeah, that's definitely not the same.  Anyway, depression aside, I got out and did some major relaxation with some graphing therapy.

The weather was terrible, but i was lucky that Augusta has a little enclave you can hang out in and still get stuff signed without getting rained on.  Nolan Martinez was one of my goals, sknxesi had sent these three cards TTM last year, only to have them returned to sender.  They're signed now with some miles on them and in my album.

I was disappointed that I had let Terry Pendleton walk by me. Had I gotten him, I'd have left earlier than I did.  I stayed til the game was called and ended up picking up a team set from the team store and added a few more autographs to the trip. 

I was pretty tired by the time I was home and able to scan everything from the trip.  Since there wasn't really a game in Augusta, I combined everything.  I went there on Saturday, then caught a double header in a misty rain on Sunday in Columbia.  The Fireflies played the Charleston Riverdogs, so I was able to knock down a couple big stacks of cards for those two loaded teams.  I also had hit Augusta because I won't see them until August and there's a chance some of those guys will already be moved up by then.

My friend, Jessie, gave me a couple Bowman Platinum of Spencer Schwellenbach.  He was really nice.  Owen Murphy signed TTM for me recently, but in black, so this blue 2022 Bowman Draft is an upgrade.

I hit a few guys in the team set while I was waiting on Pendelton to come back out.  Those guys were really nice, as well.

Pendleton finally did come back out and laughed that he had spoken to me before he went in and I didn't get my card out.  I knew I had it but wasn't even thinking.  The rain really had me out of sorts.

In Columbia, I had no shame. I had the mascot, Mason sign 3 of my cards and a girl at customer service gave me another signed card (the one in black).  The two Heritage Minors cards are ones I've had for a while and am glad I got them done.

Both the Riverdogs and Fireflies are stacked.  The double header helped me get everyone I set out to get.  The mist messed up a few of the cards, but I had a dry erase marker on me and I was able to fix the smeared cards.

I was really glad to get Dominic Keegan.  He's batting like .334 or something like that, and I feel like he will be moved up soon.  I bet he's not here when Charleston comes through Kinston in July.

I finally got some of my Ryan Spikes and Cooper Kinney cards signed.  Some of them have been in my boxes for a while.  They also have some 2022 stuff and those were good to get signed as well.

The mist was off and on but the games were pretty good.  They were also pretty quick.  My brother, Adam, joined me for part of the second game, which was nice. 

There are several 2022 Topps Pro Debut that look really similar. That's probably part of the reason I kept getting Columbia and Charleston players mixed up. 

Steven Zobac was really cool.  Right when he put marker to card, the mist started coming down and 4 of the cards were ruined.  Or so I thought.  During the first game, I fixed them with the dry erase marker and they cleaned up.  I asked him if he would mind touching them up for me between the first and second game, and he obliged.  That was really nice of him.

During the trip, I got the following autographs: Jorge Bautista x 1, Jair Casanova x 1, Tyler Collins x 1, Dawson Dimon x 1, Francisco Floyd x 1, Didier Fuentes x 1, Elison Joseph x 1, Nolan Martinez x 3, Owen Murphy x 4, Connor Narron x 3, Terry Pendleton x 1, Spencer Schwellenbach x 4 and Ethan Workinger x 1, Jhon Diaz x 1, Chandler Simpson x 1, Xavier Isaac x 1, Dominic Keegan x 4, Cooper Kinney x 4, Trevor Martin x 4, Ryan Spikes x 8, Mason x 4, Mack Anglin x 1, Frank Mozzicato x 3, Shane Panzini x 5, Erik Pena x 5, Tony Pena, Jr. x 6, Lizandro Rodriguez x 6, Daniel Vazquez x 6 and Steven Zobac x 8 (90 total autographs).

TTM Success - Thomas Harrington

Here is another 2022 Bowman Draft TTM success, this time from Pirates prospect, Thomas Harrington.  He personalized my card in thin blue Sharpie.  He has a nice signature; much better than some that I have seen, recently.

Harrington (b. 2001) was a first round (36th overall) pick by the Pirates in the 2022 July Amateur Draft out of Campbell University.  Harrington is from Sanford, NC, down I-95 from Campbell (maybe a few turns here and there).  He has started his professional career at Low A Bradenton and has a 4-1 record with 37 strike outs and a 3.27 ERA.

I mailed to Harrington on January 3 and got the card back on February 11, for a 39-day TAT.

TTM Success - Owen Murphy

Another 2022 Bowman Draft TTM success came in; this time from Braves prospect, Owen Murphy.  The cards turned out nicely, even though the Sharpie didn't quite write clearly.

Murphy (b. 2003) was a first round (20th over all) draft pick by the Braves in the 2022 July Amateur Draft out of Riverside-Brookfield High School in Illinois.  He is assigned to Augusta right now (Braves Low A), and I will see them next weekend.  I have my cards taken care of, already, so that will help me out when looking for other players.

So far, he has a record of 1-3 with 46 strike outs and a 3.41 ERA.  I mailed to Murphy on January 13 and got the cards back on February 11, for a 29-day TAT.

TTM Success - Cade Horton

Another TTM success that originated from my boxes of 2022 Bowman Draft came about when I sent off to Cubs prospect, Cade Horton.  I had the above Blackjack insert, and was excited to get it back signed.  The card turned out nicely.  I'll have to find a way to get Christopher Paciolla on it, as well.

I also got Horton's chrome and base cards from 2022 Draft signed.

Horton (b. 2001) was a first round (7th overall) draft pick by the Cubs in the 2022 July Amateur Draft out of the University of Oklahoma.  He is currently assigned to the South Bend Cubs, the Cubs High A team.  I missed him at Myrtle Beach, which is what I figured would happen, since Myrtle Beach won't be in Kinston until August.  He currently has a record of 0-0 with 25 strike outs and a 4.00 ERA.

I mailed to Horton on January 17 and got the cards back on February 10, for a 24-day TAT.

TTM Success - Hunter Barco

Another Bowman Draft (and Stars and Stripes) player sent back TTM recently.  Hunter Barco's autograph is super simple, but the cards came back signed.  The 2022 Stars and Stripes came out well.

I also got a 2022 Bowman Draft Chrome refractor and a 2022 Bowman Draft base signed.

Barco (b. 2000) was a second round pick by the Pirates in the 2022 July Amateur Draft out of the University of Florida.  He has yet to make his professional debut.

I mailed to Barco on January 3 and got the cards back on January 26, for a 23-day TAT. 

TTM Success - Jakob Marsee

The 2022 Bowman Draft cards that I got signed TTM are starting to slow down.  I sent out a bunch, but ran out of time once Spring Training was getting set to ramp up.  That was also when I was getting ready to get all of my Spring Training stuff ready to mail out, so I stopped focusing on Bowman Draft.  This signed card came back from Padres prospect, Jakob Marsee, and looks pretty great.

Marsee (b. 2001) was a 6th round pick by the Padres in the 2022 July Amateur Draft out of Central Michigan University.  He played at Rooke Level and Low A last season.  He had 24 hits, 2 home runs and a .240 batting average.

I mailed to Marsee on January 6 and got the card back on January 23, for a 17-day TAT.

TTM Success - Trystan Vrieling

Here is another 2022 Bowman Draft that came back signed TTM during that wave of requests I sent out in early January.  This signed 2022 Bowman Draft Trystan Vrieling turned out nicely, and it also came back with a nice signed note.

Vrieling (b. 2000) was a 3rd round pick in the July 2022 July Amateur Draft out of Gonzaga.  He has not yet made is professional debut.

I mailed to Vrieling on January 9 and got the card back on January 21, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Jimmy Crooks III

A couple more 2022 Bowman Draft cards came back signed with this TTM success from Cardinals prospect, Jimmy Crooks, III.  The cards are pretty nice, and a couple more taken off of the Bowman Draft list.  I'm not pursuing the set, by any means, but it is still nice to add a couple more to the album.

Crooks (b. 2001) was a 4th round pick by the Cardinals in the July 2022 Amateur Draft out of University of Oklahoma.  He played at low A last season, collecting 21 hits, 3 home runs and a .266 batting average.

I mailed to Crooks on January 9 and got the cards back on January 21, for a 12-day TAT.

TTM Success - Zach Neto

A few more 2022 Bowman Draft signed cards remain after my initial wave came though in mid-January.  This next one that came in TTM was signed by Zach Neto.  The card turned out nicely as Neto has a decent autograph.  There are a couple other players' cards that came in that don't look all that great, but this one is fine.

Neto (b. 2001) was a first round pick (13th over all) in the July 2022 Amateur Draft by the Angels out of Campbell University.  He played in two levels of the Angels system last season (high A and AA) and had 44 hits, 5 home runs and a .299 batting average.

I mailed to Neto on January 10 and got the card back on January 20, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Henry Bolte

This 2022 Bowman Draft Chrome that came back signed TTM from A's prospect Henry Bolte turned out nicely.  I always enjoy the A's uniforms, and the one Bolte is wearing looks nice on the Chrome card.  His signature is super thin, but still looks nice on my card.

Bolte (b. 2003) was a second round pick by the A's in the 2022 July Amateur Draft out of Palo Alto High School in California.  He played in the Arizona Complex League (rookie level) last season and had 7 hits, no home runs and a .212 batting average.

I mailed to Bolte on January 6 and got the card back on January 19, for a 13-day TAT.  He kept my 2022 Bowman Draft base card.

TTM Success - Jett Williams

This TTM success that was borne out of my 2022 Bowman Draft pickups brought in a sweet insert card.  Jett Williams signed two cards for me TTM, and the above insert might be one of m favorites that I have gotten back so far this year.  The card looks better in person, but the scan isn't too bad.

He also signed a 2022 Bowman Draft paper, which turned out nicely.

Williams (b. 2003) was a first round (14th over all) pick by the Mets in the July 2022 Amateur Draft out of Rockwall-Heath High School in Texas.  He played in 10 games for the FCL Mets last season, collecting 8 hits, 1 home run and a .250 batting average.

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

TTM Success - JR Ritchie

This 2022 Bowman Draft came back TTM signed by Braves prospect, JR Ritchie.  He doesn't have much of a signature, but the card is signed and has a home in my autograph album.

Ritchie (b. 2003) was a first round (35th overall) pick by the Braves in the 2022 July Amateur Draft out of Bainbridge High School in Bainbridge, Washington.  He played at Rookie Level and Low A last season, and will probably start this season in Low A.  I doubt he will still be with Augusta when they come to the Wood Ducks at the end of the season.  He has a record of 0-0 with 14 strike outs and a 1.88 ERA.

I mailed to Ritchie on January 3 and got the card back on January 17, for a 14-day TAT.

TTM Success - Brycen Mautz

There was a nice wave of 2022 Bowman Draft cards that came in signed TTM in Mid-January; here is the one that came back from Cardinals prospect, Brycen Mautz.

Mautz (b. 2001) was a 2nd round pick by the Cardinals in the 2022 July Amateur Draft out of The University of San Diego.  He hasn't pitched professionally, yet.

I mailed to Mautz on January 3 and got the card back on January 17, for a 14-day TAT.