TTM Success - Jake Meyers

The second TTM success from the small batch of 2022 Topps came back from Astros Jake Meyers.  I wish I had gone through some old team sets, because I realized later on that I had a couple Carolina League All Star cards of Meyers in a box.  Oh well, I can try again next year.

I got his 2022 Topps base and foil insert signed, and they both turned out nicely.

Meyers (b. 1996) made his major league debut last season with the Astros.  Last season, he had 38 hits, 6 home runs and a .260 batting average.  He hasn't played yet this season, but that is largely due to him being on the IL.

I mailed to Meyers on February 23 and got the cards back on March 1, for a 17-day TAT.

TTM Success - Eduardo Rodriguez

My good friend, Gerard, and his brother have been setting up more private signings recently.  One of the ones that I was able to get a return from was former Oriole, Eduardo Rodriguez.  I had this 2014 Bowman Platinum green refractor in my Orioles box for a long time, and finally sent it out for signature.  When the cards came back, a lot of hate was thrown their way for the quality of the autograph that Rodriguez put on the card.  I thought a lot of that was unfounded, since the promoters can't control how a person signs their name.  It is Rodriguez's autograph, love it or hate it.  I, personally, am glad I have the signed cards to put in my album.  Other people can just choose not to engage in a Rodriguez signing; it's that simple.

I also got this 2022 Topps signed.  Ridriguez's signature does show up better on this card, but again, I didn't have an issue with it in the first place.

Rodriguez (b. 1993) has played in the majors since 2015 (missing the 2020 season with COVID and other health issues) for the Red Sox and Tigers.  He has a career record of 64-41 with 915 strike outs and a 4.19 ERA.  He won the World Series with the Red Sox in 2018.  He finished 6th in the AL Cy Young race in 2019.

I mailed to the signing on January 31 and got the cards back on March 11, for a 39-day TAT.

TTM Success - TJ Steele

Another older Bowman card was added to my album with this TTM success from TJ Steele.  This is a 2011 Bowman, and it turned out nicely.

Steele (b. 1986) was a 4th round pick by the Astros in the 2008 June Amateur Draft out of University of Arizona.  He played in the minors (Astros and Padres systems) from 2008 to 2012, reaching AA.  He had 287 hits, 23 home runs and a .247 batting average.

I mailed to Steele on March 1 and got the card back on March 11, for a 10-day TAT.

TTM Success - Robert Benincasa

Here is another 2012 Bowman Chrome refractor that I was able to get signed TTM.  This one came from former Nationals minor leaguer, Robert Benincasa.  He signed the card with a light blue marker.  The autograph looks nice in that shade of blue; I just hope it doesn't fade.

Benincasa (b. 1990) was a 7th round pick by the Nationals in the 2012 June Amateur Draft out of Florida State.  He played in the minors from 2012 to 2016 (all with Washington), reaching AA.  He had a record of 8-12 with 194 strike outs and a 3.58 ERA.

I mailed to Benincasa on February 26 and got the card back on March 11, for a 23-day TAT.

TTM Success - Sammy Solis

Here is a nice TTM success that got a couple older cards out of my boxes.  Sammy Solis signed the above 2011 Bowman Platinum green chrome refractor in black Sharpie, and the card looks pretty great.  The auto doesn't show up too well on the scan, but it really does look cool.  The card is numbered 348/599.

I also sent this 2011 Bowman Chrome along, and it turned out nicely as well.

Solis (b. 1988) played in the majors from 2015 to 2018 for the Nationals.  He had a record of 5-7 with 136 strike outs and a 4.51 ERA.

I mailed to Solis on October 4 and got the cards back on March 11, for a 158-day TAT.

Graphing Recap of April 2022 Mudcats at Wood Ducks

Another homestand has come and gone, this one being an eventful one between regional rivals, the Carolina Mudcats and Down East Wood Ducks.  Usually, there isn't much of a rivalry; but this series saw benches and bullpens clear twice, and a lot of chirping going on.  Luckily, no one really came to blows, and only one person was ejected (that I saw).

I was able to get a lot of cards signed, and finished off all of what I had for the Mudcats.  The above 2021 Bowman Draft chrome mojo parallel of Eduardo Garcia is one I actually pulled myself, so it was nice to get it signed.

Several of the Mudcats have cards, and the signature I liked the most was Hendry Mendez on the 2022 Bowman First Edition.  He has a cool signature, and I was glad a fellow Instagrammer sent two, so I could get one signed.  He also sent several Hedbert Perez cards, one of which is the 2021 Bowman Draft Chrome shown above.

I ordered a Jeferson Quero Ray Wave parallel from Ebay, and it turned out great, even though Quero's signature looks like a bike.

My friend, Gerard, sent an assortment of Guilder Rodriguez cards, and I got a good many of them signed.  I have a bunch left, still, but those can be gotten over the course of the next few months.

I added a 2022 Bowman First Edition of Maximo Acosta, as well as his 2021 Bowman Chrome.  I also picked up a few Jose Rodriguez 2022 Bowman First Editions off of Ebay, so I could add him to the album.

Finally, Gerard ordered a few Dylan MacLeans to be delivered to the house, and they got here in time to be added to the book to get signed.  Dylan even liked the color parallel.

I had a good time this series, even with the jawing back and forth between the two teams.  It is a long season, and I think there will still be some animosity when the Mudcats come back to town.

In all, I got the following signatures this series:  Guilder Rodriguez x 14, Jeferson Quero x 28, Eduardo Garcia x 18, Leury Tejada x 6, Dylan MacLean x 11, Hendry Mendez x 2, Hedbert Perez x 11, Arbert Cipion x 6, Maximo Acosta x 8, Jose Rodriguez x 7 and Micah Bello x 1 (112 total signatures).

TTM Success - Tucker Davidson

A lot of people aren't fans of the unlicensed products released b Panini, but I don't mind them.  2021 Mosaic is a nice product, and some of the parallels looks really cool.  This one is a blue digital camo parallel, and I was able to get it signed TTM by Tucker Davidson.  I think the card turned out great, and will look cool in my album.

Davidson (b. 1996) has played in the majors since 2020 for the Braves.  He has a record of 0-1 with 22 strike outs and a 5.55 ERA.  He won the World Series last season with the Braves.

I mailed to Davidson on January 25 and got the card back on March 8, for a 42-day TAT.