The Aroldis Chapman Conundrum

Hey everyone! So pitchers and catchers have reported, and that is awesome. The worst part of the year is finally over. Ever since I was knocked out of my fantasy football playoffs and watched the Patriots perform miracles in the Super Bowl, I've been geared up for baseball season. While the Yankees are in the midst of a "don't call it a rebuild" rebuild period, I actually am anxious to get the season underway and see what the kids can do.

It was a pretty quiet offseason for Cashman and crew, if you consider spending over $100 million quiet. However, a bulk of that money was put towards our brand old southpaw closer, Aroldis Chapman. I've made it pretty clear that I don't support what Chapman has done (nobody should). But regardless, what's done is done and technology hasn't yet allowed for time travel to reverse mistakes.

I picked up one of Chapman's better cards on eBay before the signing, in anticipation that the card's price would rise when he inevitably became a Yankee again:

The 2010 Bowman refractors scan awfully, I must say. Nevertheless, this is Chapman's rookie refractor autograph, a card I had always wanted but never been able to afford. In light of his domestic violence incident, his card prices have generally fallen as you would expect. I wouldn't consider the price I paid a victory because of the circumstances (much like how I was able to add the Jose Fernandez Bowman auto after his death), but I was satisfied with its cost.

Now that Chapman has a lot of guaranteed money to work with, we'll see his true colors. Of course, if he didn't behave in his contract year, he wouldn't have been awarded a record contract for closers. I get that. 

But I've always been willing to give athletes second chances after coming to grips with what they had done, as long as they seemed to learn from it. Michael Vick is a prime example of this. My friend shared a video of Vick's career highlights recently on facebook, and I realized how great it was to be able to watch him do what he did best: play football. He paid the price for what he did, and he genuinely seems to want to make a difference off the field by speaking to kids constantly about how to treat animals. So now, when I watch old footage of Vick scrambling downfield, I can enjoy it without any feelings of guilt.

Because Chapman isn't a native of this country, it may be more difficult for him to express himself to the media and fans. But I hope over the next 3-5 years I'll be able to feel similarly about Chapman as I now do about Vick. If this is the case, I'll have this beautiful, shiny autographed card of his to enjoy.

Christmas Gifts in February: Andrew's Edition

Hey everyone, Drew back here. Alright, so maybe the comeback was a little bit of a tease. What more could you have expected from perhaps the most consistently inconsistent blogger in the community? 

Anyway, I'm going to at least shoot for one post a week, and this week I'm going to start catching up on some of the mail I've received from some of my friends. We begin with a Christmas gift I received from Andrew, of the now pretty much extinct Everyday Holliday blog. Andrew is finishing up high school now and; while he's still involved heavily through his Instagram (@everyday_holliday7), he's seemed to move away from the blogs. If he ever does make his way back here like I did, he would most certainly be welcomed back.

His package contained a bunch of various odds and ends I really didn't expect. To begin, here were a couple really nice parallels of some of the Yankees high end pitching prospects. 

Domingo Acevedo put together a strong 2016 season and fits the mold of "tall Yankees right hander who throws gas" (a la Dellin Betances). It will be interesting to see if he can string together another excellent year; because if it weren't for the year Chance Adams had (not to mention all the new young acquisitions), he would be all the talk. 

Speaking of which, Justus Sheffield was acquired from the Indians last July in the Andrew Miller deal. The lefty found success in his brief stint for the Yankees following the trade, and projects as our second best pitching prospect behind James Kaprielian.

Tyler Wade is going to have to work really hard if he wants to play for the Yankees going forward. Wade does a lot of things well, but nothing exceptionally. He currently ranks as our tenth best prospect according to River Ave Blues, but with Didi Gregorius, Gleyber Torres, and Jorge Mateo also listed under shortstop on the organizational depth chart, he may need to find a new position. Last fall, he tried playing outfield in the Arizona Fall League, which could open up an opportunity for him to supplant Ronald Torreyes or Rob Refsnyder as the utility man in the long run.

Wade was certainly one of the top Yankees prospects I needed a refractor autograph of for my collection, and Andrew was able to knock him off my list as my main gift. However, he went overboard and spoiled me with some other stuff...

Ah, arguably the Yankees two best pitchers, Masahiro Tanaka and Aroldis Chapman. You can definitely add Dellin Betances in this upper tier, but after that there are endless questions about the rest of the pitching staff. Can Michael Pineda be a little consistent? Can CC Sabathia repeat his bounceback year? And most importantly, is Luis Severino more of the 2015 or 2016 version? These questions are paramount to the team's success this year and to the future teams.

I absolutely love the Gypsy Queen relic of Tanaka. The card design just works for me. Also, the Chapman relic is an instance where a gray relic actually looks good aesthetically!

Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Why are there Matt Holliday cards in a package from "Everyday Holliday"? Well, Andrew is a Cardinals fan and had two PC's: Matt Holliday and Aroldis Chapman. And as of now, both of those players are now on the Yankees roster, which is not exactly something he was envisioning. So, he's decided to cut bait with some of the lower end cards of those collections (hence the Chapman above, as well as the next few Holliday's).

2008 Upper Deck A Piece of History was one of the first products I really got into when I took the next step in my early collecting years. Holliday was a heck of a player in his Rockies days.

In a deal Andrew and I made early last summer, I sent him a parallel of this autograph from 2007 Bowman's Best. Now, I've got the base version of that card back in my collection. In 2007, Holliday batted .340 with 36 home runs and 137 RBI's. If he can do half of that pinstripes, I'd be satisfied.

I actually knew I was getting this card, because I bought it off of him before he mailed out my Christmas gift. I really am not a fan of sticker autographs at this point, but most of Holliday's affordable autographs are on sticker. He really doesn't sign much, actually. I love this card from 2008 Topps Triple Threads, one of the first high end products I remember watching box breaks for. This one is numbered 5/18.

Lastly, Andrew threw in an autograph of the aforementioned Severino and a really nice Joe Panik out of Topps High Tek numbered to 99. I probably am of the minority when it comes to Topps High Tek: I'm not really much of a fan in most cases. I think the clear acetate style cards are sort of a gimmick, and my opinion varies from a card to card basis. I won't even try to figure out what version the Panik is, but it is a good looking card and I appreciate the kind gesture!

Andrew is a heck of a good dude, and I think more people need to know that. If you have an Instagram, be sure to check out his if you haven't already. Thanks for the awesome stuff!

Instantly Hooked on Instagram

For a while, I didn't know how much I was into using Instagram for hobby related purposes. I didn't know how much I'd be able to trust users and besides, I hadn't done much trading in a considerably long time. I finally decided to give it a shot, and the longer I've had my new separate account (@drewshotcorner), I realized that a lot of my cards do indeed have a price tag and are not untouchable. Several trades later, I have to say I'm hooked. No offense to you guys, but the trading and selling is much more active there than it is on these sites from everything I've seen.

First, I made a trade with user @csgraphs a few weeks ago. I dealt a few autographs I didn't have any connection to for these two beauties:

2016 Topps Museum Collection Nolan Arenado Quad Patch Relic /75

2013 Topps Five Star Justin Upton Auto /333

Arenado is one of the top five all around position players in the game in my eyes, along with Trout, Harper, Machado, and Goldschmidt. He can do no wrong. This patch card I acquired more than likely will end up in Frankie's hands eventually, but for now I'm going to enjoy the dirt splattered relic chunks.

Meanwhile, it hasn't been the brightest start to Justin Upton's Tigers tenure. He is beginning to come on, which is encouraging and should have been expected. He is an example of an overhyped prospect that has come into his own over time. He was hyped to be much greater than he's been, but at least he's still an above average outfielder. I love Topps Five Star, and will struggle to unload this card because of how gorgeous his autograph looks.

Next, I worked out a trade with @cluelesscards that I didn't think I would end up doing, but lucked out with. He wanted one of my low end Troy Tulowitzki autographs, and I preferred to move the card only for a different autograph or relic. He then presented me with an alternative approach to the deal, as he had quite a few cards I needed of many of my PC guys.

Robinson Cano was the big winner once again, as I was able to add 10 new cards of his alone to my PC box. I'm starting to soften on his transition from New York to Seattle, and really have no issue with continuing to collect his stuff here and there. I think a lot of that has to do with the Yankees now having a major league caliber player at second base again in Starlin Castro; no longer having to deal with the black hole that was old Brian Roberts and Stephen Drew.

This trade also included my first Aroldis Chapman Yankees card. I've been pretty impressed with Chapman, but I must admit it's hard watching him pitch for such a non-competitive team. If he isn't moved by the trade deadline, I won't have much faith left in the organization. He has too much value to be left wasting away in this bullpen. Side note: how awful were those 2015 All Star Game hats?

Believe it or not, the Yankees boast a stronger young core than they've had in quite some time. Refsnyder has had some nice moments, Bird exceeded expectations last September, and Didi Gregorius may just be their second best hitter right now after the red hot Carlos Beltran. The Opening Day rookie card of Gary Sanchez is a total flop though. I don't think you can tell from the scan, but the photo is so pixelated. It looks like a custom card done horribly wrong. Sorry, Topps.

Because there is a Nick Swisher card included here, I guess this is the proper time to address that I have sold my 150+ card collection of his to Chris Olds, formerly of Beckett Baseball. He is a Swisher super collector, and as much as I enjoyed his stint in pinstripes it was all taking up too much space in my personal collection box. I might add a few of the cards back in time, because now I have just a few left, but I felt like it was the right thing to do and I did it.

I really like this Gypsy Queen framed parallel of Andrew McCutchen. Cutch is off to the worst start of his magnificent career, and may be considered the worst of the Pirates super talented outfield. I would never count him out though. He is no longer one of my major PC focuses, but I wouldn't pass up his cards if I were offered them. This one will be staying with me.

This was a good trade for me, despite losing an autograph from my autograph count (which is declining substantially since I first posted about it). 

The final trade I'll be showcasing in this post was with @cbbaseballcards. I gave up my Anthony Rizzo Tribute auto in exchange for these two Yankees autographs. Rizzo is one of my favorite players right now, but I want to find a card I like more than the one I had. 

Aaron Judge and Greg Bird could work out in several ways. One could pan out, one might not. Perhaps both will fly to superstardom and bat 3-4 in the Yankees order for years to come. Or both of these cards will one day be found in the dollar bin. Autograph collecting is such a gamble, and I think that is part of why it is so addicting for collectors like myself. Judge has been on a tear lately in AAA, and I hope the Yankees give him a fair chance in the majors this season after they trade Carlos Beltran for more quality prospects (which again, as much as I like Carlos; needs to happen for the good of the future).

This is just the beginning of my summer collection overhaul. I just got a new job that pays pretty well, and while most of the money I make will be allotted to recovering my abysmal bank account post-study abroad, I will have some money to put towards this hobby too. I already have a few ideas up my sleeve.

Cuban Missile Crisis

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Six winters ago, Yankee fans rejoiced following their MLB record 27th World Series Championship. General Manager Brian Cashman was bombarded with compliments after spending over $400 million on free agent stars C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira, while additionally trading for veteran clubhouse leader Nick Swisher. Fans ignored the long term aftermath of the contracts in order to get back to being on top of the baseball landscape; a place where they have felt so comfortable in the past.

Since their 2009 title, the Bronx Bombers have watched their rival Boston Red Sox win their third World Series in a decade. This, of course, followed Boston's 86 year title-less draught commonly referred to as "The Curse of the Bambino". As the Yankees' 2009 additions grew older along with Alex Rodriguez and the Core Four, it was implied that the team would have to get worse in order to eventually get better. But, they have always had a financial advantage that could potentially shorten the rebuilding process meanwhile keeping their fans satisfied.

Up until yesterday, this offseason has been atypical for Cashman and company. Rather than spending money the George Steinbrenner way, Cashman has been seeking out talent and making trades that could help the team grow younger while remaining competitive. Fans were beginning to see this management transition last offseason, but were still rewarded with reliever Andrew Miller for a 4 year term worth approximately $36 million. Even this signing, despite Miller's reputation as one of the game's top bullpen cogs, was relatively lackluster because it was only done to replace predecessor David Robertson and gain a first round compensation draft pick to use in the upcoming draft.

Cashman drew some noteworthy buzz a year ago as well by trading young assets Shane Greene, David Phelps, Francisco Cervelli, and veteran infielder Martin Prado to bring Nathan Eovaldi, Justin Wilson, and Derek Jeter's replacement, Didi Gregorius; to the Bronx. All three players were forgotten or unnecessary to their prior team's future, but essential to Cashman's blueprint. He did this while remembering that each player gained would need to be capable of handling the limelight and donning the pinstripes accordingly.

The moves paid off. Gregorius was nominated for a Gold Glove, Wilson was the primary 7th inning reliever, and Eovaldi won 14 games before an elbow injury ended his season. The team won 87 games, but ultimately lost the Wild Card Game to the emerging Houston Astros. All this while growing another year closer to the conclusion of some of baseball's all time worst contracts meant an overall success for the team. But they're the Yankees, and fans won't be able to tolerate these transition years much longer.

Yesterday, Cashman decided that the team is all in for 2016. He traded four middling prospects to the Cincinnati Reds for the best closer in baseball, Aroldis Chapman. Chapman has the talent to fit into what was already arguably the best bullpen in the sport. He will more than likely be given the full time 9th inning job while Miller and Dellin Betances will share the 7th and 8th inning roles depending on matchups. There is still some debate if Cashman will now look to trade Miller to acquire a young, controllable starting pitcher, but it appears unlikely at this time.

The most important question regarding the "Cuban Missile" is whether he has the makeup to fit into the fold. The Dodgers pulled away from a trade a month ago with the Reds after a horrifying story broke supposedly involving domestic violence between Chapman, his girlfriend, and a gun that was said to have been fired eight times.

The Reds were beginning a complete rebuild period themselves, and would have preferred to move their closer before the allegations came out anyway. Chapman was set to become a free agent after this year, and rebuilding teams typically should trade commodities midseason to get long term value out of a player they don't plan to resign through prospects. These types of moves also help contenders take an extra step towards a championship (ie: Yoenis Cespedes, David Price, and Johnny Cueto), so they're generally viewed as a win-win.

Cincinnati's former GM and now President Walt Jocketty did not take advantage of the opportunity to move Chapman at his highest value, and now-GM Dick Williams attempted to make up for the mistake with Los Angeles. However, the domestic violence situation was indeed disturbing, and the Dodgers could not be faulted for passing up on the player (no matter how hard he can throw his fastball). Cashman shocked everyone by swooping in to grab Chapman while his value was the lowest it's been.

From a business standpoint, the move makes total sense considering what was given up. Eric Jagielo and Rookie Davis have the potential to develop into solid players, but they aren't worth losing sleep over. They were able to upgrade their current roster while keeping Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez, and all of their other most prized possessions.

Chapman will most likely begin the season suspended as Commissioner Rob Manfred may look to make a statement with the new Domestic Violence policy. He would need to be available in 138 games this season in order to qualify for free agency next year, so his suspension could mean one of two things for the Yankees. If he is suspended for fewer than 46 games, they will have him for close to an entire season and can tender a qualifying offer to him next winter. But if he is suspended for more than 46 games, he will fall short of the service time needed to become a free agent and the Yankees will have him for another season.

It's terrible to look at a player with this kind of recent history from a financial standpoint. Domestic violence should not be taken lightly, and the preceding information should not affect fans' standpoints on the importance of protecting players and their families. Whether Chapman gets a 25, 50, or 100 game ban, or no ban at all, is really unknown at this time. Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner did their homework before agreeing to the deal though, and they believe the suspension will be short enough where they can maximize his value for the length of the 2016 season. This will allow them to have a three headed monster capable of becoming the most dominant bullpen in recorded history.

The difference between these past two offseasons lays in the blood of their acquisitions. It appears as though Cashman has dropped the "good guy" policy the Yankees have always valued in order to instead gain as much talent as possible. He traded for infielder Starlin Castro several weeks ago, who has had some off-field violence history as well. It is easy to view the longtime General Manager as a villain for making these decisions. We live in a world today that places higher emphasis on punishing domestic abusers more than ever before.

Former manager Joe Torre is particularly opposed to violence, and established the Safe at Home Foundation in 2007 in order to raise money to educate and prevent domestic violence. As now acting Executive Vice President for Baseball Operations, Torre's personal history with domestic violence could play a role in Chapman's case.

With Aroldis Chapman closing out games in 2015, the Yankees may have earned their title as the "Evil Empire". His actions rival Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy's, who was given a second chance but is genuinely disliked by the vast majority of fans. When a player's reputation outweighs their talent, they can become a detriment to the clubhouse. When a player can throw 106 mph yet still manage to be a distraction, their presence can be dangerous. Brian Cashman is walking on a thin line with this trade. His reputation may be at stake for allowing one of the sport's criminals into the most populated city in America.

But if the team wins, all will rejoice, much like 2009. Chapman's personal history will dissolve into obscurity as he celebrates atop a float on Broadway.

There is a lot one can say about just how scary that may sound.

2013 MBL Fantasy Baseball Draft Recap!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Last night was really cool for me, as I got the chance to host my 1st ever Fantasy Baseball draft party! I had my entire league (with the exception of one person) over my house, and we sat around the big board I constructed eating pizza and picking players the way fantasy was meant to be done. It was an extremely fun experience and I'm very happy with not only the party turnout but my team as well. My ESPN Fantasy league has 8 teams in it, and after drawing out of a hat, I landed the second pick of 8. It was a Snake Draft, so after picking 2nd, I had to wait all the way until Pick #15 for my second round choice. Despite the long wait, I was pleased with the way my team came out. Take a look:

Round 1, Pick 2: Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Detroit Tigers

Despite the recent allegations, Ryan Braun was taken 1st overall. I was a bit surprised that Cabrera wasn't taken first, so I jumped at the chance to add the Triple Crown winner to my team! My original plan was to take an outfielder such as Trout, McCutchen, or even Kemp, but I think I was better off with Cabrera, even despite the strong amount of fantasy caliber third basemen.

Round 2, Pick 15: David Price, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

Over the past few years, I've tried to make pitching my team strength in fantasy, and clearly this year I was going for the same idea with Price being selected in Round 2. Verlander, Kershaw, and Strasburg were already taken, so I went with my gut and chose the reigning AL Cy Young winner. This year should show whether Price will be a perennial ace or if he reached his peak last season.

Round 3, Pick 18: Jose Bautista, OF, Toronto Blue Jays

Boy, does Toronto look scary or what this season? I don't quite think they'll live up to the hype, however I still think they'll be a tremendous improvement from last year. With a fresh lineup of top notch hitters, I thought taking Joey Bats would be a safe choice, even though he missed a good majority of 2012. 

Round 4, Pick 31: Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Boston Red Sox

One key factor in my league's drafts is that Red Sox never get any love. Maybe that could be because most of them haven't lived up to the hype lately, but I think the bigger reason is that most of us can't stand them. I don't like Dustin a whole lot, but I have a lot of respect for the way he plays, and he was the best second baseman available at the time.

Round 5, Pick 34: Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado Rockies

I talked pretty poorly about Tulo going into this draft. I said how overrated he is and that I didn't understand why he was ranked so high. Well, I didn't expect him to sit on our draft board for as long as he did, and by Round 5 he was easily a great value pick. I couldn't pass him up, and I was able to fill 2 of the most difficult positions relatively quickly.

Round 6, Pick 47: Cliff Lee, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

Cliff Lee was another guy I wasn't very high on leading up to the draft, but again, when you let someone as good as he is drop around 3 rounds later than he should, there isn't much of a choice to me. Lee was easily the top pitcher available, and I think people passed on him because of the low amount of wins he had last year. Few realized that he actually had a great season, but just couldn't put a lot of 'W's' on his stat sheet. 

Round 7, Pick 50: Jason Heyward, OF, Atlanta Braves

Just like the past two players, I really wasn't interested in Heyward either. However, sitting in the draft room looking at bargain value players is like watching eBay auctions at extremely random times. When you see a ridiculously low price with seconds left on the clock, instinct tells you that you need him on your team. As a #1 outfielder, I'd be a little concerned personally, but I'm more than happy to have him as my #2.

Round 8, Pick 63: Austin Jackson, OF, Detroit Tigers

Austin Jackson has really grown on me over the past year. I had him in my outfield for most of the second half of last season, and he was as productive as it could possibly get. He does a little bit of everything, and is becoming more and more of a threat to be a 20/20 player. This could be a breakout year for the former Yankee prospect, so I was glad to take a chance on him here.

Round 9, Pick 66: Johnny Cueto, SP, Cincinnati Reds

Cueto has got to be one of the most underrated pitchers throughout all of baseball, so I was pumped to make him my 3rd starter! He's matured a lot over the last few seasons, and he's turned out to be a threat for 20 wins on a year to year basis! Plus, he has the chance to be on a contending team for the next years to come, which really won me over with the choice.

Round 10, Pick 79: Martin Prado, 3B/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

I didn't honestly have a clue who to choose with this pick, so I went with the versatile Prado, who could turn out to be an X-factor for my team. He should fit in nicely with the Diamondbacks lineup, and if he bats around .300 I'll be content to have him in my outfield.

Round 11, Pick 82: Aroldis Chapman, RP, Cincinnati Reds

Let it be known that I was the guy who started the closer picking spree in this year's draft. Sure, Kimbrel went a few rounds earlier, but everyone knows he's above and beyond all of the others. Once I took the Cuban Missile in Round 11, they began to drop like flies. I'm not normally an advocate of picking closers early on, but after dealing with Heath Bell and John Axford last year I needed to feel assured with Chapman.

Round 12, Pick 95: Adam LaRoche, 1B, Washington Nationals

I may have waited a bit too long to choose my first baseman, but with strengths at other positions I should make it out alright with LaRoche. He had an awesome year last year, but he's struggling in Spring Training and he isn't exactly a young guy at this point either. He could potentially end up as a 2009-2011 Mark Teixeira type player, or a 2008-2010 Adam LaRoche. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Round 13, Pick 108: Josh Willingham, OF, Minnesota Twins

Essentially; I chose the same type of player on back to back picks. Two power bats coming off breakout seasons that in my mind are still high risk type guys. However, Willingham really seemed to find his groove last year in Minnesota so I figured it was worth giving him a shot.

Round 14, Pick 111: Anibal Sanchez, SP, Detroit Tigers

If Anibal Sanchez didn't dominate to the extent that he did during the playoffs last season, I don't know if he'd even be considered in this draft. He showed a lot of people up during that time, and I feel like coming off the fresh contract he could have a really nice, possible break out year.

Round 15, Pick 124: Torii Hunter, OF, Detroit Tigers

I'm not a Tigers fan, I swear. In fact, I didn't even realize how many of them I took until the draft was over! Hunter was another guy who did wonders for me at the end of last season, so I was glad to give him a shot again this year. He'll most likely hit second in the Tiger's order, behind Jackson and ahead of Cabrera, so he should see a lot of great pitches to hit! 

Round 16, Pick 127: Hanley Ramirez, SS/3B, Los Angeles Dodgers

I don't buy the hype in the Dodgers at all. I don't like Hanley Ramirez. And to top it off, he's missing 2 months of the season. However, he could be a potential keeper for me if he comes back strong (I'll be able to keep him if my team stays relatively healthy). I'm not always right, and I would love it if Hanley made me look bad by dominating when he comes back. For now, I'm a fan.

Round 17, Pick 140: Brandon Morrow, SP, Toronto Blue Jays

I don't much of anything about Morrow, other than that he's an injury prone strikeout machine. I've never had him on any of my teams, so this should be interesting. He was the top starter on the board, and was sitting there for a good 4 rounds at that point so I figured I'd put him out of his misery and into my lineup.

Round 18, Pick 143: Nick Swisher, 1B/OF, Cleveland Indians

New team for Swish? Don't care! Nick is still one of my favorite players although he left my beloved Yankees this offseason. He's been on a tear this spring, and Cleveland is shaping up to be another much improved American League team. What I love most about Swish, other than his love for the game, is his consistency. You know what to expect out of him year in and year out. Glad to finally have him aboard.

Round 19, Pick 156: Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

Hellickson is definitely one of the more underrated pitchers in baseball, and I thought this was a really smart pick on my part because his low ERA should correspond well with the higher ERA strikeout pitchers I'd already chosen. He isn't a star fantasy pitcher, but I believe this could potentially be a breakout year for him as only as he stays off the shelves.

Round 20, Pick 159: Brett Gardner, OF, New York Yankees

It took me 20 rounds to take my first Yankees player, after Cano, Sabathia, Kuroda, Jeter, Granderson, Ichiro, and Rivera were already taken. Seven of the 8 kids in my league are Yankees fans, so they tend to be a bit overrated. However, I found a hidden gem in Gardner towards the bottom of the spreadsheet, which could turn out to be the best low risk-high reward move I made on that night. If Gardy can hit enough to get on base a good amount, he should finish high in the steal categories this season!

Round 21, Pick 172: Wade Miley, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Much like Hellickson, I chose Miley to try and balance out my pitching styles. It's nice to have a bunch of guys who will blow hitters away, but strikeouts are only one category, with two others relating to how few runs and hits they allow. Miley could regress from his solid rookie season this year, but I figured he was worth a shot at that point.

Round 22, Pick 175: Joel Hanrahan, RP, Boston Red Sox
Closers were running thin around this round, but I still found a pretty solid option in Hanrahan. I've always liked the Hammer, but I have a funny feeling that the pressure in Boston could be too much to handle. I didn't have many other options though, so I'm hoping he can give me more than I expected!

Round 23, Pick 188: Dan Uggla, 2B, Atlanta Braves
This was by far my least favorite pick of the draft. I really lost interest in Dan Uggla's playing style, along with all of the other low average high home run hitters. I actually dropped Uggla immediately following the draft for Erick Aybar to fill my middle infield spot that Hanley Ramirez will eventually inhabit. I already had a power heavy team, so the drop was probably for the best.

Round 24, Pick 191: Matt Harvey, SP, New York Mets
At this point, I was hoping for a needle in a haystack, and I went with the Mets young gun Harvey. I liked what I've seen out of him so far, and who knows, maybe he could have a Rookie of the Year level season!

Round 25, Pick 204: Salvador Perez, C, Kansas City Royals
Yeah, that's right. I waited until my final pick to take a catcher. Why? It's simple, each team needs 1 catcher, and it's really out of the ordinary for someone to take multiple backstops. The first 7 came in and went, but I figured Perez could be an underrated option, and saved him for the end. Miguel Montero is also a free agent, so worst comes to worst I could pick him up if need be, but for now I'm liking what I see out of Perez.

Overall, I was pretty happy with the way my team came out. Obviously, an 8 team league delivers some star studded teams, but there can only be one winner in the long run! How do you think I did?

See Ya!

Autograph Pickup of an All Star Flamethrower!

Hey guys, Drew back here! So first and foremost, it looks like some of you have enjoyed doing the contest thus far, which is great! I sure hope we can get the word around even more though guys, so please don't stop with what you're doing, because 10 entries really isn't anything spectacular, especially for prizes of this caliber. Someone out there wants a 1/1 cut autograph of a Hall of Famer, right? You can do this! I'm rooting for you!

Anyways, to kick off the next 1,000 posts here on drewscards, let's start it off with an autograph of a guy whose young career will probably just be getting incredible by the time I get to #2000! Take a look:

My apologies for the horrible scanning job, but this right here is a 2011 Bowman Chrome rookie autograph of Reds gunslinger Aroldis Chapman! Chapman has made a ton of waves in the MLB in his first few seasons due to being notorious for clocking well over 100 mph on his fastball. He set the record for fastest pitch in a game with a 106 mph fastball blazing inside to Andrew McCutchen, who could hardly even see the ball. However, he's also a very talented young pitcher with a load of potential for the Reds. He's posted a 1.93 ERA and 9 saves as the fill in closer, due to an injury to Ryan Madson in the beginning of the year. Of late, he's blown quite a few saves, but there is no concern that he won't bounce back.

I paid about $15 for the card, and I'm hoping it was a fairly reasonable buy down the road. No matter what, it is kind of cool to own an autograph of the hardest throwing pitcher in history, even though the card is as dull as anything I've ever seen before. Note to all of you out there, if you're going to get any of these, at least pay $5-10 extra for the refractor. You're better off. 

So that'll do it for today, I've got a game tonight and when I come back I want to see some new guys getting in on the contest! The link will be posted right above this post, or you can just keep scrolling to the post directly below this! Let's Go!

See Ya!