MLB Trade Deadline Recap and Thoughts

Hey guys, Drew back here! The trade deadline has once again come and gone, and despite a surprisingly quiet final day, the past week has been complete and utter mayhem across Major League Baseball. Over 30 trades were made, sending players and prospects all over the country to places we couldn't even fathom. The only team that didn't make a move was the Arizona Diamondbacks, who flirted with making a trade for Reds closer Aroldis Chapman all week but couldn't get anything done.

So, with all this, I'm going to jump in my mini Time Machine and take you back a little over a week ago, where July's big moves began to take place. Along the way, I'll offer my thoughts on the most impactful acquisitions and where I feel like some teams went wrong.

July 23rd

1. Pittsburgh Pirates acquire Aramis Ramirez and cash from the Milwaukee Brewers for prospect Yhonathan Barrios.

2. Houston Astros acquire Scott Kazmir from the Oakland Athletics for prospects Daniel Mengden and Jacob Nottingham.

Houston, we have a problem. The Astros are leading the AL West in shocking fashion thus far into the season by 2 games over the Angels, and with their addition of the Texas native southpaw, they only got better. Kazmir has not allowed a run yet over his first 14 2/3 IP in his new digs, and is ready to build on what has been a remarkable career turn around.

July 24th

3. New York Mets acquire Juan Uribe, Kelly Johnson, and cash from the Los Angeles Dodgers for prospects John Gant and Rob Whalen.

4. St. Louis Cardinals acquire Steve Cishek from the Miami Marlins for prospect Kyle Barraclough.

Cishek could use a change of scenery after collapsing early on in 2015, and might be a rebound candidate in the 2nd half with the great pitching personnel St. Louis provides.

5. Los Angeles Angels acquire Conor Gillaspie from the Chicago White Sox for cash.

July 26th

6. Kansas City Royals acquire Johnny Cueto from the Cincinnati Reds for prospects Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb, and Cody Reed.

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This could be the biggest game changer of all deadline moves this year. Last season, the Royals' pitching got by with their incredible bullpen, but their starting pitching wasn't close to as dangerous. With James Shields gone and Yordano Ventura struggling immensely in his sophomore season, it was critical for last year's pennant winners to add someone of Cueto's caliber for a postseason run. The righty is set to become a free agent after the year concludes, and it seems hard to believe that Kansas City will hold onto him for years to come. But, if he helps to bring a World Series title home to Kansas City, this trade could never look bad on their part.

This reminds me of the Brewers move in 2008, bringing CC Sabathia in for a rental run. Sabathia pitched phenomenally, not only bolstering his contract value (that the Yankees are now suffering through) but leading them further into the playoffs than expected. This is a win-win-win. A win for the Royals, gaining an ace. A win for the Reds, gaining some solid pitching prospects knowing they won't be able to resign their ace next year. And, a win for Cueto, who, with a big second half, could end up with a huge reward this offseason.

Cueto gave up 3 runs on 7 hits over 6 innings in his Royals debut against the Blue Jays last night.

July 27th

7. Los Angeles Angels acquire Shane Victorino and cash from the Boston Red Sox for Josh Rutledge.

8. New York Mets acquire Tyler Clippard and cash from the Oakland Athletics for prospect Casey Meisner.

Clippard should become an important piece of the back end of the Mets bullpen, and is next in line for the closer role if Jeurys Familia continues to struggle. He has become one of the more dependable relievers in the game in recent years and will most likely lower the risk of manager Terry Collins having a heart attack mid-game.

July 28th

9. Los Angeles Angels acquire David Murphy and cash from the Cleveland Indians for prospect Eric Stamets.

10. Los Angeles Angels acquire David DeJesus from the Tampa Bay Rays for prospect Eduar Lopez.

Over a two day span, the Angels added 3 decent outfielders in Victorino, Murphy, and DeJesus. You can't help but wonder what their thought process was behind this. Matt Joyce has been offensive in left field, batting .178 at the moment, and maybe their hope is that either one of the 3 new players will be good enough to sustain a starting role.

11. Washington Nationals acquire Jonathan Papelbon and cash from the Philadelphia Phillies for prospect Nick Pavetta.

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Oh, it's so nice not having to hear Papelbon complain any longer. The All Star closer is one of my least favorite players in baseball, however, I must give credit where credit is due. Despite crotch grabbing, a bad temper, and not being afraid of saying what's on his mind (a scary thought), Pap is has been one of the top closers over the past decade. Drew Storen got the raw end of this deal, losing his closer role despite saving 29 of 31 games with a miniscule 1.64 ERA (sorry to all of you Storen fantasy owners out there). Papelbon wouldn't take the deal unless he knew he would have the closer role, and sure enough, the man got his way.

A critical part of why the Nationals most likely made this move was because of Papelbon's excellent postseason reputation. He has allowed 3 runs over 27 innings pitched in October, pitching to a 1.00 ERA and has had the honor of closing out a World Series victory in his past. Storen, meanwhile, in 5.1 IP, has allowed 5 runs, and was known for blowing a key save in Game 5 of the 2012 NLDS against the Cardinals that sent his Nationals home for the winter. Experience is behind this move, and it should be interesting to see how Papelbon will perform when the Nats need him most.

12. Kansas City Royals acquire Ben Zobrist and cash from the Oakland Athletics for prospects Aaron Brooks and Sean Manaea. 

Ben Zobrist is an extremely nice fit in Kansas City. While I disagree with Brian Kenny and the folks at MLB Network who view him as one of the biggest star players in recent memory (I don't care how high his WAR is), he is a consistent, versatile option that will come in handy in the postseason. It's difficult to say anything bad about the guy today, since he has two home runs against the Blue Jays right now and is making the right kind of impact on a fantastic fanbase that will be fully supportive of him in no time. And, if Kansas City does decide to bring him back next year, he'll have an almost guaranteed chance of starting in the All Star Game!

I am seeing several people online debating whether the Royals gave up too much young talent for these players they may not necessarily need to make the postseason. It appears as though they would have already run away with the AL Central title without Cueto and Zobrist, but I think having these players will be a decision they will not regret. As much as I want to see my Yankees make the World Series this year, their biggest challenge would've been Kansas City before the moves and even more-so now. GM Dayton Moore and Manager Ned Yost are back for blood, and are poised to come home with the World Series trophy this season. For their sakes, let's hope Madison Bumgarner isn't on the mound again.

13. Toronto Blue Jays acquire Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins from the Colorado Rockies for Jose Reyes and prospects Miguel Castro, Jeff Hoffman, and Jesus Tinoco.

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While the Johnny Cueto move was probably the most important for any of this year's contending teams, this move was clearly the most fun. Tulowitzki would have never admitted it, but he was unhappy as ever in Colorado. Heck, last year he even was spotted at a Yankees game on an off day. He didn't see this move to Toronto coming, and Canada was exactly where he dreamed of heading off to, but I have a feeling he's going to grow to love playing at Rogers Centre in the most dangerous right handed lineup the game has to offer.

At the moment, I was confused as to why the Blue Jays would make this move when their clear objective at the deadline was to add a top notch starting pitcher. Also, Tulo has had bad hamstring and leg history, and the turf in Toronto may not be helpful to the length of his career. Plus, moving a still more than capable offensive cog in Jose Reyes, while declining defensively and still as big of an injury threat as anyone, didn't click for me. Reyes is a switch hitter who was supposed to and has gotten on base for their big bats to drive him in. Tulowitzki is not an ideal leadoff hitter, but later on we'll see how Toronto overcame this deficit.

There were rumors surrounding Reyes being moved from Colorado following the deal, but it appears that he will be staying put at Coors Field for now. On an interesting and strange side note, I lucked out with my main fantasy team this year and had Tulowitzki and Reyes as my 2B and middle infield positions. It was bizarre that they were flipped for each other!

July 29th

14. Cleveland Indians acquire prospect Jayson Aquino from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash.

New York Mets (almost) acquire Carlos Gomez from the Milwaukee Brewers. More on that one later.

July 30th

15. Toronto Blue Jays acquire David Price from the Detroit Tigers for prospects Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, and Jairo Labourt.

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This was the move I was terrified of seeing after the Blue Jays added Tulowitzki. No GM in baseball would have been done after not addressing the main focus at the deadline, and I knew either Hamels or Price had a great chance of being the next to travel across the border. Price is possibly my favorite pitcher in the game at the moment (always subject to change), and he appears to be an excellent addition to a team with playoff desires. He will not only eat innings, but he will eat them better than a majority of pitchers in the American League. Toronto has not made the playoffs since their World Series victory in 1993, and a Wild Card spot looks promising after these two moves.

But after losing Jose Reyes in the Tulowitzki trade, what is their plan for the top of the lineup? Read on. And, what if this year doesn't go as planned for GM Alex Anthopoulos? Price becomes a free agent after this year, and Daniel Norris has the potential of becoming a fantastic pitcher within the next couple of seasons. I understand attempting to win while Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion are towards the end of their prime, but within these two moves alone they lost a majority of their top prospects. It will be interesting to see if they will be able to add Price next year, who, along with Cueto, could seek a contract totaling over $200 million.

16. Houston Astros acquire Carlos Gomez, Mike Fiers, and a pick in the International Pool from the Milwaukee Brewers for prospects Josh Hader, Adrian Houser, Brett Phillips, and Domingo Santana.

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So, does Carlos Gomez actually have a bad hip or not? I mentioned when recapping the previous day that the Mets came very close to adding their former center fielder and now All Star in exchange for Zach Wheeler and Wilmer Flores (who has since become a fan favorite after hitting a walkoff home run in his "return" to the Mets). It turns out the Mets decided against the trade at the last minute because they were afraid of a hip injury that came up in a medical report. Gomez has not produced at the same level as he did in 2014 for the Brewers, so a hidden injury could have been kept under wraps, though he has denied any sort of health issue.

I thought Gomez would be a great fit for the Mets, but it appears that he'll fit even better patrolling center field in Houston. The Astros were able to add Scott Kazmir and Gomez for a slew of prospects, bettering their chances of not only making the playoffs but making a run for the World Series. The scariest thing about this team is that they are just getting started.

Love him or hate him, Carlos Gomez has played his entire career with his heart on his sleeve. His Brewers teammates and coaching staff loved his compassion and spoke of him much more highly than you would expect of a player whose tirades and fights on the field have made him a tough character to like. A player of his caliber can be a make or break addition to a team, and the Astros were right to have taken this risk.

17. Pittsburgh Pirates acquire Joakim Soria from the Detroit Tigers for prospect JaCoby Jones.

18. Chicago White Sox acquire Justin Sellers from the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash or a PTBNL.

19. Three Team Deal between Dodgers, Marlins, and Braves.
Dodgers acquire Mat Latos, Michael Morse, Alex Wood, Jim Johnson, Luis Avilan, Jose Peraza, Bronson Arroyo, and cash
Marlins acquire prospects Victor Araujo, Jeff Brigham, Kevin Guzman
Braves acquire Hector Olivera, Paco Rodriguez, and prospect Zach Bird.

This was a weird trade, but after a few days of negotiating, it finally came to be. The Dodgers appear to be the heavy winners on paper, but it appears that the other two teams accomplished their goals of clearing some salary while gaining some young players. GM John Hart of the Braves has done a nice job reloading the Braves organization for the debut of their new stadium, set to arrive in 2017. Hector Olivera is a highly regarded Cuban prospect, and could have the most upside of anyone in this deal.

As for right now, Los Angeles stocked up on starting pitchers to fill out the back end of their rotation. Following the dynamic duo of Kershaw and Greinke, they will now have Brett Anderson, Mat Latos, and Alex Wood round things out. Latos is my personal favorite talent-wise of the three, but all five pitchers are more than capable of helping them down the stretch.

20. New York Yankees acquire Dustin Ackley from the Seattle Mariners for prospects Ramon Flores and Jose Ramirez.

I was intrigued by the Yankees' plan for this year's deadline. GM Brian Cashman made it clear that he wasn't willing to move any of these four prospects: Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, Greg Bird, and Jorge Mateo. I certainly agreed on the first two, and while it would be convenient to have the latter two players as well, I wouldn't have been too upset to see them moved for assets they could use right now. Heck, they are in first place, but with the Blue Jays now breathing down their neck, you would think they would push for a little extra.

After flirting with every possible pitcher, starter or reliever, they ultimately only ended up moving two prospects for Dustin Ackley. Ackley was a highly regarded prospect several years ago who never really worked out in Seattle. About the only awesome thing about him was his beard, which of course now ceases to exist thanks to the Steinbrenner way. I can't say there's a whole lot I'm looking forward to with this move.

21. St. Louis Cardinals acquire Brandon Moss from the Cleveland Indians for prospect Rob Kaminsky.

I had to double take when I saw this trade. I'm no prospect connoisseur, but when I saw "Cardinals top prospect Rob Kaminsky" involved in a straight up trade for a struggling Brandon Moss, I was confused. This may end up being the worst trade of the entire deadline, unless St. Louis knows more about their prospect than we do.

22. Pittsburgh Pirates acquire Joe Blanton from the Kansas City Royals for cash.

July 31st

23. San Francisco Giants acquire Mike Leake from the Cincinnati Reds for prospects Adam Duvall and Keury Mella.

Mike Leake was the most underrated starter on the market, and the Bay Area welcomed him in for a couple of prospects. I love that despite winning 3 of the past 5 World Series', the Giants aren't letting this even numbered season go to waste. Leake is 9-5 in 2015 with a 3.56 ERA, and has been particularly hot this summer. He is a rental, but even for a few months he appears to be worth the small haul.

24. Baltimore Orioles acquire Gerardo Parra from the Milwaukee Brewers for prospect Zach Davies.

The Orioles found themselves a leadoff hitter having the best season of his career. Parra is batting .328 this year with 9 home runs and 9 stolen bases. This allows Buck Showalter to move Manny Machado down the batting order, where he will drive more runs in for a team that is in need of an extra offensive boost.

25. St. Louis Cardinals acquire Jonathan Broxton and cash from the Milwaukee Brewers for prospect Malik Collymore.

26. Texas Rangers acquire Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman, and cash from the Philadelphia Phillies for Matt Harrison and prospects Jorge Alfaro, Nick Williams, Alec Asher, Jerad Eickhoff, and Jake Thompson.

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Who is the idiot for waiting so long now? GM Ruben Amaro may have taken absolutely forever to deal his ace and officially begin Philadelphia's rebuilding process, but he got back six players in return for him! Four of the Rangers prospects were part of their top 10 best prospects, and the biggest name in the deal outside of Hamels is catching prospect Jorge Alfaro. A scout told ESPN's Jayson Stark last week that Alfaro reminded him of a bigger Pudge Rodriguez, which is about the highest praise you could receive as a young catcher. The Phillies now have a lot to look forward to, but will miss Hamels, who has been a part of their organization since he was first drafted in 2002.

It will be an uphill battle for the Rangers to make the playoffs, currently 7 games out of first place in the AL West and 3 games out of a Wild Card spot. With Hamels, however, there may be a sliver of hope that they can make that late season run. Up until his recent no-hitter, Hamels has struggled in 2015 more than usual, but a lot of that could have been attributed to being miserable in Philadelphia.

The best part about this deal for Texas is that he is far from a rental. Not only will they have their lefty for the remainder of 2015, but they will also have him for 4 additional years for a little over $90 million dollars. For a pitcher of his caliber, they are getting a bargain. Next season, their rotation will begin with Hamels and recovering Yu Darvish, and it will be hard-pressed to find a better one-two punch in the American League.

27. Minnesota Twins acquire Kevin Jepsen from the Tampa Bay Rays for prospects Chih-Wei Hu and Alexis Tapia.

28. Oakland Athletics acquire Felix Doubront from the Toronto Blue Jays for cash.

29. Toronto Blue Jays acquire Ben Revere and cash from the Philadelphia Phillies for prospects Alberto Tirado and Jimmy Cordero.

Ben Revere was the final piece necessary to complete the Blue Jays puzzle. After losing their lead off hitter in Jose Reyes and creating some confusion regarding their very right handed heavy lineup, it was critical for them to find someone capable of starting a rally. Also, Bautista, Encarnacion, and Tulowitzki can all hold their own defensively, but they needed a Ben Revere to balance out all of their strength. He is one of the better contact/speed hitters in baseball, batting .298 this year with 24 steals.

30. Toronto Blue Jays acquire Mark Lowe from the Seattle Mariners for prospects Nick Wells, Jacob Brentz, and Rob Rasmussen.

31. Chicago Cubs acquire Tommy Hunter from the Baltimore Orioles for Junior Lake.

32. Chicago Cubs acquire Dan Haren from the Miami Marlins for prospects Ivan Pineyro and Elliot Soto.

33. Boston Red Sox acquire Ryan Cook from the Oakland Athletics for cash or a PTBNL.

34. San Diego Padres acquire Mark Rzepcynski from the Cleveland Indians for Abraham Almonte.

35. Texas Rangers acquire Sam Dyson from the Miami Marlins for prospect Thomas Telis and Cody Ege.

36. Pittsburgh Pirates acquire J.A. Happ from the Seattle Mariners for prospect Adrian Sampson.

37. New York Mets acquire Yoenis Cespedes from the Detroit Tigers for prospects Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa.

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As the clock struck 4:00, the final major deal of the deadline was revealed: The Mets, who earlier escaped from trading for Carlos Gomez, went and grabbed a different bat. Two time Home Run Derby champion and All Star caliber outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was the final rental player moved. This will now be Cespedes' fourth team in 2 years, and there have been rumbles in the past that he isn't the best teammate. However, coming from his background, I can easily envision having a difficult time fitting into any big league locker room.

The Mets may have surrendered a bit much for a rental, as Fulmer has been regarded to be a good right handed pitching prospect. They have plenty of pitching in my eyes, and being able to add an impact bat as big as Cespedes' without surrendering any of Harvey/deGrom/Syndergaard/Matz is an impressive feat. He may not save all of their hitting woes, but he can't hurt, can he?
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After reviewing all of the deadline, here are my biggest winners and losers:

Winners
Toronto Blue Jays - Now a big time contender for a Wild Card spot and could possibly chase the Yankees down and out from the AL East if they don't play their cards right. And if they make the postseason, watch out for their new ace.

Houston Astros - Kazmir and Gomez made a good team even better. They have a young enough team where they can afford to surrender good prospects and still have a bright future.

Kansas City Royals - The American League's best team now has a bonafide ace. There is nothing scarier than that.

Jonathan Papelbon - He couldn't have possibly asked for a better situation to move into from a team he seemed to hate playing for.

Philadelphia Phillies - This year may end as a disaster, but it will soon be sunny in Philadelphia once more.

Wilmer Flores - Because, c'mon man. We live for moments like this.

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Losers
San Diego Padres - Yesterday's biggest storyline was where current Padres Justin Upton, James Shields, Tyson Ross, Andrew Cashner, and Craig Kimbrel could go. Their offseason strategy has been a failure thus far, as Fangraphs currently gives them a 4% chance of making the playoffs. Four percent is apparently enough for GM AJ Preller to continue to hold on, as he kept all of his players in hopes that they can make a run this year. Power to you, AJ, but good luck with that.

New York Yankees - It isn't necessarily anyone's fault, as they did try to make a move with a majority of the big names. In nontypical Yankee fashion, they couldn't pull through with anyone but Dustin Ackley. Craig Kimbrel appeared to be close to coming to New York to make the nastiest bullpen combination of this era, but Preller's decision to keep things the way they are kept that from happening. After the Blue Jays did everything they did, Cashman may regret not pushing a little harder for top pitchers, considering how much of a revelation Teixeira and A-Rod have been for what could be the final time.

There you have it everyone. I hope you enjoyed my full recap of this year's Trade Deadline, and I would love to hear all of your opinions in the comments below!

See Ya!

Fantasy Draft Report!

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Hey guys, Drew back here! I had been anticipating my fantasy drafts for weeks now, and with the blink of an eye they have all come to a close. Luckily, the conclusion of drafts mean it's just about time for the 2015 season to begin! In the past, I've reviewed some of my teams from the league I run with 7 of my close high school friends. This year, however; I chose to instead review my choices in the draft my friend William (of foul bunt fame) conducted last Sunday!

I have participated in William's hobby friend league for the past 5 years, and I wanted to review this league instead because it takes much more of a strategy to draft in a 12 team league rather than a 8 team league. I've been spending a lot of time reading draft strategies and listening to fantasy podcasts recently, and on Monday I had the opportunity to draft in a mock draft with ESPN's very own Tristan Cockcroft and Eric Karabell and was mentioned in their daily "Fantasy Focus" podcast! It was a lot of fun to draft with two well known fantasy experts who have taught me a lot about the art of the game.

Without further ado, let's take a look with who I came home with in the Card Shop/Blog League! William's league is on ESPN.com and is a H2H 5x5 Category league, and if you're unaware of what that is, it's a league that has teams play each other each week, and you compete to win each of these stat categories: Runs, Home Runs, Runs Batted In, Steals, Batting Average, Strikeouts (Pitching), Wins, Saves, ERA, and WHIP. The goal is to win the most categories over the course of a season, and in order to do so it is important to balance your roster with players who can fulfill each of those particular needs.

I was randomly assigned the 4th of 12 picks, which I was extremely happy with. I made a bit of a jump on my first pick, but I couldn't go against the man who has made me very successful in recent history.

Round 1, Pick 4: Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Detroit Tigers

Trout, McCutchen, and Stanton were the league's first three picks, and many who play fantasy know that guys like Paul Goldschmidt and Clayton Kershaw should be next on the radar. Instead, I went with the former Triple Crown winner; which shouldn't be as big of a stretch as ESPN may say. He appears to look healthy on offense and defense, and the Tigers are being careful this Spring to ease him back into the lineup. They're handling him really well, and it appears that he will be closer to 100% healthy than he was throughout the entire 2014 season. 2014 was unkind to Cabrera, and he still had a year warranting a top 10 selection. With doubts in Goldschmidt's health and not wanting to take a pitcher in the first round, I went with a familiar name who should provide excellent numbers across each offensive category with the exception of steals.

Round 2, Pick 21: Anthony Rendon, 2B/3B, Washington Nationals

Rendon was a silent killer in fantasy baseball last year, producing fantastic peripherals in each category. This pick may not look as good now as he is expected to begin the year on the DL with knee soreness, but I still feel confident that he can return to form relatively quickly. The Nationals primary third baseman scored 111 runs in 2014, and with these first two choices I was able to compile about 50 total home runs, 200 runs, and a great batting average.

Round 3, Pick 28: David Price, SP, Detroit Tigers

I had a choice here of choosing either Price, Johnny Cueto, or Corey Kluber as my team's ace. In a 12 team league, it's helpful to have a reliable pitcher capable of leading your staff. Each of these three options were promising, but in the end I chose the always consistent Price. Cueto has had several injury plagued seasons, and even coming off a tremendous 2014, I preferred the Tigers ace. I may regret not choosing Kluber, but Price came up 29 strikeouts shy of putting together a 300 strikeout season. In a contract year, David Price is going to dominate the AL Central.

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Round 4, Pick 45: George Springer, OF, Houston Astros

According to projections, this looks like a steal on paper. Springer had a promising rookie season, but did struggle with a quadricep injury. He looks like a future star, but who knows how he'll really produce this year. I needed to establish my best outfielder early, and taking Springer made me regret my Rendon choice slightly when I had a shot at Michael Brantley. I went with the upside, and even if he strikes out 200 times and doesn't bat for a high average, he complimented the high batting average I was already projected to have and added some needed power to the table.

At this point of the draft, I was texted by my girlfriend out of the blue, who said she was going to come over to my house soon. She's more than okay with me drafting while she's there, which makes her awesome, but I didn't want to look bad and smell bad on top of that. As I made this
pick, along with the next few, I was taking a shower. Let me give one piece of advice: when you have a draft coming up, always be prepared in advance for situations such as this. I learned my lesson there.

Round 5, Pick 52: Cole Hamels, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

I chose Hamels around his average draft position, but this was a pitcher heavy draft. It's difficult to prepare for a league whose owners are constantly in flux (most leagues), because it's tricky to figure out who you expect others to take until you play with them for a few years. With that said, Hamels was the last of those close to top tier starters (Zimmermann, Greinke, Lester) remaining on the board, and my goal is to try to have one of those players to compliment my ace. This may be more important to make sure of in smaller leagues, and I probably would've been okay going with Victor Martinez or Prince Fielder in this spot; but Hamels was far too good of an option to resist. He was on one of my teams in 2014, and even though he didn't win 10 games he was excellent in every other regard. Hopefully he doesn't get traded to an American League team, otherwise this pick won't look nearly as valuable as it does now.

Round 6, Pick 69: Jason Kipnis, 2B, Cleveland Indians

Kipnis was the complete opposite of the lethal weapon I described Anthony Rendon as. He was one of the highest ranked second basemen in 2014, and people were talking him up to have an incredible year. But last year, he suffered oblique and finger injuries that limited him to 129 total games in which he wasn't playing at his best ability. I'm not a major believer in Kipnis, but I liked his upside with stolen bases and runs for this upcoming year. If I were to do this draft again, I may not have chosen him here, but that's what happens when you're hands are covered with shampoo (sorry for the disturbing image, but it is indeed part of the story)!

Round 7, Pick 76: Todd Frazier, 1B/3B, Cincinnati Reds

"The ToddFather" came calling in the 7th round, as my outfield continued to be ignored. My usual strategy is to strive for a strong outfield, but in this draft I focused specifically on the numbers, and continued to build on balancing that out. After taking a player in Kipnis who most likely will not hit over 20 home runs, I next chose someone very capable of hitting 20 with the possibility of even 30 homers. Frazier even stole 20 bases last season, and with this choice my stolen bases were solidified after only 7 rounds, between Rendon, Springer, Kipnis, and Frazier.

Also, I have a lot of position eligibility with the hitters I chose thus far. Two players are currently eligible of playing 1st, two of 2nd, and 2 of 3rd. If any of these players suffer injuries (Rendon for example), I most likely won't suffer too much in my starting infield all year.

Round 8, Pick 93: Tyson Ross, SP, San Diego Padres

I know, you think I'm crazy for only taking one outfielder into the 8th round. But I must say, it wasn't intentional. In this vicinity, players like Kole Calhoun, Jason Heyward, and Matt Holliday are being taken, who don't particularly impress me as far as upside goes. Heyward is the best candidate to outperform his projections as he is with a new team and still just 25 years old, and he is a slightly intriguing pick. By pick 93, he was long gone, and I planned to choose Masahiro Tanaka in this spot. He was taken with pick 92, which hurt me significantly, but instead I went with a much less risky pick in Tyson Ross. Ross is kind of a boring name as far as fantasy goes, but he's on an improved team and should receive more run support next year.

Round 9, Pick 100: Mookie Betts, OF, Boston Red Sox

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I knew I could take a starting pitcher with my previous pick because I had the potential of taking Betts as my second outfielder with this pick. He has such great potential and is having a spectacular spring, and hopefully John Farrell sees this and names him as the Red Sox' starting center fielder. He can do it all, and maybe it's risky to choose an unproven player as my second outfielder, but you have to be able to roll the dice once in a while to win. Taking players with a chance to play better than expected is almost necessary in winning Fantasy leagues, but it is important to base your team around a few key, consistent players to keep you from falling apart when some of your risks don't quite work out as planned.

Round 10, Pick 117: Cody Allen, RP, Cleveland Indians

I'm not the type of fantasy player that normally likes to take one of the elite closers such as Aroldis Chapman, Craig Kimbrel, or Greg Holland. Rather than taking those guys, I prefer to bolster my offense, and then I make sure to swing back later to grab one of the guys from the next tier or two. Most of those pitchers were off the board by pick #117, but I did have a choice between Allen, Dellin Betances, and Koji Uehara. I took both of the latter closers in other drafts this year, but Cody Allen is the safest choice going into this year. Betances is the best reliever here, but he isn't having a good spring. I'm not worried about Betances struggling deep into the season, but I am worried about the effects of his struggles playing into his fantasy value. The more runs he allows, the better the chance he and Andrew Miller split save opportunities, which absolutely decimates his average draft position. As hard as it is not to pick a guy I love to watch and am a fan of, I didn't want to take that big of a chance on a closer in the 10th round. If I'm going to take a closer this early, I need to know that they'll produce close to expectations or better, and Allen has a good chance of doing that.

With closers, along with starting pitchers, first basemen, and outfielders; I like to have one proven option. I regret not taking a top outfielder in this draft, but I was able to take Miguel Cabrera and David Price, along with one of the better young closers on a potentially good Indians team in Allen.

Round 11, Pick 124: Ryan Zimmerman, 3B/OF, Washington Nationals
Round 12, Pick 141: Yan Gomes, C, Cleveland Indians
Round 13, Pick 148: Jorge Soler, OF, Chicago Cubs
Round 14, Pick 165: Melky Cabrera, OF, Chicago White Sox
Round 15, Pick 172: Neil Walker, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates

My next five picks were meant to primarily improve my suffering outfield, and I believe I did a fair job at filling it out. I plan to use Zimmerman as an outfielder, granted he stays healthy, which has always been a problem of his. Soler will fall under the radar all year thanks to Kris Bryant, but should be a good power option. I'm very confident that Yan Gomes will have a nice season, and I'm happy with the value I got him for. Catcher isn't as big of a concern to me as it is to others, but I didn't want to have someone that would make my team worse, and I think I succeeded in that by taking the most underrated backstop in baseball.

Round 16, Pick 189: Michael Pineda, SP, New York Yankees
Round 17, Pick 196: Jhonny Peralta, SS, St. Louis Cardinals
Round 18, Pick 213: Luke Gregerson, RP, Houston Astros
Round 19, Pick 220: Drew Smyly, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
Round 20, Pick 237: Addison Reed, RP, Arizona Diamondbacks

The last crop of picks were all spent on hitters, while this group instead focused on pitching. There are some undervalued pitchers deep on ESPN's draft board, and I used my prior knowledge to my advantage here. Granted Drew Smyly stays healthy, he could be a huge value in the 20th round, or a bust. This late in the draft, I know that most of these players won't be on my team by the end of the year, but I don't throw in the towel. For every gamble I take, I know that a few of them are bound to pay off, or else the odds really are not in my favor. Pineda was one of my favorite picks of the draft, because he looks filthy this spring for the Yankees. He has the opportunity to pitch at the level of an ace, and no other pitcher left on the board could really say that for now.

Round 21, Pick 244: Danny Duffy, SP, Kansas City Royals
Round 22, Pick 261: Michael Cuddyer, OF, New York Mets
Round 23, Pick 268: Brandon McCarthy, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Round 24, Pick 285: Jonathan Niese, SP, New York Mets
Round 25, Pick 292: Brett Cecil, RP, Toronto Blue Jays

I like to load up my pitching staff at the end of all of my drafts if you couldn't tell, and even if three of those four pitchers don't work out; the one who does produce for me will be worth all four picks, as I'll have other good options to trade for or add from free agency over the course of the season. A lot can change, and usually looking back on my drafts at the end of a season can even make me laugh.

Here's how my roster shaped up overall, position by position:

Offense

C - Yan Gomes
1B - Miguel Cabrera
2B - Jason Kipnis
SS - Jhonny Peralta
3B - Anthony Rendon
2B/SS - Neil Walker
1B/3B - Todd Frazier
OF - George Springer
OF - Mookie Betts
OF - Ryan Zimmerman
OF - Jorge Soler
OF - Melky Cabrera
UTIL - Michael Cuddyer

Pitching

P - David Price
P - Cole Hamels
P - Tyson Ross
P - Michael Pineda
P - Drew Smyly
P - Danny Duffy
P - Brandon McCarthy
P - Jonathan Niese
RP - Cody Allen
RP - Luke Gregerson
RP - Addison Reed
RP - Brett Cecil

There you have it! I wasn't overly happy with how this team came out, but I know that I'll find ways to make it work over the course of the 6 month season. Hot hitters and pitchers will come and go, and it's great to pick those guys up in favor of others who don't appear to have any long term value for the season. But, being active in a league is important, because when those hot players slow down, you have to look elsewhere and find replacements before they start to negatively impact your team.

If you're looking into getting involved in fantasy baseball, I'd be more than happy to give some pointers. I don't know who will or won't do well, but I've got a pretty good idea of which picks I think I'll be proud of a few months down the road. I'm not sure if I'll show my other two teams yet or not, but for now I'll leave you with this!

Any thoughts or opinions? Please feel free to share them in the comments below!

See Ya!

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!

June 7th Yankee Game Recap!

Hey guys, Drew back here, and this time I'm sticking around, I swear! My family just returned from an incredible cruise in the Carribean Sea, where we enjoyed great food and excursions on St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, and St. Maarten. Everything was phenomenal and I miss it already, however, I've still got 2 months of freedom to go, so I'm going to make the best of them! 

So, in order to do so, I need to take you all on a time machine, back into the beginning of last month, because, well, I never got around to posting about it. It was the second to last day of school, before finals began, and Dad, my Uncle Scott, and my cousin Jayen were gearing up to go to the big pitcher's dual in Yankee Stadium! We were given tickets by my Grandpa Walt, who normally joins us for a game once a year, however due to him feeling pretty sick he gave my dad a chance to go this time around. I remember I was really looking forward to seeing CC Sabathia face off against David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays, and spent the whole school week thinking about it. But the day had finally come, and after a train ride, we arrived to the home of the Bronx Bombers!

Unfortunately, as soon as we left the train and started walking to the stadium, it started to absolutely pour. We all got a bit nervous, but we had a little hope that it would clear up because the clouds were moving by pretty quickly.

Fortunately, we were most definitely right. It wasn't the most beautiful day for a ballgame by any means, but that full double rainbow we saw that stretched from left field to right field was pretty darn cool to see! The rainbow simply told us not to worry because baseball would soon be played! The players started to trickle out of the clubhouse a little at a time and before you knew it most of the team was warming up for the game and getting ready to go!

My camera was good enough to catch former Yankee manager Joe Torre in the dugout talking to Jeter, which was cool to see. Torre was there for some charitable reason, along with a few other celebrities, such as  Paula Abdul. 

Torre got a much larger ovation than the former American Idol judge, but that was only fitting considering the man led the Yanks to 4 championships in 5 years.

So, the game was finally underway after about a half hour rain delay, and while it started off looking to be a close game, the Rays pulled away by the 4th inning, taking a 5-1 lead. Sabathia never had his game that night, without question, and while Price had a high pitch count, he fared much better than the Yankee ace. It came down to the bullpen holding the game for us to have any shot at a comeback victory, but Corey Wade and Clay Rapada couldn't get the job done as well, and by the 8th inning the score was 7-2 Rays. 

Eppley

Rapada

One thing that was pretty cool was Girardi's transition from right handed sidearmer Cody Eppley to left handed sidearmer Clay Rapada. Sidearmers are definitely fun to watch because their windup is so much more unique than the typical pitchers style. As I said though, nothing positive came of it, as Rapada gave up an RBI double to increase the Rays lead.

Nick Swisher

Russell Martin following PH HR

It definitely turned out to be a nice night in Yankee Stadium, even though things weren't going so well for my team. However, it wasn't over yet, as Russell Martin hit a pinch hit home run to make it 7-3. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, as Rays All Star closer Fernando Rodney shut it down in the 9th to give the Rays the W. 

The results weren't pretty, but like every time I get a chance to see a game, I had a great time with my family and they did as well. I want to thank my Grandpa for treating us once again, even though he probably isn't reading this, it meant a lot that he was thinking of us even when he's had a tough past few months. We definitely appreciated it. 

Before I close this post up for good, I want to quickly show some scans of the results of 2 2012 Bowman rack packs I opened at the game! Check em' out!

Just about all of these are for trade, including the purple refractor of Mariners prospect Anthony Fernandez numbered 48/199! Let me know if you like anything by leaving me a comment. Thanks!

Last but not least, Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope you've all got some fun plans for the night, and well, God Bless America. God Bless America's Pastime. Ok, I'm out. See Ya!

Triple Threads Addition to the PC!

Hey guys, Drew back here! So, I hope everyone had themselves a nice Thanksgiving, filled with amazing food and some good football! Now we're on the road to Christmas, and it should be a nice way to cap off 2011. Anyways, getting back to what I normally do here, let's have a look at the most recent card I spent my money on off of eBay!

I saw this card with a few minutes left a couple weeks ago, and I knew immediately it would fit nicely into the collection. Out of 2011 Topps Triple Threads, this is a triple relic card numbered out of 36, featuring jersey relics from Boston's Jon Lester, New York's CC Sabathia, and Tampa Bay's David Price. All 3 of them are considered one of the top two pitchers on their respective teams, and they all play in the AL East, as shown by what the relics spell out. It's a really nice card to look at in person, as Triple Threads never fails to disappoint in appearance. I picked it up not only for my Yankees collection, but also because I like Price a lot as well. As for Lester, well, I respect him more than most Red Sox, but still, he's a Red Sox player. 

Anyways, I got the card for around $10 and I'm glad I purchased it to add to the collection! If you were a fan of either of these teams, would you buy the card even though it also features relic pieces from a rival team? 

See Ya!

October 1st White Plains Card Show Recap! Part 2!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Luckily enough, the last few days' workloads were not heavy at all, so I've got a little extra time on my hands to catch up. Following my card show review there may be a contest, so stay on the lookout for that! We'll now move on to part 2 of the show review, which will contain all of the other big "hits" I picked up there! Let's get it started...

PART 2:

MY PICKUPS!

We'll start with these two chrome prospects out of 2011 Bowman! I spent quite a bit of time searching through this one vendor's boxes of cards, because he had all sorts of newer inserts/prospect cards/parallels in there for a dollar a card. I took five of them off of his hands, one being the Bowman's Best Cano insert in the previous post. Next I got these 2 rookies, of Giants top prospect Brandon Belt, and Yankees pitching prospect Manny Banuelos. I got the Belt just for the heck of it, and the Banuelos because I didn't have much of him in my Yankees collection. I have a feeling he's going to be a good one!

The other two were out of Topps' newest high end products, Marquee and Triple Threads. Marquee is new to the hobby this year, and reminds me a lot of Stadium Club with the crisp and colorful photography taking up majority of the card. This one was of Reggie Jackson, and is the blue parallel numbered out of 299. As for Triple Threads, well, it's been Topps' most popular high end product for years now, and this year is no different. The cards don't tend to change much in design every year but with the new checklist additions and combinations it's always a risky but fun break. I got the Mark Teixeira gold parallel numbered out of 625, and it's a pretty nice card for sure. 

Next, I broke one pack the entire show, of the new Goodwin Champions product. Why? I have no idea, but I was hoping for something different, and I definitely got just that. First though, I did pull two sweet football rookies, of Cam Newton and Julio Jones! Those ones are going to stay in my collection for a while. Also, a very uncommon player I pulled was Addie Joss, a Hall of Fame pitcher whose 1.89 career ERA is the second greatest of all time! 

Then, Goodwin got weird on me. Here is a memorabilia card of female golfer Natalie Gulbis. See, this card is one of many reasons why I don't pull a whole lot of packs anymore. Then again, the pack did state that it was mixed sports. Well, if anyone is interested in the card, send me an email. 

Moving along to the better stuff, here is a 2008 Donruss Threads autograph of Yankees catching prospect Austin Romine! Romine got a cup of coffee this September, playing in 9 games total. He had 3 hits in 19 at bats, but it was nice to see him up in the big leagues, because I'm sure he'll have a spot within the next couple of years. I bought this card along with the next card for $25 in all, and I think it might be a pretty good gamble.

The other card in that group was this 2006 TriStar Prospects Plus "Farm Hands" autograph of Yankee rookie Dellin Betances! Betances, along with Romine and a few others, got to play this September with the big boys. He pitched in two games, one in which he struggled to the extreme in two thirds of an inning, and the other in which he started and threw 2 scoreless innings. Of course, I have no idea what the future will tell for Betances, but he definitely has the stuff to be a possible fourth or fifth starter very soon. This card isn't overly exciting but it was the best I could do in terms of his already fairly expensive autographs. 

The next four cards were all part of a five card purchase Dad made from my favorite vendor Hunter at the show. He always has a bin sitting around with relics/autographs/vintage all half price, which makes the deals even better. In the past Mike and I have bought some beautiful patches and autographs off of him, and I always like to see him at the shows. The first of the four cards Dad got was this 2003 Upper Deck Yankees Signature Series Dave Righetti autograph! The first thing that caught my eye when I saw this was that Righetti has a beautiful autograph! I never watched much of Rags but he was a solid player throughout the 80's, and it'll go well with the other autographs I already have in the set (Winfield, Mazzilli, Cone, Sieburn). One day I might try to get this entire set. 

Card number 2 was this 2001 Upper Deck Sweet Spot bat card of Alex Rodriguez. A-Rods been nothing but a disappoint this season, and to be honest; with the injuries he's faced in the past couple of years; for the price we paid for him he just hasn't been worth it. I've never been a big fan of his, simply because I've heard many annoying stories about him blowing people off for autographs and charging ridiculous prices for autographs just to add even more money to his insanely huge wallet. So far he's 0 for 10 in this insanely disappointing ALDS, and I really hope he can regain his form tonight to help us stay alive. Nonetheless, it's definitely a cool looking card.

Talk about a card that jumps right out at you! This card looks awesome! Numbered only 1/25 from 2009 Sweet Spot, it's a Vernon Wells 3 color patch with a whole lot of stitching. I just love cards like that. Sure, I'd rather have an entire jersey but when the card companies do patches right, they look outstanding and have an incredible appeal to collectors! This card is tradeable but I'd be looking for something nice for sure.

The last card Dad bought from Hunter was this 2001 Upper Deck Legends Willie Mays bat card! This card is so awesome! It's really cool to own any piece of memorabilia from a player of Mays' caliber, even though this one is awfully small. I love how the bat chip has the baseball seams etched into it, although many people may think it's hurting the pieces even more. Personally, I think it's cool enough that I get to own a piece of Willie Mays' bat, and I want to thank Dad for giving me that opportunity to, as well as for the other cards you bought for me! 

These last two cards were two of my more expensive pickups, the first being a 2009 Upper Deck Icons David Price rookie autograph. While James Shields dominated the Rays pitching categories this season, with an overwhelming 11 complete games, Price is definitely one of the more established pitchers in baseball. To say 2011 was an off year for him definitely makes sense, and was shown last night when he gave up 4 runs and struggled in the Rays loss to the Rangers. Regardless, I'm hoping for a bounce back year out of David next season, and wanted to get this one at a lower price while I had an opportunity to. It's a sweet looking card for sure, although the autograph is on a sticker. 

Finally, I saved this one for last because this guy is good at closing it out! Nothing better than a 2011 Topps Marquee quad relic of Mariano Rivera! I had a choice to make towards the end of the show, either to buy this card of Rivera, without patches, or an A-Rod card with patches. While the A-Rod may carry more overall value over time, I went with the Rivera simply because I'm happier to own it than I would be with the A-Rod. Sometimes its hard to remember that even though we all invest a ton of money into this hobby, you need to find ways to keep yourself happy, and there is nothing better than a beautiful looking card of one of my favorite pitchers in baseball history.

So, that'll do it for today's part of the show review. I sure hope I get to see more of Mariano tonight, perhaps closing out the game for AJ Burnett, bringing the Yankees back in the series? I know, it's unlikely, but it's always good to dream!

See Ya!