Ten for Tuesday - Best International MLB Players

Hey guys, Drew back here! Yesterday, news was made in Tokyo when baseball was one of eight sports to be recommended to be added to the 2020 Olympic Games. Baseball hasn't been much of a success when brought into the Summer Games, but baseball's enormous presence in Japan could make for one of the most exciting events to look forward to when the time comes. With that in mind, I wanted to investigate who I would definitively rank as the greatest Foreign Born player in MLB history.

My criteria for this list was simple. Each player I considered had to be born outside of the United States, which excluded Alex Rodriguez since he was born in New York City. Also, the player was only to be considered for their exploits in Major League Baseball alone, and not for their performance in any other league. And as you will see, players who have been caught for performance enhancing drugs were not viewed as highly as their statistics may have garnered them.

Top 10 Foreign Born MLB Players in History

Honorable Mentions - Roberto Alomar (Puerto Rico), Ferguson Jenkins (Canada), Vladimir Guerrero (Dominican Republic), Bert Blyleven (Netherlands), Rafael Palmeiro (Cuba)

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I debated over Alomar and the tenth ranked player for quite some time, and ultimately Robby fell just shy of making this list. Alomar was one of the more underrated players of his era, and he could simply no wrong throughout his illustrious 17 year career. He won 10 Gold Glove awards and is widely considered one of the best defensive second basemen of all time. He also came up within 300 hits of reaching the 3,000 hit plateau and was a 12 time All Star. I've talked about writing a post about the most underrated players in the Hall of Fame for several weeks now, and when that list does indeed come out, Alomar just might come to mind.

Vladimir Guerrero is one of my all time favorite players who never wore pinstripes. Watching him hit was one of the most entertaining sights, and keeping him off this list was especially tough. Rafael Palmeiro is one of five players to compile 3,000 hits and 500 home runs (congratulations to Alex Rodriguez on recently becoming the 5th), but he managed to fall short as well.

10 - Ivan Rodriguez, C, Puerto Rico

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The second coming of the "Pudge" moniker barely cracked this Top 10, which speaks to just how tremendous of an impact foreign players have made on the game. Rodriguez has been labeled as the best defensive catcher of this past generation, but he was no slouch at the plate either. He has more hits than any other catcher ever, and retired with a lifetime batting average of .296. He may not come before Berra and Bench on All Time lists, but he isn't as far behind them as one may think. The Hall of Fame should be calling him sooner rather than later, even despite the PED suspicion surrounding his legacy.

9 - Juan Marichal, SP, Dominican Republic

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It wouldn't make sense keeping the "Dominican Dandy" from making the cut. Juan Marichal was anything but dandy to face throughout his prime, going 154-65 with a 2.34 ERA between 1963 and 1969 alone. He made ten All Star teams and won more games than any other pitcher through the 1960's with help from a high leg kick and fearsome delivery. Marichal may not have stood out much more than Canada's Ferguson Jenkins and the Netherlands' Bert Blyleven statistically (who were listed as Honorable Mentions), but he was one of the first Hispanic pitchers who found success in the big leagues which gives him the edge here. Unfortunately, he was often overlooked because of the pitching-rich era he played during, which also featured legends like Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax.

8 - Miguel Cabrera, 1B/3B/OF, Venezuela

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When Miguel Cabrera calls it a career, we may view him as one of the greatest offensive forces to ever step into the batter's box. He is on pace to join not only the 500 Home Run club but the 3,000 hit club as well, and could achieve much more if health remains to be on his side. This season, Cabrera is mashing .350 with a .456 OBP, 15 Home Runs and 52 RBI, already making up for a "bad" 2014 in which he batted .313 with 25 Home Runs. He is the best hitter I have had the pleasure of growing up with in my personal opinion, and I can't wait to see what more he will do before he calls it a career. It is safe to say "Miggy" will be closer to the top of these ranks by then.

7 - Manny Ramirez, OF, Dominican Republic

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The highest ranked known PED user on this list was as dangerous an offensive weapon as could be in the mid 2000's. Ramirez was a colorful personality for several teams over his 19 year career; always finding some way or another to make headlines. But what would always take the biggest stage was his bat, which helped lead the Red Sox to 2 World Series titles and brought him to 12 All Star Games and 9 Silver Sluggers. Between he and David Ortiz, he fell just short of being listed on the Honorable Mentions on this list, the Red Sox had a 3-4 lineup punch that could not be denied. He retired with 555 Home Runs and over 2,500 hits. Tainted or not, it was quite a career for a man who thrived on simply being himself.

6 - Rod Carew, 1B/2B, Panama

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Ah, yes. Hall of Famer Rod Carew. Carew's sweet swing led him to seven batting titles and over 3,000 career hits. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1967 and won the AL MVP in 1977. He wasn't known for being a powerful bat, but was one of the greatest contact hitters in history. Carew was an All Star in every year but one throughout his 19 years in the big leagues, showing that he was not only a tremendous talent but a fan favorite as well. It isn't much of a surprise that he holds one of the higher places here. His trademark red batting gloves gave him all the extra flair he needed as his batting averages consistently soared to the top of the charts.

5 - Mariano Rivera, CP, Panama

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Rivera is one of my top 3 All Time Favorite Players, and the best closer in history. His cutter was unhittable on most nights throughout his excellent career, and he has become one of the most beloved athletes in New York sports history. His trophy shelf is enormous, and along with his various awards he also was named to 13 All Star teams. He was so good that he alone could change the outcome of a game when he entered, which is pretty rare to expect from a relief pitcher. Rivera will be most likely inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019 when he first arrives on the ballot, and it will be about time by then.

4 - Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Japan

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The next active player on this countdown currently is stuck in the freakshow that is the Miami Marlins' organization, led by General Manager and Manager Dan Jennings. But rather than focus on the now, let's all do Mr. Suzuki some respect and reminisce on the good times. He followed in Japanese hurler Hideo Nomo's footsteps when moving on from Nippon Professional Baseball to the Major Leagues in 2001, and from the very first game it appeared as though he never left. His quickness, precision, and dominance could all be felt in a heartbeat, and he went on to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in his rookie season. He has since made ten All Star teams, won ten Gold Glove Awards, and has racked up over 2,800 hits (not including another 1,278 in Japan, giving him over 4,000 professional base knocks!) in one of the most impressive careers to date.

3 - Pedro Martinez, SP, Dominican Republic

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I'm not one of the guys who puts Pedro among the top shelf of pitchers ever. But I do recognize the impact he left behind with this sport, and how dominant his prime seasons were. Pedro will be on his way into the Hall of Fame this summer after a brilliant career spanning 5 teams in 18 years. His years with the Boston Red Sox were of the most significance; where he won 3 Cy Young Awards in a 4 year stretch (he finished 2nd the other year of those 4). He was a vintage-type performer on the mound; never afraid to unleash his fastball on any player willing to put up a fight. At times, he could be dangerous, throwing at batters to make amends, but that was Pedro. And clearly, if the Hall of Fame voters put him in the Hall as quickly and deliberately as they did, his strategy worked.

2 - Roberto Clemente, OF, Puerto Rico

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When originally thinking of making this list, I was almost positive Clemente would reign supreme over all of today's stars. However, this was not the case. Clemente had a fantastic career, garnering exactly 3,000 hits before dying in a tragic plane crash at the age of 38. He made 15 All Star teams, won 12 Gold Glove Awards, the NL MVP in 1966, and was part of two Pirates World Series winners in 1960 and 1971! He was a true 5 Tool Talent, and was capable of hurting teams on both sides at a Hall of Fame caliber. He was clearly the most impactful and influential man to ever come to the big leagues from outside the country, considering he was the best of the initial wave of foreign players. But one man's talent was able to unseat him from his throne, becoming (in my opinion) the greatest all around International player in MLB history.

1 - Albert Pujols, 1B, Dominican Republic

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The Machine. Since Albert Pujols signed his mega deal in Los Angeles, a lot of people, myself included, have turned our attention to Miguel Cabrera instead. Pujols got off to a bad start, battling injuries, and Cabrera was crushing the ball better than ever before. How could we not drop Pujols with talent like that emerging? Besides, Pujols' contract far outweighs the best player on his own team, Mike Trout, and people like me began to doubt what Angels management was doing. This may not keep up, but 2015 has shown that the best supposedly clean power hitter of our generation is back at full health, and he hasn't lost a step.

Pujols' rookie season in 2001 was just as spectacular as Ichiro's, but the National League was filled with slugging superstars such as Bonds and Sosa, which kept him from also winning the MVP that year. Since then, he stole the show for much of the mid to late 2000's, winning 3 NL MVP Awards, 2 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, and making 9 All Star teams. He hit his 500th career Home Run last year, and is cruising up the leaderboard (now 16th All Time with 543, chasing Mike Schmidt). This man had a presence that could be felt from miles away in his prime, and it's exciting to see slices of that tremendous past come back on occasion. When all is said and done for Prince Albert, he could potentially reaching 700 Home Runs and 3,000 hits. The only other player who has done that currently is Hank Aaron, but Alex Rodriguez may reach it as well if he hangs on long enough.

People are going to argue that Clemente was a better player than Pujols. That's okay. We as people tend to look back on the past and see it as better than the current. When you're young, you're prone to believing much of what you see, magnifying iconic athletes, celebrities, and musicians to be larger than life and far superior to others of their respective kinds. I'm not trying to slight Roberto by any sense of the word, but if you really compare their statistics and think about their individual dominance in baseball, they can relatively easily be compared. Nobody can match the impact Clemente left behind as a person, but on the field, I'll take Pujols.

Leave your thoughts in the comment section below if you think otherwise!

*UPDATE: Sorry, this was meant to be posted yesterday. However, it's my blog, so I can do what I want with it. Call it "Ten for Wednesday" if it makes matters easier. Times have been especially tough lately on a personal note, and this was the best I could do, but I hope you all enjoy it!*

See Ya!

A Special Night at a Special Place

Hey everyone, Drew back here. My summer is coming to a close and fast, but I've been busy making sure I leave my home on the best note possible. Last night my Dad took my girlfriend, sister, and I to the Yankees game! The Yanks took on Detroit, and the pitching matchup worried me that we may not have chosen the best night to go. The Tigers started last year's Cy Young winner Max Scherzer, while the Yankees put newly acquired Brandon McCarthy on the mound. The thing with baseball is, things never seem to go as planned.

We got to the stadium over 2 hours prior to gametime, so we immediately bolted to Monument Park to see it before it became overcrowded with people (still too late). It was very busy, but we got there early enough that we didn't really have to wait in line for long, which certainly helped under the blistering sun. I got to finally see Mariano Rivera's retired number, which really was amazing. He was the first player I grew up watching whose number was put to rest by the Yankees organization, so it almost felt like a part of my childhood was along the hallowed halls of the park. 

I forgot my mom's amazing camera at home before the game, so I only ended up with cell phone pictures. I didn't get any spectacular pictures, but we had field level front row seats in right field (if you've been following for a while, the same seats I got on TV with when Cano belted one out a few years ago). Here's Jesus Joba Chamberlain warming up with Detroit. He kind of looks like he lived out of a garbage pail between his time in New York and Detroit, but I must say, it may have brought out the best in him since he's having a solid 2014 campaign.

Batting practice was scary, to say the least. As I mentioned earlier, our seats were in the front row of the right field bleachers, and BP took place just as the sun was setting. We couldn't see any balls coming our way until they were right near us, and I find it funny how 9 out of every 10 of those balls were hit by Miguel Cabrera. If you were there and didn't really believe in his talent beforehand, you'd have been sure to change your mind following the show he put on in batting practice. Unreal.

I don't know if any of you saw this, but last night Justin Verlander flipped his renowned girlfriend Kate Upton a baseball. It just so happens that she was the second young blonde he threw a ball to that day, because before this happened, Justin tossed my sister a ball! My dad yelled to him that it was his daughter's first Yankees game (which, by the way, it was), and Justin came over and tossed her the ball! It was a nice moment for sure, and I just so happened to catch it on camera! After my dad let two Miggy Cabrera blasts roll past his fingertips, we finally got ourselves a souvenir, one Diana will have for the rest of her life.

Oh, and here it is.

One of the best parts about having the seats we had is the atmosphere. At this section we're directly in front of the bleacher creatures, extremely close to the right fielder throughout the game, and right next to the Yankees bullpen. I said hello to Francisco Cervelli and Brian McCann last night as the pitchers got loose, and both players responded back to me! I love hearing the pop sound when the ball hits the glove in the bullpen, and from that spot we are right in the action of the pitcher getting loose!

We were very pleased to see the Captain in the lineup this go round, especially since he wasn't in the lineup at the last game we went to. I tipped my cap to Derek each time he came to the plate, because who knows if this was the last time I'd ever get to see him play baseball. Mark Teixeira was a last second lineup scratch, but it worked out because rather than hanging out with Martin Prado all night, we got Ichiro instead who took Tex's place in the lineup! From being right by Ichiro all night, I realized just how small he was, and how locked in he was during the game. He's as professional as it gets, and it was really cool to get to watch him play also before he calls it quits.

We were extremely spoiled in right field that night, because we also got to see Torii Hunter up close too. I've always had a tremendous deal of respect for Torii, and I thought he was one of those universally loved players coming from a dark era in the game. However, the hammered guy next to me didn't seem to feel the love, and let Torii know it all night. I have to admit, the guy was pretty funny ragging on Hunter, but after a while the joke got old and annoying. Hunter responded to the guy with hand gestures saying how he's fat, ugly, and short, which got a big kick out of the right field crowd. 

Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury drove in the lone two Yankees runs, but Brandon McCarthy was able to hold off the terrific Tigers offense to 1 run over 5 2/3 innings and earned himself the victory. Ellsbury could've had much more on the sac fly he hit with the bases loaded had it not been for the incredible catch made by new Tiger Ezekiel Carrera. I've never seen a better defensive play in person before, and after watching the highlights I firmly believe that catch should be nominated for one of the finest of this season! 

Matt Thornton (no longer a Yankee), Adam Warren, Shawn Kelley held the game for David Robertson to finish off in the 9th for his 30th save! It was a big win for a hot Yankees team against one of the best in the business, and Brandon McCarthy impressed me a lot. I don't think the Yankees have the pitching to go deep into the playoffs, but who knows if Tanaka will come back and help the cause down the stretch.

On top of getting to witness a great game, I added two things to my Yankees collection, the 2014 Yankees yearbook and a Derek Jeter bobblehead! I didn't get around to purchasing the 2013 Yankees yearbook yet but plan on adding it soon, since I have the yearbooks dating back to 2005 when I first started following the team. My dad bought me the Jeter bobblehead, which actually resembles him a little bit! I've been adding a few bobbleheads to my collection here and there lately just for fun, and no collection could be complete without my favorite player of all time.

I had an amazing time with some of my favorite people last night, and if this was the last time I got to see Derek Jeter play, it's been an unbelievable run. RE2PECT.

See Ya!

July 14th MHCC Card Show Recap Part 1!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Yesterday was an incredible day in the life of a young collector from New York, as he managed to meet a Hall of Famer from his favorite team and get spoiled to no end all day long! Fortunately enough, that young collector happened to be me yesterday, as Dad, Schuyler, Connor, and I all made it out to a local card show run by the good guys at JP's Sports! This was the first time their company made the trip closeby to my house, and the turnout was ok for the most part. It wasn't a terrible showing, but it could've been a lot better. However, that didn't affect the 4 of us, as we still had 100 tables to look at and 3 autograph guests to meet! And, well, we still went crazy.

Dad and I's goal for the show was to knock off cards from the two big sets I've been working on. I didn't come with as much money as usual, because I was planning on saving up for next months even bigger show. But, we still made out really well, perhaps even better than all of the other shows! Take a look at the 1961 Topps and 2011 Topps Tier One cards we were able to take home this go round:

While most of the 61's Dad picked up didn't have a whole lot of flair, he figured we'd have to knock them off eventually, so he was able to pick up a grand total of 49 new cards for the set, putting us now at 49.2% of the way there! I didn't expect this many commons from Dad, so it made for an awesome surprise. Fortunately, for lucky spoiled Drew, we were just getting started. 

Three of the bigger 1961 pickups came from another vendor, the first two being of former Yankees Bobby Shantz and Tony Kubek! I swore I already had the Kubek but the wantlist said differently, so I'm glad he got it for me. Also, I absolutely love adding new cards of players I've met, so this Shantz pickup was pretty darn awesome!

Easily the best card we picked up on the day was card #482, aka the MVP subset card of "The Say Hey Kid", Willie Mays! I'm pretty sure this set stretched from 1952 forward, to commemorate the first 10 years of Topps cards, but I don't remember offhand. It's not in tip top shape, but it's more than good enough to fit my set!

So, as I said, we are now .8% away from being halfway done with one of the most iconic sets in baseball card history! There's reason to be excited! Now, moving on to the more modern, yet still very nostalgic set, the Tier One relics. I bought 6 of these, but Dad ended up knocking off the 3 most expensive out of the group of cards below. He really is crazy, I'm telling you. 

First I was able to add the "cheater", Ryan Braun. Who knows if he really cheated the game or not. I believe he did, because the reasoning for his innocence seemed a bit questionable to me. I still like the guy enough though, and he sure is fun to watch. 

Speaking of exciting, how about perhaps the best hitter of this era, Ichiro Suzuki! Ichiro may not reach the 3,000 hit plateau in America, but his number of professional hits in total is incredible. He may not rake the way he used to, but that isn't diminishing the enormous legacy he's left on Major League Baseball. 

It seems difficult to not think of this guy when thinking of Ichiro, so it was fitting I was able to add this George Sisler relic as well. Sisler previously owned the record for single season hits, until Ichiro came along and shattered that record. However, he'll still be renowned as one of the best the game's seen. 

When it came to putting together a video game season, Rogers Hornsby could do what hardly anyone else could dream of accomplishing. Who can deny a guy with a .358 lifetime batting average? I find this one as one of the best of the lot, without question. 

I'm pretty sure this guy Cal Ripken knew a thing or two about hitting the baseball too! With well over 3,000 hits, the Iron Man will easily be one of the most loved players ever. You have to love a guy that actually doesn't mind signing autographs for the fans. I would kill for some current players to be as classy as Mr. Ripken. 

We also knocked off both of the redemptions from the set, Rickey Henderson and Ryne Sandberg! I've seen a few of the Sandberg cards on eBay before, but nothing of Rickey yet. I can't wait to see what these two look like when they're done and shipped out!

However, nothing will top these last two, at least in my eyes. It was a Willie Mays kind of day for us, as Dad picked up his relic from the set, which is easily one of my favorites in the set. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Mays was the best all around player in baseball history. From what I've read on him, it sounded like he could have had more than 5 tools if it were possible.  

But I had to put this guy last, because as I recently read, he didn't like not getting the limelight. Mr. Joe DiMaggio, everyone! Boy do I love this card. DiMaggio is the second of the four huge Yankees on this checklist I've acquired, as I haven't gotten Ruth and Mantle yet. But, this will definitely have to do for now!

With these 9 new additions to the relic set, I am now 88% of the way there, just missing Bench, Wright, Beltran, Ruth, Mantle, and Aaron! I never expected this set to fly by so quickly, which is why I need to give my Dad more than just a thank you. You're the best dad, and I'm glad you realize how much I appreciate all you do for me. Also, thank you to my favorite vendors Rich & Hunter for being such a big help in selling so many of these to us!

We're just getting started everyone, so please stay tuned for even more new material within the next few days! See Ya

2011 Topps Wrapper Redemption Pack!

Hey guys, Drew back here. First off, yesterday, one of the tests I took was an online engineering test for my Project Lead the Way class. It was a college level test, and if I passed, I would be elligible for college credits! My teacher called me up last night and told me I scored an 82, so I was elligible for the credits! After having the longest and most terrible day of the year, that was some bright news and I was excited to hear it. Anyways, a few weeks ago I sent in all of my packs from my 2011 Topps box to do the wrapper redemption program, which gives you 1952 Topps diamond parallels and a chance to pull autos from original players in the 1952 set! Here's how I did:

You get 5 cards in each pack, and I think I did fairly well, pulling Ichiro, Ubaldo Jimenez, Joey Votto, Prince Fielder, and Mark Reynolds! The cards look absolutely awesome, my favorite being Votto because he's turning into another one of my favorite players. The Reynolds will be heading out soon, but if anyone has any Yankees from the set I would love to take them off your hands in exchange for one of these! 

Thanks Topps! See Ya!

Congrats to Red Hot Robby!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Today, the MLB released the winners for the 2010 American League Gold Glove awards! I'm proud to say that 3 Yankees took home some hardware, even through this somewhat of a disappointing ending to our season. Mark Teixeira won his 4th Gold Glove today, which he definitely deserved. Tex is surely one of the best fielding 1st basemen in baseball and it's very hard to hit a ball past him. Derek Jeter won his 5th gold glove at shortstop, and while he may not have deserved any awards after his miserable season, he still was one of the top shortstops in the league fielding-wise, with a .989 fielding percentage and 6 errors. Lastly, another one of my favorite players, Robinson Cano, won his 1st Gold Glove! Cano has evolved into one of the top second baseman in every way. He hit 29 home runs this year, batted .319, and had a .996 fielding percentage!

One of the main reasons why I like Cano so much is that he is one of the first players that I have watched since the beginning of their career. I remember when he was called up in 2005, one of the first years I started following baseball heavily. He seemed like he had a great potential, and that was showed when he hit .342 in his second full season in the majors! Now he may be considered as good as an Alex Rodriguez and possibly better than Derek Jeter at this point in their respective careers. Sure, those guys were great at Cano's age, but Cano is really proving himself throughout the first 6 seasons of his career. I will continue to collect, or attempt to collect, Cano in the next few years, even though his value is soaring right now. I currently own 136 of his cards, including 5 autographed cards, and one 1/1 card.

Outside of the Yankees, Joe Mauer took home the catcher gold glove, his 3rd, Evan Longoria received his 2nd award, and outfielders Franklin Gutierrez, Carl Crawford, and Ichiro all got an award. Ichiro won his 10th Gold Glove in 10 seasons in the MLB, a truly incredible feat. Mark Buehrle won his 2nd Gold Glove in consecutive seasons, deservably after his opening day web gem.

So I would like to Congratulate Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and the other recipients of the 2010 American League Gold Glove Awards!

See Ya!

2010 Topps Series 2 Cereal Box

Hey guys, Drew back here, with a gift from one of my friends for my birthday. Along with this, I also got a pack of 2010 UD from one friend, which had 2 Yankees I needed in it, CC Sabathia and the Checklist with Rivera and A-Rod, and a Ryan Braun Biography insert. I also got a rack pack of 2010 Allen & Ginter, nothing spectacular but I was able to knock off some cards on the wantlist. The big card gift from my friends was a cereal box of 2010 Topps Series 2. I already had the base set down, so I just was looking for some needed inserts. Check out what I got:

These were just some of the base highlights. If you need help with your set, please email me and maybe I could help you. I'm always looking for more inserts!

I'm keeping the Heyward for now, and I need the Podres, Jeter, Ludwick, and Upton Peak Performance, but the rest are for trade for inserts that I do need. Pretty nice I gotta say, the Ludwick is really nice.

The Million Card Giveaway code unlocked this Rick Wise 1967, which is a very nice card I gotta say. Awesome, gotta love when you don't get 2005 Topps base from the MCG.

The big "hit" was this very nice chrome refractor card of Ichiro! It's a really nice card, and it's for trade for any Yankees in this set.

Thanks so much friends! See Ya!