Ten for Tuesday - Active, Dangerous Switch-Hitters

Hey everyone, Drew back here today with yet another Ten for Tuesday topic to start this week's conversation! Mark Teixeira crushed his 11th home run on the season last night, and with that I decided to research who the very best switch hitters are in today's game. Switch hitting appears to be a dying art, as recent players like Chipper Jones and Jorge Posada have since left us behind, but there are still some players who know how to get it done on both sides of the plate.

For this list, I made sure to take into account player's splits, not just their overall talent. The young base stealing talent Billy Hamilton is great on the basepaths, but he will not be on this list despite his switch hitting capability. The qualifications are hitting only, and over anything else concern players who became increasingly dangerous by being able to switch their hands and move to the other side of the dish. Without further ado, let's see where your favorite players fell.

Top 10 Active Switch-Hitters

Honorable Mentions - Chase Headley, Neil Walker, Dexter Fowler

Headley was the hardest player to keep off this list, especially while he was having a great offensive day yesterday, but just missed the cut because his defensive skill normally outweighs his offensive contributions. Fowler's all around game is what makes him a good player over his offensive output, while Walker has been improving every season but is significantly worse at reaching base when batting right handed against left handed pitching.

10 - Matt Wieters, C, Baltimore Orioles (Splits)

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It may not be fair to the players who just missed the cut for a player who has not played in 2015 to be featured on this list, but come on, what is more valuable than a switch hitting catcher? Wieters may not have ever lived up to the ridiculous hype surrounding him that landed him on a Sports Illustrated cover in his rookie season, but he has been very good when healthy. Health is a huge factor for the Orioles backstop, as he has recently missed a lot of time thanks in part to undergoing Tommy John Surgery. He was off to a torrid start in 2014, but only wound up playing in 26 games. In those 26 games, he was substantially better facing right handed pitchers as a left handed batter, but his career splits have shown that he reaches base for a higher percentage when batting right handed.

One thing I had to keep in mind with this list to make sure I don't take home run and RBI totals into account when viewing career splits, because every player faces much more right handed pitching than left handed pitching unless they are in a platoon situation. Wieters has 58 home runs against RHP and 34 against LHP, but has over a thousand more career at bats against RHP.

9 - Kendrys Morales, DH, Kansas City Royals (Splits)

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Billy Butler was the heart and soul for the Royals for the first eight years of his career, but both sides were ready to move forward after a magical 2014. They moved on to Morales, a player who has been up and down his entire career. He is infamous for his 2010 MVP caliber season ending quickly when he broke his leg jumping into home plate after hitting a walkoff home run for the Angels. Ever since, he has been trying to regain some of what he lost that day, and slowly but surely he has worked his way back to relevancy.

This year, he's back, and while he may not have the power from five years ago, he is still a can't miss bat in the middle of one of baseball's most impressive lineups. He is batting over .300 currently and his slugging percentage is the highest it has been since that 2010 season. While he was performed better in his lifetime as a left handed batter, his all around peripherals are impressive on both sides.

8 - Jimmy Rollins, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers (Splits)

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J-Roll has appeared to have been around forever. The longtime Phillies shortstop and former MVP winner made his way to Los Angeles this past offseason in what was perhaps the craziest offseason yet, and is now setting the table for one of the best offenses in the game. Rollins has put together a very nice 16 year career, and although his time in Hollywood hasn't been as impressive as expected, he is still a huge threat that can not be overlooked.

Through his career, his batting average and on base percentage have been eerily similar from both sides of the plate. At the top of the lineup during most of his career, he has posed as an immediate threat because he can get things started no matter who is on the mound. That is a very valuable commodity, and it earned him 8th place on this list.

7 - Mark Teixeira, 1B, New York Yankees (Splits)

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You're on the Mark, Teixeira. For once, the career .236 hitter in April, prone to horrible starts for years now; Mark Teixeira is on a roll kicking off his 2015 season. Perhaps its due to the gluten free diet, or the fact that he's simply healthier than he's been in recent history, but he's already got 11 home runs to show for this season and he does not appear to be slowing down. The Yankee first baseman has always been known as a great offensive and defensive threat, but at the age of 35 he hasn't quite been the player that the Steinbrenner family paid for ever since his 39 home run 2011 campaign.

Tex has been a productive player on both sides of the plate, with considerably higher averages against left handed pitching despite a much smaller sample size. 269 of his career 374 home runs have come against right handed pitchers as a left handed batter. When he's on, he clearly can not be stopped, and I hope he's got at least one more healthy, All Star caliber season left in him.

6 - Pablo Sandoval, 3B, Boston Red Sox (Splits)

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"The Panda" has been a staple in the middle of the San Francisco Giants lineup going back to 2008, but much like Rollins, he was on the move this past offseason, heading to the Red Sox on a 5 year, $100 million dollar deal. He claimed to have been "disrespected" by the Giants organization, which I personally cannot fathom and it made me lose quite a bit of respect for him. He has been a key playoff performer over the years although his regular season stats have left much to be desired.

His general offensive ability has brought him to #6 on this list, but he would be higher on the list if his statistics translated on both sides of the dish as well as they have for the next five players. As a right handed batter, he's batted .264 with 18 home runs, whereas as a left handed batter he has batted .307 with 92 home runs. Last year, he batted .199 against lefties, proving that perhaps switch hitting hurts him more than helps. Overall, he still lands high on this list thanks to his prior success, but if there is any player on this list that may not want to keep switch hitting, it would be Kung-Fu Panda.

5 - Ben Zobrist, UTIL, Oakland Athletics (Splits)

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I wonder how the conversation went in Little League when little Ben Zobrist was asked what position he wanted to play. Zobrist has gone on to play practically every position, and play them significantly well. On top of that, he's a switch hitter, basically making him the switch army knife of Major League Baseball. He took his talents to the West Coast this offseason in a trade from Tampa Bay, where he played his first nine years, all of which under the tutelage of one of baseball's more creative managers in Joe Maddon. Zobrist became the cover boy of the WAR statistic argument, posting six seasons with over 4 Wins Above Replacement. Whether or not you feel like he should be considered an MVP candidate despite average offensive statistics, Zobrist is a player every team wishes they could have.

At 33, Zobrist is beginning to hit his decline, but is still capable of hitting well at the top of the A's order. He's been on the Disabled List since April 24th for having torn cartilage in his knee, and should not be back until mid June. His career peripherals indicate a slightly better performance as a right handed hitter, and in 2014 he batted .340 against lefties versus .247 against righties.

4 - Melky Cabrera, OF, Chicago White Sox (Splits)

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One thing I've learned through this research is that a significant amount of the players on this list are on new teams in 2015, proving how much teams value players capable of hitting both lefties and righties. Melky Cabrera traveled south from Toronto to Chicago this offseason, and now sets up for Jose Abreu and Adam LaRoche in the "Pale Hose" lineup. Cabrera has been a better player as a left handed batter, but is solid on the right side as well. He has evolved into one of the best contact and doubles hitters in baseball during and after his PED suspension in 2012 when he was with the Giants. Like him or hate him, Melky is one of the best switch hitters in the business, and makes a case for the best #2 hitter in any lineup.

3 - Carlos Santana, 1B/3B, Cleveland Indians (Splits)

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Carlos Santana (not the Latin guitar legend) has snuck into one of the more consistent offensive threats in baseball. He never seems to finish with a high batting average, but he walks more than anyone else and has hit at least 18 home runs in each of his last four full seasons. He is off to a good start in 2015, with 4 Home Runs to his credit and a league leading 25 walks. He may not be the most exciting player to watch, but he more than gets his job done for a team desperate for offense.

As far as his switch hitting prowess goes, well, his career statistics show a much better offensive player when facing left handed pitching, and in 2014 he batted .271 in that situation as opposed to .214 against right handed pitchers. Because of his career success and ability to get on base, he has made it all the way to #3 on this list, but he's in jeopardy to fall if he continues to struggle against right handed pitching as much as he has.

2 - Jose Reyes, SS, Toronto Blue Jays (Splits)

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Jose Reyes. Wow, where to even begin. What a career it has been for the long time shortstop, beginning with some excellent seasons in the Big Apple with the Mets, then heading down south to Jeffrey Loria's Miami circus, and then being shipped all the way back up north to Toronto where he's now been for two plus years. Staying on the field has been the only problem holding Reyes back from becoming an annual elite player and the respect he could have attained otherwise. He may not be the best defensive option, but it's hard to find another shortstop in the American League that can do what he does. Even as he is beginning to age past his prime, few teams find it easy to deal with this man, who sets up for three of the best right handed sluggers in the game that follow suit in Bautista, Encarnacion, and the newly acquired Josh Donaldson. He may not steal 50 bases anymore, but is a lock for at least 30 when he is able to stay on the field. Currently, Reyes is battling a cracked rib that he played with for a while until the Blue Jays eventually placed him on the DL.

Reyes has a lifetime batting average of .291, and surprisingly both his left handed and right handed batting averages lie in the .290's range. He produces almost identical averages from both sides every year, and only compiles more statistics batting left handed due to the increased amount of right handed pitching. He is an unstoppable force when he's playing on the field, and not many players show the combination of passion and skill like he does. It was an easy decision to place him as runner up on this list, however there is one player I do think takes the cake by just a little more.

1 - Victor Martinez, DH, Detroit Tigers (Splits)

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There isn't much to say about the man who has provided a fantastic presence behind a former Triple Crown Winner in the Tiger's lineup that hasn't already been said. Victor Martinez is what they call a pure hitter, and somehow even at 36 he seems to be only getting better. His 2nd place MVP finish in the American League last year behind only Mike Trout was amazing - he batted .335 with a career high 32 home runs as well as over 100 RBI's for the fifth time of his great thirteen year career. In addition, he only struck out 42 times over the course of the entire season, the fewest of anyone in the game. He once spent almost an entire calendar year without striking out looking, if that says anything about just how disclipined he is. And on top of it all, he bats from both sides of the plate, which allows manager Brad Ausmus the ability to construct his strong offensive lineup in many ways and still pose a threat even to the best bullpens such as their division rival Kansas City Royals.

Martinez hasn't gotten off to the best start this year, but this past week he has shown signs of turning things around. He underwent knee surgery last offseason to fix a torn medial meniscus, and that could be most of the reason for his slow start. However, he'll have to pick it up soon, as the Tigers recently rewarded his excellent 2014 with a 4 year, $68 million dollar contract. Hitting behind Miguel Cabrera could be enough to make that contract worthwhile either way, though.

He has bat over .300 as a left handed and right handed hitter, and has 120 home runs on the left side opposed to 69 on the right; with about 2000 at bats separating the two sides. He batted .371 in 2014 against left handed pitching, proving just how capable he is of owning both matchups.

When thinking about this topic, I knew initially I had no way of taking V-Mart out of the #1 spot, even after a lackluster April this year. I wanted to focus on the players between 10-2, and I think I covered all of the players worth mentioning. Carlos Beltran would have made this list a few years ago, and possibly Coco Crisp as well.

This week, I decided to try something different to try to open up conversation, as I haven't gotten as much feedback as I initially expected in doing these posts. Check out the poll below, and feel free to leave your input on who you believe is the best switch hitter in the game. I love to write these posts, but half of the few is getting to hear what you all have to say, and I hope this may help spark some more debate between you guys. Comment below if you think my positioning was off with a few players or if I should have considered someone else. Are there any real prominent switch hitters coming up soon?

Who do you believe is baseball's best current switch hitter?

Victor Martinez

Jose Reyes

Carlos Santana

Melky Cabrera

Other (comment below!)

Poll Maker

Let me know your thoughts on this week's subject! See Ya!

Celebrating My First 10 Seasons Watching Baseball!

Hey guys, Drew back here! I didn't realize until the other day, during midterm week no less, that last baseball season was the 10th year I've been following the game. It's amazing how quickly the past decade has gone, and how many memories baseball has made me. So, I decided to construct a team in recognition of this. I wanted to make a Yankees team using the best overall seasons for each position between 2005 and 2014, filling each slot with players specific to that role. Rather than stacking the bench with the superstars who just missed the cut, I wanted to keep things realistic. It may go a bit over budget, but it is the Bronx Bombers we're talking about. Without further ado, let's take a look at the results!

Catcher - Jorge Posada
Season: 2007
Statistics: .338 BA, 20 HR, 90 RBI, 171 H, 91 R

Jorge was the best Yankee catcher since Thurman Munson, and it's only fitting that we start this team with the player with the heart and soul he possessed. His On Base Percentage of .426 was not matched by anyone else on this team, and although his defensive performance wasn't always Gold Glove caliber, who could go against a team leader who can switch hit for power and average?

1st Base - Mark Teixeira
Season: 2009
Statistics: .292 BA, 39 HR, 122 RBI, 178 H, 103 R

Tex's first year in New York was much better than what would follow. Due to injuries, we wouldn't see this type of production past 2011, but he was a key player all throughout the year, and helped lead the Yanks to their 27th World Championship. He was the runner up for MVP behind Joe Mauer, and won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger to accompany a fine season.

2nd Base - Robinson Cano
Season: 2010
Statistics: .319 BA, 29 HR, 109 RBI, 200 H, 103 R

It was difficult to choose Cano's best season in New York, but I ultimately decided on 2010. He finished only behind Josh Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera for AL MVP and also came up with Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards! Robby was the first Yankee I got to see fully develop into a star player, and it was fun watching him dominate the second base position for so long here in the Bronx. He could do it all, and we'll certainly miss that with Stephen Drew slabbed as our Opening Day second baseman in 2015.

Shortstop - Derek Jeter
Season: 2006
Statistics: .343 BA, 14 HR, 97 RBI, 214 H, 118 R, 34 SB

Jeter was 31 years old when I started watching him play, so for the average player he would've only had a few "prime" seasons left. Luckily for us, we got to see the Captain perform above average (at least offensively) until he was 39! New Yorkers feel that Jeter should've won MVP ahead of Justin Morneau in 2006, as it was one of his best seasons of his career. He also won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger this year (catch a theme?), so not only is this offense loaded with hitting, but they could also hold their own in the field.

3rd Base - Alex Rodriguez
Season: 2007
Statistics: .314 BA, 54 HR, 156 RBI, 183 H, 143 R, 24 SB

A-Rod put up video game numbers in his second of two MVP awards he took home with the Yankees, only possible with the help of performance enhancing drugs. I would've tried to find ways around having him on this team, given how much of a head case he is, but there really wasn't anyone else qualified enough to take the hot corner. I was a huge fan of Alex's at this point in time, and I can definitely credit his enormous statistics to keeping me interested in the game when I was young enough to simply walk away (I was 8 in 2005). While most of us aren't fans of his at this point, there's no denying that he would make a perfect cleanup hitter for this roster.

Left Field - Hideki Matsui
Season: 2005
Statistics: .305 BA, 23 HR, 116 RBI, 192 H, 108 R

He was one of those guys that was taken for granted. He wasn't a Gold Glove caliber player in the field, but give Godzilla a bat and he was almost certain to make you pay. Matsui broke his wrist in 2006, breaking a total streak of 1,768 consecutive games played (1,250 with Yomiuri, 518 in NY). He was never really the same player after the injury. In 2005, however; the guy was unstoppable. He was recently named as an advisor to General Manager Brian Cashman, and Cash could not have picked a classier player to help represent playing in pinstripes.

Center Field - Curtis Granderson
Season: 2011
Statistics: .262 BA, 41 HR, 119 RBI, 153 H, 136 R, 25 SB

Grandy and I had a love-hate relationship through his four years in New York. I loved him as a person, but sometimes I couldn't take his inconsistency at the plate. Sure, he clubbed over 40 home runs in back to back seasons, but he also struck out well over 100 times both years. But his 2011 season was the best of any center fielder's in this span (sorry, Bernie), as evidenced by his inflated stat line and 4th place MVP finish. He led the league in runs scored and RBI, stole 25 bases, and played above average defense to boot. I still root for Curtis with the Mets, but his power/strikeout style isn't exactly my favorite approach to watch.

Right Field - Gary Sheffield
Season: 2005
Statistics: .291 BA, 34 HR, 123 RBI, 170 H, 104 R, 10 SB

While Jeter was always my all time favorite Yankee, Gary Sheffield was my first favorite "role" player of sorts. Sheff would've been the star of most other teams, but in New York he wasn't exactly the one selling tickets. It excites me seeing him on the Hall of Fame ballot, but I truly feel that he's just a Hall of Very Good player, despite his 500+ career home run achievement. But in 2005, he put together a Hall of Fame quality season, doing a little bit of everything. He and Vladimir Guerrero in particular were lethal weapons during their prime, and it was fun to see balls rocket off his bat (unless you were sitting in the left field field level seats, then watch out).

DH - Jason Giambi
Season: 2006
Statistics: .253 BA, 37 HR, 113 RBI, 113 H, 92 R

Giambi was a mixed bag of tricks late in his Yankees career. Often injured, with or without that weird moustache, and constantly mentioned in steroid allegations. But 2006 was his final "great" season, and he will provide an extra boost of power to a lineup that doesn't really need it, but wouldn't mind it either. He could also serve in a small platoon situation with one of the bench players, hitting mostly against right handed pitching.

Bench -

Francisco Cervelli
Position: C
Season: 2014
Statistics: .301 BA (162 PA), 2 HR, 13 RBI, 44 H, 18 R

Cervelli played with passion in his 7 partial seasons in New York, and will back up Posada when he needs rest. He can provide a spark with his bat, and while he wasn't the best defensively either, you know he will play to the best of his ability every time he's called upon.

Andruw Jones
Position: OF
Season: 2011
Statistics: .247 BA (222 PA), 13 HR, 33 RBI, 47 H, 27 R

Jones will platoon with Giambi and hit mostly against left handed pitching for this team, as he did extremely well in 2011. He batted .286 vs. left handers, hitting 8 of his 13 total home runs. Jones can also contribute as a backup outfielder, and though he was a former superstar defensive player, he won't quite bring that tool to the park as a 34 year old.

Brett Gardner
Position: OF
Season: 2009
Statistics: .270 BA (248 PA), 3 HR, 23 RBI, 67 H, 48 R, 26 SB

I would have loved to use one of Gardy's better seasons for this slot, but unfortunately according to my rules I had to take a year in which he wasn't a starter. He provided an excellent spark off the bench for the World Series team, and would eventually develop into one of my favorite current players. He'll be the preferred backup outfielder over Jones for this team, and the perfect late game pinch runner as well.

Jayson Nix
Position: UTIL
Season: 2012
Statistics: .273 BA (202 PA), 4 HR, 18 RBI, 43 H, 24 R

I always enjoyed the versatility of Nix, and I feel like most teams should have a guy capable of playing multiple positions. I could have went with Eduardo Nunez, but his versatility felt forced as he made far too many errors too often. Nix was sure-handed, and he wasn't an automatic out at the plate either.

Opening Day Lineup

1 - Derek Jeter (R)
2 - Curtis Granderson (L)
3 - Robinson Cano (L)
4 - Alex Rodriguez (R)
5 - Mark Teixeira (S)
6 - Jason Giambi (L)
7 - Gary Sheffield (R)
8 - Hideki Matsui (L)
9 - Jorge Posada (S)

Total Salary - $137,726,096
Average Salary - $10,594,315

Notable Omissions - Eduardo Nunez, Nick Swisher, Alfonso Soriano, Bobby Abreu, Johnny Damon, Jose Molina, Bernie Williams

The Yankees may have won the World Series just in 2009 since I started following the team, but as you can see, there have been so many fantastic individual seasons compiled throughout that time. I also constructed a pitching staff, and will have that posted tomorrow to complete the 25 man roster! Please feel free to comment with your thoughts on this team, as well as any changes you would consider, and if you would like to use this idea for your team on your blog, be my guest!

See Ya!

National Treasures Mail! Happy Opening Day!

Hey guys, Drew back here! Happy Opening Day! I missed school today coincidentally, because I wasn't feeling well this morning, but it turned out to be a nice day to take off. I rarely get to see the Yankees Opening Day game, so I was really excited to be able to today. Well, a few innings into the game and I was wishing I was in school. The Yankees had quite the lineup today, I must say. It's going to be a tough first month but I'm sure they'll be able to pull through. Anyway, here are a few cards I recently picked up from the new 2012 Panini National Treasures product in honor of the inaugural day of the 2013 season:

First off, I picked up this beautiful Reggie Jackson "Greatness" relic with a pinstripe right down the middle for about $10! I can never have enough Reggie cards, and this one I just couldn't pass up. National Treasures is such a nice product; its unfortunate that it's as expensive as it is.

I also added my first ever booklet card, this being of Mark Teixeira! It isn't anything spectacular, just a plain old road jersey, but it's a really cool looking card. I've had too much fun the past few days opening and closing the book, but I'm sure I'll get bored of it eventually. I may pick up a few more of these from this set, but they really are a pain to store, and I don't think a Mark Teixeira relic is worthy of buying a booklet screwdown holder for.

That's all for now from Panini National Treasures, but certainly not for good. I won't be buying any boxes in the near or distant future but I'm more than open to a single at a good price. Maybe I'll get some of the Cano and McCutchen cards. We'll have to wait and see.

But for now, See Ya!

Mail from a New Friend, Scott!

Hey guys, Drew back here. I was really fortunate a few weeks ago to meet a kid named Scott through William! Scott is one year older than me, and is a genuinely awesome person without a doubt. William met him at one of his card shows and worked out a few deals with him, thus leading to him directing Scott over to my blog, as he always seems to do! Scott emailed me asking about a future trade, and we were able to work out a blockbuster trade as reporters would say. Take a look at some of the sweet cards he sent over to me:

I'll start with the extras I received. There were quite a few cards I needed badly, such as the Cano chrome card and the Eduardo Nunez chrome rookie. I even think I still needed the Nick Swisher Allen & Ginter card, which goes to show how well I've collected him over the past few months. The other day I was sorting out cards for a trade and found a box of Allen & Ginter laying there, still filled with all of the loose cards I already broke out of packs. I opened that box in August. Time to catch up there, Drew.

Here are some of my favorites of his throw ins. I absolutely love the Thurman Munson cereal box chrome refractor, which has alluded me for a few years now. The Vazquez purple refractor is numbered out of 599, and while he wasn't necessarily effective as a Yankee during his two stints, it really is a gorgeous card. I also really like the Josh Hamilton propaganda card. Hamilton has undergone a bit of speculation over this offseason with the whole "couple of beers scandal", which I find absolutely ridiculous and blown up. He still remains one of my favorite players, so nice try media.  

We now arrive to the meat of the trade, which begins with this very nice 2008 Upper Deck Spectrum relic card numbered to 99 of Curtis Granderson! Curtis has become a favorite in New York after his enormous 2011 season, and while it may be hard to repeat, he may be one of the only players in baseball that has the talent to be able to repeat it. Granderson is part of my secondary player collection list, and I'm always looking for cards of his I didn't already have. 

Next was this 2008 Allen & Ginter relic of Mark Teixeira. There isn't much to dislike about Mark, besides his often slow starts and occasional painful to watch playoff performances. He's a great clubhouse guy, as well as perhaps the best defensive first baseman in the league, and a very good power hitter. Sometimes his streaks irritate me but for the most part I like the guy a lot. This card is awesome too, even though Tex hardly played for Atlanta. Any red relic is uncommon to find, and as soon as Scott offered it to me I jumped right on it!

The final relic of the three he included in the trade was for my 2011 Topps Tier One relic set, this being of Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels. Hamels is one of the newer players on the checklist, and while most people wonder how he shares a card in the same set as the Great Bambino, I find it kind of cool to have a solid variety of players. Hamels will probably never have the career statistics to put himself in such an elite set, so I guess he should enjoy his time to shine now while he has it. This makes the 11th card of the 50 card set for me so far, which is great considering I started the set just a couple of months ago!

However, we aren't quite done here yet! Scott informed me prior to mailing his package out that he was going to be attending a dinner event with some current major league players, and offered to try and get me an autograph! I gladly took up his generous offer and sent over 2 customs cards, one for him and one for me, of one of the players attending the dinner! 

Scott didn't promise me an autograph by any means, but the fact that he was willing to try meant a lot to me. Sure enough, however, he came through in the clutch, landing me an Adam Jones autograph! Normally I don't tend to go for many Orioles cards/autographs, mainly because they typically don't stay in my collection all that long. In my opinion though, Jones has to be their best player nowadays, and I thought it would be cool to at least have his autograph. He inscribed his number 10 below the autograph, and I love the way it came out! Scott had a great experience meeting Jones, Willie Bloomquist, and a bunch of current prospects at the dinner event, and you can take a look at his recap here. 

Thank you so much Scott for everything you did for me! I really look forward to extending our friendship more and more and making more deals in the future! Everyone please be sure to check out his blog when you get a chance, even though he is... a Red Sox fan!

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!

JD traded me some Wild Cardz!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Yes, another trade post, but I know someone out there has to enjoy seeing what I get in the mail. This time I traded with Mike of JD's Wild Cardz, whose had a card I've really wanted for a while. He got me to give up the gold border chrome mini from 206 of Wee Willie Keeler, but I got a few very nice cards in return. Take a look...

2010 Topps Heritage Mark Teixeira Dice Back SP

I didn't have any of these before, so it was cool to add to the collection. This is one of 2 throw ins, and seeing it was a nice surprise. Tex had an awful beginning to the season but came back strong as he always has done.

2009 Topps Heritage Phil Hughes Chrome /1960

The scanner never does justice to chrome cards. This card looks much better in person than it does here. This was the other throw in, and it was a nice add for sure after Hughes had such a great year.

2007 Topps Turkey Red Nick Swisher Jersey

I haven't added much to the Swisher collection lately, so when he offered this up to me it was a must have. I never bought much of the Turkey Red product because I wasn't a heavy collector back then, but I knew what they were and I really liked them. This card looks very nice, nothing like having a piece of my favorite player's pants. Hopefully Swisher will still be wearing Yankees pants next season, as there have been many trade rumors floating around concerning him. I will seriously cry my eyes out if he leaves.

2010 Topps Nick Swisher Black Border /59

This was the card I've wanted for a while. I don't even have the gold border yet, but when I saw him pull the black border I knew I needed to take it off his hands. Swish now has 3 black borders to chase in 2010 Topps, as he has 2 base cards in the Update set that I haven't bought a pack of. This is a really nice card, and it makes the 115th card in my Swisher collection. Yay!

Thanks so much for the trade Mike! See Ya!

Oh Come On!

Hey guys, Drew back here. Over the past few nights, I've been wasting my time watching: bad pitching, terrible hitting, and most definitely a lack of effort from 25 guys making millions of dollars to do that. Otherwise known as my New York Yankees. I thought things were bad enough, until this happened last night.

As bad as Mark Teixeira had been doing in this series (o-14), the Yankees are going to definitely miss him as they removed him from the postseason roster due to a hamstring injury in last nights game. This may be the final blow for the Yankees, as Josh Hamilton and the other feared Rangers hitters are taking the Yankees by storm and are now up 3 games to 1.

There's not much else to say, but I sure hope that CC finds a way to win tonight, or the Yanks will be starting their golf seasons early. See Ya!

Mail from someone obsessed with Baseball!

Hey guys, Drew back here with some more mail! Yay! I could be writing all of this stuff into one post, but I just don't have time, considering I spent the last 2 hours typing an essay! I got a package recently from Kelly, from Baseball Obsession-itis! She and I worked out a very nice deal, we got some hits exchanged, and some wantlist needs too! Check out my haul!

First, a bunch more 2010 Allen & Ginter cards! This makes me only need 1 more card to complete the base and short print set, card #75, who I believe is of Jayson Werth. If anyone has it let me know! By the way, this scan came out really cool hahaha.

From one of the best designed relic/auto sets of all time, a 2010 Allen & Ginter Ryan Howard jersey card with a pinstripe! I haven't gotten anything major of Ryan Howard really except a dual relic from the card show that dad got me! As you've probably noticed, I've been working on branching my collection out and getting cards of players not playing for the Yankees that I like. This guy is certainly one of my favorites! And wow, this card looks spectacular!

I never said I stopped collecting Yankees too though! Here's a very nice 2010 National Chicle jersey with pinstripe card of Mark Teixeira! This is now my 4th Yankees relic card from this set, 3 of them being pants cards! And the weird thing is, the only one that is numbered has game used "memorabilia" instead of pants. This is a really card, but again, my biggest complaint is that pink and purple should never be used on a baseball card set!

Thanks so much Kelly! Everyone please check out her blog!

See Ya!

Theft on eBay ALERT- Awesome Pickup

Hey everyone, Drew back here, with a card I recently bought off eBay for a total steal! Check this thing out!

For $12.50 plus $3 shipping, I got my 1st Mark Teixeira autograph! And not only that, it's not some junk company, but it's from 2007 Exquisite Rookies (why is he in this set anyway?) and it's a quad jersey auto numbered to only 85. It looks unbelievable in person and I'm glad I was able to get an autograph of Tex, one of my favorites on our team right now.

Steal? Or Average Price? What do you think? See Ya!

A Sterling Plate Mailday!

Hey guys, Drew back here, with a very nice mailday. First, on Friday I came home from NYC to find a box waiting for me in the mailbox. Tigre, or Wax Pack Relapse, likes to send boxes of cards to people out of fun now, and I was one of the first to receive one of these packages. He put a little stack of cards that could have been shipped for $2.00 or so in a box of 2009 Topps Sterling! I am probably never going to open a box of Sterling unless A) I win the lottery (when I'm able to do the lottery that is), B) It's not my box, or C) I make some bad decisions when I'm older. Sterling is nice, but hardly often do you get the value that you could get for $250 or whatever the price is. Sticker autos in like every OTHER box is a ripoff too, there should be an auto in every box and maybe, a nice high quality patch. Ok, so that's my quick rant on Topps Sterling. Moving on.

Did I mention the boxes look and feel amazing though? ANYWAY...

Mr. Relapse sent me a handful of numbered Yankees and inserts and stuff, let's get this party started yall.

4 Mark Teixeira's. Nice! I don't have much of Tex, but these 4 cards help. I now have the base, blue, green, and Cut From the Same Cloth cards of Tex from 2009 Piece of History, so I guess that's pretty good. The bottom left is a perforated card from Ticket to Stardom, which should be the base card since it is a ticket set and all. The bottom right card is the Pure Heat insert, which are pretty cool looking I have to admit. And, the Topps 206 is the short print back, with just the name, so that's cool too.

Wow, look at that color! 4 2009 Spectrum Greens numbered to 99, of Pudge, Joba, Giambi, and Wang. Only Joba is still here and sucking in New York. The Piece of Historys are nice too, except I can't stand when they pair Yankees with Red Sox, they don't want a Yankee on it and we don't want a Sock on it. But they are very nice looking cards. The Sabathia one is numbered to 75 and the Joba one is to 999. Lastly is a 2008 SPX Jeter base, and those are really cool looking, my 1st one of those.

Here are some retro style cards, Cano and Sabathia base from Topps 206, thanks for the Cano, do have it but everything is appreciated. 2 "bronze" parallel cards of Pettitte and Cervelli, are these 206 cards getting suddenly popular in packages? I think I have close to the whole team bronze set! Also, this Rivera card is coming from everywhere too! I've gotten at least 3 of them in the past 2 weeks, after not seeing it ever before. It is a really nice card nonetheless. Mantle base and Joba mini from A&G, very nice, a Joba 206 mini, also cool, and a very sweet Yogi Berra 2009 Goudey mini green border!

2 Upper Deck Retro Parallels of Wang and Joba, I didn't have either so that's cool. Also a 2008 Bowman Chrome A-Rod, a 2009 Bowman Chrome Phil Coke rookie x-fractor /250 too. He's gonna be good, I sent him a TTM in the spring but got a RTS (wrong address, my bad), I wish he was on the Yanks still though, Chan Ho Park and Joba looked terrible last night. Lastly a Posada numbered 20/99, an eBay 1/1!!! Well, I would celebrate that if I was 2 years old, grow up youtube fools! It's the blue parallel of the Ticket to Stardom set, and I really like it!

And... that is a pretty sweet card for the PC! It's from 09 Ballpark of Cano and Michael Young numbered to 350! Now I have 3 of his 5 different duals, need the one with Posada and the one with Damon. This is a very nice card, and I really appreciate you sending it dude!

Thanks SO much for the awesome cards and the Sterling box! Everyone check out his blog!

Lastly, a card I picked up on eBay for a nice price...

2009 UD Spectrum Swisher Relic Card Printing Plate 1/1!!!

My second 1/1, 1st Swisher 1/1, and 1st printing plate!!! This is a really cool card and although it has some corner damage, it's an overall nice card! I got it for $10, is that a steal?

Thanks for reading, and See Ya!