Here We Go.......Wait, Not Until Tomorrow - And thanks a lot Diamondbacks!

     Well, we have a doubleheader today between the Braves and the Mets, and so I cannot make my yearly playoff predictions for the National League yet. If the Diamondbacks had just lost to the Padres instead of smoking them, then we would be set. Now, a split in the doubleheader would eliminate the D-Backs, and a sweep would kick the team on the losing end. So, I guess these games are kinda big. C'mon guys, please split. 

    Since I cannot yet make my yearly playoff predictions for the NL, I think I'd better go ahead and do it for the American League. After all, the playoffs start tomorrow, and I'm gonna need to publish my NL predictions before the games start. 

    Before I start off on the journey of playoff guessing (which I'm historically bad at), I'd like to recap the seasons of, and speak to some of my favorite players, you know, for sentimental reasons. I'll go with just five.

    

    Jackson Merrill: Merrill finished the regular season going 1-for-2 with a walk (wait, he walked?) as the Padres got smoked to the Diamondbacks and Brandon Pfaadt. He finished the year with a slash of .292/.326/.500 and 24 homers and 90 RBI to go along with solid defense all year in center. Please win the rookie of the year Merrill! Please, I beg of you!

    Tarik Skubal: I guess I've already been over this. 18-4, 2.39, AL triple crown among pitchers. This is such a great year for you Skubal. I love that. Now I must beg a question from the readers: Skubal or Skenes? Who's better (this year)?

    Evan Carter: Maybe we skip this one? Poor Evan, playing through a back injury, batting a buck 88. Please rebound next year, I ask you. At least the GM knows he will. I still believe in you, and I'd better - you're my favorite guy (aside from Buster Posey).

    Nico Hoerner: Way to come back man!  Through June the batting average was at .248, and through July it was .252. But you never quit. Nico ends up batting .273, and getting that OPS over .700, all while playing stellar defense at second base. Good job kid.

    Zack Gelof: I guess the good has to come with the bad. Zack, what happened man? You went from .267/..337/.504 in 2023 to .211/.270/.362 this year. I know you got it in you, and though you'll be missing your fans in 2025 (don't you start crying too), I know you'll rebound. 

    Before, I get down to business, I would like to mention that if Chris Sale either doesn't start today, or starts and doesn't throw a stinker, he will also win a pitcher's triple crown. Amazing that I got both he and Skubal in one of my fantasy leagues (14th and 7th rounds, respectively).

    And now, I can stall no longer. It is time for my American League Playoff Predictions! 

    This is what the seeding looks like for the AL.

    1: New York Yankees
`   2: Cleveland Indians (or Guardians, but I only ever call them the Indians)
    3: Houston Astros
    4: Baltimore Orioles
    5: Kansas City Royals
    6: Detroit Tigers

    Thanks to that loss against the White Sox yesterday, the Tigers fell below the Royals in the standings and need to square off against the Astros - not that the Orioles is much better. 

    The Yankees and Indians will be getting the two byes, so it looks like our first matches will be

    Astros vs. Tigers

    and

    Orioles vs. Royals

    Let's break this down really quick. These Wildcard Series are of the three-game variety, so a team would need to win two games in order to move on. 

    

    

    I'll start with the 3 against 6 matchup: Astros against Tigers.
    Now, unfortunately, the Astros get home advantage, but we already knew that. Houston has a far superior offense than that of Detroit, but the Tigers have the better pitching staff. I think that they will be able to keep Houston's offense in check if their pitching set-up works. 
    The Tigers typically (with the exceptions of Tarik Skubal and sometimes Reese Olson) start their games with an opener (one of their relievers), and then move on to one of their starters, whether that be Keider Montero, Casey Mize, Reese Olson or Kenta Maeda. The starter pitches anywhere from 3-5 innings, and then the solid late innings crew comes in for the finish. This strategy is a big part of why the team's pitching is so good.
    I would hate to see the Tigers eliminated, and quite frankly have no idea who has the edge in this one, so I guess I'll go with the team from Detroit  (please don't think I'm trying to be biased). They've been really hot, though coming off a series loss to the White Sox sure doesn't feel good I'm sure. But I'm hoping (and thinking) that their momentum can power them past the team from Houston.

    Now for the second set in the AL Wild Card Series: Orioles vs. Royals
    Again, I have a team I'm rooting for in this one, and that would be the Royals. They have a solid team all-around, sixth-best in the league in ERA at 3.76. The Orioles' sits at 3.94. The Royals have a good offense that strikes out the least in the American League, but the Orioles' bats are just better. Baltimore has a .250 batting average (third in the league), .315 OBP (4th), and .435 slugging percentage (1st) with 235 homers (2nd). And with the return of Jordan Westburg, the team has another powerful bat back in their lineup. I'm really unsure that the Royals will be able to keep up with them, therefore I have to go with the Orioles.

    Now we move on to the ALCS, a five-game series. As of my predictions, we have the following matchups:

    1: Yankees vs. Orioles 4

    2: Indians vs. Tigers 6

    

    I think I'll start with the Yankees/Orioles matchup.

    Wow this is a juicy one. The Yankees are the only AL team with more homers than the Orioles, but only two more. Obviously they have Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, who pack a heck of a punch, and the pitching staff has been very good too (3.74 ERA). I actually didn't know just how good the pitching of the Yankees is. 

    I've already been over the deal with the Orioles. They seem just slightly outmatched by the Brooklyn Bombers. They definitely have more depth offensively (and I would say from a pitching perspective), but the top four of the Yankees is straight-up overpowering, and Gerrit Cole is back to his old Cy Young self. So I think it's definitely going to be a good series, one definitely worth watching, but my money's on the Yanks.

    Moving on to the 3-6 matchup: Indians and Tigers
    Look, I'm trying to be unbiased, but I really think the Tigers have a very good shot at this series. The teams had the same ERAs across the regular season at 3.61. The offenses seem similar, but Cleveland's a bit better. I think the Tigers need to rely on how good they've been the last month and a half. It seems highly unrealistic that the team could pull off two upsets, but I think I have to go with them. 

    Now for the seven-game ALCS. I have it as Yankees vs. Tigers.
    I've been through both teams already, so let me just say it: I love the Tigers, think they have a team with the potential to go all the way, especially in the near future, but the Yankees would be far and away the best team they're facing in the American League. I can't give it to the Tigers this time. I'm sorry.

    That'll do it for my American League Playoff Predictions. Watch me get all of them wrong. 

    Let me know what you think of them and what I did right and wrong. I can tell you right now, I think I'm putting too much faith in Detroit, but we'll just have to see. Please come back tomorrow for my National League predictions. Don't worry, the post should be much shorter.

    Y'al have an amazing week, and good luck to the teams you're all rooting for in this Postseason. Happy collecting!

Player of the Week 5 (and some playoff predictions)

     Alright, the season has two games left (or three if you're the Braves or Mets), and some interesting things have definitely happened this week, as you would suppose with the playoffs right around the corner. Let's see...

    I've already gone over the A's move to Vegas and the final game in the Coliseum (just check out my last post). Aaron Judge is doing Aaron Judge things, and the Padres turned a triple play to clinch a spot in the postseason. Any better way to do it? Didn't think so.

    Speaking of the postseason........the Royals made it in. With yesterday's loss to the Orioles, the Twins are officially kicked out of playoff contention. 

    Also, my boys the Tigers broke in too! They have been quite literally insane as of late, and took the month by storm. With nine games to play going back to the 20th, the team had three three-game sets, against the Orioles, Rays and White Sox. Well, they won the series against the O's, 2-1, and swept the Rays, as I correctly predicted. Just yesterday they took the game against the Sox 4-1, and with two games to go, it's just up to them to stay ahead of the Royals, who lost to Atlanta yesterday.

    Seeing as how the Tigers are my favorite postseason squad right now, I think I know who my final Player of the Week is, and that man is.....

    Skubal started the first game of the Rays series, and possibly threw the best game of his life. Ubals, as I call him, fired 7 scoreless frames, giving up two hits and a walk with seven punchouts. This stellar outing gave the ace his 18th win of the year and dropped his ERA to an incredible 2.39. Skubal has been carrying the team since minute one, and I can't wait to see him make his first-ever playoff appearance. I don't think there's much of a contest for the AL Cy Young award either.

    Now, as for playoff predictions, I can't really make a ton since the seeding isn't complete yet. I may just predict a Padres World Series appearance though. I love what they bring to the table in terms of offense, starting pitching and bullpen. I feel the same way with the Brewers. 

    

    Now, as for the AL, I would love to see a Tigers or Royals World Series run. I doubt it's super realistic, but with the way the Tigers have performed, it's definitely a possibility. If I had to make a real prediction though, I'm afraid I'd need to go with the Bronx Bombers. Their offense has just been too good.

    I'll definitely come out with some more in-depth playoff predictions once the seedings are set, but that'll have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday most likely. As for now, y'all have a great weekend, and happy collecting!

R.I.P.OAK

     I'm just gonna say it; Rest in peace Oakland A's. 

    I was never really an A's fan; well, except for that brief time I just came out of tee-ball. My team was the A's. Man, those were the days.

    Anyway, yesterday marked the last game the Athletics will ever play in Oakland. I'm glad that fans showed up to the final series; most of the season the fans in the stands have been few and far between. It just so happens that that final series was played against my Texas Rangers. 

    The A's took game one, the Rangers game two. Right before the rubber matchup began, Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart threw out the first pitches. It seemed fitting to have a couple A's greats throw out the first pitch(es) for their last game ever at Oakland.

    It just so happened (a wee little bit to my dismay) that the A's would take the final game of that series, 3-2. What was really great was the support that the fans had for the team, even if they defeated my team. The fans really showed a love for the team that had been with them since 1968.

    I don't quite understand this move to Vegas for the team (other than the hope of acquiring CJ Abrams in free agency). Their stadium is pretty run-down, but I would think that it would cost less money to make renovations than get a whole new stadium. Though not an A's fan, this still frustrates me a bit. I really begin to feel for those fans who so desperately wanted the team to be sold in order to stay where they were. 

    Since the lease on the Coliseum will end after the 2024 season, the A's will switch locations to a minor league field in Sacramento until the 2028 season, when the field in Vegas will presumably be ready. 

    So, Oakland A's, I guess this is goodbye. 

    I have nowhere to begin
    So I'll start right at the end
    Now it's goodbye, goodbye Oakland.

    If y'all wanna see a nice tribute to the team, go check out Adventures of a Baseball Card Collector. And we will never forget the legacy that the team brought to the city of Oakland. A's fans and baseball fans alike will miss you.

The Long-Awaited Jackson Merrill Post

     Well, long-awaited for me at least.

    Jackson Merrill has quickly become one of my favorite players. He's a flashy young talent, who possesses all the skills of a genuine five-tool player. He is also my email account's profile picture.

    Merrill's family helped pave the way for his road to the major leagues. Because his birthday is on April 19th, he was often the youngest player on his teams, so had to work harder to keep up with the rest. His father, who coached him when he was younger, taught him to hit to contact and not strike out; something which he is good at still, as he holds a 17.4% strikeout rate.

    The work paid off for Merrill, who was extremely determined to break into the big leagues. Jackson was drafted by the Padres in the first round (27th overall) in 2021 out of Severna Park High School in Maryland. He played in 200 minor league games from Rookie Ball through AA, and slashed .295/.347/.455 in that time with 21 home runs. 

    Merrill made his major league debut on March 20th against the Dodgers in South Korea, going 0-for-3 in his first big league game. He would go 2-for-5 in the second and final game of the Seoul Series, and the Padres would win that game, 15-11. 

    Merrill hit his first major league home run on April first, in the bottom of the third inning off of St. Louis' Kyle Gibson. A 4-for-4 game on April seventh took his batting average up from .233 to .324, and he never looked back from there. The rookie has been as consistent a hitter as you'll see these days.

    

    

    Though he has played in only 151 games, Merrill is being called the most clutch hitter in baseball. Is this statement true? I would say so.

    Jackson already has multiple walkoff hits, not to mention his extreme consistency at the plate. He's batting over .290, slugging over .500 and has at least six game-tying or go-ahead bombs in the eighth inning or later.

    Unfortunately for Merrill, Paul Skenes exists in 2024.

    

    Jackson Merrill is putting on such a stellar season, he seems to be the obvious candidate for the National League Rookie of the Year Award, right? Well, it seemed so, but then Paul Skenes emerged and has, quite frankly, been dominant. Though he plays for the Pirates, Skenes has accumulated an 11-3 record and 1.99 ERA in 22 starts, striking out 167 batters in 131 innings. It's definitely a race between the two, but considering how much hype Skenes had, I think that he'll win it. However, when you consider how big an impact Merrill has made for a team that's headed to the playoffs (and probably couldn't do so without him), we'll just need to wait and see. My loyalties lie with the Padres centerfielder all the way.

    Well, this has been a little bit shorter than I had hoped it would be. Nonetheless, I think I got the point across. Merrill is a young phenom, and I think he has a superstar's career in his future. I look forward to watching him in the playoffs, and I can't wait to see what he does in 2025 as a 22-year old already with one awesome year of experience under his belt. 

Ballistic Equipment

    I have a few simple sentences for you.

    Throwing your glove, hat, or any other equipment at a batted ball is illegal.

    It is an automatic triple.

    I don't think this should be the case.

    

    Again, a few more sentences.

    A catcher picking up a baseball with his mask is illegal.

    It is a balk.

    I don't think this should be the case.

    But why do I think this shouldn't be the case? I'm probably a bit of a goof for saying this, but a player's glove is there to field the ball. If throwing your glove helps you field/stop the batted ball, I think it should be legal. The same goes, in my opinion, for catchers. A catcher could absent-mindedly pick up a live baseball with his mask. It happens. I think this should be legal, since he's using his equipment to field the ball. So long as the fielder isn't throwing anything at or in the way of a baserunner or batter, I don't really see what the problem is.

    What do y'all think? Please let me know in the comments. Whenever I publish my opinions on a rule of the sport, I tend to get shot down, but it's just a thought. Of course, there are more pressing (and actually important and meaningful) aspects of the game that need to changed, so I won't worry too much about this subject.

Player of the Week 4

     Nothing like getting on the blog once you get home from being at ball fields since 7:30 in the morning. Ugh, it was a long day. Well, here we go, my second-to-last Player of the Week.

    A few interesting things happened in baseball this week, but not a ton (quantity-wise) that caught my eye. I found out who Eric Wagaman is, which by no means makes him eligible to win (unless nothing else interested me). But he's slugging .538 in his first 10 major league games, which is cool.

    I also saw the first MLB hit of Brandon Lockridge. The Padres rookie bunted down the third base line for his initial big-league knock, which I thought was so cool. Lockridge is a 27-year old leftfielder out of Pensacola, Florida. He played 526 games in 6 seasons on the farms, accumulating a slash line of .271/.348/.416 in that time with 147 steals. I'm very interested in this guy now and will be paying attention to him.

    But, there is one thing that gives the guy I chose the title of Player of the Week. I know I said I wasn't necessarily basing this on performance, but I kinda feel as though I have to. My penultimate Player of the Week is......

    On Thursday, Shohei himself got six times more hits than my entire fantasy team for that day, on my opponent's squad. This is quite possibly the greatest offensive performance the game of baseball has ever seen, and for that reason Shohei just has to be the Player of the Week.

    As the Dodgers cruised to a 20-4 win over the Marlins, Ohtani went 6-for-6 with two doubles and three home runs. The homers put him to 51. He also stole two bases, which made him the first 50-50 player! I actually didn't think he was going to do it, but this man is on a tear. He also drove in 10 and scored 4 times. I think he's easily going to be the first DH to win an MVP award, which pains me, but at the same time, who else could possibly beat him?

    Well, that does it for this week's Player of the Week post. Come back next Saturday to see who will win the last Player of the Week title. Maybe I'll throw in some playoff predictions as well, but that may need to be an entirely different post. We'll see. But for now, I hope y'all have a great rest of your weekend! Good morning, good evening and goodnight (and happy collecting).

Do We Have a Tigers October?

     Man, would I love to see the Tigers in the postseason this year. The last time the team made it to the playoffs was in 2014, when they got swept by the Orioles in the ALDS. With the young talent and potential that the team has to offer, I can see a playoff appearance this year, and more in the near future with the development of players like Parker Meadows, Jace Jung and Colt Keith.

    I've grown to really like the team, and perhaps the reason for this is because two of my favorite players are performing well for them; Tarik Skubal and Riley Greene. Seeing them perform up to their potential is great, and when a team's two best players do well, the team as a whole usually does (unless it's the Rangers this year >sobs<). 

    As of right now, the team sits at an 80-73 record, which is tied for the last American League postseason spot. They are starting a three game set with the Orioles this evening, followed by a six game homestand with the Rays and White Sox. I like it, I like it. 

    Meanwhile the Twins, who are tied with Detroit for that last spot, have a three game set at the Red Sox, followed by a homestand that features three game sets against the Marlins and Orioles. It's going to be close, that's for sure.

    The team plays as if a loss deals them certain death. And they haven't been losing! In their last 40 games, the Tigers have won 27, and the offense has performed well in that time, and the pitching staff even better.

    But, as far as offense goes as a whole, the team is not too good. They have a collective slash line of .235/.299/.387, all of which are tenth in the league or worse (OBP is second-last). They have a few really good hitters in the mix, but if they want a realistic shot at the championship, they'll need to up the offensive numbers. 

    Now, taking a brief look at the Tigers starting rotation is interesting. Unfortunately, they traded away Jack Flaherty at the deadline. Flaherty had a 2.95 ERA in 106 2/3 inning with the team before he moved to the Dodgers. They got Trey Sweeney out of the deal, who is currently playing for the team in the Majors, and a minor league catcher named Thayron Liranzo. 

    Even with the loss of Flaherty, the team has a 3.62 ERA, which is second in the AL only to the 3.51 mark of the Mariners. Besides their ace, the Detroit rotation really isn't that intimidating. They have Reese Olson and Casey Mize, who are both good, but won't be winning most games like Skubal has.

    The bullpen for the Tigers has been very good this season for the most part. Tyler Holton and Jason Foley both have ERAs below 3.00, and Will Vest is at a 3.02 mark. Beau Brieske and Shelby Miller have been able to pitch in high-leverage spots for the team, which seems to be going well. The pen has been lights-out as of late, which is certainly why they've been winning so many games.

    Anyway, that's my brief analysis of the Tigers. And looking at it, I'm less sure that they'll be able to do much by the time the postseason comes around. But that won't stop me from rooting for them.

   These last nine games are going to be huge, and I am definitely hoping that they break in to the postseason. I'm rooting for a Tigers/Royals ALCS, which may be too much to ask for. Only time can tell I guess. Let's go Tigers!

    On a side note, my second to last Player of the Week post will be coming out sometime tomorrow. I've got some stuff going on in the morning baseball-wise, but will get that post out there when I can. As for y'all have a great day and happy collecting!

    Good morning, good afternoon and goodnight. 

I Still Have Faith in Evan Carter!

    Just over a week ago I went to my local card shop. I first found them for Topps Trading Card Day, but have grown to really like the store. They go extra-heavy on Rangers cards and memorabilia, which I guess makes sense, but still have a lot of variety otherwise.

    This trip landed me five new cards to add to my collection. It may have been more, but I was pretty busy that day and could only stop by for about fifteen minutes.

    This card caught my eye immediately. The prospect brother of Ronald Acuna Jr, from his days as a Ranger. He was traded straight up last season for Max Scherzer. Can't say we can complain since we won it all, but this was definitely an expensive trade. I really like the design on the thick Bowman Invicta insert. The whole background looks really cool, though not on a baseball field. 

    Luisangel has made his MLB debut this season at the age of 22. The shortstop has two hits in seven big-league at-bats. Congrats to him for making the big club.

    And here's the guy we traded him for! Funny, I didn't even notice that until now. I feel kinda dumb.

    Anyway, I really like the X-Fractor card, and didn't even notice that at first. It was shiny. Grab it, think about it later. Due to injury, Mad Max has only made 9 starts in 2024, and has been rather unimpressive at 2-4 with an ERA of 3.95. He is apparently not considering retirement, so we'll see how his age 40 season goes.

    I picked up another refractor in the form of Sky Blue Mitch Keller. The 2018 card is numbered 187/402, which I found interesting but also rather random. Nonetheless, a sharp-looking card and a great design. 

    I was lucky enough to find these three cards in the $1 boxes at the store. It comes as a surprise that I was able to get them for so little, but I'm not complaining. After these cards, it gets a bit expensive though.

    I picked this one up for five dollars. The blue sharpie autograph looks beautiful. Englert is currently throwing for the Detroit Tigers in the minors after having a 5.40 ERA in 12 appearances with the team. His numbers on the farms look good this year (3.15 ERA, 11.6 K/9), so I would not be surprised to see him make an impact for the team's bullpen come 2025.

    And now for the gem of the whole trip to the store. I found this one, and wasn't going to buy it, but I guess my fear of missing out got the best of me. No regrets.

    The Grade-10 Evan Carter Pre-Rookie Card! Both buying graded cards and getting your cards graded are so expensive that I haven't really thought of doing/buying them. Believe it or not, this is by far the most expensive baseball card I've ever bought, at $45. Why I spent that much? Well, I guess I have faith in the man still. The GM does too. "...He's a huge part of our future," says general manager Chris Young. I expect Carter to become a superstar in the next coming seasons.

    My Evan Carter collection is quietly growing, though I still don't have many of his cards. Hopefully I'll get more and build this mini-collection. Right now the only decent single-player collections I own are my humble Buster Posey and Cal Ripken Jr. collections, but I expect that I'll end up getting myself a nice collection of Carter cards in the future. I have a good start thus far (and I still love that 2024 base card!).

    That sums up my latest card store trip. All in all it cost me $53, which I would normally consider a lot for one day, but for the cards I got I'd say it was worth it, though I probably won't make a card purchase that big again for a while.

    So, there you have it. Y'all have a great week, and happy collecting. Good morning, good afternoon and goodnight!

Well.....This Stinks

    If y'all don't care about my perils when it comes to fantasy sports, then you need not read this post. If you do care, knock yourselves out. I have a real post, so to speak, coming out tomorrow.

    Coming into yesterday, the last day of the week, I was tied in both of my fantasy leagues. It was the first round of the playoffs. Might I start with my worse team?

    After a last seed championship run last year, I always name my team The Atlanta Scareds come the playoffs.Well, I was losing 13-0 after day one of this matchup, but I closed the gap pretty well. Not enough, I guess. It's the first time I made the playoffs in this league, and not the championship.

    I have too much to say about this matchup. I beat my opponent both times we met in the regular season, and when I signed off Saturday night was up 7-4. Then I got Jacob deGrom on waivers and Riley Greene had an amazing game. Then a few things happened against me, like Josh Jung not being in the lineup, Zac Gallen pitching less than ideally, and a couple other things. But I was up 6-5 at about 8:40 last night. All that needed to happen was Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman stay quiet. Well, they both homered. This put him in the lead in homers, though Riley Greene hit two for me yesterday. Thus, I lost. (I was Super Hot Spicy Squid by the way)

    I thought that I had a chance in both of my leagues, and a chance to win it all with Super Hot Spicy Squid. Well, that's just how it goes. To be honest, I'm not upset though. It was a long season for me, my first time ever with two teams. 

    I apologize for this whole post, but figured my plight was rather interesting. Feel free to come back to the blog tomorrow, where I'll have a real post. Thanks, for reading, happy collecting, and have a great week!

    And in the words of Truman, 'Good morning, good afternoon and goodnight."

Player of the Week 3

     This Player of the Week thing really hasn't worked out the way I thought it would. I mean, there was a particular list of players that I expected to win, and not one of them got the title. After this week, there will be two more Players of the Week, and I can't award them to all the six or seven guys I originally thought would win. But that's the fun in it, right? My own bias has been unable to sway me (except for the part about Walter Pennington; that's on me).

    Before we get down to it, I'd like to announce that both of my fantasy baseball teams are fighting like dogs in this first round of the fantasy playoffs. My worse team is currently losing 10-5, but have made it as close as 8-7, and my other team, boy my other team! I'm playing the third place squad, and it is an all-out nuclear war. Currently I'm up 7-5, but that one could still go either way.

    I bring this up for two reasons. A) I like to share about fantasy baseball to those who both understand it all and who I won't drive insane with it (hence the reason I've done it so many times), and B) well, you'll see.

    There is one prejudice that stops me from keeping this, well, as fair as it could be. Not like it matters, considering it's my personal opinions. Heck, like Walt Pennington would've been the best player in the MLB for the whole of last week! Not even in that one game. 

    Anyway, that prejudice is my team. Since I can sometimes hit a few games and see my guys up close, they tend to grow on me. We'll call that reason C. I didn't go to another Rangers game, but I think y'all know who my next Player of the Week is. Any guesses? I'll give you a moment.....

    Alright. If you've had enough time, you may continue to read.

    

    Of course, as a Rangers fan and a huge fan of this guy, my third Player of the Week is.....

    Okay, here we go. deGrom finally made his 2024 debut yesterday, tossing 3 2/3 scoreless innings and striking out four. My friend actually went to (GTT, please correct me on this when I'm wrong) his last rehab outing with AA Frisco.

    And now for the illusive reason B, why sharing about my fantasy playoffs is at all relevant to this. Well, I don't know how many enemies are out there, so I should probably share this tomorrow.......

    

    Well, I won't. Somebody in my fantasy league (the one I'm barely winning in) dropped deGrom literally the day before his long-awaited season debut. I have higher waiver priority than any playoff member in that league, except for my current opponent. While his addition of him wouldn't hurt my team this week, I really want him on my team as we make a push for the championship. But the waiver period ends tomorrow, so we'll see if I get him.

    Well, now that I'm done rambling about fantasy baseball (and I will most certainly not start on fantasy football), I guess I should go. After all, I've got to be somewhere in half an hour. As for y'all, thanks for reading, happy collecting and I'll see who wins my penultimate Player of the Week title next Saturday. Y'all enjoy your weekend! 

The Guy was Traded for Chris Sale

    In December of 2023, Vaughn Grissom was traded over to the Red Sox from the Braves in return for Chris Sale and cash. 

    Vaughn Grissom came up in August of 2022 after hitting well over .300 on the farms. He played very well in his 41 games that season, slashing .291/.353/.440 with 5 home runs. The middle infielder seemed promising coming into the next season.
    In 2023, Grissom played in only 23 games, where he slashed .280/.313/.347 before being optioned back down due to bad fielding. Then he got traded. For Chris Sale.

    Sale right now is the best starting pitcher in baseball, with MLB best 2.38 ERA, 213 strikeouts, 11.5 K/9, and 2.02 FIP. 
    Meanwhile, Grissom is batting .238 in AAA for the Sox. He has played 23 games in the majors, and is batting .148 in 81 at-bats. I hope he can get back on track by next year, because he is a very talented young player, who I believe can be very good in the near future. But for now, it just looks like the Red Sox made an awful trade.

    The reason I bring this all up is because I fairly recently traded for a Spring Fever Chris Sale card (YES!) and a 2023 Vaughn Grissom parallel.

    Like a lot of my parallels from 2023, this one was numbered to the year. 

    I wouldn't call myself a collector of the Spring Fever cards, but if I can find a good one, I'll take it, as evidenced by one of my previous posts (one of my most popular posts actually).

    The Nolan Jones RC was part of the Spring Fever deal, so I figured I'd put him in anyway.

    Well, I guess only time can tell what the outcome of the Sale/Grissom trade is. Like I said, I have faith in Grissom going forward, but Chris Sale is kind of working on both his first Cy Young award and his Hall-of-Fame case. Of course, Sale will be entering his age 36 season next year, so we'll see how it goes.

    Have a great week y'all! As for me, back to my busy schedule for now. Happy collecting!

Player of the Week 2

     Alrighty folks, it's time for our second Player of the Week. I apologize for being a bit late, but I was really busy today with baseball games and the like. Anyway, the guy I have chosen for today is not one you'd expect, and there's an interesting reason why I chose him.
    My second Player of the Week is......

    

    Walter Pennington.

    In case you didn't know, Pennington is a rookie relief pitcher who was acquired by the Rangers via a trade with the Royals (we traded Michael Lorenzen straight up for him). Pennington is my favorite relief pitcher of all time, so when I went to the Rangers/Yankees game on Wednesday I was really hoping that Pennington was going to make an appearance. I was dismayed when we jumped out to a 10-2 lead (not a high-leverage situation) and saw Andrew Chafin warming in the bullpen.
    But Pennington came on in the eighth nonetheless and fired 2/3 of a scoreless inning against the Brooklyn Bombers, his only flaw being a single to Juan Soto. 
    So that was a really special experience for me, and therefore I had to give him the title of Player of the Week for this week. 

    I took some live video of Pennington throwing to Juan Soto and Jazz Chisholm, but can't upload them on the computer. 

    That'll about do it for my second Player of the Week. As always, thank you for reading, have a great rest of your weekend, and happy collecting!

    P.S. The ninth inning of that game was insane! I was going to mention it in a separate post, but since Pennington pitched that game I figured I'd just post it here. If y'all aren't interested, skip the italicized part. But if you are, go ahead and check it out. It is very long though (😁).

    This is my personal account of Wednesday's ninth inning against the Yankees:

     The ninth inning was probably the most entertaining inning I've ever seen live at a baseball game (which isn't necessarily saying too much). Matt Festa is on the hill for the Rangers, with a more than comfortable 10-2 lead. The first two batters fly out to Travis Jankowski (Janko made a diving catch; they need a cage to contain him!). Then things got......messy.
    Festa walked pinch-hitter Oswaldo Cabrera (yikes) and then Jose Trevino. He proceeded to also walk lead-off man Gleyber Torres before heading to the clubhouse. The new pitcher was Grant Anderson who was set to face 2-3-4. Since they were down 10-2, Trent Grisham came in as a defensive replacement for the already 3-for-3 (with a home run) Juan Soto. So we're thinking it's the end for the Yanks, right?
    Wrong.
    Grisham hit a grand slam, making the game now 10-6. Then the defensive replacement for Aaron Judge, Duke Ellis, comes to the plate. The rookie was 0-for-4 in his career (9 games in 2024) before tonight. So the Yankees are really done this time and we can go home now, right?
    Wrong again.
    Ellis got his first big-league hit, a single to leftfield. Now Jazz Chisholm is batting, and we're starting to break out in a sweat just a little bit. Chisholm hits a 103 MPH comebacker off the leg of Grant Anderson, removing him from the game.
    It's a save situation now, so it's Kirby Yates time. All he has to do is get one little out so we can go home. 
    Well, he's facing Giancarlo Stanton.
    For the first time all night, Stanton decides to battle. The count is 2-2 when he hits an absolute shot to leftfield. Well, it's time to sit back down. It's not a happy house in Arlington yet.
    But gliding through the air like an angel is Wyatt Langford, who leaps the wall and takes a home run away from Stanton to end the game. It's a 10-6 Rangers win, and save number 26 for Kirby.

Shiny deGrom

     I was at the good ol' grocery store, when I saw a package of 29 2023 Topps cards for $7 by the checkout. While certainly not the greatest price in the world, the thing that jumped out at me was the headliner; Silver Pattern Foilboard #48 Jacob deGrom. I couldn't pass up that deal and made the purchase.
    The company selling these cards is able to sell Topps cards for less money than the company itself sells them for, which I found both interesting and economically helpful.

    And here's the foilboard deGrom. Beautiful, isn't it? When I first saw it I thought 'Shiny deGrom,' but I guess theSilver-Pattern Foilboard is more accurate. deGrom should be returning to the Rangers rotation soon, but it seems to be too little too late. Hopefully he'll be healthy for next year as we try to clean things up a bit. 

    I like the Alec Burleson rookie. The 25-year old is having a great season with the Cardinals, slashing .280/.320/.453 with 21 home runs and 72 RBI. 
    Those Athletics uniforms (top right) are......interesting. Not really sure that they got the colors right, but oh well. It doesn't look bad. 
    Also, the highlight of this page, the Topps Update purple foil Dominic Smith numbered 095/799. It's a nice card, but I'm putting it on my trade bait list. If any of y'all want it, go for it. 

    Not much coming out of this page. The Aaron Nola card is nice. I kinda like the Stars of MLB cards as a whole, though I miss reading the stats on the back. Hey, at least it's not Stars of LMB! Otherwise, just a few base card 'needs,' though I don't really try to collect the full sets.

    I like this page a bit more. I got another deGrom card, as well as a Corey Seager parallel. I like the Max Fried card, though I have like fifteen of that same base card. Stars of MLB Shohei Ohtani is cool too. And boy is he having a year in 2024 with the Dodgers. Though unable to pitch until next year, he's currently batting .292 with 44 homers, 109 runs (both league-leading), 98 RBI, and a .993 OPS in 135 games.  

    And these two guys. 

    I notice that I said I got 29 cards, but only 28 are shown. It seems evident that I traded one of these cards before writing the post, most likely a base card dupe, but I don't know for sure. That's on me.

    All in all I'm happy about this purchase. Though most of it was pretty boring, there were a few good points; the deGrom foilboard, of course, as well as Dominic Smith and Corey Seager. I will never complain about some Stars of MLB cards either. I like the 2023 design on them a lot. 

    That'll about do it for this post. Y'all have an amazing week, and happy collecting!

    

    P.S. I know I promised Fuji a post focused on Jackson Merrill, but I'm gonna take a little bit longer than intended because I have been really busy lately and need to do more research (as of right now I only have some stats, but for a post centered on one guy I want more information), but it's definitely going to happen.