Perfect for Game 3

    I made this picture of Nico Hoerner using the Comic Book filter on my phone, and.....I really like it. 

    This comes from one of my all-time favorite baseball player photos, and I thought the comic book setting made it look really cool. I've made a lot of pictures using that filter for guys like Tarik Skubal, and will be happy to show some of them off as the playoffs progress, if anybody finds them remotely interesting. 

    

    It's perfect for Game 3 tonight at 5:00 my time. Nico's been a beast thus far in the series, batting .429 through the first two games.

    I didn't realize how much I'm rooting for the Cubs to win it all until I started watching the games (they were the only free ones on ABC). My friend who'll be coming over shortly is a huge Cubs fan, so if they lose tonight we're gonna be sad.

    I said there would be cards for my next post....but I didn't see myself making this one until about ten minutes before it was published. My bad.

    Go cubs go, and good luck to your playoff teams!

The Playoffs Are Upon Us!

        Today the first games of the postseason start. Thus, I will carry on with my yearly tradition of postseason predictions. 

    It was an interesting final day of the regular season this year, with two pairs of AL teams fighting for the division and a pair of NL teams fighting for the last playoff spot in their division. All in all, the bracket ends up looking like this:

     Adding the extra playoff teams makes the postseason longer and lets teams have a shot at making the world series while just barely over .500, but since I can't change that, I don't really care that much.

    There are a few wildcard series that look exciting (I'm especially eyeing the Yankees and Red Sox).

    

    Without further ado, I'll jump right into my predictions. I don't want this post to take five years to read.

WILDCARD SERIES

3. Guardians vs. 6. Tigers

    A couple months into the season I genuinely felt that the Tigers would be the American League team to go to the world series. However, towards the end of the year the club really cooled down, dropping pretty much every Tarik Skubal gem for the last month of the season.

    As of two or three weeks ago I didn't think the Guardians had a shot to make the postseason, but they performed exactly the opposite of the Tigers and went off to ultimately win the division. They may be hot, but I still question their offensive output.

    Perhaps I may be a little bit biased, but I think the Tigers are going to come out on top in this series 

2-1. I think that might be a bad prediction, but the Tigers are more fun in my opinion.

4. Yankees vs. 5. Red Sox

    The Yankees have the offense to go to the World Series. I don't think many would deny that. They have five players with 25+ home runs in the regular season, including that Aaron Judge fellow everybody's talking about. Their pitching staff could use a little bit of work, but the offense could very well make up for that.
    I didn't realize that the Red Sox were headed into the postseason until Sunday, but it's a pleasant revelation. They have a good lineup, one of the best pitchers heading their rotation (taking nothing away from Max Fried), and a closer who gave us a heart attack when pitching for the Rangers in the playoffs, but had a 1.17 ERA in the regular season.

    I was thinking about giving the Yankees the sweep here, but I really think Garrett Crochet is going to win his start. Thus, I give the Yanks the series in three games.

    Now moving on to the National League:

3. Dodgers vs. 6. Reds

    The Dodgers won the World Series last season, and spent more money than most people will ever have on stacking their team even more for the 2025 season. But somehow they didn't look quite so good, due to guys like Roki Sasaki not performing up to expectation, and off years from Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman. Of course they still have a good shot to win it all, but I'm less confident than I was last season. 

    The Reds are a fun team to watch. They have a few exciting superstars in Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene, and pitchers Andrew Abbott and Emilio Pagan have really stepped up when the team needed them to. However, I'm not really sure they'll be able to handle the mighty Dodgers.

    I think Los Angeles is probably going to sweep this one.

4. Cubs vs. 5. Padres

    Of all the NL postseason teams, these are the two I'd be rooting for, so it's a shame that one needs to be eliminated in the first round. 

    I really like the team the Cubs have put together this year. They're extremely strong defensively, and have good bats across their lineup. I think the team's weakest component is their streaky starting staff. With the exception of soon-to-be Rookie of the Year Cade Horton, the starters have been a bit inconsistent. Sometimes they're on, and sometimes....not so much.

    The Padres only hit 152 home runs as a team this season, which seems a little bit uncharacteristic for them. They had some offensive struggles, but star Jackson Merrill has been heating up the last month or so of the season, and could be a force in the postseason. Their pitching staff is quite good too, with a 3.64 season ERA,

    This should be a fun series, but I have the Cubs squeaking out a three game series win.

    I'll move on briefly to the Division and Championship series.

DIVISION SERIES

1. Blue Jays vs. 4 Yankees

    The Blue Jays really surprised me this year, with a good record, mostly supplied by their offense. Kevin Gausman had a great season, but the team as a whole pitched to a 4.19 ERA. I'm not sure that pitching staff will be able to contain the Yankees.

    I have the Yankees winning this one in 4 games.

2. Mariners vs. 6. Tigers
    The Mariners are the hottest team in baseball right now, with an uncharacteristic and surprising good offense to complement a solid pitching staff. MVP contender Cal Raleigh heads an offense which hit 238 home runs, and he will be very fun to watch in the playoffs.

    I believe that the Mariners will take this series in 5 games.

1. Brewers vs, 4. Cubs
    The Brewers had another good season, winning 97 games, good for best in the MLB. They have a great pitching staff and a speedy lineup capable of both limiting runs and scoring them. 

    Even though the Brewers have quite a good team this year, I'm going a little bit risky with my predictions and guessing the Cubs taking this one in 5 games.

2. Phillies vs. 3. Dodgers

    The Phillies were one game behind the Brewers, with 96 wins on the season. They have an impressive pitching staff and good offense all throughout the lineup. Obviously, not having Zack Wheeler available hurts, but a rotation featuring Christopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Ranger Suarez, and Aaron Nola (though he had an off-season) is still mighty impressive.

    I think the Phils are going to take the series in 5 games and eliminate the Dodgers.

CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

2. Mariners vs. 4. Yankees

    I think the Mariners are going to continue their hot streak into the playoffs, and I believe they're going to make their first World Series appearance in franchise history, taking the Yankees in the full 7 games.

2. Phillies vs. 4. Cubs
    I love the Cubs and am rooting for them to win the World Series, but I don't think they'll be able to take down the Phillies. Philadelphia has a combination of great pitching and batting, and will defeat the Cubs in 6 games.

WORLD SERIES

    Thus, I predict a Phillies vs. Mariners World Series. I think that the Phillies will end up defeating the Mariners in 6 games and win their third championship.

    

    

    What predictions do y'all hold for the postseason this year, and who are you rooting to win it all? Hopefully we have an exciting month of baseball to come.

    This post was kinda long and had no baseball cards, which is kinda like, the point of the blog, Don't worry, I have some cards I traded for with some siblings (including some PC needs) that will be featured on my next post. Until then, good luck to your teams, have a great week, and happy collecting!

Check out my ABS

     Alright, alright, sorry for the corny post title. 

    I just found out yesterday that MLB is planning to incorporate the ABS (Automated Ball Strike challenge system) full-time in 2026.  

    For anybody who isn't exactly sure what this system is, it allows a batter, pitcher, or catcher to challenge a ball or strike call, and then using certain technology, the pitch will be determined either ball or strike, and the call changed if a change is deemed necessary (this might have come in handy when I played rec ball).

    Some think that this is a bad innovation, claiming that MLB needs less change to the rules, and doesn't need robots making calls for umpires. I've seen comments saying that human error is a part of the game and should not be changed.

    Others argue that this makes the game more accurate and fair for every team. They have gone on to say that human error should not be a part of the game since there is a very set strike zone. I have seen a number of comments suggesting that MLB should go with fully automated strike zones and take out the home plate umpire altogether.

    Yankees manager Aaron Boone does not like the new system, claiming that Yankee backstops are the best at framing in the game. While this is certainly a bold statement, he does seem to have a point that this system will render the ever-delicate art of framing useless. 

    From the same article cited above, the Orioles call this installment a 'happy marriage between tradition and modern times.' Although I am unsure where the tradition comes into play. 

    Phillies manager Rob Thompson also likes the ABS system, and believes that most (though not all) of the players will also enjoy it.

    There are some mixed opinions on the system, but it seems that the major league consensus is in favor of the new rule's implementation. However, one can only wonder how many new rules will be added into the game and the tension such new rules will cause between the players and the owners.

    What do y'all think about this rule? I'd love to hear what your opinions on this subject are, and if they are as mixed as those of the major leaguers.  

 Based on the general enjoyment of the ABS system being incorporated into the game, there shouldn't be a lockout over this particular rule. However, I have heard that tensions are already building due to talks of salary caps. Let's just not see any more fighting gentleman, please.

Checking In

     I kinda lost track of time. It's been a little bit longer than intended since the last time I posted. And unfortunately, I've done almost nothing in terms of collecting during that time. Life has gotten really busy really fast (and will be getting even more so in the coming weeks), and I've been doing things other than collecting with my free time. 

    I was planning on waiting until the end of the regular season to do a big postseason blog post, but that's a little bit too long away for my liking, so I'll just fill y'all in with what I've been up to the last few months, and sprinkle some not very special cards into the mix.

    I've become a bit of an injury magnet the last three and a half months as compared to the rest of my life. My streak of never having broken a bone came to an end at the end of May when I was struck by an errant baseball and broke my nose. The healing process took longer than expected, but I am happy to report that I'm back to normal...

...until yesterday, when I damaged my eardrum. I didn't fully rupture it, which is obviously a good thing, but the damage I caused it will probably take about a week to heal. For right now I need to be a little bit careful with both loud noises and lifting weights....so I can't blast my hype playlist while getting those gains on the weight set for a week or so.

    I don't want to complain. After all, I got out mighty lucky with both of those injuries and am thankful they weren't worse.

    I have a new guitar I got a few months ago, and have been very slowly teaching myself how to play. I've wanted to play guitar for a long time now, and I'm glad I've finally started doing so.

    

    I am also in the process of looking for a job. I have a pretty good lead on a job opportunity, and will provide more information on the subject if I am to get it.

    Now then, what have I done with baseball cards? Almost nothing since my last post, and very little since May. 

    I got a pack of 2025 Bowman cards when they were first released. I've neglected to comment upon their new design, and will do so presently.

    I know Bowman isn't always very popular among collectors, but I actually really the design they came up with for this year. Although I find it interesting that the players' legs go through the borders.

    On a side note, I'm kinda disappointed that Andrew Painter hasn't performed well in the minors and isn't getting the call up this year as was expected. Then again, the leap from Single-A to Triple-A is a big one. He's got the stuff, he just needs a little more time.  

    I also got a pack from 1994 that peaked my interest:

1994 Fleer Extra Bases Rookie Standout #4

    These card are definitely very interesting. The dimensions are quite different than that of your typical baseball cards. 

    Let's take the 2025 Bowman Shohei Ohtani card. At 6-foot 3-inches, Shohei is a pretty tall dude, noticeable taller than the 5-foot 11-inch Tim Davis:

    Not so, according to the cards. Davis towers over Ohtani, who looks like a shrimp compared to this card. It's the same width of it's Bowman peer, but a little bit over an inch taller. 

    I kinda like the 1994 Fleer Extra Bases set for it's uniqueness. I'm not going to pursue the 400-card set, but I might look into grabbing all 20 of the Rookie Standout cards, assuming it won't be too expensive or difficult to find. 

    Well, that sums up a lot of what I've been doing rather than posting, and also the most interesting additions to the collection in the last few months. Hopefully before long I'll take a trip to the LCS -- I haven't been there in a little while. 

    I'll definitely post before the start of the postseason. I love making those predictions. Until next time, have a great rest of the week, and happy collecting!

Grant Taylor in 200 Words

     You might not know who Grant Taylor is. He was the #90 prospect on Baseball Prospectus coming into the 2025 season. Taylor was born on May 20th, 2002, in Florence Alabama. The right-handed pitcher threw at LSU before being drafted by the White Sox in the second round of the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft. Taylor progressed through the minors quickly, needing just 20 appearances (11 starts) and 46 innings before being promoted to the majors, skipping Triple-A altogether. Perhaps he got lucky since he plays for the White Sox. Nonetheless, he possessed a 1.57 ERA on the farms. Either way, Taylor throws his fastball in the upper-90s, and reaches 100+ MPH quite often. His other pitches include a cutter, curveball, and slider. Taylor debuted on June 10th, 2025, when he threw a perfect inning in just twelve pitches. Thus far on the season, he has a 4.41 ERA in 16 1/3 innings pitched. He shows much potential as a high-leverage bullpen arm who can miss bats. I'm looking forward to seeing what Grant Taylor can do with some more big-league experience. I hope to see a long and successful career out of the promising young arm.

They Done Nico Dirty

    One of the baseball players that I specifically follow but don't mention too often on the blog is Nico Hoerner. 

(great shot they got for this card)

    I love the way Nico plays the game -- he's living proof that you don't need to hit homers to be a great player. His combination of insane defense and mad bat-to-ball skills makes him a bit of a threat to pitchers, even though they can usually rest assured that they aren't going to be serving up a homer. 

    Anyway.....Nico's been great this year; he is currently batting .287 across 86 games with 51 runs, 37 RBI, and 16 steals. He also sports the best glove among National League second basemen, leading the league in fielding percentage, putouts, and double plays.

    My point? Nico's an All-Star game snub. 

    My real point? Players such as Nico Hoerner are severely underrated.

    I don't think Nico being left out of the All-Star game is a huge deal, except that he said it would be a dream come true to make the roster. No, the real crime is how undervalued players like him are.

    They aren't particularly flashy since he's not batting .320 or hitting a bunch of homers, but his fielding is elite, as well as his speed. These factors are helping the Cubs win games.

    I don't rely heavily on advanced statistics such as WAR, but to prove a point, I suppose I'll use it.

    Seiya Suzuki (another All-Star snub, by the way) is slashing .260/.319/561 with 25 home runs and a league-leading 77 RBI in 86 games, and has a WAR of 2.1. The statistic is saying he has won the Cubs 2.1 more games than a league-average replacement.

    Nico Hoerner, on the other hand, has 3 home runs. However, his WAR is 3.5, suggesting that he has won one and a half more contests for the team than Seiya Suzuki has (versus an average backup, of course).

    Now, I don't use WAR to determine how good a player is. Suzuki has been much better on offense than Nico, and I don't think anybody would question that. 

    The thing I do appreciate about WAR is that it takes defense into account. Suzuki is a pretty bad fielder, and Nico is the best fielder at his position, which is why the stat leans in favor of Nico. 

    The bottom line is that Nico Hoerner exceeds at defense while also providing decent numbers with the bat (not to mention his miniscule 6.8% strikeout percentage). And I feel that players like that are criminally underrated since they aren't as flashy.

    But, that's just my opinion on the matter. I'd be interested in seeing how anybody else feels on the subject. 

    Until next time, have a great week, thanks for reading (and sorry for the extended rant 😂) and happy collecting!

Name My Team?

     Howdy folks! I've got a sort of a contest for y'all, although there's no prize for the winner (😔). It's just for fun.

    My fantasy football league just opened for the 2025-2026 season, and I don't know what to name 'em. 

    Last year they were Garappolos Tortoise -- since Jimmy Garoppolo was one of the few players I knew. But, with a new season comes a new name, and I'm in the mood for some fun.

    So please feel free to leave a comment with a suggestion for my fantasy football team's name. I will pick the name I like best, and choose that one for my team. Suggestions will run until Opening Day, I guess. I didn't think it through too hard before doing it (the idea came to mind like 7 minutes ago).

    Until next time, have a great week, and happy collecting!

   

COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!

    Holy smokes, it's been a few months by now. 

    To be a little bit more concise, it's been a few months since I went to the Frisco RoughRiders game with a few friends. 

    Pretty much from the time I started playing baseball as a little kid, I've been a catcher. I have a place in my heart for them. And so when my friendasked me if I wanted any cards to get autographed, of course I requested the Riders catcher, Cooper Johnson.

    It was a little bit tough to get his signature since Johnson was starting behind the plate that day. When I was watching him do his drills in the bullpen, he must've noticed me, because he turned to me and said he'd give me an autograph.

    Cooper was such a nice guy. I don't know if I've ever met a more polite ballplayer. It really made an impression on me that he went out of his way to sign my card when he was obviously busy. I wasn't even asking for his autograph. I was a fan of his before, but I would say I'm a bigger fan now. As far as my personal player encounters go, thisthe most pleasant of them all.

    At the game, whenever Johnson came up to bat, all the fans in the stadium chanted, 'Cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooop!'
    I think y'all get the point. It was a very long an excited cheer.

    Since the game, Cooper Johnson has been promoted to AAA Round Rock, where he's slashing .212/.339/.283 in 30 games. At 27 years of age, he might need to get moving if he wants his chance in the big-leagues. I hope he gets there soon and can play at least a handful of games for the Rangers.

    I love adding autographs acquired in-person to my collection. Almost every minor leaguer or ex-major leaguer I've met has been very friendly. I'm even personal friends with one of them (who just retired after the 2024 season). It's special to me to be able to meet and talk to the guys I enjoy watching so much.

    That was an experience I'm glad to remember on the blog. Thanks for sharing the memory with me, have a great week, and happy collecting!

So Close But So Far

     C'mon guys, y'all were so close!

    Yesterday the Tigers and Pirates played in a doubleheader, due to Wednesday's game being postponed. Wednesday was Skubal's turn in the rotation, and Thursday Skenes'. 

    As a baseball fan, I would have been very excited to see the two toe the rubber against one another, mano e mano. But of course, this didn't happen.

    It's to be expected since neither team wouldn't want to chance losing the game their ace is starting; and they didn't. The Tigers won game one with Skubal on the mound, the Pirates game two with Skenes. Though it makes for less exciting television, I suppose it was the logical answer, even if it feels lame from a fan's perspective.

    The annoying thing is that since the series was of the interleague variety, the teams won't play each other for a while now, and we were seriously this close to seeing the two best MLB pitchers facing each other at their best. I guess people need to live with disappointments 😂

    That's all I got for today's post. I'll be back next time with some LCS grabs. Thanks for checking out the blog, remember to have a great rest of the week, and happy collecting!

I never dyed my hair

    Howdy folks!

    It's been over a month, so I figured it's probably time to post again. 

    This card is from good ol' Diamond Jesters. I had forgotten about it until it showed up about a week ago. This is the perfect card to write a short post on and get back to the blog.

    A few things about this card strike me. Firstly, Riley without a beard is downright strange. Reminds me of that 2014 Topps Charlie Blackmon card (shaking my head so hard right now).

    I love how the card says Official Trading Card of Baseball Fans Everywhere. I didn't know Leaf had it in them to make the 'Official' trading card. 

    The red is really jumping out, but kinda in a good way. I don't know what it is, but the strange color combination of red and green seems to work well with the card (and it's not even Holiday).

    Would you believe that all Matt was asking for was a card older than this one??? 

    I made a deal with myself last season that if Riley Greene bats .320 with 40 homers, I would dye my hair greene (it's a long story for those who don't know it). Unfortunately, he never did it. But I'm keeping the deal up indefinitely. Wouldn't greene hair be so nice on the blog?

    Thanks for stopping by, have a great rest of the week, and happy collecting!

CARTER'S BACK BABY!!!

     I've been waiting so long for this. My man, Evan Carter, is getting called up for tomorrow's game. 

    After a rather sad Spring Training, Evan Carter missed out on making the Opening Day roster for the Rangers. However, after a slow start in Triple-A, he's heated up a ton recently and will finally get the call. The move is likely due to Leody Taveras being put on waivers. 

    The Rangers have been pretty bad this year. Though they are .500, the offense has been downright terrible -- they cannot score runs. And let's face it; Patrick Corbin's not going to have a 3.28 ERA all season.

    I am very happy to hear of this news. I think Carter's still got star potential in him, and he deserves this chance at the big league level.

    Now, this post, aside from releasing my joy and bliss into the world, is also going to show off the latest addition to my Carter PC. This card comes from TCDB user ThemightyOx, and came in a week or two ago. Unfortunately, I misplaced the card, but just found it the other day on my desk, which pleased me.

    Ox pulled the 2025 Topps Easter holiday parallel, which he sent my way. This is a beautiful card. I actually think the colors, though not very Ranger-ish, make it look great. The glare on the photo is really bad, but I'm a bit too lazy to retake it right now.

    So thanks to Ox and congrats to Carter! Let's go win some games baby!

Brandon Pfaadt in 200 Words

     I first heard about Brandon Pfaadt right about as he was starting his major league career. The right-handed pitcher was born on October 15th, 1998, in Louisville, Kentucky. He attended Bellarmine University in Louisville, where he pitched both as a starter and bullpen arm. Pfaadt was drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 5th round of the 2020 MLB June Amateur Draft. He spent three seasons in the minor leagues, where he acquired a 25-16 record, 3.58 ERA, and 447 strikeouts in 359 1/3 innings. Arguably his best skill, his command, has carried over into the majors, as he walks just 2.2 batters per every nine innings thrown. Pfaadt got the call to the Diamondbacks in 2023, but had a very shaky first year, pitching to a 5.72 ERA. However, he has shown considerable improvement in 2024 and so far in 2025. One thing about Pfaadt that I admire is his strong faith. He has been seen reading out of his Bible before starts. Pfaadt's game plan is to work as hard as he can and trust God, letting His plan fall into action. I hope to see a long and successful career out of this kid.  

Cards From Karsal

     My good friend Karsal sent me a PWE. Karsal's blog, Collecting This 'n' That, had a giveaway, and I was the recipient of three great cards. Without further ado, here they are:

    Freddie appears to be doing a Dodger hit celebration. All the different celebrations used by teams these days intrigue me. Most of them seem to rotate celebrations multiple times every season. 

        I like the design of the Bowman Platinum cards of 2023. I'm not entirely sure why; they have a rating of 5.7 on the TCDB.
    Interestingly, the back of the card says that the WAR totals are provided by Baseball Reference. It's probably for the better since different people have different ways of calculating the stat so that it's never always the same as another person. 

    I've always taken an interest in Vaughn Grissom, and this card catches my eye immediately. It looks amazing in person; my picture really doesn't do it justice. 
    The 24-year old Grissom is still with the Red Sox, in Triple-A, where he is currently wrecking the minors. It's almost unfortunate that the Red Sox have such a good middle infield, because it might a while for Grissom to blossom in the Bigs again. I hope to see him soon. He has so much talent.

    Thank you Karsal for the great new additions to my collection! Be sure to check out Collecting This 'n' That if you haven't yet. The blog has been around since December of last year, and is a very good read.

    Thanks for checking out Don Cardwell! Have a great week, and happy collecting!

A Look Into Some of my Ridiculous Player Nicknames

   I call players by a lot of different names when communicating with friends. When you get hyped about a game, you don't have time to say a guy's full name, especially something such as Jurrangelo Cijntje. Heck, I don't even know how to pronounce that.

    Thus, I've given a number of baseball players nicknames, mostly plays on their last names. Here I'll be showing off six of my most-used player nicknames thus far in 2025. 

Tarik Skubal: Ubals

    I think I've called him Ubals on a Don Cardwell post before. This is the most common of the nicknames I've used.

Chris Sale: Saleboat

    I should probably mention that the vast majority of my nicknames are for pitchers. I don't know why, but that's the way it is.

Kristian Campbell: Camby

    Camby's been so impressive thus far that he's already gained a nickname. 

Justin Steele: Steelio

    I just randomly called him Steelio one day. Pretty sure he got smashed in that start.

Jacob deGrom: Deggy, Degasaurus

    He's got two. deGrom's name is far too good to not have any nicknames

Porter Hodge: HodgePodge

    He had a clutch hold for my fantasy team yesterday, so I gave him the nickname on the spot.

    There's a brief look into a few of the things I call players I like. This post was fun and fast to make, and hopefully before too long I can pull out one with cards (I've gotten a few PWEs that need to get posted on). Meanwhile, thanks for reading the blog, have a great week, and happy collecting!

Slowing Down

     If you were a reader of this blog at the turn of 2024, you may remember that in my New Year's post I talked of posting less. Then, out of the gates the posts kept coming. I was set to crank out 130 or so posts after February.

    But then things slowed. I haven't hit the LCS in a good month or so, and life in general just got busier. It's been over two weeks since I've posted on acquisitions; which is not to say that I have no posting material right now. Just too little time to sit down and write it.

    I'm afraid that things are just getting busier and busier, and keeping up with my daily responsibilities is becoming challenging. And so the blog and the hobby have taken a lot of the neglect. And things may stay that way for a while. 

    Of course I'll still be posting, that's not a question. My posts may be a bit fewer and farther between, but I'll be sure to continue posting steadily on the blog; at least once or twice a month, until I get some more free time. Like I said, I have plenty of posting material, and will soon get down to writing those posts and sending them off into the world periodically.

    I have some packages to send out to a couple folks, and I apologize for my delays. It's slipped my mind until recently. I'll be sure to hit the card store and get those sent out to y'all. Who knows, I'll probably come away with a post or two worth of cards as well.

    I just wanted to give y'all some explanation for my lack of posting as of late. It hasn't been months since the last post, so I know this shouldn't be any surprise, but it's time to get something out there anyway, and express my desire to give y'all a heads-up on my limited posting. This my also help me with the resolution of better quality of posts. I'm not trying to make a bunch of lame excuses. I haven't been as motivated to post lately as well.

    Before I sign off for the day, I'd like to comment on the immense improvement of the Rangers, who are now first in the AL West. Well of course, it's only been a week into the season, but I gotta find a bright spot in baseball somewhere. Heaven knows how long we'll hold down the fort. Honestly, I may have a few Texas Rangers posts mixed in with card-blogging posts in the future to make posting easier.

'Slow Down' by Chasper

Ranger Recap: Opening Day

     It's not usually a week-ish between posts for me, but I'll probably be getting used to that these coming months. I'm working on a few posts that ought to be posted soon (I'll try to get one out within a week), and as an endeavor not to go too long without posting, here comes the recap from Opening Day. Buckle up boys, this was not a fun one.

    I listened to almost the entire game on the radio as my Rangers took on Matt from Diamond Jester's Red Sox. 

    It was a really good game; it was 2-2 until the ninth inning. Though the score was low, both teams had their fair share of hits. Kyle Higashioka made me particularly happy. Wilyer Abreu, on the other hand, did not.

    I don't have a lot of nice things to say about Luke Jackson. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the man -- he just has no business playing a closer role for the Rangers. Chris Martin's getting gypped. And, unfortunately, Luke Jackson gave up a three-run home run -- to no other than Wilyer Abreu. Man, he's a good hitter.

    It's been a minute since the Rangers lost an Opening Day game, and this isn't the prettiest way to start a season. Of course, there are 161 games to go.

    Well Matt, we'll just need to settle with winning the series. 

Jac Caglianone: Ripped Off?

     I've seen this conversation before. The best example that I can think of is Jackson Holliday; a player rakes in Spring Training (in Holliday's case, batting .311 with 3 doubles, 2 triples and 2 homers in 15 spring games in 2024) and then getting left off the Opening Day roster for more development.

    The annoying thing about Holliday is that he was the top prospect going in to 2024 -- and in the minor league season of 2023 he batted .323/.442/.499 with 113 runs, 30 doubles, and 24 swiped bags in 125 games. 

    Holliday was evidently not ready for the majors -- in 60 MLB games in 2024 he batted just .190 with a .565 OPS. Though I am of complete confidence that Holliday will be fine and even a star of the game in the near future, his case represents why a team would keep a player down even if he hits well in spring.

    

    Jac Caglianone's case is a little bit different. He was drafted in the first round of the 2024 draft by the Kansas City Royals. The highest level he ever played was High-A ball, where he slashed .236/.302/.388.

    However, in 2025's Spring Training, Caglianone is batting .500/.609/1.167 with 3 homers in 14 games. This is nothing shy of amazing. Take a look at this beautiful third home run of Caglianone's spring:

    Even though Caglianone has put up other-worldly numbers in Spring Training, the Royals have announced that they will not be putting the first-baseman on the Opening Day roster or 2025. Granted, Kansas City has Vinnie Pasquantino at first base already, and though one of them could DH, the Royals have players who can hit to go in the DH role (e.g. Freddy Furmin and Salvador Perez, the duo of catchers). 

    I'm all for letting young guys with incredible talent get a crack at the majors, but with such a small sample size, perhaps his staying down is for the better. We'll just need to see.

    How do y'all feel about this, if you have an opinion? Is Caglianone getting ripped off, or is this a smart move by the Royals? Please let me know in the comments.

    Unfortunately, I don't have any of Jac Caglianone's baseball cards, so I've got nothing to show off. Nonetheless, I promise I'll have plenty of cards for the next post. Meanwhile, thank you for reading Don Cardwell, have a great weekend, and happy collecting! 

Cards From Cards on Cards (Say that 5 Times Fast)

    About two weeks ago I got my first packs of 2025 Topps Series 1. My friend Kerry from over at Cards on Cards sent them, as a prize from his annual College Bowl Pick 'Em. I was surprised that I won it, but my mother is big into college football, so I guess it was an advantage.

    Anyway, besides the Topps blaster box, Kerry also sent me a bunch of cards from teams I like, as well as some PC help.

    I think I'll note every card in the blaster box, with images of the better/special ones. It's probably more boring that way, but I would like to keep an inventory of these cards since I am currently waiting on the binder for them to come. This is also my first in-hand taste of 2025 Topps, so I'll be providing my commentary on that too. I opened and posted on each pack individually, writing about them as I went along.

Pack 1:

First card of 2025: #205 Rhett Lowder RC

    The card backs look familiar to me, though I am unsure why. It resonates with the front of the card pretty well. And at least you can read what it says.

-#276 Jarred Kelenic
-#165 Joey Ortiz
-#33 Jose Berrios

-#131 David Peterson 

    This is a good photo to be shown horizontally. There have been some questionable image proportions in the past, but for the most part they've done pretty well (at least to what I've seen).

-#202 Keibert Ruiz

-#255 Dodgers Swagger 

    Unsure why the border is black for this card. And, we've reached out first little problem. Under the Dodgers Swagger text there are some more words, which are difficult to read. It's not so hard in hand, but on the computer, good luck.

-#66 Logan Gilbert
-#350 Francisco Lindor
-#287 DJ Herz RC

-#179 Ryan Pepiot Silver Crackle Foil

    This is a beautiful card. While looking up just what kind of card this is, I was brought to realization that there are so many foil variations that have similar characteristics. I already knew this to a degree, but when it's brought to light, it can be a real pain when it comes to card identification. 
    It's also a little bit difficult to see Pepiot's last name, but it is not so at all on the card. I guess these just don't show up to well on camera.

-#SMLB-21 Rafael Devers

    The more I see it, the more I'm liking this year's Stars of MLB design. 

    That was a very good first pack by my standards. No Rangers yet, but I'm sure things'll look up soon.

Pack 2:

-#260 Jose Altuve Spring Training Parallel

    I'm not entirely sure how I feel on the prospect of these Spring Training parallels. Though I think Topps makes too many parallels, I do like the look of these ones more than others.

-#96 Seattle Mariners
-#46 Tanner Houck
-#149 Jeff McNeil
-#254 Kyle Finnegan
-#95 Gavin Sheets
-#292 Clay Holmes
-#204 Justin Wrobleski RC
-#307 Jeremy Pena
-#138 Isaac Paredes

-#35 Anthony Volpe

    Nice picture for this card. Another great horizontal shot.

-#FP-8 First Pitch Adrian Beltre

    I'd never thought I'd see the day where Adrian Beltre's official position is pitcher. Does this count as my first Ranger? Either way, I really like this insert. I hope he threw a strike.

-#SMLB-19 Brooks Lee

    I think the days of SLMB are over. I wouldn't call Brooks Lee a star. Not yet, at least. I think he's got the potential to be a sneaky good player in 2025, but it's still a little bit early to call him a star of MLB.

    My favorite card of the second bunch has to be Beltre throwing out the first pitch.

Pack 3:

-#184 Bronx Bombers 
-#190 Miguel Vargas
-#7 Alec Bohm
-#320 Drew Thorpe
-#181 James Wood
-#102 Jonathan India
-#327 Bryan Woo
-#94 Nick Sogard
-#290 Pete Crow-Armstrong
-#312 Dub and Drench

-#302 Los Angeles Dodgers Gold (1677/2025)

    This is the only serial-numbered card in the bunch. The gold parallel definitely looks interesting on the new design, and the little positional dot just says 'Team Card' on it.

-#SMLB-5 Julio Rodriguez

    Another Stars of MLB card. There's a little bit too much space left in the card. Surely they could have found a better action shot?

    The third pack wasn't as impressive as the first two, but it did yield a serial-numbered card, which was pretty cool.

Pack 4:

-#111 Randy Arozarena Spring Training Parallel

    We've already had a Grapefruit League parallel, and now we have the Cactus League one. The more I look at these, the more I like this insert.

-#227 Ty France
-#113 Marco Gonzales
-#36 Greg Jones RC
-#42 Andrew McCutchen
-#269 Justyn-Henry Malloy
-#164 Tanner Bibee
-#52 Will Benson

-#250 Bryce Harper

    Bryce is a favorite. He's a must have in this post.



-#37 Spencer Steer
-#233 Brandon Marsh

-#T90-78 Manny Machado 

    The 1990 reprint looks really good. It far exceeded my expectations for this year.

-#SMLB-12 Gunnar Henderson

    Very nice card of a player I love. I wonder if he'll get a crack at an MVP award sometime in the near future. He's got the talent, but also a very competitive league featuring Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt as frontrunners. Only time can tell.

    This was a good pack, as shown by the four cards who were worthy to be shown on the blog. 

Pack 5:

-#139 Jordan Beck

-#125 Jackson Merrill

    I don't know if I've ever been more ecstatic about pulling a base card. The photo used is perfect; in fact, I think I've used the very same photo before, both in a post and as my email address's profile picture. The color scheme on the Padres card is a little bit strange, but I guess brown is their main color. Haha, I'm one of the weirdos who actually likes the City Connect uni.

-#341 Ronel Blanco
-#83 Anthony Rendon
-#284 Oneil Cruz
-#253 Hurston Waldrep RC
-#256 Jake Cave
-#309 Adam Mazur RC
-#230 Colton Cowser
-#27 Angel Martinez RC

-#62 Jon Gray 

    And now, we have the first Ranger of 2025! It took a minute, but Jon Gray finally showed his face and gets the bragging rights.....although I doubt that anybody cares :)

-#SMBL-24 Christian Yelich

    I sure hope Yelich can stay healthy for 2025. He's been getting back to his true form, and I want to see another great season out of him. He's in his age 33 season -- plenty of time to show us how it's done, but not enough time for injuries.



    Yet another solid pack. And we're on to the last two. This post took forever to make, I'm sure that for those reading the whole thing, it's taking an eternity to read.





Pack 6:

-#68 Hunter Feducca RC Spring Training Parallel

    We have our third Spring Training parallel. These are really nice. It's something different from colored borders -- which I have nothing against. It's very unique. I've probably said that three times now.

-#338 Mitch Garver
-#84 Kameron Misner RC
-#238 JJ Bleday
-#172 Otto Lopez
-#195 Michael King
-#336 Jorge Alcala
-#122 CJ Abrams
-#170 Baltimore Orioles
-#328 Eugenio Suarez

-#GH-5 Nolan Arenado

    This is a nice card, though I think the back can explain it better than I can...

-#ATT-1 Aaron Judge

    I really like the look of this card. There's plenty going on without an excess of things going on. I sympathize with those set collectors who can't stand all the inserts. There are a lot of them. But as a person who doesn't really build sets, it doesn't bug me too much.

-#SMLB-30 Dylan Crews

    Gee, I really hope this one comes true.

    Another very good pack.

Pack 7:

-#50 Leody Taveras
-#76 Houston Astros
-#316 Chris Sale
-#75 Colin Rea
-#18 Orelvis Martinez RC
-#180 Colt Keith

-#221 Matt Chapman

    Matt Chapman was such a good pickup by the Giants (my second team). I didn't realize just how good it was until 2024, when he was quietly such an awesome piece at third base. I think he's really one of the better and underrated players in the game.

-#5 2024 American League ERA Leaders

    Here's to hoping Skubal repeats.
    I like what they did with the player ERAs coming up the side of the card. Well done.

-#304 Raisel Iglesias
-#239 Freddie Freeman
-#179 Ryan Pepiot

-#SMLB-15 Corbin Carroll

    I'm not really a D-Backs fan, but as one who hates to see talent squandered, I want a 2023 Corbin Carroll, one such Corbin Carroll as we saw at the end of last season.

    All seven of my packs ended with a Stars of MLB insert. Is that the way each pack of '25 Topps has been rounded out, or is it just some crazy coincidence? These are the only cards I've gotten thus far, so I wouldn't know.

    So rounds out the 2025 Topps Blaster box. Overall I'm very happy with it (aside from the fact that it was free), with literally zero dupes; a great start if I were trying to build the set. I may end up building the Stars of MLB set.

    Overall, the 2025 design is....decent. There are some really nice aspects, and some not so much. The base cards have a bit of a shine to them, which is alright with me. The darker text on the cards isn't much of a problem in-hand, but  once photographed (or scanned, I've seen), it gets a bit illegible and looks a bit strange. I think the design would look a whole lot better to me had it not been the immediate successor to 2024 Topps, which was a grand slam design. Overall, I would probably give it a 7 out of 10. I think that's a fair rating.

    Kerry sent me a good number of more cards individually, but this post has already been far and away my longest ever, and I've got a few more longies to go in the near future. So I'll wrap it up here, and save the rest of the cards for part two. Thank you Kerry for the amazing cards, and thank y'all for bearing with me to the end -- this took over a week to write -- and happy collecting!