Thursday, February 21, 2019

A Trade with ARPSmith

Recently Adam, from the terrific ARPSmith's Sportscard Obsession, contacted me on one of my posts complaining about the crappy breaks from 2019 Topps.  He wanted a few cards from my tradebait and offered up some random Red Sox cards from my wantlist.  I could not turn that down.  I was not sure what he would send, so the package was a nice surprise:
1.  2018 Topps Holiday J.D. Martinez.  It is kind of weird to see cards depicting Martinez in the field.  He was born to be a DH.

2.  2018 Topps Holiday Xander Bogaerts.  Bogaerts may be entering his final season in Boston.  I hope that is not true, but I guess I am preparing.

3.  2018 Topps Fire Fired Up Andrew Benintendi.  I hope to see Benny take the next step to stardom this season.  He has been damn good so far, but he could be the next Red Sox superstar.

4.  2018 Topps Holiday Craig Kimbrel.  Kimbrel is still out there trying to get a new contract.  I do not see Boston bringing him back, which would be a shame, but the team needs to find some way to re-sign its upcoming free agent stars like Betts, Sale and Bogaerts.

5.  2018 Topps Holiday Ian Kinsler.  This is probably the card I was happiest about.  Kinsler is destined to be a one-year wonder.

6.  2018 Topps Gallery Mookie Betts.  If the Red Sox can only sign one of their young stars to a long-term contract, I really want it to be Betts.  He has Franchise Player written all over him.

7.  2019 Topps 1984 Pedro Martinez.  I always liked the 1984 design.  It is one of my favorites from the 80's.

8.  2018 Topps Fire Pedro Martinez.  Martinez is working with Eduardo Rodriguez this Spring.  Hopefully that will pay big dividends for E-Rod.

9.  2017 Topps Update MVP Award Winner Roger Clemens.  Clemens won the AL MVP in 1986, still the only Red Sox pitcher to win the award.

Thanks for the trade Adam!

Friday, February 15, 2019

All-Time One-Year Wonder: Left-Handed Starting Pitcher

I'm going to do something a little different with the One-Year Wonder posts. I have decided to go position-by-position and see if I can determine who the best player at each position would be who only spent one year with the Red Sox. This requires a lot of time and research. I am not naming every single player who spent just one season with the Red Sox at each position, but just the better-known players. At the end of the post, I will pick the single best player for each position.

LEFT-HANDED STARTING PITCHER
HARRY HARPER - 1920
Harper spent ten years pitching in the Majors, the first seven of which were with the Washington Senators alongside the great Walter Johnson.  Harper notched double digits in wins three times with a career high of 14 in 1916 when he also pitched to a 2.45 ERA and struck out a career high 149.  After he led the league in losses with 21 (winning just six games) in 1919, Harper was traded to the Red Sox along with Eddie Foster and Mike Menosky for Braggo Roth and Red Shannon.  Foster was past his prime but Harper and Menosky were still in their mid 20's at the time of the trade and Menosky would have a few useful seasons in him.  Harper though failed to turn around his fortunes for Boston in 1920 and finished the season 5-14 with a 3.04 ERA.  He struck out 71 and walked 66 in 162.2 innings.  After the season, he became part of the pipeline of talent going from Boston to New York when he was sent along with Wally Schang, Mike McNally and future Hall of Famer Waite Hoyt in exchange for Del Pratt, Muddy Ruel, Hank Thormahlen and Sammy Vick.  If not for Hoyt, this would have been one of the better trades for Boston as both Ruel and Pratt were still good players.  Schang still had some good years left, but McNally and Harper never did much.  Harper in particular pitched in eight games for New York.  He was basically done.  

FRED HEIMACH - 1926
Another fairly obscure, but long-tenured southpaw to pitch for Boston in the Roaring '20's, Heimach was a versatile pitcher who was used as a starter and a reliever throughout his career.  He spent his first six seasons with the Philadelphia A's.  He won a career high 14 games for Philadelphia in 1924, but lost 12 games and had a less-than-impressive 4.73 ERA.  In 1926, after starting the season 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in 13 games, mostly as a reliever, Heimach was sent to the Red Sox along with Baby Doll Jacobson and Slim Harriss for Boston ace Howard Ehmke.  Starved for starting rotation help, Heimach spent most of his time in Boston in the rotation, pitching in 20 games with 13 of them being starts.  He was just 2-9 though with an ugly 5.65 ERA and a thoroughly awful 17 strikeouts versus 42 walks in 102 innings.  Jacobson was the top player Boston received in that deal, by far.  After the season, Heimach was traded to the minors for Fred Hofmann and Pee Wee Wanninger.  Heimach later found himself pitching for the Yankees for a couple of seasons and then with the Dodgers for four years.

LLOYD BROWN - 1933
While pitching for the Washington Senators, Brown won 15 or more games three seasons in a row from 1930 through 1932.  He came up with Brooklyn in 1925 but was banished to the minors for a couple of seasons before re-emerging with Washington in 1928.  He regularly notched over 200 innings during his string of success.  After the 1932 season, Brown was sent along with Carl Reynolds and $20,000.00 to the St. Louis Browns for a package headlined by former Senator great and future Hall of Famer Goose Goslin.  Brown made it into just eight games with his new team and had an ugly 1-6 record with a 7.15 ERA before he was on the move again for more financial help for the ailing Browns franchise.  This time, the Red Sox, newly flush with cash thanks to the deep pockets of new owner Tom Yawkey, purchased both Brown and future Hall of Fame catcher Rick Ferrell.  The deal was more about Ferrell than Brown though Brown made it into 33 games with Boston and had a 8-11 record and a 4.02 ERA.  Coupled with his time in St. Louis, Brown once again surpassed the 200 innings mark in 1933.  After the season, Brown was traded to the Indians for Bill Cissell and pitched a few more seasons in Cleveland before hanging it up.

JOHNNY SCHMITZ - 1956
During a 13-year Major League career, Schmitz was a two-time All Star for the Cubs in 1946 and 1948, sandwiched around a season in which he led the league in losses (18).  Schmitz pitched with the Cubs for eight years before bouncing around for the rest of his career.  He pitched for the Senators, Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, Reds and Orioles.  Schmitz was part of a group of players traded from Washington to Boston after the 1955 season.  Schmitz ended up being the least important of the four players Boston received behind Mickey Vernon, Tom Umphlett and Bob Porterfield.  The Red Sox gave up Dick Brodowski and Karl Olson in the deal.  Schmitz made it into just two games, pitching four scoreless innings with Boston before being sold to the Orioles.  He did not do much more for Baltimore before hanging it up after the season.

DEAN STONE - 1957
During a terrific rookie season with the Washington Senators, Stone was 12-10 with a 3.22 ERA and made an All Star appearance in 1954.  He looked like a young star.  Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there.  Stone never returned to the All Star game.  He had a couple more mediocre seasons with Washington before being traded early in 1957 season to Boston along with Bob Chakales for Milt Bolling, Faye Throneberry and Russ Kemmerer.  Stone finished out the season with the Red Sox, going 1-3 with a 5.08 ERA.  He struck out 32 and walked 35 in 51.1 innings.  Unfortunately his time in Boston was cut short due to injuries.  He missed the entire 1958 season.  Boston traded him to the Cardinals for Nelson Chittum during the 1959 season.  Technically he was on the team for more than just one season, but he only appeared in games during the 1957 season.  He managed to have a decent stint as a reliever before his career was officially over after 1963.  

BILLY HOEFT - 1959
Hoeft was yet another former All Star who spent just a short amount of time pitching for the Boston Red Sox.  He came up with the Detroit Tigers in the early 1950's, gradually improving until he made the All Star team in 1955 by going 16-7 with a 2.99 ERA, 133 strikeouts versus 75 walks in 220 innings and leading the league with seven shutouts.  He garnered some down-ballot MVP consideration that season.  The next season he was a 20 game winner for the only time in his career, but suffered an ERA decline.  Unfortunately, he was never again the same pitcher.  After a couple of mediocre seasons, he was traded to the Red Sox early in the 1959 season for Ted Lepcio and Dave Sisler.  He spent just over a month in Boston, going 0-3 with a 5.60 ERA striking out and walking eight in just over 17 innings.  He was traded for the next pitcher in this post in June.  Hoeft stuck around for several more seasons, mostly pitching in relief for the Orioles, Giants, Braves and Cubs.  

JACK HARSHMAN - 1959
In a one-for-one southpaw-for-southpaw deal, the Red Sox acquired Harshman in the deal for Billy Hoeft from the Orioles.  Harshman looked like a rising star earlier in the decade with the White Sox himself.  In his first three full seasons with Chicago, he was 40-26 with a 3.13 ERA and 393 strikeouts in 583 innings.  He had a rough season in 1957 and moved on to Baltimore with whom he was 12-15, but with a nice 2.89 ERA.  In 1959, he started the season in Baltimore before being traded to the Red Sox for Hoeft.  He pitched in eight games for Boston and was 2-3 with a 6.57 ERA.  He struck out 14 and walked ten in 24.2 innings.  The Red Sox exposed him to waivers a month later and Cleveland picked him up, where he improved dramatically.  He spent the next season in Cleveland and then was out of the Majors for good.

ED CONNOLLY - 1964
Connolly definitely did not have a long career, pitching in just 42 games in the Majors over two seasons, but a second-generation Red Sox gets some notice.  His father, also Ed Connolly, spent four seasons as a backup catcher for Boston from 1929 through 1932.  Connolly Jr. was only in Boston for 1964.  He put in a fair amount of work that season, throwing 80.2 innings in 27 games, but finishing with a bad 4-11 record and a 4.91 ERA.  Connolly struck out 73 but walked 64.  He spent the next couple of seasons in the minors before re-emerging with Cleveland in 1967.  His numbers did not improve and he never made it back to the Majors.

BILLY ROHR - 1967
In his Major League debut, Rohr recorded 26 outs before giving up a hit.  On a two-strike count, future teammate Elston Howard, then of the Yankees, laced a single breaking up Rohr's no-hit bid.  He recorded the final out without incident, finishing up one of the most electrifying debuts in Red Sox history.  Unfortunately, that was the best moment in what would be a short Major League career.  Rohr went 2-3 with a 5.10 ERA in his rookie season with the Red Sox.  He struck out 16 and walked 22 in 42.1 innings.  Just prior to the 1968 season, his contract was sold to the Indians for whom he was 1-0 with a 6.87 ERA.  He bounced around the minors for a couple of seasons after that, but that was it for his Major League career.  He exploded onto the scene and flamed out just as quickly.

FRANK TANANA - 1981
A flame-throwing southpaw in the same Angels rotation as Nolan Ryan in the mid-1970's, Tanana struck out over 200 batters three seasons in a row, peaking with a league-leading 269 in 1975.  He was a three-time All Star who also led the league in ERA in 1977 (2.54) and won 15 or more games four times.  He finished in the top five for the Cy Young Award twice.  Tanana unfortunately started having arm trouble in 1978 as a result of heavy early use.  By the time the Red Sox acquired him prior to the 1981 season, he was a shadow of his former self.  It hurt even more due to the fact that he was the primary return in the trade that sent Red Sox fan favorite Fred Lynn to the West Coast.  In his only season in Boston, Tanana finished 4-10 with a 4.01 ERA.  He struck out just 78 batters while walking 43 in 141.1 innings.  After the season, he signed as a free agent with the Rangers, led the league in losses with 18 in 1982, but slowly resurrected his career with Texas and Detroit as a junk-tossing, crafty southpaw.  He finished his 21 year career with a 240-236 record, a 3.66 ERA, and 2,773 strikeouts.  

CHRIS NABHOLZ - 1994
At one time, Nabholz was one of the top pitching prospects in the game.  In his rookie season with the Expos, Nabholz was 6-2 with a 2.83 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 70 innings pitched.  He continued to put up decent numbers for the next couple of seasons in Montreal, but was never able to make the next step.  His best season was 1992 when he was 11-12 with a 3.32 ERA and 130 strikeouts versus 74 walks in 195 innings.  After a down season in 1993, Nabholz was traded to the Indians.  The Red Sox acquired him in early July of 1994 to help solidify the rotation, along with Steve Farr, in exchange for closer Jeff Russell.  Nabholz made eight starts before the season ended early due to the players' strike and was 3-4 with a 6.64 ERA.  He struck out 23, but walked 29 in 42 innings.  After the season, he left Boston to join the Cubs as a free agent who tried (and failed) to make a reliever out of him.  That was it for his career.

ZANE SMITH - 1995
Smith was a crafty, efficient southpaw who spent time with the Braves, Expos and Pirates from 1984 through 1994.  He won double digits three times, including a high of 16 wins in 1991 with the NL East-winning Pirates.  He was a dependable pitcher who could start or relieve.  He had an incredible stint as a reliever for the Expos in 1989 when he turned in a 1.50 ERA over 31 games.  The Red Sox acquired him as a free agent, but he had a rough season.  He started 21 out of 24 games and was 8-8 with a 5.61 ERA.  He struck out 47 and walked 23 in 110.2 innings.  It was the worst season of his career.  He returned to Pittsburgh for one more season in 1996, but retired after the season.  His 100-115 record is deceptive as Smith spent a lot of time with very bad teams.   

JAMIE MOYER - 1996
No one could have predicted that when the 33-year-old Moyer was traded by the Red Sox during the 1996 season that he would go on to pitch another 15 seasons.  Moyer came up in 1986 with the Cubs and three seasons there as a decent, but hard-luck pitcher who had a nice 3.48 ERA in 1988, but lost 15 games for the second season in a row.  He went on to pitch for the Rangers and Cardinals but was relegated to the minors in 1992.  He returned to the Majors in 1993 and had a couple of nice seasons with the Orioles before the Red Sox signed him as a free agent for the 1996 season.  Moyer was in the midst of a pretty good season with the Red Sox and was 7-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 23 games.  He started ten of them and had 90 innings pitched, striking out 50 and walking 27.  The Red Sox though started very poorly and were mostly out of the race and saw a chance to acquire a decent young player for the eventual free agent.  Moyer was shipped to Seattle in exchange for Darren Bragg, who was a good defensive outfielder but was limited offensively.  Moyer though completely resurrected his career and went on to win 145 games with the Mariners.  He also pitched for the Phillies, Orioles, Blue Jays and Rockies before finally retiring after the 2012 season.  Bragg was out of the Majors after the 2004 season despite being seven years younger.  Moyer's final numbers include a record of 269-209 with a 4.25 ERA and 2,441 strikeouts.

KENT MERCKER - 1999
Known mostly for his two no-hitters as a member of the Braves (one of which was a combined no-hitter with Alejandro Peña and Mark Wohlers), Mercker actually had two stints with the Red Sox organization, though he never actually pitched with Boston in the second stint.  Mercker was primarily used as a relief pitcher early in his career before becoming a starter in 1994.  It was after all, difficult to crack the Braves rotation in the early 1990's.  After 1995, Mercker began to bounce around a little bit.  After starting out the 1999 season with the Cardinals, Mercker was traded to Boston late in the season.  He made it into just five games, starting all of them, but was 2-0 with a 3.51 ERA and 17 strikeouts and 13 walks in 25.2 innings.  He made three starts in the postseason, taking a loss in a game in the ALCS against the Yankees.  After a stop with the Angels in 2000, Mercker returned to the Red Sox in 2001, but failed to make it into a game.  He went on to pitch a few more seasons with the Rockies, Reds, Braves and Cubs.  

JEFF FASSERO - 2000
With the Expos and Mariners, Fassero had been a reliable number two starter.  He notched double digit win totals five times, including in 1993 when he split time as a reliever and a starter, and in 1997 led the AL in games started.  Once becoming a starter, Fassero regularly threw over 200 innings and had a sub-4.00 ERA.  After a rough 1999 season split between the Mariners and Rangers, the Red Sox took a flyer on him hoping for a bounceback season.  Instead, Fassero was mostly mediocre, when he was healthy.  He made just 23 starts and added an additional 15 games out of the bullpen and finished with an 8-8 record and a 4.78 ERA.  He struck out 97 and walked 50 in 130 innings.  After the 2000 season, Fassero hung around the Majors for a few more years with the Cubs, Cardinals, Rockies, Diamondbacks and Giants, but he never regained the ability that made him an effective starting pitcher in the mid 1990's.

DARREN OLIVER - 2002
Oliver, who made it onto the 2019 Hall of Fame ballot somehow, spent a large chunk of his career with the Texas Rangers, making three stints with them.  He had been reasonably effective as a starting pitcher in the mid-90's, winning ten or more games four times.  He had a rough 2001 season with Texas though as he was 11-11 with a 6.02 ERA.  The Rangers and Red Sox exchanged bad contracts swapping Oliver for Carl Everett.  While Everett fit in well with Texas, Oliver had some issues in Boston.  He made it into just 14 games, starting nine of them and was 4-5 with a 4.66 ERA.  He struck out 32 and walked 27 in 58 innings.  He did have some success against the Yankees, but he was released by the Red Sox in July.  After the season, Oliver moved on to the Rockies, Marlins, Astros, Mets, Angels, Rangers and Blue Jays, resurrecting his career as a lefty option out of the bullpen.  

ERIK BEDARD - 2011
At the 2011 trading deadline, the Red Sox were in first place but needed some rotation help.  They acquired one of the best arms available by sending multiple prospects to the Mariners for Bedard.  Bedard came up with the Orioles and turned into a very good starting pitcher, striking out 221 batters in a 2007 season in which he went 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA.  Unfortunately, injuries limited his effectiveness the next few seasons.  When 2011 came around, Bedard was 4-7, but with a 3.45 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 91.1 innings.  But Bedard was not able to keep going at that rate upon joining the Red Sox rotation.  He started eight games, and was 1-2 with a 4.03 ERA.  He did strike out 38 in 38 innings, while walking 18.  The Red Sox fell out of first and eventually missed the postseason and the rotation was a big reason why.  Bedard pitched the next three seasons with one season each in Pittsburgh, Houston and Tampa Bay.  

WADE MILEY - 2015
The only pitcher here who is actually still active, so you never know, Miley could end up back in Boston some day.  Miley came up with the Diamondbacks and was an All Star and finished second in the Rookie of the Year race to Bryce Harper in 2012.  He struggled to match that season for the next couple of years.  Before the 2015 season, Miley was traded to the Red Sox for former prospects Allen Webster and Rubby De La Rosa.  Miley was part of a rotation filled with inning-eating, non-flashy starters for the 2015 season.  He delivered about what was expected of him, leading the team in wins (11-11) and innings pitched (193.2).  He struck out 147 and walked 64.  His ERA was 4.46.  After the season, Boston traded Miley to Seattle for Carson Smith and Roenis Elias.  In 2018, he had a very good season with Milwaukee and will be with Houston in 2019.  

THE BEST ONE-YEAR LEFT-HANDED STARTING PITCHER
Yeesh.  Pickings were very slim this time.  Very few southpaw starters put together successful seasons.  Kent Mercker probably had the best numbers, but he pitched in just five games, and I would prefer someone who made it an entire season.  That is also part of the reason why Jamie Moyer did not get it, though the other reason was due to being a reliever for a hefty chunk of his sole season in Boston.  So we were down to Harry Harper and Wade Miley, with Jeff Fassero being dropped.  They had identical WAR values in their one season and neither had very good records due to playing for losing teams, though Miley's was quite a bit better.  Harper had a significantly better ERA, and led his team in that category.  Miley led his team in wins and innings pitched and was second in strikeouts, out-doing Harper in that category by 80.  So it is pretty close and almost a toss-up.  I'm going to give it to Miley though because of the significantly better strikeout-to-walk ratio, WHIP, and record, and because I actually got to watch Miley.  So there it is.  Not an overly exciting choice, but it is what it is.  

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Lin in Black

Good lord, someone stop me.  

A number of the 2017 Topps Update parallels have been popping up lately.  In the last few months I have managed to add the Mother's Day Hot Pink, the Memorial Day Camo, and now the Black.  The Clear is still my favorite.  I would love to add the Father's Day Powder Blue next, but who knows.  I am just happy to add some more from this set.  Now, if only some of those 2013 Bowman Chrome color refractors would show up again.

Anyway, short post today.  Looking forward to baseball starting up again.

Monday, February 11, 2019

Red Sox with No Cards: 2016

I have not done one of these for awhile, so it is time to start catching up again.  

Boston returned to the postseason in 2016 for the first time since 2013.  They won the A.L. East crown with a 93-69 record and had a terrific offense.  Unfortunately, they were dispatched quickly in the ALDS by the Indians, failing to win a single game.  Shockingly, there are not a ton of players who failed to receive cards, but there are some odd ones.  Even more shocking, Ryan LaMarre actually did get a card, even though he played in just five games with six plate appearances and pitched an inning.  He got a card made, but the players below did not.

One of the most highly sought-after players at the trading deadline, Abad had an absolutely brutal start to his Red Sox career.  He gave up a go-ahead grand slam to Robinson Cano in his first game for the Red Sox and things never really got better after that.  Abad was acquired in a deal with the Twins for minor league reliever Pat Light.  He had been great for the Twins during the season, going 1-4 with a 2.65 ERA.  However, his numbers took a dive when he was acquired by the Red Sox.  His ERA ballooned to 6.39 and he was 0-2.  He struck out 12 and walked eight in 12.2 innings.  He was left off of the postseason roster.  Despite all of that, he remained with the team in 2017.  So he will be seen again.  Abad appeared in a team-issued photo set.

I felt good about the trade between the Mariners and Red Sox prior to the 2016 season in which the Red Sox sent Wade Miley to Seattle for relievers Elias and Carson Smith.  It seemed lie that would really bolster the bullpen.  Unfortunately, Smith was hurt right away and missed most of the season and Elias spent most of his tenure in Boston in the minors.  He was 10-5 with a 3.60 ERA and 113 strikeouts for Pawtucket, but pitched in just three games for Boston.  His games in Boston were not nearly as impressive as he had an awful 12.91 ERA and an 0-1 record.  He struck out just three and walked five in a little more than seven innings.  Despite that, Elias was also back in Boston in 2017 so he will also be seen again.  Elias appeared in a minor league set for Boston.

Holaday's versatility keeps him employed in the Majors.  He has played behind the plate for most of his career but has also appeared at first, second, third, left field and DH.  He has also pitched on a few occasions.  Holaday started the 2016 season with the Rangers after several years with the Tigers.  He was selected off of waivers by the Red Sox in August and finished out the year with Boston.  He appeared in 14 games and had a less-than-stellar .212/.257/.242 line.  Most of his time was spent as catcher, but he had a game each at third and DH.  He returned to the Tigers in 2017 and then spent the entire 2018 season as a backup for the Marlins.  

2016 was Layne's third and final season with the Red Sox.  He never received a card despite appearing in 128 games for the Red Sox.  He was decent once again for Boston, and, as typical for a lefty reliever, threw 28.2 innings in 34 games.  He was 0-1 with a 3.77 ERA and notched 25 strikeouts versus 14 walks.  Layne was released by the Red Sox in August and caught on with the Yankees.  His numbers were marginally better for New York down the stretch, which resulted in him returning for the 2017 season.  His numbers took a dive that year and he has bounced around from organization to organization since, not yet returning to the Majors.  One of those stops was back with Boston.  Layne does have minor league cards in the Red Sox organization.

Martinez was another utility player who played briefly for the Red Sox in 2016.  He has played second, third, short, and the outfield positions and also pitched once.  He came up with the Phillies and played a few seasons there before moving on to Pittsburgh and Cleveland.  He was fairly productive with Cleveland in 2016 before Boston purchased his contract.  He played in just four games with the Red Sox, hitting .167/.286/.167.  Less than two months after Boston acquired him, Martinez was selected by the Indians off waivers.  He appeared in the postseason for Cleveland, mostly as a pinch runner.  He split 2017 between Cleveland and Tampa Bay and has not been back in the Majors since.

Originally drafted by the Red Sox in the ninth round in 2012, Miller rose fairly quickly through the Red Sox system, despite never really being considered a prospect.  He had a decent season in 2014 split between a couple of minor league levels.  In 2016, he played in three levels, including making his Major League debut with Boston playing second base for an inning and going hitless in his sole at-bat.  Miller has remained in the minors for Boston the last couple of years and had a solid 2018 season, but he is running out of time to make it back to the Majors.  Miller does appear in several minor league sets in the Red Sox organization.

O'Sullivan was a decent prospect at one point and made his Major League debut 2009 with the Angels.  He bounced around quite a bit from that point forward, appearing in games for the Royals, Padres, Phillies, and then pitching for Boston in 2016.  He was 9-6 with a 4.02 ERA for Pawtucket and was called up a few times for a spot starter for the Red Sox.  He was 2-0 with a 6.75 ERA in five games, including four starts with Boston.  He struck out 13 and walked six in 21.1 innings.  He spent 2017 in the Nationals organization before retiring from baseball.  O'Sullivan does appear in minor league sets for the Red Sox.

The fourth round draft pick by the Red Sox in the 2011 season, Ramirez made it back to the Majors for the second time.  He spent most of the season in the minors and was 2-3 with a sparkling 1.85 ERA in 30 games as a reliever.  He struck out 54 and walked just 11 in 43.2 innings in a fantastic season.  Unfortunately, his numbers in the Majors were not nearly as good.  He appeared in 14 games, striking out 15 and walking eight in 13 innings.  He would return to the Red Sox in 2017.  He will be seen again.  Ramirez does appear in minor league sets with the Red Sox.

Slim pickings for 2016.  The choice is easy for 2016 for player I am most disappointed about not receiving a card.  Tommy Layne has been a runner-up for the previous two seasons and he is the only player who had anything close to resembling a decent season.  So, it's Layne.   

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Probably the Last Series 1 Blaster for Me

Yeesh.  I think I'm done buying packs of Series 1.  I have pulled tons of doubles, and just not that many Red Sox cards.  I have managed to pull just seven base cards and one insert so far, way off the mark with what I have pulled for other teams.  No idea why that is.  And it is frustrating.  

So here are the Red Sox cards.  Technically I pulled three, but one was the Jackie Bradley Jr. card that I already owned.
1.  Rick Porcello.  Porcello will likely go down as one of the more baffling Cy Young choices in recent years.  Oh well.  He is still just one of four Red Sox to win the award so far.
2.  Mookie Betts LL.  Betts is the first Red Sox player to win the batting title since Bill Mueller in 2003.  That is actually a very lengthy gap.  The Red Sox have had at least one batting title every decade since the 1930's.

Here is the tradebait.  If anyone wants something, let me know what you have for Red Sox.

And here is the team-by-team breakdown:
ATLANTA BRAVES: 6
LOS ANGELES ANGELS: 5
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: 5
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: 4
CHICAGO WHITE SOX: 4
CHICAGO CUBS: 4
CLEVELAND INDIANS: 4
DETROIT TIGERS: 4
KANSAS CITY ROYALS: 4
LOS ANGELES DODGERS: 4
SEATTLE MARINERS: 4
WASHINGTON NATIONALS/MONTREAL EXPOS: 4
BOSTON RED SOX: 3
CINCINNATI REDS: 3
HOUSTON ASTROS: 3
MIAMI MARLINS: 3
MILWAUKEE BREWERS: 3
MINNESOTA TWINS: 3
NEW YORK METS: 3
NEW YORK YANKEES: 3
SAN DIEGO PADRES: 3
TAMPA BAY RAYS: 3
TEXAS RANGERS: 3
TORONTO BLUE JAYS: 3
BALTIMORE ORIOLES: 2
OAKLAND ATHLETICS: 2
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: 2
PITTSBURGH PIRATES: 2
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: 2
COLORADO ROCKIES: 1

Once again, not a good showing for the Red Sox. 

And here is the updated 2019 numbers so far:
ATLANTA BRAVES: 18
CLEVELAND INDIANS: 16
LOS ANGELES ANGELS: 16
CHICAGO CUBS: 15
NEW YORK YANKEES: 14
HOUSTON ASTROS: 12
LOS ANGELES DODGERS: 12
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: 11
TORONTO BLUE JAYS: 11
KANSAS CITY ROYALS: 11
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: 11
SEATTLE MARINERS: 11
BALTIMORE ORIOLES: 10
MILWAUKEE BREWERS: 10
WASHINGTON NATIONALS/MONTREAL EXPOS: 10 (9 Nationals/1 Expo)
BOSTON RED SOX: 9
DETROIT TIGERS: 9
TAMPA BAY RAYS: 9
COLORADO ROCKIES: 8
MINNESOTA TWINS: 8
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: 8
TEXAS RANGERS: 8
CHICAGO WHITE SOX: 7
NEW YORK METS: 7
OAKLAND ATHLETICS: 7
PITTSBURGH PIRATES: 7
SAN DIEGO PADRES: 7
CINCINNATI REDS: 6
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: 5
MIAMI MARLINS: 4

The Red Sox are falling well off the pace.  This is annoying.  Not sure how it is so hard to add cards of the reigning World Champs, but wow.

Saturday, February 9, 2019

Red Sox Cards Come to Life

Bo Rosny of the amazing blog Baseball Cards Come to Life, contacted me recently with a message that he could help me out with some of my vintage needs.  After a couple of weeks in which I accidentally forgot about things (damn Supreme Court brief).  But anyway, it did eventually work out and he covered quite a few of my vintage needs.  And to say that some of these cards were well-loved is an understatement.  I don't know if it was Bo, or someone else that owned these cards, but someone made efforts to update the teams on some of these guys.
1.  1971 Topps Frank Howard/Tony Conigliaro/Boog Powell.  1970 was Conig's comeback season and he hit career highs in home runs (36) and RBIs (116).  Unfortunately, it went straight downhill from there.  His eye problems that began when he was hit with a pitch came back and he hit just six more home runs in his career.

2.  1973 Topps Luis Tiant.  Honestly, I had no idea I did not have this one.  Which is why I have a wantlist.  I don't have to keep track of these things.

3.  1976 Topps Luis Tiant.  Nice LCS highlight card here.  Tiant was a revelation in the 1975 postseason.  I would still love to see him in the Hall of Fame.  Hopefully next year.

4.  1977 Topps Don Zimmer/Team Card.  Zimmer was a decent strategist, but had a hard time relating to players of the 1970's, in particular Bill Lee, Ferguson Jenkins, Reggie Cleveland, Bernie Carbo, and a few others. 

5.  1968 Topps Gene Oliver.  Oliver had some decent years with the Braves and joined the Red Sox for the 1968 season.  He did not play much for Boston before being sold to the Cubs the same year.

6.  1970 Topps Sparky Lyle.  Next to the Tiant cards, this is probably my favorite card I received.  Lyle was turning into a pretty decent reliever with the Red Sox before being foolishly traded to the Yankees for Danny Cater and Mario Guerrero. 
7.  1970 Topps Syd O'Brien.  See what I mean about well-loved?  Someone was updating this card to show that O'Brien moved on to the White Sox and then Angels.

8.  1970 Topps Eddie Kasko.  Kasko had a long career with the Red Sox as a utility player, then as a manager, then as a scout, director of scouting, and then vice president of baseball operations.  All told, he was with the Red Sox from 1966-1994.  He is a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame.

9.  1968 Topps Dalton Jones.  Not much to say about Jones.  He was a pretty non-descript ballplayer, though he had some nice moments in the 1967 season.

10.  1968 Topps Jose Santiago.  Santiago had some nice years with Boston and was an All Star in 1968.  He also homered in his first World Series at-bat in 1967.  Not bad for a pitcher.

11.  1968 Topps Russ Gibson.  Yikes, Gibson was a bad hitter.  Career slash line of .228/.267/.311.  Ouch.

12.  1968 Topps Dick Ellsworth.  Ellsworth's son Steve pitched for the Red Sox in 1988, twenty years after Dick pitched for them.  Ellsworth was a pretty good pitcher in 1968, going 16-7 with a 3.03 ERA.  It was the Year of the Pitcher, but still, Ellsworth had a damn good year.

That's it for the cards from Bo.  Thanks Bo!

Friday, February 8, 2019

The Worst Red Sox Team of All Time Pt. 12: Bob Kline

Failure is often even more fascinating than success. I am definitely intrigued by the 1932 Boston Red Sox, the worst Red Sox team of all time. The team finished with a record of 43-111, for a winning percentage of .279 and very little went right.
Bob Kline led the 1932 Red Sox in wins.  That is pretty much the highlight of his brief Major League career.  Well, that and being traded for Lefty Grove.  That is a pretty big feather in the cap as well.  But we will get to that.

Kline came up with the Red Sox in 1930 as a 20-year-old right-hander and pitched a single scoreless inning.  Kline was big for the time period (6-3, 230) and was generally more effective when he was heavier.  He did not do much for the team in 1931 before becoming one of the better pitchers on the team in 1932.  That season, he was 11-13, which was actually pretty good given how bad the team was on the whole.  Unfortunately, he also had a 5.28 ERA and a disappointing 31 strikeouts versus 76 walks in 172 innings.  Kline was used a lot in the bullpen, starting just 19 games out of 47.  1933 was pretty much more of the same.  During his time with the Red Sox, Kline was 23-26 with a 4.82 ERA.

Before the 1934 season, Kline and shortstop Rabbit Warstler were sent to the Philadelphia Athletics along with $125,000.00 for the trio of Max Bishop, Rube Walberg, and eventual Hall of Famer Lefty Grove.  It was a terribly one-sided deal in favor of the Red Sox, mostly due to the fact that the A's needed money more than anything at the time.  Kline did not spend much time in Philly though and was sold to Washington during the season.  He ended the season 7-2 with an unsightly 7.21 ERA.  It was his last appearance in the Majors.

Thursday, February 7, 2019

First 2019 Lin Cards

It is time for a Tzu-Wei Lin addition post.  Lin popped up in 2019 Topps Series 1 with yet another autograph.  And several parallels to that autograph.  I have yet to pick up the base series auto, but I did knock off a couple of the parallels in one shot.  Here they are:
The first one is the 150th Anniversary foil-stamped version.  This one is serial-numbered to 150.  The second one is the red parallel serial-numbered to 25.  This brings the Lin total up to 97.  Just three to go until 100.  I do have one coming in soon. 

Lin is already reportedly present at the Red Sox Spring Training site, even though it is not even the official time for all pitchers and catchers to report.  This shows an impressive commitment on the part of Lin.  It would be great if he could follow up with a big Spring and make the team right away.

Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Two More Jumbo Packs

I should have stuck with one pack.  Of course if I had done that, I probably would have picked the one that did not have any Red Sox cards.  This was another poor pack performance for my team.  I pulled just two Red Sox and here they are:
1.  Jackie Bradley Jr.  I will say that the photo is damn good here.  I am glad he is still with the team.
2.  J.D. Martinez LL.  This card commemorates the DH leading the league in RBIs.

Here is the trade bait:

And here is the team-by-team breakdown.  Boston did not do really poorly, but after the very poor showing last time, I had my hopes up.

ATLANTA BRAVES: 4
CLEVELAND INDIANS: 4
OAKLAND ATHLETICS: 4
TEXAS RANGERS: 4
WASHINGTON NATIONALS: 4
HOUSTON ASTROS: 3
LOS ANGELES DODGERS: 3
MINNESOTA TWINS: 3
NEW YORK METS: 3
TORONTO BLUE JAYS: 3
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: 2
BALTIMORE ORIOLES: 2
BOSTON RED SOX: 2
CHICAGO CUBS: 2
CINCINNATI REDS: 2
COLORADO ROCKIES: 2
KANSAS CITY ROYALS: 2
LOS ANGELES ANGELS: 2
MILWAUKEE BREWERS: 2
NEW YORK YANKEES: 2
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: 2
PITTSBURGH PIRATES: 2
SAN DIEGO PADRES: 2
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: 2
TAMPA BAY RAYS: 2
CHICAGO WHITE SOX: 1
DETROIT TIGERS: 1
SEATTLE MARINERS: 1
MIAMI MARLINS: 0
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: 0

Here is the updated team-by-team breakdown:
ATLANTA BRAVES: 12
CLEVELAND INDIANS: 12
CHICAGO CUBS: 11
LOS ANGELES ANGELS: 11
NEW YORK YANKEES: 11
HOUSTON ASTROS: 9
BALTIMORE ORIOLES: 8
LOS ANGELES DODGERS: 8
TORONTO BLUE JAYS: 8
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: 7
COLORADO ROCKIES: 7
KANSAS CITY ROYALS: 7
MILWAUKEE BREWERS: 7
SEATTLE MARINERS: 7
BOSTON RED SOX: 6
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: 6
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: 6
TAMPA BAY RAYS: 6
WASHINGTON NATIONALS/MONTREAL EXPOS: 6 (5 Nationals/1 Expo)
DETROIT TIGERS: 5
MINNESOTA TWINS: 5
OAKLAND ATHLETICS: 5
PITTSBURGH PIRATES: 5
TEXAS RANGERS: 5
NEW YORK METS: 4
SAN DIEGO PADRES: 4
CHICAGO WHITE SOX: 3
CINCINNATI REDS: 3
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: 3
MIAMI MARLINS: 1

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Red Sox in Cooperstown Pt. 37: Frank Chance

FRANK CHANCE
Years in Boston: 1923 (61-91)
Best Year in Boston: 1923 (61-91)
Somehow, I do not own that card.  Frank Chance was part of the legendary Cubs Hall of Fame double play combo immortalized in "Baseball's Sad Lexicon" of Tinker to Evers to Chance.  Chance became the Cubs' player-manager in 1905 and continued in that role through the 1912 season.  He then continued this role with the Yankees for the next two seasons, though his playing time was greatly diminished.  In 17 seasons in the Majors, Chance hit .296/.394/.394 and stole 403 bases. 

After the 1914 season, Chance stayed in baseball, but managed and was an executive for Pacific Coast League teams.  Somehow, he returned to the Majors to manage the Red Sox in 1923.  This was not a good Red Sox team.  The team finished 61-91 and had very few decent players.  Almost all of the good Red Sox players had already been sold or traded, most of them to the Yankees.  Joe Harris was the team's leading hitter, and Ira Flagstead and George Burns were also good players.  Howard Ehmke won 20 games and Jack Quinn was a decent number two starter.  Things were not as bleak as they would be later in the decade. 

Chance only signed a one-year deal to manage the Red Sox.  He returned to Chicago to manage the White Sox in 1924, but came down with influenza before the season began.  He died later in the year.

Frank Chance only spent one season in Boston as a manager.  He is in the Majors almost entirely due to his time with the Cubs as player and manager.  All three of the double play trio were eventually enshrined in Cooperstown in 1946.  It is fair to say that Chance's time with the Red Sox was an afterthought in his career.

Monday, February 4, 2019

Your 1981 Red Sox Pt. 15: John Lickert

In this series, I will look at each player who played in 1981, the year I was born. Because, why not?
Well, this one is going to be fast.  John Lickert is the most obscure player who spent time with Boston in 1981.  His entire Major League career consists of one inning of one game in which he spent behind the plate and did not garner a single plate appearance.

Lickert was drafted by the Red Sox in the 13th round of the 1978 draft.  He was not much of a hitter in the minors, but he certainly was not terrible.  In the minors in 1981, the catcher hit .255/.327/.354 with six home runs and 60 RBIs.  He was only 21 so there was still reason to be optimistic.  But, despite similar numbers in the next couple of seasons, Lickert never made it back.  Part of that was due to falling behind on the depth chart to Rich Gedman, who would become a damn good backstop for a few years in the mid 1980's.  Lickert stayed in the Red Sox organization into the 1985 season, then spent a brief period in the Braves system that same year.  That was it for Lickert's playing career.

Sunday, February 3, 2019

2019 Topps Series 1 Blaster and Jumbo Pack

I have been diligently checking Walmart every day this week for 2019 Topps and finally on Friday night I found some.  I bought a blaster and a jumbo pack.  I am starting the team-by-team breakdown over for the new year.  Hopefully, with the fact that the Red Sox won the World Series in 2018 the early returns will be pretty good.

1.  Boston's Boys (Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi)

2.  David Price
Price is the player I am the happiest for in winning the World Series.  He exorcised a lot of demons in coming through huge in his last three starts of the postseason.  I hope he can build on that success and finish his last four years in Boston at a high level.  Then, he might be looking at a Hall of Fame chance.

3.  Eduardo Nunez World Series
Nunez poured his heart and soul out on the field in the World Series and this was his biggest moment.  

4.  150 Years Greatest Seasons Jim Rice
Well, at least I pulled an insert.  Rice is not one of the more popular Hall of Fame selections in recent years, but at least he is a better pick than Harold Baines.  I am going to go out on a limb and say that Rice will be the pet Red Sox retired player in Topps sets this year.

Here is the tradebait:


Nice pull on the Pujols relic.  That came out of the jumbo pack, so apparently I beat the pack searchers to the punch.  If anyone is interested in any of those cards and has Red Sox cards from my wantlist to trade, please let me know.

CHICAGO CUBS: 9
LOS ANGELES ANGELS: 9
NEW YORK YANKEES: 9
ATLANTA BRAVES: 8
CLEVELAND INDIANS: 8
BALTIMORE ORIOLES: 6
HOUSTON ASTROS: 6
ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: 6
SEATTLE MARINERS: 6
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: 5
COLORADO ROCKIES: 5
KANSAS CITY ROYALS: 5
LOS ANGELES DODGERS: 5
MILWAUKEE BREWERS: 5
TORONTO BLUE JAYS: 5
BOSTON RED SOX: 4
DETROIT TIGERS: 4
PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: 4
TAMPA BAY RAYS: 4
PITTSBURGH PIRATES: 3
CHICAGO WHITE SOX: 2
MINNESOTA TWINS: 2
NEW YORK METS: 2
SAN DIEGO PADRES: 2
WASHINGTON NATIONALS/MONTREAL EXPOS: 2 (1 National/1 Expo)
CINCINNATI REDS: 1
MIAMI MARLINS: 1
OAKLAND ATHLETICS: 1
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: 1
TEXAS RANGERS: 1

Well, that did not work out well.  Several teams received nine cards, with the Yankees of course being one of them.  Boston ended up with just four cards.  I thought they would do pretty well after pulling two in the jumbo pack but I only pulled two in the blaster, both in the same pack.

Saturday, February 2, 2019

My Late HOF Post

Well, I should be getting back to some semblance of normal posting now.  Maybe not every day, as I have a termination of parental rights trial starting soon (I'm representing the parent possibly getting their rights terminated), which is a thing I absolutely hate doing.  I also have a robbery trial in a couple of months that things are starting to get heated on.  But, 2019 cards are now out and I have significantly more time now than I did even just a week ago since my brief has been completed.

Anyway, the BBWAA Hall of Fame results were announced a couple of weeks ago and we have four new Hall of Famers in Mariano Rivera, Edgar Martinez, Roy Halladay, and Mike Mussina.  Rivera was the first unanimous Hall of Famer, which was predictable and nice, but ultimately meaningless.  I don't think anyone thinks he is a more elite player than Hall of Famers like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron or Ted Williams.  Halladay and Mussina will be entering the Hall of Fame with no logos on their cap.  It makes sense to me in Mussina's case, since his career was almost split evenly between the Orioles and Yankees (I would give the slight edge to the O's though).  Halladay though spent significantly more time with the Blue Jays than the Phillies and had most of his best years there.  His widow said no cap though, so I will not argue with her.

As for the Red Sox:
CURT SCHILLING (5th, 60.9%, 7th year on ballot)
Schilling continues to climb incrementally, but he also continues to say really dumb things on his Twitter.  I think he should be in, certainly now that Mussina is in.  Schilling was a significantly better pitcher than Mussina.  He has Mussina beat in almost every pitching category except wins, mostly due to Schilling getting a slow start on his career and playing for bad teams quite a bit.  I suspect he might get elected next year with only Derek Jeter having much of a chance on the ballot of the newcomers.

ROGER CLEMENS (6th, 59.5%, 7th year on ballot)
Again, Clemens is gaining a little bit each year.  Clemens is one of the greatest pitchers of all time, if not the greatest.  Obviously the steroid cloud hangs over his head, though it should be noted that he never tested positive and was not convicted of perjury (which is one of the hardest crimes to find someone guilty of, but still).  Hopefully in the next three years he will get in.

MANNY RAMIREZ (11th, 22.8%, 3rd year on ballot)
Due to being suspended for PED use twice, I do not see it as terribly realistic that Ramirez will get in any time soon.  I hope he does, because his numbers certainly call for his election.  I just do not see PED use as a reason to keep a player out.  And yes, I feel the same way about Alex Rodriguez.

BILLY WAGNER (14th, 16.7%, 4th year on ballot)
Wagner is building himself a nice little following.  I doubt he ever gets elected by the BBWAA, but maybe he does well enough that he could get in on one of the Eras ballots.

DARREN OLIVER, KEVIN YOUKILIS, DEREK LOWE, JASON BAY (0 votes each, eliminated)
Predictably, these four players failed to pick up a single vote, and I am not sure any of them actually deserved one.  They all had their moments, and were very good, sometimes great players, but the Hall of Fame is for a select few, and none of these four rose to that level.  

So that's it for this year.  Congratulations to Mariano Rivera, Edgar Martinez, Roy Halladay, and Mike Mussina.  They will join Lee Smith and Harold Baines at the induction ceremony in July.  Smith is the player I am happiest about, since he is the only one to spend any time with the Red Sox.  

Next year's potential Red Sox newcomers to the ballot include Josh Beckett, Marco Scutaro, Brad Penny and Alex Gonzalez.  Of them, only Beckett has much chance of picking up some votes, and I still do not see him staying on the ballot.