Ceddane, Say Hello

I keep saying I am not going to super-collect him, and yet it has been very clear in my collection in the last few weeks (which will be shown in posts over the next couple of weeks) that Ceddanne Rafaela is the current focal point.  This post will show off a pile of cards of him, acquired through a number of means.

Up first, is a COMC order that I used to fill in some holes.

Most of the cards that I bought in this order were less than a dollar and just an attempt to add as many cards as possible.  The center card, the 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospects Black & White Raywave Refractor was the most expensive.  I like the insert cards as well (Finest Arrivals, Topps Heritage Rookie Performers, Topps 1989 and Topps City to City).

This is the rest from the COMC order.  The top right card was one of the Throwback Thursday online-only releases.  The middle right was from the Chris Berman-curated set.  

September 12, 2023

This was the last Topps Now card issued previously that I needed to get.  This was from Rafaela's first career home run at Fenway Park.  It was also his first career home run in the Majors anyway.  Appropriately, it came against the Yankees.  The Red Sox have had a number of players in recent years hit their first career home runs against the Yankees, including Xander Bogaerts and Jeter Downs.  It was the only run in a 4-1 loss.

Up next is a TCDB trade:

1.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  My first relic card of Rafaela came from this trade.

2.  Isaiah Campbell.  There were a couple of other firsts in the deal too.  This is my first Red Sox card of Campbell, who I expected to be a bigger deal in the bullpen.  He has good stuff, just not good results.

3.  Quinn Priester.  This is my first Priester card too.  Priester was acquired in a deadline deal in 2024 for former first-rounder Nick Yorke.  He pitched one game last year for Boston, throwing five innings of one-run ball and winning the game, striking out two and walking one.  Earlier this year, he was traded to Milwaukee for two minor leaguers and a compensation round draft pick.  He has since been great for the Brewers.  Boston may regret this trade, depending on how their prospects turn out.

4.  Naoyuki Uwasawa.  My second Uwasawa card, giving him as many cards in my collection as he had games pitched in Boston.

5.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Yes, this trade was centered around two Rafaela cards.

These cards came together as a lot and again, filled in some holes in the Rafaela collection.  The early part of a collection is fun, because there are still so many cards out there that are easy to find and add to the collection.

I have not gotten a Living Set card in a long time.  I kind of forgot that was a thing.  This card was released last year (I also need to go back and snag the Wilyer Abreu).  There have not been many Red Sox this season yet, just Garrett Crochet I think.

Closing things out is a group of cards I bought individually off Ebay.  I targeted that Youthquake card immediately.  I also really wanted the relic with the yellow City Connect.  He had his single greatest game in a yellow City Connect uniform.  

So, that's it for now.  The Rafaela collection is on a roll.