Sus Casas Son Mis Casas

I'm probably missing some punctuation there.  Anyway, today's mailday post contains a lot of things, including a three-card lot of Triston Casas:

Triston Casas is a player I am very excited about.  He had a rough start to the season last year, but turned into one of the most consistent offensive threats in the league, finishing the season eighth in OPS.  He has some work to do defensively, but he looks like he could be a star.  Plus, he has some big personality that could make him a fan favorite.

1.  Mike Easler.  Easler cost John Tudor in trade, but was a pretty good hitter in his time in Boston, particularly in 1984.  That year he hit .313/.376/.516 with 27 home runs and 91 RBIs.  After his numbers declined in 1985, he was traded to the Yankees for Don Baylor.

2.  Stuffy McInnis.  This is my first card of Stuffy.  He is a player who gets mentioned every once in awhile when talk turns to old-time players for the Hall of Fame.  I'm not sure he's even a borderline candidate, but he had a nice career, hitting .307/.343/.381 for his career.  This card discusses his 1921 season in which he came down to the last day of the season before making his first error.  McInnis spent four years in Boston, hitting .296/.326/.361.

3.  Wil Cordero.  Cordero is a player who had some significant off-field issues.  He would likely have a hard time continuing to find work in the league due to a domestic violence charge.  

Up next is some vintage:

1.  Tom Sturdivant.  Sturdivant pitched just one season in Boston, primarily out of the bullpen.  Oddly, he was the Red Sox Opening Day starter that one season.  He ended up going 3-3 with a 4.97 ERA and was plucked by the new Senators (now Texas Rangers) in the expansion draft the next season.

2.  Haywood Sullivan.  Sullivan was mostly a backup catcher for a few seasons before also being taken in the expansion draft.  Sullivan later became the Red Sox general manager, and his son Marc played for the Red Sox for a few seasons.

3.  Jim Pagliaroni.  Pagliaroni had some big power and in his only season as the Red Sox primary catcher, hit .242/.342/.415 with 16 home runs and 58 RBIs.  He was later dealt to the Pirates in the deal that brought Dick Stuart to the Red Sox.

4.  Chuck Schilling.  Schilling was a very good defensive second-baseman who could not really hit.  He hit .239/.304/.317 with 23 home runs in his career.

DEVERS!

And finishing things off for the day is a lot of nine Curt Schilling cards.  Schilling's career certainly merits Hall of Fame induction, but he is such a blowhard and has such controversial opinions on things that it makes it difficult to focus on his playing career.  However, nothing he has done is illegal, he's just kind of an ass.  I don't think that should keep him out of the Hall of Fame.

The Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #944, 945, and 946

The last several couple years of Jason Varitek's career are not quite as well-covered in my collection.  I sort of drifted away from the Varitek collection in around late 2008.  I am starting to look at finding some of the cards I have missed out on.  Recently, I found a seller that was breaking up sets of some of the rarer Topps parallels and grabbed a few of the Variteks I needed:

The first card is the red-border card that came in small packages in factory sets.  The next two are the rare black parallels.  My favorite is the last one because it is Varitek's All Star card from 2008 Topps Update.  I was surprised I did not have that one already.  Well, I do now.  The Varitek collection is still going strong.

Random Online-Only Red Sox

I am not a huge fan of the online-only cards, but I do add them at times.  Here are some random online-only cards I picked up from an Ebay seller:

1.  Wade Boggs.  This card comes from the ceremony to retire Boggs's #26.  I am not sure why it took so long to retire his number.  I have mentioned before that Boggs was my first favorite player.  I still love getting Wade Boggs cards.

2.  Craig Kimbrel.  Kimbrel was an All Star all three seasons he played for Boston.  He had a monster 2017 season with the Red Sox, saving 35 games and striking out 126 in 69 innings with a 1.43 ERA.  His WHIP was a shocking low 0.681.  It was one of the best closer seasons in Red Sox history.

3.  Christian Vazquez.  This is a red parallel from last year's Topps Total, serial-numbered to 10.

The Hope Diamond

The Hope Diamond parallels from 2011 remain one of my favorite of the colored Topps parallels from the time period.  Featuring a bright shade of blue, they are incredible to look at.  And collectors loved them, because they were often hard to find.  I only had Josh Beckett previously in my collection (I have never seen the Jason Varitek pop up).  Now, I added one more:

Alfredo Aceves.  Aceves had an interesting stint in Boston.  In 2011 he was terrific, going 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA, primarily as a middle reliever, striking out 80 in 114 innings.  His record flipped in 2012, but he was the closer after Mark Melancon struggled and Andrew Bailey was hurt.  He saved 25 games, but had a 5.36 ERA.  He only pitched in eleven games in 2013 before Boston lost patience with him.  He was 4-1 with a 4.86 ERA, splitting time as a starter and reliever.  I will always remember his 2011 though.

Insert Lot

Some time ago (I am way behind on this stuff), I bought an insert lot on Ebay primarily to plug some holes and grab some stuff on my wantlist.  It worked fairly well.  

1.  Jay Groome.  With the COVID-19 situation and a possible lost baseball season, I wonder how the development of prospects will be affected.  Groome finally got healthy last year, and now he might lose this season as well.  That can't be good.

2.  Pedro Martinez.  The Family Business insert reminds me that we never got a special card featuring both Pedro Martinez and his brother Ramon Martinez during the two seasons that they were together with the Red Sox.  Seems like the kind of thing that should be fixed.

3.  Carlton Fisk.

4.  David Ortiz.

5.  Chris Sale.  Sale recently had Tommy John surgery, in the first year of his nice new five-year contract.  He won't pitch for the first year-and-a-half of it.  That was money well-spent.

6.  Ted Williams/Mookie Betts.

7.  Mike Shawaryn.

8.  Carl Yastrzemski.

9.  Roger Clemens.

10.  Ryan Kalish.  Kalish is one of those players that was never really given much of a chance.  He was reasonably impressive in 2010, but didn't stay in the lineup afterwards.

11.  Ted Williams.

12.  Mookie Betts.  I will still probably try to complete this insert set.  It just is not terribly high on my priorities list after he was traded away.

13.  Mookie Betts.

14.  Mookie Betts.

15.  Michael Chavis. 

16.  Michael Chavis.

17.  Michael Chavis.

18.  Michael Chavis.  As you can see, lots of Chavis cards in the lot.

19.  Cy Young.  This is a manufactured patch for the first World Series.  Cy Young was one of Boston's first major stars, along with Jimmy Collins.  Topps should make some Collins cards.

20.  Mike Napoli.  Napoli was a big part of the 2013 World Championship team and hit 53 home runs during his three seasons in Boston. 

21.  Dustin Pedroia.  It remains to be seen whether Pedroia will ever make it back onto the field at this point.  If he doesn't he will go down as having an argument against Bobby Doerr for the best Red Sox second-baseman of all time.

The 1975 Team

Like with the 1967 team, the Boston Sports Collectors Club also released a set commemorating the 1975 AL Champions.  This is a team that I wish I had been alive to see.  From the changed uniforms (the team was wearing red hats now and my very first Red Sox cap was one from this team) to the fact that so many of my favorite Red Sox legends were on that team (Yaz, Lynn, Tiant, Rice, Fisk, Evans, and more), I feel like I would have loved this team.  I love them now, and I never actually got to see them.

It is disappointing that they were not able to win the World Series, but they came so close.  And of course they did win the fantastic Game 6, one of the greatest games in World Series history on a walkoff, majestic home run from Carlton Fisk.

And so, here we go:

1.  Carl Yastrzemski 1B.  I love this set for the photo selection.  There are so many great shots in this one.  This Yaz is a classic.  Yaz was getting up there in years and was no longer the threat he was in 1967, but he had a nice season, playing mostly at first this time.  He hit .269/.371/.405 with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs, a far cry from his 1967 season, but he was still productive enough.

2.  Fred Lynn CF.  Lynn had one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, becoming the first player to win both MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season in 1975.  He hit an incredible .331/.401/.566 with 21 home runs, 105 RBIs and ten stolen bases.  He led the league in runs, doubles and slugging and also won a Gold Glove.

3.  Luis Tiant SP.  This is my favorite photo from the set.  Just a fantastic action shot.  Tiant had an 18-14 record with a 4.02 ERA, striking out 142 while walking just 72 in 260 innings.  He was an absolute workhorse.  He continued to impress into the postseason and delivered a gutsy performance in Game 4, throwing over 160 pitches in a complete game victory.

4.  Jim Rice LF.  Had Rice not suffered a season-ending injury late in the regular season, Boston might have won the World Series.  Like Lynn, Rice was also a rookie in 1975 and put up almost as impressive of a season.  The future Hall of Famer hit .309/.350/.491 with 22 home runs and 102 RBIs, while also stealing ten bases.  

5.  Carlton Fisk C.  Fisk suffered an injury in 1975 and was limited to just 79 games, but was phenomenal when he was on the field.  His season will be best remembered for his dramatic walkoff home run in Game 6 of the World Series, but he hit .331/.395/.529 with ten home runs and 52 RBIs in half of a season.

6.  Bill Lee SP.  The southpaw Lee was a character off the field and came to be nicknamed "Spaceman" for his oddball antics.  But he was a fiery competitor and a great pitcher when he was on his game.  He had a very good year in 1975, going 17-9 with a 3.95 ERA in 260 innings.  Lee was more of a crafty, finesse-type pitcher and only logged 78 strikeouts but only walked 69.

7.  Rico Petrocelli 3B.  Petrocelli was headed toward the end of the line by the time 1975 rolled around.  He would play his final season in 1976.  In 1975 he hit .239/.310/.333 with seven home runs and 59 RBIs.  He had a decent run in the postseason though and still played decent defense at the hot corner.

8.  Dwight Evans RF.  Evans was still finding his hitting stroke in 1975, but he was a terrific defensive right-fielder and had a cannon for an arm.  Evans hit .274/.353/.456 with 13 home runs and 56 RBIs.  He made an outstanding defensive play in the World Series, making an over-the-shoulder grab and doubling off the runner from first base.

9.  Ted Williams CO.  Well, I guess you gotta get The Splendid Splinter in there somehow.  A few years after his stint as manager of the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers, Williams returned to Boston as a sometime coach.  He was not even part of the primary coaching staff really.  But, who is going to complain about another Williams card?  

10.  Rick Wise SP.  Wise, who was once traded straight-up for Steve Carlton and was acquired by Boston in exchange for Reggie Smith, was Boston's big winner, leading the team with 19 victories versus 12 losses.  He had a 3.95 ERA, striking out 141 while walking 72 in 255.1 innings.

11.  Cecil Cooper DH.  Cooper was another dynamic young player in 1975.  Of course he would not really hit his stride until an unfortunate trade sent him to Milwaukee after the 1976 season.  In his second full season, Cooper hit .311/.355/.544 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs.

12.  Dick Drago RP.  Boston's primary closer in 1975 was Drago, who appeared in 40 games, finishing 34 of them, though he did start two games.  He pitched 72.2 innings, striking out 43 and walking 31.  He notched 15 saves and a 2-2 record.

13.  Jim Willoughby RP.  Willoughby was a minor acquisition prior to the season, but paid big dividends as he finished second to Drago in saves with eight and had a 5-2 record with a 3.74 ERA.  He struck out 29 while walking 16 in 48.1 innings over 24 games.

14.  Rick Burleson SS.  The Rooster was one of the better defensive shortstops the Red Sox have ever had and was still developing as a hitter in his second season in the Majors.  He hit just .252/.305/.329 with six home runs and 62 RBIs, but he had a good run in the postseason.  And of course his defense was his most valuable skill.

15.  Juan Beniquez OF.  Beniquez was a valuable bench player and spent a significant time in left field.  He did not have much power, hitting only two home runs and driving in 17 runs, but he had a slash line of .291/.358/.402.

16.  Reggie Cleveland SP.  Cleveland was a serviceable back-of-the-rotation starter who had a fairly good year in 1975.  With a record of 13-9 and a 4.43 ERA in 170.2 innings, he was a valuable member of the staff.  He struck out 78 versus 52 walks.

17.  Deron Johnson 1B-DH.  Johnson had been a productive power hitter in the 1960's in the National League, primarily with the Reds and Braves.  He was in his second stint with the Red Sox after being acquired in a late September trade with the White Sox.  He played in just three games with Boston, but hit a home run in 12 plate appearances and had a nice slash line of .600/.667/.900.

18.  Doug Griffin 2B.  Paired with Burleson, the Red Sox had a strong defensive middle infield.  Griffin was not much of a hitter though and was eventually replaced in the lineup.  He hit just .240/.288/.272 with one home run and 29 RBIs.

19.  Bob Montgomery C.  The backup catcher played a bit more often in 1975 due to Fisk's injury.  Montgomery had a few decent years with the bat, but 1975 was not one of them as he hit just .226/.241/.318 with two home runs and 26 RBIs in 62 games.

20.  Jim Burton RP.  Rookie southpaw Burton turned in a nice season in 1975, but took the loss in Game 7 of the World Series and he never really had much of a shot after that.  He was fairly impressive in 1975 though, pitching 53 innings in 29 games with a 1-2 record and a 2.89 ERA.  He picked up a save and 39 strikeouts while walking 19.

21.  Diego Segui RP.  Another great picture here of the journeyman reliever.  Segui pitched in 71 innings over 33 games, picking up six saves and a 2-5 record.  His ERA was a less-than-impressive 4.82 and he had 45 strikeouts and 43 walks.  Segui was getting close to the end of the road for his career.

22.  Tim Blackwell C.  The third-string catcher Blackwell made it into 59 games himself, but he was no better than Montgomery.  The 22-year-old rookie hit just .197/.303/.250 with no home runs and six RBIs.

23.  Denny Doyle 2B.  After it became clear that Griffin was not cutting it at the plate, the Red Sox acquired Doyle in a trade with the Angels in June.  He took over at second and was much better with the bat, hitting .310/.339/.429 with four home runs and 36 RBIs in 89 games.  He made a couple of costly errors in the World Series though.  Ideally, Boston would have had Griffin's defense and Doyle's offense at second.

24.  Roger Moret P.  Moret was the most versatile pitcher on the staff, starting 16 games and finishing five.  He threw four complete games and picked up a save.  His record was a sparkling 14-3 and he had a 3.60 ERA over 145 innings.  The southpaw struck out 80 and walked 76.

25.  Bernie Carbo OF.  Carbo hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter, setting the stage for Fisk's walkoff.  He proved to be a valuable bat off the bench and hit .257/.409/.483 over 107 games, knocking 15 home runs and driving in 50 runs.  He walked more than he struck out, and it is something of a surprise that Carbo never really broke through as a regular player.

26.  Dick Pole SP.  The unfortunately-named Pole was a rookie in 1975, making it into 18 games and 89.2 innings.  He had a 4-6 record with a 4.42 ERA, striking out 42 and walking 32.

27.  This card features four players, none of whom played any significant amount of time.

Tony Conigliaro DH.  At just 30 years of age, Conigliaro attempted a final comeback, making the team out of Spring Training but retired for good early on due to continued issues with his vision stemming from the beaning in 1975.  He played in 21 games, hitting .123/.221/.246 with two home runs and nine RBIs.

Kim Andrew 2B.  Andrew played in just two games and a had a hit in two at-bats.  It was his only appearance in the Majors.

Butch Hobson 3B.  Hobson would eventually take over the third base job from Petrocelli, but he was just making his Major League debut in 1975.  He played in two games and a had a hit in four at-bats.

Andy Merchant C.  Another player who made his Major League debut in 1975, Merchant had a hit in four at-bats, scoring twice in one game.

28.  And another card with four role players.

Bobby Heise 3B.  Heise was a journeyman infielder who never really played full-time.  He played in 63 games with Boston, hitting .214/.246/.238 with no home runs and 21 RBIs.

Tim McCarver C.  McCarver had been a two-time All Star with the Cardinals in the 1960's, but was more of a role player at this point in his career.  He was acquired late in the season in 1974 and played a little early in the 1975 season before being released.  In 12 games, he hit .381/.409/.571.  I am sure there is a story for his release.

Dick McAuliffe 3B.  McAuliffe had been a very good second-baseman for the Tigers in the 1960's and early 1970's.  He was in his final season, playing in just seven games early in the season.  He only had two hits in 15 at-bats.

Steve Dillard 2B.  Yet another player in his debut, Dillard played in just one game, collecting two hits in five at-bats and scoring twice.

29.  Coaches Card.  This card features manager Darrell Johnson, who is particularly noteworthy to me since he is a Nebraska native, along with Stan Williams, Don Bryant, former Red Sox favorite Johnny Pesky, and Don Zimmer.  Pesky and Zimmer are the noteworthy names here.

30.  Team Card.

The 1967 set was missing three players.  This set is missing four players.  The biggest surprise is Rick Miller, who played in 77 games and was a fairly important extra outfielder.  I did a double take when I realized Miller was not here.  He didn't hit much, but he was a very good defensive outfielder and played several years in Boston.  Rick Kreuger was a lefty reliever who made it into just two games, pitching four innings.  Steve Barr was another lefty who started two games and made it into one more.  He had a 2.57 ERA, but walked seven versus two strikeouts in seven innings.  The missing player that annoys me the most though is Buddy Hunter.  Hunter does not have a Major League card, despite playing in parts of three seasons.  He played in just one game with one hitless at-bat.  So why does his absence bother me?  Because he is a native of Nebraska and an alumni of my own alma mater, the University of Nebraska.  There are not too many Huskers who played for the Red Sox (three), and only one has any Red Sox cards.  Hunter is also thus far the only Husker to be drafted by Boston.

The Impossible Dream

I have not been very good about posting on this blog lately.  Previously I had been far too busy.  Now, things have kind of opened up due to the whole pandemic thing going on.  I am fairly insulated from that living in rural Nebraska.  There are a few cases around here, but not nearly as many as in other parts of the state.  I do find I have some more time on my hands.  I am still working, but not going to court quite as often and most of my clients have been laying low (though some are still out there committing crimes so I still have stuff coming in).  I miss baseball though.  I was kind of morbidly curious about how this season was going to go, losing Mookie Betts and all.  And now it looks unlikely that there will be a season at all.  

I guess in a way to make up for the loss of the sport I love for right now, I have been itching to write about one of my favorite subjects: Red Sox history.  And I also have a lot of cards to show off that I have been putting off.  So we will do both for a little while.

I recently bought a set I had no idea existed.  The Greater Boston Sports Collectors Club released a set commemorating the 1967 Impossible Dream Team, creating cards of almost everyone on that team.  Tony Horton, Jim Landis and Ken Poulsen somehow did not make the cut.  Horton is particularly surprising since he was in his fourth season with Boston and played pretty well in 21 games.  Landis had been a longtime star with the White Sox, but made it into just five games with Boston.  Poulsen only had five games in his entire Major League career.

With that out of the way, here are the cards:

1.  Carl Yastrzemski LF.  Yaz is synonymous with the 1967 season.  He had been good before, winning a batting title in 1963 and generally being the best player on a mostly bad team.  But he really broke through, having one of the best offensive seasons in Red Sox history on his way to the Triple Crown and the MVP.  He was at his best when the chips were down, having one of the greatest stretch runs in history.  His final numbers were .326/.418/.622 with 44 home runs and 121 RBIs.

2.  Tony Conigliaro RF.  One of the most tragic stories in Red Sox history, Conigliaro was on his way to greatness when he was beaned in the eye with a pitch during 1967.  He missed the rest of the season and all of 1968.  He did eventually make a comeback, but retired shortly afterwards.  In short work in 1967 he hit .287/.341/.519 with 20 home runs and 67 RBIs.

3.  Jim Lonborg SP.  Like Yaz, Lonborg also broke out in a big way.  His major change was to be much more aggressive on the mound and learning to pitch inside.  The result was a 22-9 record, 3.16 ERA and league-leading 246 strikeouts.  Oh, and the Cy Young Award.  Unfortunately, this was his peak season and he was never this effective again.

4.  Rico Petrocelli SS.  Another young star in the making, Petrocelli anchored the infield in 1967 with impressive defense.  He could also hit a little ending the season hitting .259/.330/.420 with 17 home runs and 66 RBIs.  Petro would get even better in the coming seasons.

5.  Reggie Smith CF.  Smith was easily one of the best all-around players on the team exhibiting all five tools.  Smith almost gave the Red Sox a sweep of the three major awards, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year vote after he hit .246/.315/.389 with 15 home runs, 61 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.  Rod Carew had him beat in the slash line, but Smith was better everywhere else (including WAR).

6.  Joe Foy 3B.  Foy was an underrated player on the team, providing some decent numbers from the hot corner.  He was not a great defensive third-baseman, but he made up for that with his bat, hitting .251/.325/.426 with 16 home runs and 49 RBIs.

7.  Ken Harrelson RF.  After Conigliaro went down with his injury, the Red Sox needed to replace his production in the lineup.  Harrelson had been cut loose by the Athletics and Boston swept him up.  He was slow to adapt to his new team, hitting just .200/.247/.388 with three home runs and 14 RBIs.  He was terrific in 1968 though.

8.  George Scott 1B.  I feel like if I had been alive to see him, Scott would have been one of my favorite players.  The surprisingly athletic first-baseman was terrific defensively, winning the first of his eight Gold Gloves in 1967.  He also had a great year with the bat, hitting .303/.373/.465 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs.  He also stole ten bases and led the team with seven triples.

9.  Mike Andrews 2B.  Another underrated performer on the team, Andrews was a steady defensive second-baseman who had a decent year at the plate.  His numbers were not eye-popping but most second-basemen of the time period were not that impressive.  He did hit .263/.346/.352 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs.  Andrews would get even better in the next couple of years.

10.  Don Demeter OF.  Demeter was at the end of the line as a Major Leaguer in 1967.  He had been acquired as part of the trade that sent Earl Wilson to Detroit in 1966 (Boston could have used him back).  He played in just 20 games, hitting .279/.326/.465 with a home run and four RBIs.  He was traded along with Horton to Cleveland for Gary Bell in June.

11.  Dalton Jones IF.  Jones was the primary utility infielder for the Red Sox in 1967, making it into 89 games and playing first, second and third base.  He hit .289/.333/.409 with three home runs and 25 RBIs, meaning that the team was not really down much at the plate when he was in the lineup instead of one of the starters.

12.  Russ Gibson C.  Gibson was the primary backup catcher in his first season as a Major Leaguer at the age of 28.  He was not much of a hitter, hitting just .203/.263/.275 with a home run and 15 RBIs, but he was very good defensively, throwing out 50% of attempted base stealers and not making a single error.

13.  John Wyatt RP.  The Red Sox closer, Wyatt arrived in Boston in a deal with the Kansas City A's in 1966.  He had an impressive season, saving 20 games with a 10-7 record and a 2.60 ERA.  He struck out 68 and walked 39 in 93.1 innings.

14.  Elston Howard C.  Catcher was something of a black hole offensively for the Red Sox in 1967.  Neither Gibson nor Mike Ryan were cutting it, so Boston made a very rare trade with the Yankees (the Yankees were terrible, which is likely the only reason it happened) to acquire 1963 AL MVP Howard.  It did not help.  Howard played in 42 games down the stretch, but hit just .147/.211/.198 with one home run and eleven RBIs.

15.  Hank Fischer P.  Fischer had been a back-of-the-rotation starter for the Braves earlier in the decade and was picked up by Boston as a depth option.  1967 was his last season in the Majors and he appeared in nine games, going 1-2 with a 2.36 ERA, saving one game and pitching a complete game in another.

16.  Jose Santiago RP.  Primarily a reliever, Santiago was a very important member of the pitching staff in 1967.  He saved five games, but also started eleven.  His record was a sparkling 12-4 with a 3.59 ERA and notched 109 strikeouts in 145.1 innings.  Santiago also homered in his first at-bat in the World Series.

17.  Gary Bell SP.  As mentioned earlier, Bell was acquired from Cleveland for Demeter and Horton in June to solidify the pitching staff.  It was a trade that worked out well for Boston as Bell went 12-8 with a 3.16 ERA and 115 strikeouts the rest of the way.

18.  Sparky Lyle RP.  Lyle, who would later win the Cy Young Award with the Yankees, was a 22-year-old power-throwing lefty.  He made it into 27 games, saving five and putting together a 1-2 record with a terrific 2.28 ERA and struck out 42 batters in 43.1 innings.  Boston should never have traded him.

19.  Don McMahon RP.  McMahon was a journeyman veteran pitcher who landed in Boston the prior season and impressed.  He pitched in eleven games with a 1-2 record and 3.57 ERA, notching two saves, before he was traded in June to the White Sox for Jerry Adair.

20.  Dave Morehead SP.  Morehead never quite realized his talent, but had one major moment in the sun: throwing a no-hitter against the Indians in 1965.  1967 was a frustrating year for him as he pitched in just ten games, finishing with a 5-4 record and a 4.34 ERA.

21.  Dan Osinski RP.  A veteran reliever who spent time previously with the Athletics, Angels and Braves, Osinski notched a 3-1 record, two saves and a 2.54 ERA.  He struck out 38 and walked 14 in 63.1 innings.

22.  Dennis Bennett SP.  Bennett was acquired in a trade with the Phillies in exchange for troublesome but talented slugger Dick Stuart.  Bennett had a lot of potential, but never realized it fully.  In his final year in Boston, he went 4-3 with a 3.88 ERA.  He was traded to the Mets in June for a minor leaguer.

23.  Bob Tillman C.  Another catcher who did not provide much with the bat in 1967, Tillman once had a little bit of power.  He hit 14 home runs as a rookie in 1962 then hit 17 in 1964.  Unfortunately he was no longer a useful hitter in 1967, hitting .188/.224/.250 with one home run and four RBIs before being sold to the Yankees.

24.  Mike Ryan C.  Ryan appeared in the most games as a Boston catcher in 1967.  But that does not mean he was particularly good.  He hit just .199/.282/.261 with two home runs and 27 RBIs.  He did catch 44% of attempted base-stealers though, so at least he was decent behind the plate.

25.  Bill Landis RP.  Landis appeared in one game with the A's back in 1963 and finally made it back to the Majors in 1967.  He pitched in just 18 games with a 1-0 record and a 5.26 ERA, but would become an important member of the team's bullpen the next couple of seasons.

26.  Galen Cisco RP.  Cisco came up with the Red Sox early in the 1960's before spending some time with some really bad Mets teams.  He returned to Boston in June and pitched in eleven games with a 0-1 record and a 3.63 ERA.  He walked as many as he struck out in 22.1 innings.

27.  Jose Tartabull OF.  Danny's father was a decent Major Leaguer who was known primarily for his defense and speed.  Tartabull was not much of a hitter, but was versatile and made it into 115 games.  He hit just .223/.287/.243 with no homers, ten RBIs and six stolen bases.

28.  Darrell "Bucky" Brandon RP.  Brandon started 19 games and also relieved in another 20.  He was not terribly impressive however, accumulating a 5-11 record with a 4.17 ERA.  He struck out 96 and walked 59 in 157.2 innings.  He saved three games.

29.  Lee Stange SP.  Stange was part of the return when Boston traded former Monster Dick Radatz to the Indians in 1966.  Stange proved to be a useful member of the staff in 1967, starting and relieving and going 8-10 with a very impressive 2.27 ERA while striking out 101 and walking 39 in 181.2 innings.

30.  Jerry Stephenson SP.  Once a highly-touted prospect, Stephenson was never able to put it all together.  1967 was his fourth season with some time spent in Boston.  He made it into eight games with a 3-1 record and 3.86 ERA late in the season, even making it onto the postseason roster.  It looked like he had finally made it...until 1968.

31.  Norm Siebern 1B.  Siebern was once traded for Roger Maris.  He was a three-time All Star, but by 1967 he was mostly washed up.  Siebern was purchased from the Giants in July and played in 33 games for Boston, but hit just .205/.300/.295 with no home runs and seven RBIs.  1968 would be his last season.

32.  George Thomas U.  In 1967, Thomas appeared at all three outfield positions, first base, and oddly, catcher for a game.  Thomas's saving grace was his versatility, since he was not much of a hitter.  He hit just .213/.255/.270 with one home run and six RBIs.

33.  Billy Rohr SP.  Rohr nearly pitched a no-hitter in his Major League debut.  And it was against the Yankees.  Future Red Sox Elston Howard broke it up in the ninth.  It was an electrifying debut, but the rest of his sole season in Boston was not nearly as impressive.  He was 2-3 with a 5.10 ERA, striking out 16 versus 22 walks in 42.1 innings.

34.  Jerry Adair IF.  Longtime Orioles second-baseman Adair was acquired by Boston to solidify the infield in June.  Adair had an impressive stint with Boston, hitting .291/.321/.367 with three home runs and 26 RBIs.  Adair spent almost equal time at third and short and also spent some time at second. 

35.  Ken Brett RP.  George Brett's older brother was a highly-touted prospect as well, possibly even moreso.  Brett made his Major League debut in 1967 as an 18-year-old and pitched in one game in the regular season, striking out two in two innings, giving up a run.  It was impressive enough that he pitched in two scoreless games in the World Series.

36.  Dick Williams MGR.  Williams played with Boston a few years earlier and took over the managerial position in 1967.  He led the team to an unexpected pennant in his first season.  Unfortunately, his tough-as-nails style did not go over well with most of the players as time went by and he was out as manager in 1969.  He would eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame.

COMC Order Featuring Christian Vazquez

I bought a bunch of singles off of COMC a couple weeks back, which started off with me trying to grab some Christian Vazquez cards I still needed, and it kind of ballooned from there.

Most of these are not terribly exciting, though the Independence Day parallel is pretty cool.  I also grabbed some singles from the 2017 Topps Now postseason set.  And not just Vazquez either.  I don't know why I did not buy this set when it came out.  I grabbed some of the lesser players, the kind I like to try to get as much as possible.  In this scan there is Drew Pomeranz and Mitch Moreland.

And in this scan we have Eduardo Nunez.  I also grabbed a couple of the Topps Now London Series cards, including Brock Holt.  I prefer to forget about this series personally.  And then there are a bunch of other Vazquez cards.

My New Favorite Player?

I mean, I don't see why not.  Devers broke out in a huge way last season, hitting .311/.361/.555 with 32 home runs, 115 RBIs, and leading the league with 54 doubles.  And he is a year younger than Mookie's replacement Alex Verdugo who has yet to play a full season.  Devers seems like the kind of talent the team should now build around, along with Xander Bogaerts.  If he keeps this up, he can be the kind of special talent that Boston traded away when Mookie was sent to LA. 

This is my first 2020 card by the way.  This is from the Topps Throwback Thursday line, using the 2020 insert design from 2010 Topps.

The Cuban Mystery Man

This card has been on my Top 10 Most Wanted list forever it seems like.  I finally found one for an acceptable price tag and pulled the trigger.  With Mookie and David Price gone, and now all three starting outfielders being lefties, I wonder if Boston will give Rusney a chance to play off the bench.  Somehow I still doubt it.  He is making too much money and Boston does not want that money to count toward their payroll.  Meanwhile, he is hitting the cover off the ball in the minors. 

Minor Lin Additions

I picked up a couple of Tzu-Wei Lin cards from his Pawtucket days recently.  Pawtucket is of course no longer the Red Sox' AAA team.  So if Lin is going to start the year in the minors, it will be as a member of the Worcester Red Sox (WooSox).  Lin is still on the 40 man roster and now that Marco Hernandez was DFA'd, Lin has a better shot of making the team out of Spring Training.  Of course he still has to contend with multi-position players like Michael Chavis and Jose Peraza, but a strong spring might help.

Topps 150 Years of Baseball

I bought one of these online-only cards recently.  These have been popping up a few at a time and there have not been too many that have really made want to pull the trigger.  But then this one popped up:

It is not every day we see new Mo Vaughn cards, so I figured I would jump on it.  I have to say that these cards are not real impressive in person, certainly not enough for the price tag.  The stock is very thin and it just feels kind of cheap.  I thought there would be a little more substance to them and they would be somewhat high-end.  That is absolutely not the case.  It is unlikely I will pick up any others unless the player is someone I must have, though most of my favorites are unlikely to appear in such a set (Varitek, Lin, Sandy Alomar Jr.).  I am happy I bought the Mo Vaughn though.

COMC Order

This was another COMC order that started off with a Sandy Alomar Jr. card (or two in this case) and ended with a bunch of new Red Sox cards.  

Where do we begin?  There is a lot of good stuff in this package.  Steve Pearce, the 2018 World Series MVP makes three appearances, including a card celebrating his World Series heroics and a Topps Total card.  The Brock Holt card is a Throwback Thursday card, which is kind of an odd thing given how few of those cards are out there.  I think this card came out shortly after Holt's cycle against the Yankees in the 2018 postseason.  The J.D. Martinez is an action shot short print from 2019 Heritage.  Durbin Feltman was a 2018 draft pick who could make it to the Majors in 2020.  I picked up a random Johnny Damon card and a Wade Boggs Monikers card.  Finally, a Nathan Eovaldi insert?  Yes please. 

Picking one card out as a favorite amongst these cards is really hard.  Only the Damon was not on my wantlist, and that's only because it is a parallel of a card that is on my wantlist.  Honestly it is probably between the Boggs and the Eovaldi and I might lean toward Eovaldi since he is so much harder to find cards of with the Red Sox.

Topps Total Mailday With a Surprise

I did decide to purchase the Wave 9 Topps Total Red Sox cards, mostly because of Ryan Weber, who is a new player in my Red Sox collection.  The three cards were supposed to be Weber, Andrew Benintendi and Sam Travis, which was supposed to be his second card of the set, for reasons that are not entirely clear.  Then, I got the cards:

Notice, no Sam Travis, and instead Andrew Cashner.  This made me happy because Cashner is also new to my collection, the team's big in-season acquisition.  It did not work out well, but I still wanted to add a card of him.  Weber was used as an opener a couple of times and was decent early in the season, but his success did not last.  Cashner was pretty bad from the get-go. 

The way Topps did the return of Total last year was awful, but I did like the fact that it was able to produce cards of players with new uniforms throughout the year.  These may be the only Red Sox cards of Weber and Cashner.

Two Brand New Players to the Red Sox Collection

I placed a COMC order recently to get a Sandy Alomar Jr. buyback auto I always wanted and decided to beef up the package a little bit by adding cards of players who have yet to appear in my collection, though not through any fault of my own:

1.  Bobby Poyner.  This is the rainbow foil parallel of Poyner, a lefty reliever who made an impact in short work in 2018, but was not nearly as impressive in 2019.  He has a decent strikeout rate and could still turn into a decent southpaw reliever, even with the new rules requiring a pitcher to pitch to at least three batters or to the end of the inning.  What a stupid rule by the way.

2.  Gorkys Hernandez.  This is the blue parallel from Topps Big League.  Hernandez ended up playing a lot more than he should have due to injuries down the stretch.  He was a decent defensive outfielder, but hit just .143/.218/.245, which is pretty unacceptable.

Certified Darwinzon

Darwinzon Hernandez had a very impressive season for a debut.  He tailed off toward the end, but was one of the bright spots in the Red Sox bullpen.  His 16.9 strikeouts per nine innings is absolute insanity.  He does need to cut down on the walks though.  Hernandez may have a bright future in Boston and I am looking forward to him making the next step in 2020.

This card took me a couple of tries to get.  I first made the deal for the card instead of the Chavis card I showed a couple of days ago, but I never received.  The other party ended up sending me the Chavis to make up for it.  I then went out and bought this card, because honestly I like Hernandez better than Chavis and I really wanted this card.

Holiday Trade

Another small trade to show off today brought in a couple of Topps Holiday cards from 2018.  One year later.  Both cards were on my wantlist, and I never complain about getting new Red Sox cards.  Plus, both players are elite stars on the team.  So no complaints.  It is not the most exciting mailday in the world, but they are still new Red Sox cards.

Throwback Chavis

Just a one-card mailday to show off today and this one was a pretty small trade.  It did net me one of those elusive Throwback Thursday cards that can be a bit pricey.  So it is always nice to add them in a trade.  One of the bright spots early in the 2019 season was the emergence of Michael Chavis, who has had a tumultuous rise to the Majors, to put it mildly.  A first round draft pick in 2014 who seemed to flounder for the first few years, then started to move up the ranks, only to be suspended for violations of the drug testing program, Chavis made his debut in 2019 and showed off some prodigious power.  It did not take a real long time for the league to adjust and before he could adjust to that, he went down with a season-ending injury.  Not a bad year for Chavis, but not really a guy who can be absolutely counted on in 2020 yet either.  I suspect he will have first crack at either first or second base in 2020.

Random Small Trade

This was a small trade that mostly knocked some wantlist needs off.  There are not a ton of cards that are real exciting, unless you are a Red Sox collector.  I love the 150 Years inserts that the Pedro Martinez card came from and the insert with Chris Sale and Randy Johnson, two lefty strikeout machines, is pretty cool as well.  Otherwise, just a bunch of random cards here.

Does Clemens Have a Cooperstown Shot This Year?

Current polls have him right on the line to get inducted this year.  I follow the ballots on Twitter and there have not been a lot that have been released to the public yet, but they look decent for Clemens's shot.  Now, it seems like the people who do not release their ballots publicly by and large are those that are anti-PED players, so it is likely Clemens will miss again, but if he is making progress, he could get in soon.  These cards came in a trade package and give me an excuse to talk about Clemens.