More Mailday Madness Pt 2

I got tired of typing last night, so I quit.  Unfortunately, there is still quite a ways to go to get caught up on all of the packages.  So, here we go again.

1.  Jimmie Foxx.  It is widely known that Foxx started his career as a catcher.  What is not so well-known, and why I bought this card, is that he continued to play catcher on occasion well into his career.  In fact, in 1940, when he was 32, he spent about six weeks as the team's number one catcher due to injuries to Gene Desautels.  He played 43 games during that stretch and hit .317/.440/.639 with 14 home runs and 42 RBIs.  

2.  Michael Chavis.  Chavis made an immediate impact when he arrived in the majors in 2019, hitting 18 home runs.  Unfortunately he also struck out 127 times in 382 plate appearances.  His strikeout rate caught up to him and he has been a fringe Major Leaguer ever since.

3.  Darwinzon Hernandez.  Hernandez is another player who was a rookie in 2019.  He had his best season in 2021 when he had a 3.38 ERA in 48 games and 40 innings pitched.  He struck out 54, but walked 31.  His walk rate was eventually his undoing and he has not appeared in the Majors since 2022.

4.  Rafael Devers.  It's beginning to be a requirement that any package include a Devers card.

5.  Trevor Story.  Story has increased in my collection dramatically recently.  

6.  Hunter Renfroe.  At a certain point, you have to wonder about some players.  Renfroe has been in the Majors for eight seasons and has played with six different teams.  He will be with his seventh team in 2024.  There must be a reason for that.

7.  Bobby Dalbec.  Dalbec's career is very similar to Chavis's, with the exception that he has not moved onto a different team yet.  Yet.

8.  Andrew Benintendi.  I like this card because it is similar to a Nomar card that I had in the late 90's, one of the early cards I bought for more than $10.00.  That card though had some die-cut aspects.  This one does not.

9.   Jackie Bradley Jr.  It is hard to believe that JBJ won only one Gold Glove during his career.  I love watching videos of him playing defense.  One of the most impressive defensive outfielders Boston has ever had.  Certainly during my lifetime.

1.  Jeff Frye.  One other nice thing about TCDB has been finding old cards from team sets that I need.  This Frye card is from 1999 Fleer Tradition.  Frye played every position except pitcher and catcher during his time in Boston.

2.  Mike Greenwell.  Greenwell actually did play catcher back in 1987 for a game.  In the ninth inning on July 17, the Red Sox tied the game, but had to pinch-hit for backup catcher Danny Sheaffer, who had earlier replaced Marc Sullivan (that catching platoon was dire).  Greenwell moved behind the plate.  The pitching imploded the next inning and Greenwell made an error on a base-stealing attempt, allowing two stolen bases.  Safe to say Boston avoided using Greenwell behind the plate ever since.

3.  Ellis Burks.  Burks only played center field and designated hitter for the Red Sox.  

1.  Chris Sale.  Sale's Red Sox career started so well, but finished so poorly.  It's a shame what happened to him.

2.  Chris Murphy.  Murphy made his Major League debut in 2023, pitching in 20 games and throwing 47.2 innings.  He was 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA, striking out 49 and walking 17.  He could be an interesting depth option going forward.

3.  Allen Webster.  Webster was a highly-touted prospect when Boston acquired him in the infamous Nick Punto trade in 2012.  Unfortunately, he never worked out, going 6-5 with a 6.25 ERA in 19 games.  He was traded to Arizona in the deal that brought Wade Miley to Boston.

4.  Derek Lowe.  Lowe won the series-clinching games in the ALDS, ALCS and World Series in 2004.  

5.  Johnny Damon.  It's a shame that Damon doesn't look back on his time with the Red Sox as fondly as he does with the Yankees.  He was basically the face of the franchise in 2004 leading up to the World Series.  He became a household name with Boston, he was just another player with the Yankees.

6.  J.D. Martinez.  I was having a discussion with another Red Sox fan today about whether Martinez or Manny Ramirez was the better free agent signing.  Both worked out extremely well for the Red Sox.  I would give the edge to Ramirez though because it was longer.

7.  Andrew Benintendi.

8.  David Price.  I still believe Price should have been the World Series MVP in 2018.  He didn't live up to his massive contract, but it was worth it for the 2018 postseason alone.

9.  Tanner Houck.  Houck may find himself the new closer if Kenley Jansen gets traded.

10.  Rick Porcello.  Porcello may be one of the most random Cy Young winners ever.  

11.  Team Card.  This is the World-Series winning 2018 team picture.

12.  Christian Vazquez.  Vazquez's best season was 2019 when he hit .276/.320/.477 with 23 home runs and 72 RBIs.  He also caught 38% of attempted base-stealers, fourth in the league.

13.  Triston Casas.  Casas was the first-round pick of the Red Sox in 2018.

14.  Tyler McDonough.  McDonough was the third-round pick of the Red Sox in 2021.

15.  Blaze Jordan.  Jordan was the third-round pick of the Red Sox in 2020.

16.  Marcelo Mayer.  Mayer was the first-round pick of the Red Sox in 2021.

17.  Enrique Hernandez.  Hernandez made a habit of having great-looking Topps flagship cards.  That trend ended with his kind of boring 2023 card, but this was still great.

18.  J.D. Martinez.

19.  J.D. Martinez.

20.  Jarren Duran.  Duran stole 24 bases in 2023.  I expect him to get close to 40 in 2024.

21.  J.D. Martinez.

22.  Rafael Devers.

23.  Masataka Yoshida.  I am very much looking forward to Yoshida building on his 2023 season.  I think a .300+ average and 15-20 home runs is very much in the realm of possibility.  My boldest prediction for 2024 is that Yoshida will win the batting title.

I guess I am going to quit for tonight.  Still more to come.

More Mailday Madness

Buckle up, this could be a long post.  I have not decided how many packages I am going to put in this post.  I have a long way to go to catch up.  

1.  Fred Lynn.  This package is filled to the brim with oddballs.  This is a 1976 Hostess card of Lynn, one of my favorite oddball sets, next to Kellogg's.  Lynn is one of the few players in this package that is not a Hall of Famer, though there is an argument for his inclusion.

2.  Joe Cronin.  This is a Cramer Baseball Legends card.  I have a few of these as well.  It is kind of an underrated oddball set in my opinion.

3.  Carlton Fisk.  The Star Stickers were kind of an interesting set for the first few years of Fleer.  

4.  Carl Yastrzemski.  This is from the All Star Glossy set from 1983.  Yaz was an All Star for the final time in 1983, also his last season.  He had some great moments in All Star games and was the 1970 game's MVP.

5.  Wade Boggs.  These next three cards are stickers for a book.

6.  Wade Boggs.

7.  Carl Yastrzemski.

8.  Jim Rice.  Here is a card from Quaker.  I missed most of the days when cards were in almost everything.  Those days need to come back.

9.  Wade Boggs.  For instance, this is a Kraft card.

10.  Wade Boggs.  And this one from Kmart.

11.  Roger Clemens.  And this one is a French's mustard card.  I am a bit confused as to how this might have been available.  Were they attached to mustard bottles?  

12.  Wade Boggs.  This is a Donruss Spirit of the Game card.  I had never seen these before.  

13.  Jose Canseco.  For the first several years I was collecting, I used to have a number of players that I collected somewhat passively.  One of the rules I had was that I had to stop collecting them if they went to the Red Sox.  Canseco was the first player I had to stop collecting under that rule.

14.  Mo Vaughn.  I have mentioned previously that I am considering a collecting goal for Mo Vaughn.  For some reason I have been feeling nostalgic for Vaughn's career lately.  He was such a great hitter at the time he was in Boston.

15.  Mo Vaughn.

16.  Mo Vaughn.

17.  Mo Vaughn.

18.  Trot Nixon.  Nixon is one of three players I had jerseys of when I was growing up.  It was a gift from my girlfriend at the time.  Vaughn and Nomar Garciaparra were the others.

19.  Donnie Sadler.  I had high hopes for Sadler as a prospect but he did not pan out.

20.  Brian Daubach.  Daubach did not appear in nearly enough sets when he was playing.  This was as a result of being one of the replacement players in 1995 while the players were on strike.  Daubach was thus not eligible to be a member of the Players Association and, as most card companies had deals with the Players Association, replacement players were not able to have cards made.  Only Topps had agreements with individual players, which is why they were able to make cards of players like Daubach and Kevin Millar.

21.  Pedro Martinez.  Here is another player I am expecting to get a lot of cards of as I continue to make deals on TCDB.

22.  Narciso Crook.  This is a zero-year card.  Crook did not play in the Majors with Boston this year and is a minor league free agent.

1.  Tommy Pham.  I liked Pham during the brief time he was with Boston in 2022.  There are some rumblings he could be brought back for some right-handed power.  I would be okay with that.

2.  Luis Tiant.  There needs to be a lot more Tiant cards.  Easily one of my favorite players that I never actually got to watch.

3.  Justin Turner.  Unfortunately Turner has left Boston.  Be ready for a One-Year Wonder post.

4.  Dustin Pedroia.  Pedroia will be on the Hall of Fame ballot next year.  He has an interesting case.  Had he not gotten injured, he might have a really good case.

5.  Tim Wakefield.  Wakefield might be another player I target this year.  I suspect Boston might retire his number.  

6.  Rafael Devers.  Devers is another player I might do a collecting goal of.  I'm thinking 500 cards.  That might be too much of a reach though.

1.  Bill Lee.  I had to grab this card.  Lee does not appear very often in sets.  This is just a cool card.

2.  Tim Wakefield.  Wakefield appeared several times in Panini sets in 2023.

3.  David Ortiz/Rafael Devers.  Devers is like Ortiz in one aspect, he is a very good hitter in the postseason.  He has hit .303/.382/.573 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs in 26 games.

4.  Triston Casas.  Yet another player for a collecting goal consideration.  It was recently announced the Red Sox would be followed by a Netflix documentary crew.  I really think Casas would be one player who would benefit from that.  He has a very big personality and could be a lot of fun to watch.

5.  Jim Rice.  This is another cool Panini card, particularly since you can't tell there's no MLB license.

6.  Joe Cronin.  I once did a school project on Joe Cronin.  We had to read a biography and do a presentation dressed as that person.  I often combined my school projects with my interest in baseball.  Kevin Millar and Nomar Garciaparra were also subjects.

7.  Johnny Pesky.  I actually love the way Panini has been incorporating past players.  There are several interesting players in this post alone.  Still, I would like to see them branch out even further.

8.  Hirokazu Sawamura.  I liked Sawamura.  When he was on, he was almost unhittable with a slider that the bottom completely dropped out of.  

9.  Trevor Story.  If Story can get back to his pre-injury form, he could have a terrific season.  A 20/20 season is not outside the realm of possibility.

10.  Trevor Story.

11.  Trevor Story.

12.  Garrett Whitlock.  Whitlock has been missing in card sets for awhile.  He has not been nearly as successful as his 2021 rookie season, but he is still an important part of the Red Sox pitching staff.  

13.  Tanner Houck.  Houck and Whitlock will be competing for the fifth starter spot, unless Boston miraculously signs someone soon.

I will call it for tonight.  There is a lot more coming.

Three Packages in One Scan

It was easier to just do all three of these packages together.  They were all individual Ebay items that I bought from different sellers.

1.  Triston Casas.  This is the Black Gold insert.  I was supposed to get this in a trade on TCDB, in fact it was the card that started the trade for me, but the other party, after agreeing to the trade, informed me he did not have it.  So, I went the Ebay route and grabbed it.

2.  Adrian Beltre.  I bought two Beltre cards after his election to the Hall of Fame.  This was the second one.  There are not a ton of them still out there, primarily parallels of cards I already have and some really high-end relics/autos.  That makes sense for a player who was only in Boston for a year.  Still, hopefully there will be some more made in the future.

3.  Ike Delock.  I grabbed some random vintage cards from one seller.  Delock came very close to spending his entire eleven-season career with the Red Sox, except for seven games at the very end with Baltimore.  At his best, he was a versatile and solid pitcher.  His best season was 1958 when he had a 14-8 record with a 3.38 ERA in 31 games (19 starts).  He had two saves that year.  His career high was eleven.  Delock finished 83-72 with a 4.01 ERA with the Red Sox.

4.  Gene Conley.  Conley was famous for two things during his playing career, neither of which helped the Red Sox that much.  He was also an NBA player and he once walked off the team bus and bought tickets to fly to Israel.  He had an eleven-year career with his last three seasons for the Red Sox.  He was a three-time All Star, but none of those came in Boston.

5.  Ike Delock.  Yes, I got two cards of Delock.

6.  Tris Speaker.  Speaker is one of six members of the 3,000 hit club to have played with Boston, and the first to have done so.  Only Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the feat while playing for Boston.

7.  Josh Winckowski.  Winckowski was the primary return in the Andrew Benintendi trade and finally looks to be justifying that deal.  Last season, he went 4-4 with a 2.88 ERA (158 ERA+) that was somewhat bloated due to overuse later on.  He pitched 84.1 innings, saving three games while striking out 82 and walking 31.  He is a big part of the bullpen coming in to 2024.

8.  Gene Stephens.  Stephens is primarily known for collecting three hits in one inning in a game on June 18, 1953.  The Red Sox beat the Tigers 23-3.  Stephens had his three hits in the seventh inning in which Boston scored 17 runs.  He had two singles and a double.  On the day, he had three hits in six at-bats, driving in three and scoring three times.  He played eight years in Boston hitting .247/.327/.362 with 24 home runs and 149 RBIs.  He was primarily a backup to Ted Williams.  Not to be confused with Vern Stephens.

TCDB Madness

I mentioned recently that I have been doing a lot of trading on TCDB lately as a result of simply adding all Red Sox cards I needed to my wantlist.  So, there have been a lot of proposals.  I have not accepted every one.  There are still some things I am not that interested in, such as minor league cards and over-sized cards.  But, it has been a way to fill in holes and track down some oddballs.

1.  Tony Armas.  Armas is sort of a forgotten star.  He was a two-time All Star and a Silver Slugger winner (1984) who led the league in home runs twice, RBIs once and total bases once.  His 1984 season with Boston was huge, hitting .268/.300/.531 with 43 home runs and 123 RBIs.  He was seventh in the MVP vote that year.

2.  Don Baylor.  Baylor also had a big season with Boston in the mid-1980's.  His 1986 season featured a line of .238/.344/.439 with 31 home runs and 94 RBIs.  He won the Silver Slugger and led the league in being hit by pitches (35), one of four straight seasons in which he led the league in that category.

3.  Brian Conroy.  Conroy was a 22nd round pick by the Red Sox in 1989 and never made the Majors.  

4.  Cory Bailey.  Bailey pitched in 15 games with the Red Sox over two seasons in 1993 and 1994.  He was then traded to the Cardinals along with Scott Cooper for Mark Whiten and Rheal Cormier.  He had a few good seasons as a middle reliever for the Cardinals and Royals.

5.  Tim Naehring.  Naehring was on the verge of breaking out in 1997 when he suffered an injury that turned out to be career-ending.  He spent his entire eight-year career with Boston and hit .282/.365/.420 with 49 home runs and 250 RBIs.  

6.  Jim Leyritz.  I really liked Leyritz when he was acquired in the deal that sent Aaron Sele to the Rangers.  He hit well, batting .287/.385/.519 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs, but he was acquired to be in a platoon at catcher and designated hitter.  Unfortunately for Leyritz, Jason Varitek emerged as a strong catcher and Scott Hatteberg became the backup, meaning there were no at-bats available for Leyritz except as the right-handed DH.  So he was traded for some fringe Major Leaguers, none of whom did much.

7.  Aaron Sele.  Speaking of Sele, here he is.  Sele looked great until getting hurt early in 1995.  After that, he was never quite the same in Boston and was traded to Texas where he turned things around.  He was 38-33 with 4.41 ERA in five seasons with the Red Sox.  

8.  Jeff Suppan.  Suppan was a highly-touted pitching prospect who appeared in parts of three seasons with the Red Sox.  He was 7-3 with a 5.69 ERA in 1997, starting 22 games.  Boston left him unprotected in the expansion draft and he was the second overall selection, but was traded to the Royals during the season after going 1-7 with a 6.68 ERA for the Diamondbacks.  Suppan was re-acquired by the Red Sox from the Pirates in 2003 for Freddy Sanchez, but struggled to a 3-4 record and a 5.57 ERA.  He had some decent seasons with the Cardinals later on.

9.  Mike Greenwell.  Like Naehring, Greenwell spent his entire career with the Red Sox, hitting .303/.368/.463 with 130 home runs and 726 RBIs.  He was a two-time All Star in 1988 and 1989 and won the Silver Slugger in 1988.  That year he finished second in the MVP race to Jose Canseco's 40/40 season.  Greenwell was one of my favorite players early on.

10.  Wil Cordero.  Cordero was acquired to be the second-baseman in 1996, but got hurt early on.  His defense left a lot to be desired and he was moved to left field in 1997.  That year, he hit .281/.320/.432 with 18 home runs and 72 RBIs, but off-field problems led to his release in September.

11.  Jackie Jensen.  Jensen was the 1958 MVP hitting .286/.396/.535 with 35 home runs and a league-leading 122 RBIs (one of three times he led the league in RBIs).  In seven years with Boston, he hit .282/.374/.478 with 170 home runs and 733 RBIs.  Unfortunately, a debilitating fear of flying led to his early retirement.

12.  Jimmie Foxx.  Foxx won the 1938 MVP when he hit a league-leading .349/.462/.704 with 50 home runs and 175 RBIs.  He also led in RBIs.  His home run total was a team record until David Ortiz broke it with 54 in 2006.  His 175 RBIs is still a single-season team record.  He hit 222 home runs with the Red Sox.

13.  Brayan Bello.  Bello is a player that I have been getting a number of cards of lately, which makes sense since he is a promising starter coming into the season.

14.  Xander Bogaerts.  In ten years with Boston, Bogaerts ended up hitting .292/.356/.458 with 156 home runs and 683 RBIs.  He won five Silver Slugger Awards and was an All Star four times.  He should have stayed in Boston for his entire career.

15.  Chris Sale.  Sale is also gone now.  In six seasons he went 46-30 with a 3.27 ERA, 945 strikeouts and 156 walks in 670.2 innings pitched.  He was an All Star twice, finishing second in the Cy Young vote in 2017 and fourth in 2018.  He also notched the final strikeout in the 2018 World Series.

16.  Xander Bogaerts.

17.  Eduardo Rodriguez.  I did a whole post about Rodriguez recently.  I was a big fan.  He is another player I am disappointed is no longer with the team.

18.  Jody Reed.  This is a factory-set variation.  Reed finished third int he Rookie of the Year vote in 1988, but had a lot of better numbers than the winner, just in fewer games.  He tied for the league lead in doubles in 1990 with 45.  In six seasons he hit .280/.358/.372 with 17 home runs and 227 RBIs.  He had 180 doubles.  He was left unprotected in the Rockies/Marlins expansion draft and was taken by the Rockies, who turned around and traded him to the Dodgers.

19.  Carl Yastrzemski.  Not sure what else I can say about Yaz that hasn't been said before.  I do like this photo.  Any card with the red helmet/hat is a plus for me.

20.  Brian Johnson.  I never understood why Boston released Johnson in 2020.  They needed pitching desperately.  Johnson was a former first round pick and pitched parts of four seasons in Boston, going 7-9 with a 4.74 ERA.  He had a solid 2018 season, with a 4-5 record and a 4.17 ERA in 38 games (13 starts).

21.  Steve Lomasney.  Lomasney was a highly-touted catching prospect whose career was ruined by injuries.  A shame.

22.  Opening Day team card.  This card features the opening day ceremonies in 2007 in Kansas City.  Curt Schilling started the game and Boston lost 7-1.  

23.  Steve Lomasney.  Another Lomasney card.

That's it for today.

Gypsy Queen City Connect Variations Pt. 4

I just picked up the fourth one of these last weekend for a really good price.  It was the least I have spent on one so far, which is strange since Bogaerts is arguably the biggest star of the available variations.  This leaves me with just the Chris Sale, J.D. Martinez and Alex Verdugo cards to track down.  None of the players are still with the team, but that is not going to stop me from tracking the cards down.  Oddly, the Verdugo is the card that seems like it will be the hardest to track down for a reasonable price.

Mailday: January 30, 2024

I don't really have a good title for this post.  This is just a random assortment of cards that I happened to receive on the same day.

Up first is a quick two-card trade.  The first is a black mini parallel from 2022 A&G of Pedro Martinez.  I fully expect that Pedro will be one of those players who will really benefit from my continued trading on TCDB.  There are simply a ton of Pedro cards out there.  According to the stats portion of my wantlist, Martinez has the third-most cards still out there, behind only Rafael Devers (sort of a surprise) and David Ortiz (not at all surprising).  The second card is the gold version of the 2020 team card.  I do consider this a J.D. Martinez card as well, since he is a central focus of the card.

1.  Bobby Dalbec.  Hard to believe, but Dalbec is actually still on the team.  He has slipped a lot on the depth chart, but he is still around.  I am not sure he will ever get back to his form he had down the stretch in 2021.  That year he hit .240/.298/.494 with 25 home runs and 78 RBIs.  He hit just one home run in 21 games in 2023.

2.  Travis Shaw.  Shaw did two tours of duty with the Red Sox, coming up as a rookie in 2015 before being traded to Milwaukee before the 2017 season for Tyler Thornburg and then returning in 2021.  He hit 32 career home runs with the Red Sox in parts of four seasons, primarily as a backup.  

3.  Xander Bogaerts.  Bogaerts is another player I expect to increase quite a bit in my TCDB trading.  His cards were always plentiful.  He ranks as the fourth-largest player on my wantlist.

4.  Jarren Duran.  Duran is a big question mark in 2024.  Is he the player he was in 2022?  2023?  Somewhere in between?  At his best, he is a dynamic offensive force, able to hit for some power and completely disrupt the other team on the base paths.  I would love that kind of player.

5.  Kyle Schwarber.  Schwarber goes down as one of the best deadline deals Boston ever made.  For a low-level pitching prospect they got a hitter who slashed .291/.435/.522 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs in 41 games, then hit three more homers in the postseason.  It's a shame they could not find a way to bring him back the next season.

6.  I am considering this card a Xander Bogaerts card, that appears to be him in the corner there.

7.  Brayan Bello.  Bello is another player I am excited about coming in to 2024.  He could step up and become an ace-level pitcher.   

And finally, an Adrian Beltre relic.  I grabbed a couple of Beltre cards on Ebay recently in celebration of his election to the Hall of Fame.  One thing I really like is how his stint in Boston is getting credit for being the turning point in his career.  He became a Hall of Fame player in Boston even though his plaque will not have a Red Sox hat.  And he is my absolute favorite One Year Wonder.

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.

R.I.P. Jimy Williams

Yesterday it was announced that former Red Sox manager Jimy Williams passed away at the age of 80.  Williams had a short playing career with the Cardinals in the 1960's.  He had his first stint as manager of the Blue Jays in the mid 1980's.  Under him, the Blue Jays had a second place finish in 1987.  After that, he was on Bobby Cox's coaching staff with the Braves before taking over the Red Sox managerial position in 1997, replacing Kevin Kennedy.

The Red Sox finished fourth in 1997, but Williams made one of his more noteworthy moves late in that season.  Steve Avery was signed as a free agent prior to the season, but struggled greatly.  Avery had a clause in his contract that if he made 18 starts, an option would vest for him to continue in Boston for the next season.  Williams started Avery in a meaningless late-season game specifically in order for that option to vest.  Avery won the game, so it worked out.

The next two seasons were much better for the team as the Red Sox won the Wild Card each season.  In 1998, they lost to the Indians in the ALDS, but gained revenge the next season, winning a classic five-game series that culminated in Pedro Martinez's hitless relief stint.  They could not capitalize on that momentum against the Yankees in the ALCS though.  Williams won the A.L. Manager of the Year for his 94-68 season.

Unfortunately, the team declined in 2000 and nosedived in 2001 after injuries to Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Varitek.  Williams was fired after 118 games and replaced by Joe Kerrigan, who had no idea how to manage.  Williams later managed the Astros.  

Mailday: January 23, 2024

In order to get through some of these packages quickly, it might be easier to just do a general mailday post, unless there is something really special.  So, the mail arrived on Tuesday and contained a few packages that seemed to get lost while we were completely covered in snow for a week.  

Up first is a Connor Wong card:

This is the 2022 Panini Immaculate Clear Button card.  I believe this is my third button card of Wong.  It is serial-numbered to 10 and puts me at 506 Connor Wong cards.

Up next is a group of three auctions from 2023 Panini Prizm, one of my favorite sets from last year.  Each auction consisted of a base card and a parallel, all of which I needed.

1.  Tim Wakefield.  Wakefield's death last year really affected me.  I watched Wakefield since I was 14 years old.  He was one of my favorites.  The knuckleballer was so much fun to watch.  So, I have determined I should get more cards of Wakefield.

2.  Miguel Bleis.  Bleis is somewhat of a forgotten prospect at this point.  He went into last year expected to make a big splash.  Then he got hurt and missed most of the year.  He is still Boston's number five prospect and hopefully he will get back on track. 

3.  Carlton Fisk.  I love the photo on these cards.  I have not seen it before, which makes it that much more appealing.

Up next is a TCDB trade.  There are going to be a lot of these in the coming weeks.  I recently added all the Red Sox cards I did not have to my wantlist and suddenly there are tons of offers.  I have gone with the flow so far, but it has been a bit overwhelming.

1.  Enmanuel Valdez.  I seem to be a magnet for Valdez cards.  I am having no problems adding him.

2.  Nazzan Zanetello.  Boston has been drafting a lot of shortstops in recent years.  That makes sense since the shortstop on college and high school teams tend to be the most athletic players.  Zanetello was Boston's second-round pick (Kyle Teel did not appear in Draft in 2023) and signed for an above-slot bonus.  So, he must be highly-regarded.

3.  Connelly Early.  Early was Boston's fifth-round pick in 2023  

4.  Kristian Campbell.  Campbell was selected in the compensatory part of the fourth round in 2023.

5.  Justin Riemer.  Riemer was another compensatory pick in the fourth round.  His bonus was slightly above slot.

6.  Reese McGuire.  McGuire has been popping up a fair amount lately too after not having any Red Sox cards until just a couple months ago.

7.  David Ortiz.  I suspect there are going to be a lot of Ortiz cards as a result of the trading on TCDB.  

8.  James Paxton.  Paxton recently became the latest former Red Sox to catch on with the Dodgers.  I would have liked to see him back on a reasonable deal.  When he was on last year, he was great.

9.  Rob Refsndyer.  Refsnyder will be in a similar role as Boston's fourth outfielder in 2024.

10.  Trey Ball.  Ball is one of the bigger draft busts in recent years for the Red Sox.  Ball was drafted seventh overall in 2013 but never came close to the Majors.  

11.  Garin Cecchini.  Cecchini was a well-regarded third-base prospect, but only ended up playing in 13 games.  He did get to hit a home run though.

12.  Teddy Stankiewicz.  Stankiewicz also never made the Majors.  

13.  Anthony Ranaudo.  Ranaudo had the most success of these players in the Majors.  He was 4-3 with a 4.81 ERA in 39.1 innings, striking out 15 and walking 16.  He was then traded to the Rangers for Robbie Ross and appeared in games with the Rangers and White Sox.

1.  J.D. Martinez.  Martinez is one of several free agents still out there right now.  Boston needs a right-handed power bat, but I would be surprised if he came back.

2.  Jose Iglesias.  I think of Iglesias as a more successful version of Tzu-Wei Lin.  Longtime readers will remember my obsession with Lin.  Iglesias was an international free agent middle infielder renowned for his defense.  I even briefly considered a mini-player collection of him.  He made the Majors on the strength of his defense, but he stuck around and had a successful career because of his ability to make some contact.  He even came back to Boston at the point of this card.

3.  Kyle Schwarber.  Schwarber will go down as one of Bloom's better trades.  He was awesome in Boston, but his inability to play reasonable defense anywhere made it hard to bring him back unless the DH spot was open.  When J.D. Martinez did not opt out, Schwarber was not able to stay in Boston.

4.  Christian Vazquez/Xander Bogaerts.  Hard to believe, but both of these players are now gone from Boston.  It was Vazquez's trade that apparently made Bogaerts realize he could leave Boston.  I think his contract with the Padres is already being looked at as a mistake though.

5.  Pedro Martinez.  Martinez has been working with Brayan Bello this offseason, hopefully that will lead to another step forward for the young pitcher.

6.  Freili Encarnacion.  Encarnacion is a potential power bat infielder who was signed as an international free agent.  He is 19 and has yet to reach A-ball, so there is a lot of uncertainty here.

And finally, a package from Zippy Zappy:

A dual game-used bat of two of my favorite all-time Red Sox: Jason Varitek and Wade Boggs.  I have not decided what my collecting goals for 2024 are yet.  I don't think I will do a year specific for Varitek, most of the cards being produced of him now are autographs.  Still, I think pushing him to 1,250 is possible, but may take awhile.

Thanks ZZ!

Unknown Heroes Pt. 48: Eduardo Rodriguez

I suppose I can write about this now.  I kind of held out hope that Rodriguez would come back to Boston after opting out of his deal with the Tigers this offseason.  He ended up signing with the Diamondbacks though.  There's always a chance he could come back in a trade or sign back after his four-year contract ends, but that seems unlikely at this point.

Back around the trading deadline in 2014, the Red Sox were in an unusual position.  Despite winning the World Series the previous year, the team was in last place and had a lot of contracts due to come off the books in the offseason.  In other words, they had the chance to completely retool by shedding salary in exchange for prospects.  The team took something of an odd strategy for most of the deals though, choosing to focus on acquiring players who were already in the Majors but had some control left.  That's what led to deals sending out Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes and John Lackey for Yoenis Cespedes, Joe Kelly and Allen Craig.  Three deals did yield prospects though.  Jake Peavy was sent to the Giants for Heath Hembree and Edwin Escobar, Felix Doubront was traded to the Cubs for Marco Hernandez, and Andrew Miller was sent to the Orioles for Eduardo Rodriguez.  Of course it is that last one that I am talking about here.

Miller was having an incredible season in 2014.  The lefty reliever turned into a real weapon and was one of the most sought-after players on the trade market.  He had a 2.34 ERA and 69 strikeouts in just 42.1 innings when he was traded to the O's for Rodriguez.  Rodriguez was a top prospect for Baltimore, not their best pitching prospect, but within their top ten overall, so this was a pretty good get for the Red Sox.  He was easily the best prospect they acquired during the time frame and he was far enough along that he did not need much seasoning before making his Major League debut, which came the next year.

Rodriguez made his Major League debut on May 28, 2015 and pitched 7.2 innings of scoreless ball, striking out seven and walking two, getting the win against the Rangers.  Rodriguez would finish the year with a record of 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA, 98 strikeouts and 37 walks in 121.2 innings.  Surprisingly, he received no consideration for the Rookie of the Year vote.  I am not saying he should have won, or even placed highly, but a vote would have been warranted.  

The next two seasons were very uneven for Rodriguez.  He was 9-14 over the next two years with a 4.42 ERA.  He started showing signs in 2017 of promise though as he struck out 150 batters in just 137.1 innings.  He did not even pitch in the 2016 postseason and faced just two batters in 2017.  2018 was something of a breakout as he went 13-5 with a 3.82 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 129.2 innings.  His big issue was throwing too many pitches.  He walked 3.1 batters per nine innings and got into a lot of full counts.  Nevertheless, he was improving.  

He struggled greatly in the postseason and was primarily a reliever until Game 4 of the World Series.  That was after the 18-inning game that the Dodgers won.  Most of the starters were gassed, so Rodriguez took the mound and pitched well, for awhile.  Since most of the bullpen was exhausted too, Rodriguez had to go a little deeper into the game and made it into the sixth inning without allowing a run.  Unfortunately, things unraveled and he gave up an RBI groundout to Cody Bellinger followed by a three-run home to Yasiel Puig.  Rodriguez slammed his glove into the ground in frustration and was taken out of the game.  Boston rallied to win the game and Rodriguez deserves some credit for his performance and for saving some of the bullpen arms.

2019 was Rodriguez's best season, and the only one so far in which he has received any kind of awards consideration.  He finished sixth in the Cy Young voting.  He had a record of 19-6 with a 3.81 ERA (128 ERA+), helping to keep Boston's pitching afloat in the wake of injuries to Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi.  He threw a career-high 203.1 innings, striking out 213 (also a career high).  He led the league in walks with 75, but also in games started (34).  He was highly durable that season and was rewarded for it.  

Unfortunately, Rodriguez was not able to build on his impressive season.  He sat out the 2020 season, the COVID season, due to some concerning respiratory reactions to the virus.  He did make it back in 2021, but took awhile to get going.  He ended up turning in a decent season, once one looks beyond the surface numbers.  His 4.74 ERA (99 ERA+) looks more like the result of bad luck and/or defense as his FIP was a much more impressive 3.32.  He did have a 13-8 record and cut down his walk rate to below three.  He also struck out 185 batters in 157.2 innings.  

Once again Rodriguez struggled in the postseason.  He appeared in two games against the Rays in the ALDS and went 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA and pitched just 6.2 innings total.  He struck out seven and walked two.  He was much better against Houston in the ALCS, drawing the start in the Game 3 blowout and going six strong innings, allowing three runs, all on a Kyle Tucker home run, but striking out seven and walking none.  He got the win.  It would end up being his final appearance in a Red Sox uniform, he signed with Detroit in the offseason.

I wonder sometimes about why Rodriguez left Boston.  Manager Alex Cora was often openly challenging to Rodriguez, in a similar way as he was with Alex Verdugo, calling him out publicly to improve.  At the time, I got the impression that this was because he cared about him a lot and knew that saying something publicly went be a stronger motivator for change.  But I wonder how much that went into Rodriguez leaving the team.  There was also an incident in the last postseason game in which Rodriguez was seen pointing at his wrist, mocking Carlos Correa's maneuver in the first game after he homered.  Cora could be seen yelling at Rodriguez as he was walking off the field after his night was complete.  That was the last time Rodriguez played for Boston and I cannot help but wonder if he was angry with Cora for that.  I guess we may never know.

Rodriguez was often a frustrating pitcher.  He tended to throw too many pitches and had difficulty reaching his potential, but he was entertaining and a pretty good pitcher as well.  He was never and All Star and only once received any votes for any award, but Rodriguez went 64-39 with a 4.16 ERA (110 ERA+, 3.83 FIP) in 159 games for Boston.  In 856.2 innings, he struck out 892 batters, while walking 294.  Those are decent numbers for a starting pitcher in this day and age.  I wish Boston would have kept him.

Slightly More Than One-Year Wonder Pt. 8: Victor Martinez

These players made it longer than one full season, but less than two seasons. They do not qualify as one-year wonders. They lasted slightly too long. But they still spent a brief part of their careers with the Red Sox.

I felt like talking about Victor Martinez today.  He was on the 2024 Hall of Fame ballot.  He did not do well, receiving just six votes and dropping off the ballot going forward.  I knew this would be the case, but he still had a terrific career and deserves to be remembered.

It actually took me awhile to really appreciate Martinez's stint with Boston.  As everyone who reads this blog knows, I am a huge Jason Varitek fan.  Martinez was acquired because Varitek was slipping at the plate.  Martinez pushed Varitek into a backup catcher role eventually.  When Martinez was first acquired, the Red Sox actually split his time between first base and catcher.  But in 2010, his only full season with the Red Sox, Martinez was the primary catcher.  So, it took awhile, but now I do fully appreciate what they had.

Martinez started his career in Cleveland, taking over the starting job in 2004.  He hit more than 20 home runs three times and drove in 100 runs twice going into the 2009 season.  He was an All Star in 2004 and 2007.  The Indians in 2009 were headed for a 97 loss season and were shedding salary as of the trading deadline.  Martinez had already made his third All Star team.  The Red Sox were on their way to another Wild Card berth, but needed an offensive jolt.  The two teams came together.  The Red Sox sent pitchers Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Shaw to bring Martinez over.

Martinez played in 56 games down the stretch and definitely provided that offensive spark Boston so needed.  He hit .336/.405/.507 with eight home runs and 41 RBIs, pushing his final numbers on the season above 20 home runs and 100 RBIs.  He ended up receiving some down-ballot MVP votes as a result of this.  Martinez appeared in the postseason for the second time in his career that year, but struggled to a .182/.250/.182 line with just two RBIs in the team's ALDS loss to the Angels.  

2010 saw Martinez hit 20 home runs and make the All Star team once more.  As mentioned, Martinez spent the entire season at catcher, playing only a handful of games at first base and designated hitter.  He hit .302/.351/.493 with 20 home runs, 32 doubles and 79 RBIs.  He also struck out just 52 times on the season compared to 40 walks.  It was one of the better offensive seasons by a Red Sox catcher in quite awhile.  Not since Carlton Fisk in 1977 did a Red Sox catcher hit more than .300 with 20 or more home runs.  

The issue about whether to bring Martinez back had to do with his deteriorating defense.  He was not historically a strong defensive catcher, but he really took a step backwards in 2010.  He allowed 99 stolen bases (second most in the league), catching just 21% of attempted thefts.  The league average was 26%.  He appeared destined to be a designated hitter and the Red Sox already had David Ortiz for that position.

Martinez signed a free agent contract with the Tigers after the season and did indeed become a designated hitter, never playing catcher regularly again.  The Red Sox acquired Jarrod Saltalamacchia in a trade with the Rangers at the deadline and he became the team's regular catcher.  Martinez's final slash line in Boston was .313/.368/.497 with 28 home runs and 120 RBIs.  

Heritage High Numbers Blaster

I had been looking for one of these for awhile and finally found one.  There were not a ton of new Red Sox cards in Heritage High Numbers, and even fewer players who were new to the team, but I still wanted to grab a blaster and see what I could pull.  Not much, but here are the Red Sox I pulled:

1.  Reese McGuire.  After seeing a scan of this card, it was the one I most wanted to pull.  What a great action shot with him in full catchers' gear.  It reminds me a little bit of my favorite Red Sox card from the 1970's, the Fisk 1974 Topps card:

2.  Enmanuel Valdez.  Valdez is a guy I seem to pull a lot already.  It's sort of amazing how much he looks like Juan Soto at the plate.  I'm not saying I expect him to hit like that, but the swing is definitely similar.

The Jason Varitek Quest for 1,000: #s 999 and 1,000! (Plus a Lot More)

This is one of the more eclectic maildays I have had in some time.  It was helped by the fact that it was my first mailday after some big winter storms delayed delivery for a few days (I had 18 inches of snow and was snowed in for four days).  I will get to it all, but spoiler alert: as the title says, I made it to a very big goal.

The All Aces insert set is one of the more interesting inserts I have seen in recent years.  It takes a formula that is not exactly groundbreaking (cards with playing card designs) but nevertheless results in a fantastic-looking set.  Of course I had to grab both Red Sox cards from the set: Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez.  I got to watch both of them at various times, though Clemens was not quite as dominant as he had been earlier in his career by the time I was really paying attention.

Up next is some vintage:

1.  1971 Topps Cal Koonce.  Koonce had a ten-year career in the Majors with the Cubs, Mets and Red Sox.  He was primarily a reliever and saved eleven games for the Mets in 1968.  The Red Sox purchased him from the Mets in 1970 and he went 3-4 with a 3.54 ERA in 76.1 innings, notching two saves.  The next season he was 0-1 with a 5.57 ERA in 21 innings and was released.

2.  1961 Fleer Greats Lefty Grove.  It is always a little exciting to see Grove in a Red Sox uniform.  He wears a Red Sox cap on his plaque but that always felt a little off.  He had some great seasons in Boston, but he was really at his most dominant with the A's.

Jason Varitek card #999 is from 2023 Topps Update 1988 35th Anniversary Chrome.  I have mentioned previously my preference for cards with the "C" on the chest.  Varitek has been the only official Red Sox captain during the time I have been a fan.

Like Grove, I love it when I can find Babe Ruth cards with the Red Sox.  This is the Orange Flash parallel from 2023 Panini Select.  Even better, the photo actually appears to be Ruth with the Red Sox.

2022 Stadium Club Rookie Autographs Gold Foil.  You didn't think I had stopped collecting Connor Wong did you?  Absolutely not.  Things have just slowed down as supply has dwindled.  This is a big one though: a 1/1 autograph card.  

Next is an insert lot I grabbed off of Ebay:

1.  Topps Cosmic Chrome Star Clusters Rafael Devers/Triston Casas.  Up first is a cool insert featuring two of the team's top hitters in Rafael Devers and Triston Casas.  I always liked cards with more than one player on them, even better if they were all Red Sox.  

2-5.  Yoshida!  This lot featured four new Masataka Yoshida cards for my collection.  The most interesting is definitely the pulp-like design for the Extraterrestrial Talent card from Cosmic Chrome.  

6-7.  Marcelo Mayer.  Mayer was the fourth overall pick in the 2021 Draft.  He was slowed by an injury last season but previously looked like a promising player.  This year will be very important in his development.  Boston seems to be banking on the rising talents of Mayer, Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel and Nick Yorke.

8-10.  Papi and Pedro.  These two currently hold the third and fourth spots on my list of largest Red Sox players.

1.  Lyonell James.  James was an international free agent from the 2019/2020 signing period.  He has some interesting tools, but has yet to harness them.  He is slated for A-ball in 2024.

2.  Justin Turner.  I still like to get relics of players when I can, particularly when it is someone I do not have yet.  This is my first Turner relic.  I really liked Justin Turner.  Maybe Boston can bring him back.  He was a good middle-of-the-order bat and a great clubhouse presence.

3.  Brayan Bello.  Bello, like Casas, is a rising star in my collection.  I do not have a lot of cards, but if he keeps developing, he will soon take off.

4.  Jason Varitek.  Here it is, #1,000!  This is the 2023 Topps Pristine Purple Refractor.  Now, I need to make a new goal.  Prepare for that.

1.  Ted Williams.  In 2003, after Williams's death, three Upper Deck sets featured large numbers of Williams cards as either part of the set or as an insert.  I always meant to get more of them.  I grabbed one here from Sweet Spot classic.

2.  Bill Renna.  From 1958 Topps, Renna played six years with the Yankees, Athletics (Philadelphia and Kansas City) and Red Sox.  He spent two seasons in Boston as an extra outfielder and hit .218/.315/.436 with four homers and 20 RBIs.

3.  Cy Young.  Another player I love getting cards of with the Red Sox.

4.  Mo Vaughn.  I had a couple of these inserts that I pulled from packs of 1997 Score back then.  I did not realize Vaughn had a card in the set.  I am leaning towards getting a bunch of Mo Vaughn cards.  He was one of my early favorites.

That's it for now.  There is a lot more to come as I expand back into more of a Red Sox team focus while waiting for new Connor Wong cards to come out.