Red Sox Awards History: Comeback Player of the Year

Major League Baseball started giving out a Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2005 to one player in each league who has had a great season after an injury-plagued or some other down season.  The Sporting News has given out a Comeback Player of the Year Award since 1965, but apparently MLB has not officially recognized it.

Several Red Sox players have won the Comeback Player of the Year Award over the years.  Here are those players:

2016 - RICK PORCELLO (MLB Award)
Porcello is the most recent AL winner of the Comeback Player of the Year Award, though he did not win The Sporting News Award, which went to Mark Trumbo.  Porcello was not hurt in 2015, he just had a bit of a down season, at least for the first half.  He finished the season 9-15 with a 4.92 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP.  He was actually decent down the stretch which was a preview of his 2016 season.  Though no one expected him to come in and win the AL Cy Young Award as he did.  Porcello was 22-4 with a 3.15 ERA, a 1.009 WHIP and 189 strikeouts versus 32 walks in 223 innings.

2011 - JACOBY ELLSBURY (MLB  and TSN Award)
Prone to some bizarre injuries in his career, Ellsbury only played in 18 games in 2010 due to rib injuries, initially sustained in a collision with teammate Adrian Beltre.  He finished second in the AL MVP race in 2011 after hitting .321/.376/.552 with 32 home runs, 105 RBIs, and 39 stolen bases.  He became Boston's first ever 30/30 man and was an All Star and won both the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Award.  It was far and away his greatest season.

1998 - BRET SABERHAGEN (TSN)
Once one of the greatest pitchers in the game, Saberhagen's career had stalled after a terrific 1994 season with the Mets.  1995 was subpar, particularly after being traded to the Rockies.  He was injured for the entire 1996 season.  The Red Sox took a flier on him for the 1997 season and he made it into six games, though he was 0-1 with a 6.58 ERA.  He went on to have a very good full season in 1998, ending up 15-6 with a 3.96 ERA.  He struck out 100 and walked 29 in 175.  This was the second time Saberhagen won the Comeback Player of the Year Award.

1995 - TIM WAKEFIELD (TSN)
1995 was Tim Wakefield's breakout season.  Sure, he had a great rookie season in 1992, but he really attained national attention in 1995.  Wakefield had struggled in 1993 with the Pirates and spent the entire 1994 season in the minor leagues.  Seeking pitching help, Boston picked Wakefield up off of the scrap heap and he became the team's top starting pitcher, ending up with a 16-8 record and a 2.95 ERA.  He finished third in the Cy Young vote and even picked up some MVP votes.

1972 - LUIS TIANT (TSN)
Luis Tiant had two careers.  In his early years, he was a flamethrowing pitcher with the Indians who struck out 264 with a 1.60 ERA in 1968.  Unfortunately, arm troubles started in and he bounced around for a few years.  In 1971 he was 1-7 with a 4.85 ERA for the Red Sox.  But his second career took off in 1972 when he became a crafty, intelligent pitcher with a number of pitches and different arm angles.  He was 15-6 with a league-leading 1.91 ERA and finished sixth in the Cy Young vote.

1969 - TONY CONIGLIARO (TSN)
After a devastating beaning to the head in 1967, Tony Conigliaro missed the entire 1968 season due to lingering vision problems.  Conigliaro had previously been one of the game's brightest young stars after being the second youngest player in history to make it to 100 home runs.  He made a comeback attempt in 1969 and performed well, hitting .255/.321/.427 with 20 home runs and 82 RBIs.

1968 - KEN HARRELSON (TSN)
Harrelson was not hurt in 1967, he just had a bit of a down season, though he did not have a long track record of stardom.  He played with three teams in 1967 and was subject to a controversial release by the Kansas City A's.  Boston picked him up after the Conigliaro beaning.  Harrelson was an All Star for the only time in 1968 and finished third in the MVP race after hitting .275/.356/.518 with 35 home runs and a league-leading 109 RBIs.

Who Will Be Boston's Catcher in 2017?

My guess is that it will be this guy right here.  I just got this card, which is an image variation short print of Blake Swihart's Topps Update rookie card, in a one-for-one trade that I am very happy about.  Swihart still has options left so he will likely start the season off in the minors.  But he is the best hitter of the three available options, which includes Christian Vazquez and Sandy Leon.  In 84 games in his rookie season, Swihart hit .274/.319/.392 with five home runs and 31 RBIs, but he was terrific down the stretch, hitting .303/.353/.452 in the second half.  Swihart was rushed somewhat to the Majors as a result of poor catching options in the Majors.  He had not spent much time at AAA by the time he was called to the Majors.  His career hit a snag in 2016, but he still hit .258/.365/.355.  I expect Swihart to start the season in Pawtucket, but I do not think he will be there long and then he will be called back to Boston, to re-start his career as Boston's catcher of the future.

The Worst Heritage Blaster Ever?

I bought a blaster of Heritage High Numbers, mostly because I was pretty desperate to open something and the local store did not have the Topps Holiday stuff or the Archives 65th Anniversary stuff.  Here is the Red Sox output:

On the plus side, it did give me one of the remaining Red Sox base cards I still needed, this Brad Ziegler card, but I still need the Steven Wright.  As far as the other stuff goes, it resulted in a couple of short prints and some low-end inserts.  No autos, no relics, no refractors, no variations, not even a chrome card.  Just a terrible box.  But at least I have the Brad Ziegler now.  He is no longer with the Red Sox but he was fairly impressive in his short stint.

My First Sale, Another Tek, and a Couple of Hall of Famers

Here is the most recent mailday roundup. 

1.  2016 Topps Now Chris Sale.  It did not take Topps Now long to cash in on the blockbuster deal between the Red Sox and White Sox that sent ace Chris Sale to Boston.  And now I don't have to wait until some time next Spring to get my first Chris Sale card.  I would have preferred a photo from the press conference (if there was one), but I can't complain too much.  Boston's starting pitching is looking pretty good in 2017.

2.  2016 Topps High Tek Orange Magma Diffractor Jason Varitek.  Yet another High Tek Jason Varitek variation.  I keep saying I am not going to try to collect all of these, and yet I keep adding them.

3.  2001 Topps Archives Reserve Luis Aparicio.  A nice refractor-like reprint card of Aparicio's final Topps card from his playing career.  He spent the last three seasons of his career in Boston, seasons which were below par for him.

4.  1992 Kellogg's Corn Flakes Jim Rice.  A nice Sportflics card produced by Kellogg's.  This is not the Canadian version, a variation Night Owl recently discovered.

Finally a Topps Redemption

I recently received a redemption that I picked up in a trade a couple of months ago.  It was for this card:

This is a Chrome Auto of Henry Owens, who has been a disappointment so far.  It did not take real long to get the card, but apparently Topps felt bad enough about it to send me this along with the Owens:

So, I was getting a new card.  And this is the card:

This is Kean Wong, Kolten Wong's younger brother.  Kean is currently on the Rays' AA team.  If anyone wants it and has a Red Sox auto for trade, let me know.

A Bryce Brentz Mailday

A recent trade package brought me a really cool card of Bryce Brentz.  Yes, Bryce Brentz.  

The first and third cards are Craig Kimbrel and a Sepia Refractor of Mookie Betts, both legitimate players.  But that middle card is the interesting one.  It is a multi-swatch game-used and autographed card of Bryce Brentz.  Brentz has played in 34 games over two non-consecutive seasons with Boston.  He had a little bit more playing time last year when Boston was desperate for a left-fielder and did hit his first career Major League home run.  The card features three different colored swatches, including a green one which I assume was worn during a St. Patrick's day game.  It is a pretty nice looking card of a player who ultimately may not have much of a career with the Red Sox.

The Name Has Been Changed For Protection

I received a Christmas package from a blogger recently, who we will call Mr. KM, because he has done something against the rules of a certain cardboard giant.

This is a Topps Custom Card, done on the Topps website, which is mainly there for people to make cards of themselves or their family.  Mr. KM has used it to make a card of a player who has no Red Sox cards, Kim Andrew, which is against their rules for obvious reasons.  Andrew was a member of the 1975 Red Sox, but his Major League career lasted just two games.  He was 1 for 2 and played second base.  He has no cards, except now this one.  Mr. KM has been paying attention and knows of my particular obsession with players without Red Sox cards.  Andrew was on that list for the 1975 season, and technically still is.  But I can now add him to my collection.

You know who you are Mr. KM.  Thanks so much.  Your identity is safe with me.

Ebay Roundup

I came back from the New Year's holiday to find a number of small packages from some recent Ebay buys in my mailbox.  Nothing huge here, but some kind of fun stuff:

1.  Will Middlebrooks.  This is a short-printed card and I love the picture.  Middlebrooks was ultimately a disappointment, but he had some good moments, and this shot is amazing.

2.  Carlos Peguero.  I was shocked Peguero received a card in 2015 Topps Update.  He played in just four games and had a run and a hit.  This is the snow camo parallel of his only Red Sox card, and just my second Peguero card.

3.  Keith Foulke.  I picked up two Flyball inserts.  Foulke was the closer for the 2004 team and may have deserved the World Series MVP over Manny Ramirez.

4.  Mark Bellhorn.  Bellhorn is the unfortunate holder of the Red Sox single-season strikeout record with 177.  Despite that, he had a decent season, hitting .264/.373/.444 with 17 home runs and 82 RBIs.

5.  Xander Bogaerts/Brendan Rogers.  Xander is making a late push against Jackie Bradley Jr. for 100 cards.  He is now at 96 with JBJ at 98.

6.  Mel Parnell.  I discovered to my dismay that I did not have the Parnell card from 1991 Topps Archives.  So I had to rectify that and get this card.

I'm Apparently a Sucker Too

Like a number of other bloggers, I recently caved and decided to buy a box of the Topps Holiday set with snowflakes on the corners where the smoke was previously.  My reasoning was simple.  I was at Walmart in my hometown over the New Year's weekend and wanted to open something.  This was the only one that I did not already have any Red Sox for that I had a reasonable chance at getting something.  The price is not terrible, $20.00 with a guaranteed relic.

I pulled all but three of the Red Sox from the team set.

1.  Xander Bogaerts.  Bogaerts won his second straight Silver Slugger Award in 2016, though I am not convinced he really deserved it after his prolonged slump.  He did hit 20 home runs for the first time in his career and was an All Star.

2.  Hanley Ramirez.  Ramirez bounced back from a poor 2015 season and hit 30 home runs in 2016.

3.  Jackie Bradley Jr.  JBJ was also an All Star for the first time in 2016 and had a 29 game hitting streak.  One of these years, he will win his first Gold Glove.

4.  Craig Kimbrel.  Another All Star in 2016 was Kimbrel, who had a rough few weeks at one point and had some significant control problems.  He did save 31 games.

5.  Dustin Pedroia.  Pedroia had a bounceback year, accumulating 201 hits and hitting .318/.376/.449.  His speed is mostly gone, but he can still hit and he is still a terrific defensive player.

6.  Henry Owens.  Owens's career has stalled.  His control problems have gotten worse.  He can still turn things around as he is still young, but it is getting less likely.

Giancarlo Stanton was my relic and my Metallic Snowflake cards were Ryan Howard, Nomar Mazara, and Nolan Arenado if anyone has any Red Sox for trade.

The next day, I visited my favorite card shop.  I was impressed to see the owner wearing a David Ortiz t-shirt.  He had not been holding Red Sox cards like he used to, but I did find a few cards from my wantlist:

7.  Xander Bogaerts.  I did not have any Topps Bunt cards.  And Bogaerts has eluded me in a number of sets, but I am working on fixing that.

8.  Xander Bogaerts.  This is one of the sets he has eluded me in.

9.  Mookie Betts.  At long last, Mookie wins the four player race to 100 cards in my collection.  JBJ is next in line with 98, followed by Xander, now at 95, and Hanley Ramirez at 86.  All three players will likely make it soon.

I did not spend much on those three cards, so I bought a jumbo pack of Bowman Draft, my first of the year.  I pulled just one Red Sox card, but it is a good player:

10.  Bobby Dalbec.  Dalbec was a widely-criticized pick when he was selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft.  He was a two-way player in college and pitched well in the College World Series and he exploded onto the scene in the pros, hitting .386/.430/.674 with seven home runs in 34 games.  He has some big-time power.  He just needs to be able to hit.

I didn't get a ton of good stuff in the Draft pack (no auto), but if anyone is interested in something, let me know what you are looking for.

The Worst Red Sox Team of All Time Pt. 3: Pete Appleton a/k/a Pete Jablonowski

Failure is often even more fascinating than success. I am definitely intrigued by the 1932 Boston Red Sox, the worst Red Sox team of all time. The team finished with a record of 43-111, for a winning percentage of .279 and very little went right.

Officially in 1932, Pete Appleton's name was Pete Jablonowski.  He legally changed his name to Appleton in 1933, so he was Jablonowski during his entire time with the Red Sox, which really only spanned eleven games during the 1932 season.  There are no clear explanations that I can find for the reason for the name change.  Since he was known as Jablonowski during his time in Boston, I will refer to him as such for the rest of the article.

Jablonowski first made it to the Majors in 1927 with the Reds and he spent the next two seasons with them.  He made it to the Indians in 1930 where he was a reliever.  He started the 1932 season with the Indians and pitched in four games for them with a 16.20 ERA.  In June he was traded to the Red Sox for starting pitcher Jack Russell who was also struggling.  He spent the rest of the season in Boston before being sent to the minors with Newark.  When the Newark franchise was sold to the Yankees, Jablonowski went with it.

As previously mentioned, Jablonowski only pitched in eleven games for the Red Sox.  He struggled during those games, all but three of which were spent in relief.  He was 0-3 with a 4.11 ERA, which was still a better ERA than all but two pitchers with the Red Sox that season, albeit in far fewer innings, and decent enough for a 109 ERA+.  He accumulated 46 innings, striking out 15 and walking 26, and had a WHIP of 1.630.   

With Newark, Jablonowski was 11-1 with a 3.73 ERA.  The next season, he spent just two innings with the Yankees.  He did not make it back to the Majors until 1936 when he had a very good season with Washington.  He bounced around after that, but was never again as successful.  Over a 14-year career, Jablonowski/Appleton was 57-66 with a 4.30 ERA. 

All-Time One-Year Wonder: Third Base

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

THIRD BASE

JOHN KNIGHT - 1907

Okay, John Knight is not exactly a well-known player, but he was one of the best players on the Highlanders (now the Yankees) in the early 1910's.  He had a huge season in 1910 when he hit .312/.372/.413 and stole 23 bases as the team's shortstop.  Knight started his Major League career with the A's in 1905 and was notably traded to Boston for Jimmy Collins, who was on the downswing of his career, in June of 1907.  Knight played in 98 games for Boston, taking over at third for Collins.  He did not hit much, with a line of .217/.256/.275 with two home runs, eight doubles, three triples, and eight stolen bases.  He was a good defensive player though and led the league in assists, double plays, and putouts, but also in errors.  Knight was traded to a minor league team prior to the 1908 season for Fred Burchell and re-emerged with New York in 1909 where he became a much better hitter.

JOE DUGAN - 1922

A member of the Murderer's Row Yankees of 1927, "Jumping" Joe Dugan was a strong defensive third-baseman who could hit a little bit.  Dugan was another player that Boston traded to the Yankees in the early 1920's, completely dismantling the team and building a Yankees dynasty.  Dugan had just been acquired prior to the 1922 season.  The Philadelphia A's sent him to the Senators on January 10 and that same day he was sent to the Red Sox for Roger Peckinpaugh, who also had just been acquired by Boston.  Dugan hit .287/.308/.396 with three home runs and 38 RBIs for Boston in 84 games before being traded to the Yankees for a package of warm bodies, which included Lefty O'Doul, who was still several years away from becoming a great hitter.  Dugan spent most of the rest of his career with the Yankees, holding down the hot corner.    

DOC PROTHRO - 1925

It is very annoying that this is the only card from Doc Prothro's playing career.  119 of his 180 games were spent with the Red Sox.  Prothro is likely the most obscure player in this post, but he had a hell of a year with Boston in his only full season in the Majors.  He did go on to a lengthy managerial career in the minors and was the Phillies manager for three very bad seasons.  The Red Sox picked him up for Mike McNally in December of 1924 and he was the primary third-baseman for Boston, hitting .313/.390/.383.  He did not hit a home run in his entire Major League career, but he did hit 23 doubles with three triples and stole nine bases.  He was hard to strike out, only whiffing 21 times in 474 plate appearances.  Prothro spent a few more seasons in the minors after his one Red Sox season, only appearing in three games for the Reds in 1926.

CHARLIE GELBERT - 1940

Charlie Gelbert had been the starting shortstop for some very good St. Louis Cardinals teams.  He hit .304 for the 1930 Cardinals who lost the World Series to the A's and then .289 for the 1931 team that beat the A's in the World Series.  Gelbert looked to be a rising star, but then suffered a bad leg injury in a hunting accident that caused him to miss the 1933 and 1934 seasons.  He returned in 1935 but was never the same player again.  He managed to play in the Majors through the 1940 season but bounced from team to team.  He played for Boston for 30 games in the 1940 season and hit just .198/.263/.220, spending most of his time for the Red Sox at third base.  That was his last appearance in the Majors.

KEN KELTNER - 1950

An All Star seven times with the Indians, Ken Keltner was nearing the end of the road by the time he played for the Red Sox.  Keltner had his best season in 1948, just two years before joining the Red Sox, when he hit .297/.395/.522 with 31 home runs and 119 RBIs.  Somehow he was just 14th in the MVP vote that year.  He did not do much in the World Series against the Braves that year though.  Unfortunately, he declined quite a bit the next season and was released by the Indians in April of 1950.  The Red Sox snatched him up that same day to serve as insurance at third for Johnny Pesky.  Keltner played in just 13 games with the Red Sox but hit well with a line of .321/.387/.393 in 32 plate appearances.  He was released in June when Billy Goodman needed a position since he was on his way to the batting title.  Keltner never appeared in the Majors again. 

ED SPRAGUE - 2000

Ed Sprague was one of my little brother's favorite players while with the Blue Jays.  He had a big season in 1996 when he hit .247/.325/.496 with 31 home runs and 101 RBIs.  After eight years with Toronto he started bouncing from team to team.  He was an All Star in 1999 with the Pirates, though that was likely just to give Pittsburgh an All Star.  He hit .267/.352/.465 with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs.  Sprague started the 2000 season with the Padres but was traded to Boston when the Red Sox were desperate for third base help.  He played in 33 games with Boston but hit just .216/.293/.306 with two home runs before being released and finding his way back to San Diego.  He spent one more year in the Majors, with Seattle.

SEAN BERRY - 2000

Another player brought to Boston for third base help in 2000, Sean Berry played in all of one game with the Red Sox.  Berry began his career with the Kansas City Royals in the early 1990's, then got his first real success with the Montreal Expos in 1993.  He was a solid player for several years with the Expos and Houston Astros.  He was a steady defensive player who hit over .300 twice and typically homered around 15 times a season.  The Brewers signed him as a free agent after the 1998 season but he was a disappointment and was released in 2000.  Boston picked him up and he played in just one game, striking out twice in four plate appearances.  That was the end of his Major League career.  Interestingly, Berry was drafted by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 1984 draft, but did not sign.

SHANE ANDREWS - 2002

Another third-baseman who rose to prominence with the Expos in the 1990's, Shane Andrews had some big-time power.  He hit 25 home runs for Montreal in 1998, but struck out 137 times and hit just .238/.314/.455.  He hit 86 home runs in his career, 67 with the Expos and 19 with the Cubs.  After a rough 2000, Andrews spent the 2001 season with Memphis in the Cardinals organization.  Boston signed him in 2002, but he spent most of the season with Pawtucket, and hit 22 home runs.  He was called up to Boston for seven games but hit .077 in 15 plate appearances and never made the Majors again.

ADRIAN BELTRE - 2010

After his career had seemingly stalled while with the Mariners, Adrian Beltre signed a one-year make-good contract with the Red Sox in 2010 and definitely succeeded.  Beltre had some impressive seasons early in his career followed by a superstar 2004 season with the Dodgers when he led the National League with 48 home runs and hit .334/.388/.629.  He finished second in the league in the MVP vote.  He then signed a huge free agent contract with the Mariners and played well, but nowhere near as well as had been expected.  He did win a couple of Gold Gloves.  Beltre resurrected his career in Boston by hitting .321/.365/.553 with 28 home runs and 102 RBIs and led the league in doubles with 49.  He was an All Star and won the Silver Slugger.  Unfortunately Boston did not make much effort to re-sign him, particularly after acquiring Adrian Gonzalez and he joined the Rangers on a free agent contract where he has been putting together Hall of Fame type numbers.  Beltre is still active and there is a chance he could return to Boston, but it is not likely.

DANNY VALENCIA - 2012

There has never been any question about Danny Valencia's power.  He hit 15 home runs in his first full season with the Twins and has hit double digits in home runs in each of the last two seasons.  But Valencia has been a pretty bad defensive third-baseman and has spent a lot of time at designated hitter.  Valencia burst onto the scene in 2010 and finished third in the Rookie of the Year vote, despite playing just 85 games.  The Red Sox picked him up in a trade in 2012 to add a little power.  He played in just ten games with Boston, but did hit a home run.  After the season, the Orioles took a flyer and he has bounced around ever since, most recently hitting 17 home runs with Oakland in 2016.  Valencia is still active.

RYAN ROBERTS - 2014

Ryan Roberts had a few decent seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks mostly as a utility player.  Roberts had his best season in 2011 as the starting third-baseman when he hit .249/.341/.427 with 19 home runs and 65 RBIs.  He also stole 18 bases.  Roberts started the next season with Arizona but was traded to Tampa Bay close to the trading deadline.  He started the 2014 season with the Red Sox after signing as a free agent just prior to the start of the season.  He only played eight games with the Red Sox, all at third before being released.  He hit just .105/.227/.105 with just two hits.  He has not been in the Majors since and retired after the 2015 season.

AARON HILL - 2016

This is really just a prediction as Hill finished the 2016 season with the Red Sox, but he was granted free agency and did not really produce much, so I do not expect him to be back in 2017.  Hill had some big power as a second-baseman with the Blue Jays early in his career.  In 2009 he hit .286/.330/.499 with 36 home runs and 108 RBIs.  He has won two Silver Slugger Awards in his career.  He declined a little but came back with the Diamondbacks to hit 26 home runs in 2012.  He became primarily a third-baseman in 2016 with the Brewers and was traded to the Red Sox before the trading deadline.  In 47 games with the Red Sox, Hill hit .218/.287/.290 with two home runs and nine RBIs.  He has yet to sign a contract with any team for the 2017 season so there is a small chance he could be back in Boston, but I doubt it.

THE BEST ONE-YEAR THIRD-BASEMAN

It is not even close.  Beltre is not just the best third base one-year wonder, he is one of my favorite one-year wonders of all time.  A number of formerly good players played third base for just one season for the Red Sox, but very few of them were really any good for any reasonable amount of time.  Beltre's only halfway reasonable competition was Doc Prothro who hit for a high average, but not much else.  And Beltre's average was higher.  I was very disappointed when Boston did not re-sign Beltre after his terrific 2010 season and even moreso after Adrian Gonzalez did not really pan out as expected.  Beltre was incredible in 2010, winning the Silver Slugger and being named an All Star.  He was a great defensive player as well and was just a lot of fun to watch.  Boston really should have kept him.  Beltre will be in the Hall of Fame some day.

Random Mo Vaughn Mailday

Nothing much here, just a Mo Vaughn insert from Circa.  I had a Derek Jeter card from this same insert set a long time ago but traded it.  This card is interesting because it actually opens up like a book.  Mo Vaughn was one of my favorite players at the time that this card came out, though Nomar Garciaparra was coming on strong.

Another High Tek 'Tek

There are not many Jason Varitek cards I still need out there.  They are getting hard to find, and expensive.  A few Varitek cards were released in 2016, including his appearance in High Tek, with a number of parallels.  Here is the latest:

This is the Diamond Pattern.  There are still a number of other parallels out there.  I have only picked up a few Varitek cards.  I am considering stepping up my efforts on Varitek, but not to an insane degree.  I like having him at #1 in my collection.  He spent his entire Major League career in Boston and was my favorite player for years.  I am proud of my Varitek collection and I love adding to it.  

More David Ross Cards

I recently did a full post on David Ross, one of the more interesting backup catchers in baseball.  Well, I picked up a few cards all at once and I got the other three in recently.

These three cards now have me at 11 David Ross Red Sox cards.  I can't decide which of the two photos I like the best between the 2014 Gypsy Queen and the 2014 Topps Update.  Gypsy Queen features him with the long, scraggly beard and catchers' equipment.  Topps Update has him showing off his 2013 World Championship ring.  Ross only has one other card template with the Red Sox, 2014 Heritage World Series Highlights which features Koji jumping into his arms after recording the last out of the 2013 World Series.

Year in Review

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I did not make any goals for 2016 other than to take cards off of my wantlist and get cards of Jason Varitek.  I am up to 896 Jason Varitek cards right now and I knocked off a few cards from my wantlist.

I made some progress off of my Top 10, which now looks almost entirely different from a year ago.  The following cards were nabbed:

2006 Flair Showcase Hot Gloves J.T. Snow.  This has been the #1 card on my Top 10 Most Wanted for some time now.  I love die-cut inserts like this and this is such a random player choice, especially for the Red Sox.

2012 Panini Cooperstown Bronze History Herb Pennock.  I love the fact that Pennock's Hall of Fame plaque features a Red Sox cap.  It is likely a mistake, Pennock had some good years in Boston, but his best were clearly with the Yankees.  

2014 Topps World Series Champion Relic Felix Doubront.  I just wanted one of these cards which are ridiculously priced for relics.  I chose Doubront, who was one of my favorite Unknown Heroes around that time and because he was cheaper.  I do love the fact that this is a patch card.

1996 Donruss Diamond Kings Mo Vaughn.  The Diamond Kings have always been one of my favorite subsets/insert sets.  I liked the controversial selections and the artwork.  Vaughn was not a controversial selection as he was coming off of an MVP season, but I still wanted to get all of the Diamond Kings cards for Boston.

2005 MLB Showdown Trading Deadline Matt Mantei.  This card was on my Top 10 because there were so few cards out there of Mantei with the Red Sox.  Mantei was not good with the Red Sox, but other than this card, all he had out there was a Topps Total card.  Man, I miss Topps Total.

2015 Panini Prizm Signatures Camo Alexi Ogando.  I did not necessarily want the Camo version, I just wanted one of the Ogando autographs.  He does not have many cards with the Red Sox either.  In fact, it is just this one and the 2015 Topps Update.  And this is his only auto.

2015 Panini Prizm Fresh Faces Red White & Blue Heath Hembree.  Similar to the Ogando, I just wanted a version of this card.  This is, to date, Hembree's only Red Sox card.  I do expect that to change next year after the year he had in 2016.

2016 Topps Archives Signatures Carlos Baerga.  I was very excited for Archives Signature, mostly because of the inclusion of Sandy Alomar Jr. buyback autographs.  But I also discovered a couple of Red Sox players without many autograph cards out there.  Baerga was the most interesting to me, and this is a terrific autographed version of his 2003 Heritage card.

2013 Panini Hometown Heroes Curt Schilling SP.  I loved this set.  It would have been better with an MLB license, but a lot of players who have not gotten cards in awhile appeared in the set.  I had most of the regular base cards but was missing the short-printed Schilling card.

2011 Topps Heritage Peter Bourjos/Ryan Kalish/Daniel Nava/Chris Heisey/Logan Morrison.  This is a short-printed card featuring headshots of a number of rookie outfielders.  Ryan Kalish had a lot of talent, but never did much, due to injuries.  Daniel Nava was an underrated favorite of mine.

PACK PULL OF THE YEAR

This was not the greatest of years for pack pulls.  I pulled the Chrome Refractor of David Ortiz from this year's Heritage.  It is the only serial-numbered Red Sox card I pulled all year.  There were a few parallels and low-end inserts but this was the best.  Ortiz of course had a terrific year in his last Major League season.

I will once again not make any specific goals for my Red Sox collection.  I would like to work out a super trader group so if anyone wants in, please let me know.  I would also like to be more involved in the blogging community and be more generous.  I feel kind of separated from a lot of people.  I work out the occasional trade with other bloggers, but the vast majority of my trading is done on the forums.  

Wantlist Hits from Puerto Rico

I recently worked out a trade with a forum member in Puerto Rico.  That trade led to a lot of cards being deleted from my wantlist:

1.  Jeff Suppan.  Suppan spent two stints with the Red Sox.  He came up as a highly regarded starter.  After a 7-3 season in 1997 (5.69 ERA), he was left unprotected in the expansion draft and selected by the Diamondbacks.  He returned in a bad trade with the Pirates in 2003.  All told, he was 12-10 with a 5.87 ERA for the Red Sox.  Not good.

2.  Iggy Suarez.  This was the last 2008 Bowman Prospect card I needed.  Suarez never made it to the Majors, though he did make it to Pawtucket.  He could just never hit.

3.  Hanley Ramirez.  I have mentioned before that I collected Hanley Ramirez quite a bit when he was first getting Red Sox cards in 2003.  His trade after just two games with Boston was a disappointment.  He is back now though and he had an excellent season in 2016.

4.  Ted Williams.  This is the 65th Anniversary insert card of Ted Williams.  It would be great to have the 1954 Topps Williams, but not likely.

5.  Ted Williams.  Unfortunately this is a duplicate.

6.  Jon Lester.  This is the purple chrome refractor of 2014 Topps Heritage.  Lester will be remembered for his time in Boston, which consisted of winning the clinching game of the 2007 World Series, throwing a no-hitter, and being the top pitcher on the 2013 World Championship team.  His trade to the Oakland Athletics for Yoenis Cespedes eventually worked out as Boston moved Cespedes to Detroit for last year's Cy Young Award Winner Rick Porcello.

7.  Will Middlebrooks.  This came out at a time when Middlebrooks still had a lot of promise.  He always had power, but he had massive holes in his swing and was a limited defensive player.  He just wasn't good enough to overcome his flaws.

8.  David Ortiz.  The Ortiz cards have slowed down now that he is no longer with the team, but he is still in a fight with Pedro Martinez for #3 in my collection.

9.  Nomar Garciaparra.  This card celebrates Nomar's first career home run in just his second Major League game on September 1, 1996.  I fully expect that Nomar may eventually overcome Jason Varitek for the largest player in my Red Sox collection.  He is just 20 cards behind and there are a lot more Nomar cards out there that I need than Varitek cards.

10.  Bob Montgomery.  I have talked a lot about backup catchers lately.  Monty was a good one as Carlton Fisk's primary backup.  Expect a post about him soon.

11.  Rick Wise.  Wise led the team in wins in 1975 AL pennant-winning team when he was 19-12 with a 3.95 ERA.

My First '56

I spend a lot of time reading other peoples' blogs.  One of my favorites is Night Owl, who has an affinity for 1956 Topps cards.  Well, for some reason I did not own a single 1956 Topps card in my Red Sox collection.  That is not massively surprising.  It has only been within the last five or so years that I have really started collecting vintage cards.  So I was wasting time on Ebay one day last week and I came across a seller listing some 1956 Red Sox cards (among other teams I assume), for some low prices.  I snagged this one for just over a buck:

This is Mickey Vernon, who had a long and successful career, mostly with the Washington Senators.  He won two batting titles with Washington and also led the league in doubles twice.  He was an All Star seven times.  He was in his first season with the Red Sox in 1956 after being acquired in a multi-player deal.  Vernon had a good season in 1956 hitting .310/.403/.511 with 15 home runs and 84 RBIs.  He was an All Star that season.  Unfortunately, he declined significantly in 1957 with Boston and was placed on waivers.  He bounced around a little after that.

All in all, I am rather pleased with my first 1956 Topps card.  I can definitely see the appeal.  This Vernon was one of the cards that I wanted most from the set, but all of the cards are currently on my want list.