#26 Josh Phegley

#26 Josh Phegley

First impression of what’s going on: Here’s a guy I have never heard of outside of baseball cards. Granted I’m not a big American League guy but I've seen a few White Sox games on WGN when the Cubs aren't on. Phegley’s rookie card is in last year’s Update series.

On this card, he could be launching a bomb or merely flying out, but either way, his eye line looks like it’s headed towards the outfield.

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 26: Josh Phegley #36 of the Chicago White Sox bats against the Houston Astros at U.S. Cellular Field on August 26, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The Astros defeated the White Sox 10-8. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Cropping bats is ok with me, but it’s a little tight at Phegley’s elbow. The caption didn't give much detail about the at bat but let’s see if we can narrow it down with a little help from the BOXSCORE.

We knew the White Sox lost from the caption, but maybe Phegley had a good game?

Pretty good actually. Two hits, two runs, an RBI. Let’s see if we can pin down the photo.

A single to center in the third. That’s a possibility. And he came around to score. What else?

A groundout to shortstop in the fifth. Probably not.

An RBI single to center in the 5-run sixth that led to Phegley scoring another run too.

And finally a flyball to left field. If this was left center, I’d call it a maybe, but his eye line doesn’t say “left field line” to me. So the photo probably comes from one of those two singles from earlier.

Phegley was also involved in what seems to be an interesting double play in that game too, although its hard to tell from just a boxscore interpretation.

It looks like a squeeze play gone wrong for the Astros. With a runner at third and one out, Phegley fields the ball (bunt attempt?), throws to first for the second out. The first baseman, Paul Konerko, then fires home to the pitcher, Andre Rienzo for the third out for the uncommon, 2-3-1 double play.

*EDIT*

After a little search, I found the play on MLB.com. I can't figure out how to embed it but here's the link:

Double Play started by Josh Phegley

So it wasn't a sacrifice attempt, just a weak hit.

Unfortunately for Phegley, there isn’t much to latch onto with this card. No real niches. There’s a partial Astros cameo in the background, but the photo is too blurry to make out who the player is.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Josh threw out 13 runners and picked off two in 64 defensive games.

I couldn’t figure out if Topps was underselling Phegley behind the plate or overselling him so I decided to do a little research myself. How many innings was he behind the plate in these defensive games? Was he a pinch hitter who stayed in for one defensive inning with no runners? Did the White Sox pitchers give up tons of singles and walks last year?

I was actually a little surprised by these numbers. Of his 64 defensive appearances, 47 of them were complete games. That seems like a lot for a backup, but what do I know?

Phegley’s 13 thrown out base runners was good for 30% of the attempts. That seems like a pretty high, or at least decent, percentage to me. Nearly one in three. But again, I’m no expert on the catcher position, so what do I know.

This blurb actually gave a fact and followed up with the others who have done it so I didn’t have to do the research myself. Yay!

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #26

Player Name: Josh Phegley

Team: Chicago White Sox

Position: Catcher

Game Date: August 26, 2013

Opponent: Houston Astros

Stadium: US Cellular Field

Division: American League Central

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 10-8, Astros over the White Sox, Loss for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No.

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Birthdate: 2/12/1988

Birthplace: Indiana

Cameos by: Unknown (Astros)

Photographer: Jonathan Daniel

Niche collections this card could fit into: Former 1^st Round Draft Pick,
 

My Grade: This card isn’t bad. There isn’t much wrong with it at all, just some slight mis-cropping. But there isn’t much great about it either. It is the definition of average. Other than him being a younger player and no options, I don’t know why card manufacturers wouldn’t always showcase a catcher in their gear and/or a play at the plate. And I’m not even a catcher guy.

This card gets a C.

Although not a failing grade, here are some photos from earlier in the season than this one that could have been used to improve it.

A play at the plate where a Cub is safe? Yes!

A double high five with cameos? 

Throwbacks?

Broken Bat?

Celebrations and throwbacks? And a potential horizontal layout ? Ding! Ding! Ding!

Whoops, too many more and Topps might start to feel bad.

#46 Kolten Wong

#46 Kolten Wong

First impression of what’s going on: Well, this card has failure written all over it! Starting with Kolten Wong being a Cardinal and then having him trying for a double play against the Cubs? Blasphemy! All kidding aside though, this is a pretty sharp looking card. Nicely framed.

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 16: Second baseman Kolten Wong #16 of the St. Louis Cardinals throws to first base to complete a double play as Donnie Murphy #8 of the Chicago Cubs slides into second base at Wrigley Field on August 16, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs defeated the Cardinals 7-0. (Photo by Brian D. Kersey/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Wow, look at all that open space. And for once, Topps didn’t over crop. The caption says that Wong is throwing to first base to “complete” a double play but it also says the Cubs won 7-0 so how much do I believe that?  I’m going to have to verify that by taking a look at the BOXSCORE.

The caption was right that the Cubs did indeed win 7-0 so I guess Murphy’s attempt to break up the double play doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things though with that score.

The Cubs grounded into three double plays that day, but only one involved Murphy.

The culprit behind it in this case was shortstop Starlin Castro.

This must have been sweet revenge for Wong as he himself killed a rally by grounding into a double play in the top of the second inning.

I don’t think the Rawlings logo on Wong’s glove is visible enough to count it as Free Advertising. And I don’t remember if I counted any previous MLB logos but there is a clear one between Murphy nameplate on the back of his jersey and his helmet. I guess between the two, I can give him a little credit.

Wong is also sporting the Stan Musial Commemorative patch that I briefly mentioned on Matt Carpenters’s post a few weeks back but didn't really go into.

Hall of Famer Stan Musial passed away in January 2013 and the Cardinals wore the patch all season.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Kolten was the 11^th Cardinals player to make his MLB debut in ’13.

That’s kind of crazy. He wasn’t even the last, as they had one more debut in September.

By comparison, the Cubs, who used a team record 56 players in 2013, only had 6 make their MLB debut. Houston led the Majors with 15 MLB debuts while Colorado, Kansas City and Toronto all had the least with 3. Here’s a link to all 230 players who made their dreams come true last year.

The other two Hilo players mentioned but not named in the blurb are former Dodgers pitcher, Onan Masaoka (1999-2000) and former Tigers, Rangers, Padres and Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Villafuerte (2000-2004).

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #46

Player Name: Kolten Wong

Team: St. Louis Cardinals

Position: Second Base

Game Date: August 16, 2013

Opponent: Chicago Cubs

Stadium: Wrigley Field

Division: National League Central

Home/Away: Away

Outcome of the game: 7-0, Cubs over the Cardinals, Loss for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No.

Bats/Throws: Left/Right

Birthdate: 10/10/1990

Birthplace: Hawaii

Cameos by: Donnie Murphy  (Cubs)

Photographer: Brian D. Kersey

Niche collections this card could fit into: Double Play, Free Advertising, Patch, Former 1^st Round Draft Pick, Rookie Card, Cameo, Partial Southpaw

My Grade: As I mentioned, this is a pretty well laid out card. The crop is good. The action is solid, if not unfavorable to the Cubs. And despite being shown in a poor light here, the Cubs came out victors in the game from which this photo originated. Not every rookie has a decent photo for a card so Wong lucked out here.

It pains me to do this, but I’ll give this card an A. J

#27 Michael Choice

#27 Michael Choice

First impression of what’s going on: I don’t know if the Topps photo selector is from Oakland or what, but it’s going to be hard to argue that the A’s don’t have the best cards in the set this year. Even something as simple as running the bases looks pretty cool in those bright yellow jerseys. This card might not crack the top three from Oakland’s team set but could still beat several of the best cards from other teams.

OAKLAND, CA - SEPTEMBER 02: Michael Choice #35 of the Oakland Athletics runs the bases against the Texas Rangers at O.co Coliseum on September 2, 2013 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: The crop on this one is pretty good. Choice’s entire upper body is in the fram eand Topps made a good choice on where to crop along the bottom. The expression isn't one of exertion so I wonder if this is a home run trot? He is leaning but I don’t know if that means he is running hard or if he’s just about to round third. Let’s go to the BOXSCORE.

An A’s victory is a good sign for Choice. Let’s see how he did at the plate and on the base paths.

Interesting. How often do you see the the DH batting last in the lineup? And batting .000 in a game in September? I know the card says he’s a rookie but I wonder how far into his career this is?

In the bottom of the third, Choice walked but didn't make it past first base.

Choice led off the bottom of the fifth by beating out a ground ball and errant throw from the third baseman. Coco Crisp followed that up with a home run, with Choice being the eventual game winning run. Nice! I’m guessing this is what the photo shows. So I was half right. It was a home run trot, just not Choice’s home run. He would line out in his final at bat.

I already mentioned the A’s bright yellow jerseys, but here is where I confirm they are in fact alternates.

Choice will also get credit for a little Free Advertising by showing off his Mizuno batting gloves and wrist band.

Another niche we haven’t seen in a while that will probably become more prevalent are Tattoos.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Michael was one of 7 UT-Arlington alums to play in the Majors in ’13.

I don’t know what the record would be, but that sounds like a lot. I found an all-time list on Baseball-Reference.com and sorted it by the last year played and came up with 18 players somewhere in pro-ball that came from UT-Arlington. The bolded players below are the seven that played in the Majors.

And then we get to the blurb where it confirms that this September 2, 2013 game featured on the front was indeed his MLB debut, in front of his friends and family. So to recap, in his MLB debut, he walked, hustled on a ground ball which might have caused a hurried, errant throw and would score the game winning run. Not a bad day at the office on any day, let alone a debut.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #27

Player Name: Michael Choice

Team: Oakland A’s

Position: Outfield

Game Date: September 2, 2013

Opponent: Texas Rangers

Stadium: O.co Coliseum

Division: American League West

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 4-2, A’s over the Rangers, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes, alternate

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Birthdate: 11/10/1989

Birthplace: Texas

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Thearon W. Henderson

Niche collections this card could fit into: Former 1^st Round Draft Pick, Alternate Jersey, Free Advertising, Tattoos, MLB Debut, Rookie Card

My Grade: Usually I reserve my A+ grade for “no doubters” where you instantly look at a card and know it’s awesome. For me, this one was an A at first glance. The crop is good, the alternate jersey is cool. The running “pose” is one that isn't quite overdone yet.  I even said it would be the best card on another team. But learning more about it made me like it even more and there’s only one grade higher, an A+.

#289 Matt Thornton

After taking my normal Sunday off from posting to do a little blog maintenance by updating links and such, I’m back today connecting Saturday’s card to today’s through the Players Named Matt Niche. It’s also been a while since I posted anything about the Red Sox. One Jonny Gomes card early on and they haven’t even been an opponent on any of the other cards.

#289 Matt Thornton

First impression of what’s going on: This seems to be a candid shot, taken between pitches. I don’t know if he's getting signs, waiting for the next batter or what. He looks a little tense though. The crop is, as usual, a little too tight.

BOSTON, MA - JULY 20: Matt Thornton #38 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the New York Yankees during the game on July 20, 2013 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Ah, a Red Sox-Yankees rivalry game. That’s probably enough to make you tense. And as a relief pitcher, it’s probably even more pressure. Let’s take a look at the BOXSCORE.

Uh-oh. I don’t know when Thornton came into the game, but it looks like the Red Sox bullpen may have blown this game. Or they left the starter in too long.

Well, Thornton gave up two hits but no runs so that’s good for him.

Oh. Whoops. Looks like he inherited a couple of runners who scored on the two hits that Thornton gave up. And one of them was the eventual game winner.

Despite the not-so-good appearance, Thornton does have a couple of niches going for him, including two instances of free advertising.

He sports the all too common Nike undershirt with the swoosh by his neck. And in the lower left corner we see a pair of Rawlings logos on his glove.

And while the reasons behind a commemorative patch are always sad, Thornton has the Boston Strong patch on his left sleeve.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Matt made his only start, then began a streak of 603 relief outings.

I took this to mean his first appearance was a start and then he was permanently moved to the bullpen. But after seeing this chart on Baseball-Reference I was confused when I saw the total games played.

Although the wording is technically correct in the Rookie Fact, apparently Thornton made two relief appearances before making a start and then moving to the bullpen for good. Not a big deal, just walking you through my process.

And the number 603 stuck out at me because I know it’s right around Mariano Rivera’s record breaking Save total, which made me wonder how many appearances he had to make to get there. Guess I’ll have to wait until I get to his card…

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #289

Player Name: Matt Thornton

Team: Boston Red Sox

Position: Pitcher

Game Date: July 20, 2013

Opponent: New York Yankees

Stadium: Fenway Park

Division: American League East

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 5-2, Yankees over the Red Sox, Loss for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No.

Bats/Throws: Left/Left

Birthdate: 9/15/1976

Birthplace: Michigan

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Jared Wickerham

Niche collections this card could fit into: Former 1^st Round Draft Pick, Free Advertising, Commemorative Patch, Southpaw, Players Named Matt

My Grade: This card hit a couple of niches to give it the collectability factor, but as far as the picture and the story behind it, they’re a little lackluster. I like pictures where the batter isn’t just swinging and the pitcher isn’t just going through the motion, but just standing there isn’t that great either.

I’ll give this one a C+.

#168 Alex Rodriguez

#168 Alex Rodriguez

First impression of what’s going on: Personal feeling about Alex Rodriguez aside, this card is…eh. I’m tying it together with yesterday’s Oswaldo Arcia card through the fist pumping celebration they showcase. But unlike Arcia's, Rodriguez’s card takes place on the defensive side of the ball. He could have just made a play himself or it could be one of those where the game just ended and everybody’s happy. He could have found out he just “passed” another drug test. Without any context from a wider angle shot, I have no clue.

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 22: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees reacts after throwing out Brett Lawrie #13 of the Toronto Blue Jays to end the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium on August 22, 2013 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Wow! We actually get the exact play from the caption. I thought this was going to be an inconclusive photo with a generic caption. Topps did have more room on the right to not crop out A-Rod’s arm but do we expect anything less by now?

An inning ending ground out isn't something normally celebrated like that so let’s check out the BOXSCORE and see if it was a close game or a clutch play.

It was still scoreless and only the fourth inning. Maybe A-Rod really didn't have a lot to celebrate in his life so a ground ball is that important.

According to the inning summary, the Blue Jays had a runner on third and A-Rod’s 3B counterpart, Brett Lawrie hit the ball to weak third base. I guess I can cut A-Rod some slack for celebrating a little because it was a play that if he doesn't make, the Blue Jays get a run and still have a runner at first.

But here’s a plot twist for you.

If I’m interpreting the inning summary correctly, in the bottom half of the inning, A-Rod hits a ball that deflects off the pitcher to Lawrie, who proceeds to throw A-Rod out at first. Without seeing videos of either play, it kind of sounds like Lawrie one-upped him for a little karmic payback.

There’s not much going on in the photo to qualify many other niches. As classic as the Yankees pinstripes are, we don’t get to see anything else on the uniform that make some of the other cards so interesting. Even A-Rod’s arm bands are logo-less, from this angle at least. We do get to see that his glove preference is Rawlings with a small logo peeking out.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Alex was just the third 18-year-old since 1900 to debut as a shortstop.

So I found a list of the youngest player in the league for each year, but it didn't list it by position. And there could be an 18-year-old shortstop that wasn't the youngest in the league so I’m not sure how helpful that is. I’m pretty sure Robin Yount is one of the other two guys, but I’m a little too lazy to look any further.

With A-Rod’s tenure, there's no room for a blurb. We get a lot of red text which is usually pretty good. Unfortunately, most of it should probably have an asterix. And in the words of Forrest Gump, “that’s all I have to say about that.”

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #168

Player Name: Alex Rodriguez

Team: New York Yankees

Position: Third Base

Game Date: August 22, 2013

Opponent: Toronto Blue Jays

Stadium: Yankee Stadium

Division: American League East

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 5-3, Yankees over the Blue Jays, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Birthdate: 7/27/1975

Birthplace: New York

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Jim McIsaac

Niche collections this card could fit into: Celebration, League Leader in Italics, Former 1^st Round Draft Pick

My Grade: Even admitting a slight bias against Alex Rodriguez, I’m not sure I can justify giving more than a B- to this card. Nothing about it excites me. The photo is pretty good, capturing what was probably a fairly quick fist pump after a bang bang play. But the crop isn’t great. The back is full of gaudy stats but I don’t think I have to explain why that’s not impressive either. Meh.