#301 Shane Victorino

#301 Shane Victorino

First impression of what’s going on: At first glance you might think Shane Victorino is trying to steal a home run. But that yellow line on the wall behind him is the foul marker and he’s going a ball that pushed foul. It doesn’t look good as far as making the catch because he is out of room and the ball is not in the picture. I like how none of the Boston fans are interfering with the play. That home team crowd knows what’s up.

BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 4: Shane Victorino #18 of the Boston Red Sox leaps over the right field wall in foul territory while missing a pop fly in front of a young fan during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 4, 2013 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: After looking at the source photo, the ball does look catchable but the caption claims it was not caught. And after zooming a bit out, we do see a young Red Sox fan sticking his cap out to try and catch the ball too, but I’m not sure how much he would have actually interfered. With no out recorded, the BOXSCORE won’t be much help but let’s see how Victorino did overall anyway.

The Red Sox came away winners, 4-0.

Victorino had two hits, including an RBI single in the 6^th inning.

We do see most of the Nike swooshes on his shoes as he’s flying through the air.

And I’m pretty sure these are sunglasses.

There are several fans although I wouldn't call any of them notable. Maybe if that kid reaching out his hat had made the card and not just his hat.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: On 5/11/2003, Shane entered as a pinch-runner, and stole second and third.

Victorino was a rookie with the San Diego Padres. I don't think I knew that. I've mostly associated him with the Phillies. That May 11^th game was the 30^th of Victorino's career and up to that point had only a few meaningless hits and RBIs.

With the Padres down by one with one out in the top of the 9^th, Victorino entered as a pinch runner when pinch-hitter Dave Hansen drew a walk. As noted in the rookie fact, he steals second and third, still with one out. Unfortunately, Victorino gets stranded there as the game ends when the next two batters can't drive him.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #301

Player Name: Shane Victorino

Team: Boston Red Sox

Position: Outfield

Game Date: August 4, 2013

Opponent: Arizona Diamondbacks

Stadium: Fenway Park

Division: American League East

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 4-0, Red Sox over the Diamondbacks, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No.

Bats/Throws: Both/Right

Birthdate: 11/30/1980

Birthplace: Hawaii

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Jared Wickerham

Niche collections this card could fit into: Free Advertising, League Leader in Italics, Sunglasses

My Grade: When I first saw the card I thought it was pretty cool. Then I thought it may be coasting on the Victorino’s attempt. I have nothing against the Red Sox but I seemed to be looking for ways to give this card less than an A. I almost missed the Nike logos and sunglasses. Despite not making the catch, it is an amazing shot, so it gets it’s A.

#329 Matt Holliday

#329 Matt Holliday

First impression of what’s going on: Looks like Matt Holliday has the beat on a fly ball hit his way. I don’t know much about photography, but I can only imagine the lens needed to get an image that clear from the distance this had to be taken from. Probably one of those that are the size of Prince Fielder’s thigh. Holliday is listed as an outfielder but I believe he plays left field more often than not. So the photographer was probably in/near the first base dugout. Crazy.

ST. LOUIS, MO - JUNE 1: Matt Holliday #7 of the St. Louis Cardinals catches a fly ball against the San Francisco Giants in the seventh inning during game one of a doubleheader at Busch Stadium on June 1, 2013 in St. Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals beat the Giants 8-0. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: The caption gives us just about every piece of information we’d need about the play. The only thing missing is the batter, but hopefully narrowing it down to the 7^th inning is enough help. Let’s go to the BOXSCORE.

Always nice to shutout the defending World Champions. And for the record, the Cardinals swept the double header by beating the Giants in Game 2, 7-1.

Luckily, there was only one flyball to left field in the 7^th inning and the batter was Nick Noonan.

In addition to being a good photo, the card fits into a couple of niches.

First up, Holliday is another one wearing sunglasses as an accessory instead of eye protection.

We get a sneak peak at a Nike logo on his shoe for some Free Advertising.

The Cardinals wore alternate jerseys for both games in the double header.

And lastly, I don’t actually collect cards of guys named Matt (my name), but I know some people collect cards of people with their names. Holliday is the second player to join the Players Named Matt niche.

I see Bob Gibson peaking but he doesn’t get a cameo appearance.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Matt was the third Colorado Rockies rookie ever to hit a grand slam, 6/12/2004.

I did a quick search but aside from searching every rookie from every season to see if they hit  grand slam, I couldn't find the other two. I did find a game recap where Nolan Arenado hit one as a rookie last season. There was no mention in the article that he was the first Rockies rookie to do it since…so and so did it. Oh well.

Before I forget, tying this card to A-Rod’s card from yesterday is the red text designating a league leader.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #329

Player Name: Matt Holliday

Team: St. Louis Cardinals

Position: Outfield

Game Date: June 1, 2013

Opponent: San Francisco Giants

Stadium: Busch Stadium

Division: National League Central

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 8-0, Cardinals over the Giants, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes, alternate

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Birthdate: 1/15/1980

Birthplace: Oklahoma

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Dilip Vishnawat

Niche collections this card could fit into: League Leader in Italics, Alternate Jersey, Sunglasses, Free Advertising, Players Named Matt, Unnecessary Censorship

My Grade: I don’t really hate the Cardinals, but I toe the company line when it comes to the Cubs-Cardinals rivalry. Holliday, however, has been on my s-list since this incident a couple years back.

That said, this is pretty nice card. Despite the miscrop by Topps, it hit several niches. I can’t justify giving it any lower than an A aside from my bias.

#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.

#15 Paul Goldschmidt

#15 Paul Goldschmidt

First impression of what’s going on: It looks like Paul Goldschmidt definitely just hit a bomb, but it’s hard to tell from his reaction whether it cleared the fence or is going to end up in the outfielder's glove. It may look like a simple follow through, but I agree with whoever collects the cards with nameplates and/or the jersey number from the player’s back. This one is pretty cool looking. And not to mention, it is a heck of an accomplishment by the photographer to capture it mid-action when you have a long name like Goldschmidt.

SAN DIEGO, CA - MAY 03: Paul Goldschmidt #44 of the Arizona Diamondbacks plays during a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on May 3, 2013 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Hmmm, another game at Petco Park. Between the Padres and Rockies, they seem to be involved in a lot of the cards I’ve featured so far. But before you think the Padres are what link yesterday's card to today's, I had no idea the Padres were the opponent when I selected it. So stayed tuned for the connection.

You know what? I was so impressed with the nameplate thing, I didn’t even really notice the tight cropping on the photo for the card. I don’t even mind that the right arm is missing as much as I could have used a little bit more space to the left of the bat. Nitpicky, I know. Especially when I’ve already praised the photo used.

There’s no clarification as to whether this was a home run or even the outcome of the game, so let’s go to the BOXSCORE.

Looks like the Padres held off a late rally by the Diamondbacks. Let’s see if Goldschmidt tried to play the one man hero like Everth Cabrera did yesterday.

Eh. No RBI’s or runs, so this photo wasn’t of a home run like I originally thought. So it’s either his “regular” hit or his out, as its unlikely with his eye line that it’s a foul ball during one of his walks.

He walked in the first, stole second base but was stranded there.

Ouch. In third, he hit a bloop to right field that was caught and then Martin Prado was doubled off first. That doesn’t look like the eye line of a bloop. Or to right field. Hope that’s not it.

He walked again in the fifth only to get caught in an inning ending double play by the next batter.

Finally in the 8^th inning, Goldschmidt singled with a line drive to center field. It is still doesn’t look like the eye line of a single, but it definitely looks like a center field shot. Guess it wasn’t definitely a bomb like I declared earlier.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Paul’s late tie-breaking triple on 9/23/11 clinched the NL West Division.

On one hand, that’s kind of cool, especially for a rookie. There was probably some champagne flowing the locker room and everybody was having a good time. On the other, here are the standings before the game:

The Diamondbacks had a 6 game lead so it’s not like they clinched on the last day of the season or against the second place Giants. And the hit wasn’t a walk-off or anything. Maybe that’s just the jaded Cubs fan in me, because I would certainly celebrate any time the Cubs clinched. I mean, it's not like the Giants were the defending World Series champions and future 2012 world champs.....oh....

And Goldschmidt only played 48 games in 2011, so maybe that was the highlight of his rookie season.

As opposed to 2013. Finally we get to the connection to yesterday’s card, the red font reading League Leader in Italics, ◊.

Not only was Goldschmidt an All-Star and Silver Slugger winner for 1^st Base, he led the NL in RBIs, Slugging and OPS, while tying for Home Runs. And he got exactly 0 first place MVP votes. What?!?

Sure, he ended up in second place (behind Andrew McCutchen), but not a single 1^st place vote? It’s not like McCutchen was a unanimous selection. Yadier Molina got two first place votes and ended up in third place. I live in Virginia, but even I’m shouting East Coast Bias on this one. The Diamondbacks must have been worse as a team than I remembered last year.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #15

Player Name: Paul Goldschmidt

Team: Arizona Diamondbacks

Position: First Base

Game Date: May 3, 2013

Opponent: San Diego Padres

Stadium: Petco Park

Division: National League West

Home/Away: Away

Outcome of the game: 7-6, Padres over the Diamondbacks, Loss for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Birthdate: 9/10/1987

Birthplace: Delaware

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Denis Poroy

Niche collections this card could fit into: Nameplate, League Leader in Italics

My Grade: There aren't a lot of niches for this card but I’m still impressed by the nameplate thing. Maybe I feel a little bad for him because he missed out on some MVP voting too, because I going to give this card a B+.

#280 Everth Cabrera

Yesterday, I mentioned how much I appreciate a dirty jersey. Playing hard and sacrificing the body to get the job done. I scrolled through the file folder of 2014 Topps cards until I came upon this gem.

#280 Everth Cabrera

First impression of what’s going on: Everth Cabrera has just slid into, I’m pretty sure, third base. He’s either arguing the call and telling the umpire how safe he was or he is caught mid celebratory clap. It could be a stolen base or a triple or maybe just a close play. The cropping is pretty good. Any tighter and we wouldn't have been able to see the base and for all we know, it would have just been Cabrera telling us how big the fish was he caught.

SAN DIEGO, CA-APRIL13: Everth Cabrera #2 of the San Diego Padres claps after sliding into third base with a triple against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park on April 13, 2013 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Andy Hayt/SanDiego Padres/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: We have another early season photo, this one in mid-April. The photographer didn't leave Topps much room to super crop, so the photo isn't much different than the card. Like I tell my barber, just a little off the sides and top. The caption confirms a triple but nothing of the score so let's head over to the BOXSCORE.

Looks like the Padres suffered a few rough innings early and ran short of outs to catch up. But not for lack of trying on Cabrera part.

Four hits, two runs and two RBIs.

He led off the bottom of the first the pictured triple and later scored on a sacrifice fly.

In the third, he had an RBI single. Too bad he ended the inning by being caught stealing. Third base. I swear my theory on him explaining to the umpire how far he was safe came before I looked at the boxscore. I pretty much write these as I research them and always do my “first impression” by just looking at the card. Luckily the caption already clarified that this was after his triple or else we’d have a dilemma on our hands.

After a ground out in the fifth, Cabrera bounced back with a solo home run in the 7^th. C’mon, teammates! He can only knock in those of you who get on base! I guess I just been J. Baker because Venable already cleared the bases himself.

And finally, in the 9^th, he tried to start another rally with a one out single before Chirs Denorfia ended the game with a double play. For those of you keeping track, that’s a double short of the cycle for Cabrera, something no Padre has ever done. How much did you miss it by, Everth?

That much.

If I knew Petco Park a little better, I could probably tell you what the sign behind Cabrera said. Fortunately for the Free Advertising collectors, Cabrera is sporting a Nike swoosh on his undershirt.

And since we’re in Petco Park, and Cabrera is not wearing the typical white colored jersey of the home team, this must be an alternate jersey, correct?

Correct. This is one of two alternate uniform the Padres sported in 2013, along with their Sunday camo jerseys.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Everth was the first Padres rookie to hit a walk-off grand slam.

Just about every young ballplayer has pretended at one point or another to be at the plate in the bottom of the 9^th, two outs, down by three and hitting a walk-off grand slam. On August 7, 2009, Everth Cabrera almost lived that dream. His Padres weren't down by three and there weren't any outs but it's still pretty awesome to come up that big, especially as a rookie.

As to the aforementioned “dream” feat (walk-off situation, two outs, down by three), that has only happened fifteen times in the hundreds of thousands of games in MLB history. It has happened twelve other times with either one or zero outs for a total of twenty seven walk-off grand slams with the team down by three. Source: Baseball Almanac

Knowing that every team gets at least one player onto the All-Star team, the first part of the last sentence in the blurb makes you think he was the token Padre. But the second half lets you know he deserved it. Those are some impressive half season stats.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #280

Player Name: Everth Cabrera

Team: San Diego Padres

Position: Shortstop

Game Date: April 13, 2013

Opponent: Colorado Rockies

Stadium: Petco Park

Division: National League West

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 9-5, Rockies over Padres, Loss for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes, alternate

Bats/Throws: Both/Right

Birthdate: 11/17/1986

Birthplace: Nicaragua

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Andy Hayt

Niche collections this card could fit into: League Leader in Italics, Switch Hitter, Dirty Jersey, Alternate Jersey, Free Advertising, Celebration

My Grade: No doubter, A+. Good photography, catching a great moment. Good crop. Lots of niches. The player had a great game. The rookie fact was interesting. And I didn't even go into the red text on the back touting his League Leader status. Nice job all around.

#192 Pedro Alvarez

#192 Pedro Alvarez

First impression of what’s going on: I’m as big a fan of horizontally laid out cards as it gets, but in my opinion, this one probably could have been your standard vertical card. The crowd shot would have been cool if everybody was on their feet, pumping fists and whatnot, but some of them hadn't gotten the memo yet that Alvarez just launched one. That’s what I’m guessing happened anyway.

PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 03: Pedro Alvarez #24 of the Pittsburgh Pirates bats against the Philadelphia Phillies during the game on July 3, 2013 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: After my last post had a most informative caption, we have the other end of the spectrum with one of the least. No final score, no inning, nothing even noting a home run. We've got the two teams and the date but I guess that’s good enough to find the BOXSCORE.

A two-out rally was squashed in the 9^th and the Pirates were able to hang on for the victory.

With no indication of the inning for the Alvarez photo, I’ll go to the inning recap and see how he did in each at-bat.

Alvarez leads off the second with a single but gets stranded at third despite the Pirates loading the bases with no outs. I don’t think too many players would watch a single like this so I’m going to say this is probably not the at-bat featured.

Second at-bat, Alvarez strikes out swinging. Unless he’s watching a jumbotron replay of the pitch that got by him, I doubt it is this at-bat either.

Following three straight singles in the bottom of the fifth, Alvarez hit a three run home run to deep CF-RF, breaking the 1-1 tie. I think we have a winner.

Just to be sure, in the bottom of the 6^th inning, Alvarez struck out swinging again.

The black Pirates jersey is listed as an alternate jersey.

So much for being an alternate. Of the 7 different uniforms the Pirates wore in 2013, they wore this one the most.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Pedro drove in a run in seven straight games, August 4-11, 2010.

I think it’s pretty good to get into seven straight games as a rookie, let alone drive in a run. And not only did he drive a run, but in two of those games, he drove in three.

I was only somewhat familiar with the ESPN Home Run Tracker (Free Advertising, on the back!) so I decided to look a little more into it. After finding Pedro Alvarez’s page, there are some neat statistical breakdowns. A scatter plot of his home runs. A list of all of his NL leading 36 home runs with info on the opposing pitcher, ballpark, inning, distance and a ton of other stuff.

Here's how they breakdown each of the three types of home runs.

Now, I’ll admit that even before the steroid era, I was more of a fan of small ball than home run power, but this kind of statistical analysis leaves me downright giddy. There are even video links for each one and here is the video from the home run depicted on the card.

Sorry, the embedding didn't work. Here's a link instead.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #192

Player Name: Pedro Alvarez

Team: Pittsburgh Pirates

Position: Third Base

Game Date: July 3, 2013

Opponent: Philadelphia Phillies

Stadium: PNC Park

Division: National League Central

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 6-5, Pirates over Phillies

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes

Bats/Throws: Left/Right

Birthdate: 2/6/1987

Birthplace: Dominican Republic

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Justin K. Aller

Niche collections this card could fit into: Alternate Jersey, Horizontal, League Leader in Italics, Free Advertising (ESPN), Former First Round Draft Pick, Partial Southpaw

My Grade: This card has a lot going for it. It led me to some great nerdy statistics. Funny enough, the one thing holding it back from getting an A+ is something I generally give bonus points for, the horizontal layout. As I mentioned, this would have looked much better as a vertical card, and I don’t say that lightly. It still gets a solid A, which is a pretty good grade for a NL Central, non-Cub card.