#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

#88 Oswaldo Arcia

I’m not sure what happened to yesterday’s post but here it is. I like to blame Blogger, but I think this one was my fault as I went in to make a quick edit and didn’t republish it. Oh well.

#88 Oswaldo Arcia

First impression of what’s going on: It looks like Oswaldo Arcia has just hit a home run and is coming around second base. I might even go so far as to suggest it might be a walk-off the way he is celebrating. Although as someone who didn’t break 100 pounds until my junior year of high school and was your typical small, leadoff lefty that might bunt for a base hit, if I ever hit a home run, it would be celebrated like that.

For all I know, it could just be a “regular” walk-off hit or something else worth celebrating. Maybe Arcia isn’t a very good runner and just really needs some oxygen.  But I digress. Let’s stop the speculating and see what really happened.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 4: Oswaldo Arcia #31 of the Minnesota Twins rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the game on August 4, 2013 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Ok, so it was a home run. But no mention of a walk-off or even the final score. The umpire in the background looks like he is signaling an out and if I hadn't read the caption, I could have speculated that Arcia was robbed on the play and that was his “I can’t believe that just happened” face. But realistically, the umpire is probably making the circular motion to signify the home run.

Let’s check out the BOXSCORE and see what was worth celebrating.

If it was one of the two early runs, the celebrating might be excessive. If it was the tie breaker in the 7^th, that’s more acceptable. The win probability goes up significantly that late in the game, even with just one run.

So it was in the bottom of the 7^th, giving the visiting Astros just 6 more outs to come back. And if you know the Astros, that’s not likely to happen any more than if it was my Cubbies.

The home run was the top play of the game, changing the probability by a game high 21%.

Tying this card to yesterday’s is the Twins’ use of their alternate jersey for this game.

I think I spy an Under Armour logo on Arcia’s batting  glove but it’s too inconclusive to give credit.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Oswaldo was the 1^st under-22 Twins player since Francisco Liriano in 2005.

I thought I remembered Joe Mauer being younger but when I looked him up, he apparently started before that. Where the time gone that Joe Mauer is 10-year veteran!? And if I had just read ahead to the blurb, I would have seen Mauer mentioned as playing in 2004.

I didn't think Arcia being in the 2013 set so I was a little confused that this wasn't his rookie card. But then I remembered I never finished the Update set and sure enough, he’s one of the handful I need. (And that’s a great looking card, too!)

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #88

Player Name: Oswaldo Arcia

Team: Minnesota Twins

Position: Outfield

Game Date: August 4, 2013

Opponent: Houston Astros

Stadium: Target Field

Division: American League Central

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 3-2, Twins over the Astros, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes, Alternate

Bats/Throws: Left/Right

Birthdate: 5/9/1991

Birthplace: Venezuela

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Hannah Foslien

Niche collections this card could fit into: Alternate Jersey, Partial Southpaw, Celebration

My Grade: This is another one of those cards that I want to like a lot even though it doesn’t fall into very many niches. I didn’t even mention the close crop and even though that’s starting to become so normal, don’t think I didn’t notice. That said, I’m going to give this card a B+. Solid photo with a good story behind it. Plus, it reminded me to finish the 2013 Update set, haha.

#47 Baseball Highlights - Chris Davis

There are three active players in Series One alone that were born on St. Patrick's day, but only one that I could tie to the last card I did (Paul Goldschmidt) to keep the streak alive.

#47 Baseball Highlights - Chris Davis

First impression of what’s going on: There are five cards in this sub-series of Baseball Highlights, all of which are are horizontally oriented.If not for the long caption telling us what the highlight was, there really isn't a need for this photo to be used horizontally. And I say that as an admitted fan of horizontal cards. It seems to match up with the theme of the card though, as it looks like Chris Davis has hit one of his pre-All-Star break home runs. There's just too much dead space on either side of him.

Baltimore Orioles' Chris Davis (19) hits a 2-run homer against the Colorado Rockies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. Orioles won, 7-2. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun/MCT via Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: This is the first caption I've had so far that didn't give me the actual date of the game. Luckily, it was an interleague game against the Colorado Rockies and not a divisional matchup. With a score, that should make it easier to find which game of the series it was.

The Rockies came to town for a three game series from August 16th-18th. The 7-2 game was played on the 18th. Last time I checked, that was after the All-Star Break. So not only is the photo a bad selection for a horizontal card, it doesn't even depict any part of the highlight it is representing! Not good, Topps. Not good.

Let's take a look at the BOXSCORE anyway.

As we knew, the Orioles won 7-2, but let's see how Chris did. His two-run homer could have come in the third, seventh or eighth.

Not a bad day at the plate, but that's kind of expected when you put up season long numbers by the All-Star Break. In fact, I'm happy if any of the Cubs hit either of those marks by the end of a season.

Davis' home run came in the bottom of the 8th inning though and only added 2% to the Orioles win probability. Mainly because they were already at 97% with a 5-2 lead in the 8th.

We do get some eye black, something we haven't seen much of yet.

And Nike squeezes in yet another appearance with a swoosh on Davis' batting glove.

We also get to see a glimpse of the Earl Weaver tribute patch.

Baltimore Orioles legend, Earl Weaver passed away before the season started and the Orioles wore this patch on their sleeve throughout the season.

On to the back:

Well, there's not much to say about the back. There's no Rookie Fact to break down, or blurb or statistics. Chris Davis was left out of having a base card in Series One, but does appear on two League Leaders cards. I guess the back breakdown will be saved for a Series Two card later this year!

I will say, before I forget, that the small connection I made between this card and Paul Goldschmidt's is hidden here on the back.

See, there's Goldschmidt's card listed as part of the checklist. Small connection just to get Chris Davis posted on his birthday, but it's there! The other two players I mentioned at the very beginning of the post with birthdays today and in Series One are Milwaukee's Jean Segura (#215) and the Mets' Juan Lagares (#304)

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #47

Player Name: Baseball Highlights - Chris Davis

Team: Baltimore Orioles

Position: First Base

Game Date: August 18, 2013

Opponent: Colorado Rockies

Stadium: Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Division: American League East

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 7-2, Orioles over the Rockies, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No

Bats/Throws: Left/Right

Birthdate: 3/17/1986

Birthplace: Texas

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Baltimore Sun

Niche collections this card could fit into: Eye Black, Commemorative Patch, Free Advertising, Horiztonal, Checklist, Baseball Highlights, Partial Southpaw

My Grade: This is a card that for all intents and purposes I should like. It hits a bunch of niche collections, is horizontal, the highlight is impressive. The photo itself isn't bad, but its use here is puzzling. If Topps wanted a horizontally oriented subset, they should have selected a better photo. And one that actually happened during the time frame of the highlight. This one gets my first D. Too many niches to actually fail it. As I usually do for low graded cards, here are a few suitable alternatives.

Ok, maybe not this test shot from photo day, but I thought it was too glorious not to share.

Home opener grand slam celebration? That'll do.

This picture may be a little generic, but I think it represents both home runs and RBIs pretty well (the theme of the card) and is better suited for a horizontal card than the one Topps chose.

Better luck in Series 2 with your base card, Chris, and Happy Birthday!

#317 Lonnie Chisenhall

I think going forward I’ll find something to tie cards together for consecutive posts and then link another card through a different attribute. Kind of a six degrees of Kevin Bacon thing but with cards. Let’s see how long I can keep it going. From Mike Leake (Reds) to Aroldis Chapman (also Reds) to…

#317 Lonnie Chisenhall

First impression of what’s going on: Bringing Chapman and Lonnie Chisenhall together are Throwback uniforms. As much as I like the Reds versions, this Cleveland Indians one is bad. So horrendous, it almost comes back around to glorious. We've got a couple of cameos but I don’t know enough about the Indians or umpires to recognize them. If I had to guess, this is probably a home run but could be just about anything. For the umpire to be where he is, it must be one of those “No Doubters” I mentioned in a previous post. Probably not a walk off though, as the on deck guy isn't jumping around or anything. Surprisingly, this is also one that Topps could have actually cropped a bit tighter.

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 13: Lonnie Chisenhall #8 of the Cleveland Indians runs the bases after hitting a grand slam home run during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on July 13, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Ok, a grand slam. You’d think the on deck guy would be a little more excited! But since the caption didn't give the final score, maybe the Indians were still down by five, even after the grand slam. So let’s check out the BOXSCORE.

Screenshot from Baseball-Reference.com

Nope, it actually quintupled the Indians lead.

Screenshot from Baseball-Reference.com

And as the top play of the game, it raised the probability of the Indians winning by a staggering 21% to 98%. That’s pretty high considering it was only the 6^th inning. That percent would creep back down after the Royals tacked on a few runs, but the end result was an Indians win.

Screenshot from Baseball-Reference.com

A peek at the inning summary shows that after a single, a double and an intentional walk (with two swinging strikeouts mixed in), Chisenhall drilled the first pitch he saw to drive everybody in. This was his first career grand slam.

As for the jersey, Chisenhall and the Indians are sporting the 1902 Indians jersey. This was the only game these were worn this season.

Screenshots from Chris Creamer's Sportslogos.net

Back to the boxscore, I’m concluding that the Indian in the background is Yan Gomes, the #9 hitter in the lineup behind Chisenhall. Any Indians fan care to verify that? Also according to the boxscore, the home plate umpire for the game was Dan Iassoga. The Royals catcher that was cropped out of the card but still shows up in the photo is Salvador Perez.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Though a lefty himself, Lonnie hit five of his seven homeruns off of southpaws.

I guess there’s some sort of statistical analysis about this, but as a lefty myself, I always liked hitting against left handers, too. Between the fact and the blurb there isn't much for me to look into. Oh well. Good thing the front was exciting. But for those curious, a pair of his first seven home runs came off lefty Mark Buehrle in the same game.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #317

Player Name: Lonnie Chisenhall

Team: Cleveland Indians

Position: Third Base

Game Date: July 13, 2013

Opponent: Kansas City Royals

Stadium: Progressive Field

Division: American League Central

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 5-3, Indians over Royals, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes, throwback

Bats/Throws: Left /Right

Birthdate: 10/4/1988

Birthplace: North Carolina

Cameos by: Dan Iassoga, Yan Gomes

Photographer: Jason Miller

Niche collections this card could fit into: Partial Southpaws, Throwback, Cameo, High Socks, Career Milestone (First Grand Slam), Umpire

My Grade: This card is easily one of the best of the Series. It hits several of the bigger niche collections. The questions is, does it deserve an A+? The weak back side is the only thing keeping me on the fence. And to me, an A+ is a “No Doubter” so this card has to settle for merely an A.

#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.