#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+.

#94 Mitch Moreland

Yesterday’s card didn’t leave me much wiggle room in finding a connecting card. I could have gone Marlins but since I connected teams to get to Nicasio, I decided to go with a palette cleansing horizontal card.

#94 Mitch Moreland

First impression of what’s going on: At first glance, this one might look like a generic first baseman’s pose. And to many, it might be kind of boring. I like that you can see the ball just before it arrives in the glove. Many times this would have been vertical card  and the ball cropped out. This is a great example of how cards should be cropped/framed. I like it.

ARLINGTON, TX - MAY 30: Mitch Moreland #18 of the Texas Rangers in action in the interleague game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on May 30, 2013 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Since the card was well-cropped, there isn't much I want to add about the photo. As far as the selection goes, the only thing that could have been better for the viewer is maybe a closer play where the runner is coming into view. No big deal though, still a great shot. And since the caption for the photo doesn't give any detailed information about the play or the final score, let’s go to the BOXSCORE to find out more about the game.

Looks like the Rangers got off to an early big lead before stamping out some late inning Diamondbacks rallies. Even though this card shows Moreland on the defensive side of the ball, let's see if he helped offensively, too.

Not a bad day at the plate, a two run home run and he was hit by a pitch and came around to score on that, too.

And his home run was even one of the top five plays of the game.

Ive mentioned before that I don’t know too much about teams’ jerseys other than the Cubs. I thought Moreland might be wearing an alternate jersey because they were obviously home (check out the Rangers Road Trip sign in the background) but his jersey said Texas and not Rangers across the front. I thought, for the most part, home jerseys said the team nickname while road jerseys bore the name of the city/state from which the team hailed. Apparently, the Texas Rangers are an exception to this rule of thumb.

And speaking of the Rangers Road Trip, does that count towards the Free Advertising niche?

Unfortunately, I’m leaning towards no. Maybe if the website had been a little more in focus. What do you think? I almost missed the subtlety of the Nike logo from his undershirt. Nike has gone subliminal!

Moreland does get credit for wearing sunglasses, even though they are being worn uselessly. And from the brightness of the original Getty photo, it looks like he probably should have had them on his eyes.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Mitch ranked fourth in the 2010 AL rookie class with nine homers.

I ran a quick query over at Fangraphs.com and came up with the list of rookie home run leaders in the AL in 2010.

Even though he is listed as “5^th” Moreland clearly tied for fourth with the Detroit Tigers’ Don Kelly. But when you look at how many fewer games and plate appearances it took Moreland to reach his numbers than any of the other top players, it is much more impressive.

Moreland’s blurb mentions her interest in pitching. I wonder if we’ll ever get to see him as a late game, inning eater in a blow out or extra inning affair.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #94

Player Name: Mitch Moreland

Team: Texas Rangers

Position: First Base

Game Date: May 30, 2013

Opponent: Arizona Diamondbacks

Stadium: Rangers Ball Park in Arlington

Division: American League West

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 9-5, Rangers over the Diamondbacks, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No

Bats/Throws: Left/Left

Birthdate: 9/6/1985

Birthplace: Mississippi

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: R. Yeatts

Niche collections this card could fit into: Horizontal, Southpaws, Sunglasses, Free Advertising

My Grade: I really like this card. The look of concentration, great angle, ball in the photo, great crop. All the makings of an A card. An alternate/throwback jersey or maybe the runner as a cameo would have pushed it over the top to an A+. Still a great card though.

#73 Kyle Seager

In honor of the Super Bowl yesterday I thought I’d show some baseball representatives from the areas involved. First up from the Seattle Mariners, I have Kyle Seager.

#73 Kyle Seager

First impression of what’s going on: Good action shot, though not great. I’d call it a play at the plate even though it doesn’t appear to be close with the catcher jumping to make the play. I’m going to go out on a shaky, thin limb and say Seager was safe. A couple of cameos I’ll have to try to figure out.

SEATTLE, WA - APRIL 14: Kyle Seager #15 of the Seattle Mariners scores on a single by Jesus Montero as catcher Geovany Soto #8 of the Texas Rangers takes the throw in the sixth inning at Safeco Field on April 14, 2013 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners defeated the Rangers 4-3. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo:  Another pretty self-explanatory photo. Surprise isn't the right word for it, but I found it interesting that Geovany Soto was the catcher. Former Cubs isn't a real niche collection of mine but I do point them out when I see them during Repack Breaks on my other blog, Once aCub… and will be tracking appearances even if its just his butt. 

The caption gives a little more detail, like who hit the ball, but let’s go to the BOXSCORE to see if we can find out some more information.

Looks like the Mariners took the lead for good in the sixth inning when this picture was supposedly taken. Was this a game-winning run? Let’s go a little deeper and look at the inning summary.

Ok, so not the game winner, but Seager started the rally with a one-out double. He then scored on the Jesus Montero single to right field that resulted in the photo above. In the background, Montero is advancing to second on the throw home. Baseball-Reference also has a chart that shows the top plays of the game. Montero's RBI single tops the list for this game.

In my baseball experience, a ball hit to right field has the second baseman as the cutoff man. With the positioning of the photo, the blurry Ranger could very well be keystoner, Leury Garcia. Any Rangers fans out there that can help me ID the Rangers fielder and the other one in the photo that got cropped out of the photo on the left?

On to the back:

 

Rookie Fact: Kyle was the first Seattle rookie to go 4-for-4 with 3 XBHS, 8/24/2011.

There may have been a rookie to go 4-for-4 but without the extra base hits or one that had three extra base hits but not a perfect 4-for-4. But even with the qualifiers, this is still a pretty impressive feat. In case you were curious, I’ve tracked down the BOXSCORE for that game too. Seager’s three extra base hits were all doubles and he managed to score three runs while driving one in during a 9-2 drubbing of the Cleveland Indians.

The blurb mentions Seager has been the team MVP for the past two seasons, but knowing the Mariners are just as happy the Astros have joined the AL West as the Cubs are disappointed they left the NL Central, that's not saying much. They've got some good young guys, tough.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #73

Player Name: Kyle Seager

Team: Seattle Mariners

Position: Third Base

Game Date: April 14, 2013

Opponent: Texas Rangers

Stadium: Safeco Field

Division: American League West

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 4-3, Mariners over Rangers, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No

Bats/Throws: Left/Right

Birthdate: 11/3/1987

Birthplace: North Carolina

Cameos by: Jesus Montero (Mariners), Geovany Soto (Rangers), ???? (Rangers)

Photographer: Otto Greule Jr.

Niche collections this card could fit into: Horizontal, Cameo, Play at the Plate, Former Cub

My Grade: Although this card fits into four niche collections and is another I wanted to like, I think Topps could have done better. In my opinion, Seager’s head is too close to the top border. I have no formal art/photography/graphic design training but I vaguely remember a concept from art class when I was in school regarding the rule of thirds. It had to do with framing important elements of the art in certain areas of the overall composition. This card would have benefitted greatly from lowering the photo from where the top of his helmet is down to where his nose is, putting his face in a more prominent spot on the card. Even if that sacrificed a little more of his legs (an acceptable crop), you can still tell he was sliding home with the catcher in the picture.

My love of horizontal cards can’t overcome the fact that while Seager has all of his important appendages, the card is poorly cropped and just slightly above average at best. I'll go C+.

#39 David Murphy

And so it begins…

Rather than show favorites and start off with a Cub, I decided to put the 50 or so cards I already have on hand into the randomizer.

In case you didn't read the title, the randomizer has selected….

#39 David Murphy

First impression of what’s going on: Murphy hit at least a home run, knocking in at least one of his teammates pictured. The other could be another potential base runner in a three run blast, or maybe just the on deck guy. But it probably wasn't a walk-off since the catcher is standing dejected in the background and not heading towards the dugout.

Here’s the original source photo pulled from gettyimages.com along with the caption they gave:

ARLINGTON, TX - MAY 19: Leonys Martin #2 and Elvis Andrus #1 celebrates David Murphy's #7 of the Texas Rangers three-run home run in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on May 19, 2013 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: So this one wasn't too hard to call. I wasn't sure about the size of his home run but the caption confirmed it was a three-run shot and that it was from the 7^th inning and not a walkoff.

Taking the date from the caption I headed over to Baseball-Reference.com for the BOXSCORE and further details.

Wait a minute. The Rangers only scored two runs in the seventh inning. How do you hit a three run homer but only get two runs? The answer is: you don’t. The home run was actually hit in the 6^th inning. Here’s a screenshot of the inning recap:

I don’t know how often this will happen, but Getty Mistakes might be something I have to track too! Murphy did bat again in the 7^th, but it was merely an RBI sacrifice fly, not something celebrated so jubilantly.

Murphy’s home run turned a 7-5 deficit into an 8-5 lead, marking the fifth and final lead change of the game.

David’s line for the day:

Not too shabby.

Earlier this week, I teased that I was compiling a list of mini collections that these cards could possibly fit into. Some of them are niches I've read about on the blogs (bunting, night cards, throwback unis, etc.) but others I came up with after looking at cards in my own collection (eye black, headfirst slides, umpires, etc.). This card puts a lot of tick marks on the checklist, including one that I came up with for just this card (although I have a feeling it’ll be used more often): Notable Fans

And I by notable, I don't mean famous. More like the fan could be credited in the cameo section. Usually they'll show up on cards when a player is signing an autograph or diving into the stands. How many of you noticed the little red headed fan amidst all the celebrating? She certainly jumped out out at me.

On to the back:

Since the backs are relatively the same, I’ll just be breaking down the content.

I mentioned yesterday that I really liked the Rookie Fact on the back of the cards and that they really seemed more personalized to each player than the generic milestones from last year. That said, my initial reaction to Murphy’s fact was that it was oddly specific.

Rookie Fact: Murphy led Texas in hitting (.340) over the last seven weeks of 2007.

But after looking at his statistics, he still qualified as a rookie in 2007 even though he played a bit in 2006. And the “last seven weeks of the season” was the time he actually played with Texas after starting the season with the Red Sox organization. I guess that wasn't so odd.

My Grade: I’m going to give this card an A. The photo had a lot going on, giving me a lengthy post to get this blog rolling. Good job, randomizer! Another takeaway is that having seen other cards from the set but without having looked at the 2014 Topps Opening Day checklist, makes me wonder if they are doing away with the celebration themed inserts they've had in years past. 

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: 39

Player Name: David Murphy

Team: Texas Rangers

Position: Outfield

Game Date: May 19, 2013

Opponent: Detroit Tigers

Stadium: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
Division: American League West

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 11-8, Rangers over Tigers, Win for the player depicted

Alternate Jersey: No

Bats/Throws: Left/Left

Birthdate: 10/18/1981

Birthplace: Texas

Cameos by: Elvis Andrus (Rangers), Leonys Martin (Rangers), Brayan Pena (Tigers), Ginger Fan

Photographer: Rick Yeatts

Niche collections this card could fit into: Group Celebrations, Horizontal Layout, Notable Fan (little redheaded photo bomber), Southpaws, Former First Round Draft Pick

Whew! One down, only about a thousand more to go! I hope you enjoyed the review, as this is what you'll have to look forward to for the next year. Come back at or after 6 PM EST for the next one.

Didn’t enjoy it? Please, please, please tell me what else you’d like to see/know!