#34 Buddy Boshers

#34 Buddy Boshers

First impression of what’s going on: Buddy Boshers just closed out a game and is getting a congratulatory “good doggy” pat on the head from his catcher. I think battery shots like this would make a good insert along with double play combos. Maybe for Gypsy Queen like they do for Sliding Stars or Glove Stories. Unfortunately, a lot of mound conferences are negative as they’re usually calming the pitcher down or pulling him.

SEATTLE, WA - AUGUST 24: Relief pitcher Buddy Boshers #54 (L) of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is congratulated by catcher Hank Conger #16 after defeating the Seattle Mariners 5-1 at Safeco Field on August 24, 2013 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Like I thought, this photo is pretty self-explanatory. We can see from the caption that it wasn’t a save situation and I’m not even sure that Boshers is the Angels official closer. American League. Pfffft. Anyway, let’s take a look at the BOXSCORE and see if Boshers was in any kind of trouble at all.

Doesn’t look like much trouble unless he pitched the 7^th inning.

Nope, just the 9^th. And two strikeouts to boot.  Let’s see who he got.

Dustin Ackley fly ball. Nick Franklin for the backwards K. And finally Brad Miller for the swinging K. Not a bad day’s work.

But let’s play I Spy for a minute back on the picture. With two players being featured, there’s a lot going on.

On Boshers, we have a Nike logo on his undershirt.

And his clearly marked (twice) Rawlings glove.

Also, on his chest, he is wearing the LEW patch. The patch is in memory of team doctor, Dr. Lewis Yocum. But his influence wasn’t limited to the Angels as some other players wore the patch as well.

Moving over to catcher, Hank Conger, we see the Mizuno logo on his glove and juuuust barely on his catcher’s mask.

And a new one that I’ve either missed a dozen times already or just didn’t get a clear enough shot, under the Angels patch on Conger’s sleeve, we see the Majestic Athletic logo. Majestic Athletic is the current official provider of MLB uniforms.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Buddy held lefties to a .158 average as a rookie.

This is one of those facts that I’ll trust Topps to get right because I’m too lazy to actually do the digging myself. If anybody has a quick and easy way for me to verify this kind of information, please let me know!

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #34

Player Name: Buddy Boshers

Team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Position: Pitcher

Game Date: August 24, 2013

Opponent: Seattle Mariners

Stadium: Safeco Field

Division: American League West

Home/Away: Away

Outcome of the game: 5-1, Angels over the Mariners, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No.

Bats/Throws: Left/Left

Birthdate: 5/9/1988

Birthplace: Alabama

Cameos by: Hank Conger

Photographer: Otto Greule Jr

Niche collections this card could fit into: Southpaw, Cameo, Free Advertising, Patch

My Grade: I like this card. Probably more than I should considering I’m not an American League fan and it is not horizontal. It does fill quite a few niches though and I like that it shows a congratulatory mound conference instead of one of the negative ones. The crop and centering is really good and the only drawback that I can think of is that Boshers isn’t the one front and center. Not that Hank Conger is, but they kind of co-share the space. Like I said earlier if this was a “Battery” themed insert, this photo would have been perfect.

It still gets an A+ from me though and as you can see by the grades in the left hand column, I don’t give those out willy-nilly like!

#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+.

#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.

#270 Gregor Blanco

#270 Gregor Blanco

First impression of what’s going on: Today I’m double dipping on both Gregor Blanco and plays at the plate. Earlier, Blanco made a cameo on Brian McCann’s card and was thrown out at home. Now, on his own card, while it's much better looking overall, it's not looking good as far as scoring goes.

 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JULY 19: Gregor Blanco #7 of the San Francisco Giants safely slides under the tag of Miguel Montero #26 of the Arizona Diamondbacks to score on a double by Buster Posey #28 in the first inning at AT&T Park on July 19, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Mark your calendars, guys, I was wrong! At least according to the caption, it says Blanco slid in under the tag. Call me a skeptic, but we’ll have to see the BOXSCORE first.

Ok, they did score twice in the first inning.

And after leading off the inning with a walk, Buster Posey did in fact drive Blanco home with a double.

Since it was the game winning run (all the way from the bottom of the 1^st), it was the top play:

The Giants wore their orange alternate jerseys for this game, a Friday night home game standard in 2013.

And courtesy of Diamondbacks catcher, Miguel Montero’s cleat, we get some Free Advertising in the form of a Nike swoosh logo.

He is not credited in the photo caption, and only makes a cameo from the waist down, but I think the Giant standing behind the sliding Blanco is third base coach, Tim Flannery.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Gregor’s .366 On-Base Percentage was second among NL Rookies in 2008.

I don’t know what the official minimum is, but I plugged in NL Rookies with at least 250 Plate Appearances over at Fangraphs.com, sorted by OBP and came up with this top 5:

I guess Topps’ threshold is slightly higher than mine because they’re not counting Martin Prado. Which is fine by me because the next four guys more than doubled Prado’s PA’s. So it looks like by Topps' standards, Blanco came in second behind Joey Votto of the Reds.

As for the blurb, the other errorless regular NL outfielder was the Washington Nationals’ Denard Span.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #270

Player Name: Gregor Blanco

Team: San Francisco Giants

Position: Outfield

Game Date: July 19, 2013

Opponent: Arizona Diamondbacks

Stadium: AT&T Park

Division: National League West

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 2-0, Giants over the Diamondbacks, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes

Bats/Throws: Left/Left

Birthdate: 12/24/1983

Birthplace: Venezuela

Cameos by: Miguel Montero (catcher), Tim Flannery (third base coach)

Photographer: Ezra Shaw

Niche collections this card could fit into: Play at the Plate, Cameo, Free Advertising, Horizontal, Southpaw, Alternate Jersey

My Grade: This card hits several key niches and with the safe call at home, deservedly gets an A+.

In fact, this card had so many labels, it wouldn't let me use them all. I had to remove Arizona and San Francisco from the team names to get them all to fit. Now for the sake of uniformity, I have to go back and adjust all of the other team names. Good thing this happened fairly early and not 500 cards in. I will be going back through all of my previous posts this weekend to make sure each post is properly tagged because I think I have forgotten a few photographers and stadiums, too. I'll also be adding each card's grade as a label so you'll be able to find all the A+ cards (or whatever grade you want to see) at a glance.

Tomorrow, I have the final two, thus far unrepresented teams. As a Cubs fan, it figures they're both NL Central teams. Ha! Then I'll probably go completely random again.

#189 Adam LaRoche

Man, I really goofed up these last couple of days. Last night's Manny Machado card was supposed to post in the morning at 9 AM, not PM. And the cards from last evening and this morning don't even looked they posted. Whoops! Anyway, here's is the card that should have gone up last night.

#189 Adam LaRoche

First impression of what’s going on: Another kind of standard shot for a first baseman, mitt out, ready to receive the ball. I never really understood the upside down glasses thing. And I don’t know what the patch is for so I’ll have to look into it.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 01: Adam LaRoche #25 of the Washington Nationals catches the ball at first base against the Miami Marlins during Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 1, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Again, the crop is a shame. Not that you see much of his arm anyway, but it still could have been framed better.Opening Day went to the Nationals acording to the BOXSCORE.

 According to his game log, LaRoche had 10 putouts in the game so I'm not going to even try to figure out the exact play with the lack of clues.

I will note that LaRoche is standing with a foot firmly on first base. When I played the position, I was always taught to put my foot up against the edge, giving me more of a reach towards the ball and also to prevent collisions with the base runner. There’s no runner in sight so maybe that wasn't an issue, but thought I’d point it out since I noticed.

From Opening Day of the 2013 season, this photo is now the earliest one used. Long time readers (and I use that term loosely as I've been active all of about two weeks) may recall the Michael Young photo from mid-September as the most recent.

As for the patch, it commemorates the victims of the Sandy Hook tragedy and was worn by all players, managers, coaches and on-field personnel from March 31-April 2, 2013. Here’s a preseason press release giving more details. And a better view of the patch if you don’t click the link:

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Adam was the first NL rookie to get his 1^st 2 hits in the same inning.

That’s pretty cool. The hits came in his MLB debut on April 7, 2004 ( BOXSCORE). He grounded out to second in his first at bat but his first two hits and two RBIs came in the 11-run 4^th inning.

Way to not be a rally killer! 

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #189

Player Name: Adam LaRoche

Team: Washington Nationals

Position: First Base

Game Date: April 1, 2013

Opponent: Miami Marlins

Stadium: Nationals Park

Division: National League East

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 2-0, Nationals over the Marlins, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No

Bats/Throws: Left/Left

Birthdate: 11/6/1979

Birthplace: California

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: G Fiume

Niche collections this card could fit into: Southpaw, Commemorative Patch, Sunglasses

My Grade: I am a Cubs fan through and through but the Washington Nationals are my local team so I get blasted with Nats news more often than I 'd like. With all the hype of Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, you might gloss over the fact that Adam LaRoche got MVP consideration in 2012 (6th place), as well as winning the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove for his position. His numbers came back to normal in 2013 as the Nationals did as a whole.

My kids had the opportunity to get his autograph after a Nats game in 2012, so my grade will probably come off a little biased. Its not much better than average, but with a couple of niches covered and the fact that LaRoche seemed liked a pretty god guy, I'll give it a B.

And just for fun, here the cards he signed for us: