#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.

#318 Luis Valbuena

This morning we had one hot corner representative from the Windy City. This evening we go across town to see the other third baseman in Chicago.

#318 Luis Valbuena

First impression of what’s going on: Luis Valbuena is trying to score. It didn't happen enough last season (for my beloved Cubbies, I’m not picking on Luis). I'd like to think Valbuena is flipping off his haters as he jump slides home, thus it’ll get some Unnecessary Censorship status. More on the throwback uniforms in a bit.

SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 29: Luis Valbuena #24 of the Chicago Cubs scores on a single by Nate Schierholtz in the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on June 29, 2013 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Can this really get a Play at the Plate designation since there is no one in the vicinity of the sliding Valbuena? In the uncropped photo, you can see Valbuena is holding his batting gloves and not shoving anything in the Seattle crowd’s collective faces. Also cropped out are third base coach, David Bell and the third base umpire. According to the BOXSCORE, the third base umpire for the game was Mike Winters.

The Cubs pulled one out in extra innings after Kevin Gregg blew the Save in the 9^th. Here’s the play by play of the 6^th inning.

Looks like Valbuena’s run tied the game at two and the Cubs took the lead on the next batter.

Since Nate Schierholtz advanced to second “on the throw”, I guess there was a play at the plate even though we can’t see it. The throw must have been up the line or cut off.

As for the uniforms, this was a Turn Back the Clock game, so the Cubs wore their 1909 throwbacks. Those with a little bit of baseball history knowledge will note this as the first year of the Cubs World Series drought. The Mariners wore a throwback uniform as well but since they were an expansion team from 1977, they opted to wear a Seattle Turks uniform. The Turks were a Northwestern League (Minors) team in Seattle at that time.

The screen grab above was taken from one of my favorite sites, sportslogos.net. They have a breakdown of each team by what uniform they wore for each game and the team's record while wearing each uniform during the season. I was only interested in this particular game, but I'll definitely go back when I have more time. What a great resource!

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Luis’ first and only 2-HR game occurred on 6/20/09 at Wrigley Field.

Wait. What? Valbuena wasn’t a rookie with the Cubs, which means….gasp! He was their opponent! I found the BOXSCORE for the game, which also happened to be an extra inning affair. His first home run of the day came in the 5^th to double the Indians lead to 2-0.

 

Later in the 13^th, Valbuena tried to put the Cubs away with his second solo home run of the day.

Luckily for the Cubs, it wasn't enough as they managed their own rally against former and future Cub and fan favorite, Kerry Wood.

C’mon, Kerry. A game winning losing wild pitch against your former team? Thanks!

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #318

Player Name: Luis Valbuena

Team: Chicago Cubs

Position: Third Base

Game Date: June 29, 2013

Opponent: Seattle Mariners

Stadium: Safeco Field

Division: National League Central

Home/Away: Away

Outcome of the game: 5-3, Cubs over the Mariners, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes, 1909 Chicago Cubs

Bats/Throws: Left/Right

Birthdate: 11/30/1985

Birthplace: Venezuela

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Otto Greule Jr.

Niche collections this card could fit into: Throwback/Alternate Jersey, Unnecessary Censorship, Play at the Plate, High Socks

My Grade: I may be biased towards the Cubs but I think most collectors would give this card an A. Not only is it a great shot of Valbuena sliding home, but it's a full shot of the throwback uniform. Valbuena is also sporting the high socks in this photo, not something he normally does.

#222 Vernon Wells

Randomizer finally got to the Yankees.

#222 Vernon Wells

First impression of what’s going on: Looks like a home run. Everybody seems pretty excited, including Wells, so maybe it’s a walk off.

I know Jimmy Kimmel does this as a skit on his show sometimes. I’ve heard DJs do it for songs. Now Topps is in on the act doing Unnecessary Censorship. The way Wells’ hand is cropped, you’d think he was flipping the bird. I posted another card earlier in this blog where it was cropped in this manner too, so I guess I’m going to have to go back and put it in the Censorship niche.

Here’s a funnier, video version of what Topps is essentially doing to Wells by cropping his fist:

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 05: Left fielder Vernon Wells #12 of the New York Yankees reacts after hitting a game-winning walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on July 5, 2013 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Andy Marlin/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: So it was a walk off, but just a single. But if that's all you need, I guess you don’t have to swing for the fences. Let’s take a look at the BOXSCORE and see how Vernon Wells got there.

Looks like a tight game, 2-1 heading into the 9^th inning. The Orioles brought in their closer, Jim Johnson, but it slowly fell apart after that.

It even made the top five plays of the game, which most walk offs should:

Wells’ previous hit of the game was a two out single where he later scored on a Luis Cruz line drive to left field.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Vernon threw out a runner at second base in his second MLB inning.

After this morning’s Rookie Fact debacle, I decided to double check this one too. Wells made his MLB debut on August 30, 1999 as the starting centerfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays.

As the inning recap shows, Todd Walker of the Minnesota Twins hit a line drive single to center to lead off the second inning. It must have been in the gap for him to think about going for two. But Wells got to it and threw Walker out. That has to rank up there as one of the better "Welcome to the Big Leagues" moments.

With 15 seasons in the books, the stats don’t leave room for a blurb on the back of the card. But there’s some red text, meaning Vernon Wells led the league in something! In 2003, Wells led all of Major League Baseball with 215 hits and tied for the American League lead with 49 doubles.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #222

Player Name: Vernon Wells

Team: New York Yankees

Position: Outfield

Game Date: July 5, 2013

Opponent: Baltimore Orioles

Stadium: Yankee Stadium

Division: American League East

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 3-2, Yankees over Orioles, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Birthdate: 12/8/1978

Birthplace: Louisiana

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Andy Marlin

Niche collections this card could fit into: Walk Off, Celebration, Unnecessary Censorship, League Leader in Italics

My Grade: The card had all the trademarks of a top notch card. Celebrating a walk off hit by a former league leader but Topps had to ruin it with its censorship. Overall though it is a pretty decent card so it gets a B+.

#90 Ethan Martin

Staying in the National League, but going all the way back east to Philadelphia, we have rookie pitcher Ethan Martin.

#90 Ethan Martin

First impression of what’s going on: Basic pitcher shot, but we have the dreaded appendage crop. Meh.

PHILADELPHIA - AUGUST 8: Starting pitcher Ethan Martin #49 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws a pitch during a game against the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park on August 8, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Yep, nothing blocking his arm from being included. He’s not flipping the bird with a fancy “middle finger curve” or anything. Just poor cropping. You can’t tell anything from the scoreboard in the background and the caption is as generic as the photo. It does give a date and opponent so let’s check out the BOXSCORE.

Dang. They crushed the Cubs. So badly that the Phillies pinch hit for Martin in the 5^th with a 10-1 lead. I’d like to think this is the pitch that Nate Schierholtz smashed for a home run to lead off the top of the fourth and accounted for the only Cubs run. In fact, please start spreading that rumor now.

Anyhow, Martin had a decent day’s work against one of the worst teams in the league. Thanks Marlins, White Sox and Astros for being worse! And the Twins for being just as bad!

You may notice that after earning this victory, his record was 1-1. Great. His first career victory was against the Cubs? I guess maybe this can be worked into a niche collection somewhere. He’s also wearing one of the Phillies’ alternate uniforms rather than the standard home red pinstripes, so the card has that going for it, which is nice.

I almost gave him credit for the "Free Advertising" with the Rawlings logo on his glove, but I didn't think the average person would instantly recognize the logo. Baseball fans? Probably. Card collectors? Probably. Guess I'm being a jerk, huh?

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Ethan’s 10.6 SOS/9 IP set a record for a Phillies rookie (Min: 40 IP).

Well, the Cubs tried not to help him out on that stat as they only struck out 4 times in 5 innings against Martin. Moving to the bullpen after starting his first seven appearances probably did help though.

Since this is the first rookie card I’m taking a look at, let me just say, I wish Topps would have put Major League stats on the back. They had time to get the veterans’ stats together. Why not the rookies? I guess Martin’s Rookie Fact sounds more impressive if you just glance at his card and think he pitched 115.2 innings and still had the team record. But those are his minor league stats for 2013. He actually only pitched the minimum 40 innings, a true example of how you can make statistics say just about anything you want.

The blurb is a little silly, but amusing. After looking at Martin’s game log, the only time he threw “goose eggs” in three straight appearances was right after moving from the starting rotation to the bullpen. I don’t know enough about the Phillies to make the call, but what does that say about his chances of being on the Phillies roster this year? Who knows, maybe he'll be a failed starter turned closer a la Mariano Rivera?

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #90

Player Name: Ethan Martin

Team: Philadelphia Phillies

Position: Pitcher

Game Date: August 8, 2013

Opponent: Chicago Cubs

Stadium: Citizens Bank Park

Division:  National League East

Home/Away: Home

Outcome of the game: 12-1, Phillies over Cubs, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes, alternate

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Birthdate: 6/6/1989

Birthplace: Georgia

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Hunter Martin (any relation!?)

Niche collections this card could fit into: Rookie Card, Career Milestone (from first career win), Alternate/Throwback Jersey, Former First Round Draft Pick, Unnecessary Censorship

My Grade: Reading back through the breakdown, I feel like I came down really hard on this card. Maybe it was the fact that Martin shutdown the Cubs, but I’m not so sure. I mean, who didn’t last year? Its not that big of a deal…

I think the bad crop job got it started on the wrong foot. And the back was disappointing. I know Topps doesn't have much to work with since a lot of these guys only have a few weeks’ worth of a season, but I expected a bit more. This card was on the verge of failing, but when all was said and done, it pulled off enough niche collections to squeak by with a C-.

I don’t know how often I’ll do this with cards that don’t make the grade, but I thought it would be interesting to see how Topps could have done better with the photo selection. A search for “Ethan Martin Phillies” pulled up 51 photos on Getty Images. Compared to more established players, that is a pittance. Many of them are from a few weeks after the photo Topps ended up using, but if you remember Michael Young’s card from earlier today, that photo was all the way from September 11, 2013.

I didn't have time to mock up a Photoshopped version of the actual card so here are some original photos.

I’ve always liked these Catcher’s Eye photos where the ball is headed straight towards the camera. This is from just two weeks after the photo that was used and two weeks before the Young card. There's even an umpire in view, although he'd probably be cropped out. And just think of the sparkle that could have been added to make this an SP…

Mound meetings are generally not good. The lone exception might be a postgame handshake between the closer and catcher. When the catcher goes out like this, it generally means the pitcher needs to calm down a bit or signals are getting crossed. Probably not good for a card, but in my opinion, it’s better than a cropped arm/hand.

But when I saw this photo where interim (at the time) Phillies manager was relieving Martin of his duties, I smiled. Ethan “Cub Killer” Martin getting yanked by HOF Cub, Ryne Sandberg? Cardboard gold! Instant A+!

Throughout the year, Sunday will be a day off from posting for me. It'll give me time to catch up on some research and/or rest, especially when these get upped to three per day. Then I’ll come back with a new card on Monday morning. Since I’m ran a contest to drum up some followers earlier in the week, I’ll do a short post announcing the winner.