#CHC-16 Jose Veras

For the most part, I’m going to slowly add the Factory Team sets to my collection but wait and see which cards actually make Series 2 and the Update set before writing about them. With that said, I picked up the Cubs set for my team collection and did a brief write up on my other blog, Once a Cub, where I briefly touched on this card. I don’t want this card to show up in Series 2 or the Update series and I’m pretty sure Topps doesn’t either.

#CHC-16 Jose Veras

First impression of what’s going on: To a non-Cubs fan, this might look like a pretty good card. Jose Veras is making a goofy face. The card is horizontal (one of my favorite attributes) and is framed well. We get to see a nice grip on his breaking ball. In fact, if Topps keeps this card for Series 2 or Update, but makes the correction, this might be one of my favorite Cubs cards of the year. What correction am I talking about?

THIS!

Any respectable Cubs fan and even a lot of good baseball-in-general fans can tell you that the Cubs retired the #31 in honors of Hall of Famers Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux. For you non-Cubs fans, this happened five years ago, May 3, 2009 in a joint number retirement ceremony.

The problem begins with the source photo.

Screen grab courtesy of Getty Images

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 11: Jose Veras #31 of the Detroit Tigers in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 11, 2013 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Tigers 5-4. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: Veras signed with the Cubs as a Free Agent during the off season so Topps does what it normally does and uses a photo from the player's previous team but touches it up a bit. As you can see, Veras wore #31 with the Tigers last season and Topps just carried over that number to the Cubs, regardless of the fact that it is retired.

For what it’s worth, Topps did an otherwise pretty good converting the Tigers road jersey to the Cubs road jersey. They even added the logoed sleeve patch to his left arm.

Enough with the “error” and let’s go to the BOXSCORE to see how Veras did in his game against the Yankees when the photo was taken.

Screen grab courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

A walk off loss after coming from behind doesn’t look good. Hopefully, Veras wasn’t the closer this game.

Screen grab courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

Whoops! Veras got through two thirds of an inning but took the loss, his fifth of the season.

Screen grab courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

It took 13 pitches to get the first two out, but the 15th ended the game with a solo home run from Brett Gardner. As Yankee biased as Topps can be, I wonder if this was a subtle dig on Veras with the photo selection. But Veras is a former Yankee so I’m probably just reading too much into it.

We do get the Nike swoosh on Veras’ undershirt for a little Free Advertising credit.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Jose retired the only batter he faced in a 1-run game for his 1st save.

I like the fact that Topps carried over the Rookie Facts to the Factory Team sets. As I mentioned, Veras is a former Yankee, making his MLB debut with them in 2006. His first Save came on September 18^th that year against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Screen grab courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

After the Yankees extended their lead with three runs in the top of the 9^th, the Troy Glaus brought the Blue Jays back to within one run with a three-run home run.

Screen grab courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com

A single by pinch-hitter JasonPhillips chased reliever Mike Meyers and Jose Veras was able to induce a fly ball from Aaron Hill to end the game.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #CHC-16

Player Name: Jose Veras

Team: Detroit Tigers (Chicago Cubs)

Position: Pitcher

Game Date: August 11, 2013

Opponent: New York Yankees

Stadium: Yankee Stadium

Division: American League Central

Home/Away: Away

Outcome of the game: 5-4, Yankees over the Tigers, Loss for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: No.

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Birthdate: 10/20/1980

Birthplace: Dominican Republic

Cameos by: Greg Maddux, Fergie Jenkins

Photographer: Jim McIsaac

Niche collections this card could fit into: Cubs, Horizontal, Photoshopped, Error, Free Advertising

My Grade: I really wanted to like this card. As I already said, it’s horizontal, it’s cropped well, Veras is making a funny face. This card was destined for an A+ grade, but with one Topps oversight, it goes straight to an F. No offense to Veras or the photographer, Jim McIsaac. They did their parts. This one rests solely on Topps.

Normally, if a card gets a failing grade, I'll look for some photos that would have worked better. But I really like this photo and just want them to correct the number, not change the photo. 

Hopefully this was caught early enough that someone at Topps can change the “3” to a “4” before it goes to print in Series 2 or the Update series. As I mentioned in my other post about the team set as a whole, last year Edwin Jackson was a National in Series 1, a Photoshopped Cub in the factory team set and had a different third card altogether in the Update series. So it can be done. 

I tweeted Topps earlier today from my Once a Cub twitter account pointing out the error, but haven’t heard anything back yet. I've never been a “rally the troops” kind of guy but do we bloggers and collectors have any power here? Can this oversight be corrected in time? I don’t ask for much from this tiny blog, but let’s see what the power of the people can do!

Here’s a link to my tweet. Please retweet that or this post to @Toppscards and make our voices heard!

Hopefully, this doesn't come off as too whiny. I don't want anything but a fixed card!

#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.

#110 Wil Myers

#110 Wil Myers

First impression of what’s going on: I like me a good running photo. Going from first to third or trying to score from second on a single to the outfield. Hair and jersey flapping in the breeze. Wil Myers looks ready to karate chop you out of his way with one hand or knock your lights out with the other. By my count, six of the eleven Topps All-Star Rookies are included in Topps Series 1, but Myers is the first one I've shown.

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 27: Wil Myers #9 of the Tampa Bay Rays in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on July 27, 2013 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Rays defeated the Yankees 1-0. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Reality of the Photo: The angle of Myers running seems a little more pronounced zoomed out. The caption just lists him “in action” so let’s go to the BOXSCORE to see if we can figure out what’s going on.

Oooh, close game. Did Myers score the lone run? Or maybe drive it in?

Nope and nope. Let’s see what he did with his hit.

Hmmmm. A leadoff double by Myers in the 4th, followed by a walk and then three strikeouts. I would have sworn Myers was coming to third in this photo but he was stranded at second. Getting the angle of Myers coming in that hard on a double would put the photographer out in the left field bleachers. Possible, but not likely. If I knew more about Yankee Stadium, I could probably tell you exactly where that yellow sign is in the background and know better.

Aha.

I got ahead of myself. I found his hit in the fourth but going back to the first inning, with a runner already on, Myers grounded to the third baseman who went for the lead runner. Myers was safe at first though. And that was followed by a single to center field by James Loney, moving Myers from first to third on the play. Much more likely scenario to match the photo.

The lone run came in the 6^th but had nothing to do with Myers, as he led off the inning with a ground ball out.

Myers is wearing an “alternate” jersey. The Rays wore it 61 times last year. Compare that to the 27 times they wore their official road uniform and the 65 times they wore their home whites and you'll see why I put the word alternate in air quotes.

On to the back:

Rookie Fact: Wil is the lone Rays rookie with 7 RBI in his first eight games.

I’ll be honest, I’m feeling a little too lazy to fact check this. But the Rays are just starting their 17^th season (wow, that makes me feel old!) so it seems feasible for Myers to have that record already.

I don’t know what the deadline is for these cards, but there is no mention of Myers winning the 2013 AL Rookie of the Year award on November 11, 2013. Myers was the third Rays player in the last six seasons to win the award and teammate Chris Archer (former Cubs prospect) took third place.Previous Rays winners include Evan Longoria in 2008 and Jeremy Hellickson in 2011. It was a Florida sweep as Miami Marlins pitcher, Jose Fernandez took home the NL ROY honors.

I would have to do more research on it, but 88 games seems low for a non-pitcher Rookie of the Year winner. I know a lot of rookies are mid or late season call ups, but I would think a player who made the team out of spring training or hit at least 100 games would have a leg up on those guys. But he seems to have gotten overwhelming support.

Eh, what do I know? Myers winning the ROY was fairly recent, but if you ask me again in 6 months, I probably wouldn't be able to tell you! Again, no offense to Myers. It's just that 90% of the time if I'm watching AL baseball, its because one of their teams is playing the Cubs. The other ten percent is postseason.

Information I’ll be tracking:

Card Number: #110

Player Name: Wil Myers

Team: Tampa Bay Rays

Position: Outfield

Game Date: July 27, 2013

Opponent: New York Yankees

Stadium: Yankee Stadium

Division: American League East

Home/Away: Away

Outcome of the game: 1-0, Rays over the Yankees, Win for the player depicted

Alternate/Throwback Jersey: Yes, alternate road

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

Birthdate: 12/10/1990

Birthplace: North Carolina

Cameos by: N/A

Photographer: Jim McIsaac

Niche collections this card could fit into: Alternate Jersey, Topps All-Star Rookie

My Grade:  I like the photo choice, but not the cropping. The Topps All-Star Rookie designation carries a lot of weight but there's just not a lot about this card that wows me. B-

#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+.