See here for a headnote an explanation.
I don’t know what I was thinking. Doing one card a day for more than 600 cards will take almost a couple of years. Ain’t nobody got time for that. So by doing five a day, I can be done by the end of the year. So without further ado…
#2: Zack Thompson
Thompson, a 29-year-old 6’7″ righty, has two big league seasons under his belt (6-17, 4.44 ERA, mostly as a starter, with the Pirates and Miami Marlins), so his card is fleshed out with his minor league stats (where the hell is Kanapolis?).
Thompson is no longer with Pittsburgh, which designated him for assignment last December. He was eventually traded to the Toronto Blue Jays and optioned to the team’s Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons. He was DFA’d by Toronto, cleared waivers, and was sent outright to Buffalo.
As with batters’ cards, pitchers’ WAR are also included along with WHIP (walks + hits per innings pitched), something else that didn’t exist when I collected in earnest.
Players like Thompson remind me of what I’ve read in numerous books about the minor leagues: lower round draft picks are basically there to fill out rosters so the top prospects have someone to play with. He was drafted by the Pirates in the 48th round in 2011 but did not sign Three years later, the Chicago White Sox picked him inn the fifth round. He bounced around the minors until he earned his free agency in 2020 and signed with the Miami Marlins.
#3: Bryce Harper
As mentioned, a player of Harper’s star power would get at least a “zero” number in years gone by. Hard to believe he’s been around for more than a decade., Also surprised to see that his numbers aren’t as good as I would have thought, despite his two MVPs, ROY award, and seven All-Star selections. Injuries have curtailed his progress in recent years. Once considered a sure bet for the Hall of Fame, Harper has a “Black Ink” mark of 19, an 84 on the “Hall of Fame Monitor” (the average HoFer has a score of about 100), and a 31 for “Hall of Fame Standards” (average HoFer is 50). See here for a more cogent explanation of those designations.
Deserved or not, Harper has always struck me as one of those athletes who were pampered at an early age. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was just 16, touted as the baseball version of LeBron James.
#4: Yadier Molina
Now here’s a Hall of Famer. Molina, perhaps the greatest, yet underrated, catcher of his generation, retired after the 2022 season at the age of 40, having spent his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals. A defensive wizards (Nine Gold Gloves), he was a 10-time All-Star and winner of numerous awards. His Hall of Fame Monitor score is 169. No doubt
Molina paired with pitcher Adam Wainright 325 times to set a Major League record that will most likely never be broke. There’s a fascinating documentary on the achievement.
#5: Albert Pujols
Talk about your Hall of Famers, Pujols is a definite first ballot selection and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a unanimous decision. I mean, a Rookie of the Year, three-time MVP, 11-time All-Star, with a batting title and two Gold Gloves? Come on. In a larger set, it would have been appropriate for his card number to be 704.
Pujols began and ended his 22-year career with the Cardinals and his swan song was really something. He slugged 24 homers to make him just the fourth player to join the 700 club (and no, I don’t me the religious TV show). He leaves the game second in RBI and total bases, fourth in homers, fifth in games played and doubles, sixth in at bats and plate appearances, and tenth in hits.
In a funny coincidence, both he and his teammate Molina made their pitching debuts in their final year (once for Albert, twice for Yadier). They came in blowout games and that was a good thing, since they did not acquit themselves well on the mound.
Note that he and Molina are in similar poses.
#6: Paul Blackburn
Well, someone had to break the streak, all due respect.
Blackburn, a “starting pitcher” (whatever that means these days), was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2012. He was traded to the Seattle Mariners in 2016 and then dealt to the Athletics after the season. He made his debut with the As in 2017. Unfortunately injuries limited his appearances to just 20 big league games over the next four seasons. He has a lifetime record of 16-20 including the 2023 campaign.
Also, note that the border on this card is blue; in my set it’s white. I try to replicate the card as it pertains to my acquisition, but I can only do so much.
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