STATUS: Prospect Bryse is currently a starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. So far, he is perhaps best known for being the Game 4 starter for the Atlanta Braves in the 2020 NLCS, where he pitched 6 innings and only gave up 1 run. Autograph Card 2019 Gypsy Queen Autograph #GQA-BW Rookie Card 2019 Topps […]
Dean Deetz
2018 PROSPECT Dean Deetz pitched well in the minors in 2018 and got a chance with the Houston Astros as a September call-up. However, he failed to impress and has been struggling in the minor leagues ever since. Most recently, he was released by the independent Sioux Falls Canaries after pitching poorly in a couple […]
Franmil Reyes
2019 PROSPECT Franmil Reyes is a Dominican outfielder with lots of power potential. In 2021, he hit 30 homers in 418 at-bats. He struggles with making contact with the ball, but if he can overcome that obstacle, he can become one of the premier power hitters in baseball. Rookie Card 2018 Topps Update #US242 Autograph […]
Retiring My 2006 Prospects Collection
At the end of 2006, I developed a method for picking prospects who I thought had a reasonable chance of one day becoming Hall of Famers… often before they even played a single Major League game. The point was so I could start collecting the players’ cards before they became stars. My inaugural collection of […]
Mookie Betts
STATUS: Active Hero Mookie Betts had an epic 2018 season, batting .346 and hitting 32 home runs, while also becoming the first player in MLB history to win the Most Valuable Player, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, batting title, and World Series in the same season. Betts also excels at bowling, in which he regularly competes […]
Corey Kluber
STATUS: Active Hero Corey Kluber is a three-time All-Star and a 2-time Cy Young Award winner. He currently pitches for the Tampa Bay Rays. Kluber’s most dominant pitch is his two-seam sinker, which he learned while playing in the minor leagues in 2011. It was soon after he mastered that pitch that he started overpowering […]
Jonathan Papelbon
STATUS: Retired Hero Papelbon ended his career with 368 saves. That’s 9th on the all-time list and more saves than Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers (who had 341). His combative personality, while perhaps fueling his success, did not make him many friends in baseball. Papelbon’s physical attack on teammate Bryce Harper near the end of […]
Victor Martinez
STATUS: Retired Hero Originally from Venezuela, Victor Martinez was a superb hitter. He retired in 2018 with 5 All-Star Games, 2 Silver Slugger Awards, and 1,178 RBIs. After he retired, Martinez founded a 2,400-acre cattle and horse operation called Victoria’s Ranch. In 2020, one of his horses won the Tampa Bay Derby. Autograph Card 2004 […]
Buddy Bell
STATUS: Retired Hero Buddy Bell is a member of one of only five three-generation MLB families. His father, Gus Bell, is in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. His sons Mike Bell and David Bell both spent time playing in the MLB. Bell was a four-time All-Star for the Cincinnati Reds. He was a good […]
Vida Blue
STATUS: Retired Hero Vida Blue was one of the hardest-throwing pitchers of his era. He won both the Cy Young Award and the AL MVP award in 1971 at the age of 21. Though he was a Hall of Fame-caliber pitcher, Blue got caught up in MLB’s cocaine scandal in the early 1980’s, which likely […]