He Was a Pirate? Part 6

*The Pirates, like all MLB teams, experience a multitude of transactions throughout the year. And, you know, since it's the Pirates... no one really knows or cares about those moves. As a Pirates fan growing up in New York it was rare that I would come across anyone who shared my love for the black and gold. My Yankee-supporting counterparts were never aware of the frequent changes occurring a few hundred miles west in Pittsburgh. Oftentimes during friendly baseball-themed conversation, the question “He was a Pirate?” would arise. I’ve decided to honor this ever-occuring inquiry on my blog...*

Today's edition of "He Was A Pirate?" features a Texas boy who made a name for himself in Beantown:

Brock holt was drafted by the Pirates in 2009 out of Rice and made his major league debut with the Pirates as a September call-up in 2012. He's made a living off of defensive versatility (he's played every position except pitcher and catcher) and his ability to get on base (career .340 OBP).

Holt's time with Buccos was short lived. He played in just 24 games and had 65 AB's but hit a very respectable .292. 

In December 2012, Holt was traded along with Joel Hanrahan to the Red Sox in exchange for Mark Melancon and three other players who are now irrelevant. It turned out to be an an excellent move for the Pirates. Hanrahan would pitch in his last career game in May of 2013. Melancon went on to be a three time All-Star and a huge part of the Pirates bullpen. He's bounced around a bit since 2016 but he's currently closing out games for the Braves at age 35. 

So looking back eight years later, the trade works out to be a one-for-one swap that benefited both teams.

2013 Topps Update Rookie

Holt's career numbers are pretty unspectacular, but he's managed to find his way into the record books. He's a two-time World Series Champ and made his only All-Star team in 2015. He's also hit for the cycle twice in his career. One of those cycles was in the postseason - making him the only player EVER to hit for the cycle in the playoffs.

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen Auto

I never collected Holt after he left the Pirates so I have just two Brock Holt cards to show, but they're both pretty cool. Topps re-used the image from flagship in Gypsy Queen which will come as a tremendous surprise. Still, it's a great photo. For a guy that built a reputation on hustle and grit, it's fitting that he already has dirt on his jersey. 

Thanks for stopping by for this edition of "He Was a Pirate?"

7 Day Trading Card Challenge: Day Two

Today's Challenge: A card from current release year (any sport) with a unique photo.

Does 2019 count?

2019 Topps Series 1 - #48 Pittsburgh Pirates

This year in the flagship set, Topps included ballpark photos from all 30 major league clubs. Card #48 is a shot of PNC Park taken from the press box. I've spent many, many hours of my life at PNC Park and I know the building inside and out. It's consistently ranked in the top three or four best ballparks in the majors. I truly believe it's one of the best places on the planet to watch a baseball game. I've been to Fenway, Wrigley, and Petco Park. I'm biased, but PNC Park is a strong contender for #1. 

Sadly, I don't believe Topps did PNC Park any justice by choosing this photo. It's a cloudy day and the crowd looks to be maybe a 2/3 capacity at best. The left field bleachers are empty. While the Pirates rarely sell out games these days, there are a few dates that will always get to capacity - the first of which is Opening Day. 

When I saw that Topps was including a 15-card insert ballpark photo set in 2020 Opening Day, I was certain PNC Park would grab a spot and redeem itself. I was wrong. After some light research, I believe that only parks that hosted a true opener were included. The Pirates opened as a visitor. 

Either way, Opening Day in Pittsburgh deserves it's own baseball card. As you'll see below, a home opener at PNC Park is worthy of a frame. I took that picture at the Opener in 2016. I'm no photographer and it was shot on my iPhone using the panoramic feature. 

@Topps: I'm for hire! I'm sure we can work something out.. 

This inspired me to mess around with the Custom Card feature on Topps.com and I was able to whip this up:

Not bad!

Thanks again to Tim at Cardpocalypse for the great idea. 

Collecting the Departed

Pittsburgh Pirates fans seem to be an ultra-critical fanbase. Frankly, sometimes I find it to be exhausting. The fanbase is a generally whiny group, readily armed with countless criticisms of the front office and particularly the ownership group.

This doesn’t come without merit. The Pirates haven’t been to a World Series since 1979. That’s a forty year drought, with no end in sight. It doesn’t help that the 70’s were a Golden Era for Pittsburgh Sports where the Pirates won two World Series, the Steelers won four Super Bowls, and the Penguins began to appear in the playoffs after joining the NHL in 1967. The bar was set very high.

So I get it. I understand the frustration. Winning cures all, and aside from some success in the early 90’s (thanks Barry Bonds) and a magical streak from 2013-2016, there hasn’t been much winning. A lack of winning will create a surplus of criticism from the fans. That criticism comes in many shapes and sizes. In the Pirates case, there are two main themes: It’s all the owner’s fault; and we can’t hold on to any of our most talented players, particularly younger players.

I'll spare you feelings on ownership. As for the latter – “not keeping good young players” – it often feels real. The recent examples include Gerrit Cole, Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows. Throw in Starling Marte. Going back a decade, see: Nate McClouth. The exception was Andrew McCutchen, who famously took a hometown discount to remain in Pittsburgh.  

From where I’m sitting, it seems to me that Pirates fans often get trapped in the bubble that surrounds Western Pennsylvania. What Pirates fans perceive to be “Pirates problems” or even “small market challenges” happen to be baseball challenges. The free agency system is broken. Players are under team control until their mid-late 20’s when they’ll peak physically and command big contracts - contracts which their current team can rarely afford. It often makes more sense for a team to sell these young assets while they still have a value and get something in return. Otherwise, they walk for nothing. Mookie Betts, anyone?

Bottom line: Yes, the Pirates do lose a lot of their good young players. So do most other teams. 

But that’s not going to stop me from collecting them!

2018 Topps Chrome Austin Meadows Rookie Auto Refractor #/499

2019 All-Star Austin Meadows, a guy I’ve been following pretty closely since he was drafted #9 overall out of high school in 2013. 2013 was the year when the Pirates began to rise to relevance again. They also seemed to have a roster that could enjoy some sustained success, so Pirates fans started to pay more attention to the draft. Upon being drafted he was immediately labeled as the heir apparent to Andrew McCutchen, seeing as his projected arrival in the majors would correspond with the expiration of McCutchen’s contract. Five years later this actually proved to be true, and the timing lined up… until he was shipped to Tampa in the Chris Archer deal.

2017 Bowman Chrome Tyler Glasnow Rookie Refractor #/499

Speaking of being shipped to Tampa in the Chris Archer deal... Tyler Glasnow was the other big league piece sent south. He was one of the most exciting pitching prospects up through 2016 when he finally broke into the bigs. His big league career got off to an extremely rocky start – his career with the Pirates is *just* 5.79. He seems to have figured it out in Tampa - Glasnow finished the 2019 season with a 6–1 record and a 1.78 ERA in ​60 2⁄3 innings.

I picked up the gold parallel of this and showed it off earlier this month. I may continue to seek these out and see if I can put together a small collection of parallels.

2013 Topps Chrome Gerrit Cole Rookie Blue Refractor #/199

My love for 2013 Topps Chrome Blue Refractors strikes again. I already own this card as part of the complete set, but when I saw it pop up on eBay for very reasonable cost I couldn’t help but jump on it. I'm still hoping the best for Gerrit but I'll never be able to root for the Yankees. I hope he goes nine innings with 15 K's every game but loses 1-0.

2019 Topps Update Chris Archer Independence Day Parallel #/76

On an entirely unrelated note, here's a really badass card that was sent my way by Matt at Diamond Jesters. I sent him a small stack of Red Sox a month ago in return for a Bryan Reynolds parallel, and I guess he still felt like he owed me something. I really love this card and it showed up out of nowhere for a total surprise - so even better. We all love surprised in this hobby, don't we? Thanks a million, Matt.

He Was a Pirate? Part 3

Hot off the press! A new edition of... He Was a Pirate?! 

This week's edition features a good ol' fashioned headcase. Rather than give you mindless clues, I'll just show a series of images. Because, let's face it. Every picture is worth a thousand words!

The man, the legend... Nyjer Morgan. My god, what a character this man was. Or should I say, is.

Here's one of the few Nyjer Morgan Pirates cards that exist, and the only one that I own.

Number of seasons with the Pirates: 3

Career stats with the Pirates:

His legacy: Essentially, no one in the Pirates community ever cared about Nyjer Morgan. He provided many exciting defensive plays as well as brief offensive sparks, but was never a real fixture in the lineup. I suppose that's how his entire career has been. His speed always provided some excitement, especially in 2009 when he stole 42 bases. He was also caught 17 times, which led the majors. If I had to take a guess, I'd wager that Nyjer probably had no regard for "steal/don't steal" signs, and he probably just did whatever the f*** he wanted. Shocker.

Morgan will likely be remembered for his on-field antics rather than his skills. Thankfully for Bucco fans, he didn't begin to emerge as a psycho until he was out of the 'Burgh. For your viewing pleasure, here are some clips of Nyjer Morgan being a nutjob!

The second clip is great. Not only because there's an awesome brawl, but because Nyjer gets clotheslined by Gaby Sanchez... a current Pirate! Oh how I love when life comes full circle.

We'll end a light note.. he an Cutch enjoying a nice moment together. 

How will I remember Nyjer Morgan? Just like everyone else: As a member of any team but the Pirates.

He Was a Pirate? Part 2

The second installment of "He Was a Pirate?" has arrived! This week, I'll be introducing a flame throwing righty who, in 2007, was given a 3-year $47 million dollar contract from the Dodgers. Any ideas? He's tall as Manu Ginobili, and weighs as much as B.J. Upton (Or did when he was active).

Still not sure? In 2003, he was the runner-up for the Cy Young which was awarded to Eric Gagne. He rocked a killer white guy chin goatee.

He was also featured on this incredibly strange baseball card:

Oh yeah baby. It's Jason Schmidt! DUH! 

Just kidding. If you knew actually guessed who it was from my clues, that's impressive. Aside from the fact that those clues are relatively obscure, I wouldn't expect many to remember Jason Schmidt- especially as a Pirate. I barely remembered myself until I stumbled across this gem. Here's the back:

1998 Pacific

The back of the card is acutally way cooler than the front. I love the fact that Schmidt was caught smiling, and I've always been a big fan of the grey hats. What's absolutely awesome about this card is that it's plugging the internet. Not an online promotion. Not Topps PowerPlayers, not Topps BUNT, but simply the internet. What gold. I tried the first URL at the top of the card, which unfortunately is no longer in service. The second URL redirects to the Pirates current website.

Number of seasons with the Pirates: 5 1/2

Career stats with the Pirates: 

His legacy: Jason's time with Pirates was the definition of mediocrity- maybe slightly above. He was usually right around .500, with an ERA consistently over 4.00. '97-'99 was definitely the most consistent period of his career, when he made over 30 starts each year with 200 IP. He would battle injuries in many of the following years. The Pirates were pretty terrible during these few years, aside from '97 which was a fluke, more or less. Fun fact, in 1998 he led the league with 15 wild pitches.

Schmidt turned out to be a late bloomer. He would go on to find his groove in San Francisco at the age of 30, where he enjoyed 17 and 18 win seasons and as previously mentioned, was a Cy Young candidate in 2003. He signed that monster contract with the Dodgers in 2007, but would only appear in 10 games for them in 3 years. 

I'll remember Jason Schmidt just like everyone else: A member of any team but the Pirates.

An Exciting Return From My Hiatus - Polanco, PC's, Pimps, and More

I'm back! It's been a few weeks since I've posted, and for good reason. As many of you have probably learned, my line of work requires me to move around quite frequently. I am excited to announce that for the foreseeable future, I have settled back in Pittsburg... just in time for baseball season! This of course means I've got a new address. If you're planning on sending anything, please ask me for my new address before sending. I've put in forward requests at all of my old addresses, so it's not the end of the world if something goes there, but I'd love to avoid that step if possible.

I've been so busy with work that I hadn't been home long enough to set up an appointment with the cable company. I finally got my cable and internet installed yesterday, so I'm up and running for the first time in two weeks. 

I'll start with some very exciting news- not just for the city of Pittsburgh- but for the sport of baseball. As I'm sure you've heard, the great Gregory Polanco has arrived on the North Shore. Even better, I was lucky enough to be in attendance.

And what a special night it was. The young man has made quite the splash for the Bucs, and the entire team has responded well. I've often heard that with him, McCutchen, and Startling Marte, the Pirates outfield should be the best in baseball and I hope that proves to be true. After the game, I went home and scoured my collection for any Polanco cards, and here's what turned up:

Not a bad lot at all. I remember purchasing the auto, of course. I grabbed it back in the fall for less than the cost of blaster. It's value has since doubled, although I would never consider selling it.

Next order of business, the newest additions to my Jason Grilli PC:

My favorite card here is the Archives gold parallel, which arrived courtesy of Gavin at Baseball Card Breakdown. He's also holding SICK contest right now, so I highly suggest you head over there right now!

My Grilli PC has been shaping up nicely, mostly because he's not a big enough name to drive up autograph prices. Both of the autographs combined cost me less than a blaster, and the blue Tribute is numbered to 50. I also love his sig, sleek and sharp! 

Last PC addition is this 2012 Topps Jared Hughes Gold Sparkle. This is my first and only Jared Hughes card. Due to Jared's recent success, I had to jump on a nice rookie of his. He's a been a very consistent reliever for the Bucs this season.

I also splurged on a Topps S2 blaster, which I'm sort of regretting. What actually sold me was the $10 of coupons, which I figured would be nice for some future discounts. However, the coupons are relatively useless. My pulls very unspectacular, and I only one Pirate, a Jordy Mercer base card. 

I've posted all of the cards that I'm not looking to keep in a separate post, HERE! Shoot me an email if there's anything you'd like. Some PWE swaps might be fun!

Last order of business: Part 2 of "He Was a Pirate?" will up within the week. If you missed Part 1, please check it out HERE!

Thanks for reading!

Opening Day 2014: Pictures, Predictions, Postseason?

I've been waiting for this one for some time. The snow is melting, the days are getting longer, and it's Opening Day! It's a great day to be alive! 

My goal was to have a certified autograph of every Pirates opening day starter by... opening day. Unfortunately I have failed in my quest, but not by much!

Here's my predicted Pirates opening day roster with some of my favorite cards, as well as my statistical predictions. I'm going to do my best to remain objective and realistic!

Without further ado...

Starting at Catcher, for the YOUR Pittsburgh Pirates: 

RUSSEL MARTIN!

2007 Bowman's Best Auto

2013: 438 AB, .226 BA, 51 R, 15 HR, 55 RBI, 9 SB

2014 Projected stats: 444 AB, .261 BA, 62 R, 19 HR, 68 RBI, 7 SB

Comments: I absolutely loving having this guy as a backstop. His defense is his most valuable asset, not his bat. He's coming off a fantastic defensive year, capturing a runner-up position in the Gold Glove award, and saving the Pirates a handful of runs. In his contract year, I see him taking a step forward offensively.

At first base: Gaby Sanchez

2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Auto

2013: 264 AB, .254 BA, 29 R, 7 HR, 36 RBI, 1 SB

2014 Projected stats: 367 AB, .260 BA, 42 R, 22 HR, 55 RBI, 2 SB

Comments: Gaby goes into the 2014 as the Pirates starting first baseman. Historically, he mashes lefties and is blind against righties. Reportedly, he came into spring training much more trim than last year, dropping some fat and gaining muscle. He's very solid defensively, and he's going to need to step up his offense. He'll have the opportunity to 

prove himself as a regular first baseman in 2014.

At second base: Neil Walker 

2012 Topps Gypsy Queen Auto

2013: 478 AB, .251 BA, 62 R, 16 HR, 53 RBI, 1 SB

2014 Projected stats: 493 AB, .269 BA, 64 R, 15 HR, 66 RBI, 1 SB

Comments: Neil took a pretty big step back last year, setting career lows in many categories. He was battling injuries during much of the year, and was still able to approach 500 ABs. I have a hard time seeing him getting back to his 80+ RBI days. A repeat 

of last year is likely, with a hopeful spike in batting average. 

At Shortstop: Jordy Mercer

2013 Topps RC

2013: 365 AB, .285 BA, 33 R, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 3 SB

Projected stats: 412 AB, .270 BA, 40 R, 12 HR, 33 RBI, 2 SB

Comments: Jordy's coming off his first full season in the majors, and in my opinion, a pretty decent one. He wasn't on the Pirates opening day roster last year, although he joined the club in May and stayed for the remainder of the year. The Bucs still operate with a platoon at shortstop, with Jordy and Clint Barmes. Barmes is much more solid defensively, and steals some ABs as a late game defensive replacement. I see Jordy taking a small step forward offensively, although I haven't seen enough from him to predict anything extraordinary. 

At third base: Pedro Alvarez 

2011 Topps Chrome Atomic Refractor /225

2013: 614 AB, .233 BA, 70 R, 36 HR, 100 RBI, 2 SB

Projected stats: 608 AB, .245 BA, 72 R, 38 HR,102 RBI, 5 SB

Comments: What year for Pedro in 2013. He finally came around and began to look like the star he was projected to be out of college, leading the NL in HR's and being named to the All-Star team. Pedro took a huge step forward in terms of production, cranking out exceptional HR and RBI numbers. The big concern with El Toro is his low average and terribly high strikeout rate. I see much of the same this year as we saw in 2013.

In left field: Starling Marte:

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen Auto

2013: 510 AB, .280 BA, 83 R, 12 HR, 35 RBI, 41 SB

Projected stats: 522 AB, .270 BA, 79 R, 15 HR, 33 RBI, 45 SB

Comments: Marte had a breakout season in 2013, and was rewarded nicely just a few days ago with a 6-year, 31 million dollar contract. Marte is an exciting outfielder with great speed, excellent range, and a strong arm. The big concern with Marte is his strikeout numbers, which are unusually high for a leadoff hitter. I see the free-swinging Marte having a very similar year with a slight drop in average, and an increase in pop.

In center field: Andrew McCutchen

2005 Topps Chrome RC Auto /499

2013: 583 AB, .317 BA, 97 R, 21 HR, 84 RBI, 27 SB

Projected stats: 580 AB, .322 BA, 104 R, 27 HR, 90 RBI, 25 SB

Comments: You know him. And in Pittsburgh, there's no one more popular aside from maybe Sid Crosby. The reigning 2013 MVP actually has worse statistical year in 2013 than 2012 in every major category but steals. In 2014, I see him getting back to those numbers of two years ago, and making another run for MVP. This guy's a bonafide star; even if he drops off a bit, it won't be by much.

And lastly, in right field: Travis Snider

2007 Bowman Sterling Travis Snider RC Auto

2013: 261 AB, .215 BA, 28 R, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 2 SB

Projected stats: 310 AB, .232 BA, 36 R, 9 HR, 33 RBI, 1 SB

Comments: Snider comes off a terrible, injury riddled 2013 season. When he was healthy, he was striking out, and grounding into double plays as a pinch hitter. I've heard lots of great anecdotes about Snider's personality, and he seems like a great clubhouse guy. However, I've never been impressed with Snider's performance, especially at the plate. The only real favorable memory I have of Travis is this amazing catch back in 2012, which was an unbelievable robbery. Offensively, I don't see a ton of improvement on the horizon. I think his numbers will increase quantitatively, simply because he'll be healthy. He may be DFA'd at some point this season.

Final team predictions:

2013 Season: 94-68, 2nd NL Central, Wild Card, Lost NLDS 3-2 to St. Louis

2014 Prediction: 89-73

In all honesty, I have a hard time seeing the Pirates achieving the same success that the team enjoyed last year; but that's not say that I think they'll return to their nightmarish losing ways of the past. I think the team will still have a very good year and contend for a playoff spot. As long as the Cardinals are in the NL Central, I don't see Pirates being able to win the division. Optimistically, they'll play well enough to squeeze into a Wild Card spot and create some noise in the playoffs. Pessimistically, they'll sink closer to .500 and miss the playoffs. 

Here's to hoping some of the magic fairy dust from 2013 is still lingering in the Steel City.