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?"

Marte Par-tay

Judson over at My Cardboard Habit and I were able to work out another easy deal. The plan was essentially: "Hey Judson I really want that Marte auto..."

And his response was "It's yours, just send whatever and I'll send you Marte."

...pretty sweet deal. I sent Judson just about every Ranger in my collection. Sure enough, he fired back the autograph. Not just the autograph, but also an awesome GQ Jersey Card. 

Judson, thanks so much for the cards. The Stadium Club autograph is easily one of my favorites out of my whole Pirates PC. Although I wasn't a huge fan of Stadium Club overall, I absolutely love the poses and the photography captured in the set. This card is no different.

Thanks for reading!

Trade Bait Tuesday

I stole that flashy title from my good buddy Alex over at Chavez Ravining. Unlike Alex, however, there's no way in hell that I can consistently keep this up as a weekly tradition. Admittedly, it's also a total coincidence that I've happened to have the time to do this a Tuesday. Hopefully I can get on and post some trade bait more often.

Below are pictures of a bunch of random baseball parallels, inserts, and rookies that are up for trade!

Drop a comment if you're interested in anything. If you have any questions, let me know! 

Last thing, I have recently published similar trade bait posts that are worth checking out:

This page has all of my 2014 Gypsy Queen Trade Bait. Everything pictured is available, aside from the James Shields blue border and the Xander Bogaerts mini which have been traded away.

And this page has a ton of autos and relic cards that are for trade. There are few cards on that page that have also been traded away, so check with me before getting your hopes too high!

Thanks for reading!

New Bucco's, What Else?

You know how this goes, just me showing off some more PC additions. Nothing too extravagant here, but I'm very happy with these purchases!

First up is Ike Davis. I'll admit, I wasn't initially excited about my Buccos signing Ike. As a New Yorker with tons of Mets fans for friends, I'm very familiar with his career. I remember when he first came up to the bigs, there was a real buzz surrounding his power. He's certainly showed some of that power, although his batting average has suffered. He's a lifetime .241 hitter, which is the last thing the Pirates need (think: Pedro Alvarez). Ike's struggles have mostly come against lefties, and the Pirates signed him with the intention of throwing in platoon situation with Gaby Sanchez facing the lefties. After Ike's grand slam last week, I'm a little more optimistic. If he stays above .250 and drives in consistent runs, I'll be satisfied.

With all of that said, I definitely wanted to acquire an auto from Ike. He's got plenty of autos out there, and the prices were very affordable. So affordable, in fact, that a rookie auto wasn't out of the question. I snagged this 2010 Topps Chrome for $8 shipped. The cost was little much for such mediocre player, but I decided to shell out a few extra bucks for that "RC" stamp.

Here's a nice auto from 2014 GQ from Jeff Locke. Locke, a 2013 All-Star, has completely disappeared. After having a fantastic first half last season, he completely collapsed and eventually landed on the DL. He's still battling injuries and trying to get himself straightened out in triple A. As of now, he's not an option for the Pirates rotation. Nonetheless, I'm excited to add another Locke auto to my collection. 

This came to me courtesy of a half case break conducted by the wonderful Judson over at My Cardboard Habit. I actually got two of these in the break, so I've got an extra if anyone's interested. Won't take much.

Lastly is a simple little Charlie Morton auto from 2011 Topps Lineage. I never dabbled with the set, but I really like this card. For a sticker, it's certainly not bad. This is the only certified autograph card that I've seen consistently on the market from Charlie. I was able to pick this up for $4 shipped.

Charlie's having a pretty rough year this year, as are most Pirates pitchers... and batters... and so on. They were able to pick up a nice 6-1 win over St. Louis this afternoon. Hopefully they can steal one from Adam Wainwright tomorrow and gain some momentum before heading to Baltimore to begin interleague play.

Thanks for reading!