Cleveland Minor League Collection: Danys Baez 2000 Multi-Ad Akron Aeros
Filled another small gap in my Cleveland minor league card collection: 2000 Mult-Ad Akron Aeroes Danys Baez, his first issued card.
Collecting Cleveland Baseball Since 1982
Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
Minor League Baseball Cards: Knocked Out of Bunch, But Many Remain
Unless you are one of the three people who read my blog, you might not know that one of my central collecting focuses on Cleveland Minor League baseball cards.
Cleveland Minor League Hall of Fame: 1978 TCMA Knoxville Knox Sox Harold Baine
The Card: 1978 TCMA Knoxville Knox Sox #0025 Harold Baines Is this really his first card? Yup! What is his rookie card? Baine’s real rookie cards would come in 1981: 1981 Fleer #346, 1981 O-Pee-Chee #347, and 1981 Topps #347. When was he in Cleveland? Baine was traded to Cleveland[…]
Cleveland Minor League Hall of Fame: 1986 Procards Charleston Gators Sandy Alomar Jr.
Is this Sandy Alomar’s first card? Oh gosh no. Alomar’s first minor league card is 1984 Spokane Indians Newspaper #22. I have never even had a chance to buy this card. It’s a bummer. But this is his second minor league card, so it will have to suffice until I can get his Spokane card.
From the Collection: Joe Bauman, Roswell Rockets
Every year the Joe Bauman Home Run Award to given to the minor league player with the most runs. You could not find a better person to name the award after, since Bauman is the minor league single-season home runs.
New Arrival: Milan Tolentino, ss, Cleveland Guardians
Milan Tolentino was Cleveland’s 4th-round pick in 2020 out of Santa Margarita Catholic in California. He opened the season in the back-half of the Guardian’s Top 30 prospect list but has been on fire in 2022 at Low-A Lynchburg, hitting .333/.436/.428 with one home run. Tolentino is quickly becoming another[…]
New Arrival: Bryan LaHair, 1b, Cleveland Baseball
After being drafted in the 39th round of the 2002 draft–a draft position not known to make many majors leaguers, he would go on to spend parts of three seasons in the majors–to include an All-Star selection. And there is no denying he was a masher in the minors, highlighted by his 2011 campaign with the Cubs AAA affiliate when he hit .331/.405/.664 with 38 HR and was selected the Pacific Coast League MVP.
From the Collection: Louis Head, rp, Tampa Bay Rays
Relief pitcher Louis Head was drafted in the 18th round by the Cleveland Indians in 2012. He was a very good bullpen arm while moving up through the Cleveland organization, and seemed like he had the potential to make the big leagues at some point. But in 2018 he struggled[…]
Rookie Cards: Casey Blake, 1997 Dunedin Blue Jays
Casey Blake was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 7th round of the 1996 draft. He would spend all of the 1997 season with the Dunedin Blue Jays, hitting .238/.319/.332 with 7 HR. Other notable future major leaguers on that team included IF Ryan Freel, pitchers Kelvim[…]
New Arrivals: Jake Westbrook, p, Cleveland Indians
Jake Westbrook is, I think, one of the more underrated Cleveland Indians players in history.