Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
I was able to get pitcher David Peterson‘s autograph back in 2015 when he was visiting Hawaii with the Oregon Ducks. That weekend he would make his first NCAA start, pitching 6.0 innings and striking out eight. Peterson was drafted by the New York Mets with the 20th overall pick[…]
In 2007 Perez was the left-handed battery mate to right-hander Rafael Betancourt, who together made one of the most impressive bullpen duos in the game and a big reason that the Tribe won 96-games and nearly went to the World Series.
It would take a couple of seasons, but Westbrook would develop into a very solid starting pitcher. Over nine seasons with the Tribe, Westbrook went 69-69 with a 4.29 ERA/1.374 WHIP/101 ERA+.
I am a big fan of signed books. I normally remove the signed page and toss it in a toploader (or now, more often, an archival album). Assuming it’s signed in ballpoint and the book was even reasonably well taken care of, the autographs are normally still bold. Both blue[…]
The Card: 2019 Topps Archives Zack Wheeler 2015 Topps Heritage Autograph Buyback Zack Wheeler seems like one of the more underrated pitchers in the game. His 2021 season was awesome, leading the league in innings (213), strikeouts (247), and a fantastic 2.78 ERA/148 ERA+. He certainly deserved his All-Start selection[…]
The Card: 2020 Panini USA Stars & Stripes Autograph Doug Nikhazy Doug Nikhazy was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2021 draft by Cleveland out of the University of Mississippi. In his last season at Mississippi, he went 12-2, striking out 142 in only 92 innings. This season Nikhazy[…]
Mel Harder had a fantastic 20-year career in the big leagues. Unfortunately, he was stuck playing on Cleveland squads that were middling at best, which probably hurt his career numbers. The best any club did that he was on came in 1940 when the Indians went 89-65 and finished a[…]
The Card: Joey Votto 2011 Topps Lineage Box Topper This is one of my cooler Joey Votto autographs. I was able to get this card signed in person while the Reds were visiting Cleveland back in 2012 or 2013. It was my first time getting Votto in person, and I[…]
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[…]
I love outfielder Ryan Ludwick. One of my all-time favorite players.