Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
When you think about the best pitchers of the 90’s, you think of Greg Maddux, Rogers Clemens, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martinez, to name a few. But you know who else was really good? Jamie Moyer. When it comes to total WAR (Wins Above Replacement), he ranks 9th during that[…]
From the Field: Caleb Lomavita, c, Washington Nationals This is an exciting one! In 2001, catcher Caleb Lomavita was the best prospect in Hawaii. Of course, back then I was not paying as close as attention as I am not to prep baseball in the islands, so I didn’t get[…]
Former Arizona Diamondbacks’ top prospect outfielder Sócrates Brito is an interesting player. This past season with the Korea’s Kia Tigers, he posted an impressive .310/.359/.516 line, hitting 26 home runs—his third consecutive strong season with the club. His bat has caught the attention of major league teams, and there is[…]
From the Field: Welbyn Francisca, ss, Cleveland Guardians … Guardians shortstop Welbyn Francisca is one of the organization’s top prospects. What’s especially nice with Francisca is that he is a toolsy 18-year-old that you don’t have to squint hard to see the potential, since he is already putting up the[…]
Infielder Alex Mooney (7th round, 2023) came into the 2024 season as one of Cleveland’s top 25 prospects. He put up great numbers with low-A Lynchburg (.729 OPS, 11 HR over 405 at-bats), but struggled on his promotion to high-A Lake County (.475 OPS and no homers over 66 at-bats).[…]
Cleveland’s Andrew Walters only needed a season to go from the University of Miami to the Guards 2024 post-season roster
Cooper Ingle was drafted by the Guardians in the 4th round of the 2023 draft out of Clemson, and is now one of the Top 15 prospects in the Cleveland system.
HOF Rickey Henderson is only 19th all-time (111.1) in career WAR. Alex Rodriguez has him beat with 117.6, good for 16th overall. The nearest active player? Mike Trout with 86.2 (50th). For some reason I always thought Henderson would be a Top 10 player. Guess not.
From the Field: Luis Castro, if, Staten Island FerryHawks … Infielder Luis Castro had a fantastic season in the independent Atlantic League in 2024. The 29-year-old Castro hit .356 with a .449 OBP and 1.085 OPS, hitting 24 HR. He would end the season with the league batting crown. Castro[…]
From the Field: Pan Wen-Hui, p, Philadelphia Phillies … In 2023 the Phillies signed 20-year old pitcher pitcher Pan Wen-Hui out of Taiwan. Pan was both a starter and reliever in Taiwan and has remained a swingman since coming to the States. He didn’t pitch too much in 2024 because[…]