WAR Room: Steve Carlton, sp, Cleveland Indians
teve Carlton was an amazing pitcher. 329 career wins, four Cy Young Awards, 10 All-Star selections, two-time World Series Champion, and of course, 1994 first ballot Hall of Famer.
Collecting Cleveland Baseball Since 1982
Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
From the Field: Tanner Chun, ss, St. Louis High School (Hawaii)
Another very cool autograph from the Hawaii Baseball Association 2023 Fall Showcase, St. Louis shortstop Tanner Chun (2024).
The WAR Room: Mike Mussina, sp, Baltimore Orioles
I am old, I guess. But I like to remember Mike Mussina more for his time in Baltimore than New York, though I am probably in the minority.
From the (Hawaii) Field: Sean Yamaguchi, if, St. Louis High School
Part of the 2024 Class, Yamaguchi is one of the top five players coming out of Hawaii in 2024, as well as one of the top 500 High School prospects in the country.
New Arrival: Bryce Harper, of, Philadelphia Phillies
I didn’t have a Bryce Harper autograph in my collection, and I thought it was time to fix that.
From the Collection: Royce Lewis, of, Minnesota Twins
This year my fantasy team was a disaster. But I salvaged a second-place finish, in large part, because I was able to snag Royce Lewis off the waiver wire deep into the season. Second half Lewis was a monster, with 11 HR and a fantastic 165 sOPS+.
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.
From the Field: Aaron Bracho, if, Cleveland Guardians
A couple of seasons ago infielder Aaron Bracho was one of the Cleveland Guardians’ best position prospects. But after two terrible seasons in High-A, his prospect status was on life-support. The dude could not hit over .200 in either season, and there was no reason to expect that 2023 was going to be any different.
New Arrival: Aaron Civale, sp, Tampa Bay Rays
If you are a Cleveland fan, you always knew that Civale would be good. He just needed to stay healthy.
New Arrival: Noah Syndergaard, p, Cleveland Guardians
Coming back to Cleveland in the Rosario trade was Noah Syndergaard. This was more about money–and Cleveland helping eat some salary–than about value back. I had heard that most Dodgers fans were sick of Syndergaard, but I did not appreciate how bad a pitcher he had become until I saw it in person.