Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
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.
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: 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.
Every now and again I get infatuated with a prospect and go crazy trying to stock up on their autograph. Tyler Krieger was one of those players. This was back in 2016 when he had a fantastic season between Low-A and High-A, hitting .299/.377/.417.
The Card: 1972 Topps Jim “Mudcat” Grant Being a fan of both the Cleveland and Oakland organizations, it’s nice when a player plays for both franchises at some point. It’s even better when that player was good, and Mudcat Grant was certainly that too. Mudcat Grant made the majors in[…]
I was a fan of Jeremy Sowers while he was pitching at Vanderbilt, and was excited when Cleveland drafted him with the 6th overall pick of the 2004 draft.
The 2007 Cleveland Indians were a good team. They won 96 games, and beat the Yankees in the ALDS, but could not quite get past the David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez-led Red Sox in the ALCS. The Cleveland rotation had a good rotation, with two 19-game winners in CC Sabathia and Roberto Hernandez, and a 15-win season from Paul Byrd. But it is tempting to think what would have happened if Cliff Lee would have been a productive member of that rotation.
Wally Post’s last season in the big leagues came in 1964 with Cleveland. The outfielder got eight at-bats, recorded no hits, and would be released in May. It would be the end of an impressive 15-year career in the big leagues.