Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
From the Field: Derek Tatsuno, p, University of Hawaii … Well gosh, getting this autograph made my night. You know who Paul Skenese is, right? Pittsburg Pirates phenom pitcher who won the NL Rookie of the Year last season. In 2023, Skense set the LSU and SEC record for strikeouts[…]
This 2001 Donruss Elite Victor Martinez rookie is one of the three or so Cleveland cards that Beckett ranked in its 2005 “All-Time Hot List” cards. And it’s the only one of the Cleveland cards that’s worth anything. What bugs me? This card wasn’t cheap, and I didn’t notice the[…]
Outfielder Johnny Damon had a great career. He spent 18 seasons in the big leagues and was a two-time All-Star and two-time World Series Champion. His mix of power and speed made him one of the best outfielders in the game. … It’s easy to forget that Damon spent one[…]
Cleveland drafted Ethan Hankins with the 35th overall pick of the 2018 draft. He was one of the best players available in the draft, but his stock slipped because of a shoulder injury. In 2021 he underwent Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him until this past season.
From the Collection: Franmil Reyes, 1b, Leones del Escogido … Coming into the 2022 season, Cleveland assumed that Franmil Reyes was the long-term answer at first base. In 2021 Reyes hit 30 HR with a 128 OPS+, and was only 25 years old. Sure, power-hitting first basemen don’t always age[…]
I didn’t have a Bryce Harper autograph in my collection, and I thought it was time to fix that.
Brooks Lee was the 34th overall pick of the 2023 draft out of Cal Poly. I was lucky enough to get his autograph last season when Cal Poly came and played Hawaii. He was very cool and was happy to sign.
This is an exciting one. Caden Grice @cadengrice had an amazing 2023 season with Clemson. As a hitter, he put up a line of .307/.411/.618 with a team-leading 18 HR. As a pitcher, he went 8-1 with a 3.35 ERA and struck out 101 in only 78 IP. He is[…]
From the Field: Jonathon Long, 1b, Long Beach State Baseball … Another player high on my list to get for the Dirtbags was first baseman Jonathan Long [ @jlong24_ ], so I was happy to knock him out on Friday night. Last season, as a sophomore, he hit .311/.411/.454 with[…]
When Mike Redmond signed with Cleveland for the 2010 season, I was pretty excited. I have to think there were not too many Cleveland fans who felt that way. I had been following Redmond for years since he was a young catcher with the Marlins. He was never a starter,[…]