Jeter and Mick...no, not that Mick

Similar to my blogging, my card-related pickups having really been coming to a halt. In both August and September, I sold more on eBay than I spent. Let's hear it for positive cash flow!

October is likely trending in this direction as well. Candidly, there's just nothing I want right now. No product excites me, no player excites me, no potential pick up excites me. Maybe that'll change, and I hope it does.

That doesn't mean I don't have envelopes coming in every now and then. Once in a while, when it feels like the right thing to do, I'll still pick up a Topps NOW card. I never buy directly from Topps. While that takes me out of the running for parallels and such, it keeps me in the $5 per card range. Sometimes, that can even be steep, but I don't buy these like I once did back in 2017 when Aaron Judge had one come out every day.

The first I picked up was an easy choice: Derek Jeter holding his plaque from Cooperstown. I'm not sure how many more cards will feature Jeter in this fashion. There will be probably a 30-card Target set in next year's Series One or something. But still, it was a no-brainer for me to pick up a card featuring Jeter holding his likeness that will hang in Cooperstown forever.

The next is a bit more of an off-the-path card for me, but I snagged a Mick Schumacher Topps NOW rookie card commemorating his appearance in the Belgian Grand Prix. I've actually bought a few F1 Topps Now card, including the first Lewis Hamilton last year...a card that cost me $5 at the time and now fetches toward $1K. It seemed logical to buy at the time since he's one of the most popular athletes in the world.

Similarly, Mick's father, Michael Schumacher, was one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. He was just the subject of a Netflix documentary about his life on the track, which was an enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes. I recommend it if you haven't seen it. It was definitely a puff piece, but reminded me of how great he truly was. Mick is young and has shown a good ability, so I figured it was wise to snag a RC.

I know F1 cards have gotten very popular, although I don't plan on collecting or buying them frequently. Although I am a racing fan, I don't love F1. It's basically a glorified time trial and the cars are a bit too tech-advanced for me. It doesn't really feel like racing as much as it does space travel. I have a family member who races F4, and that's more my speed. Still, there is no denying how popular it is, and the drivers are some of the biggest international stars in the world. 

Two vastly different subjects, but from the same card concept. And to me, a decent way to spend $10.

The future, but now

Although I was out in Colorado for MLB All-Star Festivities, I decided not to attend the Futures Game.

It wasn't for lack of interest. I just had better things to do in Denver that afternoon, including visiting one of my old college roommates.

One of the most surprising storylines of the game was that Jasson Dominguez was selected to the AL squad. At the time, he had less than 10 games to his credit, so it was definitely a leap.

Still, it's an exhibition game, and he's one of the game's top prospects. Maybe some guys deserved it more, but to me, if baseball has a chance to showcase young players who might be household names one day, they should do it. The game means nothing, so bring your big guns and show them off.

Dominguez hit a 100mph+ rocket for an out, but otherwise the game was uneventful for him. Still, it gave him a chance to be around other top prospects, many who are right on the doorstep of the majors. Hopefully he noticed how they prepared for the game, and took some notes. One note I hope he didn't take was letting the NL win. We all know that doesn't happen in the big boys game.

As expected, Topps put out a few cards to commemorate the game via Topps Now. Dominguez received one, so I headed to eBay and scooped it up for half the price that it goes for on Topps website. Dominguez cards are still rare enough to me that I don't mind spending a couple bucks for them here and there.

It's not first Bowman Chrome, but it's still pretty cool.

The first of...a couple?

Yesterday, I received my first Anthony Rizzo card that depicts him as a New York Yankee.

Rizzo is a likable player, and I'm glad the Yankees acquired him. It's been too long since they've had a good power bat from the left side who plays an above average 1B, as well.

The move was sweet because it was unexpected, but also quickly balanced the Yankees lineup with two power lefty bats, since Joey Gallo was also brought on board.

Rizzo quickly endured himself to Yankee fans with a big HR in in his first game, and went on a small tear with RBIs in his first six games with the new squad. While he's struggled a touch since then, plus had a bout with Covid-19, I'm not worried about him in the slightest and think he'll be a really important player down the stretch run. He's settled into the number 2 spot in the lineup.

I decided to buy the first Topps NOW card that depicted Rizzo in a Yankees uniform, since I'm not sure how many Yankee cards he'll get. He's a pending free agent (I hope the Yankees re-sign him), and usually trade deadline acquisitions don't make it into Update, which is pretty weird. I'd rather Update print a month later and include the deadline deals versus waiting until Series One.

There was a previous Topps NOW card that featured the "TRADED" mark, but Rizzo was still in a Cubs jersey. That's an overlooked benefit of Topps NOW - being able to acquire cards of guys in new uniforms and not having to wait months.

Sadly, I missed the first Joey Gallo Yankees card, but since he's under contract next year, I'm not too worried about it, and expect him to have 500 Yankee cards next year.

I miss the Election Day bake sale the most

I don't have much to say about today's election. I stay out of politics, in general. They don't interest me. I did vote though. Our tiny town in the NYC suburbs had a ballot drop box at the police station, which is also next to town hall.

I did my duty. Although when you put a ballot in the drop box, you don't get a sticker. How am I supposed to tell people on Instagram that I voted?

My state is a pretty unwavering blue state, so it's hard to vote and think it actually matters. I know it's the wrong attitude, but I didn't feel like I was making a vote that would actually mean anything. I do realize that's the wrong line of thinking, and if everyone thought like that, then that'd be a real problem.

What I miss most about in-person voting at the old people polls and confusing voting machines is the bake sale. I usually vote at the buttcrack of dawn before work, and was always rewarded with a nice piece of coffee cake for $.50 to benefit the elementary school.

I definitely missed the bake sale this year.

As it relates to cards, I don't have any political cards outside of GWB throwing out the first pitch in the 2001 World Series. Non-sports cards don't appeal to me, but I did decide to pick up this piece of history honoring a truly awful occasion: the first 2020 Presidential Debate.

Man, was that a mess that was. But this whole year has been. So I decided to buy a piece of cardboard to remember it. Not that I'll need a card to remember 2020. Nooope. The visions of my kids learning from Chromebooks or me working at my dining room table since March will never be forgotten. Or taking my car 20 minutes away to be serviced, only to get there and realize I didn't bring a mask and had to beg the woman at Dunkin Donuts to give me one. Tiny problems in the grand scheme of things, sure. 

It's been a weird year. But my family is healthy and we're making this all work, just like everyone else. So I bought a card. 

If you head to the polls today, stay safe. And if your's has a bake sale, know that I'm jealous.

Cole Train picking up steam

So far, Gerrit Cole has been as advertised.

He's been a but homer-prone, but on the whole, has been excellent. He does what he's supposed to each time out there, and I look forward to his starts. The Yankees scheduled has worked out in a way, between weather delays and Covid postponements, where it seems like he takes the ball every other game.

I love his competitiveness and drive each time he's out there, as well. He's a beast.

Adding Gerrit Cole cards to my TCDB has helped open up a few trades, too. I don't plan on collecting Cole hardcore or anything. But adding some of his new cards to my waitlist helps me make some smaller swaps.

The last two Coles to come in via TCDB all came on nice, simple swaps.

I traded a few 2020 Topps Chrome base cards for this guy, from 2020 Donruss Optic. Nice shot of Cole from spring training. And look, he does have a logo on his hat...from New Era!

The next is a photo-shopped Cole from 2020 Topps Series 2 - honoring whatever set was 35 years ago. Super easy trade for five 2020 Bowman commons.

This last Cole wasn't from TCDB, but was more of an impulse buy the day after the MLB season started. It's my first - and only - 2020 Topps NOW card. I can't believe how many of these I bought a few years ago. But alas, they've lost their luster with me a bit. Still, I wanted muy first card of Cole that wasn't photoshopped or from Spring Training.

I'm sure I'll continue to pick up Cole cards, as it makes me a more agreeable traders on TCBD, a great place to trade.

NOW a Hall of Famer

Once he was elected to the Hall of Fame, I was excited to pick up Derek Jeter's Topps Now Card. Instead of the $9.99 directly from Topps, I spent $5 on eBay.

The card finally arrived.

I think I like the salute shot. I might have preferred something from one of Jeter's signature moments, but I think the wave to the crowd works well from the end of of his career.

I thought the back was well done. I like the accolades beyond traditional stats, and how they are represented with objects, like stars and trophies. The subtle shot of Jeter int he background at his HOF press conference was a nice touch.

I can't remember if Topps does NOW cards from HOF induction speeches, but if so I'll likely grab that one as well.

Freezer Day

In elementary school, one of the items on the lunch menu at the end of the school year was "Freezer Day."

I always enjoyed buying lunch on Freezer Day because there was so many delicious items available. I was a bit too naive (aka dumb) to understand that it was literally the lunch staff's way of cleaning out everything left in the freezer from the school year. Nuggets, fries, hamburger, ziti, meatballs, steakumms. All served to unsuspecting kids so that it didn't go to waste.

Pretty gross.

And awesome.

When I was looking through my scanned folder, I just saw a bunch of cards that are leftovers. Cards that have been sitting there for the last year or so without a post to call home.

So I'm taking a mishmash of what's left in my folder and creating my own little Freezer Day on a Sunday evening.

First off, Tino has to be part of Freezer Day. I remember buying this SI for Kids card because I thought I needed it. But when it arrived, it turns out it was a dupe. That happens a lot.

This was a recent pickup because I didn't realize Pinnacle Mint had cards that were printed with a medallion, versus the physical coin that usually goes in there. I have a few of the card and coin combos, but I was surprised that this version existed.

Wrapping up the frozen Tino section, my most recent pickup. It was another instance of me complaining on Twitter about crappy shipping by a seller who charged nearly $4 and sent it in a PWE. Two in a row!

Back in the spring, I bought this card, and I'm not sure why. Probably because "cucked" is funny and this guy's last name is Kucks? Cool signature and card though.

This Tyler Wade autograph was from last winter. I think I thought Wade was going to be awesome. He's mostly been overmatched in his short Big League career, but he was a bit better down the stretch and I think he'll continue to be a useful utility guy.

Stanton relic? I think got it during the COMC Black Friday sale, along with this cool Judge Tarot and Frazier Fortune Teller. The Tarots are very very cool.

When Mariano Rivera got elected to the HOF, I bought the two Topps NOW issued cards. I guess they arrived a few weeks after the news, so I never got along to posting them.

Lastly, spring chicken is on the Freezer Day menu, with this Yankee young'un. Deivi Garcia is the most promising Yankees minor league pitcher since Luis Severino. I'm excited to see him (hopefully) debut next season. I bought this card with some leftover eBay bucks last quarter.

That should do it for this Freezer Day. Glad I could finally clean this cards out of the depths of my scanned folder.

Call to the Hall

This weekend, three former Yankees will enter the Hall of Fame. While I don't anticipate sitting and watching the ceremony, I do look forward to seeing video recaps of the speeches and all the pageantry. I've enjoyed seeing photos of each player's Hall display as well.

After he was unanimously selected as a HOFer, I did pick up these two Topps NOW issues, with the latter celebrating the feat. I need more Rivera cards like I need a hole in the head, but these were two I was very happy to add.

I never owned many Mike Mussina cards during his playing days, as his Yankees years coincided with mostly my non-collecting years. Still, I've amassed quite a collection of his through trade packages, and his TTM autos are some of the best I own.

I actually do remember the Yankees getting Lee Smith via trade, even though I was nine at the time. I remember watching a game on WPIX where they zoomed to him sitting in the bullpen. I can't say I remember any of his Yankees pitching appearances, but it's always fun when a guy like this wears pinstripes for a short time.

Congrats to these three guys, as well as the other elected players.

The Last of the Nows

With the two Topps NOW cards recently arriving, that's likely the last of them for this season. I say "likely" because perhaps there will be one for any interesting post-season awards, like if Miguel Andujar somehow beats out Ohtani for AL ROY.

Regardless, it's two good ones, so let's see what I got.

Luuuuuuke. The first is of Yankees out-of-nowhere sensation Luke Voit. I was glad to see him get a Yankees card, although this one is a team card, so technically not of him. I also thought his Topps NOW would be his RC, but it turns out he had a card in 2017 Update with the Cardinals. Rats!

It's a great shot of him being enthusiastic after one of his many homers this past September.

The back of the card lists out all 12 players who hit 10 or more homers for the Yankees in 2018, a new MLB record.

The next Topps NOW is the first official card of Justus Sheffield as a Big Leaguer, chronicling his ML Debut. I guess it's not technically a RC because he hasn't been featured in a base set yet. What a dumb rule. This is a card of him on an MLB mound in a regular season MLB game. It should be a rookie card, especially if he's not going to make it in any 2018 products.

Regardless, it was another fun year of buying Topps Now cards. I didn't buy as many as I did in 2016 and 2017, but still came away with some good ones.

#TooManyHomers

I'm still disappointed the Yankees season is over, although admittedly I don't take it as hard as I used to. I'm not sure if it's my maturation process as a fan, or perhaps the fact that I'm now older than everyone on the team except CC Sabathia and JA Happ. Plus, the company I worked for in my early to mid 20s was littered with Red Sox fans. Now I really don't have anyone to give me a hard time other than maybe a quick comment here or there.

It was an interesting season, to say the least. The emergence of a few rookies. The disappointment of a few regulars. Injuries, trades, call-ups.

The Yankees won 100 games, although it always felt like they were underachieving with the ridiculous 108-win season the Red Sox put together. That wasn't quite fair. I'd take 100 wins every year, as more often than not that's a division title.

One thing the Yankees did was hit homers, hitting a Major League record 267 of 'em. That was pretty cool, even if it ended up meaning nothing in the long run. Homers are fun. They did it despite down seasons from two of the biggest power threats - Gary Sanchez and Greg Bird - and also while losing Aaron Judge to a broken wrist for an extended period of time.

It was fitting that the record was broken on a homer by Gleyber Torres. It's a meaningless stat, but that same record-setting blast also gave the Yankees 20+ homers from each position in the batting order. It was the 20th home run from the 9-hole, something really only an AL team could achieve. Still, pretty cool and it shows the Yankees had a lot of balance up and down the lineup all season.

I picked up the Topps NOW card to commemorate the feat. It was the first one I bought directly from Topps this year, as cards were $7.99 the final weekend of the season. Still more than I normally pay, but I wanted to stay on Topps mailing list to get their Christmas or pre-season cards they tend to send for free. Ulterior motives!

I also liked the card because of the Andrew McCutchen cameo on the back.

A lot has to go right to hit that many homers, but I'd expect the Yankees to make another run at the mark next season as well.

Rookie teammates

I’ve become a weekly blog poster.

I don’t like when that happens, and I never do it intentionally. However, real life stuff has dictated it at this time. I recently started a new job, and have been putting all of my focus into that. It doesn’t leave much room for cards, but I’m sure that will change soon once I become more comfortable and less on edge as it relates to being the new guy.

With the regular season coming to a close, I thought it would be a good time to show this card featuring my two favorite rookies. They’ve both had terrific seasons, and give Yankees fans a lot of optimism for their development moving forward. They’ve each played a key role on a Playoff-bound team, and often times have carried the lineup when the more established veterans were underperforming or out with injury.

I do think Miguel Andujar should be named the AL Rookie of the Year. It certainly seems like forever ago that Brandon Drury was the Yankees Opening Day 3B. Perhaps Ohtani will win, and it won’t be the wrong choice. I could even see Torres splitting a few votes with him. I’m not too worried either way. Cool if one of them wins, but no big deal if not. The Yankees have two budding offensive stars, post-season hardware or not.

This particular Topps NOW issue commemorates both guys having 20-HR seasons. Andujar was always projected to have some power. Torres’ projection was 25 HRs at his peak. He’s got 23 as a 21-year old in 120 games. The power numbers need to be adjusted a bit, but one thing is for sure: he’s damn good for his age and his ceiling is really high.

Best of all, these rookies have played pivotal roles in meaningful games, and hopefully they have a lot more of those this season and beyond.

ROYs on one card?

It feels like the Rookie of the Year race in both the AL and NL is really going to come down to the wire.

In the American League, Shohei Ohtani was running away with it as a dual-threat player, cranking homers and striking out hitters. But his UCL injury put a damper on his season, at least pitching-wise. He's come back as a full-time DH and is starting to rake again, but will it be enough to take back the award?

Enter Gleyber Torres, who was called up on April 22 and took hold of the Yankees starting 2B job. Predicted to hit 15-20 homers in his prime, he already has 15 dingers 225 ABs. The power surge has been unexpected. He was named to the AL All-Star team, but then experienced a hip injury that landed him on the DL. He's back now, but the race is a bit closer with him missing time and Ohtani heating up.

Oh, and don't forget Miguel Andujar has 42 extra base hits!

On the NL-side, it's a bit murky as well. Most likely leading the way at this point is 19-year-old and already current-Yankee killer Juan Soto. Seriously, 19?! He's hitting .315 with a .425 OBP and 13 homers...AS A NINETEEN YEAR OLD. That is unreal.

There are still a few NL rooks who might be considered for the award, including Brian Anderson of the Marlins. Then maybe I could do something with this card I pulled that I have no use for and no one seems to want. Seriously, it sells for $2 on eBay. The Marlins effect is real.

Back to the rookies. A while back, the Yankees and Nationals faced off with the two aforementioned rooks taking center stage. They didn't disappoint, becoming the youngest pair to homer in the same game.

It was a cool moment and one of the few Topps NOW cards I've ever snagged with a non-Yankee on it. Hopefully I see these two on the same card again in the off-season as ROY winners.

Mmmm, lasagna

No, this is not a post about Garfield the Cat.

I do love lasagna though. In fact, one of my favorite New York City restaurants is actually called "Lasagna." Guess what they serve?

They have a ton of different types of lasagna, such as ground sirloin lasagna, short rib lasagna, lobster lasagna, spinach lasagna, and so on.

The Yankees recently promoted a pitcher named Jonathan Loaisiga. He's become affectionately known as Johnny Lasagna due to his last name. He has a decorated injury history with the Giants organization, but the Yankees took a flyer on him and he rewarded them by shooting through the system.

On June 15, he made his ML debut despite never throwing a pitch above AA. He promptly beat the Rays, throwing 5 shutout innings and earning a Topps NOW card, which I scooped up:

He started three other games before being sent down, and unfortunately experienced shoulder discomfort. He received a cortisone shot, and will trying pitching again in a few weeks. Perhaps the Yankees will still get something out of him down the stretch, but even if not, he pitched in four effective games for the Yankees, throwing 18 innings with a 3.00 ERA and 21 Ks.

I'll be curious to see if he makes it into Topps Update. I assume he will since this card featured the RC logo versus the RC logo-less call up cards, but we shall see!

The youngest to (insert the blank)

Pretty much every night, I feel like I see a new graphic about Gleyber Torres.

Youngest AL player to hit a HR in 4 straight games.
Youngest Yankee to hit a walk-off homer.
Youngest player to make a grown man go broke because he keeps buying a 21-year-old's Topps NOW cards.

Ok, that last one might have been a stretch, but that's the direction I'm headed. I've actually been a bit better recently about not buying every single Torres Topps NOW cards, but it's when a.) he's really good and b.) so are the Yankees.

This one just arrived in the mail, and I've got two more on the way: 10+ HRs before 22nd birthday matches Mantle, and then the shared card with Juan Soto.

I'm writing this post on Friday and scheduling it for the following Thursday (aka today). I'll probably have bought three more of these between then and now.

Walk it off

Yesterday, my son was running into the kitchen to tell me something and stubbed his toe on a chair.

We've all done this. It hurts like hell. I could tell he really wanted to cry, which would have been warranted, but I just started saying, "Ok, bud, walk it off. Walk it off. Walk it off." While the tears welled up, he didn't full on let 'em roll.

In baseball, the term "walk it off" can take on different meanings. For example, similar to the stubbed toe, a batter who is hit by a pitch will often "walk it off" on his way to first base.

Then there is the more triumphant version - the walk off hit, sometimes even the walk-off homer. When a player ends the game in the bottom of the final inning, he and his team walk it off the field.

The Yankees already have walked it off five times this season, which seems like a lot for June 3. They have come in a few varieties.

The first off the season come on April 26, when Gary Sanchez crushed a walk-off dinger. Topps memorialized this moment. I especially liked this card because they used an image on the back, which I'm always a fan of for their Topps NOW cards.

Perhaps the best walk-off victory was the third of the year, on May 6, when rookie sensation Gleyber Torres hit a walk-off homer. I love the photo Topps used, where he turned to the dugout to point at his teammates.

Other walk-off hits have included Miguel Andujar (May 4), Neil Walker (May 12), and Gleyber again on May 29.

The only two Topps NOW cards I've gotten for the occasion are the ones you see here, but I wouldn't be surprised if I pick up another over the course of the season to celebrate more late-inning heroics.

Torres Up Cards

I’m thinking of changing my blog name to Torres Up Cards, not to be confused with Torren’ Up Cards.

Ok, I’m kidding. I’m not going to do that. I’ve built too much equity in being “lost” for the last 7+ years of this blog.

But I would expect the next seven to see many more posts about this guy:

Top prospect Gleyber Torres has been on the Yankees for about a month now, and he’s as advertised. He’s a very, very good player. He’s just 21 years old, and I could really see him being a key cog in the organization for years to come.

I know it won’t always come this easy to him. He’ll have many ups and downs. But the consensus is that he belongs. He doesn’t look overmatched. He always looks like he’s in control. You can just tell he knows he’s meant to be there and meant to be playing baseball at the highest level. Many times, a young player comes up and tries to do too much. Torres has stayed within himself and taken control of the Yankees 2B job.

He's hitting .309/.374/.494 with four homers He’s played a solid 2B, although there have been a couple of miscues while he learns the position. Still, he has made some gems and has shown to be a quick learner.

I’m not going to deem myself an exclusive collector of his. Too competitive. But I’ll be picking up his cards here and there, and I am looking forward to his flagship RC which I assume will come in Topps Update. I assume his cards will be sprinkled in other products as the year goes on. I’ve already got another Topps NOW on the way from his recent walk-off homer.

I’m just kicking myself for not ponying up and getting an autograph, because now it’s going to be very hard to find a reasonable one.

Thrice as nice

The latest Topps NOW card in my possession arrived at a time when I'm feeling pretty good about the Yankees. They've won 17 of 18 games and have showed some serious resolve over that span. The winning streak has been against the best the AL has to offer, so that makes it all the more impressive.

This card is from the wee days of season, April 4 to be exact. Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, and Aaron Judge each hit 2-run homers in that game.

While these guys hitting homers isn't particularly rare, I thought having a card featuring all three of them would be pretty cool, even if it leaves a bit to be desired since each player is squeezed into a third of the card. Although I shouldn't complain given the same tactic was used to jam 4 Dodgers pitchers in one card after their combined no-hitter.

Anyhow, the Yankees will endure some rough patches this year, no doubt. But for living in the NOW, I'm a happy fan.

Opening Day seems like forever ago

Maybe it's because the season started in March, but Opening Day feels like it was more than 2.5 weeks ago.

Since starting out of the gate with two homers, Giancarlo Stanton has only gone deep one time. Coming off of 59 homers, it would be easy to expect the number to be twice that so far. But he endured a pretty brutal slump and has only recently started to turn it around.

I'm not particularly worried. It's a 14 game stretch, and he was definitely pressing to impress the home fans for the first time. It feels a lot like Alex Rodriguez in 2004.  In his first April in NY, he only hit .253 with 4 HRs and 8 RBI. Even for the year, he hit 36 Hrs and drove in 106. While respectable, that was coming off of three straight huge years in Texas, and then in 2005 followed by an MVP-season with 54 homers. There's no doubt there's an adjustment period.

As long as he stays healthy, Stanton will put up solid numbers and be an asset to the team. He won't replicate 59 homers I assume, but what if he hits 42? Hardly something to sneeze at.

Regardless, I loved his Opening Day performance, and it was an easy decision for me to pick up the Topps NOW card commemorating the day.

Topps also added a holographic technology to the back of the card, which is new this year. I didn't know Topps NOW counterfeiting was an issue, but I assume this will help combat that.

Pretty cool card, and I expect to add a few more of these this season.

The Yankees New QB

Over the winter, the Yankees traded for a former minor leaguer named Russell Wilson.

If that name sounds familiar, it's because it's THE 2013 Super Bowl winning QB of the Seattle Seahawks.

As you surely heard, Wilson suited up in Yankees Pinstripes and attended camp for a few days with the Yanks several weeks ago. While many decided it was gimmicky, I decided it was great. I don't think he took reps away from any player by trying while he was trying to fake it as a baseball player.

Instead, I think the Yankees got to pick the brain of a successful star athlete who has reached the pinnacle of the sport in which he plays. They got to see how he prepares. How he focuses. How he carries himself. While he's only 29 years old, he is older than Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, Sonny Gray, Luis Severino, Didi Gregorius, Brandon Drury, and Jordan Montgomery...to name a few. The Yankees are young. And having another veteran presence in camp - albeit a QB - is a cool thing that the players really seemed to enjoy.

Let's not forget that he was always a baseball player, but excelled at football. Still, baseball is in his blood, as he said. In a cool arrangement, Wilson got one AB and struck out. I was really hoping Topps would make a Topps NOW card of him as a Yankee, and they didn't disappoint. It'll definitely be one of the more unique cards in my collection.

I hope Wilson stays on as a Yankee for many springs to come. He's always welcome in Tampa!