TTM Success: Jacob Lindgren

Yesterday on Twitter, Zippy Zappy showed off 11 envelopes he got back in the mail, presumably all with TTM successes inside. I was very jealous upon seeing that one was from Jacob Lindgren, the Yankees relief prospect who is currently wasting bullets in AAA instead of in the Bronx. (side note: the most I've ever gotten back in one day is five)

I have a few Lindgren autos, but really wanted one via TTM. I noticed that Zippy's was from Tampa, and Lindgren is in Scranton, so I asked if it was a request from spring training. Luckily it was, which gave me hope for mine. Some guys do answer spring mail during the season, although it's not too common.

Naturally, I got home from work, and there was a SASE from PA.

Inside was this!

Boom! A signed Jacob Lindgren Bowman RC. Kenny with the Chrome and a Panini. I played it safe with a Bowman base. It came out great!

Hopefully this guy is in the Bronx any day now.

Happy 90th, Yogi!

Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra turns 90 today. Unfortunately, he hasn't been seen around Yankee Land much these days. I imagine it's getting pretty tough for him to move around these days.

About nine years ago, I had the good fortune of holding Yogi's hand for an uncomfortably long time. You see, I was at a function where he was attending. When I shook his hand, someone else started to talking to him. And Yogi didn't let go of my hand. He just kept talking to the other person while holding on to me. It was pretty funny.

I've been fortunate enough to add a Yogi TTM autograph to my collection, as well as a few nice vintage cards. However, this is likely my favorite. It was a Listia win that was well worth the credits!

16 for 16

Michael Pineda is the ace of the Yankees pitching staff. There is no two ways about it right now, especially with Masahiro Tanaka sidelined. While I'm still nervous he won't stay healthy all season, watching him take the ball every 5th day has been a pure joy.

With yesterday's dominant 16 K, 0 walk performance in only 7 innings of work, I thought I'd show 16 Pineda cards today to celebrate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Severino looking good

Yankees top pitching prospect Luis Severino has had a great start at AA Trenton. Just 21, he’s definitely beyond his years and pitching against some tough competition. So far, he’s answered the call, and already has some fans in the Bronx calling for him to join the rotation.

Me personally? I still think he needs some seasoning, but I also think he could help a bit this summer if it gets to that. It wouldn’t be outrageous, just unlikely. The Yanks have a brittle rotation. Michael Pineda is a true ace, but his shoulder scares me. I have no clue what to expect from Tanaka. CC is having a rough start. Adam Warren will have an innings limit. Nate Eovaldi seems like he’s going to be hit or miss every time out. Chris Capuano and Ivan Nova are on their way back, so there are reinforcements before it would get to Severino.

However, I’d rather see the top prospect get a shot than a guy like Kyle Davies.

Do I think we’ll see him in the Bronx this year? No. But I will see him in Hoboken, NJ, in my card collection. I’ve been slowly adding a few cards of his, and while an auto still eludes me, I like these two pickups!

These are also the first two Severino cards that I've had the opportunity to show on my blog.

Keep an eye on this guy!

My three favorite cards

Frankie is having a contest over at My Life In The Sports Card Hobby. Go join!

I honestly think that this post might change every day, but here are my three favorite cards as of this second:

Yeah, it's beat up, but it's my only Mantle base card. I have a few others - checklists and subsets, but this is my only true base, and I'll always love it.

This was my first TTM success from Tino Martinez, my favorite player. Tino doesn't sign much through the mail, but I sent to him while he was injured one September, and the envelope came back on my birthday!

This card was a Listia win, and the seller also sent a bunch of autographs with it. I have a couple Rizzuto autos, but this is the only certified one.

If you asked me this question tomorrow, my answer would be probably be different. Picking just three is really hard.

Tossing Gren-ades

As Zippy Zappy pointed out in my last post, I missed the opportunity to include this Jacob Lindgren card, making the title even punnier with “Gren and Berra It.” Damn! How could I have missed that? Especially when I showed these cards together on Twitter.

Fail.

But I refuse to not use a Jacob Lindgren pun here.

As expected, Lindgren, the Yanks first pick in the 2015 Draft, is dominating in AAA. He was close to MLB-ready when the Yanks drafted him, and I have to say, I’m shocked he’s still in the minors. All he has done is dominate in pro ball. This year, he’s made 10 relief appearances, pitching 12.1 innings and striking out 16. His walk totals are a little high – 7 – so that’s something he’ll need to improve as he gets older. He’s just 21, so I’m hoping his control gets a little better with age and experience.

He just pitched in back-to-back games for the first time this season, so I’m thinking a call-up is not too far off. I expect him to make a great bullpen even better, and hopefully will be a legitimate option to pitch in the 7^th/8^th innings, and maybe even grab a save or two when Betances/Miller are unavailable.

Anyhow, I had two Lindgren autos before this, but both were unlicensed. I had wanted a Bowman auto for a while, but his prices went up pretty quickly after his strong performance last year and in spring training. I was just hoping for the regular version, and lucked into the Refractor at less than what I would have paid for the base. Not bad at all!

Can’t wait to see this guy on the hill in NY soon.

Grin and Berra it

Oops. It’s been a week since I posted. I’m a bit busy, as well as uninspired right now, but I don’t feel guilty or anything about not posting more. It’s my blog. I can take off as many days as I want. I'm more saying that to make myself feel better.

I did want to share this vintage Yogi Berra I picked up the other day. I put in a super low (and I mean lowwww) bid on eBay for it, and was surprised to see that I won it.

I like picking up beat-up vintage for a cheap price. Sometimes I wonder if I should pass up buying cheap vintage, save my money, and then buy a nicer vintage card. Maybe. But I like having an assortment, and beat up vintage allows me to do that.

It'll go nicely with my other two Yogi cards: