Valuing a TTM auto more then a certified auto

On Monday, I shared a Tyler Austin TTM success that I was (and still am) really excited about. It got me thinking a bit. Why was I so excited? I already owned a few Austin autos.

I realized it's like this for me in a lot of instances. Although I may own a certified autograph, I'll still try the player TTM. Part of it is the thrill of the chase. Putting in the effort to write and send a letter, choosing the card to send, and waiting patiently for it to return, not knowing if you'll ever see the card again once you drop it in the mailbox.

It's a risk. It's a rush.

And the reward makes it that much more worth it. It's not to say that I don't enjoy an auto I buy on eBay for $1.99 + $2.50 shipping. I just like the TTM process more.

It's sort of like growing your own veggies in a garden. It can be more satisfying eating them instead of store-bought veggies, knowing you saved a few bucks and put in the work to grow the produce.

Here are a few more instances of cards I own both a TTM auto and a certified auto.

More goodies from Zippy Zappy

A few weeks ago, I completed a trade with Kenny aka Zippy Zappy. He definitely sent me a sweet haul.

Out of the blue, another package from Kenny arrived at my door. We hadn't been working on any deal or anything. Upon opening it, there was a note from Kenny that said he was downsizing his collection a little bit, and no need to send anything in return. Certainly a very generous gesture.

There was no shortage of shiny or ink in the cards he sent. First off, there were two...yes TWO Dellin Betances certified autos. I had a Dellin auto from TTM, but nothing official. Dellin has finally been moved to the bullpen, and he's been a lot better. I wouldn't be surprised if the Yanks get something out of him this year.

There was also a 2011 Topps Chrome Blue Refractor autograph of Hector Noesi, the second part of the famous Montero-Pineda swap.

Here's a sampling of what Kenny sent, including a bunch of prospects I collect. That is also my first Youkilis card as a Yankee. Thanks for nothing so far, Youk.

Kenny, both packages have been a blast to go through, especially with all the prospects cards. Thanks again!

The 'Phiten' Napkin Doon sends some cards

When he’s not a guinea pig for some of Phiten’s newest sports performance inventions, Napkin Doon is a pretty cool cat. He recently sent me a great stack of Yankees and some Topps Lineage cards I needed. I have had an envelope full of stuff for him, but just have not sent it. Napkin, I will send it within the next two weeks. I am moving at the end of the month, so it’ll be one less thing to move.

The highlights of the package were two-fold. Nap won this sweet Topps Tier One Hector Noesi auto at Cleve’s. I live vicariously through him when he goes to Cleve’s, and I appreciate this pick up. You may notice something cool about this auto. It's not a sticker! On card, bab-ay!

Included in the stack of cards he sent was this Phil Rizzuto shiny gold Archives card. I have a fondness for Rizzuto, and this card looks really pretty in the gold foil.

Nap, thanks again for thinking of me.

TTM recap - 2012 Spring Training

This spring, I sent 41 TTM requests out. I received successes from 17 of them. I also received one failure (a card returned unsigned). Therefore, 23 went unanswered. Now, I will never write any of these off. They could still trickle in, but for the most part, it looks like I batted a little under .500 this spring. I know that’s part of the game, so I’m not upset. A few players were reaches and I knew that going in.

Here are my successes from 2012 Spring Training:

Ackley, Dustin

Adams, David

Brackman, Andrew

Higashioka, Kyle

Kuroda, Kiroki

Laird, Brandon

Martinez, Tino

Melancon, Mark

Nix, Jayson

Noesi, Hector

Pendleton, Lance

Rivera, Mariano

Romine, Austin

Soriano, Rafael

Stoneburner, Graham

Taillon, Jameson

Warren, Adam

TTM Success: First from spring training!

Well, that was quick. I’ve decided to send out about 25 TTM requests this spring. I used to send out a lot more, but I’m finding that less and less guys are signing. Sending to players at spring training used to be a nice little secret with increased odds for a success. Now, it’s pretty much the same as sending to them during the season. I’m sure the volume of mail going to spring training has really increased, especially with internet forums tracking players’ signing habits.

So now I usually keep my requests to young or lesser known players. Sure, there are still a few big time players I send to. You never know. But for the most part, I keep my requests to role players, prospects, and non-roster invitees.

I sent to Hector Noesi back on Feb 10^th. That’s sooner that I would send to most teams, but the Mariners reported early since they are heading to Japan. I did get a Noesi success once last year when he was called up, but it was on a minor league card and I hoped to a signed Yankees card of him before all his cards moving forward showed him as a Mariner. Well, in just 7 days, Noesi returned this 2011 Topps Update. The signature stuck really nicely.

I wish Mr. Noesi the best with his new team. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he had a great year and was looked at as a strong, middle of the rotation arm for the M’s once the season is over.

Wow. Shocking trade!

Tonight I came home from work, had a bite to eat, and settled in to catch up on the DVR. The baby just fell asleep and I was looking forward to relaxing for a bit. Then I checked one of my favorite Yankee blogs real quick, just to see if anything was new. I was greeted with the headline:

"Yankees trade Montero, Noesi for Pineda, Campos"

WHAT?! Is this a joke? I clicked on the story expecting to see "Just kidding." Nope, the reports were flooding in. Once my heart settled down, I started to think about it and really like it. Montero is a stud, and I've been waiting for his arrival for years. He didn't disappoint this September. I was attached to him as a top prospect, and it's always hard to lose your number one guy.

However, bats can be found anywhere. Young starting pitchers who are studs? Not everywhere. Pineda has the makings of a future ace. Then, with the signing of Kuroda, the Yanks rotation turned into one of the best in baseball. Look at this:

Sabathia
Pineda
Kuroda
Nova
Hughes/Burnett/Garcia

Wow. That's pretty damn good. Well, you can never have too much pitching, but I expect one to be dealt, likely Hughes. The Yanks will also bring in a bit to share some DH duties. Rumors have them targeting Carlos Pena.

So what was an incredibly slow, quiet offseason for the Yankees changed in a matter of moments on Friday the 13th. I welcome Michael Pineda and hope he has a long career in the Bronx. Jesus, I'll miss you. Best of luck in Seattle.

Possible Yankees September call-ups

In the past few years, I haven't been too excited about Yankee call-ups, mostly because they were calling up a few old MLB vets for depth purposes, as opposed to top prospects as sort of an introduction to the big leagues. However, this year could certainly be different, as Jesus Montero will get the call. Additionally, one or more of the "Killer B's" could make their debut, although Brian Cashman doesn't seem to want to rush them.

Here is my opinion on who will get called up. I have no idea if any of these guys will get the call, but I expect a few of them will.

1. Hector Noesi. This is a no-brainer, as he's spent the majority of the season with the Yanks. He was sent down on Monday to make room for Freddy Garcia, so he'll be right back. His workload has been poorly manager this year, but he's thrown well for the most part. I'd like to see him be given a chance to start next spring.

2. Brandon Laird. With ARod's thumb injury, Laird should get the call. He had a cup of coffee with the Yanks earlier this year and got his first MLB hit and RBI, and I could see him playing a few games after a playoff spot is wrapped up. He offers nice insurance at third.

3. Jesus Montero. The Yanks number one prospect, he could legitimately hit his way onto the post-season roster. I'm curious to see him catch, but there's no denying that the bat is MLB-ready. I'm worried he might press at first to show that he should have been called up a long time ago, but if he doesn't, I think he could add another big bat to the line-up and possibly see some time at DH. He could be an X-factor.

4. Andrew Brackman. After a disasterous first 3/4ths of the season, he has settled into a bullpen role and has been throwing well. The huge righty is on the 40-man roster, so I don't see why he won't get the call.

5. Lance Pendleton. He also had a cup of coffee earlier in the season and will provide some depth as a mop up guy.

6. Chris Dickerson. He's spent a lot of time with the Yanks this year and has been pretty good. He'll be up and probably play a bit toward the end of games as a defensive replacement and pinch runner.

7. Aaron Laffey. He was plucked off waivers and immediately threw a few innings before being out-righted to Triple A. He'll be back and have an audition as a second lefty out of the pen.

8. Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos. Two of the young Killer B's, both have pitched well in there recent promotions to Triple A Scranton. I'm not sure we'll see either, but I'd be really excited if even one of them got the ball in the Bronx this year. If not this year, we'll certainly see each of them in NY at some point in 2012.

Congrats to Hector Noesi!

Being a rookie or a prospect in the Yankees system is tough. With the win-now-at-all-costs mentality, there is really no time to break in a rookie and stick with him through the lumps that nearly all first year players endure. Unless a rookie comes up and shines immediately, he has almost no chance of sticking...which kind of sucks. Since 2000, really the only rooks who came up and ran with the opportunity were Soriano, Cano, Wang and Joba - and to a lesser extent Hughes and Gardner. The Yanks now find themselves in a situation where they have a wealth of minor league pitching depth, loaded with both top prospects and guys who may make a good 4th or 5th starter in Pittsburgh, but not NY.

Hector Noesi was the second of these prospects to be called up this year. The first was Lance Pendleton, who actually pitched well in his his few appearances. Noesi was next in line to get the call-up. In his first stint in the bigs, he was with the team from April 13-22 and didn't appear in a game. This time, he was called up on May 13, and finally entered his first game last night - a tie-game in the 12th on the road against Baltimore. Normally these would never, ever be the circumstances for an ML debut, but with a taxed bullpen, Joe Giardi had no choice. Noesi came in and struck out the first two batters he faced, and then went on to pitch in and out of trouble for a total of four innings, picking up the win in his first appearance as the Yanks finally broke through in the top of the 15th with three runs.

Can't say enough about the kid. It wasn't always pretty, but he gave the team four innings they desperately needed. Unfortunately he'll probably be rewarded with a trip back to Scranton and replaced by a fresh arm, but he'll be back and hopefully will continue to contribute for the big league club.

Here is a TTM success I got from Noesi when he was first called up a few weeks ago. Congrats again, Hector. Oh, and if anyone has pulled his 2011 Bowman card of him, I'd definitely be interested in trading for it.

I'm excited for 2011 Bowman! (seriously!)

Image stolen from eBay

I for one am pumped for 2011 Bowman because of a solid lot of Yankee prospects included in this set. Hopefully I’ll have more luck grabbing some Bowman Manny Banuelos cards than I have had getting my hands on 2010 Topps Pro Debut (I STILL NEED THIS CARD!). In addition to Banuelos, 2011 4^th rounder Mason Williams makes his baseball card debut, and Adam Warren and Hector Noesi are included as well.

I’m quite excited for these, so please keep me in mind as some of those awful, ugly, unwanted Yankee cards pop up in backs of your respective blasters. I’ll gladly take them off your hands.

TTM Success: A new Yankee and a prospect

I sent out about eight TTM requests to Yankees prospects last Monday, as most of the minor league clubs started on the road but returned home later this past week. I haven't ever really sent to minor leaguers, so I'm not sure what to expect success-wise.

Well, I got off to a great start today. In just four days, Yankee pitcher Hector Noesi signed my card in care of the Yankees. I was going to send to him in Triple A, but he got called up Wednesday when Luis Ayala went on the DL. I quickly sent his request to him c/o of the Yanks (it probably beat him there), and I got it back on Saturday...four day turnaround! Just awesome. I can honestly say that this may have been his first autograph as a member of the Yankees. I can't imagine anyone sent a request to him quicker than I did! I think he needs a new Sharpie, as this came out a little faded. Still cool! Hopefully Noesi gets in a game before he is optioned back down.

The second success was a bit longer of a turnaround...6 days! Pitching prospect Adam Warren signed my 2010 Topps Pro Debut in care of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yanks. I sent this on Monday and got it back Saturday. Warren was a fourth round pick in 2009 after a fantastic career at UNC. He is not projected as a top of the rotation guy, but most expect him to pitch in the majors and be a solid #4 or #5. Nothing wrong with that. I hope he pitches well and puts himself into a position for a promotion to the big leagues.

So far, I'm having fun with sending out to Yankees prospects. Hopefully I'll get a few more this coming week.