Rad Chrome from Brad

A while back, Brad from Brad's Blog broke a case of 2014 Topps Chrome. I claimed a few Yankee autos (three to be exact), and Brad sent though a large chunk of other Chrome cards and inserts, as well as a second team bag full of Yanks.

It was the first bit of Chrome base cards I've received this year, and I know have the full team set thanks to Brad.

These Sepia Refractors are so nice. I'm really impressed with them.

 

Here are the aforementioned autos. Sadly, only Murphy is still with the Yanks. I'm happy to have this certified auto, as the TTM auto I have of him is a bit light and hard to read. Anna and Solarte both made the Yanks Opening Day roster, but were not with the team by the end of the season.

Tanaka time! Up to this point, I only had one Tanaka. Brad doubled that for me.

I hope I keep receiving Jeters in future trade packages. I'll never have enough.

Lastly, I just thought this card looked really nice with the red border. It fits.

Brad, thank you sir!

Don't be "Ngervis" when bidding on eBay

A few nights ago, I got a direct message tweet from Marcus over at All The Way To The Backstop. He said that he accidentally bid on (and won) the same card twice, so he was having one shipped to me.

I figured the mystery card had some sort of Padres/Yankees connection. Maybe it was a Chase Headley card? Maybe it had something to do with Ian Kennedy? To my surprise, this showed up:

Very cool! A 2014 Topps Chrome Sepia Refractor of former Yankee and current Padre Yangervis Solarte! It’s the first Solarte card in my collection, and is #’d 27/75. I haven’t seen any of these in person yet, but they are gorgeous cards.

I liked Solarte. He was a nice find for the Yanks as a minor league free agent, and he got off to a scorching start after making the team. It almost hurt him, as he seemed to put too much pressure on himself to sustain his numbers. He slumped and just tried to hit HRs, and eventually lost playing time. He’s a very useful player, as he can play all over the field. And while he’s probably not destined to be a long-term starter, guys like him are super important. He definitely feels like more of a National Leaguer because of his versatility and the late-game moves that occur more frequently in the NL. Plus he's under team control for awhile.

The Yanks dealt Solarte to San Diego for Chase Headley, a player I’ve really grown to like. Headley hasn’t set the world on fire with the Yanks, although he’s had some big hits. His defense at third is phenomenal. I didn’t know he was as good of a defender as he has shown so far. A free agent after this season, I do hope the Yanks bring him back, but not for too ridiculous of a deal. I’d love something in the 2 year/20 mil range or so. Seems fair, but what do I know?

Anyhow, thanks Marcus. This was a great surprise!

Pretty cool, Topps

On social media, Topps is pretty active. Sometimes they do annoying things, like showing pictures of products I can't afford (personal problem, I know). But other times, they do really generous things, like product giveaways.

One thing I found particularly cool that they've been doing is letting fans choose a photo for a future card. In this instance, Yangervis Solarte is going to be featured in Topps Update. On Instagram, Topps is letting fans vote between two photos. It's a small thing, but it's cool none the less. It's not going to have a major impact on sales, but fans enjoy choosing things and having a voice, whether it's All-Star team balloting, choosing a new mascot, or in this case, baseball cards.

Social media is there for that purpose. To create and engage in social conversation. In this instance, Topps is doing a very good job in connecting with fans and giving them a small say in a future product. I'll certainly remember this when I do end up with the Yangervis Solarte RC in 2014 Topps Update.

Here are the two options. I like the second one: