2007 Topps, Reggie Abercrombie

#UH110 Reggie Abercrombie

I really thought that this was going to be my fifth post of a card from Reggie Abercrombie. It turns out it is just my third. The ones that I thought I had already posted are newer cards from 2008 and 2009.

Reggie has been a regular in the American Association since 2010. I ran across him twice that year and posted a card from each run-in. The first one was at a Wingnuts game when he was with the Sioux Falls Pheasants. The second one was at the All Star game that was hosted in Wichita. This one was signed at a 'Nuts game in 2016 while Reggie was with the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

Reggie was still active in the league this past season and did really well at the age of 37. He finished the season with a .316 average, 15 home runs, and 62 RBI. He was even able to nab 12 bases. Since he has played in the league for nine straight seasons, he holds numerous league records. He is their all-time leader in hits (839), home runs (130), and RBI (536). He is second in runs scored and fourth in stolen bases.

When I got this card signed, Reggie was coming off the field after warming up. I didn't think that I was going to be able to get his attention because he had headphones in. But, I obviously did, and I got a good looking signature from him. I thought it was neat that he added his number to this card because he did not do that to the Marlins card I posted six years ago.

2007 Topps, Justin Germano

#UH36 Justin Germano

Here is the second card that Justin Germano signed for me at the Kansas Stars game I attended in 2016. I posted the first card in September and that one can be seen here.

Justin spent parts of nine seasons in the Majors with seven different teams- the Padres, Reds, Indians, Red Sox, Cubs, Blue Jays, and Rangers. And, when I say parts of seasons, I really mean parts. There were three seasons where he only appeared in one or two games. Nonetheless, he still pitched in 96 Major League games with exactly half of those being starts. In those games, he posted a 10-30 record with a 5.40 ERA while striking out 209 in 330 innings of work.

His best season was with the Padres in 2007. That year, he got into a career-high 26 games and was 7-10 for the year with an ERA of 4.46.

For those of you keeping score at home, this card is a red back variation. I never understood the red backs in this set. But, they appear to be a hobby only parallel.

2007 Topps, Scott Thorman

#582 Scott Thorman

Here is the second card that I got signed by Scott Thorman at Spring Training in 2017. Scott is the manager of the Royals South Atlantic League team and he was nice enough to stop and sign after a morning minor league workout. I posted the first card of Scott during the summer and it can be seen here.

Scott spent just two seasons in the Majors, both with the Braves. Over that time, he got into 175 games and hit .222 with 16 home runs and 50 RBI. He played in 120 games in 2007, but only started 66 of those. He got into most of the other games as a pinch hitter. But, he did most of his damage that season, smacking 11 dingers and driving in 36.

Scott played in the affiliated minors through the 2012 season, but never got another shot at the big leagues.

When I posted that last card of Scott, his Lexington Legends had just started the second half of their season and were off to a slow start. But, Scott was able to right the ship and get them going and they ended up winning the division in the second half en route to a league championship.

2007 Bowman, Jake Smolinski

#BDPP63 Jake Smolinski

Here is a card that I got signed at Spring Training this past season. Jake was playing for the A's and I was able to get him by the dugout prior to a game at the Angels Tempe Diablo Stadium. He signed all three of my cards.

Jake has spent parts of five seasons in the Majors and really hasn't accomplished a whole lot yet. In his first season, 2014 with the Rangers, he did real well in the 24 games he played in. He hit .349 with 3 home runs and 12 RBI. But, the next season, he was hitting just .133 midway through June when the A's picked him up off waivers.

The A's kept him around for most of the 2016 season and he got into a career-high 99 games with them. Over his 290 at-bats, he hit .238 with 7 homers and 27 RBI. Unfortunately, he has battled some injuries since then that has limited him to just 35 games over the last two seasons.

So far for his career, Jake is hitting .235 with 16 dingers and 67 RBI.

Since the season has ended, Jake has been released by the A's and has signed a deal with the Rays.

In this card, Jake is shown with the Nationals, that team that drafted him in the second round of the 2007 draft. He played in their organization for just two seasons before being dealt to the Marlins. He was in the Florida/Miami organization for five seasons before getting picked up by the Rangers and making his MLB debut.

2007 Bowman, Lars Davis

#BDPP19 Lars Davis

Here is a card that I got signed at the College World Series in 2015. Lars is a coach for the University of Florida Gators and I was able to get him before one of the games I attended. I could not got this card signed without the help of Peter Alonso. I had to ask him where Lars was and Peter sent him over to me. The way it is looking, I should have been asking Peter for his autograph.

Lars played minor league ball for eight seasons without getting a crack at the Majors. Over that time, he was a .250 hitter that had 30 home runs and 197 RBI. He reached AAA and played 92 games at that level and hit .253.

It seems odd that Lars ended up at Florida. For starters, Lars is Canadian and Florida is about as far away from Canada as one can get. On top of that, he played college ball at Illinois. I am not sure how he got on at Florida, but they sure have done well since he joined the staff five years ago. Since that time, they have won the College World Series and have made four consecutive trips to Omaha.

While t doesn't happen every year, it is fun to find a guy coaching in Omaha that I have a card of.

2006 Upper Deck, Ryan Roberts

#1209 Ryan Roberts

Card number 1209? How many cards are in this set? Good luck to anyone trying to get this set signed.

Anyways, here is a card of Ryan Roberts that I got signed at an Omaha Storm Chasers game in 2015. Ryan was playing his final season of baseball and spending the entire year with the Nashville Sounds. He stopped on his way out to the field and signed three cards for me.

Two of the three cards pictured him with the Diamondbacks. This was the only card I had of him with another team, so I had to get it signed. He has two cards with the Rays, but I apparently have neither of those cards.

Ryan's time in Toronto spanned all of 17 games over two seasons. In each of those seasons, he got a hit in 13 at-bats. That one hit he had in his first season, though, was a home run. So, he is in a special group of people that had a homer for their first Major League hit.

Ryan spent parts of nine seasons in the Majors. Over that time, he was a .243 hitter with 46 home runs and 169 RBI. He played in one playoff series, in 2011 with the D-Backs, and he did amazing. Against the Brewers, he was 7-20 in the five game series. He had a double, two homers, and drove in six.

2006 Upper Deck, Dustin Moseley

#1095 Dustin Moseley

Here is a card that was given to me by Rod, from Padrographs, when we met at a Hillsboro Hops game in 2015. I was always curious why he had this signed Angels card in his collection, but now it makes sense. It looks like Dustin spent parts of two seasons pitching for the Padres.

Dustin spent parts of seven seasons in the Majors, seeing time with the Angels, Yankees, and Padres. Over that time, which was spent starting and relieving, he racked up a 15-21 record with 199 strikeouts and a 4.67 ERA. His best season was probably with the Padres in 2011. Even though he had a poor record (3-10), he threw a career-high 120 innings and responded with 64 strikeouts and a 3.30 ERA, both career bests. Despite his somewhat solid season, he would only pitch in one Major League game after that.

Despite his relatively short Major League career, Dustin had the pleasure of pitching in two playoff games. He threw a scoreless inning for the Angels in the 2007 Division Series and then threw two scoreless innings for the Yankees in the 2010 ALCS. In those two games, he allowed just one hit and struck out five. Plus, he picked up the win in Game One of the 2010 ALCS.