1993 Bowman, Brian Rupp

#700 Brian Rupp

Here is another card that I got signed in Wilmington. Brian is the Blue Rocks manager.

After I got my three autographs from Wally Whitehurst, it started to sprinkle. The sprinkle turned to rain and the I thought that I wasn't going to get anymore autographs before the game. But it was short-lived and once I thought that it had stopped, I got this card signed by Brian. It was still apparently sprinkling, although barely, and you can see a few spots in this signature that got hit (you'll have to click on the image to see a larger version). I had a buddy with me at the game that was trying to get autographs from the Hillcats in the pouring rain, so this one is great compared to some of his attempts.

Brian never made it to the Major Leagues. He played in the Cardinals organization his entire career, mostly as a first baseman. He had good on-base numbers, but his power numbers were pretty weak. Maybe he will eventually make it as a coach. His Hillcats did win the Carolina League championship this year.

I got this card from checkoutmycards.com. It is one of the funky foil bordered cards that look like an oil spill with the sun shining on it right. The card commemorates Brian being the player of the year in the Arizona League. He lead the league in batting (.386), total bases (102), slugging (.493), and doubles (20).