2000 Topps, Mike Stodolka

#T82 Mike Stodolka

Here is a card that I got signed at an Albuquerque Isotopes game in 2008. Mike signed it when he was a member of the Omaha Royals.

You may have noticed that Mike is listed as a pitcher on this card. He was drafted in the first round, fourth overall, in the 2000 draft by the Royals as a pitcher. Mike pitched for five seasons in the Royals organization. He crawled his way up to AA and was 4-11 with a 5.92 ERA in the Texas League in 2005. At that point, he and the Royals realized that he wasn't going anywhere as a pitcher. So what do they do? They convert him into a first baseman.

In 2006, Mike went down to the California League to become hitter. He hit .284 with 11 home runs and 67 RBI. He got bumped back up to Wichita in 2007 and he hit .291 with 12 homers and 59 RBI there. So, he moved up to AAA in 2008 and went on to hit .286 with 5 home runs and only 21 RBI in 259 at-bats. That was his last season playing pro ball. Even though he had an above average batting average, I guess that the Royals didn't think that he had enough pop to hold down a corner infield position in the Major Leagues. I guess that other teams agreed since no one signed him last year. If only he had converted to a left-handed second baseman...

I bought this card off of ebay back when you could buy cards for a penny. I miss those days.