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.

2006 Upper Deck, Eddie Guardado

#1078 Eddie Guardado

Here is the second card of Everyday Eddie that I got signed outside of Kauffman Stadium in 2017. Eddie was the bullpen coach for the Twins and he was nice enough to stop and sign on the way into the ballpark. I posted the first card of him this past summer and that card can be seen here.

Even though Eddie spent most of his career pitching for the Twins, he did see time with a few other clubs. After the 2003 season, Eddie signed with the Mariners. He pitched for them for two and a half years and racked up 59 saves. The M's then traded Eddie to the Reds in early July of 2006 and Eddie got his first taste of National League baseball.

Prior to the trade, the Reds were 44-41 and two games back in the Central. Though Eddie pitched well that season Cincy, he ultimately did not matter and the club finished 80-82, three and a half games back of the eventual World Champion Cardinals. Though he had a 1.29 ERA and 8 saves, Eddie threw his last pitch that season in mid-August before being shut down for the rest of the season.

He nearly missed the entire 2007 season, but came back in August and was not his usual self. In fifteen games, Eddie was 0-2 in save opportunities and had an ERA of 7.24. He would become a free agent after the season and end up in Texas. But, during his tenure in Cincinnati, Eddie was 0-0 with 8 saves and a 4.23 ERA in 30 games.

When I posted that last card of Eddie, he was still the Twins bullpen coach. Since then, the Twins fired Paul Molitor and have hired Rocco Baldelli to manage the club. Naturally, the new guy wanted to build his own coaching staff and Eddie has been let go. Based on my brief run-in with him in 2017, I doubt that he is too terribly sad about it. When I asked him how he liked coaching, he said that it was just OK and that today's players are too soft.

2006 Upper Deck, Sandy Alomar, Jr.

#677 Sandy Alomar, Jr.

Here is the third card that I have posted of Sandy Alomar, Jr. I posted the first one, one given to me by Rod, ten years ago. The second one, a through the mail success from the late '90s, the next year. This one was obtained in-person in September.

Sandy is the first base coach for the Indians and I saw the Indians play in Kansas City twice this past summer. At the second game, I got to the park super-early to do some 'graphing outside of The K. It paid off when I saw a group of Indians coaches get out of a vehicle to enter the park. Sandy was the only one that I recognized out of the group and I called for him and asked for his autograph. He came over and signed one of the three cards that I had.

I had Sandy one-on-one and was a little disappointed that he didn't sign more than one, especially since his 1989 Topps Futures Stars card was one of the three. But, I could not be more thrilled with the way this one came out looking. There is just something about a clean-looking Dodger or Royals card signed in blue Sharpie.

Sandy's tenure in Los Angeles lasted all of 27 games in 2006. During that time, he managed to hit .323 in 62 at-bats with 5 doubles and 9 RBI. He was traded to the White Sox in July for a minor league player. This is the only card of Sandy as a Dodger.

2006 Upper Deck, Oliver Perez

#365 Oliver Perez

It has probably been over two years since I have posted a card of a current player. But, here is one now. To be honest, I had no idea that Ollie was even pitching this year until I was getting cards ready to see the Indians play in Kansas City. I had to do some digging to find three cards of him, but I found them. Ollie signed two of them at the late August game I attended, but not this one. I then saw the Indians again in Kansas City a month later and was able to get this one signed.

Ollie had an amazing season this year with the Tribe. The LOOGY got into 51 games and pitched 32.1 innings with a 1.39 ERA and 43 strikeouts. Those are some good numbers for a 38 year-old reliever that does not throw gas.

Just like the last two guys I posted on here, my three cards of Ollie all featured him with a different team. This one showcases his time in Pittsburgh, which lasted about three seasons. Over that time, he was 21-28 with a 4.59 ERA.

His best season was with the Pirates in 2004. That year, he was 12-10 with a 2.98 ERA and a career high 239 strikeouts. Those 239 K's ranked fourth in the National League and his 10.975 K's per nine lead the league.

2006 Topps, David Dellucci

#UH25 David Dellucci

Here is the second card that David Dellucci signed for me at the Kansas Stars game last year. I posted the first card in June and that one can be seen here.

That first card showed David with is second team, and the one that he stayed with the longest, the Diamondbacks. After the D-Backs, David played for the Yankees and Rangers before landing in Philadelphia for the 2006 season. He did well for the Phillies that year, hitting .292 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI. He was used more as a pinch hitter that season than a starter, but he still did well enough to get a three-year deal from the Indians for about 3.75 million dollars a year.

The Indians would end up releasing David during the final season of that deal and he would finish the year with the Blue Jays. He called it a career after that, finishing with a .256 average, 101 homers, and 398 RBI for his career.

2006 Topps, Miguel Cairo

#204 Miguel Cairo

Here is the second card that I got signed by Miguel Cairo at Spring Training in 2017. Miguel was helping out the Reds at the time and I got him to sign three cards for me after the team's minor league workout. I posted the first one back in May and it can be seen here.

The first card I posted showed Miguel with the third team he played for, the Devil Rays. After three seasons with the Rays, he spent half a year with the Cubs, two and a half with the Cardinals, and one year with the Yankees before joining the Mets on the other side of town. His tenure in Queens lasted just one season before shifting back over to the Bronx for another year and half. But, while with the Mets, Miguel managed a .251 average with 2 home runs and 19 RBI in 100 games.

I was shocked to see that Miguel played parts of seventeen seasons in the Major Leagues. But, he was around for a while and I got to see him play eleven times between 2000-2008. I saw him in uniform with the Devil Rays, Cubs, Cardinals, Yankees, and Mariners. Over those eleven games, he hit just .143 with a home run and four RBI. I also saw him man five different positions as well as DH and pinch hit in those contests.

After his second stint with the Yankees, he would also go on to play with the Cardinals (again), Mariners, Phillies, and Reds.

2006 Topps, Brandon Inge

#28 Brandon Inge

Back-to-back Tigers and back-to-back card number 28. What are the odds?

This is the third card of Brandon that I have posted on here. I posted the first two over five years ago and they can be seen here and here. I got those two signed at a Royals game in 2011. I got this one signed at a Kansas Stars game last year.

When I went to that game, Brandon was signing autographs right when I got into the seating bowl. I almost didn't go down there to get my cards signed by him because I got three done at that Royals game in 2011 and I got six from him at a Stars game the previous year. But, I figured that I brought some cards of him with me, so I might as well get them signed. So, now I have a cool dozen cards signed by Brandon. That is the most of a single player that I have that did not ever play for the Royals. In fact, it might be the most cards that I have signed by one guy irregardless of team.

When I last posted a card of Brandon, he was still an active player that had just joined the A's in 2012. He went on to play one more season after that with the Pirates before calling it a career. The 2009 All Star finished his career a .233 hitter with 152 home runs and 648 RBI.

I would call this card an error because Brandon is listed as a second baseman. Brandon played third in 160 games in 2005. He played second 19 times in his career, but those games occurred in his last two years of playing. On the back of the card, he is listed as a third baseman.

2006 Bowman Heritage, Nate Robertson

#28 Nate Robertson

Here is the second card of Nate Robertson that I have posted on here. I posted the first one three years ago after I got it signed at a free card show in Wichita. This one, on the other hand, was signed at a Kansas Stars game in 2016.

Nate and Adam LaRoche were the masterminds of the Kansas Stars. Nate had a venue and tournament, thanks to his Wichita Wingnuts hosting the NBC World Series at Lawrence Dumont Stadium, and Adam was freshly retired. The native Kansans got some friends together and the Kansas Stars were born. They debuted at the 2016 NBC World Series and took second place. They came back in 2017 and won it all. Then, in 2018, they were no more. Supposedly, the casino they stayed at, the Kansas Star, was booked up for the week of the tournament and they had no place to stay. But, I think that the powers that be just did not want a team of former pros, which included All Stars and Hall of Famers, whooping up on college kids. That is just my opinion, though.

The team stayed together this past summer as the Louisville Stars and played in the Bluegrass World Series. The Bluegrass World Series was created for the Stars and they competed against college level teams like they did at the NBC tournament. While Adam made the transition to Louisville, Nate did not.

Nate pitched in the Majors for parts of nine seasons with the Marlins, Tigers, and Phillies. Over that time, he was 57-77 with one save and a 5.01 ERA.

2005 Upper Deck USA Baseball, Kevin Gunderson

#58 Kevin Gunderson

Here is a card that was given to me by Rod, from Padrographs, when we met up at a Hillsboro Hops game in 2015.

Most of the cards that I get from Rod feature a Padre or someone that had played for the Padres at some point. But, not this card; Kevin only played in the Braves organization. After a quick check at Baseball Reference, I see that Kevin is from Oregon. Oregonians are another lot that Rod collects. Even though I collect autographed cards of anyone and everybody, it is still cool when another person hooks me up with a signed card from their collecting niche. And that has happened quite a few times with Rod.

Kevin played at Oregon State and was drafted by the Braves in the fifth round of the 2006 draft. He played in their organization for four seasons, reaching as high as AAA in 2009. But, he only pitched in four games at that level and called it a career after the season. For his career, he was 12-10 with a 3.01 ERA.