The Rest of 2008 Upper Deck, Part I

#22 Lenny Dinardo
#36 Gregg Zaun
#146 Miguel Olivo
#162 Mike Bacsik
#185 Doug Brocail
#196 Chris Coste
#253 Kyle Davies
#336 Feilpe Paulino
#376 Brian Bannister

There are nothing but pitchers and catchers in this post.

Lenny Dinardo- Lenny signed this card for me before a game in Minneapolis in 2010 when he was with the Royals. It was at the final regular season series at the Metrodome.

Gregg Zaun- Lenny signed for me during batting practice at the K in 2009. He was with the Orioles at the time.

Miguel Olivo- I got this card signed by Miguel after a Royals game in 2008. He signed from the Royals parking lot.

Mike Bacsik- I got this card signed at a Wichita Wingnuts game in 2011. Mike was the starting pitcher for Ft. Worth that night and would not sign before the game. But, he came through afterwards, despite getting yanked in the first inning of the contest.

Doug Brocail- Doug signed this card for me at an Astros pre-season game at Minute Maid Park in 2009. Since it is dark picture, I thought that I would give the silver Sharpie a try. I did not like the results. Luckily, he was willing to go over it in blue for me.

Chris Coste- Last year, Chris got appointed to the coaching staff of the Fargo Moorehead Redhawks. So, I made sure to hit up a Wingnuts game while they were in town so I could get three cards signed. My two year old also got a card signed and he was thrilled as can be with it.

Kyle Davies- This is one of the many cards Kyle signed for me at the Royals parking lot in 2008.

Felipe Paulino- Felipe signed two cards for me at a Round Rock Express game in 2008. His unprepped '08 Topps card came out looking much better than this one.

Brian Bannister- Speaking of cards that came out looking bad, this one may take the cake. I am sure glad that I learned about prepping glossy cards at some point in 2009. This one was signed at a Royals game in 2008. He signed it after throwing 120 foot curveballs to Kyle Davies.

2008 Upper Deck, Chris Seddon

#342 Chris Seddon

Here is a card that I got signed at a Round Rock Express game that I attended in 2008. Chris was playing for the visiting Albuquerque Isotopes at the time. I did not catch him pre-game, but he was pointed out to me later as he was charting pitches in the stands. You never know how a player is going to be while he is charting pitches, but Chris was nice enough to sign this one card for me.

Chris played in the Majors in parts of three seasons that were spread out over five years, seeing time with the Marlins and Indians. Over that span, he appeared in 38 games and was 2-3 with a 5.47 ERA. His best season was with the Tribe in 2012 when he racked up a career best 34.1 innings and a 3.67 ERA.

After his stint in Cleveland, Chris took to the international circuit and played one year in Japan and three in Korea before calling it a career after the 2016 season. He coached in the Angels organization in 2018, but I could not find any info on him for this past season.

I wish I would have prepped this card and then used a blue Sharpie. Luckily, his great looking signature helped to make up for my short-comings. It almost seems that his sig was made to sign horizontal cards.

The Rest of 2008 Topps, Part III

#429 Billy Butler
#441 Miguel Olivo
#483 Mike Jacobs
#498 Matt Chico
#549 Gregg Zaun
#556 John Gibbons
#577 John Buck
#589 Dave Trembley
#594 Andy LaRoche

Billy Butler- Like most of the Royals cards from this set, Billy signed this card for me by the Royals parking lot in 2008.

Miguel Olivo- Also by the Royals lot in '08.

Mike Jacobs- Got this card signed by Mike at Royals Fanfest in 2009.

Matt Chico- I got this one signed at a Wingnuts game in 2012 while Matt was playing for the visiting New Jersey Jackals of the Can-Am League.

Gregg Zaun- Gregg signed this one for me in Kauffman Stadium in 2009. He was with the Orioles at the time and he signed right after batting practice.

John Gibbons- The former Royals bench coach signed this card at a Royals game in 2009.

John Buck- John signed this card by the Royals parking lot after a game in 2008. He made an error that cost his team the game, but was still kind enough to sign some autographs afterwards.

Dave Trembley- For some reason, I thought I posted Dave's 2007 Topps card. Well, it turns out that he wasn't in '07 Topps. I was thinking of the Sam Perlozzo manager card that I got signed. So, this card should have been posted on its own. I will make up for it when I get to 2009 Topps Heritage. Dave signed this card for me at a Royals game in 2009.

Andy LaRoche- I got Andy on multiple occasions as he once played for the Wingnuts and also played with the Kansas Stars. This is one of the ones he signed for me as a Nut in 2015.

Posting all of these cards from 2008 Topps makes me realize how much I miss manager cards. For some guys, a manager card would be the only Topps card they ever get.

2008 Topps, Robert Andino

#UH269 Robert Andino

In 2009, I flew out to Maryland to visit an Army buddy. Since I was out that way and it was still baseball season, I had to take in a couple of baseball games. The first game I went to was a Wilmington Blue Rocks playoff game. The Rocks are a Royals affiliate, so that was a must. Then, you can't go to Maryland without taking in an Orioles game, so we went there, too. Plus, I was able to meet up with Ryan, from The Great Orioles Autograph Project, at the game and do some 'graphing with a local, which helped out a ton.

Long story short, this is one of the autographs that I got at Camden Yards that night and I would not have got it if it wasn't for Ryan. I thought that the 'graphing was done after batting practice. But Ryan knew better and we went down by the Orioles dugout while they were coming out of the tunnel right before the game and we got some more. Robert was nice enough to stop and sign one of the two cards that I had of him.

Robert played in the Majors for parts of ten seasons with the Marlins, Orioles, and Mariners. Over that time, he was mainly a part time player except for 2011 and '12 with the O's. He hit .233 for his career with 18 dingers and 97 RBI. His best season was with the O's in 2011. He played in a career-high 139 games that season and responded with a .265 average with 5 homers and 36 RBI.

I had first visited Camden Yards in 2001 while Cal Ripken, Jr. was still active. After he retired, the O's retired his number and placed a monument outside of the park with the rest of their retired numbers. I was looking forward to seeing his number 8 on display, but some rowdy drunks had other plans. Four days before I got there, four guys stole the three and a half foot monument and threw it in the back of their pickup truck. So, when I got there, all that was left for me to see was the base and a crime scene.

2008 Goudey, Andrew Miller

#74 Andrew Miller

Here is card that I got signed in Kansas City last summer. Andrew was playing for Cleveland at the time and I was lucky enough to catch him as he was dropped off at the ballpark. Andrew was a total class act and signed for everybody on his way in. He signed this card and his 2018 Topps Heritage card for me.

By the time this card came out, Andrew, once a highly touted prospect, was looking like he was a bust. He was in his third season of pro ball and on his second team. Through his first two seasons, he was 5-6 with an ERA of 5.69 while walking 49 and striking out 62 in 74.1 innings of work with Detroit. Things didn't get any better in Miami. In his first season with the Marlins, he was 6-10 with a 5.87 ERA. It was more of the same in 2009 and he then spent most of 2010 in the minor leagues.

The Marlins then flipped him to Boston for Dustin Richardson and it was more of the same in 2011 with the Sox. Then, in 2012, Boston moved Andrew to the bullpen full time and things started to click. Used as a LOOGY that first year in the pen, Andrew posted a 3.35 ERA over 40.1 innings. In 2013, he had his first season of more than a strikeout an inning. In 2014, he had his first 100 strikeout season and did it in just 62.1 innings.

During that 2014 campaign, Andrew got dealt to the Orioles at the trade deadline. The O's went on to the postseason that year and that was the first of five straight years of him pitching in the playoffs. He pitched for the Yankees in 2015 and then the Indians for the last three years.

Andrew signed with the Cardinals during the off-season and is off to a rocky start. In just 3.1 innings of work in five games, he is 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA. It is still early, so hopefully he can get it going soon.

I absolutely love this set and I was thrilled to get a card from it signed by a current player last season. There are not too many guys from this set still playing, so it is always fun when I am able to add to it.

2007 Topps Heritage, Reggie Abercrombie

#398 Reggie Abercrombie

Here is another card of Reggie Abercrombie that I got signed at a Wichita Wingnuts game in 2016 while he was with the Winnipeg Goldeyes. I posted another card from that day about a week ago and it can be seen here. In that post, I talked extensively about Reggie's long career in the American Association. Unfortunately, his Major League career was not nearly as long.

Reggie spent parts of three seasons in the Majors with the Marlins and Astros. Over that time, he played in 180 games and he hit .223 with 9 home runs and 34 RBI. All but 34 of those games came with the Marlins, where he was a .208 hitter with 7 home runs and 29 RBI.

In his one season in Houston, Reggie got just 55 at-bats, but he responded by hitting .309 with a pair of dingers and driving in 5. He started the month of September with a .200 average, but finished strong to raise it to its final level. That apparently was not good enough as he wound back up in AAA the following season before landing in independent ball the year after that.

This is a good looking card, but it is a little bit off for a copy of the 1957 set. The non-posed shot is just wrong. It has a classic big head, but the head is not looking at the camera. It is looking at the pitcher. I am fairly certain that there are no cards in the '57 set where that is happening.

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.

2004 Topps, Brad Penny

#236 Brad Penny

Here is the second card of Brad Penny that I got signed at the NBC World Series in 2016 while Brad was a member of the Kansas Stars. I posted the first card about ten days ago and it can be seen here.

Brad pitched for the Marlins for parts of six seasons. Over that span, he was 50-43 with a 4.12 ERA and 583 strikeouts. He never made an All Star team with the club, but he did help them win their second World Series title in 2003 by going 14-10 during the regular season.

The 2003 postseason was a mixed bag for Brad. He made two appearances in the Division Series and pitched 5.2 innings while giving up 4 runs in a start and a relief appearance. Despite his bad start and blown save, the Marlins won both games he pitched in. In the NLCS, Brad did a little worse. Pitching in three games, with only one being a start, he was 1-1 with a 15.75 ERA in four innings of work. In his start in Game 2, Brad lasted just 2 innings while giving up 7 runs. He got moved to the bullpen after that and threw two scoreless innings in his two outings and picked up the win in Game 7.

Then, in the World Series, he got moved back to the starting rotation and got the ball in Game 1. He stepped it up for that series and picked up W's in the two games he pitched. He threw 12.1 innings in the Fall Classic and gave up just 3 earned runs for a 2.19 ERA. Though Brad would see the postseason two more times in his career, that was his only trip to the World Series.

At the trade deadline the following year, Brad is dealt to Los Angeles in a six-player deal.

2004 Fleer Tradition, Brad Penny

#236 Brad Penny

I have gotten Brad penny to sign for me a couple of times during his playing days, so I assumed that this was going to be my third post about him. It turns out it is just the second as I haven't posted the jersey card that he signed for me in 2012. The one card I posted was a minor league signature card that I picked up for cheap. I bought that card to make up for me not having a card of him to sign at a AAA rehab start he made in 2008. Then, of course, I get him to sign at a game a few years later.

I got this card signed at a Kansas Stars game in 2016. Brad was pulled out of the clubhouse to do an interview with a local TV outlet and I got him to sign after the interview. He signed my three cards and the three that my dad gave him. So, I will be having a couple Brad Penny cards coming up on here over the next few months.

Brad was originally drafted by the Diamondbacks in the fifth round of the 1996 draft. But, he would never play for their big league club. They traded him to the Marlins in 1999 for Matt Mantei. Brad would make his Major League debut with the fish the following season. He won his debut, pitching seven innings of one run ball against the Rockies. He struck out three batters and the lone run he gave up was a solo home run to Mike Lansing in the first inning.

2003 Upper Deck Vintage, Josh Beckett

#114 Josh Beckett

Here is another card that I got signed at the Kansas Stars game in 2016. When I went to that game, I had made my way around to the outfield to be by the clubhouse in left. I was doing really well there at first, as there was hardly anybody there 'graphing. Eventually, people caught on and there was a decent-sized crowd back there trying to get autographs from the players. Josh was the last that I got in that area before the no-fun police came out and erected a PVC pipe fence to keep people back from the chain link fence. It was the dumbest thing I had ever saw and it really put a damper on my evening.

Nevertheless, I was pretty excited to get Josh Beckett's autograph. I had three cards for him to sign, one for each team he played with, but he just signed this one. My dad got him on one, too, and it just so happened to be on his 2014 Topps Heritage card, the 1965 design that this card is based on.

For me, Josh became a big-name player during the Marlins improbable World Series run in 2003. He had a 9-8 record during the regular season, but he stepped it up in October. He took the loss in his one start in the Division Series against the Giants while tossing seven innings of one run ball. Then, in the NLCS, he started two games, and relieved in one, and he nabbed one win while posting a 3.36 ERA for the Series. His one win was a game five complete game shutout to stave off elimination. Then, in the World Series against the Yankees, he lost game three before coming back in game six and tossing a shutout in Yankee Stadium for the championship.

Josh would go on to win another World Series with the Red Sox in 2007, but him raising his arms after getting Jorge Posada to ground back to him is how I remember Josh.

2007 Upper Deck, Mike Jacobs

#705 Mike Jacobs

I am at card number 705 and am only about half way done with the 2007 Upper Deck set. How many cards were in this set?

Anyways, here is another card of former Marlins slugger, Mike Jacobs. I got this card signed at Royals Fanfest in 2009. I thought that I was prepping cards by that time, but maybe not as this one is a little bubbled up.

This is the fourth card of Mike Jacobs that I have posted on here and I have five more to go after this one. Like I said in the last Mike Jacobs post, he was a really good signer. If he is still playing, he probably still is a good signer.

2007 Topps Heritage, Mike Jacobs

#414 Mike Jacobs

There is nothing quite like a card that looks like a 1958 Florida Marlins card to bring back a bit of nostalgia. While I love the Topps Heritage sets because of the cardstock and how well they come out looking signed, there are obviously a few drawbacks. But, to Topps credit, I think this card looks good. If there was a team in the 1950s sporting teal on their uniform, their '58 Topps card probably would have looked pretty similar to this.

This is the third card of Mike Jacobs that I have posted on here. The first one was posted over four years ago and the last one was posted in September. The signature on this card was obtained at Royals Fanfest in 2009.

To my surprise, Mike spent all of last season playing in Mexico. I know he hasn't appeared in a Major League game since 2012, but I figured someone would want a guy on their AAA team that could mash right-handed pitching. In 2014, Mike hit .299 with 19 home runs and 99 RBI for the D-Backs top minor league affiliate.

Though Mike only played with the Royals for one season, I really liked him. He might have struggled against lefties, but he was a great guy that was always willing to sign for fans. For me, I will take a .228 hitter with some pop, that is fan-friendly, over a .300 hitter, that is a dick, any day.

2007 Topps, Jason Wood

#UH109 Jason Wood

Here is a card that I got signed at a Round Rock Express game in 2008. Jason was playing for the Albuquerque Isotopes at the time and he was nice enough to stop on the way to the field to sign this card for me. I mentioned in the last post how bad of luck I had with the '07 Topps Update and Highlights set and this one is a key example. Even Jason was not pleased with the results. He signed it and told me "that didn't take very well". Oh well; you live and you learn.

Jason was originally drafted by the A's in 1991. He advanced up the organizational ladder quickly before stalling out in AAA. He finally made his Major League debut with the A's in 1998 before being traded to the Tigers mid-season. He played in 40 games with the A's and Tigers in '98 and '99 and hit .220 as a utility infielder. After 1999, it was back to AAA.

Jason spent the next six seasons in AAA before finally getting a September call-up by the Marlins in 2006. He must have impressed the brass enough with that call-up, and the following Spring Training, as he made the Marlins Opening Day roster in 2007. He was used mostly as a pinch hitter that year, but did start a handful of games at first. He only hit .239 with 3 home runs and 26 RBI season, but it was the first time in sixteen seasons of pro ball that he did not spend one day in the minor leagues.

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year! I will see you sometime in 2016.

2007 Topps, Miguel Olivo

#375 Miguel Olivo

I believe that this is the fourth card of Miguel Olivo that I have posted on here, but the first one I have posted since 2011. The first one I posted of him was when he was with the White Sox and the second two were from his days with the Mariners.

I got this card signed by Miguel outside of Kauffman Stadium in 2010.

This is the only signed card of Miguel that I have of him as a Marlin, though he played in Miami for two seasons and then a third season six years later. During the first stint, he was their primary catcher and did well for them offensively. He hit 16 home runs each of the first two seasons while hitting at least 20 doubles and 58 RBI each year. His second stint got him into just 33 games for them and he hit .204 with 4 home runs and 9 RBI.

Miguel got a bit of a bad rap last season when he bit a teammate's ear off during a AAA game. Despite that fiasco, I liked him when he was in Kansas City. Though he struck out a lot, he had some pop and he signed quite a few cards for me. That is always a plus.

2007 Goudey, Mike Jacobs

#158 Mike Jacobs

Here is the first of what is three cards from 2007 that I got signed by the former Met, Marlin, Royal, and Diamondback, Mike Jacobs. But, this is not the first Mike Jacobs card that I have posted on here. I posted the first one about four years ago and that card can be seen here.

Mike played for the Royals for one season and I got more than my fair share of cards signed by him during that year. This one is no exception as I was able to get this card signed outside of Kauffman Stadium while Mike was arriving at the park one July afternoon.

I always liked the Upper Deck made Goudey sets, even the creepy-looking finale in 2009. They had great card stock and bright card fronts that were perfect for getting autographs on. While I bought plenty of the cards from 2008 and 2009 sets, I have very few from the 2007 set. I didn't really get back into collecting cards until 2008 and I completely missed out on this set. Nearly all of the cards I have from 2007 were purchased in 2008 or later and I am pretty sure I never saw a loose pack of this set for sale. But, I can think of a few cards I have from the set, so I must have been lucky to get one in a repack box. I am assuming that is how I got this card, but it could have been sent to me or I could have purchased it from COMC.

Either way, I am glad that I have it.

2006 Topps Heritage, Alex Gonzalez

#68 Alex Gonzalez

Here is a card that I got signed at Spring Training in 2013. We were at Camelback Ranch to see the White Sox host the Brewers and Alex was playing for the Brewers at the time. He signed one of three cards for me.

After a sixteen-year career, it appears that Alex's career has come to an end. During that time, he played with the Marlins, Red Sox, Reds, Blue Jays, Braves, Brewers, and Tigers. He spent the first eight years of his career with the Marlins before bouncing around the next eight years. With the Marlins, he made one All Star team and was a member of their 2003 World Championship team.

Alex finished his career a .246 hitter. His best season came in 2010, a season split with the Blue Jays and Braves. He finished that season hitting .250 while tying his single season home run total of 23 and having a career high for RBI with 88.

I like Alex's signature. You can tell that this one was a bit hurried as the Sharpie came off the card when signing the "l" in his last name. But, other than that, it came out looking good. He has a very stylish "A" to start his sig.

2005 Leaf, Lincoln Holdzkom

#232 Lincoln Holdzkom

Here is the third and final card that Lincoln Holdzkom signed for me before a Wingnuts game in 2013. The first one can be seen here and the second one can be seen here.

Over those first two posts, I talked about Lincoln's tenure in affiliated ball. That all came to an end after fourteen games with the Altoona Curve in 2009. At that point, it looked like Lincoln had retired. But then the Wichita Wingnuts came knocking at the door in 2013 and he decided to give it one more try.

With the 'Nuts, he pitched in 40 games and threw 38.2 innings. He went 2-4 with a save and posted a 3.72 ERA. He struck out 30 while walking 20. Then, he called it a career.

For his career, Lincoln was 18-29 with 22 saves and a 3.04 ERA.

On an unrelated note, I got two autographs in the mail today. I only sent out about six cards to Spring Training this year, so it was nice to get a third of those back today. I now have two signed cards from the 2015 Topps set.

2005 Bowman, Brett Hayes

#BDP59 Brett Hayes

Here is the second card that I got signed by Brett Hayes at Royals Fanfest last year. I posted the first one a couple of weeks ago and it can be seen here.

Brett was drafted by the Marlins in the second round of the 2005 draft out of Nevada. By 2007, he was in AA and he got his first taste of Major League action in 2009. In limited action that season, Brett hit .273 with a home run and 2 RBI in 14 games. He split 2010 between AAA and the Majors and finished with a .208 mark with the Fish. In 2011, he was on the Major League roster the entire year as John Buck's backup. He got into 64 games that season with about half of those being starts. To date, it is the only season where he did not play in the minors and he hit .231 with 5 home runs and 16 RBI. 2012 was his final season as a Marlin and he hit .202 in 39 games. After the season, he was picked up off of waivers by the Royals.

As a Marlin, Brett hit .217 with 8 home runs and 27 RBI in 144 games.

As a Royal in 2013, Brett was the third string catcher. Because of that, he spent most of the season in AAA. He had a monster year there and hit a career-high 17 home runs. He only got into 5 games at the Major League level, but he went 5-18 with four of his five hits being for extra bases. Because of his strong finish, and the departure of George Kottaras, Brett went into the 2014 season firmly implanted as Salvador Perez's back-up. Because of that, he was at Fanfest and I was able to get some cards signed by him.

2004 Upper Deck, Lincoln Holdzkom

#511 Lincoln Holdzkom

Here is the second of three cards that Lincoln signed for me at a Wingnuts game in 2013. The first one was posted last week and should be just a couple of posts down from this one.

In the previous post, I talked about Lincoln's time with the Marlins. Things were on the up-and-up for him until he hurt his arm and missed all of the 2004 season. The Fish cut him loose after 12 appearances in 2005.

The Cubs took a flyer on him the next year and he split time between their Rookie, High-A, and AA teams. He spent the most time at AA and went 2-3 with a 1.95 ERA over 32.1 innings. But, he struck out just 27 batters compared to 74 in 57 innings the season before his surgery. The Cubs let him go after that season and Lincoln caught on with Boston for the 2007 campaign.

Lincoln pitched in the Red Sox organization for two seasons and spent most of it in AAA. In his initial run at that level, he had a 1.59 ERA in 17 innings of work. But, his ERA ballooned to 5.33 the following season and the Sox let him go. He played one more year of AA in the Pirates organization before hanging them up.

2004 Topps, Lincon Holdzkom

#T202 Lincoln Holdzkom

Here is a card that I got signed at a Wichita Wingnuts game in 2013. Lincoln was playing for the 'Nuts and I got the cards signed prior to a game early that season. Lincoln was impressed to see some old cards of himself and stated that they were from "back when he was going places".

Lincoln was drafted by the Fish on the seventh round of the 2001 draft. In 2003, the year before this card came out, he split the season between A ball and high A. He finished the season 1-6 with 6 saves and a 2.89 ERA. He pitched exclusively out of the bullpen and struck out 94 batters in just 71.2 innings. I am sure it was those strikeout numbers that prompted Topps to put out this card.

Unfortunately, Lincoln missed the entire 2004 season. So, when this card came out, he wasn't even playing. He came back in 2005 and was only able to appear in 12 games, which were split between the Gulf Coast League and the Florida State League. In the FSL, he pitched 9.1 innings and struck out 9 with a 5.79 ERA.

The Marlins released him after that season.