Another Pre-Draft Stars & Stripes Return

Mere hours after posting three Stars & Stripes TTM returns, lo and behold, another lands in the mailbox. Another guy to pull for tonight (or tomorrow) in the draft.

Jeff Criswell TTM Success

Sent: 5/26/2020 | Received: 6/10/2020 | 15 days

1/1: 2020 Stars & Stripes
Address: Home (Portage, MI) from SportsCollectors.Net

Criswell worked as both a starter and reliever for Michigan. He shined in the pen in 2019 as the Wolverines came within one win of a national title. In 2020, he assumed the Friday starter role. MLB.com's Pipeline ranks him the #58 draft prospect.

From their write-up:

[As a starter, Criswell showed] the ability to work at 93-96 mph with heavy sink for several innings at a time. Both his slider and his fading changeup are solid secondary pitches that arrive in the low 80s.

While Criswell unquestionably has the repertoire and strong build to start at the pro level, he's still learning to harness his stuff. He lapses into overthrowing at times, which causes his delivery to get out of sync and his control to waver. If he can do a better job of locating his pitches, he could develop into a mid-rotation starter.

A Trio of Stars & Stripes TTM Returns Before the Draft

Happy draft day. I thought today would be the perfect day to catch up on my TTM returns from the Stars & Stripes blaster that I picked up a few weeks back. I’ll be honest with you: I was pretty lukewarm on this release after I opened it, but I’ve enjoyed getting these back as TTMs.

Heston Kjerstad TTM Success

Sent: 5/28/2020 | Received: 6/6/2020 | 14 days
1/1: 2020 Stars & Stripes
Address: Home (Amarillo, TX) from SportsCollectors.Net

MLB.com’s Pipeline ranks Kjerstad the #10 prospect headed into the draft. Kjerstad is a 21-year-old outfielder out of Arkansas.

From MLB’s write up:

He offers the best left-handed power in the 2020 college class and only potential No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson has more pop among collegians.

Kjerstad's strength and bat speed give him well above-average raw power to all fields … He's an aggressive hitter who always will accumulate strikeouts as a tradeoff for his pop … He's not a threat on the bases but plays a capable right field. His huge power and solid arm strength fit the profile for the position.

Drew Romo TTM Success

Sent: 5/28/2020 | Received: 6/9/2020 | 17 days
1/1: 2020 Stars & Stripes
Address: Home (The Woodlands, TX) from SportsCollectors.Net

#35 on MLB’s Pipeline rankings, Romo is a high school catcher out of the same high school that’s produced Paul Goldschmidt, Kyle Drabek and Jameson Tallion.

Per MLB:

[H]e's an outstanding defender who made strides offensively on the showcase circuit last summer … A potential Gold Glover, he possesses soft hands, advanced receiving skills and a strong arm with a quick release. He also garners praise for his leadership ability, work ethic and baseball IQ … 

A switch-hitter, he has a better swing from the left side but has improved from the right. The Louisiana State commit will provide more contact and on-base ability than power, but he can become a .260 hitter with 12-15 homers per year while running the bases better than most catchers.

Logan Allen TTM Success

Sent: 5/23/2020 | Received: 6/2/2020 | 10 days
1/1: 2020 Stars & Stripes
Address: Home (Deltona, FL) from SportsCollectors.Net

Rounding out my trio of Stars and Stripes returns is Logan Allen, a left-handed pitcher out of Florida International. Allen checked in at #46 on the Pipeline’s pre-draft rankings.

This from the MLB.com profile:

He goes right after hitters with three pitches. He sits right around 90 mph with his fastball, but can reach back for up to 93 mph when he needs to, and he commands it well, with good arm-side finish. His changeup is his bread and butter, a potentially future plus circle change he sells really well with good fade and sink that misses bats and elicits weak contact on the ground. His curveball is his third pitch, a breaking ball that can get a little big at times. He commands the ball very well and knows how to set up hitters. 

Because of his lack of physicality and lack of wow stuff, Allen's ceiling is somewhat limited. But he's shown the ability to keep hitters off-balance and could be the kind of advanced college lefty who moves through a system quickly, always a commodity when the Draft rolls around.

With these three, my number of Stars and Stripes returns is up to five; I previously received Nick Loftin (#36) and Andrew Abbott (#116). Hopefully all of these guys are selected high and have long/successful careers.

Ron Gant TTM Success

Sent: 5/28/2020 | Received: 6/9/2020 | 12 days
3/3: 1993 Upper Deck, 1997 Metal, 1989 Bowman
Address: c/o Fox 5 Atlanta from SportsCollectors.Net

Before he became one of the most reliable TTM autograph signers around, Ron Gant was an All-Star outfielder, best known for his seven-year run with the Atlanta Braves (1987-1993).

Gant came up as a second baseman before transitioning to outfield in 1990. He took off from there, batting .303 with 32 home runs, 30 stolen bases and 85 RBI – good enough to earn the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

He duplicated his 30/30 efforts in ‘91 – joining Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds, (and later Barry Bonds, who did it three years in a row) – as the only players to register consecutive 30 home run/30 stolen base seasons. He won the Silver Slugger Award.

During the 1991 World Series – an eventual seven-game loss to the Twins – it was Gant who was the base runner on the controversial play at first with Kent Hrbek (aside: I have no dog in this fight, and sure seemed to me that Hrbek pulled Gant's leg off the bag).

Shortly after singing a $5.5 million deal for 1994, Gant broke his right leg in an ATV accident. He’d be released and he wouldn’t return until ’95 with the Reds. He earned an All-Star nod that season for a .276/.386/.544 slash and 29 home runs.

After three seasons with the Cardinals, he’d play short stints with the Phillies (1999-2000), Angels (2000), Rockies (2001), A’s (2001), Padres (2002), and A’s again (2003). He’d wrap his 16-year career a .256 hitter with 321 homers and 243 stolen bases.

Bubba Starling TTM Success

Sent: 5/29/2020 | Received: 6/9/2020 | 11 days
2/2: 2020 Topps, 2020 Topps Heritage
Address: Home (Paola, KS) from SportsCollectors.Net

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like Royals’ rookie Bubba Starling has been around forever. I see now that’s a mild exaggeration. The 27-year-old outfielder was selected out of high school with the fifth overall selection of the 2011 MLB draft. He received the second largest signing bonus ($7.5 million) in draft history.

Starling had an up-and-down tenure in the Minors, but the Royals stuck with him. Bookended highs: 10 home runs (and 10 stolen bases) over 53 games in Rookie ball (2012) and a .310/.358/.448 at AAA through the first half of last season, earning his long awaiting call to the Majors.

But in between those seasons, Starling had his struggles. In 2014, at high-A Wilmington, he hit just .218. In 2016, splitting time between AA-Northwest Arkansas and AAA-Omaha, he hit .183.

Just how much of his troubles can be attributed to injury is anyone’s guess. Though he has battled oblique strains, and a bizarre finger injury (he required surgery to repair his left index finger which he dislocated getting out of bed).

Starling was likely to serve as the Royals’ reserve outfielder this season. He’d look to improve on his .215/.255/.317 line he tallied in his first big league action last year.

I’ll add, not to disparage Bubba, but as a day-before the draft reminder that you never know: the following players were selected after Starling in the 2011 draft: Anthony Rendon, Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez, George Springer, Brandon Nimmo, Sonny Gray, and Kolten Wong.

Pharmacy Box Break

Struck out again in my search for 2020 Bowman: three Targets, three decimated card aisles.

So once again, with an itch to open something, I nabbed a $5 pharmacy box from Walgreens.

“Hits?” Oh yeah. Luke Jackson, 2014 Bowman Inception Auto.

I never expect much here. Despite the 1:4 odds for a hit, the bar for these Fairfield repacks is, of course, quite low. So color me surprised that the auto was not only someone that actually broke the majors, but someone that’s still active and relatively young.

Jackson made his debut with the Rangers in 2015. Before the 2017 season, he was traded to the Braves where he’s worked as a reliever the last three seasons. Last year, at age 27, he pitched to a 3.84 ERA and picked up nine wins and 18 saves.

The Pack: 2019 Opening Day

Newest cards: 2019 Topps Heritage
Oldest card: John Verhoeven, 1982 Fleer

Hall of Famers: 3. Goose, Fisk and Puckett.

I’ll get to my Top 3 in a moment, but I found this to be a fairly interesting box. Here are a few also rans:

I wasn’t doing much collecting in the early 2000s so this is definitely the first time I’ve come across these cards.

Also, this Jermaine Dye “Rookie Reflections” card. Dye looked like a star in the making when he debuted as a 22-year-old with the Braves (.282 BA, 12 HRs in 98 games). I was surprised the traded to the Royals the following spring for Michael Tucker and Keith Lockhart.

OK… Three favorites:

#3 Carlos Beltran, 2003 Upper Deck Classic Portraits

Again, from that early-2000s era where I wasn’t collecting. I prefer action shots to yearbook-style headshots, but this is a handsome card of a player that’s misrepresented proportionally with Yankees cards in my own collection.

#2 Jose Canseco, unlicensed 1988 Baseball’s Best

From a 36-card unlicensed set, I’m charmed by this early, borderless Jose Canseco. Those Bash Brothers-era A’s teams seduced quite a few young, impressionable fans (and more so when Rickey Henderson returned). I probably knew more A’s fans growing up in Upstate NY than Mets fans.

#1 Julio Franco, 1989 Score Traded

The single-most imitated backyard whiffle ball stance of my childhood. Love it.

Bill Pulsipher TTM Success

Sent: 5/20/2020 | Received: 6/4/2020 | 15 days
1/1: 1995 Topps Future Star
Address: Home (East Moriches, NY) from SportsCollectors.Net

When I was a kid, one of my buddies – the only Mets fan in our bunch – was so enthusiastic, so convinced that “Generation K” – the dynamite moniker bestowed by sportswriters to the Amazins’ trio of young guns – Bill Pulsipher, Jason Isringhausen, and Paul Wilson, he had me sold.

I don’t have the best baseball-card memory, but I remember pulling the above card from a Topps pack from our Little League’s concession stand (yes, our LL concession stand sold packs). He offered me every All-Star in his pack and I refused. I don’t remember the could-have-been return, but I remember declining. This was going to be a good one.

Bill Pulsipher debuted in June of 1995 as a 21-year-old and pitched to a 5-7 record and a 3.98 ERA. Then the injuries began. He was shut down with three weeks left in the season with elbow pain. At the end of ’96 Spring Training, still experiencing the pain, he went for an MRI which revealed Tommy John surgery was needed.

In 1997, Pulsipher returned to AAA but struggled with control. He was sent down to A-ball and continued issues with walks continued. Around this time, he was diagnosed with depression.

After treatment for depression, his performance improved and in 1998 he pitched his way back to the MLB, working mostly in relief. He was shipped to Milwaukee at the deadline, working as a starter for the Brewers. He required off-season back surgery. He returned as a starter but battled chronic back issues.

He was dealt back to the Mets before the 2000 season. He’d make two more starts with New York (losing both and surrendering nine runs in 6.1 innings.

Pulsipher would bounce around, including pitching for international and independent teams. His last big-league run was in 2005 (after being out of the Majors for four years), reunited with Isringhausen in St. Louis.

All told, Pulsipher had a 13-19 record and 5.15 ERA over parts of six seasons.

Ricky Bones TTM Success

Sent: 5/19/2020 | Received: 6/2/2020 | 14 days
1/1: 1992 Fleer
Address: Home (Pembroke Pines, FL) from SportsCollectors.Net

Ricky Bones pitched for 11 years in the major leagues with the Padres (1991), Brewers (1992-1996), Yankees (1996), Reds (1997), Royals (1997-1998), Orioles (1999) and Marlins (2000-2001). He tallied 63 wins against 82 losses and posted a 4.85 ERA in 375 games (164 starts).

Bones’ best year was 1994, his age 25 season. He earned his lone All-Star selection, posted a 10-9 record and a 3.43 ERA.

His time with the Yankees was brief. He was acquired in August of 1996, made four appearances, surrendered 11 runs in seven innings, and was left off the postseason roster. Nonetheless, he earned a World Series championship ring.

[Aside: to the best of my knowledge, no card exists depicting Bones as a Yankee. Correct me if I’m wrong. I have an affinity toward short-stay Yankees cards.]

Bones was named as a PED user in the Mitchell Report. Within, a clubhouse attendant reveals he discovered a bag with more than two dozen syringes and six vials of injectable substances, including two of anabolic steroids in Bones’ locker. Bones himself told investigators that he’d been self-administering steroids and painkillers.

His last year in the majors was 2001, his age 32 season. Far from being blackballed from baseball though, he’s coached in the Mets system, including as MLB bullpen coach (2012-2018, 2019-present).

Danny Darwin TTM Success

Sent: 5/23/2020 | Received: 6/2/2020 | 10 days
4/4: 1986 Topps, 1988 Topps, 1990 Fleer, 1992 Upper Deck
Address: Home (Denton, TX) from SportsCollectors.Net

Few players are blessed with even one nickname as good as either of those bestowed upon Danny Darwin, aka the “Bonham Bullet,” aka “Dr. Death.”

Darwin, a right-handed pitcher totaled 171 wins over an 21-year career, toeing the slab for the Rangers, Brewers, Astros, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Pirates, White Sox and Giants. For those of you scoring at home, that’s eight teams.

A Bonham, Texas native (hence the first nickname), Darwin debuted for the Rangers in September of 1978. He pitched seven seasons in Texas – bouncing back and forth from the bullpen and the rotation. He was traded to Milwaukee before the 1985 season.

He was dealt again during the 1986 season to Houston, where teammate Nolan Ryan gave him his second moniker, “Dr. Death,” for his competitive, fiery demeanor. Darwin’s best years were in Houston culminating in 1990 when he led the National League in ERA (2.21) and WHIP (1.027) over 162 innings. He appeared in 48 games that year, 17 of them starts, epitomizing the role of swing man.

Darwin left for Boston, where he pitched four seasons, via free agency. In 1992, working exclusively as a starter, he led the A.L. in WHIP (1.068) and posted a 3.26 ERA over 229.1 innings.

He bounced between six teams over the next four years. Among the highlights – relayed by Orel Hershiser during a 2012 Baseball Tonight broadcast – Darwin slugged Hershiser, his teammate, when benches cleared between the Giants and Phillies in 1998. Why?

"Because he said I hit him back when I was pitching against him and he wanted to get me back. Danny Darwin as my teammate hit me.” [source]