Featured autograph - Ron Kittle

I picked up a Kittle certified autograph for my award winners collection - I think the 1983 American League Rookie of the Year signs through the mail, but it's too much work to put together an autograph request these days.

In 1983, Kittle was a hot rookie with a hot card [1983 Fleer #241] but just didn't live up to whatever hype he generated in his first year - on the junk wax cards I stumbled upon around the time he played his last few seasons as a MLB player, the fact that Kittle wore glasses made me think he didn't look that part of professional athlete.

Though Kittle hit only .239 and had an on-base percentage of .306 in his 10-year MLB career - he was actually serviceable, hitting 176 home runs with an an OPS + of 110.