COMC order #2 - Todd Helton

I passively end up making keepers out base cards / inserts and parallels of prominent players to reflect the fabric of a decade / era - this may not mean I actively collect everyone as if they were all my personal favorites, where being obligated to mindlessly hoard 'numbers' seems overwhelming.

On the other hand, besides my regional favorites, I've settled on a short list of 5-10 guys from a decade / era I've chosen to really focus on - Helton is one of those former players who ends up a non-geographical guy for me whose cards I can look for, where it becomes a mission to claim or rummage for his cards I assume I don't have.

Go figure in my COMC order, I only ended up with a couple of Heltons - it could have been a trio of them, but the card that was missing in my order was actually a Helton card.

1998 Leaf Fractal Foundation Gold Leaf Rookie /3999 Todd Helton #184

Helton has his share of rookie era issues, but it's not as big of priority to chase and pay a premium for any one particular card - when his true rookie card [1993 Topps Traded #19T; Team USA] ends up pre-dating his professional career.

2001 Donruss Class Of 2001 Scrapbook /525 Todd Helton #SB-7

Maybe unique design jersey / relic cards might be fun to track down on the cheap - even when it's a type of card that other collectors don't value at all, they fill out my player collections.

Card show pickups - Matt Holliday

I picked up a couple of [dollar] rookies of the former big league slugger and while a non-geographic player for me - I don't think I ever had these cards and could squirrel them away, where Holliday was notable player who is part of the 'he's signed an autograph for me in-person before' alumni.

Holliday might be most relevant in the 'here and now' as the father of 2022 No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday - where picking up pop's cards triggers me to watch for the younger, looking to play his first full season in pro baseball.

The elder Holliday had very good big league career mostly between the Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals - he also had some odd stints with the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and a late-career return with the Rockies.

TTM autograph received: Larry Waker

The Hall of Fame slugger signed my card in about a couple of months - while he does various formal signings for a memorabilia company like Tristar or a trading card company like Topps, he responds to TTM requests where personalizes ['To Your Name'] and inscribes ['Best Wishes'] items sent to him like the card I sent.

Whenever I think about losing a card somewhere...maybe an ongoing feature

With how I still play with my cards after all these years, maybe it makes or breaks the 'order of things' when I can't find a random card I apparently have misplaced somewhere - I'm sorting through countless cards and may occasionally visualize related cards in my head that are not immediately in-hand.

In my big sort through my active team boxes, I was going through my Colorado Rockies cards and in the 'minors' section, find a pair of 2018 Bowman Draft cards for Terrin Vavra - currently a Baltimore Orioles farmhand who was traded from the Colorado Rockies with Tyler Nevin and PTBNL in the Mycal Givens deal in 2020.

I thought I just put one away somewhere and looked to get the 3 cards together - the third card must be a 2019 Topps Pro Debut since I picked up a hand collated set.

I might have already set it aside with my temporary set-up for my Orioles ‘minors’ cards but it wasn’t there - I may be getting Mandela Effect vibes here, where I’m misremembering and misplacing things in my head.

I should have a copy of the card somewhere since it was supposed to be one of the cards in the set I purchased - wouldn’t that be something if the card was missing off the set and out of all the cards after the fact, it’s only at this point a random base card becomes a first world problem.

Maybe the Vavra card was part of the book of cards I put together for spring training in 2019 - but the card came out after ST, so that couldn’t have been the case.

Maybe the Vavra was in a Mega box of cards that was supposed to be for Cal League teams through 2019 - Vavra was still playing at a level below, but maybe I had a hunch that it was grouped there in case Vavra moved up.

Unfortunately the only card for the Rockies affiliate at the time was a Casey Golden - so I was stumped, worried about some random card being in a forgotten pile I've never get to.

I'm in the middle of this rejigger project with my active team boxes and through a couple of weeks I was at a loss - I was messing around with my main box for my active team boxes, seeing if I could straighten my set-ups with the idea the card I’m looking for might shake out of the blue and go figure, that is exactly what happened.

I was utterly shocked when the Vavra card was found sandwiched between two Roy Smalley cards in the alumni portion of my Minnesota Twins cards - how would this random card end up there?

I racked my brain looking everywhere for the card - I’m glad it wasn’t buried among my other claptrap of cards I dared to rummage through because that would have meant I just left it somewhere and forgot about it.

I think it I just ended up mindlessly sorting through too many cards and one fell through the cracks - for now the card is with my two other Vavra cards, though this particular one may have a story behind it now to remind me of my perpetual folly.

Here was a previous episode to remind me - that these things happen and it doesn't always have to be a crisis.

TTM autographs received: David Nied

The former big league righthander signed my cards in about a couple of weeks, including his 1992 Leaf Gold Rookies insert, a card I once coveted as a kid - I thought Nied was destined for stardom, following the likes of Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Steve Avery in the Atlanta Braves rotation in the early 1990s.

Looking back Nied's ascent from a 1987 draft pick to a legitimate pitching prospect - paralleled the Braves' rise from bottom feeders to perennial contenders through the 1990s.

However Nied was left unprotected in the 1992 expansion draft and was the No. 1 pick of the Colorado Rockies - so maybe his big league career never really had a chance of taking off.

TTM autographs received: Jarrett Grube

I had a couple of loose cards of Grube, a longtime minor league pitcher whose only big league appearance was for the Angels in 2017 where he faced three batters, gave up a home run while recording 2 outs - I dug around for a possible address to send my cards and they were signed in about a week.

One of the cards he signed appears to be a penny sleeve casualty [using penny sleeves maybe a habit I have to ditch, but it gives me peace of mind, when sending my cards off] - rather than leaving the blemished card as is, it looks Grube tried to sign his autograph again.

TTM autographs received: Marvis Foley

Foley falls into a group of rank-and-file players I wouldn't have a reason to be particularly familiar with, but I ended up with three of his cards filed away among my Colorado Rockies cards - in case I ran into him at some point during spring training or maybe if he randomly helped out with the Rockies' California League team.

As is it goes, my in-person autograph coverage has always been limited [pandemic or not], so there might not have been a realistic chance of seeing the baseball lifer - I saw Foley signed through the mail, so I sent the cards I had, including a 1981 Topps card I pulled from a pack break and they were finally signed in about a couple of weeks.

A fun Angels related factoid was Foley ended up the last batter Mike Witt faced when he threw a perfect game against the Texas Rangers in 1984 - Foley grounded out to the second baseman to complete the feat for the mid 1980s Angels pitching ace.

1993 Topps Traded Todd Helton RC #19T

As a non-geographic fan of the player, I liked the idea of Helton being a pure hitter, even if he played half of his home games at Coors Field and his power numbers actually dipped mid-career - maybe it got boring searching eBay listings of his first card, so to finally scratch the itch, I grabbed a copy.

I don't see Helton as an outright Hall of Famer, but with the idea of the nerds rejiggering the advanced stats of retired players - there are more ways to view Helton's playing numbers, where he at least has a case to be a borderline HOF guy.

Helton's one or two DUI issues doesn't make the one-team, face of a franchise fan favorite for the Colorado Rockies look good - but for the right players, their off-the-field missteps may not be enough for any particular writers not to give them a Hall of Fame vote.

TTM autograph received: Larry Walker

I've seen TTM success from the former MLB star outfielder so I wanted to take my shot - I had at least three or four different specific 'set' cards for Walker, but seeing the reported successes were personalized, I chose a random, unique card I wanted inked up, even if Walker made it out to me as opposed to just signing it.

Go figure, I got my dual sided card back after a three week wait and it was just signed - no personalization with a 'swing hard' or 'best wishes' inscription.

The autograph is a little streaky but the card was super glossy to begin with - the card was already signed in-person by former outfielder Rusty Greer when it was given to me by a one-time friend.

TTM autographs received: Bryn Smith

The former Major League pitcher signed my cards in 7 days - though I've ended up with his junk wax era cards over the years, I've never had bothered to send him a TTM request until recently.

From what I've seen, Smith has always had a bold and legible autograph - so I wanted to check him off my TTM list of random guys who've generally been good signers.

Featured autograph - Brendan Rodgers

After hitting .400 for Lancaster in the California League, the 20-year old shortstop - is 1-for-9 in 2 games for the Hartford Yard Goats in the Eastern League.

Rodgers is one of the elite prospects in all of baseball, though according to this BA breakdown - his batting numbers in Lancaster was due to the hitter friendly environment as much as his natural abilities coming together.

I was able to see him just in time before he was promoted - to get this 2016 Topps Heritage Minors insert signed.

A pair of Todd Helton inserts

Like Hideo Nomo from the previous post, there is some recognition and affection for this 17-year MLB veteran, even he did not play for my team - the pair of cards caught my eye and I picked them up for the 'ownage' factor.

The 1998 Flair Wave of the Future card inserts was mentioned on another card blog back in 2014 and I wanted to see how a card from the set felt and looked like in-hand - maybe it's because the card came out more than 15 years ago, but the intended effect isn't quite on point, though it's not created like a conventional trading card.

I like the image on the 2000 Topps Stadium Club Chrome refractor #193 - even if though Helton's face is kind of obscured, it's taken from a unique angle.

Featured autograph - Rafael Ortega

Ortega made his Angels debut on April 16, going 1-for-3 with a stolen base and a run and a walk - if Ortega gets an opportunity to stick around, he could be like fellow Venezuelans Gregor Blanco or Ender Inciarte, a couple of outfielders who've maxed out their ability and became dependable parts of a MLB roster.

Featured autograph - Trevor Story

With at least 3 home runs in his first three MLB games - it will be hard to move the Colorado Rockies shortstop if and when Jose Reyes is ready to play.

If Story continues to play well further into the season, how are the Rockies going to dump Reyes with $47 million left in his contract - there is no way the fans are going to be happy seeing Reyes ever take the field at shortstop for the Rockies.

When Story was playing for the Modesto Nuts against Lake Elsinore in 2014, I remember telling a fan at a minor league game that Story was the opposing team's best player - however, I think Story's path to the big leagues got a little blurry because it looked like Troy Tulowitzki was going to be a lifelong Rockies player.

Though random as anything else to come mind when referring to particular players - I think about the scene in the movie Shallow Hal, where Hal's best friend Mauricio explains that he literally has a tail.

- What is it?

- l have a tail.

- A tail.

- What do you mean, like a story?

No, a tail. lt's like a waggy tail.

Featured autograph - Ryan McMahon

It looks like McMahon has had certified autograph cards since 2013, so this 2015 Bowman Inception card probably just another miscellaneous card - it did catch my eye and I picked it up for $4 since I thought it was a nice looking card serial #'d 17/99.

McMahon appears to be a solid hitting prospect who may get a boost if he gets to play in Colorado - even with Nolan Arenado entrenched at third base, he could probably reach the Major Leagues at some point within the next couple of years.

2012 Playoff Prime Cuts Larry Walker

Walker was a good all-around player in the early 1990's before going to the Colorado Rockies where he put up monster numbers - Walker is a borderline Hall of Fame candidate [career .400 on-base / .565 slugging] though injuries prevented him from having overwhelming counting numbers while the Coors Field effect lingers when considering the merit of most prominent Rockies hitters past and present.

I picked up this card to put away, maybe hoping there is a strong push to get Walker to the Hall of Fame - even though Walker's autograph is not on card and there are better versions of this card as far as the swatches used, I do like how this non-MLB licensed card is put together.

Superficially Walker was one of a number the big hitting stars / fan favorites during the last 20 years - if nothing else, I have these two highlights to look back on:

Forgets the number of outs during a game

Faces the Big Unit during the 1997 All-Star game

Featured autograph - Josh Rutledge

After being acquired from the Colorado Rockies, I assume Rutledge will be part of a mix of guys [among them Grant Green, Johnny Giovatella, Taylor Featherston and perhaps Cuban import Roberto Baldoquin] - who will get an opportunity in the spring to work at second base for the Angels.

Regardless of who ends up as the Opening Day second baseman in 2015 - Angels manager Mike Scioscia and his coaches are probably anticipating seeing how Baldoquin, a Cuban import plays in spring training games against MLB pitchers.

Rutledge on the other hand, looks like he can hit a little bit, though had the usual Coors Field home / away batting splits - I don't think he is going to be terrible with the bat, but it's 50/50 whether or not he'll be able to hit well enough at sea level to be the every day guy for the Angels at second base.

Featured autograph - Taylor Featherston

At the very least Featherston will be with the Angels through spring training, trying to stick around after being picked up from the Colorado Rockies in the Rule 5 draft - he has some pop for a middle infielder, though he looks like he swings and misses too much with his batting average / on-base percentage dipping in his three full minor league seasons.

Featured autograph - Huston Street

It's amazing how the Angels bullpen has been revamped from early in the season - it wasn't that long ago that duds like Ernesto Frieri, Nick Maronde, Yoslan Herrera, Rich Hill, Wade LeBlanc, Josh Wall, et al were trotted out to pitch in Angels games.

I don't expect the Angels' bullpen to be perfect for the rest of the year but they seem more competent right now - general manager Jerry Dipoto really did an about-face and tried to flush as many of the turds down the toilet to upgrade the Halos relief squad.

In addition to Joe Smith, the resurgence of Kevin Jepsen and the promotion of relief prospect Mike Morin - the acquisitions of Jason Grilli, Joe Thatcher and Street have made the Angels' bullpen a strength.

Jordan Pacheco

I suppose Pacheco isn't unique but it must be hard for rank-and-file MLB players like him - he has spent parts of four seasons in the major leagues, so he has had made it against whatever odds he was up against as a 9th round pick back in 2007.

Still, he seems like a fringe MLB player who could play 10 more seasons [as a utility guy] in the big leagues or can find himself washing out in the minors or overseas - besides the guys who seem to be brimming with talent from day one, it's novelty to obsess about pro ballplayers who seem like they are merely one rung above your non professional athlete and have had to work hard to get to the major leagues and stick around.