Featured card: 1988 Score Gary Redus #443

Gary Redus was a moderately successful Major Leaguer - however, a little known feat accomplished by the largely forgettable Redus is that he holds the minors' single-season batting average record.

I suppose he is being honored just a little bit, by being included in Tristar's upcoming Obak set - I looked at the checklist and wondered why Redus would be included. I'm sure collectors who end up pulling his card will be wondering who he is.

As a 21-year old in 1978, Redus- hit a blistering .462 in his professional debut in the Cincinnati Reds' farm system.

Tristar has a chance to hit a home run with their retro set, aimed for those who like the Topps Allen and Ginter - the set features some interesting subjects besides the typical current minor leaguers and top prospects. However, it remains to be seen if the product will be embraced by collectors who do not take minor league cards seriously in the first place.

2008 Tristar Prospects Plus blaster box

2008 Tristar Prospects Plus blaster box [$19.99 each] - I was looking at the trading card section the second time [I was bored and spending time at Walmart is fun] and this blaster 'popped up.' The first time I was at thr trading card section, I only saw a blaster box of 2008 Tristar Projections High Series.

Because it is a minor league product - a typical baseball card collector are not going to go out of their way to look for this product. Still Tristar products have somewhat of a following with minor league autograph collectors and baseball card collectors looking for something different.

The card design isn't pretty and looks like a Fleer/Skybox design from the late 1990s - I don't think baseball cards should be boring, but they shouldn't look garish either, particularly for a 'niche' product like minor league cards.

As listed, each blaster box is guaranteed one autograph - five packs per blaster with six cards inside. Hopefully it didn't mean anything but basically the packs are crammed inside the box, with a crumbled up paper [I think similar to what you'd find stuffed in shoes at a shoe store] to support the blaster. It isn't like the packs are enclosed in a cardboard 'tray' inside like other blasters i.e. Topps/Bowman I've busted.

I got 29 out 150 base cards - with no doubles or triples.

Pack one - no suspense here, I already hit the auto
#26 Christian Friedrich - the No. 25 overall pick in 2008 [Colorado Rockies].
#14 Ethan Martin - the No. 15 overall pick in 2008 [Los Angeles Dodgers] and also possibly the year's Ben Christensen/Delmon Young Award winner.
#85 Jason Knapp



#FH JJ Jay Jackson - the 2008 Tristar Farmhands autograph inserts look better than last year's version.
#87 Boston Top Pick Pitchers; Bryan Price, Stephen Fife and Kyle Weiland - I think the multiplayer cards in this year's product is a distraction to collectors who probably want as many single cards to get signed either in the mail or in-person. If can get all the players' autographs at one time, then it is okay, but Tristar should have stuck with one player per card.
#149 Chicago Future Pitching Stars; James Leverton [Levitrol?], Justin Bristow and Toby Matchulat - it seems like these multiplayer cards are Tristar's way of getting more players in Prospects Plus.

Pack two
#4 Brian Matusz - the No. 4 overall pick in 2008 [Baltimore Orioles]
#36 Jake Odorizzi
#84 Rashun Dixon - the Oakland Athletics sees some value in this guy, so he must be good [as in better than your average toolsy athlete from high school that the organization has not typically drafted]. According to the back of his card, Dixon had eight home runs, 42 RBIs and a .525 slugging percentage in the Arizona League [rookie level]. He could be an intriguing speed/power guy if his Moneyball skills develop [having patience at the plate and taking walks].
#73 Tyler Ladendorf
#104 Ryan Lavarnway
#135 Staten Island Yankees Teammates; Ray Kruml and Addison Maruszak

Pack three
#41 Pete Hissey
#58 Dan Brewer
#49 Xavier Avery
#37 Brad Holt
#123 College Teammates; Yonder Alonzo and Jemile Weeks [Miami] - Alonzo was the No. 7 overall pick in 2008 [Cincinnati Reds] and Weeks was the No. 12 overall pick [Oakland Athletics].
#109 Mike Lee

Pack four
#95 Steven Fife
#92 Kyle Higashioka - local Orange County, California kid drafted by the New York Yankees
#23 Ryan Perry - the No. 21 overall pick [Detroit Tigers]
#6 Kyle Skipworth - the No. 6 overall pick in 2008 [Florida Marlins]
#141 Lowell Spinners Teammates; Lance McLain and Kyle Weiland
#103 David Adams

Pack five
#69 Tyson Ross
#52 Jaff Decker
#13 Aaron Hicks - the No. 13 overall pick in 2008 [Minnesota Twins]
#21 Andrew Cashner - the No. 19 overall pick in 2008 [Chicago Cubs]
#148 Boston Future Stars; Bryan Peterson, Tyler Yockey and Jonathan Hee
#119 Matt LaPorta - seems like from playing the Milwaukee Brewers' system to being traded as part of the C.C. Sabathia trade to playing in the Futures Game and also being a member of the U.S. Olympic baseball team [and being beaned during competition in the Olympics], LaPorta has gone through a lot in 2008. He is 24 years old and as far as a top prospect is concerned, 2009 is probably his make or break year to see if he can stick in the Major Leagues for good.

I tried to scan these cards, but the foil used on the cards do not scan well - for images, go to the official Tristar Web site.

Card show purchases #2

Spent $14 on an assorted number of common cards - I actually found a stack of random Projections Tristar minor league cards [I am sure these cards are from their 'high series']. They were in a box listed as '6 for $1' and I jumped at a chance to pick about 18 cards up, after not being able to find any during a card shop trip.

Projections seems like a comphrensive minor-league card product but they remind me of 1991 Classic Minor League and/or 1992 Upper Deck Minor League - mass produced minor league cards released through packs [as opposed to perhaps minor league cards released through team sets] where you seemed to have an endless number of names [including guys were never going to make a 40-man roster].

Tristar is a niche product for casual collectors who thinks the company can offer something a little different - on the other hand, while the cards are not bad looking at all, one thing annoying me is the birthdates listed in the bio on the back of the cards. They are at least three to four years off and I wonder if a team of monkeys proof read the back of these cards.

#221 Jake Arrieta - Baltimore Orioles organization
#242 Sean Rodriguez - Angels



#272 Adam Olbrychowski - New York Yankees organization
#287 Barry Enright - Arizona Diamondbacks organization
#291 Jeffrey Locke - Atlanta Braves organization
#295 Jeremy Haynes - Angels organization
#298 Tommy Hunter - Texas Rangers
#307 Andrew Romine - Angels organization
#311 James Simmons - Oakland Athletics organization
#326 Mason Tobin - Angels organization
#331 Brett Anderson - Oakland Athletics organization
#332 Chris Carter - Oakland Athletics organization
#378 Eric Hurley - Texas Rangers
#396 Dexter Fowler - Colorado Rockies' organization
#397 Matt Harrison - Texas Rangers
#399 Desmond Jennings - Tampa Bay Rays organization

#327 Jordan Walden Reflective - Angels organization
#385 Chris Carter Reflective - Boston Red Sox organization

Minor matters and picking up random cards

Sometimes you feel you are in your own world - I went to a sports card shop, looking for some minor league product.

You always have your usual Major League cards, but sometimes you are looking for something a little different - I was looking for the 'mass produced' cards by Tristar.

"It's not really [something that is] in demand," the man I spoke to said. "We only carry mainstream [product] like Topps and Upper Deck."

Well I guess I'd better stick with official MLB licensed and/or MLBPA licensed baseball cards - I usually try to get my rank-and-file cards autographed in-person and through the mail and perhaps if I'm looking to find a minor league card of a particular player [probably a young prospect], he probably has a first-year Bowman/Bowman Chrome card.

With the MLBPA rookie card rules - Topps and Upper Deck are probably printing cards of particular players as they make their MLB debuts.

Why bother with minor league cards?

At the shop, I found 20 random cards [$0.10 each] from the commons boxes - I'm not really enamored by cards right now, so they were not a priority.

I feel like more cards = more work I'm not willing to do when it comes to sorting - I don't care about my collecting topics as much at this point.

I did find several minor league cards- 2008 Just [unlicensed; meaning the cards can't display team logos, even of minor league teams] of Logan Morrison, Chris Davis, Bobby Parnell, Andrew McCutchen and Jordan Bachanov [Angels draft pick in 2007 who had Tommy John surgery].

2008 Upper Deck Baseball Heroes - these cards are styled after the Baseball Heroes inserts of the 1990s. Upper Deck has rolled out the Baseball Heroes graphics more than a few times.

#46 Corey Hart - a rising semistar who I probably had a chance to get, but didn't have any cards for during spring training.



#79 Alex Gordon - he hasn't made the leap from highly touted elite prospect to all-star performer [or better].
#168 Luke Scott

2008 Topps Baseball Series I and II - you need Topps, but there is an expectation these cards are very basic and boring.

#132 Ramon Vazquez - a decent utility guy

#428 Jair Jurrjens - was he really the Atlanta Braves No. 1 pitcher in 2008?
#487 Corey Patterson - breaking his bat

#489 Joakim Soria - I try pick-up cards of such players because you are more inclined to do your homework on new faces.
#607 Ryan Spilborghs - Spilborghs is making a nice attempt to grab the ball.
#618 Pat Neshek - didn't really need this one, but he is a fan favorite.
#644 Reggie Willits - a fan favorite even though he barely played in 2008.

2008 Upper Deck II - I like these cards, but they are very boring. There isn't anything grabbing at you.

#534 Reggie Willits
#645 Yuniesky Betancourt
#647 Ramon Vazquez

2008 Upper Deck A piece of History

#43 Hunter Pence
#68 Phil Hughes