’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Players Most Likely To Go ’30/30′ During The 2013 Baseball Season

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Players Most Likely To Go ’30/30′ During The 2013 Baseball Season

For me, one of the many ways to judge and offensive player’s effect on the game is to measure the number of home runs and stolen bases he collects in a single season.  The landmark number of ’30/30′ is one that I have enjoyed tracking since I was a kid.

During the 2012 baseball season, there were just two big leaguers to make it into the exclusive ’30/30 Club’ – Ryan Braun and Mike Trout.

Yes, there were a lot of sluggers that hit well over 30 home runs, but very few of them put the effort needed to steal 30 bases.  I think that in the right situations, we could see many of them steal 30 bases in a season, but both they and their managers would have to be committed to it.

Here are the ‘Top Ten Players Most Likely To Go ’30/30′ During The 2013 Baseball Season’:

Honorable Mention – Robinson Cano, BJ Upton, Curtis Granderson, Giancarlo Stanton, Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Beltran, Anthony Rizzo, Justin Upton, and Adam Jones.

10 – Hanley Ramirez

9 – Josh Hamilton

8 – Jayson Werth

7 – Carlos Gonzalez

6 – Jason Heyward

5 – Bryce Harper

4 – Andrew McCutchen

3 – Ryan Braun

2 – Matt Kemp

1 – Mike Trout

I think that the 2013 baseball season will be a magical one.  I expect to see both Bryce Harper and Mike Trout become even better all-around players.  I also expect a rebound season from Hanley Ramirez.  I think that Jason Heyward is poised to take off and deliver what many thought he would do a few years ago.  I also think that Jayson Werth is going to be solid this year – with Zim and Harper in the line-up, there is less pressure on him, and I think he will soar.  And for some reason, I think that Matt Kemp is going to go bonkers this year – I don’t follow the Dodgers too closely, but I think that 2013 will be a Dodger season worth paying attention too.

And there you have it – I am very ready for the 2013 baseball season to start.  And I think that we may see anywhere between 5-8 members of the ’30/30 Club’ at the end.

Let me know what you think.  Am I missing anything here?  Should anyone be pulled from my list in place of someone else?

I’d love to get your thoughts.  Thanks for reading.

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Rookie Cards From The ‘Fleer Update’ Mid-Season Sets!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Rookie Cards From The ‘Fleer Update’ Mid-Season Sets!!!

Just like I did with the Topps Traded and Donruss ‘The Rookies’ mid-season releases, I feel that it is fitting to follow suit with the Fleer Update set as well.

So, I will rank the Top Ten Rookie cards issued as part of these 132-card rookie-filled, factory-sealed, beauties.

Keep in mind that I am only going after cards in which the Fleer Update card was considered the player’s rookie card with the Fleer brand; it just happened to be issued in the ‘Update’ set versus the base set.

OK?

OK!

These sets were released from 1984-1992 and they host some big-time treasures!!  Let’s get right down to it!!!

Honorable Mention – Bret Saberhagen (84), Vince Coleman (85), Will Clark (86), Ruben Sierra (86), Mike Greenwell (87), Fred McGriff (87), Matt Williams (87), John Smoltz (88), Jim Abbott (89), Joey Belle (89), Deion Sanders (89), Tino Martinez (90), John Olerud (90), Bernie Williams (91).

10 – Jeff Bagwell, 1991

9 – Jeff Kent, 1992

8 – Frank Thomas, 1990

7 – Roberto Alomar, 1988

6 – Barry Bonds, 1986

5 – Dwight Gooden, 1984

4 – Greg Maddux, 1987

3 – Mike Piazza, 1992

2 – Roger Clemens, 1984

1 – Kirby Puckett, 1984

Let me tell you that creating this list was mentally exhausting!!

While the top two spots for me were ‘no brainers’, spots 3,4, and 5 shifted around often.  Ultimately, I settled in with Piazza being a lock at number 3, and Maddux & Gooden sharing the 4th spot.  I ultimately gave it to Maddux, but would not complain if Gooden was there and Maddux shifted down to five, or even six.

And the final 2-3 spots were pretty brutal too – some of those guys could have been left off in favor of some that were mentioned in the honorable mention section.  Ultimately, I took the guys who would still be deemed as ‘collectible’ today by your average collector.

So, how did I do?  Love my rankings?  Hate my rankings?

Let me hear it!!!  And have a great night!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Cards From The ‘Donruss Rookies’ Mid-Season Sets!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Cards From The ‘Donruss Rookies’ Mid-Season Sets!!!

Just like the other companies producing baseball cards in the 1980′s, Donruss saw a need to produce sets during the season that captured the attention of collectors.

While some companies issued cards of rookie players and players that traded teams during the early parts of the season, Donruss stuck strictly to rookie cards.  That is probably why the set carried the name of ‘Donruss, The Rookies’.

The sets were issued from 1986-1992, and stared as a 56-card set but ended at 132 cards in 1992.  The set was highly collectible when released, and some of the best rookie cards from the decade were found in these ‘second’ sets.

And now, on to the list!!!

Like most of my other rookie-related ‘Top Ten Lists’, I am going after the cards that were highly coveted when released and still have value and appeal amongst today’s collectors.  Staying power is the theme!!

Honorable Mention: Wally Joyner (86), Kevin Mitchell (86), Ruben Sierra (86), Matt Williams (87), Chris Sabo (88), Jim Abbott (89), Omar Vizquel (89), Carlos Baerga (90), Tim Wakefiled (92).

10 – Edgar Martinez, 1988

9 – Deion Sanders, 1989

8 – Jeff Kent, 1992

7 – Will Clark, 1986

6 – Jeff Bagwell, 1991

5 – Bo Jackson, 1986

4 - Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez, 1991

3 – Manny Ramirez, 1992

2 – Pedro Martinez, 1991

1 - Barry Bonds, 1986

And there you have it!!  My Top Ten cards from the ‘Donruss Rookies’ brand.

Let me tell you, I switched these around a handful of times; especially numbers 9 and 10 and a few of the Honorable Mention guys.  I could have easily taken this list to 15 official spots, but then I would have to rename the post, build a new category, and get it approved by the MLB.

So, I stuck with just 10.  Did I get them right?  Are my selections way out of line?  Did I completely miss someone??

Let me hear it!!!  And have a great night.

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Fleer Major League Prospects Rookie Baseball Cards!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Fleer Major League Prospects Rookie Baseball Cards!!!

What can I say, I have had rookie cards on the brain for the last few weeks.

First, it started with my ranking the ‘Top Ten Donruss Rated Rookie Cards’ and from there I jumped into the ‘Top Ten Topps Traded Rookie Cards’.

It is only right that I give Fleer some press time too.  From 1985-1990, Fleer issued multi-player rookie cards in their base sets.  The cards featured two players, sometimes on the same time and sometimes not.

Sadly, they are just not able to live up to the excitement that Donruss and Topps brought to the rookie baseball card game.  But, they did try.  And just like a rookie card prospector that is seeking out the best rookies from the next crop of hopefuls, Fleer had some hits.  But they also had a ton of misses too!

And now, without further ado, it is time to offer up the ‘Top Ten Fleer Major League Prospects Rookie Baseball Cards’.

Here we go:

Honorable Mention:  Rob Deer, Glen Davis, Devon White, Joe Girardi, and Moises Alou.

10 – Kevin Seitzer, 1987.

9 – Danny Tartabull, 1985.

8 – Kevin Brown, 1989.

7 – Shawon Dunston, 1985.

6 – Benito Santiago, 1986.

5 – Paul O’Neill, 1986.

4 – Andres Galarraga, 1986.

3 – Mark Grace, 1988.

2 – Jose Canseco, 1986.

1 – Cecil Fielder, 1986.

Not horrible, but not terribly exciting either.  I tell you what – If Fleer did not have these cards in their 1986 base set, I would never have been able to snag ten for this list…  Fleer tried, but their crop of 1980′s rookie cards just cannot live up to the excitement that Donruss and Topps brought.

What do you think?  Do you have a favorite card from the Major League Prospects subset from Fleer?  Did I miss one that you think belongs on the list?

Let me hear it.

And as always, Thanks for reading!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Topps Traded Rookie Baseball Cards!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Topps Traded Rookie Baseball Cards!!!

This Top Ten list stems from a few emails between myself and loyal ’30-YOC’ reader Matt.  Matt and I traded emails earlier in the week about our favorite cards and sets from the 1980′s.  The conversation was fun and it took both of us back to our childhood when we both rabid collectors.

It was during that email string that I thought it would be fun to rank my favorite Topps Traded rookie cards from the 1980s.  There are some fantastic cards that fit that mold, and it will shock you to see which ones only made the ‘Honorable Mention’ list.

The way that I complied my list is that I tried my best to recall how popular the card was when it was released and then also look at how it is treated in today’s hobby.  I also discounted any player that had a multi-player rookie card in a Topps base set and then an individual card in the traded set that is also known as a rookie card, so cards like Tim Raines from the 1981 Traded set and Cal Ripken from the 1982 Traded set were purposely skipped.

Ready to get started?  Let’s go!!!

Honorable Mention – Julio Franco (83), Bret Saberhagen (84), Ozzie Guillen (85), Andres Galarraga (86), Wally Joyner (86), Kevin Mitchell (86), David Cone (87), Benito Santiago (87), Fred McGriff (87), Jim Abbott (88), Mark Grace (88), Ron Gant (88), Tino Martinez (88), Robin Ventura (88), and Deion Sanders (89).

10 – Roberto Alomar, 1988

9 – Vince Coleman, 1985

8 – Will Clark, 1986

7 – Darryl Strawberry, 1983

6 – Ken Griffey, Jr., 1989

5 – Jose Canseco, 1986

4 – Greg Maddux, 1987

3 – Bo Jackson, 1986

2 – Barry Bonds, 1986

1 – Dwight Gooden, 1984

And there you have it.

Did I get it right or screw it up royally??  Let me know what you think of my picks.

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Donruss Rated Rookie Baseball Cards!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Donruss Rated Rookie Baseball Cards!!!

I was going through a random stack of Cubs baseball cards from the 1980′s the other night and I ran across several cards from in-set subsets and insert cards that brought back a ton of memories from my youth as a baseball card collector.

Among the cards were a few Donruss Rated Rookie cards that made me pause and smile.  I used to really like the Rated Rookie subset and eagerly awaited the next Donruss release just to catch a glimpse of who they chose for the new set that year.

Like most rookie cards, the players selected were hit or miss.  For every future Cy Young pitcher, there was a Greg Swindell card.  For every future Gold Glove defender, there was a Jose Lind card.  And for every future member of the 500 Home Run Club, there was a Mackey Sasser card.

Still, over the spread of time that the Rated Rookie subset was included in the base set of Donruss’ releases (1984-1985), they did have their fare share of hits.

I thought it would be fun to look back and choose a ‘Top Ten’ for these cards as I was in my collecting prime as these rookie cards were highly coveted.

So, without any more chit-chat, let’s get right down to it – Here are my ‘Top Ten Donruss Rated Rookie baseball cards!!!

Honorable Mention – 1984: Tony Fernandez, Sid Fernandez. 1985 – Shawon Dunston. 1986 – Paul O’Neill, Andres Galarraga, Danny Tartabull. 1987 – Benito Santiago, Devon White, Rafael Palmeiro. 1988 – Al Leiter, Mark Grace. 1989 – Sandy Alomar, Jr., Gregg Jefferies. 1990 – Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile, Ben McDonald, Steve Avery, Delino DeShields, Greg Vaughn.

10 – Gary Sheffield, 1989

9 – Randy Johnson, 1989

8 – Mark McGwire – 1987

7 – Fred McGriff, 1986

6 – Joe Carter, 1984

5 – Roberto Alomar, 1988

4 - Bo Jackson, 1987

3 – Greg Maddux, 1987

2 -  Ken Griffey, Jr., 1989

1 – Jose Canseco, 1986

And there you have it.  Quite a list, huh??

I based my rankings on a multitude of things, but ultimately it came down to how significant I thought the card was at its time of release, how important the card was when the player was at his prime, and how collected the card is today.  I did not use any science in my measurements to get to these rankings – just my feel for the hobby 25+ years ago and at the present time.

How are my rankings?  Dead-on or Way-off??  Let me know what you think.

Oh, and here is one more peek at that fantastic Rated Rookie logo:

Enjoy!  And have a great evening.

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Robert DeNiro Movies!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Robert DeNiro Movies!!!

Last week it was Samuel L. Jackson.

And the week before that, it was Eddie Murphy.

You can say that I am on a bit of a movie kick, and I would agree 100%.

You see, as a baseball fan that can watch any two teams compete at the highest level, I rarely need to find things to watch between April and October.  But, for the months outside of that time frame, I look to movies to fill the entertainment void.

And just like with baseball, I like films from prior decades as compared to what is being churned out today.  So, you can expect a lot of non-baseball related ‘Top Ten Lists’ to keep you entertained on your Sunday nights.  But, I do promise to sprinkle in a few from time to time too.

Ok, on to my Robert DeNiro list.  Here we go:

10 – A Bronx Tale

9 – The Fan

8 – Sleepers

7 – Men Of Honor

6 – Heat

5 – The Untouchables

4 – Cape Fear

3 – Raging Bull

 

2 – Meet The Parents

1 – Goodfellas

Man, this guy can act; very versatile too!  And he has been making feature films since the 1960′s.  Sure, I cannot recall the last time I wanted to head to the theater to see one his new ones, but pop in any of the movies on the above list into the DVD player, and I am all in!!!

Did I miss any films featuring Robert DeNiro that you like better?  Did I miss any entirely??  Let me know.

Have a nice night!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Samuel L. Jackson Movies!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Samuel L. Jackson Movies!!!

This next ‘Top Ten List’ is the result of a comment from last week’s list that uncovered my ‘Top Ten Eddie Murphy Movies’.

Reader Gerad told us that his favorite actor was Samuel L. Jackson and he wanted to see what kind of list I could come up with for all of the films that he has starred in.

I am up to the challenge, so here we go!!!

First, let me tell you two things – (1) Samuel L Jackson has been in a lot of movies!!  It was not easy to build the list.  I have seen a good handful of the films, but definitely not all of them.  (2) I prefer him in the supporting role, and not as the main character.  In my opinion, he is so dominant and memorable while on screen that he does not need to be in the lead role to make an impact that is memorable.  You will see that for many of my top ten, he is not the ‘headliner’ of the film.

Now that this is out of the way, on to the list!!!

Honorable Mention: The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Negotiator, Deep Blue Sea, Shaft, Changing Lanes, Coach Carter, and Black Snake Moan.

10 – The Incredibles

9 – Jurassic Park

8 – Lakeview Terrace

7 – Resurrecting The Champ

6 – The Avengers

5 – Twisted

4 – SWAT

3 – Unbreakable

2 – Die Hard: With A Vengeance

1 – Pulp Ficton

Now that is a pretty solid list of films right there!!

And as you can see, my preference is to see Samuel L. Jackson in a complimentary role versus as the lead actor. 

What is your favorite film with Samuel L. Jackson??  Did I miss any that you feel should have made the cut??

Let me hear it!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Eddie Murphy Movies!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Eddie Murphy Movies!!!

For some reason, Eddie Murphy has been featured on TV a lot over the last few weeks.  I am not complaining about that, I am just not sure why he is getting all of this sudden attention, especially for roles he played decades ago.

I am actually glad that this new wave of attention has come Eddie’s way as it reminds me of how much I have enjoyed his work over the years, especially his older stuff.

I thought it would be fun to rank his ‘Top Ten Movies’, so here we go…

For this week’s list, there is no honorable mention.  Also, let me preface this by saying that  I have NOT seen every single film that Mr. Murphy has starred in, but I do believe that I have seen enough of them to be able to make a list like this with some level of confidence.

10 – The Shrek Films – just enough adult humor provided by Eddie to keep us laughing and our kids wondering what we’re laughing at…

9 – Harlem Nights – Truly underrated film. Murphy and Prior are worth watching!

8 – The Nutty Professor – the scenes around the dinner table are unreal.  The sequels could not duplicate what the original brought us – HERCULES!!!

7 – Daddy Day Care – Every comic has to be mixed in with a bunch of kids at some point during his/her career.  Murphy was a lot of fun in this one.

6 – Delirious – So funny, fro start to finish!

5 – Trading Places – A great comedic duo, these two played very well with each other.

4 – 48 Hours – Such an unusual combination, but it worked very well.  So well in fact, that it called for ‘Another’ follow up.

3 – Beverly Hills Cop trilogy – This trilogy really put Murphy on the map with mainstream America.  He played the role of Axel Foley perfectly, and he had all of us imitating his laugh!

2 – RAW – The funnies stand-up act that I have ever seen.  Period.

1 – Coming To America – My favorite comedic film of all-time.  I can recite scenes of this film with no mistakes.  If I am flipping channels and I find this movie on, I am not longer flipping channels.

And there you have it.  Eddie Murphy provided some incredible laughs and memorable moments in many of the above mentioned films.  He is a comedic genius, and I am happy to say that I have had a chance to see one of the greatest comedic actors of all-time perform during his prime.

Did I miss any films that you would have had on the list?  Are my rankings out of whac?

Let me hear it!

And as always, ‘Thank You’ for reading.  Have a nice night!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Active Pitchers Most Likely To Reach The 3,000 Strikeouts Milestone

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – Top Ten Active Pitchers Most Likely To Reach The 3,000 Strikeouts Milestone

I’ve always considered the 3,000 strikeout milestone to be one of the best ways to display a pitcher’s dominance over time.  While wins are certainly more important to team success, they also require a team to have an offense that is better than their opponent’s.

The strikeout is about the 1-on-1 match-up.  And whether your skill is power or finesse, joining the ’3,000 Strikeouts Club’ means that you dominated batters for a very, very long time.

For this week’s ‘Top Ten List’, I thought it would be fun to analyze today’s crop of pitchers to see which ones are most on track to reach this milestone.  And while I do not expect that all 10 of these players will reach that mark, I think that based on their track records, they have the inside track.

And away we go!!!

HM – Gio Gonzalez, Yovanni Gallardo, Barry Zito, Josh Beckett, Jake Peavy, Cliff Lee, Mark Buehrle, Zach Grienke, Jered Weaver, and Ben Sheets.

10 – Dan Haren.  In 10 seasons, Haren has 1,585 K’s.  He is only 31 years old and has started 30 or more games in 8 of his 10 seasons.

9 – Tim Lincecum.  In six seasons, Lincecum has 1,317 K’s. He has reached 200 or more strikeouts in 4 of those 6 seasons and has started 30 or more games in a season since becoming a full-time starter for the Giants.  If his role remains in the starting line-up, he has a solid shot as he is just 28 years old.

8 – Matt Cain.  In 8 big league seasons, Cain has amassed 1,278 K’s.  He has started 30 or more games in seven straight seasons and he is just 27 years old.  Cain has never had a 200-strikeout season, but has had at least 170+ in six of the last seven. 

7 – Cole Hamels.  Amazingly, Cole Hamels is just 28 years old.  And with 7 seasons under his belt, Hamels has 1,307 K’s to his credit.  He has started 30 or more games in the last five straight seasons and has eclipsed the 200-K mark in two of the last three.

6 – Roy Halladay.  He just completed his 15th season in the major leagues and has 2,066 K’s for his career.  Prior to the 2012 season, Halladay had collected 200 or more K’s in four straight years.  If he can return to form, 3,000 is in his sights.  Halladay will be 35 when the 2013 season starts.

5 – Stephen Strasburg.  He only has 250 innings of major league experience under his belt, but Stephen Strasburg has already struck out 313 batters.  If the Nationals unleash him in 2013, he should continue to dominate.  And at the young age of 23, the sky is his limit!!

4 – Justin Verlander.  Verlander is in the midst of one of the most dominant pitching stretches of recent history. He is just 29 years old and with 8 seasons under his belt has recorded 1,454 K’s. Verlander has been the American League leader in strikeouts in three of the last four seasons and has a career ratio of 8.4 K’s per inning.

3 – Felix Hernandez.  King Felix has been quietly mowing down batters for the last eight seasons.  At the age of just 26, Hernandez has amassed 1,487 strikeouts with at least 200 or more in the last four straight seasons.  He has made 30 or more starts in 7 of his 8 big league seasons.

2 – CC Sabathia.  Sabathia has 2,214 K’s through his first 12 big league seasons.  He is the closest active pitcher to 2,214 that has a solid shot at the goal.  CC has a K:9 innings ratio of 7.8.  He has started 30 or more games in 10 of his 12 big league seasons, and has compiled at least 150 or more K’s in 9 of his 12 seasons.

1 – Clayton Kershaw.  Kershaw has been on a tear since entering the league just five seasons ago.  At the age of just 24, Kershaw already has 974 K’s on his resume, with 200 or more in three straight seasons.  He has started 30 or more games in four consecutive seasons and has a K:9 innings ratio of 9.3! 

And there you have it.  If I were a betting man, I would say that 6 of these guys are going to reach the mark if health is on their side.  We often see a dramatic decline in the number of K’s an ‘old’ pitcher amasses during the latter stages of their careers, but these guys are off to amazing starts.

Did I miss anyone?  Would you change my rankings?  Let me hear it!!