Just Some Of The Milestones I Will Be Watching For As The 2014 Baseball Season Gets Going

Just Some Of The Milestones I Will Be Watching For As The 2014 Baseball Season Gets Going

I watch a lot of baseball.  And while most of it is focused on my local team, I make sure to keep up to date as best that I can with what is going on around the league.

In addition to watching the players that I collect, I have a few milestones that I will be watching for as well.

These guys have put in a tremendous amount of work to get where they are and I plan on giving each of them a ‘Standing Ovation’ as they reach these baseball landmarks:

Adrian Beltre – 2,500 Hits.  As he enters his 17th big league season, Beltre has 2,426 career hits.

Alfonso Soriano – 400/300 Club.  Soriano already has eclipsed the 400-HR mark.  He is currently set at 288 steals.

Albert Pujols – 500 Home Runs.  Pujols enters his 14th major league season needing just 8 home runs to reach the magical number of 500.

Miguel Cabrera – 400 Home Runs.  As Miguel Cabrera enters his ‘Age 31’ season, he is poised to reach the 400-home run mark. He is currently at 365.

David Ortiz – 1,500 RBI.  David Ortiz enters the 2014 baseball season with 1,429 career RBI.  A solid season should easily net his 1,500th.

The season will be full of great moments, and each of these above players should be a big part of that.

Are there are milestones that you are paying special attention to as the season approaches?  If so, let me know what they are.

I am ready for the season to get going!!!

Adrian Beltre 2014 Topps Series 1 Subset – ‘Super Veterans’

Adrian Beltre 2014 Topps Series 1 Subset – ‘Super Veterans’

When I got back into the hobby of baseball card collecting in the summer of 2008, my goal was to pay homage to the players that helped build my love for the game and the hobby.

The first subset I put together that helped me with that cause was the ‘Super Veterans’ subset from the 1983 Topps baseball card set.  This set is a beauty and it highlights the true legends of the game as their careers were winding down.

For the last few years, I have actively been begging Topps to bring this subset back and pay honor to today’s ‘Super Veterans’.  And while I cannot confirm that they obliged my request, I was very excited to see that a 15-card ‘Super Veterans’ subset was part of the 2014 Topps Series 1 release.

I am building the set now.  Here is the card of Adrian Beltre:

Entering the 2014 baseball season, Adrian Beltre will begin his 17th big league season.  He is a 3-time All-Star and has won 4 Gold Glove awards and 3 Silver Slugger trophies.

Beltre has 2,426 career hits to his credit, including 376 home runs and 495 doubles.  He has scored 1,177 runs and driven in 1,307.  Beltre has a career slugging percentage of .478 and an OPS of .812.

Beltre has competed in one World Series match-up, but lost in seven games.

’30-YOC Top Ten’ – Top 10 Stars From The 2011 World Series

’30-YOC Top Ten’ – Top 10 Stars From The 2011 World Series

I couldn’t do this list last Sunday because I wanted to get my ‘Pick The Award Winners’ contest up and going.  Lucky for me, the results of the 2011 World Series are entrenched in my brain.

As we all know, David Freese won the World Series MVP award.  I like the pick, but I do think that there were a few players that were more deserving of that honor.

So, here is my ‘Top Ten Stars From The 2011 World Series’ list.  You may or may not agree with my selections, or the order of them, and that is fine.  But years from now when I think back to this amazing 7-game series, these are the guys that I think that I will remember most.

Honorable Mention – Josh Hamilton, Chris Carpenter, Adrian Beltre, Rafael Furcal, Lance Lynn, Alexi Ogando, Jason Motte, and Michael Young.

10 – Ron Washington – I love his animated personality from the dugout.  He would be a fun guy to play for.

9 – Ian Kinsler – I like lead-off hitters and I think he was the best one of the playoffs.  He offers a great blend of contact and power hitting.

8 – Derek Holland – His performance in Game 4 was stellar.  And his impersonation of Harry Caray was pretty good too.

7 – Alan Craig – Great story for such a young player.  He played like a veteran throughout the series and was the best bench player that St. Louis had.

6 – Lance Berkman – It was great to see the old guy get it done so consistently at the plate.  I am older than Berkman, but that beard did not help his cause…

5 – David Freese – He offered us some great heroics – from game-winning home runs to lead saving plays in the field.  It was nice to see a local guy from STL get the home crowd support like he did.

4 – Yadier Molina – I knew that he was good, but few catchers stand out anymore.  He is among the best at his position and I have a new respect for him as a player.  Arguably the best catcher in the game today!!

3 – Albert Pujols – It is a shame that Pujols’ 3-HR game has been overshadowed.  But this is a team sport, and on the night of Game 3, Pujols propelled his team to victory single-handidly.

2 – Mike Napoli – Talk about consistent, he was the team’s best hitter and defender through the entire series.  And that throw to third to nab Holliday was uber-impressive – from his knees!!!

1 – Nelson Cruz – Cruz instantly became a star during the post-season.  And his home run tear puts him in an elite class.  It goes to show that anyone has the chance to shine on this stage, and his home run barrage will live on as one of the greatest offensive World Series performances of  all-time!!!

And there you have it, my recollection of the best World Series match-up that I have seen in a very long time.  Filled with solid pitching, great offense, and drama, 2011’s World Series was an instant classic!!!

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – ‘Top Ten Players To Watch As The Postseason Approaches’

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – ‘Top Ten Players To Watch As The Postseason Approaches’

I cannot believe that there are just three weeks left of the 2011 regular season.  It has been fun to watch, most the of the time.

And as we head into the last few weeks, there are still some heated races for divisional crowns and wild-card spots.

Theses are the ‘Top Ten’ guys that I think are pivotal to their team’s success.  If these players can turn it up a few notches, they will help put their teams in better contention.

Away we go…

Honorable Mention – Josh Hamilton, Ryan Braun, Tim Lincecum, CJ Wilson, Dan Uggla, Derek Jeter, Adrian Gonzalez, Carlos Ruiz, Ervin Santana, and Dustin Pedroia.

10 – Zach Greinke – he has the skills,  and with possibly 2-3 more starts to go a few more wins should help his confidence.

9 – Josh Beckett – superb when ‘on’ and that seems to happen less and less.  He has the potential to be the ace and lead the Red Sox.   But will he?

8 – Justin Upton – the Diamondbacks most skilled offensive player, this is his chance to take center-stage and put his team on his back.

7 – Mark Teixeira – a feared hitter, can he get over his nagging injuries to help propel the Yankees?  His defense should not be overlooked either…

6 – AJ Burnett – Arguably the weakest and most unstable link in the Yankees chain, Burnett can be a helpful pitcher.  Will he?

5 – Adrian Beltre – Coming off the DL, Beltre has just a few short weeks to get ready for the post-season.  When he is in the lineup, Texas is a lot more dangerous…

4 – Jered Weaver – The ‘Ace’ of the Angels staff, Weaver will have to be near-perfect for the Angels to succeed.

3 – Tommy Hanson – While the Braves have one of the best bullpens in baseball, their starting rotation is a little shaky.  Hanson is coming off of an injury and if he wants to be helpful to the Braves’ success, he has to prove himself worthy of a role in the starting rotation.

2 – Cole Hamels – With the best record in baseball, and best starting pitching as well, it is very possible that the Phillies move to a 3-man rotation in the playoffs.  Hamels is probably the best man for that challenge, but he has yet to remind us of his prior post-season heroics.

1 – Alex Rodriguez – Hardly near 100%, anything that Rodriguez can offer the Yankees’ lineup will be a big help.  A dangerous threat each time he approaches the plate, A-Rod may be the player responsible for either the Yankees winning or sealing their fate.

And there you have it – I cannot wait to see how the last few weeks of the season unfold.  And while some teams are already locked into their spots for the post-season, there is enough drama and intrigue to make the next 3 weeks ‘Must See TV’.

Enjoy the games everyone!!!