2013 Topps Update ‘Postseason Heroes’ Subset – Evan Longoria

2013 Topps Update ‘Postseason Heroes’ Subset – Evan Longoria

The 2013 Topps Update baseball card set includes a subset tagged as ‘Postseason Heroes.  And with that theme, you would expect to find cards of modern players like Albert Pujols, Edgar Renteria, and Pablo Sandoval but none of these guys made the checklist.

That does leave room for some nice surprises…

This is the card of Evan Longoria from the set:

 

While he has yet to win a World Series title, Evan Longoria has certainly provided his share of highlights in postseason play.

Longo has been a major factor in the success of the Tampa Bay Rays and their ability to land in the postseason.  In his first six seasons in the majors, the Rays have been to the playoffs four times and to the World Series once.

In postseason play, Longoria has not hit the ball at the same level he has during the regular season, but when he does connect – it counts.  In 30 games, Longo has launched 9 home runs while driving in 21 runs and scoring 16 times.

With the right pieces around him, Longoria could very well be a future World Series MVP.

 

 

Evan Longoria 2012 Topps Archives ‘Deckle Edge’

Evan Longoria 2012 Topps Archives ‘Deckle Edge’

I fully understand why Topps would put a player like Evan Longoria in a set like this.

Longoria came out of the gate with an incredible impact on his Tampa Bay Rays team.  As a rookie, he showed tremendous promise, and the Rays did the right thing by locking him up to a long-term deal very quickly.

Since then, Longo has been an All-Star, been to the World Series, and has provided his share of career defining moments.

Now, he just needs to revert back to what he once was and get himself back into the elite status he had as one of the best third basemen in the sport.

2012 Topps ‘Career Day’ Subset – Card #13 – Evan Longoria, Tampa Rays

2012 Topps ‘Career Day’ Subset – Card #13 – Evan Longoria, Tampa Rays

I am working on this set because I find it to be the most appealing of the subsets issued by Topps in 2012.

The cards feature bold colors, great images, and a unique horizontal design.

I especially like the ‘Career Day’ theme as it pays homage to some of the greatest individual performances of baseball’s elite players.

Card #13 – Evan Longoria

The Career Day – September 28, 2011.  Longoria put his Rays team on his back in this game.  With the team trailing 7-0, Longoria hit a 3-run home run to chip away at the lead and then a walk-off home run that advanced the Rays into the 2011 baseball playoffs.  On the day Longoria was 2-for-5 with 2 home runs, 4 RBI, and the greatest home run in Tampa Rays history.

Progress – 13/25

Rays Lock Up 3B Evan Longoria With $100 Million Extension Through 2022

From MLB.com

ST. PETERSBURG — Ever proactive, the Tampa Bay Rays agreed Monday with Evan Longoria on a contract extension that could keep the All-Star third baseman in a Rays uniform through the 2023 season.

Longoria’s new contract incorporates the salaries for 2013-16 from his original contract and extends six more years through 2022 for an additional $100 million. The deal includes a club option for 2023.

“We drafted Evan in 2006 with the belief that he and the organization would grow with each other and together accomplish great things,” Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said. “That is why the Rays and Evan signed a long-term contract in 2008, and it is why we are extending our commitments today. Evan has clearly become a cornerstone player and a fixture in our organization. We are proud of what we have accomplished these past seven years, and I expect the best is yet to come.”

The 27-year-old Longoria is a three-time American League All-Star, two-time Rawlings AL Gold Glove winner at third base and was the 2008 AL Rookie of the Year. After five Major League seasons, he already ranks second on the Rays’ all-time list with 130 home runs, third with 456 RBIs and fourth with 161 doubles. Longoria is one of 11 active players to average at least 25 home runs and 90 RBIs over his first five seasons.

“Evan has all of the attributes we seek in a player,” Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “His determination and work ethic inspire others around him. He is devoted to his craft and strives to improve himself every year, and he defines success in terms of team performance and achievement. It’s exciting to know that Evan will be manning third base for the Rays for many years to come.”

In 2012, Longoria was limited to 74 games due to a partially torn left hamstring which he suffered on April 30. Despite missing more than half of the season, he hit .289 with 17 home runs, 55 RBIs, a .369 on-base percentage and .527 slugging percentage. He batted .358 with runners in scoring position. The Rays were 41-44 during Longoria’s absence, but went 47-27 with him in the starting lineup. The Rays scored nearly a run more per game during his time on the active roster (4.8 to 3.9)

After being reinstated from the disabled list on Aug. 7, Longoria started 51 of the team’s remaining 54 games (26 at third base, 25 at designated hitter). In September and October, he hit .296 with eight home runs — five of which gave the Rays a lead — and slugged three home runs in the regular-season finale Oct. 3 vs. the Baltimore Orioles.

The Rays selected Longoria with the third overall pick in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft, making him the first player drafted under Sternberg and Friedman. On April 18, 2008, only six games into his Major League career, the Rays signed him to a multiyear contract worth a guaranteed $17.5 million over six years and potentially $44 million over nine seasons, including the club options for 2014 through 2016.

Longoria underwent a minor procedure on his left hamstring on Tuesday and is expected to be fully recovered for Spring Training.

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – ‘Top Ten Players I Would Like To Watch Take Batting Practice’

’30-YOC Top Ten Lists’ – ‘Top Ten Players I Would Like To Watch Take Batting Practice’

I love the tradition of batting practice.  I love that guys still feel like they have to get into the cage to sharpen their skills.

And while I have seen my share of BP during Spring Training, I have never had the chance to witness BP at a major league park.

So, for this week’s ‘Top Ten List’, I will offer up to you the top ten players that I would like to watch take BP today.

ANd the list is not going to be composed of just home run hitters, although there are many on here that are.  My list is of the guys that I think are becoming of have become masters of hitting – and I would like to watch them do their thing.

Honorable Mention – Josh Hamilton, Robinson Cano, Ryan Howard, David Ortiz, Jose Bautista, Brian McCann, Carlos Pena, Adrian Gonzalez, and Adam Dunn.

And now onto the ‘Top Ten’:

10 – Josh Johnson.  I know that he is a pitcher, but he is a powerful hitter too.  I have seen him launch some longballs in live games, he has to be fun to watch taking 60 mile per hour pitches in BP.

9 – Evan Longoria.  He packs a mighty swing, and he can hit to all areas of the park.

8 – Ichiro.  The greatest hitter in the game since Tony Gwynn.  I am thinking that he can point to a location and hit the ball to that spot pretty well; a la Babe Ruth!

7 – Hanley Ramirez.  While slumping horribly this season, I know that he hits the ball very hard when he connects.

6 – Jayson Heyward.  If what I have heard is true, nobody hits the ball harder than this young guy.  And when Hank Aaron says that, I pay attention!!

5 – Ryan Braun.  Possibly the most underrated hitter in the sport, Braun is rapidly becoming one of the best hitters in the National League.  And he is a threat for 30 home runs every year too…

4 – Alex Rodriguez.  I’d love to see what he is able to do at this stage of his career.  He still puts up solid numbers, just not the numbers he once did.  I’d also love to see him in the HR Derby – I think he still has what it takes to contend for the title.

3 – Albert Pujols.  I’ll take the Pujols with a healthy arm, not a broken one please.  I would love to see this guy taking BP – can you imagine the bombs he launches when he’s getting 60 mile per hour balls tossed to him?  WHOA!!

2 – Mike Stanton.  I watch a lot of Marlins games and this guys crushes the ball.  He strikes out a lot too, but when he makes solid contact, the ball sails.  He is a future Home Run league leader – trust me!

1 – Prince Fielder.  I consider Prince to be the greatest showman in the sport today.  He has a lot of personality, and his performance backs up his persona.  And for a big guy, he always hovers around that .300 mark too, which is very impressive!!

And there you have it!!!

Did I miss any one?  Let me hear it!!

Oh, and before I forget – There will be no ‘Top Ten List’ next Sunday night.  It is a very special day at ’30-YOC’ so the ‘Top Ten’ will be skipping a week.  Make sure you stop by to see why….

If I Collected Players From Today’s Era, I Would Collect…

If I Collected Players From Today’s Era, I Would Collect…

Yes, even I get the urge to veer from my comfort-zone every once in a while.  Lucky for me though, vintage baseball cards continue to be my passion within the hobby.

I often get asked who/what I collect.  And sometimes, more often than I would expect, I get blank stares in return.  Knowing that some collectors of this current generation have never heard of Fergie Jenkins or Jim Palmer or Billy Williams is very frightening to me.  But, what can I do about it?  I guess I can just continue to honor my favorites players from generations past by collecting their cards and showcasing them on this blog…  Heck, that is the primary reason that I got back into collecting baseball cards as well as creating ’30-Year Old Cardboard’.

But if I collected players of today, these are the guys that would be the ones I would focus on:

Evan Longoria – I get to watch a lot of Rays games courtesy of my local cable company.  If he were in a bigger market, he would be a national stud!

Roy Halladay – I have made my affinity for ‘Doc’ very clear on this site.  And even though he plays for the division rivals, I will let it pass….

Dan Uggla – I never had a “home” team when I was a kid.  Uggla seems like the perfect guy to cheer for – and I do that very often!

Ryan Braun – He will be an MVP.  Probably more than once.  And his ties to Miami do not hurt either….

Josh Johnson – A very hard worker who dominates almost every time he takes to the mound.  And those home runs he hits just add fuel to the fire!

Derek Jeter – It is very tough to not admire Jeter from afar.  While not a Yankee fan or hater, I have certainly enjoyed watching him add to their legacy as the sport’s most successful franchise.

Tim Lincecum – Every single time I see this guy, all I think about is Jim Palmer.  And that is not a bad thing…

Albert Pujols – No explanation needed.  By the time his career is over, he will rank in the Top 5 greatest offensive players of all-time. 

And there you have it.

And yes, there are moe players that I enjoy watching like Chase Utley and A-Rod and Ichiro and Manny Ramirez and …..

Maybe I’ll grab a few cards of these guys over time, maybe not.  But most of the players on my list above remind me of old-school baseball.  There is something about each and every one of these guys that takes me back to the generations prior, to my childhood.  And that is probably what I enjoy most about this sport and this hobby!!!

Thanks.

Well, well, well… Look At Who Has The Best Record In Baseball…

Well, well, well…  Look At Who Has The Best Record In Baseball…

It’s not the New York Yankees…

Or the Philadelphia Phillies.

It’s not the St. Louis Cardinals….

And it’s definitely not the Boston Red Sox.

It is however, the Tampa Bay Rays.  And through the first month of the 2010 baseball season, they are the only team winning at greater than a 70% clip.  Sitting in 1st place in the AL East with a 18-7 record, the Rays are one of the hottest teams in baseball.  And again, they are proving that talent trumps money spent, and I enjoy that about their team.

With a roster that is full of multi-skilled players, the Rays play with a high amount of confidence and no longer look like the lowly cellar dwellers that they were during the early part of the decade.  The team is a great mix of speed, power, and contact hitting – and that is even with some of their better hitters slumping early in the season.  Their confidence is solid, and once all of their players are clicking on all cylinders, they should become even more successful.

While I am a Marlins fan first and foremost, I watch a lot of Rays games as well.  My cable company(yes, cable) carries two Florida sports channels so I get to see a ton of games from both teams.  Thank goodness for picture-in-picture viewing!!!  And while just 3-4 years ago, I was tuning into the Rays to see their opposition play, times have clearly changed.  Evan Longoria is extremely fun to watch.  Carl Crawford and BJ Upton are dynamic on both offense and defense.  Matt Garza is great on the mound.  And so on and so on…

Congratulations to the Rays on an incredible start to their 2010 season!!!

Ticket Stub #18 – Florida Marlins vs. Tampa Bay Rays – 06/26/2008

Ticket Stub #18 – Florida Marlins vs. Tampa Bay Rays – 06/26/2008

Dolphin Stadium – Miami, FL

Rays 6, Marlins 1

This is the most recent game that I have been to and concludes this series of posts highlighting the baseball games that I have attended.  I have offered up 18 games, but in reality have probably been to 30 or so.  Careless moments and ticket stubs in the washing machine don’t mix when you are trying to relive past events.  I hope that you have enjoyed this series and I will certainly present to you any games I attend in the future.

On to game #18…

I scored these tickets using a 2-for-1 coupon.  I was able to get seats right alongside the Marlins bullpen so I made sure I arrived extra early to grab some up-close pictures.  When we arrived, Scott Olsen was was firing away in the pen and was quickly joined by most of the Marlin’s starters and several of the bullpen players.  It was nice to be there so early with little noise.  I clearly remember being able to hear the ‘zip’ of the ball as it raced 60 feet from Olsen to the bullpen catcher.

The game was great, if you were cheering for the Tampa Bay Rays.  The Rays’ bats were hot and were led by Evan Longoria’s 3 for 5 performance which was capped off by a home run.  I have to say that it is kind of cool to say that I saw the American League Champions play.  The Marlins were terrible, both on offense as well as pitching.  The bats were cold, cold, cold…

Now onto the big story of the game – Matt Garza!!!  This kid was awesome.  He was getting batters out at will and racked up hitless inning after hitless inning.  As the game went on, and the hits were not coming  and I started to get flashbacks of the Al Leiter no-hitter I witnessed several years prior.  4th inning – no hits.  5th inning – no hits.  Do I tell my buddy that I have seen a no-hitter before?  Do I mention thosewords?  How many people have been to 2 no-hitter in their lives??  WoW!!!  6th inning – no hits.  Oh my, it’s going to happen again; too bad there is noone at the park to enjoy this…  7th inning – CRACK!!!  Hanley Ramirez launches a deep home run to left field.  Gone is the no-hitter.  Gone is the shutout.  Gone is history.  This Marlins only accounted for 1 hit in this game.  1 pitch is what separated my second no-hitter in person from my 1 no-hitter and 1 1-hitter.  One hell of an effort by Matt Garza though…

 

Tampa Bay Rays	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA	NOTES
Iwamura	5	0	2	1	0	0	0.274
Aybar	4	0	1	0	0	1	0.250
Crawford	4	0	0	0	0	0	0.279
Upton	3	2	1	0	2	0	0.284
Longoria	5	2	3	1	0	2	0.261	HR, (2)2B
Gomes	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.206
Gross	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.232
Riggins	3	1	1	3	1	0	0.246
Zobrist	3	1	1	1	1	1	0.292	HR
Garza	3	0	0	0	1	2	0.000
	33	6	9	6	6	6
Florida Marlins	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	BA	NOTES
Ramirez	4	1	1	1	0	0	0.294	HR
Hermida	2	0	0	0	1	1	0.274
Cantu	3	0	0	0	0	0	0.280
Jacobs	3	0	0	0	0	2	0.236
Uggla	3	0	0	0	0	1	0.290
Gonzalez	3	0	0	0	0	1	0.272
Ross	3	0	0	0	0	2	0.217
Hoover	3	0	0	0	0	2	0.231
Hendrickson	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.276
Waechter	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.167
Helms	1	0	0	0	0	1	0.248
	27	1	1	1	1	10

And The Contest Winner Is….

Well, major league baseball’s individual awards have been handed out, so my first contest on this blog has concluded.

And the winner is….  Bailey from the blog – ‘The Nennth Inning’

NL MVP – Pujols
AL MVP – Pedroia
NL ROY – Soto
AL ROY – Longoria
NL CY – Lincecum
AL CY – Lee
NL Manager – Torre
AL Manager – Maddon

This season’s awards featured some obvious winners as well as some puzzling ones.  But, Bailey did remarkably well and scored 7 out of 8 possible points.  We had 3 more readers with 6 points each so we certainly have some pretty educated baseball fans reading my posts!!!

Bailey – Feel free to pick from any of the cards shown below.  Either post a comment with your selection or shoot me an email to let me know your decision!!!

Thanks to all that participated and please stay tuned for more contests on ’30-Year Old Cardboard’!