Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Rich Hill Chronicles

Of all people from when I started collecting in 2007 to still be active in the MLB, I never would have guessed Rich Hill would be one of them. I mean, there's not a ton of people left who were around in 2007. Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, Adam Wainwright, Nelson Cruz, Zack Greinke. And then, uh...and then Rich Hill.

Y'know, the guy who got injured in 2008, struggled with Baltimore in 2009, and we all sorta figured would never fully recover. 

Now, let's play that game for a second. Rich Hill, Cubs prospect who becomes a young fireballer for them in 2006 and 2007, making up for the lack of Mark Prior, and then gets injured and has a tough time coming back. 2009, Topps does make a card of him with the O's, he doesn't do well. 

Prior to the 2010 season he's signed to a minor league deal with the Cardinals. A rare sight for Hill for this post in that it is an NL team. Hill is grouped with the starters, and competing against Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Kyle Lohse, Jeff Suppan, Brad Penny and eventually Jaime Garcia proves to be an uphill battle. Hill does not make camp with the team, and is cut prior to the season. I've covered a lot of careers in this series, and that can usually mean the end of the line as far as MLB service is concerned.

Wellll...not in this case...

I think one of the defining factors in Hill's continued success into the 2010s is that he's very much a Boston resident. We don't have a ton of MLBers from the Northeast that really wear their region on their sleeves anymore. You can argue we have Todd Frazier, the Jersey Shore native, or New York natives like Marcus Stroman or Andrew Velasquez, but Hill is very much a Bostoner, and I think that's what drew the Sox to bring him on. Y'know, local boy, lives locally, let's bring him on. So they did. Hill was used in bit relief roles, gave up no earned runs, 5 hits, and notched a win. The Sox kept him on going forward.

Hill's 2011 season was slightly more productive, but he still only had 9 appearances. Here he struck out 10, gave up 3 hits and still zero earned runs. The Sox kept bringing him back year after year, including 2012, which I've already done a custom of.

The Cleveland Indians beat Boston to the punch for 2013, and signed Hill knowing they'd be in need of bullpen help. 2013 was Hill's fullest year as a reliever, making 63 appearances and facing the most batters he'd had since starting in Baltimore. Granted, he left the year with a 6.28 ERA and only 53 Ks, but it told teams he could be a reliable relief piece again.

Prior to the 2014 season he was actually signed to another minor league deal by the Red Sox, as they figured it'd be easy enough to bring him back. This time he would not make camp, and would be waived over to the Angels, where he'd appear in two games and finish with an infinite ERA. Eventually he made his way to a very unfamiliar setting for a lifelong Boston resident:

Yes, Rich Hill, the man famous for getting in a fight in the parking lot of Gillette Stadium, had to suit up for the New York Yankees in 2014. I have no idea how he went through with it. He did a pretty decent job in the Bronx, finishing the season with a 1.69 ERA [very fitting for a man nicknamed Dick Mountain], and striking out 9 in 14 appearances.

Hill actually attended camp in 2015 with the Nationals, but, again due to the breadth of both their rotation and their bullpen, he didn't end up making the team. He stayed on as a minor leaguer for a bit but was cut midway through the year. And then, as the 2015 season rolled to a close...Boston once again came calling.

The Red Sox, thanks to injuries to Clay Buchholz and too many unfamiliar arms like Henry Owens, Steven Wright and late-career Justin Masterson failing to keep runs down, were low on starters. As usual, Rich Hill was local and stayed in shape with a few games playing for the Long Island Ducks, so they signed him and had him come up through Worcester, where he notched a 2.78 ERA in 5 starts. Once he made it back to Fenway, he started 4 games in September, and turned the heads of the entirety of the league, posting a 1.55 ERA, 36 strikeouts and a 2-1 record. The man that everyone thought was cooked was officially back.

Hill would use this incredible end to the season to sign with Oakland for 2016, make his was to LA via a trade, and become a very steady low-rotation arm for Minnesota, Tampa, the Mets, and, yes, the Boston Red Sox, who he started 26 games for last year at the ripe old age of 42.

Rich Hill is currently in camp with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and thanks to the dilution of that organization, he is a favorite to make a rotation spot this year. I hope he keeps pitching for as long as he wants to, a guy like him is really good for baseball. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2015 Yoenis Cespedes

 Typically, if one of the biggest hitters in the game signs with a new team...you get on that. You just do. 

I understand that Topps had a nice shot for Yoenis Cespedes as a Red Sock for Series 1, but...that's not a good enough reason. You know the Sox aren't gonna re-sign Cespedes. So just...wait until Series 2, cause by then you'll know who DID sign him, and go with it then. Don't wait around. 

What I'm saying is that the lack of a 2015 Topps card depicting Yoenis Cespedes on the Tigers, a team he played for in 102 games, could have been avoided. 

Like, let's look at all the Topps sets that DID depict Cespedes in a Tigers uniform- Bowman Chrome, Allen and Ginter, Archives, Finest, Gypsy Queen, Heritage, Museum Collection, Stadium Club, Triple Threads. That's the bulk of Topps' spring-to-summer lineup. So they at least did that, but...they missed flagship.

Even more importantly, they missed Topps Chrome. That's usually when players who've been in Topps flagship in outdated uniforms that won't get new cards til Update get seen in new uniforms. They've done it several times before. Except for some very strange reason, Yoenis Cespedes doesn't even have a 2015 Chrome card. Why would they omit him from Chrome, he's a big star in 2015. Did they just...not want to make a card of him on the Tigers?

I don't see why not. Cespedes hit .293 for Detroit, with 18 homers and 61 RBIs, enough to give him some comeback numbers that everyone could enjoy. So it's a bit maddening that he doesn't get one. You think they're just going 'oh, don't worry, you folks can wait, we'll give you a Cespedes Tigers card in Update'

...yeah. About that.

Cespedes gets traded to the Mets at the deadline, catches fire and becomes an MVP threat, helping the Mets into the playoffs and the World Series. So now, if Topps doesn't make a Cespedes Mets card, their ass is in the toilet. So they put one in Update, and placate the Mets fans who wanted that...while also infuriating all the collectors who never got the Tigers one. 

This is what happens when you wait. This is what happens when you put too many eggs in the next basket. Topps clearly learned from this, because these days if a player who signed to a new team in the offseason is traded by the deadline, they'll make FIFTY MILLION CARDS OF HIM with the FIRST team, like they did with Starling Marte on the Diamondbacks this year. That man was appearing in products as a Diamondbacks six months after he was traded from there! 

Regardless...I made this Cespedes to right one of the famous Topps wrongs. I might have to do a lot more work to right their 2020 wrongs. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Chien-Ming Wang Chronicles

The Yankees clearly have trouble with sustaining international success outside of their club.

Like, they book an international contract, it works really well for them, and then...the player doesn't really have much of a career after being with the Yankees. It happens nearly every time. It happened with Hideki Irabu, it happened with Hideki Matsui, it...okay, it backfired entirely with Kei Igawa. And now it's happening again with Masahiro Tanaka, as he'd rather go back to the Rakuten Eagles than play the waiting game with a bunch of MLB clubs that won't pay him what he's worth.

Perhaps the biggest example of this is, well, Taiwan's greatest gift to baseball, Chien-Ming Wang. I'll mention once again that my dentist, who came over here from Taiwan, always used to talk to me about Chien-Ming Wang. They loved him over there, and they followed his MLB career wholeheartedly in a way not exactly translated for other Taiwanese exports like Hong-Chih Kuo and Wei-Yin Chen. So I became a Wang fan not just because of his monster run from 2006 until 2008, but because my dentist's entire country was behind him. I loved that.

Wang has a rookie card in 2003 Topps, but they wouldn't document his actual playing career until 2006, which means his 2005 call-up, where he went 8-5 with 47 Ks in 18 games, was ignored by Topps.

That's the intriguing thing about Wang that made him such a unicorn in this era of baseball, where strikeout artists were becoming more and more rewarded- he didn't rely so much on strikeouts as he did mental games and making them hit it exactly where he wanted to. Wang was the master of the slider, and his slider was nasty enough to make him a lethal put-out pitcher even if he'd only get between 75 and 100 strikeouts in his two best seasons. 

However, Wang succumbs to some injuries during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, misses out on the World Series ring, then signs with the Nationals, where he has some more injuries and his control diminishes further. So he bounces for his last few years in the majors.

He actually spends training camp in 2013 with the Yankees, but they don't pick him up, so he instead found work in another AL East market.

This honestly sums up what the 2013 Blue Jays season actually was. They'd teased it to be a competitive year with Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, R.A. Dickey and Jose Reyes now suiting up for them alongside Bautista and Encarnacion, but in all actuality it was another bottom feeder year because the 2015 team hadn't exactly arrived yet. And you had people like Chien-Ming Wang being asked for starts, and delivering a 7.67 ERA over 6 of them. Yes, he was getting playing time, but his Yankees numbers seemed far behind him.

The bouncing continued. Between 2014 and 2015, Wang spent Spring Training with Cincinnati and Atlanta and didn't end up making the team, then signing with Chicago and Seattle during the season and not making the team there either. That says all you need to know when the 2015 Atlanta Braves, who've been absolutely picked clean by other teams [especially San Diego] say no-thanks to Chien-Ming Wang. 

Eventually, a team would give him one last taste of the majors...

The Kansas City Royals of late have a thing about turning a once-great starter into a reliever to give them some versatility points. They did it with Mike Minor, and with Ian Kennedy, and in 2016, defending a World Series championship, they did it with Chien-Ming Wang. At 36, Wang just felt honored to be given a shot with a team in general. These numbers with the Royals would be Wang's best outside of New York- a 0.3 WAR, denoting a 4.22 ERA and 6 wins over 38 appearances, 24 of them rounding out games. It is a dignified, respectable season in relief for the Yankee hurler, and a fitting season to go out on.

Because it happened in relief and with a non-playoff team, Topps shrugged. Of course they did. Not like there were dentists watching and hoping for some semblance of respect for their hero or anything. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Fernando Rodney Chronicles

Fernando Rodney may have been one of the most important relievers of the first 20 years of the 21st century. He may not have had the flashiest stats or the most saves, but his career spanned years and teams that people wouldn't even predict they would. 

2003 would have been the first season he could have gotten a Topps card, so I won't be sad that they didn't cause he was...just a lowly reliever for one of the worst Tigers teams of all time. He averaged a 6.04 ERA his first two seasons, over 47 appearances. He wasn't handed the ninth quite yet, and that'd take a few more years of people like Ugueth Urbina and Todd Jones closing games in Detroit, but he was beginning to be plugged in more and more.

2004 he sits out the year with an injury, which also explains why he doesn't have a card in 2005 Topps:

Rodney's 2005 season is a breakout year for him in the Tigers bullpen; In 39 games he posted 42 Ks and a 2.86 ERA, complete with 9 saves. The closing gig isn't his yet, and won't be until late 2006, but he's still trusted. 

'06 and '07, he gets Topps cards. In 2007 he doesn't close games thanks to Todd Jones, and mostly doesn't do much more than middle relief...

Which explains, I guess, why Topps didn't bother making a base card of his in 2008. Gotta admit, this move even surprised me as a young collector. I'd thought Fernando Rodney was a necessary relief inclusion, even in 2008, before he really took off. I was very confused. Rodney's 2008 was a step back in the right direction, saving 13 games even with a 4.91 ERA. 

From 2009, Topps doesn't miss a beat. They make flagship cards of him in Detroit, Anaheim, Tampa and Seattle, even in his waning Ms years. From 2012 to 2014 he saves 133 games, and it's absolutely huge, but he can't sustain the magic.

By the end of 2015, the Mariners give up on him in favor of Tom Wilhelmsen. So they deal him to the Cubs at the waiver deadline, which means Topps won't get to see the...very odd sight of Fernando Rodney as a Cub. This is incredibly odd. In 14 games in middle relief, Rodney had an 0.75 ERA and 15 Ks. Plus, he got to COMPETE for the first time in a while. He did well in early rungs of the playoffs but got beat up by the Mets in the NLCS. 

By 2016, Topps still wasn't convinced that Rodney was back, even if the end of the 2015 was at least worth a card. So they shrugged and missed out on Rodney's LAST ALL-STAR STINT. Yes, they got it in Update, but they had cards of him on the Marlins, which he showed up in for the ASG. Forgetting, of course, that his INSANE 0.31 ERA with the Padres was the thing that got Rodney there in the first place. In 28 games, Rodney had 33 Ks and 17 saves. These were the final indicators to Topps that Rodney was finally worth making cards of again. 

From 2017 to 2019, Topps would be pretty prompt with Rodney issues. D-Backs, Twins, A's...all good.

Yet the final stop on Rodney's journey, and the one that gained him that coveted World Series ring, went completely ignored by Topps. Yes, Fernando Rodney was a trusted relief option for the 2019 Nationals, pitching in 38 games with a 4.05 ERA and 35 Ks, and getting some postseason playing time as well. It was a great season to go out on, despite Rodney not officially throwing in the towel until the dust had settled on the 2020 season. I just wish Topps had produced a card of it, rather than making me finally branch out into customizing the relatively-tricky 2019 design. 

Still, Fernando Rodney had a long, prosperous career, marked by so many Topps cards that DID happen, that it should be a compliment to him that Topps missed so many times.
 

Box Break: 2015 Topps Pro Debut (Part Three)

I broke this box about a month ago, and I'm just now getting to post the final part on the blog.  If anything, that just sums up how things go on the blog.

I'll be honest, despite the fact that is is a cool-enough minor league set, this box wasn't great to rip, and the relics were insanely underwhelming. Yes, it's great getting XRCs of great players, but if I were a hit-based collector, I'd be pretty bummed.

Last eight packs, coming up:

 Pack 17-
Only thing I felt like talking about from this one was Manuel Margot, who's doing surprisingly well with the Padres. Everyone else I hadn't heard of when I ripped the box, though I've been told that Michael Kopech is supposedly a big deal in Beantown.

 Pack 18-
Major Leaguers: 2/8
HIT!!!11!!s: 1/8

 Lorenzen's been relegated to the bullpen, but he still is with the Reds, and he still has that weird pufferfish cheek motion when he throws. Orlando Arcia's been slowly building momentum in Milwaukee.

 So, uh...here's my first auto. It's a sticker auto, because Topps hasn't realized that it's not the greatest idea to do sticker autos. Tommy Coyle had a monster season in the Australian leagues in 2014, which warranted a card here. By the product's release, he'd have moved up to AA...where he has stayed, effetely, ever since.

 Pack 19-
MLB: 5/8
HITs!!!: 1/8
Mets: 2/8

 Backup Catcher A-Go-Go. Plawecki and Swihart were both seen as heirs apparent at the backstop. Instead, Christian Vazquez and T.J. Rivera have been taking their spots.

 Noah Syndergaard, seen here with alarmingly short hair, throwing down...and Trea Turner, still one of the best base-runners in baseball, looking odd in green.

 My second hit is of another-perennial minor leaguer with average troubles, Justin Twine of the minors, or as his signature is leading me to believe, Justin Timberlake. Twine is STILL in A ball, though he is still 21, so hopefully something will happen.

 Pack 20-
MLBers: 5/8
Currently Injured: 2/8

 Tim Anderson's having a less-awesome sophomore season, while Archie Bradley's been taking his talents to the bullpen this year.

 Two injured pitchers got me excited- Jon Gray, also somehow with short hair, throwing down, hopefully ready to get back to killing batters when he returns this year. Steven Matz, who needs to prove his 2015 season wasn't a fluke, also is here.

 Pack 21-

 These two haven't done much in the majors yet, but they still got a ton of rookie cards last year, so...yeah.

 Pack 22-
Major Leaguers: 3/8
Guys I Root For: 3/8

 Lindgren and Biddle are guys I've been hearing about for a while in the minors, and hopefully something good will happen when they come up.

 And then there's Greg Bird.
Having been handed a very, very important piece of Greg Bird real estate recently (and that'll be going on the blog rather soon), I have to hope this guy does well, but he's been slumping so far this year.

 Pack 23-
MLBers: 3/8
Insane Yankee Talents: 1/8

 Three of the best hitters in baseball right now- Kyle Schwarber's been having trouble with the strike zone, but he's still a fantastic hitter. Aaron Judge...is, well, unstoppable right now. And Nomar Mazara's been impressing with a very nice sophomore season.

 Pack 24-
MLBers: 1/8
Philadelphia Prospects: 2/8

 Again, I really dig this insert set, and this one's a hunting-related special uniform...which I guess fits the location?

Annnd these two Phillies farmhands. J.P. Crawford's being farmed as the next Jimmy Rollins, while Alfaro was handed over in the Hamels deal, and is supposed to be a big deal (though he stunk last year in his MLB try).

That was Pro Debut. It's not a great set, but it does its job, I guess.

Box Break: 2015 Topps Pro Debut (Part Two)

Last week I posted a third of this box, and I was not at all pleased with the hits, which were...sigh...a manupatch of a mascot, and a manupatch of a minor league pennant.

This third...will probably be better. Here are eight more packs.

 Pack 9
Major Leaguers: 2/8
Hometown Prospects: 1/8
ROYs: 1/8

Cole Tucker I've vaguely heard of. Alex Blanding was apparently good enough to garner a Distinguished Debuts insert.

 Correa, obviously, is smoking up the bigs and made his debut not long after this card was released. Mark Appel's still toiling in the Phillies minors, and hopefully will show up in a big way for Philly soon.

 Pack 10-
Amazing Hair: 1/8
Major Leaguers: 2/8
Hometown Prospects: 1/8

Grant Holmes' hair. That is all.

Austin Hedges is currently one of the many Padres starters hitting below the mendoza line.

 Matt Imhof's another Phillies pitching prospect (notice how we have a ton of those?). Byron Buxton's potentially having a breakout season finally?

 Pack 11-
Major Leaguers: 4/8
Red Sox: 2/8
Indians Heroes: 1/8

 Jesse Winker's getting a lot of airspace in this product. Rodriguez and Owens are Sox pitchers coming off of subpar seasons.

 This guy, who'd show up later in the 2015 season...he's change the Indians team in amazing ways.

 Pack 12-
I did not know any of these guys.

 Pack 13-
Major Leaguers: 3/8

Not a ton going on in this pack, but Naquin would be starting for Cleveland soon, and Tucker was good enough in the minors that he, too, got a Distinguished Debuts insert.

 Pack 14-
Gold Parallels: 1/8
Major Leaguers: 4/8
Still-Technically-Prospects: 3/8

 Urias is still trying to find his control, Joey Gallo's finally having a nice season, and Brandon Nimmo's doing his best in the minors in Cincinnati.

I saw AJ Cole's debut last year, and he's not bad. Peraza will eventually come up, but he's bopped around a bit.

 This Derek Hill parallel is numbered to 99, which is a nice touch.

 Pack 15-
Major Leaguers: 3/8
Cover Boys: 1/8

Two guys that haven't really made an impact yet, though Mondesi's starting this year.

 Alex Jackson was well hyped, but hasn't come up yet. Addison Russell, meanwhile, is already lighting the league on fire in only his third season.

Pack 16-

Major Leaguers: 5/8

Yankees: 1/8

Lower-tier guys. Sean Manaea's struggling in his sophomore year, and Eddie Rosario's trying to get back to where he was in 2015.

 Albert Almora's starting in Chicago, so he did something right. Hunter Renfroe's not doing as well as he did last season. Luis Severino's off to a fantastic start, and that's a great card.

I'll post the last third soon, as there are two hits left, and these ones are marginally better.