Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2011 Rays

 

10 years ago, the Tampa Bay Rays were finishing second in the division and squeezing into the wild card race with a lot of homegrown talent. Nowadays they're doing the same thing but finishing first and chasing world series'. 

There were a lot of interesting pieces of the 2011 team that either came too late or were too obscure for Topps to really do anything about. For instance, because he came up in September, Topps couldn't make a card of Matt Moore until 2012, a lot like Shane Baz this year. Moore is very similar to Baz, actually, with some scorching late-season starts, a very low ERA, and even some postseason numbers worthy of onlookers, like, oh I dunno, STARTING GAME ONE OF THE ALDS. Matt Moore, with 3 regular season appearances to his name, goes 7 innings with the win in Game 1 of the doomed 2011 ALDS. He's basically exactly Shane Baz. I hope Baz's career goes a little better. 

After the departure of Dioner Navarro, the Rays tried a lot of things in replacing him at catcher, aside from John Jaso and Kelly Shoppach. They also tried some younger players, including Robinson Chirinos. In his first 20 games, Chirinos would hit .218 with some decent defensive numbers, but he basically was on as a backup to a backup. After being sent down, he'd gestate before being traded to Texas, where he'd eventually become the starter.

They also tried Jose Lobaton, who the Padres had tried as a rookie a few years prior. In his first of three seasons as an alternate catching option for the Rays, Lobi did well defensively but hit .118 in 15 games. Over time he'd become a great defensive option for the Rays and, eventually, the Nationals. 

One of the most maddening omissions here, at least to me, was Casey Kotchman, because Topps COULD HAVE done a card of him in Flagship, as they made cards of him in other sets, like Allen and Ginter. Despite being the starting 1st baseman for the Rays, in the season after Carlos Pena's departure, he gets no flagship card, even if they throw a Rays one his way in 2012 [by the time he's already left for Cleveland]. Kotchman, believe it or not, hands in his second-best seasonal numbers of his career, even including his Angels tenure that got him the acclaim prior to the Teixeira trade. In 146 games, he hits .306 with 153 hits and an .800 OPS, pretty strong stuff overall. He'd actually have more RBIs the following year with Cleveland. 

Felipe Lopez, from 2008 til 2011, would sign with a team during the offseason, do well, then get traded to a completely different team midseason, and then repeat. Every year. Lopez played for 8 teams in 4 years. Not cause he was bad, because he was a cheap upgrade. To start his last MLB season, he played 32 games as a backup for Evan Longoria, hit .216 with 21 hits, before promptly being put on waivers and claimed by the playoff-bound Brewers.

Tomorrow, we tackle some stories from the 2012 Red Sox. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2014 Rangers

 

Just like with the Padres post a few days ago, this tale of some odd 2014 Rangers that Topps didn't have time for has to begin with Miles Mikolas.

After another listless year with San Diego, Mikolas made his way to Arlington, where they had some starting spots open [as we'll see]. In 10 starts, Mikolas had a 6.44 ERA, and only 2 wins. These would be the numbers that would bring Mikolas over to Japan, where he'd revitalize his career. 

Another starter the Rangers tried in 2014 was Joe Saunders, who we just talked about with some super numbers for the 2012 Orioles. In 2013, Saunders' year in Seattle, his numbers plummeted down to earth, and by 2014 he was going from minor league deal to minor league deal. Saunders got 8 games with the Rangers, and similarly struggled, with a 6.13 ERA, a WHIP over 2, and no wins with 5 losses. He would return to Baltimore to attempt to recover, but it would not work. 

After splitting 2013 between Houston and Kansas City, the heavily depleted bat of once-strong Carlos Pena made it back to Texas, where he began his career in the late 90s. Pena's numbers were a lot different now, and he'd be playing as a DH rather than a corner infielder. In 18 games, his last ones in the majors, he'd hit .136 with one more home run. After the cut, that'd be it for the former Rays all-star.

Biggest flex of any of these? Kevin Kouzmanoff, who made his first MLB action since 2011 for the Rangers in 2014. The former Padres prospect may not have been as hot and blog-beloved as he was in 2009 or so, but he surprised everyone by hitting .362 with 10 RBIs and 2 homers in 13 games. He was hidden behind starters for the stretch, but as a backup who was thought to be out of commission, he performed like a champ. Sadly, these were Kouz's last career numbers, but man did he go out hot.

Tomorrow, we go back to 2011 for some Rays.

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2005 Pirates

 While in the midst of their 'so godawful it's not even funny' phase of the mid-2000s, the Pittsburgh Pirates were able to accumulate some bizarre talent, mostly because their team would be consistently be a base for 'look, no one's watching, let's give this guy a shot' mentality players. 

The most important one for the purpose of this post is Jose Bautista. 2005 was a more stable year for Joey Bats- instead of playing for four teams in one season, he just had the one, the Pirates. This was a year before the Pirates would figure out exactly what to do with Bautista, as they still had Freddy Sanchez and Ty Wigginton as primary 3rd base options. So in 11 games in 2005, Bautista only hit .143 with 4 hits and, shockingly, no home runs. He'd do much better in the years to come.

As for backup catchers, the Pirates went through a couple over the course of the season. The primary options were Humberto Cota and Ryan Doumit, and Ronny Paulino would be brought up later as a future option. In between that, the Pirates tried David Ross, pre-Grandpa Rossy era of backup catching. Ross hit .222 in 28 games, but was mostly relied upon as a defensive upgrade. He'd find a more stable home shortly as a member of the Reds, and would later become Jon Lester's personal catcher in Boston and Chicago.

Stranger still, the Pirates began 2005 with the top-string option at catcher being Benito Santiago, who was 40 years old and coming off a weaker year with Kansas City after some, hmm, SURPRISINGLY STRONG SEASONS IN SAN FRANCISCO WHILE BARRY BONDS WAS THERE. Santiago was the team's opening day catcher, and played 6 games for the Bucs, hitting .261 with 6 hits, but struggling defensively. After being cut, he'd try once again with the Mets in 2005 before hanging it up.

Tomorrow, I'll unveil some 2014 Rangers that Topps should have done something with.

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2011 Phillies

 

A Philadelphia Phillie has won an MVP for the first time since Jimmy Rollins in 2007. This is a very nice feeling. Unfortunately, Bryce Harper is an MVP for a team that didn't make the playoffs. He's three years into his contract and we're still juuuuust missing the playoffs. This really needs to change.

Anyway, in 2011, the Phillies were the best team in the NL by far, and therefore completely beatable in a playoff scenario, as the Cardinals would find out. There were a lot of Phillies All-Stars, though not all of them made the Update set, mainly because Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino didn't actually play in the game.

The Phils had a few major players miss the Topps sets in 2011, which is kinda odd. A big one was rookie starter Vance Worley, who usurped the fifth starter spot from Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick and became a beloved figure in Philly, known as 'the Vanimal'. 2011 would be his single best season, with an 11-3 record, a 3.01 ERA and a 3rd place finish in ROY voting. Topps would never give Worley a proper rookie card, instead just starting in with a second year card in 2012.

And since they'd already done one for John Mayberry Jr. in 2009, and he didn't play much in 2010, Topps felt they didn't need to make a card for him in 2011, what would become his breakout year. In an extra OF position, in 104 games, he'd hit .273 with 49 RBIs, and some great defensive numbers. As Victorino and Pence would leave, Mayberry would be relied upon more for the Phils, to varying degrees of success.

Lastly, some former, and future, All Stars. After some great relief work with Cleveland, Tampa and Baltimore, Danys Baez kept bopping around the majors as a relief piece to anyone who needed help. For his last two seasons, Baez was a relief piece for the Phillies, and delivered his last career numbers in 2011. He was a bit shakier than before, with a 6.25 ERA in 29 games. 

And before he'd become a hero with the Athletics, Brandon Moss was struggling to find a place to latch onto, after stints with the Red Sox and Pirates. The Phils picked him up on a minor league deal before the season, he made it into 5 games, and didn't get a single hit. Dissatisfied, they released him, only for Oakland to pick him up the following year. The rest would be history.

Tomorrow, some truly interesting figures from the 2005 Pirates.

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2012 Padres

 

In 2012, the Padres were one of those consistent bottom feeder teams that could never really get anything done, and this was only a few years removed from a playoff push. The low-budget core of Chase Headley, Yonder Alonso, Will Venable and Everth Cabrera kept them afloat for a few years, but things didn't really get cracking til Machado came aboard.

Still, 2012 featured some unfamiliar developments that Topps didn't bother to depict. The one above might be the biggest deal, considering that Topps seems to think that Miles Mikolas' rookie year was in 2018 [then again, what the hell does ANYONE know about what qualifies as a rookie?]. Before Japan, Miles Mikolas got his start with the Padres, and made his debut in 2012. It was in time for the rookie cutoff and the Update cutoff, but, you know...reliever. In 25 games, Mikolas had a 3.62 ERA with 23 Ks, not too bad.  These would be his best pre-Japan numbers, as we'll discuss in a few days. 

Also slightly pre-relevance was Ernesto Frieri, who had spent a few years kicking around as a relief piece in San Diego, and fairly well too. 2012 was looking to be another strong year for him as a Padre, as he had a 2.31 ERA in 11 games. In early May, Frieri was traded to Anaheim for Alexi Amarista, a trade that would benefit both sides, and would lead to Frieri taking the ninth in LA and nearly making an All Star team. 

 

Now we get to some stranger ones. Like, these next two are people who most baseball fans thought had stopped playing before 2012. Kip Wells was an innings-eater for years, being a standout for the White Sox before being a loss-heavy option for Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Colorado and Texas. After a few botched spring training tryouts, including one that would have been a return to Chicago, Wells was picked up by the starting-pitching-starved Padres, and got to start 7 last games. Surprisingly he did sort of alright, with a 4.58 ERA, 2 wins and 19 Ks. Yes, it was still a negative WAR, but it wasn't as bad as some of his loss-heavy numbers. 

Another starting option the Padres called upon midseason was Jeff Suppan, who was 37, and had last pitched for St. Louis in 2010 [and rather well, too]. Still, his waning numbers had scared off the Giants and Royals before, and so the Padres were slightly wary, but needed an innings guy. In 6 starts, Suppan went 2-3 with a 5.28 ERA and 18 earned runs. Like Wells, the veteran mentality didn't work here. Suppan, like Wells, would call it a career after being cut. 

Tomorrow, quite a few customs for the 2012 Phillies. 

2021 Cy Youngs: Rise of the Beardy Fellas

 
...I'm a little bummed.

The whole season, we were working with the narrative that Zack Wheeler would be the Cy Young winner in the NL, on account of his high WAR, high strikeouts, and the fact that he had the best season of any pitcher in the NL. However, it seems we're not going by that criteria anymore.

No offense meant towards Corbin Burnes, who did have an excellent season, had some STELLAR early strikeout numbers and, fun fact, WAS MY PRESEASON NL CY YOUNG PICK. Seriously, one of the posts I had before the season started, I said 'people aren't paying enough attention to Corbin Burnes, I bet he's gonna win a Cy Young this season'. But what happened was that after his injury, Brandon Woodruff sort of overtook him as the defacto excellent Brewers starter, and I kinda thought he had the better year. Burnes still led the league in ERA, and still had 234 Ks and some really nice numbers. I was just thinking his weeks on the IL would have held him back more for voters. 

It's a fine pick, and it's one I'll probably agree with more over time, but I really thought Wheeler had it. He was the Cy Young frontrunner for like 3 months, I kinda thought he stuck the landing.

Robbie Ray I had resigned myself to. I knew that with Gerrit Cole's second half struggles, he was never gonna get a Cy Young, and that Ray had absolutely come alive over the second half, cementing his stats and making it a runaway. The man had an incredible season, had been a strikeout artist for years, and now has the eyes of the league upon him. Hopefully things go better for him than they did for Trevor Bauer.

Part of me is kind of happy that Burnes snuck a win over Wheeler, because if Wheeler had one, both Cy Young winners would have been like the MVPs last year- two guys in their 30s who were rewarded for their longevity and consistency as well as their current season. Burnes is 27, so he's more of a newcomer to the fold, and this award represents his entry into the elite, which I'd been wanting to happen anyway. I'm not sure what it means for Ray, though, as he's 30, and a free agent. 

I guess I'm alright with these though. The MVPs are tomorrow, and both of those should go without saying. Unless Juan Soto wants to squeeze in one more upset to piss me off. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2012 Orioles

 

I was bitching about the rookie rules the MLBPA has set up a few days ago, I guess i'll start this 2012 Orioles post with a little more- Manny Machado's rookie season was in 2012. It was his first season, it was the season where he had the most breakout success, and according to baseball reference, he exceeded rookie limits during that season because he played 52 games. So really only the cutoff thing was preventing Topps from making a rookie card of him for Update. You know, that and wanting a high profile rookie for the 2013 set. 

And on one hand, I sort of get the mentality of saving him for the next year's set, but one thing that you need to remember is that Topps had the power to make a card of him for 2012. They put SPs of Jim Thome, Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford in their new uniforms into Update. Now, would Topps be ballsy enough to release a rookie card as a short print only? YES. THEY WOULD. They did it with Alex Gordon in 2006, and they did it with Jacoby Ellsbury in 2007. Maybe they'd grown up slightly by 2012, but they could have done something like this.

Honestly, Machado was the centerpiece of a 2012 Orioles team that could have been way bigger had it not been for that breakneck Game 5 of the ALDS. He hit .262 with 7 homers, 26 RBIs and a 1.6 WAR. He would later proceed to have 7 WAR seasons at age 22 and 23 before Juan Soto made it cool. 

Topps missing Machado I can understand, but Topps missing Chris Tillman during his breakout season as a starter? A little more suspect. After a few seasons of struggling to stay afloat as a starter, Tillman had 15 games to change the minds of fans, and he pulled it off, with a 9-3 record, a 2.93 ERA and 66 Ks. These numbers would soon make him one of the more important arms for the O's, culminating in an ASG nod the following year.

Steve Pearce had a tumultuous 2012 to say the least. After starting the year trying to make camp with the Yankees, he'd stay in the minors before Baltimore would select him off waivers in June and throw him on the team. In 28 games with the O's, he'd hit .254 with 14 RBIs and 3 homers. After this, the Astros would pick him up for a bit, and eventually he'd be returned to the Yankees. And at the end of the season, Pearce would re-sign with the Orioles, who'd utilize him well for the next few years. I learned while doing this post that Steve Pearce played for all five AL East clubs, which is a pretty awesome stat. 

After spending an entire season in the Cleveland minors system, Nick Johnson was determined to get back to the majors after hitting his peak with New York and Washington. The O's took a chance on him, and tried him at DH as Chris Davis was heating up. Johnson, comparatively, hit .207 with 11 RBIs and 4 homers in 38 games. The numbers wouldn't be enough, and he'd be cut midseason, leading to his retirement. 

Also trying to find stability again was former Brewers bench bat and super-ute Bill Hall, who had come into some trouble after the Red Sox signed him in 2010. He'd split 2011 with the Astros and Giants, and only played 7 games with the 2012 Orioles. His power numbers had diluted, as had his defense, and he only hit .222 with 1 home run. Like Johnson, Hall would call it quits after the season.

Perhaps the most intriguing roster addition for the Orioles prior to the season was Lew Ford, a former prospect with the Twins who flamed out after a strong 2004, tried playing in the Japanese and Mexican leagues and fought his way back. The O's were expecting big things from Ford, and sadly he only hit .183 with 3 homers in his 25 games there. 

As for some waiver deadline pickups, Joe Saunders was having a nice season for the Diamondbacks, diluted by a weak offense, but the O's came for him in late August and he had 7 starts with the club. One of which I was in attendance for, and it was a scorcher against my Yankees where he got the win, thanks to a still-debated out-at-first call in the ninth. Saunders was also lights-out in the postseason, allowing only 2 earned runs in 2 starts, one of which was a win that pulled the team into the ALDS. Though his numbers would dilute after 2012, Saunders' season was one of the main assets that got them as far as they did.

Meanwhile, Nate McLouth was all set for a return to form in Pittsburgh, which Topps did document, only to fail to hit for average and be released by May. What Topps didn't document was his time with the Orioles, which was way better and put his career on the right track again. In 55 games, McLouth hit .268 with 18 RBIs and 7 homers, and hit .318 in the ALDS with 3 RBIs. This season also led to an even better, and fuller, 2013 season as an extra outfielder in Baltimore.

Strangest one last. It's been sort of lost to obscurity, but after impressive years with Philly and LA, Randy Wolf actually had something of a career renaissance with the late-2000s/early-2010s Brewers, becoming a consistent option for them. In 2012, his ERA began to build, and he was becoming a bit less necessary. The Orioles needed more potential pitching options, so they got him on a waiver deal late, and Wolf got 5 games and 2 starts for a competitor. The Orioles used Wolf more in relief, though he did get to start those 2 games, even if those were the ones that got more runs out of the opposing offense, but he still won 2 of his relief appearances. Didn't make the postseason roster though. Wolf would continue to pop up on weird teams for the rest of his career. 

Tomorrow, we stay in 2012 and knock out some Padres.