Don't Care How, I Want Robel Now

As sort of a epilogue to yesterday's summation of the Cubs' deadline moves, it's time that I show off a newly acquired card featuring a guy who got sent packing to make space for the new blood.  I might be a bit biased due to my love of the Chicago National League Ballclub, but I truly believe that the story behind this rookie middle infielder is one of the best highlights of baseball's 2019 season.  In a year filled with controversy, brawling, old school temper tantrums, juiced, Titleist-like balls, and "home run or strike out" offenses, this guy's comeback has served as a beacon of light and harbinger of hope for our favorite sport.  Even though the story has temporarily been bookmarked, his tale remains immensely inspirational and is a reminder that baseball is, first and foremost, fun at heart.

Okay, enough with the flowery language and hyperbole, let's get to the point.  If you haven't yet guessed, I - of course - am getting all verbose about the one and only, Robel Garcia:

via GIPHY

Here's a quick summary, in case you haven't yet heard about his long and winding road to Wrigley Field.  Robel washed out of the Cleveland Indians system back in 2013, having never risen above A-ball in four minor league seasons.  Unable to find work in the affiliated ranks, or even the independent circuits for that matter, Robel took his talents elsewhere.  Elsewhere ended up being Italy, of all places, where he starred and slugged in Europe's premier baseball league and on the Italian national roster.  Back stateside with the Italians for an exhibition last fall, Robel's powerful bat caught the eye of Cubs scouts and earned a second chance.  Starting out in AA, the second baseman simply could not be contained, as he forced himself up to AAA and then to the Majors in just a matter of months.  

Honestly, it all sounds far too rich to be true - somewhere in Hollywood, right now, there had better be a guy banging out a screenplay based on Robel's journey.  It's that wild.

Anyway, upon his storybook call-up to the Show, I was disappointed to find out that Robel did not have much of a cardboard footprint.  After all, as a modest prospect who never found his footing stateside, it wasn't much of a surprise to discover that overpriced, minor league team sets were my only option to add Garcia to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  Being the cheapskate that I am, I decided to bide my time... maybe he would stick around long enough to sneak into Update, maybe he would do something Topps Now worthy and get a true, blue Cubs card printed up in his honor.

Well, being a talented rookie in a major market, the moment he did something even kind of notable, you know that Topps was going to jam him into their ever-growing Now checklist:

On the fourth of July, Robel belted his first Major League home run in only his second contest.  Notable, sure - but, Now worthy?  Debatable, at best.  Interestingly enough (and arguably even more notable) the card makes no mention of the fact that Garcia came up only a double short of the cycle in his second appearance, but very first start.  Of course, flaws aside, I wasn't about to complain about the opportunity to add a sweet Garcia to my CATRC binder - just look at that star spangled arm sleeve!

I did have to wait though.  Although I did purchase the card almost immediately after orders went live, I went through the secondhand market and found a seller hawking a copy for $4.75, which is much more palatable than the ten bucks that they sell for through the old bubblegum company.  Like I said, I'm a cheapskate!  The only downside was that I had to wait for the cards to be printed and shipped by Topps, then wait some more for the middleman to receive my Robel, then wait even more for them to ship it out for the second leg of it's journey.  Yadda, yadda, yadda, it was nearly August by the time I found this treasure in my mailbox.  However, the "Italian Stallion" was definitely worth the wait.

The holographic back offers up a second picture of Robel, celebrating his maiden mash with his teammates in the dugout of Guaranteed Rate Field.  Yep, that's another interesting factoid surrounding this moment, that not only was it the rook's first homer, in his first start, and nearly part of a cycle, it came at the site of the Cubs' crosstown rivals.  Honestly, I love this photograph, but this space should have been used for a detailed write-up about the event, like most Topps Now singles include.

C'est la vie, at least Robel and his feel-good story has finally been inducted into my CATRC.

Sadly, the glass slipper cracked a bit - a little less than a month after Garcia's bombastic debut - as the Cubs retooled their roster during the trading deadline.  While he'd started out strong, Robel had been mired in a slump throughout the second half of July as the rest of the league gathered information on a guy who, at this time last year, was in la Repubblica Italiana.  Needing a spot on the 25-man roster for Nick Castellanos' big bat, Robel was optioned back to the minors, where he'll likely bide his time in Iowa until rosters expand come September.  I'm sure he took his demotion in stride, as a quick trip to the Pacific Coast League is much easier to arrange than uprooting one's life to move to Italy!

Our hero during his time with Italian national team - image courtesy of the Associated Press and the Athletic.

While we're on the topic of Now cards, which have been around for four years now, what are your opinions on the product?  Are they gimmicky cash grabs or cool ways to capture specific moments in baseball's immense history?  Did you think they were novel and fun at first but have since overstayed their welcome in the market?  I encourage you to share your thoughts in the comment section below.  Personally, I'm glad they exist solely because they provide an avenue for a guy like Robel or a flash in the pan hero to appear on a Cubs card when they otherwise likely would not.

Anyway, here's hoping there's still more chapters to be written in Robel's riveting and slightly unbelievable comeback story.  In a year as weird as 2019 has been, his journey to Italy and back has helped keep my burning love of the game alive!