A Thunderous New Addition, Pt. 2

Been a while since I checked in here.  Life's been busy, lots of big life changes, figuring out this whole parenthood thing, the Cubs have been a whole bucket of bleh this year, the hobby has lost it's collective mind... I have a whole laundry list of reasons and/or excuses why my passion for blogging has ebbed, but who really cares, right?

However, yesterday, that part of my heart twinged for the the first time in a while.  All it took was an *extremely* surprising transaction.  Seriously, when I read that swingman, Alec Mills (he of no-hitter fame), was going on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain, you could have given me two dozen guesses and I never would have called the corresponding roster move.  But before I talk about the guy going the other way on the transactional log, a little background information is needed for proper context.

For most of my conscious life, the Windy City Thunderbolts have been my local baseball team.  I've been going to 'Bolts games regularly for nearly two decades now and the independent, Frontier League club has kept me engaged with the game in ways that would be prohibitively costly with the Cubs or any Major League franchise.  I have always been able to count on a cheap ticket, a quick commute, and a good show whenever I get bored or antsy in the summer.  Sure, the level of play is nowhere near the Big Show and is roughly equivalent to Low-A ball, but baseball is baseball and the Thunderbolts are the best show in town.  

With the climb up the ladder so long long, I feel an intense bit of local pride any time a 'Bolt gets scooped up to the affiliated ranks, let alone makes the ultimate ascent to the Major League level.  Just two Big Leaguers previously wore the black and blue of this Crestwood, IL-based club before reaching the summit - Andrew Werner of the Padres and Dylan Axelrod of the White Sox.  Technically, a third Bolt alumni has an MLB resume and he played with my favorite team -  Billy Petrick, a reliever on the 2007 Chicago Cubs.  That being said, his time in Crestwood came on the downswing of his career, years after his time in the Friendly Confines.  Thus, no player has ever made the dizzying climb from Ozinga Park to Wrigley Field, which isn't all that surprising, considering the almost insurmountably long odds.  Well, that is, no player had made the climb until yesterday...

With Millsy going onto the injured list, Tommy Nance was called up from AAA-Iowa to take his place.  Nance's story is incredible, a Disney-worthy feel-good tale that is guaranteed to make you rediscover your love for baseball.  This undrafted hurler was given a shot by the Thunderbolts in 2015 to get his pro career off the ground.  His success and stuff got him noticed by the crosstown Cubbies and they inked him to a minor league deal for 2016.  In fact, I covered this transaction at the time because deals between these two Chicago-based teams are so rare and I was pumped about a Bolt just getting a shot with my beloved Cubs and I had a longshot prospect to root for and follow.

From there, Nance got hurt almost immediately and lost a good chunk of 2016 and all of the 2017 season.  When he came back, he was deployed at multiple levels of the minor league system and seemed destined for a career as a roster reinforcement, organizational arm.  After the pandemic provided the excuse Rob Manfred was looking for to retool the minors and axe so many teams and players, I thought Nance's career was surely over - he was far from a blue-chipper and there just didn't seem to be a spot for him anymore.  Lo and behold, I could not have been more wrong.

Nance survived the chopping block and turned heads in spring training this past March.  He was deployed in a handful of Major League exhibitions and parlayed that exposure into a spot at the alternate training site and then AAA once the season began - just a phone call away from the Majors.  After being part of a combined no-hitter with the Iowa Cubs, Nance punctuated his storybook breakout with a call-up to the Major League roster.  Needless to say, I was thrilled and actually yelped with excitement when I read the news.

Nance on the mound in Big League camp, 2021.  Image courtesy of Cubs Den.

It's not everyday a thirty-year old, undrafted, indy league alum makes it all the way to show, especially when their career is bookended by stints on my favorite local ballclubs!  It's with great pleasure that I now get to add the above Choice, Thunderbolt SGA giveaway to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder - like Nance himself, the very first such card to make that impressive ascent.

Coincidentally, I'll be taking my son to his first baseball game today and it just so happens to be a Thunderbolts contest.  The club never charges admission to their spring training games, so Rowan and I will be playing hooky to see their exhibition against the Schaumburg Boomers this afternoon.  Like I said the Thunderbolts have been a big part of my life for a long time now; now, I get to share one of the most important moments of fatherhood with my son thanks to the Thunderbolts.  This is symbolic of why Nance's call-up inspired me to open Blogger for the first time in months.

Here's hoping that Nance can continue to build on this momentous surge and stick with the Big club.  The opportunity is there seeing as the bullpen has been in flux all season - a run of good results could keep him up all year, or at least maintain his spot on the 40-man roster.  Lord knows I'll be rooting for the Thunderbolt alumnus - welcome to Chicago, Tommy Nance!

Workman's Comp

 Happy pitchers and catchers report day!

Baseball has been a frustrating sport to follow over the past few seasons, what with all the constant labor strife, ham-fisted attempts to "fix" the game, rampant minor league contraction and stifled pay, billionaire owners crying poor, slimeballs like Jared Porter and Mickey Callaway exposing a seedy underbelly, TV and streaming rights throttling the ability of anyone to watch the damn games, and.... okay, I'm droning on and on about the negatives, but today is the first official day of Spring Training and I'll be damned if I'm not still excited.  Of course, my chosen team is a whole other basket of badgers with it's own litter of troublesome issues piled on top of MLB's problems and the weather isn't exactly "spring" like, but my enthusiasm cannot be completely dampened!... Unlike my pant legs, which are soaked through from having to shovel out my parking spot for like the third time this month.

With the end of the offseason officially at hand, the Cubs' hurlers and backstops have begun to trickle into the Sloan Park facilities in Arizona.  Perhaps looking to make the most of this milestone, this morning, the team added one more pitcher to the attendance list, signing Brandon Workman to a one-year, Major League contract worth $1MM with another $2MM available via incentives.

Accordingly, I decided to use the Workman acquisition as an excuse to pursue my maiden dalliance with 2021 Topps.  To this point, I have not so much as seen a pack of this product in the wild, let alone purchased any.  In fact, I had to take to Ebay just to buy this single card.  I'm not about to battle with the investor bros stalking Target vendors over such trivialities and my LCS doesn't seem to have any of the seminal Topps product in their stock just yet.  

Of course, I don't have the card in-hand at this point, so I'm not going to go in-depth reviewing the cards and it's design - after all, it wouldn't be fair without getting my hands on the actual product.  However, I will say that I'm pleased with the return of borders and, as a Cubs fan, the fact that red and blue factor so heavily into the design is a major plus.  One the other hand, the font used for the nameplate might require a stronger prescription from my eye doctor.  

Anyway, maybe I'll do an actual breakdown once this card arrives in my mailbox.  For now, let's get back to the subject at hand, the Cubs All-Time Roster Collection's latest addition, Mr. Workman himself.

Workman during his Fenway days.  Image courtesy of Maddie Meyer at Getty Images

Just yesterday, the Cubs' new President of Baseball Operations, Jed Hoyer, broke from the norm and basically told the press outright that they'd be signing another Major League reliever in the very near future, though he stopped short at naming the mystery moundsman.  Some wondered if it might be the reclamation project known as David Robertson, as the team had representatives at his latest showcase.  But, the Northsiders were far from the only team to show up, all but ensuring that the price tag would far exceed what the Rickettses would allow.  Others posited that a reunion with Jeremy Jeffress was on the horizon.  That being said, the guy's 2020 results far exceeded his peripherals, indicating that major regression is in his future.  Still more Twitter experts bandied about names like Shane Greene and Trevor Rosenthal, but, strangely, I don't think I saw anyone mention Brandon Workman.  Honestly, I forgot he was even a free agent.  Did anyone out there call this one correctly?

Anywho, the former Red Sox bullpen stalwart was a solid performer after making a full-time transition from the rotation to the pen in 2017.  But, Brandon truly made his name with a phenomenal 2019 campaign, going 10-1 with a 1.88 ERA  and 16 saves in 71.2 innings for Boston that year.  His fortunes dipped slightly in the weird COVID-ridden follow up season, as did the Red Sox's as a whole - thus, the now-closer was shipped to a contending Phillies club at the trade deadline where he was promptly lit up (10 earned runs in 13 frames, plus 3 blown saves) and allowed to walk after the schedule's conclusion.

All in all, Mr. Workman probably isn't as good as his 2019 stat line, but he also probably isn't nearly as bad as his Phillies tenure turned out to be.  I think the statistics from last year's shortened season are almost meaningless due to short sample sizes and dozens of other mitigating factors, not the least of which was the weirdness of the time.  

While the high upside would be phenomenal to have, if Workman's stats and results can meet somewhere near the middle of that peak and valley, he'll make a solid, if unspectacular, bullpen option on a roster that lacks such stability.  This dearth of depth is especially exposed if Rowan Wick and Kyle Ryan's health do not rapidly improve, as these key cogs both reported to camp with maladies of their own.  As a sort of insurance policy meant to compensate for potential production lost during injury and sickness, does that make Brandon's signing... Workman's comp?

I will not apologize for art.

Anyway, if this franchise does one thing consistently well, it's isolate worthy rebound bullpen candidates and, with a few tweaks, turn out usable arms.  I mean, they got Ryan Tepera an MVP vote, after all and turned no-namers like Wick and Jason Adam into legitimate late-inning weapons.  This is one aspect of the Cubs that do actually feel some confidence in.  Although, that could just be the warm and fuzzy feelings brought on by "pitchers and catchers report" clouding my judgment.

As an aside, do you still feel the good vibes that are normally brought on by the first official day of training camp or has all the negative press surrounding baseball killed the mood for you?  Furthermore, what are your thoughts on the look and feel of the 2021 Flagship card set?  I encourage you to share your opinions in the comment section below!

At any rate, welcome to the Windy City and to my CATRC, Brandon Workman!

Well Past the Deadline

I've never been great with deadlines.  As a habitual procrastinator with an atrocious memory, I often leaves tasks until the very last minute.  Obviously, this often causes timing issues.  Back during my school days, I sometimes had to beg a teacher or professor for mercy after forgetting to turn in a project on the appointed day or just missing an online submission deadline by minutes as a result of my last-minute rushing.  I may have once completely forgotten to do a semester's worth of online assignments until the last week of classes and lied my ass off... errmm... convinced myself and my prof that an unreliable internet connection was the culprit behind my tardiness.  I'm not particularly proud of that fib, but I only got half credit and it did save me from failing the class, in the end.

Furthermore, anyone who has been reading this blog over the past few years has noticed my issue with timeliness and the absurdity of 2020 only exacerbated that problem.  In fact, when it comes to documenting new Cubs added to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection during this abbreviated season, I missed just about everything that happened here on Wrigley Roster Jenga.  Six plus months of missed content?  Now, that's a series of blown deadlines that no amount of groveling would have fixed, back in the day.

Last summer, the Cubs were caught in the throes of contention; but, after a blazing hot start, the team had started to revert to the mean.  With a flawed roster that needed upgrading if they wanted to stay on top in the NL Central, Theo Epstein worked with the budget limitations imposed on him by the front office and used his last trade deadline with the team to try and patch up some of those holes.  As it turned out, none of these last minute moves of desperation did much to turn around the team's slow spiral. Maybe waiting until the last minute - like in school or blogging - was, in fact, waiting until it was too late?

That being said, Theo was able to get four moves made before the stroke of midnight - or 4pm eastern - on trade deadline day; so, he did better than I often did with ultimatums. That's why these trades were consummated and this blog post is... well past the deadline!

The cast of characters that was imported onto the roster are a bunch of guys that, in a couple years time, we'll look back and say to ourselves, "he played for the Cubs?  I don't remember that at all."  Perfect fodder for Daily Random Cub on Twitter.

On the day before the deadline, former Cardinal power threat, Jose Martinez, was acquired in a trade with the Rays, in exchange for a player to be named later.  As it turned out, a nameless player might have been of more use to the team than Jose, as the guy brought in to be a lefty masher off of the bench didn't so much as record a single hit in his 22 plate appearances in Cubbie Blue.  It seemed like he rolled one over to second base every single time he stepped up to the dish.  In fact, things got so bad that he was even sent back to the alternate training site to retool because it just was not happening on the Major League roster.  Not exactly the performance you want to see from a supposed reinforcement meant to fix a struggling offense.

Image courtesy of the Marquee Sports Network

After the conclusion of the 2020 schedule, Jose was - unsurprisingly - non-tendered and he eventually found a new home with the Mets.  Both the fact that Jose's bat didn't show up during his time in a Cubs uniform and his brief tenure with the club contribute to his "random Cub" status; however, another factor (to me, at least) is that he did not end up making a Cubs appearance on a baseball card.  It's supremely disappointing that the print cutoff for Update, the card set who's whole purpose is to "update" player movement, is so late that it can't do properly do it's job.  Deadlines strike again!

I thought there was at least a chance that Jose might show up in Topps Holiday or 2021 Series One as these types of acquisitions sometimes do.  Maybe if he'd actually done anything in blue that might have happened.  As it stands, I'll have to settle for the 2019 Opening Day single you saw above, even if it is in Cardinal colors.  It was the only Jose card that I could find in my LCS.

Speaking of which, here's a card of the next guy that was brought in this summer to assist the offense.  Again, he hasn't appeared on a true Cubs card and, despite being a veteran player, this 2018 Allen & Ginter single was the only pasteboard I could find of him in the whole card shop.  I may be the black sheep of the blogosphere with this hot take, but I just don't like the look of A&G... I never have either.

Cameron Maybin has been around the game a long time, having first reached the Major Leagues way back in 2007.  Theo and crew thought that some extra veteran leadership might be nice to have around the clubhouse, especially from a well-rated defensive outfielder who could come off the bench and fill the role that Steven Souza failed to seize.  Cam did just that - he wasn't flashy, but he proved to be a useful spare part in what, as of now, appears to have been his final Big League season.  He even contributed a walk-off win down the stretch, though it came in the form of a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch.  All in all, I'm glad that this guy got to go out as a Cub.  

Giving his body up for a win or reciting the pledge of allegiance with kidney stones... you decide.
Image courtesy of the Canadian Press

Finally, in the waning hours of the transaction period, the Cubs also made a couple of moves to shore up the left-hand side of their bullpen.  One of these new imports, Andrew Chafin, was already covered in a previous post, as the franchise decided to bring him back for the full 2021 season after his abbreviated 2020 audition.  In that post, I was so late that I ended up coming full circle and becoming timely again.  Unfortunately - well, depending on how you look at it - this was not the case with the other pitcher brought in on that day:

Anyone have to clear their throat ?  It's time to hock a LOOGY!

Josh Osich has become your prototypical southpaw journeyman.  Having already blown through the Windy City and onto Cincinnati, the first game in which he appears with the Reds will mark his fifth franchise since 2018.  Thus, you won't be surprised that Osich features the traditional profile for your average lefty - tough on same-handed hitters, but couldn't put a golf ball by a righty.  Of course, that meant that David Ross used the Red Sox expat on the latter almost as often as the former for some god forsaken reason and immediately exposed his weakness.  Josh gave up three earned runs in just 2.2 innings, good for 10.14 ERA and the groans of socially distanced Cubs fans everywhere.  No wonder he left town.

Also, as is common for LOOGY's and journeyman, Osich has not gotten a lot of love from the card companies.  Despite a five-year MLB career, prior to his 2020 Topps Total appearance (which I opted to purchase for my CATRC) Osich hadn't made a mainstream cardboard cameo since 2011, when he made two logo-less appearances in Donruss Elite Extra Edition and Playoff Contenders.  

Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

No respect for relievers!  For that reason, it should come as no surprise that, like Maybin and Martinez before him, Osich's brief tenure with the Northsiders will not be immortalized on cardboard.  Gosh I wish there was a bigger emphasis on actually documenting the MLB season - or, at least one product which made that their mission statement - rather than pumping out mega mojo hits of the hottest prospects.  That being stated, this is a rant for another post.

And there you have it, my wrap-up of the new Cubs acquired just before the 2020 trade deadline... only six months behind schedule.  

The 2021 edition of deadline day may be quite different, unfortunately.  Although the purse strings have loosened slightly over the past couple of weeks, the wishy-washy Cubs could still find themselves as sellers for the first time since the summer of 2014.  With so many of their core guys playing on expiring contracts, the cheapskates that run the club might start to break up the band and trade Rizzo, Bryant, Contreras, and Co. for a bunch of teenagers who work at Wendy's.  Here's hoping I don't have to write about that, as it would most likely take me ages longer than six months to find the motivation needed for that disparity.

In the meantime, welcome to Chicago and goodbye from Chicago to Jose, Cameron, and Josh.  Though your time in the Second City was brief and ended in ultimate disappointment, your Cubs tenure will be commemorated in my CATRC binders forever.  No deadlines to miss there!

Everything's Jake

For the past several weeks, there's been plenty of rumors connecting the Cubs and a free agent named Jake.  We all assumed the club was looking into a reunion with World Series hero, Jake Arrieta.  After all, the Cubbies have more question marks in their rotation than answers and Arrieta remains as one of the better options left in the free agent pitching market.  And, as it turns out, these rumors were correct - word dropped this morning that the team had agreed to terms with a Jake on a one-year, $1.5 million Major League contract.   However, while the team may very well yet bring their one-time ace back home, it appears as though those previous rumblings had their wires slightly crossed - they had the wrong Jake!  This one plays the outfield.

Jake Marisnick has spent most of his career chasing fly balls in Houston, though he originally came up with Miami in 2013 and was briefly a Met in 2020.  He's seen here on a 2014 Topps Archives single which I just purchased from my local card shop on my lunch break.  Into the Cubs All-Time Roster Collection it will slide.

 

He was a pseudo-starter for several seasons as an Astro, but has been transitioning to more of bench role over the past couple years.  With his ability to play all three outfield positions and the Cubs having promised Joc Pederson a fixed starting spot, this Jake will likely serve as the fourth outfielder.  Somewhat amusingly, this means that the Mets and the Cubs essentially got together and traded their "next man up" in the outfield, with Albert Almora having taken his talents to Queens earlier this winter.

Image courtesy of Con Los Bases Llenas.

Like Almora, Marisnick brings plus defense into the mix.  But, Jake offers more in terms of speed on the base paths and his bat profiles as about league average against lefties - that's more than we can say about the now-departed Albert, who's bat simply never developed at the Major League level.  Thus, while we were gossiping about the wrong Jake, this one still plugs a hole on the roster.  It's just a gap that we Cubs fans assumed that the suddenly "poor" Ricketts ownership didn't want to waste any money on fixing.

Most of the offseason, the Cubs had been walking a thin line - rostering exactly three outfielders while cutting Almora and Kyle Schwarber loose - and they seemed all too comfortable on that razor thin margin.  With this signing, the previous acquisition of Pederson, and waiver-claim of Phillip Ervin the Cubs outfield has been completely retooled and now actually contains some MLB-worthy depth.

Speaking of Ervin, here's the 2020 Topps Flagship single I finally picked up for his slot in the CATRC.  Like I said previously, Ervin was brought into the organization waiver claim and, therefore, I was not convinced that he would stick around long enough to see in-season game action.  Something, something, roster Jenga, something.  That being said, as the winter has progressed, it seems as though the front office is intent on keeping Phil around; so, I finally pulled the trigger on a pasteboard for the collection.  He seems like as good of an option as any for the fifth outfielder role.

At any rate, the Cubs got themselves a Jake that fills a need.  Will they acquire another one to fill yet another unchecked box on the shopping list?   Word is the Mr. Arrieta is currently asking a bit too much for the front office's tastes and, honestly, more than the market has dictated for a hurler with his recent injury history.  Who knows though?  Spring Training is less than two weeks away, so both uncommitted players and shop around teams are going to have to start making some compromises.

Welcome to the CATRC and to the Windy City, Jake Marisnick!

Getting Chafed

Sometimes you lag so far behind that you've actually come back around to being timely again.

A few days ago, it was reported that the Ricketts had loosened the purse strings and tossed a few more coins at Jed Hoyer to spend on the Major League roster.  That rumor sure appears to be true as steel - since that rumbling became public, the Cubs have signed Kohl Stewart, Joc Pederson, Trevor Williams, and continue to be active in the market for starting pitching and second base.  Furthermore, just as I was tucking myself into bed last night, I noticed that the now suddenly fervent buyers had made another purchase.  This acquisition came with a tinge of deja vu as I read the headline on MLB Trade Rumors.

Late last summer, the Cubbies tried to put lipstick on a pig at the trading deadline, pulling the trigger on several supplementary pieces that ultimately did little to help their slow tumble from second best of the NL to first round playoff exit (swept by the COVID-ridden Marlins, no less).  Lefty Andrew Chafin was one of those auxiliary acquisitions, brought in via a minor trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the waning hours of the trading period.  With a track record of success as a LOOGY who was also usable against righties stretching back to 2014, this seemed like a perfect move for a club gearing up for a pennant chase.

 

There was just one problem - Chafin was damaged goods.

 

The Cubs knew that Chafin was injury-riddled when they signed the dotted line on the deal; after all, the pitcher had been on the injured list for a couple of weeks already leading up to the trade.  However, Theo and Jed were banking on Chafin being able to recover quickly from the strained finger on his pitching hand.  This was a gamble that they ended up losing, as Andrew could only squeak into a mere four games - plus one playoff tilt - giving up one run in 3.1 IP before the season came to an abrupt halt at the hands of the COVID-infested Marlins.  A free agent upon the conclusion of the World Series, I thought that was going to be the sum total of Chafin's Cubs career - another in a long line of random relievers scattered throughout my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.

 

 

Image courtesy of Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

As it turns out, I was quite mistaken.  The Cubs decided to bring Chafin back into the the fold for 2021, with the money that Ricketts dug out of the couch cushions, on a $2.75MM guarantee.  It's a one-year deal with a mutual option and a buyout for 2022.

One can hardly doubt why the team wanted to keep Andrew around, despite his lost 2020 campaign.  Since he debuted with the D'backs in 2014, Chafin has posted a 3.67 ERA with roughly average strikeout and walk percentages (25.0 and 10.1) and a solid groundball rate of 52.3 percent in 274 2/3 innings.  The Cubs sure do love them some worm killers.  Furthermore, in that same time, lefties have slashed just .230/.306/.311 while righties haven't fair much better: .245/.333/.365.  This is key, seeing as we are now playing in the three-batter minimum era.  Furthermore, the heretofore shaky Kyle Ryan is the only other lefty option on the roster with significant MLB experience, so it seems prudent to bring in another choice for David Ross.  Hopefully he's got a clean bill of health for this go-round.

 

Image courtesy of Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports.

 

 

He's also got a pretty mean mustache, for whatever that's worth.

To conclude, with Chafin's return, no corresponding move is needed for my CATRC binders, as he was already added last summer.  However, Wrigley Roster Jenga was mothballed at this time; so, I'm taking this opportunity to spotlight his inclusion in my tomes.  For now, he's represented with the 2020 Flagship single which "Topps" this post - the only Chafin card I could scrounge up at my local card shop.  Hopefully, with his Cubs career now being extended for another year, he'll appear on a proper Cubbie Blue card with which I can "Cubgrade" his entry.  Fingers crossed!

Welcome (back) to the Windy City and to the CATRC, Andrew Chafin!

No Respect, No-Hitter

Alec Mills first reached the Big Leagues in 2016 and has been with the Chicago Cubs organization since 2017.  Despite this sustained tenure at the game's highest level, it took until 2020 for the righty to appear on a "mainstream" baseball card.  For what it's worth, the bespectacled moundsman did sneak onto the checklist of 2016 Onyx Authenticated Platinum Elite (phew, what a mouthful), which earned him an autograph hit and several different parallels.  However, one could hardly call the oft-forgotten, pre-rookie product mainstream; plus, no regular ol' base card for the everyman collector like me.  Other than that, your only option for an Alec Mills card prior to last year was team-issued minor league set breaks.  Topps, Panini, and - heck - not even Leaf would give this guy the time of day.

 

In all actuality, Alec was up-and-down (but mostly down) between the Majors and the minors most of that time and the former college walk-on was never anywhere near blue chip prospect status.  Still, you'd think that a young starting pitcher on the roster for a major market club that's highly sought after in the collectibles market (and coming off a World Series win, no less) coming up in an era that places a ridiculous premium on rookies and prospects would have at least slipped into a Bowman or Prizm product during that time.  Talk about no respect!

Then, this past year, things took an abrupt left turn.  Suddenly, Alec started to appear in the checklist for seemingly every baseball card set printed since the summer of 2020 began.  What changed? Why was this previously unknown force suddenly getting acknowledged by the powers that be at Topps & Panini?

Well, all he had to do was simply toss a no-hitter.  On the 13th of September, the unheralded fifth starter went out and confounded Milwaukee Brewers hitters on their home turf.  It was just the 15th start in Alec's Big League career and it took him "only" 114 pitches.  As a finesse pitcher without much velocity and that most often pitches to contact, I don't think anyone saw this coming from Alec.

 

Things changed for Alec after that whirlwind performance.  The breakout pitcher was suddenly good enough to be included in Heritage, Update, Chrome Update, the Living Set, Total, On-Demand, Road to Opening Day, and - as you can see above - Now.  If that's all it took to get some love, why didn't Alec just go out and pitch the 16th no-hit game in franchise history sooner?  Sheesh!

To be fair, a lot of the products on that list are online exclusive - thus, one can easily contest their merits as "mainstream." What was cannot argue, on the other hand, is that there was an absolute Alec Mills explosion in 2020.  I'd been trying to track down a pasteboard with his likeness since he was acquired via trade with the Royals in 2017 and found very little in terms of options.  Suddenly, I had more options than I knew what to do with.

 

 

Of course, that's not completely true - I knew which card was the pick of the litter for me.  You can probably guess which one I went with too, since it's the only card that has appeared in this blog post so far.

 

As a Cubs fan, a no-hitter has always been a hallowed event.  For most of my lifetime, the Lovable Losers hadn't been able to close the door on such a feat.  From Milt Pappas' shoulda-been perfect game in 1972 (long before I was even a concept) until Carlos Zambrano finally made it through all nine innings in 2008, I'd seen the boys in blue come frustratingly close on several occasions; but, they could never quite cross the finish line.  Thus, even though Jake Arrieta powered through two no-hitters on his own since that dry spell ended, such an event is still absolute must see TV to me.

That's all well and good, though the no-hitter itself wasn't the biggest reason why I wanted Mills' celebratory Now card for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  This bit of baseball history had an extra special personal connection to me... and someone else:

This was the first no-hitter twirled by the Cubs in my newborn son's lifetime!  The little guy doesn't know how lucky he is - it took this team the first 19 years of my life to achieve this feat and it didn't even take them a full month of his to do the same!

 

My wife and I were out and about searching for caffeine (a regular occurrence in Row's early months) while listening to the game on the radio.  As things started getting interesting, we came home and I got to listen to Alec close out the ninth with my new best friend nestled on my lap.  As you can see in the image above, the kid - mouth agape - seemed almost more excited than I did!  I think all the noise and cheering is what stimulated the boy, though I choose to believe that he somehow knew something of significance was happening around him.  All in all, Alec Mill's no-hitter was the first special baseball moment that I was able to share with my son.

Rowan, the 20th time he's heard me ramble about this occurrence.

Admittedly, it's not exactly an enthralling story in and of itself - that being stated, it's something that I will absolutely never forget.  I cannot wait to regale him with the tale when he's older.  In the end, I'm kind of glad it took four years for me to fill Alec Mill's slot in my CATRC binders.  After all, I ended up with a trinket that holds much more significance to me than some unlicensed pajama Onyx oddity that would be forgotten almost as soon as it entered it's tome.

Thanks for the memory, Alec, and - finally - welcome to the Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  Here's hoping you can build off your emergent 2020 season and help solidify the Cubs' Swiss cheese starting rotation in 2021!

Blink And You'll Miss Him

Ian Miller is quick.

In fact, Ian Miller is so speedy that you might not have even seen him in 2020.  While the fleet-footed outfielder is celebrated for his fast-twitch muscles, his MLB tenure last season lasted through exactly one pinch-running appearance in a single game.  He didn't even get to attempt a stolen base either.  Talk about "blink and you missed him!"

Nevertheless, quick though he may be, he did not sneak by Wrigley Roster Jenga and my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder.  No sir.  When I read that the speedster had been called up to the Major League roster - right before the trade deadline - I immediately pounced on saved Ebay listing, like a certain coyote chasing after a certain roadrunner.  Only, in this instance, I was able to catch the card and had exactly no anvils dropped on my head.  It was as if I knew that he'd be streaking back to the alternate training site as soon as trade reinforcements were brought into the fold.

I'd saved the listing for this 2017 Grandstand Texas League All-Star single shortly after I read about his NRI.  I always do research on what's available for such potential Cubs, just in case, and I was quite pleased to find a MiLB single at a reasonable price.  After all, such pieces usually command a bizarre premium on the secondhand market and Miller doesn't have much of a mainstream cardboard footprint.

While, as of now, Miller's Cubs career has flashed by about as speedily as possible, the entirety of his Major League tenure hasn't been much slower.  Prior to his one-game cameo in Chicago, the 28-year old's only other time spent in the Bigs came with the Twins for a paltry 12 games in 2019.  It seems that the eight-year professional is constantly zooming through towns!

In all seriousness, Miller is a post-hype prospect that comes with a weak bat and plus speed, making him an excellent candidate for a September call-up on a contending team, just as he was used in the Twin Cities.  I imagine the Cubs invited him to Spring Training last season with the intentions of employing the same strategy - they almost always stash a speedster for the pennant drive - but the whole COVID thing kinda tossed everything about.  Nevertheless, due to a rash of outfield injuries, he still managed to sneak into that one game before getting designated for assignment.  The team would eventually acquire a different base stealer, but that's a tale for another day.

Being that Miller's time spent in a Cubs uniform lasted less than your average trip to the bathroom, I thought that the Texas League Ebay purchase would represent the player on a permanent basis in my CATRC tome.  Thus, imagine my surprise when I saw this on the checklist for Topps' 2020 Update set:

Initially, I was taken aback by Miller's inclusion in the product.  Hell, I sure wasn't against it - in an ideal world, I want every player who appears in Major League game to have a card in that year.  That being said, I was completely blindsided by the one-game cameo Cub making the cut.  

Although, upon further thought, the checklist for Update has usually been finalized by mid-summer and with the COVID abbreviated schedule last season, we were still in "Summer Camp" mode at that point.  Thus, NRI's and waiver claims that otherwise would be completely ignored by Topps and maybe even cut before the start of the regular season were needed to fluff out the checklist.  This is likely why otherwise unexpected Cubbie inclusions like Miller, Josh Phegley, and Jharel Cotton made it into packs, the latter of which never even appeared in a game for the Cubs.  I mean, even the picture dates from training camp.  It also probably didn't hurt that Miller was on fire in Cactus League play and appeared to be a dark horse candidate to break camp with the Big Leaguers before the shutdown began.

Like I said, I'm not complaining - I'm thrilled to be able to have short-termers like Miller and Phegley properly repped in my CATRC.  Although, now I wish I'd been a little more patient with the Ian hunt.  Oh well.

Ian displaying his skillset during Spring Training 2020.  Photo: Ralph Freso/Getty Images

There may be even more Cubs cards of Ian printed yet, as it was announced earlier in the winter that the Cubs are bringing him back into the fold, once again on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.  Seeing as the team currently has just three outfielders on their whole 40-man roster, the path to extended playing time in Chicago looks pretty damn clear for Miller in 2021.  You might say that he is definitely in the "running" for a regular spot on the roster! *This post was drafted before the Cubs signed Joc Pederson*

At any rate, to Mr. Miller the speedster, here's an ironically belated welcome to the Windy City, goodbye from the Second City, and welcome back again to Chicago from Wrigley Roster Jenga! 

Plundering the Pirates

It seems somebody turned MLB's hot stove on within the last week, cranked it up to 11, and broke off the knob.

In yesterday's post about the startling Job Peterson signing, I theorized that it might not be long before the Cubs would add another player to their roster and to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection. As it turns out, I was even more correct than I thought I'd be - we didn't even make it 48 hours before making another addition. I must say, after nearly a whole off-season's worth of tearing down, I don't really know how to process this sudden spending spree.

Also as expected, the next transaction involved a reclamation project pitcher. In a minor twist, it wasn't any of the starters that the Cubs had been publicly connected too either. I guess you could say that Carlos Rodon was close, he just ended up back on the wrong side of the city. Meanwhile, we have yet to hear anything in the papers about the showcase workouts the team's scouts are confirmed to have attended for Jeff Samardzija, Jake Arrieta, or Mike Foltynewicz.  Although, any one of those three could still blow into the Windy City, as apparently today's signing is not expected to be the last starting rotation candidate to be brought into the fold before Spring Training.

Anyway, I've said an awful lot about guys who are NOT Cubs at this moment; maybe I should actually divulge the name of the guy who did put pen to paper with the Northsiders yesterday afternoon.

Trevor Williams has been with the divisional rival Pirates for the past five years, before the kings of roster teardown kicked him to the curb with every other useful player on their roster who might earn a buck.  Ironic that the Pirates are constantly allowing themselves to be plundered... do they know that they have it backwards?  Honestly, the Ricketts must be so jealous.

Williams was a good middle of the rotation arm for the Buccos from 2016-2018 and even seemed to breakout into a potential staff ace in that latter campaign, posting a 3.11 ERA in 170 frames. However, his Pirate ship sprung a leak in 2019 and sank to the bottom of the sea in 2020 as his walk rate and home run rate both increased to alarming levels. Obviously, those two are two stats that do not pair well together.

While the last couple years haven't been great, he still has a track record of prior success, is only 28, and is retainable through arbitration in '22 if the Cubs can turn him around. The franchise's pitch lab has been quite good at fostering turnarounds for hurlers over the past decade - I mean, they've built one of the most trustworthy bullpens in baseball out of guys whose names you could convince me were randomly generated. Thus, I believe if anyone can turn Trevor around and get him back to his 2018 form, it's the eggheads in the Cubs pitch lab.

It also bears mentioning that with the sharp innings jump from last year to this, overstocking on veteran arms is basically a necessity for any club that doesn't want to spend all their money on medical bills.

With Trevor now bringing his talents to the Windy City, I needed to pick out a corresponding baseball card for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  Hopefully he pitches well enough 2021 that he gets a card in the proper blue uniform; however, for now, a Pirates pasteboard is still required to keep the seat warm.  Unfortunately, I couldn't make a quick run to my local card shop, as an inbound snowstorm caused them to close up shop a couple hours early yesterday evening.  I can't say I blame them either, seeing as it started snowing around 3pm and still hasn't stopped as of this morning.  It's a winter wonderland out there.

Furthermore, I couldn't flip through my Bucco trade stacks in search for a Williams because, well, I don't have those anymore.  Seeing as Baby Burbs and all of his accessories take up a lot of space, I jettisoned everything from my collection that wasn't super special to me or direly needed in order to make room for my new favorite person on the planet - my trade boxes did not make the cut.   So, I did what any sane and rational collector would do... I immediately got antsy and impatient and took to Ebay to pounce on the least offensive overpay that I could find.

That being said, I think I lucked out pretty well.  While a dollar shipped for any single base card on Ebay is usually the going rate, I was able to supersize my purchase with a 2020 Topps Chrome Xfractor for a dollar shipped.  Honestly, my LCS would have probably wanted five bucks for this same card (if they had it); so I guess this actually worked out pretty well in the end.  Who doesn't like shiny things and a good bargain?  Of course, that's all provided the card makes it to my Chicago-area home safely.  

Is it bad luck to blog about a card you don't yet have physically in your possession?  Am I tempting the vengeful cardboard gods?

Speaking of damage, as decent as Trevor's acquisition is, here's hoping that the Cubbies will bring in a few more new buddies to help him shoulder the workload that comes with such a massive innings jump.  Selfishly, I'm hoping for Mike Foltynewicz or Chris Archer - Folty is from the area and a guy my friend went to high school with while Archer already has a Cubs Bowman card since he was a prospect that was shortsightedly traded away before making the ultimate ascent.  While bringing back Jeff Samardzija or Jake Arrieta would bring some warm fuzzies too, I wouldn't get the satisfaction of adding new cards to my collection.  So, what's the point, right?

At any rate, welcome to the Chicago Cubs and to my CATRC binders, Trevor Williams.  I hope you're as excited about this change of scenery as your father is!

Out of Left Field

 

Well, I sure didn't see that coming.

Yesterday morning, the Cubs actually made a move that actively improved the roster, inking slugging outfielder, Joc Pederson, to a one-year, $7 million deal.  The longtime Dodger and World Series hero had not been previously connected to Chicago in any rumor mill rumblings and, of course, the team seemed to spend most of the winter tearing down their roster rather than reinforcing it.  Thus, I guess it's appropriate that the six-year veteran was brought in to be an (more or less) every day corner outfielder, seeing as this acquisition came from WAY out of leftfield.  Honestly, did anyone see this coming?

My tone might come across as ungrateful, but I'm just a bit blindsided.  This is a great move to round out the offense, as Pederson fills the same role that Kyle Schwarber had for year priors but also brings much better defense and comes with a price tag a few million dollars cheaper.  So, I guess you could call this a great compromise move for the penny-pinching ownership and the front office who's still trying to field a competitive club in a supremely weak division.

Correspondingly, once I read about the news, I quickly made a financial transaction of my own.  As soon as I could secure some spare time, I ran out to my local card shop and picked up a Joc Pederson card for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  I guess you could say that I was enthused about the team finally signing a position player to a contract worth more than Daniel Descalso and did so with a guy who carried the 2020 World Series Champions on his back throughout the postseason.  Can you blame me?

I settled on the 2019 Topps Series One single that you see above for my most treasured tome, at least, for the time being.  It's not a particularly exciting piece on it's own, however the prominence of red and blue in it's design help it blend into a Cubs-centric collection a little more smoothly.  Joc will certainly show up in a Cubs uniform in at least one 2021 baseball card product, but this pasteboard can keep his spot warm in the interim.  That future card will definitely feature a different number on his uniform though, as good ol' 31 is retired twice over in Wrigleyville.

An artists rendering of Joc having traded his Dodger Blue for the Cubbie shade. Image courtesy of Clutchpoints.

Moreover, with reports coming out that the Ricketts have recently expanded the budget for on-field talent, Joc might not be the only name added to my CATRC prior to Spring Training.  There's rumors that the team is interested in Kolten Wong for their second base opening; adding him to the lineup would go a long way towards rounding out the offense.  Furthermore, the Cubs have been directly connected to several reclamation pitchers, i.e. Carlos Rodon, Chris Archer, and Mike Foltynewicz, with intent to stock their rotation.  They're scouts have also attended the workouts of old friends Jeff Samardzija and Jake Arrieta; of course, if the Cubs should choose to reunite, a matching CATRC move will not be necessary.

With the addition of Joc to the starting lineup and those potential follow-up moves on the horizon, I can now cross my eyes, squint and see a team with playoff potential.  They're still a bit wishy-washy, but at least they're not planning to start Phillip Ervin anymore.... no offense, Phil!  Plus, they'd actually have to ink Wong and at least two of those rehabbing pitchers with pedigrees for me to actually buy in.  We shall see what develops over the next few days.  However, after weeks of jettisoning Major League talent, it was refreshing to see some come through door instead.

  

...then the Cardinals traded for Nolan Arenado and all those good feelings instantly evaporated.  That's life as a Cubs fan.

Welcome to the original Second City and to my CATRC, Joc Pederson!

Kohl's Cash

Oh, come on!

I know I've been making jokes about the cheapskate Cubs using Kohl's cash to facilitate offseason transactions, but this is plain ridiculous.  Just a little too on the nose.

In case you haven't heard already, yesterday afternoon, the Cubs signed free-agent hurler, Kohl Stewart to a $700,000 Major League contract, every dollar of which is now quite literally Kohl's cash.  

Formerly a top prospect in the Twins organization since his drafting in 2013, Kohl has yet to put it all together in an extended run at the Big League level.  After a couple cups of coffee in 2018 and 2019, Kohl sat out the COVID-riddled 2020 season because of the elevated risk associated with his Type 1 diabetes.  Can't say I blame the guy.  Although, I guess with the vaccine now in play, Mr. Stewart feels a little more comfortable getting back in the ring.  Thus, the Cubs will see if they can throw Stewart in their (very sterile) pitch lab and tinker until they can make something work.

Is anyone else having problems with embedding content with Blogger or is that just me?

In all honesty, this is actually a move that makes quite a bit of sense and the first one the Cubs have made this offseason that I am in favor of.  Stewart is still young (26), comes with a primo pedigree, there are plenty of openings on the pitching staff, and the franchise has actually been pretty good with reclamation moundsmen over the past few years.  So, unlike the real deal, this Kohl's Cash may actually come in handy and not just because it doesn't require you to spend it in the next 12 hours on children's ties or some other ridiculous qualifier.  

If you've never shopped at Kohl's, you must think I'm a loon.  Trust me, "free money" has never been more annoying to use.

Anyway, back to baseball:

Seeing as Kohl was inked to a Major League deal (albeit a small one) and the team has a plethora of openings in both their starting rotation and bullpen, it's almost assured that Stewart will see some innings at Wrigley Field in 2021.  Especially so when you consider the innings bump teams will need to make up after last year's much-shortened schedule - everyone is going to need extra arms in order to avoid killing every arm on their staffs.  

With all that in mind, I went ahead and grabbed the cheapest Stewart card that I could find on Ebay.  Luckily for me, that pasteboard just so happened to be the 2015 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks & Prospects single that you see above, which - if you couldn't tell from the multi-colored sheen - worked out to be a glistening Refractor.  I'd say that worked out well - I'm a sucker for both good deals and shiny objects!

That said, here's hoping that Kohl finally bursts onto the Big League scene in 2021 the way that so many baseball soothsayers anticipated and earns himself a true, blue Cubs card in Update.  As much as I have a "shine" to reflective cardboard, I'd much prefer anything with a Cubbie uniform for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  Well, that and I'd like it if he and my begrudgingly favorite team did well.

At any rate, welcome to Chicago and to my CATRC, Kohl Stewart!

Broder Family Tree

Who's this shadowy-faced fella?  This crow-marked, wily veteran is clearly a San Diego Padre, but that's all you can tell from the front side of this oddball baseball card.  So, since this card is lacking in information, please allow me to pick up the slack.

Bud Hardin had a lengthy 13-year career in minor league baseball, including a long run as a starting infielder in the old, open classification Pacific Coast League in the early 50's.  This circuit almost rivaled the Majors in terms of popularity on the west coast and William Edgar Hardin starred for the Los Angeles Angels throughout the early 50's.  Beyond that, he also appeared up and down the baseball chain for the Giants, Cardinals, Cubs, and Indians organizations in various remote locales from 1942-57.  Of course, there was a nice, lengthy absence from the professional ranks from 1943-45 due to serving his country during a skirmish most of the world was involved with.  From what I understand, a few ballplayers careers were put on pause at this time.

 

To close out his time in organized baseball, Bud started the 1957 season with the original San Diego Padres, returning to the PCL in a stint which is commemorated by the pasteboard which kicks off this post.  However, old glory was not recaptured, as he only got into 17 games before his contract was transferred to the Mobile Bears of the Southern Association.  Both clubs were affiliated with the Indians franchise at the time.  After 21 more contests, Hardin hung up his cleats for good, closing the books on a long and prosperous MiLB career.

Hardin during his brief trial with the '52 Cubs.  Image courtesy of Baseball Birthdays.

In contrast to his time in the bushes, Mr. Hardin had a rather brief career in the Majors, appearing in just three games with the 1952 Chicago Cubs, after he was selected in the Rule 5 Draft out of the Cardinals organization.  In those three contests, Hardin made seven plate appearances - rapping out a single hit (appropriately, a single) - and played a combined, error-less fourteen innings at shortstop and second base.  Shortly after the calendar turned to May, he was sent back down to the minors (the Cubs-affiliated Angels) and that was all she wrote for his MLB career.

While Bud Hardin's Major League career was brief and his stat-line revealed nothing particularly notable, his inclusion is still required for my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.  Like many cameo Cubs of this era and earlier, this was problematic due to a lack of cardboard representation.  After all, the bulk of his playing career dated before the emergence of Topps and, as we've already established, his MLB stats would not have made him a likely subject anyway.  Thankfully, in this department, obscure oddball and regional minor league issues often rescue my most treasured collection and it was no different in this situation.  Although, it should be noted that this particular oddity comes with a bit of notoriety and significance within our hobby.

The 2"x 3", black and white oddity is printed on super thin cardstock, barely a notch above index card quality. Also, it's not hard to tell in this scan that it was printed as part of a sheet, seeing as remnants of the cards on either side were left behind when Bud was sliced out.  Overall, the simplistic card is extremely basic, letting the picture do all of the heavy lifting. The backside continues this minimalist theme:

No stats, no write-up, all we get is Bud's name, team affiliation, and the set information, all of which is  type-written and surrounded in a vast white space.  Based on the info presented, one can thus be forgiven for thinking that this oddball hails from 1957 and being distributed with bags of popcorn. After all, cards of this very size and "design" were handed out in that very manner by teams across the Pacific Coast League in the mid-50's. This is not one of those food premiums though, as it hails from a couple of decades later.  Although, it clearly draws *ahem* inspiration from those popcorn pasteboards.  However, this sit has it's own interesting lineage.

As it turns out, this card comes from a set produced by Ed Broder of the infamous Broder family.  If you were alive and collecting during the junk wax boom, the name Broder should ring all sorts of alarm bells, as Rob Broder became famous for his - shall we say - semi-legitimate outsider baseball card projects.  These off-brand curiosities were originally meant to pump up his sport photography business, but the cards ended up taking on a life of their own. They ended up spreading everywhere - you've definitely seen these cards kicking around the dime boxes and discount bins at card shows.  Nowadays, with everyone and their mother having access to photo editing software and a printer, "customs" and ACEO's have carved out their own niche; but, in the 80's and 90's the Broder works were looked down upon as fakes and phonies.  

Here's a pair of Broders from my collection that I am particularly fond of. Two of my favorite all-time players.

The notoriety rose to such heights during this time of cardboard investment that the family's last name became the catch-all term for counterfeit and collector-issued cards.  While Rob was the guy who accelerated the Broder boom, Rob's father Ed is the one who got the family business off the ground with passion projects such as the 1974 PCL Popcorn set.  Ed seemed to be particularly fond of the PCL, as he separated the wheat from the chaff with set of the league's All-Stars a year later, and Japanese baseball, the subject of several sets on his resume.  All of these products were similar in that they were decidedly not fancy - all picture with small splashes of text.  As evidenced by the cheap cardstock, the wishy-washy cutting, and the minimalistic design, these cards were probably produced with little more than some old programs/magazines, a typewriter, and a facsimile machine.

In the end, cards is cards to me.  Broders, customs, ACEOs, art cards, and anything put out by the major, "legitimate" manufacturers are all equally qualified for a home in my baseball binders.  I have Ars Longa cards displayed next to Topps pasteboards and Monarch Coronas pouched side by side with Upper Decks - a card is a card to me.  After all, where is the line between "legit" and "fake" when it comes to simple cardboard rectangles with pictures meant for children to play with anyway?  With that in mind, this is actually the third Border popcorn piece to find a spot in my CATRC.

Here we have Frank Ernaga and Ed Winceniak - another pair of ballplayers who, like Hardin, had brief runs with the Cubbies but much longer careers in the minor leagues.  Obviously, they also played in the PCL at some point, or they wouldn't appear in a set dedicated to the fan-favorite circuit.  For all three of these men, these ancestral Broders are pretty much the only baseball cards that I can find with their mugs on them.  Without such enterprising baseball fanatics, I wouldn't have been able to add this trio of players to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection - so, thanks a bunch, Ed!

How do you feel about Broders and other such collector-driven releases?  Now, we aren't talking about actual, straight-up counterfeits meant to deceive the naïve, even though the term Broder eventually came to include such nefarious copycats.  Eff that crap.  I'm asking if you have any of Ed of Robs work in your collections?  Perhaps, if we expand the parameters, you might have a Carl Aldana, Helmar, One Star, Gypsy Oak or any one of hundreds of expertly-crafted blogger customs in your binders or boxes?  After all, this stuff is all either descended from or on the same family tree as the work of the Broder clan.  Personally, I feel like these outsider cardboard options add color, variety, and a desperately needed alternative perspective in the baseball card hobby.  These works often cover players, eras, and events that the boys at Topps, Panini, and the like would never bother with.  But, that's just me - what do you think?

In the meantime, I suppose I'll make myself some popcorn and wait for the conversation to get poppin'!