No Nomo? No Problem!

 

"Is this heaven?"  "No, it's Iowa." - Field of Dreams

Honestly, I may be the person most impressed by anything Iowan since that exchange between Ray Kinsella and his father.  As a fellow Midwesterner, I mean no offense to any Iowa natives who might have stumbled out of the corn fields and come across this blog.  It can get pretty dull out here in the vast, flat center of our country.

What isn't boring, came from the Hawkeye State, and has caught my fancy are the cards that Nick from Dime Boxes sent my way.  The royal dime box digger recently acquired a dream pasteboard of his - one that nearly causes this Cubs fan head explode - but, it came as part of a fully-packaged set.  Luckily, among the cast-offs were a trio of cards that I had also been searching high and low for; although, admittedly, they are not nearly as mind-bending as seeing Hideo Nomo in Cubs colors.

In case you hadn't figured it out yet through the title card and the embedded link to Nick's blog, these mysterious Iowan trading cards that I'm dancing around are the 1999 Multi-Ad Sports Iowa Cubs team set:

Why do these basic cards with poor photography and thin cardstock have me so enthused?  After all, these three players combined hardly add up to the significance of the 1995 National League Rookie of the Year and his famed tornado delivery.  Nor do they show nationally renowned stars wearing unfamiliar uniforms.  Does anyone remember Hideo Nomo's superfluous stint in the Chicago Cubs organization?  One can hardly blame you if you don't as it was only three starts long - singed to a MiLB deal in March, Nomo exercised an opt-out after the Cubs neglected to add him to their MLB roster.

The 1999 Cubs were terrible and saw three of their regular starters post ERA's over five, including Andrew Lorraine above.  Sure seems like they could have afforded to give Nomo a proper audition...but, what do I know?  Maybe I'm just salty because I wish I could add such a noteworthy player to my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.

Tell me that sight doesn't melt your brain a little bit!  Image courtesy of the Des Moines Register.

 

Anyway, these guys are no Nomo, but they are significant to me and my CATRC.  All three of these men made brief appearances with the Chicago version of the Cubs either before or after their cards were printed.  Unfortunately for this team collector, with the exception of one rarely seen oddball for Lorraine that I only discovered after this acquisition, none of this trio appeared on a card in their Windy City digs.  Thus, these Multi-Ad's are as close as I can possibly get to representing them within the pages of my CATRC in proper Cubbie Blue.  When it comes to fringe roster guys, I often have to dip into their minor league cards in this manner.

So, when I saw Nick's post about his purchase of the 1999 Iowa team set and that he really only cared about the Nomo, I quickly perused the checklist for short-termers and offered to trade.  Being the kind and generous soul that he is, the Dime Box king gladly obliged.  

In case you were curious, here's the skinny on there three mostly Iowa, sometime Chicago Cubs.  Doug Creek snuck into three games out of the bullpen in 1999 and was walloped for seven runs in just six innings.  Lorraine rode the Iowa/Chicago shuttle as a Quad A-type player from 1999-2000 getting into a total of 19 games as a swingman.  Derrick White's Cubs tenure and entire MLB career was already over when this card rolled off the presses, having appeared in 11 games with the surprise 1998 NL Wild Card winners.  While he did not appear in the playoffs, he did contribute to the playoff cause by smacking a game winning home run in a contest against the White Sox - his only big fly of the season.

Above, you can see the cards from other organizations which were unseated by Nick's generosity.  The White and Lorraine singles will be repurposed for my binder of extra minor league cards feature Major League Cubs, seeing as they hail from each player's prospect days.  Meanwhile, you might say that this Giant  Doug is up a Creek.

Now, with Nick being the gracious ruler of Dimeboxdonia that he is, the monarch didn't just send me the agreed upon Iowa cards.  Also stuffed into the PWE was a bunch of bonus Cubs-related cardboard, which packed an extra thrill into a trade that I was already pumped about.  What a guy, eh?

Taking a look at the surprise inclusions, let's stick with the minor leagues for a minute:

Syketo Anderson has one heckuva name - too bad he didn't make the Major Leagues because that would be a mighty moniker for the CATRC.  However, his brother was able to break through onto the game's biggest stage and you might have heard of him:  12-year veteran, Marlon Anderson.  Little brother was only able to top out at A-ball in 2001; though, he did stay active in the indy leagues for a little while after that.

Gotta love Total for really digging into the weeds.  I'm so glad that Topps rebooted this brand!

Getting a little more modern, Nick got me updated on 2020 Update too:

Figures that I just bought the team set for this set a couple of weeks prior - that's what I get for being impatient.  That's okay though, a few extras never hurt a blogger.  Plus, even though he didn't end up playing in 2020, dig that awesome double play turn on Daniel Descalso's card!

At this point, the trade started getting odd.... oddball heavy, that is!

Next up, was a pair of pasteboards from the 2000 Fox Sports Net set that was given away at Wrigley Field that year.  I absolutely love the unique design on these cards and I am strongly considering swapping these into my CATRC for whatever cards are already repping Brown and Tapani.  The TV-like graphical elements (apropos for a set sponsorship by a television station) make this SGA collation rather unique and any set that incorporates uniform numbers gets some bonus points from this blogger as well.

Finally, in stark contrast with a TV-based set, we close with a couple of cards that are aping designs from sets of long ago, when such a modern luxury wasn't even a glimmer in your granpappy's eye:

 

Adbert Alzolay's appearance in the PWE comes via a rookie card insert evoking the hand-painted lithographs of the Turkey Red days near the turn of the previous century.  Here's hoping Adbert does some painting of his own in 2021, specifically painting the corners seeing as he'll be heavily counted upon to shore up the Cubs', shall we say, iffy starting rotation.  Furthermore, for as easy on the eyes as this RC is, let's hope that Adbert is just as tough on opposing hitters!

 

 

Finally, the last card contained with the plain, white envelope was a modern-ish reprint of a 1910 Plow Boys tobacco antique, featuring a World Champion outfielder in Jimmy Sheckard.  Much like Iowa Cubs minor league issues, reprints are another fertile source for new additions to the CATRC due to their offering low budget options for aged and obscure players from the distant past.  I already have a Sheckard in my collection, but I like the look of this sepia-toned re-do - Jimmy looks so regal!

With that, we've reached seen all of the contents of Nick's PWE and what a PWE it was.  I should have known that it was going to be a doozy and not just because it came from Nick - just look at the awesome, tone-setting stamp that he affixed to the front:

We all know that Nick has exquisite taste in cardboard.  Don't sleep on this man's taste in music though, as his ongoing and fascinating saga with Jim Walewander and the Dead Milkmen also indicates. 

Meanwhile, if you are sitting on any minor league cards of Cubs affiliates or reprints featuring Cubbies of long ago era, I would love to talk trade.  They don't just have to be Iowa Cubs cards; it's just that since they are the Cubs AAA affiliate, those sets often feature the most eventual Major Leaguers.  Plus, I selfishly like that the team uses the same colors, name, and similar logos to the parent club.  These factors allow me to cross my eyes and see a true Cubs card for the purposes of my CATRC!

My thanks go out to Dime Box Nick and to the state of Iowa for stuffing the coffers of my favorite baseball card collection.  Nick - keep an eye on your mailbox!  Iowa - keep hosting the Iowa Cubs, please!

Smalley to Terwilliger to the Right Field Stands

The Cubs have had a bevy of famous double play combinations throughout their long and sometimes storied history.  Of course, there's the poetic trio of Hall of Famers, Tinker to Evers to Chance - "a trio of bear Cubs fleeter than birds" and all that jazz.  Then, several decades later, the 1960's brought us the all All-Star infield powered by Kessinger to Beckert to Banks, who got oh-so-close to breaking the Cubs streak of futility.  Further still, the teams of the 80's and 90's had people passing through the turnstiles to see Dunston to Sandberg to Grace; you'd think they'd have done better than one playoff appearance with that slick-fielding bunch.  All in all, the franchise has managed to put together some decent infields over the years.

As notable as those combos were, there's yet another that earned a fair bit of attention during the time they were together.  In the 1950's, advanced scouting reports chattered all about Smalley to Terwilliger to... the right field stands!

 

 

The Cubs teams of the 1950's were always stuffed to the gills with young potentials that could never put it all together at the same time, only once reaching the .500 mark in '52 (77-77).  Like many Cubs prospects at this time, both Roy Smalley and Wayne Terwilliger eventually went on to have long and productive careers as role players.  However, when the two first came up, the young firebrands could hardly control their throwing arms, earning their infamous DP branding.  For instance, in 1950, Smalley was charged with 51 errors at shortstop while Terwilliger added 24 more from second base.  First baseman, Dee Fondy, was probably the most well stretched out man in professional sports!

While Smalley stayed in Chicago for most of his playing days, Wayne Terwilliger ventured out to far greener pastures.  In a professional baseball career that extended through eight decades and began when Harry Truman occupied the White House, "Twig" backed up Jackie Robinson in Brooklyn, won a pair of World Series rings as a coach in Minnesota, and stayed active as a manager and/or coach in the minor and independent leagues until well into the Barack Obama administration.  Talk about longevity! 

 

In fact, at the time the old second baseman was hired to manage the Fort Worth Cats in 2003, he became the oldest manager in minor-league history at age 77.  After three years at the helm of the United Baseball League club, he would wrap up his 62-year baseball career at the Cats' first base coach in 2010.

 

 

 

To really hammer home the point, take a look at his rookie and sunset cards, side by side. I don't have either of these (though I really wouldn't mind tracking them down), so thanks to the Trading Card Database for the scans!

 

It should also be noted that prior to making it with the Cubs, Terwilliger joined the United States Marine Corps and fought in the Pacific Theater during World War II.  A couple of the more famous conflicts in which Terwilliger fought include the Battle of Saipan (as a tank operator) and the immortalized Battle of Iwo Jima.   While he may have had an interesting career on the diamond, he was a certified hero off of it.

 

With that, it grieves me to say that, yesterday, the 95-year old baseball lifer left this mortal coil.  At the time of his death, the near-centenarian was the oldest living former Chicago Cub, a title which he now passes onto short-term reliever, Bobby Shantz, who is a scant three months younger than "Twig."  

 

 

 

Shantz's brief tenure in Chicago was measured in months, so no Cubs card exists of the man.  This Fleer Greats of the Game single has repped the now eldest statesman of the franchise in my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection binder since I pulled from a pack at CVS in 2005.

 

Speaking of cardboard representation, as of now, Wayne Terwilliger is represented in my CATRC by the Card Collector's Company (CCC) reprint you saw earlier in this post.  Yea, unfortunately it's not a true 1951 Bowman and rather a reprint from the late 1980's.  While the reprint is fairly high-quality, a man of his intrigue deserves to be repped by the real deal.  Here's hoping that I can track down a more deserving card of Twiggy in the near future. 

 

Terwilliger may have been part of perhaps the most infamous double play combination in Cubs' history, thanks to his live-arm, but he ended up contributing so much more to the game and to the world at large.

R.I.P., Wayne Terwilliger.

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!