RBI (206) Sonny Gray...

Well Billy Beane's done it again in finding the right arm at the tight time in starting pitcher and future star Sonny Gray. Gray was first drafted in the 27th round of the 2008 draft but held out and went to Vanderbilt until the 2011 MLB draft when he was taken 18th overall by Oakland.

Gray made an immediate impact for the A's when he was called up in 2013 and made his MLB debut. He helped the A's clinch their playoff berth and then went up against reigning Cy Young winner Justin Verlander in the playoffs for two strong starts. He's stepped up as a big arm in the rotation as the starter who took the mound for the A's home opener and is pushing them toward another AL West title.

I was able to get this Sonny Gray autographed baseball before a game when the A's came to play the Angels during the 2014 season. It's nice getting promising young players and getting him on a ball sweet spotted before the hype train really gets going and they stop sweet spotting is always a bonus.

RBI (171) Jonny Gomes...

Big thanks to Matt from MC's Autographs for this one. I was hanging out at the stadium waiting for the Red Sox when he gave me this Jonny Gomes 8x10 that he had an extra copy of so I could get it signed. I never had gotten Gomes before, so it was cool to drop a nicer item than just a card.

Gomes was taken in the 18th round of the 2001 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He debuted for the Rays in September of 2003 and then finally stuck around after a big year in the minors in 2005. He's played for the Rays, Reds, Nationals, A's and currently the Red Sox. He's been a spark plug in the rebuilt Red Sox being a part of the Red Sox beard nation that has helped rebound them from the Bobby Valentine destruction into dominance of the American League.

Jonny Gomes autographed this 8x10 photograph for me when the Red Sox came to play the Angels during the 2013 season. He laughed when he was signing the photo and a player in the dugout I couldn't see made a comment about the shot, responding he must have been hustling after a steak dinner.

RBI (158) Yoenis Cespedes...

Even though he's still relatively new to the game I'm not sure I need much more of an introduction for Cuban slugger Yoenis Cespedes. After putting on an absolute clinic on his way to winning the 2013 Home Run Derby everyone is taking note of the Oakland A's hard hitting outfielder.

Cespedes defected from Cuba successfully in the summer of 2011 after multiple attempts to reach the United States. After his defection he signed a 4 year 36 million dollar contract with the Oakland A's. He debuted in the 2012 season and if he hadn't come onto the scene at the same time as divisional rival Mike Trout he would have easily won Rookie of the Year after powering the A's to relevance. It had often been wondered what Billy Beane could do with the A's if he had a little more money to throw at a bat and his savvy trades and big investment in Cespedes paid off for a 2012 Divisional title and a contending 2013 team.

I was able to get this Yoenis Cespedes autographed baseball during the 2013 season when the A's played the Angels at Angel Stadium. Yoenis was really nice to the fans, posing for photos while signing a healthy number of autographs. I was really surprised that he was so willing to sign at the first series since winning the 2013 Home Run Derby since many players would hold off until they could get a payday for it. I'm not sure if he'll be in the derby again considering the wrist injury he suffered immediately  when he returned to action for the A's so it's nice to get him to sign so soon after winning the derby against Bryce Harper.

RBI (152) A Frontline Starter...

A key part to the surging and surprising success of the Oakland A's is a lockdown rotation with young arms that make the entire rotation loaded with frontline talent, and starting pitcher Jarrod Parker is a large part of that success.

Parker was taken with the 9th overall pick out of the 2007 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was included as a key part of the deal that sent Trevor Cahill from the A's to the Diamondbacks to help push both teams to playoff relevance. In his first year he was part of the upstart A's season taking the AL West by storm going 13-8. His sophomore season started with some difficulties, but he's turned his struggles around and is again being an anchor in the rotation to help the A's pushing to be the top of the AL West.

I was able to get Parker to autograph this 2012 Topps Heritage card for me after he pitched in the Angels home opener for the 2013 season. For those of you curious about different signing habits of specific players every time I've seen Parker sign autographs he is firmly a "one per" kind of player so don't go out with a big stack expecting him to knock them out or hope to get a ball and card done.

RPS (5) Cory Hahn and Trinity Bat Company 2nd Annual Homerun Challenge

Many of you have probably seen the fine posts posted by David and Matt about the event but I thought I would chip in my thoughts on the benefit. First off if you don't know who Cory Hahn is you should read a brief summary of his story which is truly inspirational.

Cory remains a fine symbol of inspiration and hard work and his steadfast resolve to recover is part of why the Trinity event is so popular. I'd like to thank the Trinity Bat Company and Mater Dei High School for their support of Cory and helping to create such a great event. Supporting Cory so he can continue to inspire those facing hardships through demonstrating his own determination.

The event breaks down into a Home Run derby with different categories of hitters, highlighted by the pro division with real MLB players and minor leaguers taking swings. It's fast becoming a favorite event amongst autograph seekers considering the friendly atmosphere and timing during the off season. I know I definitely enjoyed last years event and this year was even better.

Players arrived to the event to a fairly large crowd of autograph seekers. Some were more friendly to the wave of cards, bats, and photos waiting for them while others wanted to get to the cages to warm up first before they signed. Trayvon Robinson of the Orioles was kind enough to sign for us walking in and you can see the crowd waiting for him.

Kyle from Addictive Artwork was there with some of his quality paintings. You can see his work on his Twitter and see some very nice pieces that many pros have commissioned for themselves from Josh Reddick, Mike Trout, Hank Conger and Mike Adams.

If you notice in the background there is a guy in bright green shoes, that'd be Daric Barton hanging out in the background waiting for some food from a food truck. I didn't get any food from that food truck but I did get a burger and root beer from the Burger Monster Food Truck. It was pretty delicious especially in the middle of a busy day. If you're in Orange County looking for a new tasty spot to try look up their truck on Twitter.

The event organizers set up a few tables to display Trinity bats, silent auction items, and for the players to have a designated signing area. Since I couldn't move in line and was busy handling my items when I got close enough you may be able to get a peek of Mark Trumbo getting ready to sit down to sign.

I thought I had come pretty well prepared for the event, but I was completely mistaken and overwhelmed by the amount of minor leaguers who were there to support the event. I had almost no supplies for them and wasn't sure who was who so I minimized my prospect graphing and stuck to what I knew. I think I came away from the event pretty well in the end.

On his way in I was able to get Trayvon Robinson to sign this 2012 Topps Heritage card. Trayvon is strictly 1 autograph per person especially since he takes the time to personalize his autograph. I know some collectors don't like it, especially since in Southern California there are plenty of dealers, but I enjoy that he wrote "To Ryan Best Wishes"

After Trayvon I was able to get Daric Barton to sign from the designated autograph table. He signed this sharp looking 2010 Allen and Ginter card for me and was surprised when I asked if he could inscribe his "Fielding Bible 2010" but was nice enough to write it for me.

While waiting in line for Mark Trumbo I was able to get top Rockies 3rd base prospect Nolan Arenado's autograph on his way in. I'm not normally a big fan of prospecting but I think a 2 time All-Star Futures Game participant with tons of offensive potential was more than worth a ROMLB and he was nice enough to sweet spot it. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do in the bigs with the Rockies.

After I stayed in line for Trumbo I was able to get my moment with him at the front of the line when I handed him my custom bat to sign. I told him how I looked up a game used bat of his online and had my own Trinity pro model made to the same specs that he uses. He tried to check the nob but it was covered by a Trinity sticker so he actually put down the sharpie, took a half swing and nodded that the bat felt right. I was really happy to not only have gotten it made right but that the big leaguer I had it made to be like had swung it. Mark signed the bat and was nice enough to inscribe "All Star" for me.

Following Trumbo, Dodger great Steve Garvey sat down at the table and he autographed my bat also. He was kind enough to inscribe "'74 NL MVP" underneath his name. 

On his way out of the event I was able to get Ian Stewart autographed this 2011 Topps card. If you look up his past stats you'll see he put his Cubs number 2 instead of his Rockies number.

Also on his way out of the event I was able to get Steve Garvey again as he was walking with his son, prospect Ryan Garvey. Steve Garvey autographed this Gold Glove Baseball for me under the logo and I was happy to add another slick fielder to my collection of Gold Glovers on the special balls. 

I'd like to note that Garvey showed a real sign of class agreeing to come to the event and sign seeing as he was leaving the charity benefit to go sign at a paid signing. Not many players do free signings let alone on the same day they could be charging their fans. I really appreciated him making this appearance.

After Garvey I was able to get one of the prospects who made an unexpected appearance at the event. Padres No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft Max Fried come to show his support and he was nice enough to inscribe "#7 Pick" on a Trinity business card.

The last thing I got for the day was one from none other than Cory Hahn's autograph. 

It was a great event and I'm very happy with how everything went. I know most graphers tend to walk away from events like this with racks of balls and pages of cards signed, but I prefer the one or two approach with the nice inscriptions for my collection. 

The Trinity Bat Co. has definitely made a lasting mark with big leaguers from the high quality of their bats and events. I don't think anyone left with anything but the best experience. I'm glad to report that the whole event raised more than $10,000 for the Cory Hahn Fund and I'm proud to have partaken the past two years. 

RBI (58) The 365's 6th TTM signer has been busy...

Oh yes A's General Manager and partial owner Billy Beane has been quite busy this off season. The popular General Manager and former player is credited as one of the driving forces for modernizing the game of baseball into it's current incarnation of stat and metric savy front offices.

Beane's story is a famous one in part due to his unusual transition from player to successful front office member and the bestselling book turned film Moneyball. Billy was taken with the 23rd pick in the first round of the 1980 Draft by the Mets who also drafted Daryl Strawberry in the first round. Despite receiving a full scholarship to Stanford Beane signed with the Mets. Believing Beane to be an advanced player the Mets put him in Class-A ball while Strawberry got to take a slower approach to develop into a more complete player. Beane struggled with the level of competition, and would never be given the opportunity to fully develop before being forced into the Majors.

From 1984-1989 Beane was essentially a quad-A player for the Mets, Twins, Tigers, and A's. Being brought to a higher level of play each season only to falter and be sent down to the minors where he would show he was starting to harness his abilities and be rushed back up to the Majors for a few games where he wouldn't be able to stick. Finally Beane walked out of the clubhouse and into the front office where he became an advanced scout for the A's and never left eventually becoming General Manager and a part owner.

As GM Beane helped popularize "Moneyball" throughout baseball. Using metrics to determine players' true values based on statistics such as OBP, SLG, and advanced defensive statistics. With one of the smallest payrolls in baseball Beane found success in the early 2000's setting the American League record of 20 consecutive Wins and 4 strong appearances in the playoffs. Since his success other front offices such as the Red Sox, Angels and the Blue Jays have strongly invested in the principles of sabermetrics and the landscape of the game has rapidly been changing.

Beane signed this 1987 Topps card sent to his office at the Oakland Coliseum in only 7 days. Interestingly it was postmarked and sent back at the same time Beane is to have been signing Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. I guess since Beane got Cespedes' autograph on his contract he decided to give out a few of his own.

Big League Interview (3) Grant Balfour

While at Angel Stadium I was hanging out during the Oakland A's batting practice and noticed a few people with some noticeable accents. By noticeable I mean awesome as there were a few Australians in the stands. It turns out that these were ball players from Australia who knew aussie Grant Balfour.

We had a pretty brief encounter as I hung out listening to their conversation (obviously listening not eavesdropping but they didn't seem to mind) about other Australians in the league and a few minor leaguers. It's a pretty small community and nice to know that they had a pretty good handle on all their countrymen in the US trying to make it in the bigs. It was also cool as he leaned in and shared some insider knowledge that hadn't been announced to yet, that he was told earlier in the day that he was going to get the shot as closer after Brian Fuentes' woes on the diamond.

After the guys left Balfour's family was actually there and he chatted with them for a while (I took a few steps away down the wall so they could have family time and didn't listen in). When his parents started to leave I reclaimed my spot on the wall and talked to Balfour myself for a minute.

Since this happened the first time the A's were in town, Balfour saw a ball come his way and started to check out the 50th anniversary logo stamped on the ball. I told him he should snag a few for his family since it's a pretty nice ball and he seemed to like the design. He handed the one he had been checking out to me and it was actually my first 50th anniversary ball (more on that ball later). He offered to get me a better ball since the 50 stamp was "Pretty beat up" as a thanks for the tip on the anniversary ball, but I declined and thanked him for the offer since it was my first 50th anniversary ball.

His family was on the way back so I had Grant autograph a ball for me then asked him the one question I had been dying to know about the former Tampa Bay Ray.

Did you like playing as a visitor in Boston or New York more?
(Insert Australian accent) "Oh New York mate." I probably should have asked him which stadium in general he liked to pitch at because Balfour's stats against the Sox and Yankees especially away aren't anything he'd be overly fond of. At Old Yankee Stadium he posted a 3.00 ERA and had batters hitting .393 against him. At Fenway a 6.75 ERA and .295 average awaited him.

I didn't have a chance to catch up to Grant the second time the A's came to town, but it was nice to share that little moment at the start of the season.

RBI (17) The A's manager may go...

But Gio Go-nzalez isn't going anywhere this week but to the mound. As mentioned before in my first contest I was able to get Oakland Athletics pitcher Gio Gonzalez to sign for me before a game at Angel Stadium. Gio put on a pretty good show during batting practice running around competing for fly balls against some of the other pitchers and when a ball was in doubt used the always reliable method of throwing his glove at the ball to knock it down.

Gio was a 1st Round supplemental pick for the Chicago White Sox in 2004 but was traded around as a top prospect before finally breaking into the Majors. He was sent from the White Sox to the Phillies, back to the White Sox, and eventually scooped up by Oakland's Billy Beane in 2008 where he would finally make an MLB appearance.

Gio had a tough rookie year and in his first 30 appearances between '08 and '09 he had given up 92 runs in only 132 innings for an abysmal ERA. However 2010 led to a breakthrough and batters were held to a .229 average and in 33 starts Gio held a 3.23 ERA with a 15-9 record.

Building off his success last season Gio has made 2011 a strong year for him so far. In 12 starts despite the slumping A's offense he has a 5-4 record with an outstanding 2.62 ERA despite having 33 Walks due to a .233 average hitters have against him. Who knows with the way the A's offense has been, no dominant closer, and 4 other starters on the DL Gio's first half may make him the A's lone (and league required) representative to the All-Star game.

Gio Gonzalez autographed this Topps 2011 card for me and then an additional (and awfully pretty) 2011 Team card after batting practice at Angel Stadium during a four game series in Anaheim. 

Sac Fly (1) The first contest...

Well seeing as I've been able to have a little bit of luck pulling cards this week and in person at the stadium I think it's time to spread some of the luck and host my first contest.  I'll get more complicated and random fun with my contests as you can tell by this one.

The first contest I'll admit is a little self serving. For only having the blog up for about a month I've gotten a fair number of hits and am glad people have found interest in the stuff I'm putting up. So to continue working my way into this great community I need the word spread about what I'm doing on this blog. So here's the prize and the rules:

Prize:
-2 unopened packs of Topps Heritage 2011 OR Gypsy Queen OR 1 of each. Winner's choice.
-Additional cards from my collection of your selected team.

How it works:
The Oakland A's were in town this last home stand and I was able to get a few in person autographs of members of the team. So here's the contest 3 different A's players signed autographs for me. Guess who I was able to get and you win the prize. Also in your guess leave which packs you would prefer if you win.

The winner will be the person who gets the most players guessed correctly. If there is a tie I will use a random number generator for all valid correct entries. If no one guesses any of the players correctly I will use a random number generator for all entries to determine the winner.

How to enter:
Like I said, I'm self serving in this contest. Mainly because as it stands now there will most likely only be 2 entries in the contest if I didn't add this part. All you have to do to enter is comment your guess. You can leave a second guess as a valid entry if with your second entry you post a link to your own site announcing/linking this contest (2 entry max).


Contest will close Friday June 3rd at 11:59 PM PST, and the winner will be announced Saturday June 4th.