Recap Brandon Barnes' 1st Annual Barnyard Wiffleball Invitational 12/14/13

Southern California native outfielder Brandon Barnes returned to his roots to put on the 1st Annual Barnyard Wiffleball Invitational at the Anaheim based The Office Sports Academy. The charity event featured a wiffleball tournament, raffle, silent auction, vendor booths and food truck all in support of the  Pediactric Cancer Research Foundation.

The cause is especially close to Barnes' heart as his younger brother had a condition which required treatments from 13 months old through the 8th grade to become cancer free. What was especially nice was the event got large press coverage, making the Astros' official MLB website and some television promotion prior to occurring.

Typically for events like this the promotional coverage doesn't always spread beyond direct sponsors or sites covering athlete appearances. Seeing the cause being discussed on a national scale is a huge success for Brandon Barnes. The event was well run and organized, appearing to be a resounding success raising significant funds through entry fees, raffle tickets and the live auction. Hopefully the event is repeated and further coverage can increase attention to the PCRF for more information about the foundation you can read it here on their site.

I got Brandon Barnes' autograph on this ROMLB and he was nice enough to inscribe the "Cycle 7/19/13" he hit for the Houston Astros. Now that he's moving to the Coors Field I think his offense will continue to shine. Barnes was kind enough to share a few moments to answer a few questions about his career and involvement with the PCRF which you can read here.

Barnes' rallied support from fellow Southern California natives and big leaguers Angels' infielder Grant Green and Oakland A's infielder Daric Barton to donate items and play in the tournament with him.  Barnes is in the far back and Barton is to the right behind the bar.

Also I had Grant Green autograph this 2010 Bowman Platinum prospect card.

Though Daric Barton and former All Star Gregg Jefferies were there I didn't have any cards or photos for them to sign and I declined to drop a ball on them. After getting Green and Barnes' autographs they were kind enough to spend a few minutes being interviewed by me which I will post soon. When the interviews were over I watched some more wiffleball and hung out for the raffle before leaving since former Angels slugger Mark Trumbo was a no show and didn't make an appearance.

It was a nice event and I'm looking forward to seeing the PCRF and Brandon Barnes work together in the future. Hopefully Grant Green makes it a tradition to rock a neon bandana while playing.

RBI (6) I better keep the blog from going wayward...

And get back to talking about a cards with one from Heyward. That's right folks today as I was getting ready to leave for work I heard a few rings on my doorbell. I went to the door to see who it was, and it was my friendly neighborhood spider...I mean mailman. I was a bit surprised to see him as I hadn't ordered anything that I could think of when he handed me a small bubble package to sign for. I signed, went to the counter and popped it open it by pleasantly surprised.

If you've been keeping up and remember my very first pack ever was a Bowman Platinum that contained a wonderful Mike Trout autographed refractor. Well the second pack was pretty nifty too, you see it contained this weird little card inside.

I logged onto the Topps site and filled out the redemption information and proceeded to mainly forget about it since the site informed me it expected delivery in mid-June. Well here we are in the first week of May and the mailman delivered this!

Yup that would be an Jason Heyward autographed refractor with a game worn Jersey relic numbered 53/740. I'm not very well versed in Braves gear so I'd appreciate anyone who could help me identify what it came off of. Jason Heyward's autograph is definitely a crown jewel within my collection. To say I got lucky with my first blaster of Bowman Platinum is an understatement.

Heyward is a talent very similar to the other outfielder I pulled in the blaster, by that I mean a future franchise cornerstone. Named the 2009 Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America and USA Today, and was the consensus number one prospect in all of baseball coming into the 2010 season.

Heyward was known for strong plate discipline and delivering towering home runs and demonstrated both when he joined the major league club.  During the Braves 2010 Spring Training a Heyward homer broke the sun roof of Braves Assistant GM Bruce Manno and David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Manager Bobby Cox said the Braves would most likely install nets to protect the cars from $3,400 dollar damage estimates like Manno's.

When he began the season as the starting right fielder for the Braves he was assumed to be a lock for National League Rookie of the Year honors. He further fanned the flames of hype when he homered in his first Major League at bat off Carlos Zombrano. For his efforts he was elected a starter for the 2010 All-Star game, but due to a thumb injury that began to hamper his season did not play. He finished the season with only a .277 avg but a staggering .393 OBP in 142 games. His power numbers flashed with his 18 Home Runs, 5 Triples, and 29 Doubles with his 11 steals. Despite his strong numbers he was out shined for NL Rookie of the Year honors by fellow Georgian Buster Posey who ran away in the second half leading a resurgent Giants club to steal the NL West from the Padres in the final game of the season and eventually win the 2010 World Series.

In 2011 Heyward started the season the same way as 2010 and went deep off Livian Hernandez in his first at bat of the season and is helping the Braves stay in the hunt for the NL East title. In 32 games he is batting only .241 but again with a high on base percentage reaching at strong .346 clip. When he is connecting he's muscling the ball very well and has 7 Home Runs, a triple, and 4 Doubles.  While he isn't hitting for average so long as he keeps being a constant long ball threat and taking walks, it's highly unlikely many in the Braves organization will complain about having a Gold Glove All Star in the organization.

You can follow Jason Heyward @JasonHeyward on twitter at http://twitter.com/jasonheyward

RBI (4) A speedy return from a speedy Petey

Well while the Angels are on the road in Boston I think it's a good time to bring up my first TTM success. On April 19, 2011 I popped a few letters in the mail, but I was most anxious over the one to my favorite Angel on the roster. This is a player with not only more nicknames than the average player, but pretty awesome ones. I'm referring of course to Peter Bourjos aka "Gorgeous Bourjos", "Speedy Petey", "PB n' J", and "Peter Rabbit".

Bourjos was the Angels' 10th round selection in the 2005 draft and has proven to be quite the prize for the Angels scouting department.

When he initially came up with the club in 2010 some were concerned over moving 9-time Gold Glover Torii Hunter to right field, but Bourjos' play is absolutely stellar and he has quieted all those concerned. Baseball America has ranked Bourjos as the Angels "Best Defensive Outfielder" as well as "Fastest Baserunner" and he has already accumulated an impressive highlight reel of would be doubles turned into outs. Despite being known mainly for his speed, Bourjos proved his arm is also an asset and has provided 10 Outfield Assists.

In 2010 Bourjos played in 51 games and had only a .204 avg over 181 at-bats with 40 strikeouts. However he showed signs of making the proper adjustments toward the end of the season and his average began to climb while he used his speed and surprising power to hit 6 Home Runs, 6 Doubles, and 4 Triples with 10 Steals.

Despite the addition of Toronto Blue Jays Gold Glove center fielder Vernon Wells the Angels kept Bourjos with the Major League club as the starting center fielder. I decided that my first batch of TTM attempts would have to include the speedy youngster and I sent a letter as well as two cards to him. Bourjos kept with his fast play and in only 8 Days I was opening my mailbox to find the 2010 Bowman Platinum Rookie Card I sent signed "Pete Bourjos 25".

Building off the 2010 success Bourjos is batting .297 with 2 Home Runs,  5 Doubles, and 4 Triples with 3 Steals in only 29 games. In the April 26, 2011 game against Oakland, Peter tied the Angels franchise record for triples in a game with 2. Despite a few errors initially as he adjusted to being flanked by two Gold Glovers he is learning to field the position well at the Major League level and continues to add to his reputation as one of the best new out fielders in the game. Without a doubt he's going to be a top competitor for the Rawlings Gold Glove in Center Field for years to come. Here's one image of his slick fielding on the second card he signed, his 2011 Topps card.

Peter Bourjos signed these two cards sent to him at Angel Stadium along with a letter asking him a few questions, which wasn't included in the return envelope. I just mailed out my thank you letter to him, sorry Pete, but I wasn't able to pick up stamps quite as fast as I wanted to but I appreciate your autograph.  

You can follow Peter Bourjos @pbourjos on twitter at http://twitter.com/pbourjos

RBI (1) In honor of the events across the pond...

I'll have the post today be concerned with baseball's version of royalty today. Who could I possibly mean by that? Ruth? Mantle? Williams? Robinson?

No baseball fans. On the day of the wedding between Prince William Arthur Phillip Louis to the now Princess Catherine we will talk about one of our own royal heirs. This particular prince is heir to the throne of Tim 'King Fish' Salmon, Mr. Mike Trout.

The Angels reeled in another prize through the draft in the 2009 draft with the 25th pick overall selecting Michael N. Trout of New Jersey. After a successful 2010 season in the minors with Cedar Rapids, batting .362 with 6 home runs, 39 rbi, and 45 stolen bases in 82 games, Trout was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game hosted by the Angels in Anaheim. Having been in attendance of the game, I promise you Trout live was almost as exciting as his final line of 2 hits in 4 at-bats with a pair of runs scored. Angels prospect Hank Conger was named game MVP, but Trout was a gem to watch and overshadowed much hyped prospects Mike Moustakas and Desmond Jennings.

Promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes for 50 games Trout batted .306 with 4 home runs, 19 rbi, and 11 steals. For all his efforts Trout was named 2010 J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the Topps/Minor League Player of the Year. Prior to the beginning of the 2011 season Trout was named the #1 prospect in all of baseball by MLB Network's Top 50 Prospects, and ESPN's Keith Law in his top 100 prospect list, and became the crown jewel of the Angel's farm system.

Currently Trout is with the AA Arkansas Travelers with a robust .302 average with 4 home runs and 3 steals after only 17 games.

I pulled this Mike Trout rookie Bowman Platinum Autograph from my very first pack of Bowman Platinum cards. Obviously I saw this as a sign from the Angels (pun intended) that collecting was meant to be. Only time will tell if Trout will become the new 'King Fish' but he looks like he will have a very bright future when he holds court at the Big A. Especially now that he's won the 2012 Rookie of the Year award and came second in the AL MVP voting to Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera.