Autograph Recap Angels vs Mariners Opening Series...

Baseball. It's back. The first team to come into town was Seattle Mariners and I did pretty well knocking out the first part of my complete 2014 Topps Heritage set.

Game 1: I wasn't able to get anything pre-game so I gave up and went to grab a nice lunch with Rob and Benson to celebrate baseball coming back. It was a good change of pace from the normal value menu binge we make later on in the season. When we went inside it was great to be officially back. I started off with Logan Morrison signing a pair of his Topps Heritage. Lomo autographed one normally and on the other wrote his twitter handle "@cupoflomo" for me.

Next up I was able to get the new man of the hour Robinson Cano's autograph. To be honest I was a little unprepared for Cano to come out and point at me to sign so I went with the first thing I had in front of me and tossed my card instead of a ball. It's official I'll have to be committed to this set now that I've got Robinson Cano's 2014 Topps heritage short print autographed.

After Cano signed I got Abraham Almonte to sign his half of his rookie stars card. He's an interesting prospect making good use of his chance so it'll be interesting what he does.

I already posted about getting Brad Miller's autograph on a baseball, and I got Miller's heritage card signed after game one.

Game 2: I started the day off pretty well getting outfielder Dustin Ackley's autograph. He was nice and knocked a few out for those who asked.

It was a good feeling getting Michael Saunder's autograph finally after being unsuccessful over the past few years to get him to sign something. It's very satisfying to have him sign his heritage early.

After Saunders signed for me slugger and 2-time All Star Corey Hart came over and autographed his heritage.

Game 3: For the third game I picked up where I left off getting a guy who has been historically tough for me. Even though Justin Smoak has played his whole career in the AL West I've never been able to get him to sign for me. I got his heritage autographed and it's nice to get him off the list.

After Smoak I got third baseman Kyle Seager to sign for me before the game started. Seager's part of the new wave of prospects establishing themselves early into true big league players so it's good to have him done before he gets tougher.

I didn't stay for post game action and headed home satisfied to have knocked off most of my Mariners heritage cards and glad baseball is back.

RBI (204) Brad Miller…

It's not often that I prospect on players, but every once in a while I have to take a shot after watching the guy with my own eyes. After watching this weeks 2014 Opening Series at Angel Stadium between the Angels and Mariners I decided I had to get shortstop Brad Miller's autograph.

Miller's a top prospect who was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2011 MLB draft he's flown through the minors to the bigs. Now that he's established himself he is making a solid name for himself as a big leaguer after last season's call up. In his short career so far he's shown to have big boom in his bat with 4 multi-home run games.

I got this Brad Miller autographed baseball inscribed "4-1-14 2 HR Vs. LAA" at Angel Stadium during the 2014 season. Brad was really nice to stop and put the inscription for me, I appreciated it and am looking forward to watching more of him.

RBI (195) Taijuan Walker...

At the end of the year I was able to do a nifty trade with one of my friends from the stadium that unlike the real baseball world was actually able to help both of us out. In the trade I was able to get Seattle Mariners stud pitching prospect Taijuan Walker. The Mariners have been making waves with their moves this past off season and Walker is one of the reasons why management is looking to finally make a real line up to put up runs for the rotation. Felix Hernandez, Iwakuma, Walker and fellow prospect Danny Hultzen are making the rest of the American League take note of the pitchers the Mariners will be putting on the mound for this year.

I'm looking forward to seeing Walker develop into a big leaguer so I'm glad to have this Taijuan Walker autographed baseball in my collection from this early in what hopes to be a bright career.

RBI (145) Kendrys Morales Game Used Baseball Bat...

Recently I mentioned being able to pick up a Kendrys Morales Game Used Baseball bat through a sale the Angels Foundation had. I was pretty excited to make the purchase and pick up a bat from a player I liked who was a decent slugger. I was nervous though about being able to get it autographed as throughout the years I had never been able to get Kendrys to sign for me. He was a notoriously tough autograph to get and if he did by chance sign I was always somewhere else and missed the chance. The Mariners came into town for a quick series and I knew I had a limited window to get the bat signed since baseball bats are not allowed inside of the stadium, so I had to get it signed pre or post game.

After the first game of the series I was able to track down Kendrys and called out to him that I had his game used baseball bat. He got into his car without saying anything though, and I thought I missed my chance. I was extremely excited and surprised then when his driver started to pull away before stopping a few feet away from me. Kendrys lowered his window, pointed at me and waved for me to come over. I pretty nervously walked over to the car and handed him the bat and marker. He autographed the bat for me while I said thank you and he just nodded before handing the bat back to me.

Though I have my RBI Collecting custom bat, this is my first player used baseball bat and I was pretty hesitant about getting such a tough signer for my first bat, but I think Kendys is a good player so I took the chance. I'm extremely happy that I did and I'm really grateful that he took the time to stop and autograph the bat.

I've had a few people questioning me on the bat because the normal photos you'd see of him batting is with a different brand. So I went to Getty Images and started doing some research. During the 2012 season Kendrys switched to using Trinity baseball bats for a while more than likely because of the success Mark Trumbo was having using Trinity. I'm not 100% which bat it is that I picked up but he does use at least 4 different Trinity bats when I combed through the archives. The markings, scuffs, and position of the MLB dot test look to match one used batting when they played the A's.  It's just one more great example of the quality work done by the Trinity Bat Company, and I'm more than pleased to have this Kendrys Morales autographed baseball bat in my collection.

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 (102) King Felix...

No other introduction is really necessary after I say those two words to bring up the Seattle Mariners ace pitcher Felix Hernandez. The 26 year old ace is the king of the Mariners rotation and literally holds court in Seattle during his starts with a special seating section in Safeco.

Felix was signed by the Mariners at age 16 in Venezuela during the summer of 2002 and started his career with Inland Empire. By 2005 Hernandez had blown through the minors and was ready to get a taste of the show barely at age 19. 8 years later Felix stands amongst the elite of the MLB. He is a 3-time All-Star, led the AL in Wins in 2009, and won the 2010 AL Cy Young Award the same year he won the ERA Title. To tidy things up and cement his dominance in Mariners history he pitched the Mariners 1st Perfect Game in team history.

In his 9th season in the MLB and still only approaching his peak years Hernandez has dominant statistics. He is a 96-72 despite pitching for a club historically short on the offensive end. He maintains that record by having a 3.17 ERA and 1438 Strikeouts. With his best years possibly still ahead of him and multiple public statements about his comfortability in Seattle and no desire to leave Felix has the chance to be a pitcher for the ages.

During the 2012 season Felix was slated to kick off a series against the Angels in Anaheim. I was able to get Felix's warm up ball tossed to me from the bullpen after he finished warming up. The following day I was able to get Felix to sign the ball for me before the next game. I told him it was his warm up ball from the previous day, but he didn't sweetspot it. I'm not sure if it's because I wasn't a little kid or because in the game itself he gave up 5 runs but either way it's a Felix Hernandez autographed baseball on a ball he threw and it'll look great forever in my collection.

RBI (53) The 1st 365 Challenge TTM return...

The first return is quite appropriate I think. Adam Kennedy, an alumni of my high school and former Angel is the first person to be a success for the 365 Letter challenge, and I'm pretty happy to score the card. I've actually had a good amount of difficulty getting his autograph in person since he's from Southern California and is normally chatting with his family or friends before games. I don't really like to interrupt that (even though I know his dad and haven't even considered asking him to get it for me) and with him being on an out of state team consider that family time not to be disturbed.

Kennedy is a native of Riverside, California and was taken in the 1st round of the 1997 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He would make his debut with St. Louis in 1999 but would be traded to the Angels as part of the package for Jim Edmonds. From 2000 to 2006 he would be a fixture in the Angel lineup and helped to power them to the franchise's first World Series Championship by slugging the Angels through the ALCS earning the 2002 ALCS MVP.

He would leave the Angels to go back to St. Louis, on to Oakland, Washington, Seattle, and now currently back to Southern California with the Dodgers. Since moving on from the Angels teams have asked him to play every infield position but catcher, and shortstop allowing him to be highly versatile and successful defensively in each position.

So far in his 13 season career he has been a reliable infielder with some pop batting .276 with a solid .326 OBP and 78 Home Runs. Only once in his career since his debut in 1999 has Kennedy appeared in less than 100 games for a club, so I'm sure so long as his glove stays steady and bat reasonable he'll be able to eventually decide when to hang up his cleats himself as opposed to teams not being interested in his services.

Kennedy responded to my request sent to his home address after only 7 days and autographed this 2011 Topps card for me. I think it's not a bad signature considering he was nice enough to sign in blue sharpie and tried to fit the signature across the Mariners gray instead of the blue arms in the picture. I'm always glad to put a local guy in my collection so an Adam Kennedy autographed card is a nice pick up for me.

I debated sending out an Angels card, but actually am making a mini task of seeing how many cards of the 600 card set I can get signed myself. It's not a goal so much as just an interesting part of the hobby seeing as I doubt I'd be able to get all of the superstars to sign for me, let alone me wanting to use such an opportunity on not a rookie card or baseball.