RBI (68) More 365 Spring Training TTM...

I can't even begin to say how excited I was to get this response. It had been a slow mail week besides the awesome Jerry Dipoto letter, I hadn't been able to get anything else back. But when I saw the Arizona postmark I got a little excited. When I opened up the envelope I was thrilled to see Indians' pitcher Justin Masterson had autographed my card.

I am a huge Justin Masterson fan. I was there at Fenway for his MLB debut in 2008 and immediately saw the talent and possibility that summer. Even now when he's on the Indians I still wear my Red Sox Masterson player t-shirt when he's going to make a start despite the boo's I get around the stadium. When he was traded by the Sox to the Indians, they realized his potential and value that most had underestimated in being worth All-Star hitting catcher Victor Martinez. Years later with Masterson at the front end of the rotation for Cleveland and V-Mart hurt in Detroit it looks like the Indians got the better end of the deal with the former 2nd round pick.

So far into his promising career Masterson has a 28-38 record with a 3.92 ERA and 485 Strikeouts across 4 seasons with the Red Sox and Indians as a starter and reliever. Coming off a career year in 2011 Masterson is posed to help the on the cusp Indians challenge the powerhouse Tigers for dominance of the AL Central. I'm sure he will continue on his success and build a long lasting career.

Justin was kind enough to sign this 2011 Topps card for me c/o the Indians at Spring Training in 27 days. Justin inscribed the card "Phil 4:13" as he is very well known for his faith and has even led the Pentagon's weekly prayer breakfast. I was able to get a Justin Masterson autographed jersey since then.

More 365 batches

Spring Training is always about new beginnings. A new season, new teammates, new parts of a player's career. But every new beginning comes from an ending, either of a player's career with a team or the whole career itself. I decided to write to some of the veterans starting their career over or bringing it to a close.

Mariano Rivera, the last batch I sent to Jamie Moyer and Mike Cameron so I decided to mail the elder statesman of the Yankees as he approaches another season.
Buster Posey, Buster is definitely one of my favorite catchers to watch work because he makes the Giants staff look even more dominant. Here's hoping to him restarting his career after his bad luck injury last season.
Mat Latos, is the kind of front end starter that I've always tended to like. Strong stuff with an attitude to go along with it, and an interest in maintaing his team's rivalries to keep them pumped up. Starting up with the Reds this year it'll be interesting to see what he does with some offense behind him, but being away from Petco.
Carl Pavano, Latos was a pick up I made his rookie year in fantasy and it's always made me kind of favor him as I got to see each stat line of his career develop. Pavano was also another pick up I made his first year with the Twins where he has restarted his career after the poor results with the Yankees.
Austin Romine, Speaking of the Yankees with the trade of slugging superstar prospect Jesus Montero some playing time unexpectedly has opened up for top defensive prospect Romine this year behind Russell Martin. 3/7
Bobby Doerr, Everyone who has collected TTM knows the story about Mr. Doerr. He's a Hall of Famer both literally and for collectors. As a Red Sox fan I'm excited at the prospect of him reading my letter and hope to have him in my collection.
Logan Morrison, Lomo. Rebel with a cause, being awesome while crushing home runs. Awesome awesome awesome.
Aaron Hill, I've been pretty interested in the career of Mr. Hill since his breakout campaign in 2009. His career has had some ups and downs since then, but I think he's going to play a big part in the continued rise of the D'backs.
Keith Mitchell, when I got the Bobby Doerr card I also picked up one for Keith Mitchell. Reading the back of his card he seemed like an interesting prospect and I decided to ask him about his MLB career.
Paul Goldschmidt, After looking through the rest of this batch I thought about who else is on the D'backs and going to be key to their continued success pushing the Giants for top of the division while the Dodgers still recover and Padres continue to rebuild.

RBI (67) A letter from Jerry Dipoto...

No witty title or twists today folks, just some amazing correspondence from current Angels GM and former  MLB player Jerry Dipoto. Yeah that's right, Jerry corresponded with me, and by that I don't mean filled in a few blank lines on the page I sent him. I mean Jerry took two pages of Angel letterhead and wrote me a nice note in response to my own letter to him.

I didn't scan the letter seeing as it's a letter completely from him and to me it didn't sit quite right to scan it. I will however provide a transcription of said letter:

I'd like to thank you for your recent letter and continued support of the Angels. Like you, we are very much looking forward to the 2012 season and the challenges it will bring. 


I appreciate both your thoughts and insights regarding the game in general, as well as the ways in which our club might improve. You can be assured the we will continue to explore every avenue in seeking the right opportunities. We are presently preparing for the start of the regular season and very much looking forward to watching it play out on the field. 


As it pertains to my history as a student of the game, fan and collector - It's been a lifelong passion, one I'm sure you share. This is a great game with great history...here's to the coming season and the hope that the Angels will add to a rich history!


All my best, 
Jerry

Here is Jerry's signature on the bottom of the letter. I think it's kind of cool he just wrote Jerry instead of his full name. It gives it a very personal feel, like he took the time to not just say thanks for the letter but some genuine thought from one baseball guy to another. 

My mind is blown that he took such care and time. It's not often I even expect responses let alone a hand written letter by the GM of a MLB team during Spring Training. This may be one of the true highlights of my collection for the rest of my life, regardless of where the club is lead as it's such a unique piece. For those of you who don't know Jerry is also an avid collector so I'm sure he knows what it means to fans and collectors to receive something like this. Virgil Trucks and Bobby Doerr are in the Hall of Fame for TTM for their kindness and generosity, and I've got the feeling Jerry Dipoto is the kind of guy who will one day earn his way alongside them in the hearts of fans.

Jerry was kind enough to write back to me after only 20 days care of the Angels at their Spring Training facility.

RBI (66) Completing a 365 TTM pair...

Well I suppose they don't mean to be a pair, but since one of their biggest claims to fame involves one another they're stuck as one as far as I'm concerned. Catcher turned science project/first baseman Scott Hatteberg responded to my TTM request and is a nice addition I've slotted next to my Billy Beane card.

Hatte was a 1st round sandwich pick for the Red Sox going 43rd overall in the 1991 amateur draft. Hatte would get a minor taste of the bigs in 1995 and 1996, but became the primary catcher for the Sox in 1997. After '97 though he began to split time before eventually being relegated to backup status due to the arrival of catching sensation and future franchise hall of famer Jason Varitek. An injury in his elbow during his final season with the Sox was expected to end his career as he could no longer throw a baseball.

One thing Hatteberg continued to do despite the catching job going to Varitek was find a way on base when he was given at-bats. This skill was the key to his career surviving as Oakland A's GM Billy Beane was looking for just that ability to rebuild his team in 2002. Hatteberg became a leading symbol of Beane's "moneyball" era and use of statistical analyses to find diamonds in the rough. Hatte became a first baseman for the A's and is most remembered for his walk off home run in the 11th inning against the Kansas City Royals to give the A's their American League record 20 game winning streak.

When he finally retired after a stint with the Cincinnati Reds Hatteberg had managed to extend his once presumed dead career from 7 seasons to 14. He was a .273 hitter with an impressive .361 OPB despite his limited slugging abilities. His line stood at 1153 hits, 106 of which were Home Runs. While most catchers are assumed to be players who are slow and knock guys in, his 527 RBI are actually fewer than his 538 Runs Scored.

Scott Hatteberg was nice enough to sign and return this 2008 Topps card for me after only 41 days from his home address.

RBI (65) 1st 365 Spring Training TTM response...

And I'm sure this guy has seen his fair sure of fan mail over the decades. That's right decades. I sent a request to none other than pitcher Jamie Moyer as he attempts to break camp after a year lost to Tommy John surgery.

Moyer was the 6th round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 1984 and made his MLB debut in 1986 for the Cubs. Since being brought up to the show in 1986 Moyer has played consistently besides missing the 1992 and 2011 season due to injury and being sent to the minors. He has played for the Cubs, Rangers, Cardinals, Orioles, Red Sox, Mariners, and Phillies while he is attempting to comeback again to the MLB with the Rockies.  He was an All-Star in 2003, World Series Champion with the Phillies, and won the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award in 2003. 

Though his career isn't finished and he apparently has been crisp in camp so far these numbers are pretty impressive. Through his 24 year career, Moyer enters Spring Training with an astounding 267-204 record across 4020.1 innings and 33 Complete Games. His career 4.24 ERA is supported by 2405 Strikeouts. 

Mr. Moyer was nice enough to sign this 2007 Topps card for me in only 14 days sent c/o the Colorado Rockies at their Spring Training facility. I like how you can see there are still strong characteristics in his signature years later like on the "J" and the "Y".

RBI (64) The 11th 365 response...

I was happy to see a response sitting in my mailbox with a familiar postmark. Florida. Oh Florida, how many letters are sitting somewhere in a clubhouse waiting for your response? Oh well I guess not this letter because it's actually from retired outfielder Mike Cameron.

Cameron was taken in the 18th round of the 1991 draft by the Chicago White Sox. I've got to say whoever signed him had a great eye for talent and every other team definitely missed because the man played the game for 17 seasons in the MLB. Cameron made plenty of teams realize their mistake though by causing the Reds, Mariners, Mets, Padres, Brewers, Red Sox, and Marlins acquire him after his time with the White Sox.

During his tenure in many center fields, Cameron was a reliable underrated player. Through the course of his career he won 3 Gold Gloves, and nabbed an All-Star appearance. He hit only .249 for 1700 hits, but drove in 968 RBI's with 278 Home Runs. While hitting for pop and his .444 SLG he was able to get on at a .338 OBP and harassed pitchers with 297 Steals to score 1064 Runs.

Players like Cameron are definitely my favorites. They play amazing defense that saves their team runs. Get on base to force their way to second without being thrown out very often. And if you decide to not respect their bat, you get punished for a double or homer. Guys like this are what you have to surround your superstar player or you won't get the production you need. I hope he enjoys his decision to retire and finds success in his life after baseball.

Mikw Cameron was nice enough to sign this 2011 Topps card sent to his home address in only 8 days. I think he actually has a pretty cool full signature. If you ever decide to google yourself now that you've got some time Mr. Cameron thank you for signing my card, I really appreciate getting your autograph.

A nice Gold Rush haul...

I was pleased to come home to a little registered envelope in the mailbox from Topps. I cracked open the seal in the hallway and out slid a nice silver pack of cards. To be honest there was a little bit of worry for me considering the Gold Rush checklist isn't exactly guaranteeing an awesome set of cards.

I cracked it open and out came these golden beauties.

Yup, I got some nice pulls. Not an autographed hit, but considering I have 81 games to try to get Weaver and hopefully a few Kemp public appearances, games, and signings I'll count this as a possible two golden autographs. The Kemp is normal but my scanner is on the fritz for some reason. Even the players I'm not super big on are at least a slugging second baseman and one of the best pure DH's in baseball. Couldn't have asked for a better pack minus the Willie Mays actually being autographed.

Like everyone else it seems it took about a week for Topps to get these out to me. Great turn around for this years redemption program.