RBI (149) A Roving Veteran...

Recently I was able to score a pretty underrated autograph by a veteran starting pitcher. I enjoy being able to set goals of specific players when a team comes into town and sometimes instead of loading up my card collection with something for everyone I only bring along items to be signed by the players that I choose. I decided to go after veteran pitcher Edwin Jackson.

Jackson was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 6th round of the 2001 MLB draft. He debuted in the MLB for a few cups of coffee at age 19 during the 2003 season but finally stuck around the bigs in 2006. Since his Dodger debut he has played for the Rays, White Sox, Diamondbacks, Cardinals, Nationals, Tigers, and Cubs. He's been a farily reliable pitcher with a 71-79 record a 4.48 ERA and more than 1000 Strikeouts. He does however have a few accomplishments that make him a notable autograph to collect. He was a World Series Championship with the St. Louis Cardinals, was an All-Star, and threw a no-hitter against the Rays.

I was able to get Edwin's autograph on this 2012 Topps Heritage card during the Cubs vs Angels series in 2013.

RBI (148) Even More Shay Maria...

Most of the time I don't repost autographs that I've gotten before. Most of the time I don't get autographs of someone who is as hot as Shay Maria. Is anyone really going to complain that I keep picking up these Shay Maria prints or posting them? I think not.

For more ridiculously good looking photos of Shay Maria looking obscenely hot you can check out my posts here and here. I'm going to put these three prints framed up with my KIC Spacey Print together and enjoy the view. I'm pretty sure this is the hottest Shay Maria print and definitely my favorite one of her. Ps. Shay Maria's instagram is definitely worth checking out.

RBI (147) Texas Tech Running Back...

Recently I was able to have the opportunity to get the autograph of Texas Tech Running Back SaDale Foster. I was happy to add another autograph to my collection, especially my first college football autograph. It made it more gratifying that the Red Raider that I was able to add was another hometown athlete who's doing reasonably well and hopefully can have a breakout season next year in second year as Texas Tech so he can reach the NFL.

In 13 games in his first season with the team he rushed 91 times for 451 yards for a solid 5 yards per carry average to go along with 3 touchdowns. He also caught 18 passes showing the versatility that is really necessary at this point to be a successful offensive player in today's NFL. His added use as a punt returner will hopefully help make teams take a good look at him during next year's season.

SaDale autographed this 8x10 photograph for me and I'll happily add it to my collection of hometown athletes making it to the next stage with me hopefully asking him to sign one again with him in a NFL jersey.

RBI (146) Ervin Santana...

Recently I was able to get starting pitcher Ervin Santana's autograph. It was nice to get Ervin's autograph since it was only the second time he had signed for me despite him being on the Angels for so many years. Either through bad timing or positioning I seemed to miss out on Ervin when he was an Angel, so it was nice to get him to sign as a member of the Royals.

Ervin was signed as an amateur free agent in 2000 by the then Anaheim Angels. He debuted for the Angels in 2005 as a starter and never turned back holding onto a spot in the rotation for 8 seasons with the team. He ran into struggles though and the Angels traded Santana to the Kansas City Royals after he led the league in Home Runs allowed. So far the move has been good for Ervin as he has revamped his pitching and is having a successful first half. Ervin is one win from crossing the 100 mark, has 1200 Strikeouts, has been an All Star, and most notably threw a no-hitter during the 2011 season against the Indians.

I was able to get Ervin to autograph this 8x10 photo of him celebrating his no-hitter when the Royals played the Angels during the 2013 season.

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.

RBI (144) Moose...

Moustakas. Mike Moustakas. A name that definitely lends itself to being a ball player, let alone a popular fan friendly one. I have written about getting Moustaskas' autograph before in a general sense since I included an autographed 8x10 I took during the Opening Series for the 2012 season. I've left out some pretty sweet items that I finally was able to complete this past series.

Moustakas debuted during the 2011 season at Angel Stadium. It was nice for his debut to come in Anaheim since Mike was a graduate of Chatsworth High School and owned several California high school baseball records. Since he's a local boy he had plenty of family on hand to watch him debut in the MLB. His debut game was on and I was actually about to get a ball Moose hit during his BP. Not only was I able to snag a ball from his BP but I was able to get Moustakas to autograph the ball before the game on the sweetspot.

I posted previously about how nice and down to earth Moose is when he signed this 8x10 of him from 2012 Opening Day. He's a consistent signer when he's in Anaheim and I was able to get this Mike Moustakas autograph on my ticket from his MLB debut game.

Hopefully Moose will develop a more consistent bat, 2012 looked to be a breakthrough year for him and he even was nominated for a Gold Glove award, but he's had a bit of a regression year in the first half of 2013. Seeing as he was the 2nd pick of the 2007 draft I'm sure the Royals hope he can put it all together and will give him everything he needs to reach his fully potential. I think he's got the strength and tools to develop into a solid career 3rd baseman.

RBI (143) Jeff Francoeur...

Previously I wrote about how I was able to get a Jeff Francoeur autographed baseball, and how "Frenchy" is one of the nicest MLB players I've ever been able to meet. The outfielder is a definite fan favorite where ever he's playing and it's easy to understand why once you have the opportunity to see him interact with fans around the park.

Francoeur was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 2002 MLB draft with the 23rd pick in the first round. He debuted 3 years later in 2005 and has carved out a solid career with his bat and especially his arm. He's crossed the 1,100 Hit and 125 Home Run plateaus while earning a Gold Glove in 2007 for his work in the outfield. He is ranked 3rd for outfield assists among all active players for gunning down opposing runners.

I took this photograph of him during the Opening Series when the Royals and Angels played against each other in Anaheim. Frenchy was nice enough to autograph this 8x10 photo and inscribe "GG 07" on it for me. Even though he consistently is amongst the league leaders for outfield assists I'm not sure if he'll be earning many more Gold Gloves, but if he does I'm sure he'll be kind enough to inscribe any other award he wins.

Jeff Francoeur autographed this 8x10 for me when the Royals played the Angels during the 2013 season in Anaheim.