CTB: 2019 Topps #1 Ronald Acuna Jr

We interrupt our Rookie Cup HOF coverage to discuss the WBC Champion Venezuela Squad's THREE ASR winners. 

One of those players is Jackson Chourio who we already featured. The other two players are both in the 2018 class that was honored in 2019 Topps, Ronald Acuna Jr and Gleyber Torres. 

We will first look at Acuna JR who played all seven games in right field for Venezuela and led the team in Runs Scored.

2019 Topps #1 Ronald Acuna Jr (Sports Collectors Daily)

I believe Ronald Acuna is only the 2nd player to represent card #1 with a Rookie Cup flair. Mike Piazza achieved the double win in 1994. Acuna Jr like Piazza won the NL Rookie of the Year Award the year prior. 

Ronald fell 3 votes shy of sweeping the award (Juan Soto 2, Walker Buehler 1). Acuna  & Soto's numbers are remarkably similar and I am surprised at the lopsidedness of the Vote.  

I assume the BBWAA writers were breaking ties with WAR by 2019 - although peeking inside the numbers Soto's Walk numbers are significant. On the other hand Acuna's Braves finished 8 games ahead of Soto's Nats. Regardless the two make for the start of an outstanding outfield. 

Guess the Game

Kind of thought this one looked like it may have been taken in Philadelphia and it was. According to Getty Images the Photo was taken 2018 April 29 by Rob Tringali who is responsible for a lot of Phillies pictures. 

Unfortunately for the Phillies (SP: Vince Velasquez) it was a good game for Ronald Acuna Jr and the Braves who won 10-1. 

Flip

2019 Topps #1 Ronald Acuna Jr (b-side also SCD)

On the back of the card we see the #1 top right and the stats mentioned above - however here we seed the oWAR of 3.7 rather than the 3.9 which apparently includes defense & positional adjustments. The text gives the Pirates Outfielder Starling Marte credit for dubbing Acuna "El Ambusador" (the Abuser) 

Sources & Links

2019 Rookie Cup Team

Topps #1 Club 

Game Dated Cards

Sports Collectors Daily 

baseball-reference

Rob Tringali

Getty Images

International, Olympic, & WBC Index

This is an Index of our postings related to the World Baseball Classic, Olympics and International Baseball.

(### This index is under construction ###)

1966 Topps #264 Ted Uhleaender (rc, Katie Uhleander related)
1969 Topps #194 Ted Uhlaender (Katie Uhleander)
2005 Topps #UH199 HR Derby Hee-Seop Choi (South Korea)
2009 Topps WBC #1 Yu Darvish (Japan)
2009 Topps Redemeption WBC #8 Yoennis(sic) Cespedes (Cuba)
2009 Topps Heritage #163 Johnny Damon (Thailand)
2009 Topps Heritage #309 Johnny Damon (Thailand)
2009 Allen & Ginter's National Pride #NP39 Shin-Soo Choo (South Korea)
2010 Phungo Bernie Williams David Ortiz Sidney Ponson (PR, Dominican, Nederlands)
2011 Bowman Platinum #BPP23 Josh Zeid (Israel)
2013 Topps #WBC-5 Hanley Ramirez (Dominican Republic)
2014 Topps Olympic Box Break Katie Uhlaender, LoLo Jones, Danelle Umstead, Lindsey Vonn, Eddy Alvarez, David Wise, Noelle Pikus-Pace, Sochi

Sources & Links

Team Israel WBC Hero Josh Zeid: 2011 Bowman Platinum Prospects #BPP23

Team Phungo coming out of hibernation for a quick post.

Our return is to honor former Phillies Farmhand Josh Zeid.

Josh Zeid: 2011 Bowman Platinum Prospects #BPP23 (xfractor)

Never thought I would find a reason to post this card of Zeid. He is make some noise pitching for the surprising Israel squad in the WBC. Team Israel advanced out of Pool A and remains undefeated one game into the 2nd round of the tournament.

The Phillies traded Zeid to Houston as part of the Hunter Pence deal. He eventually made it to the majors with the Astros with mixed results. He is currently a free agent, The WBC is basically an audition for the 29 year old pitcher - and appears to be going well as of now.
 
Insert

Josh Zeid: 2011 Bowman Platinum Prospects #BPP23 (chrome)
Josh Zeid: 2011 Bowman Platinum Prospects #BPP23 (xfractor)

The top card on this post is an x-Fractor, We have paired the card with a base cousin here. Not sure why folks go crazy over x-Fractors, not my thing. I suppose the relative scarcity is an attraction. Regardless I think one could get a Zeid x-Fractor if really desidred


Flip

Josh Zeid: 2011 Bowman Platinum Prospects #BPP23 (chrome b-side)
Josh Zeid: 2011 Bowman Platinum Prospects #BPP23 (xfractor b-side)

The backs of the cards are exactly the same - the serial numbers even match.

2011 Bowman Platinum Prospects
Interesting side note, Ryan Howard was honored with card #1 in 2011 Bowman Platinum Prospects.

Sources and Links
MLB News
Baseball-Ref
Check out My Cards

2014 Playoffs: Dodgers Hanley Ramirez 2013 Topps #WBC-5

Tonight our Playoff Tour takes us to the Dodgers and we are featuring their shortstop Hanley Ramirez.

Hanley Ramirez 2013 Topps #WBC-5

This ain't a popular POV, but I am a fan of the WBC cards. Yes  I like seeiing the game travel and enjoy seeing different players as teammates. The format of the WBC also provides for lots of interesting David vs Goliath moments.

Hanley Ramirez is a star but I am not sure he has ever lived up to his promise. He is a good hitting shortstop, but he is enough of a defensive liability that the Dodgers run in defensive substitutions for him if they are leading. Additionally he has been on the shelf a bit each of the last two years and hasn't exceeded 130 games in either season

2013 Topps WBC Stars
WBC stars is a 15 card insert set in 2013 Topps S2. This is a down from the 25 card set that was put out in 2009T S2,  It is a set that I don't need to put together, but since I picked up 5 of them out of a dime box last week, I am pretty sure 2013 WBC Stars will go on my todo list. The cards are nice enough looking and have a nice nod with the flags. The chrome text is hard to read in the above photo, but appears fine on the card - In my opinion the fact that the text doesn't scan well isn't a legit complaint about a card. If it is hard to read when your holding it in your hand then that is an issue.

As mentioned above there are only 15 cards in the 2013 WBC set, and the Phillies were shutout of the checker.

Dime Boxes 
With any luck we will feature a dime box posting on Tuesday with some other cards I picked up with Mr Ramurez. If you're interested in the some of the more expensive acquisitions that day check my Card Show Summary post here.


Sources & Links
2014 Playoff Cards
Philly Show 2014 09 28 Index
Philly Show 2014 09 28 Dime Box summary 
Baseball Cardpedia
baseball-ref
World Baseball Classic

MLB in Australia: 2009 Bowman Chrome #BCW60 Brad Harman

Major League Baseball held Opening Day down under overnight. The Dodgers won the game 3-1 behind the always fine pitching of Clayton Kershaw. Scott Van Slyke produced the offense for LA with a 2 Run Homer. Mark Trumbo picked an RBI in his first game with the D-Backs.

2009 Bowman Chrome World Baseball Classic #BCW60 Brad Harman

Australia hasn't sent many players to the majors, but at least one of them played for the Phillies. Brad Harman played a handful of games for the 2008 World Championship Phillies. In 10 ABs he picked up a single hit, an RBI Double off Zach Duke and the Pirates on April 25.

Unfortunately that was pretty much the end of Harman's career. He was released by the Phillies in 2009 and the following year he was suspended by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority for violating the agencies anti-doping rules while playing in the US. He has been eligible to play since 2011, but I found no evidence that he has returned to the game. 

Sources 
Baseball-cardpedia
ESPN
Herald Sun (Melbourne AU)
baseball-ref

2009 Topps WBC #1 Yu Darvish

Almost Perfect

 

2009 Topps WBC #1 Yu Darvish

There is a reason they call them Perfect Games - The pitcher has to be on, and a lot of things have to go their way. 

In fairness to the baseball fates Darvish did give up some soft liners that went directly to infielders.  That sort of balances out the the 5-hole single that ended Yu Darvish's Perfect Game and No-Hit bid.

Regardless the 2013 season is off to a fun start, I hope the remainder of the campaign can measure up to the drama of these first few games.

Last night a question came up from @SoozOnSports about removing Darvish on pitch count.  I cited a 1990 opening day game that featured Nolan Ryan's removal from a No-Hitter.
The game is noteworthy for several reasons.  

1) There is the significance of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan being on the mound.  By 1990 Mr Ryan was already a Hall of Famer and had likely earned the right to start and finish a game any way he pleased. 

2) As we all know Nolan Ryan authored a Major league record 7 no-htters - 5 prior to the Opening Day game  noted above. 

3) Nolan Ryan is a noted opponent of pitch counts

4) Finally Yu Darvish and and Nolan Ryan are both members of the same organization, the Texas Rangers.

So yes way back in 1990 Nolan Ryan, pitch count opponent, was removed from a No-Hitter largely because it was early in the season and he had not been stretched out.

This is only partially true - nothing exists in a vacuum.  If we look a little deeper into the Ryan non-No-Hitter we find he was only 5 innings deep.  He had 91 pitches at that point - Yu Darvish was 20 outs into a perfect game by the time he threw his 91st pitch.

The Ryan Box Score also does not note that there was a labor lockout prior to the 1990 season. At the time of the Rangers opening day game the Ryan Express had only logged about 7 innings during an abbreviated and rushed spring training. While Ryan is not a fan of pitch counts, there was likely little doubt he was going to be lifted from that particular game prior to it's conclusion - regardless of the circumstances.

ReWind - 2009 World Baseball Classic

Ok I realize that I am the only person that cares about the WBC - just deal with me for a posting.

I do understand there is a great element of baseball light - all the rules for pitch counts and pitching dates.  And there are all the adverse affects for the MLB teams that are sending teams to the WBC. 

But....

I like seeing players w/ different unis and teammates.  I enjoy the spirit of the World Baseball Classic and it is cool to see a baseball event in March that isn't totally meaningless.  I get the meh reaction by most fans, but I would like to see more fans become interested in the event - and I will blather on about it occasionally. 

Here are some Phungo Cards from when Team Phungo checked out the WBC qualifer in San Juan. 

 

2010 Phungo #21 Bernie Williams 

Bernie was retired from MLB for three years when the 2009 WBC rolled around.  He came out of retirement to represent Puerto Rico and he even threw out the first pitch prior to one of the games we attended.

This is one of the things I like about the event - it is an opportunity to bring back some players from the recent past.  As far as I know this hasn't really occurred in 2013 - Johnny Damon represented Thailand in the Fall Qualifiers but that doesn't really count.  Bobby Abreu and Jim Thome would be great guys to send out for the WBC. 

Minor leaguers also can get mixed in as well.  There really isn't a critical need for all the Major League stars to get involved. It only happens once every four years.  If an all-star caliber player can represent his country once in his career it is a great opportunity. 

 2010 Phungo #35 David Ortiz

The WBC does use a DH, but David Ortiz had to bring his glove and play first in 2009.  This is because the Dominican squad was LOADED at shortstop.  I think they had Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, and Miguel Tejada all manning the position.  We ended up seeing the rare game where Big Papi played in the field and Reyes was a DH.  

2010 Faux Phungo Sidney Ponson

I never really mentioned this, but several Phungo Cards end up on the cutting room floor.  Sidney Ponson was one of those cards.  He is to much of a jerk, and really lacks any hipness - I just couldn't give him a card despite having a fairly decent close up.   Card #37 in 2010 was awarded to a combo card of Juan Pierre and Jeff Kent.

I will likely have a few more WBC ramblings over the next couple of weeks - just a warning.

Looking Back

2009 Travelblog San Juane PR and WBC
Roberto Clemente Retired Number at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan

Johnny Damon to play for Thailand in the WBC

I realize that I am one of the few people that is interested in the World Baseball Classic.  I admit that the event has it's issues and it inteferes greatly with the MLB season, however I don't think the the WBC is entirely without merit.  

My mom was born and raised in Thalland, I have been fortunate to visit there several times - most recently in 2007. I am very excited to see that Thailand will be part of the 2013 WBC, even if it is only in next weeks Qualifying round.  Thailand's bracket is hosted by China-Taipei (Taiwan) - who I would think is a strong favorite to win the pool.  Regardless, Baseball is a funny game - in a smal round robin tourney One strong pitching performance coupled with an error or somebody crushing a hainging curve can significantly alter the outcome. 

Last month while Team Phungo was on the road word got out that Johnny Damon will play for Thailand in the WBC. I am sure most folks responded with a shrug and/or  "What the hell is Damon's connection to Thailand?".  Like myself Damon's mother is of Thai heritage but he grew up in here in the states.  Beyond that we have very few similiarites - He is a Major League Baseball player, I blog about Baseball Cards.  He can grow a full beard in an afternoon, that would take me a decade.

 2009 Topps Heritage #163 Johnny Damon

I found out about Damon's Thai connection relatively recently.  Fortunately I have always enjoyed him as a player (except when the Yankees beat the Phils in 2009) and have built a small collection of his cards. He is a good player who appeared on the national stage frequently with the BoSox and Yankees. He is an engaging personality, I hope he and the rest of the Thai team have some success in the WBC - The game will grow in Thailand and maybe someday there will be a true Thai ballplayer in the majors.

If I read the WBC schedule correctly Thailand and Damon will play their opening game on Wednesday November 14th.  It appears the MLB Network will be carrying games either on TV or On-Line.  Stay Tuned.  We will have significantly more coverage of the WBC than reader interest.

Sources and Links
Johnny Damon Index

WBC Index

2009 WBC #5 Phillippe Aumont

2009 Topps WBC #5 Phillippe Aumont

On Tuesday the Phillies added Phillippe Aumont to their roster, filling in for Jeremy Horst who is on the Paternity leave list. 

Aumont was the 11th overall pick of the 2007 Draft by the Mariners - He came to the Phillies as part of the 2009 Cliff Lee trade.  

Since this is a paternity leave for Horst, this may only be a short call up for Aumont.  Hopefully he gets into a few games and can show the Phillies something.  His numbers at AAA Lehigh Valley in 2012 are mixed - 4.26 ERA in 44.1 innings.  He does have 59 Ks - of course that is offset by 34 walks. 

For The Collector

The above card is from the 2009 Topps World Baseball Classic set.  This was a 55 card set that came in a blaster.  The sets initially sold for $20.  I occasionally see the set at about half that price.  There is a Yu Darvish card in the set which contains a mis of stars and lesser know international players.

etc

Phillippe Aumont Baseball-Ref page
Phillippe Aumont Wiki page     

Noteworthy: Yoennis Cespedes

Cuban ballplayer Yoennis Cespedes is in the news. 
 
2009 Topps WBC Redemption #8 Yoennis Cespedes
I figure this was a good time to reference the Phungo post on the 2009 Topps WBC Redemption of Cespedes.  To read the origianl post on Cespedes click here

2009 Topps Series 2 I think had redemptions for 10 or so WBC players, this is the one I received.  I knew nothing about him at the time, but will cross my fingers that his career takes off - and this card skyrockets in value as well and I can retire :)

       

2009 Topps WBC Redemption - Yoennis Cespedes

The 09 World Baseball Classic redemptions are starting to pop up. This is the redemption card Cuban Center Fielder Yoennis Cespedes.

Cesepedes is 24 years old and had a pretty good WBC, with 11 hits in 24 at bats (.458) over six games. Six of his 11 hits went for extra bases including 2 dingers, yielding a gaudy 1.000 slugging percentage.

2009 Topps WBC Redemption #8 Yoennis Cespedes

The cards are similar to 09 Topps Base with a light chrome finish. The WBC Logo is in the lower left corner and with the country the player represented above the players name where the team is listed on a base card. The Cuban flag is placed upon home plate where the team logo is on the 09 Topps card.

The photograph is pretty interesting, it appears that Cespedes broke his bat on the pitch. This on one hand is a pretty cool moment to capture, of course on the other hand this is supposedly a special card of a significant player of some merit and it would nice to see him displayed more favorably. Also this appears to be from one of the games Cuba played versus Japan - which were both losses for Cuba, the second of which eliminated the Cubans.


2009 Topps WBC Redemption #8 Yoennis Cespedes (B-side)
2009 Topps #207 Joe Blanton (B-side)

Click this image to enlarge it, but the cards are basically similar on the back. There is obviously no Signage/Acquisition information on the Cespeedes card. Which also only lists the place of birth for Cespedes and no residense. The Cuban flag is placed on the bases as the Team logo is on the base card. The WBC Logo is at the bottom of the card where the MLB/MLB PA logos are on the Blanton Card.

The Card number is in the upper right - For Cespedes the card number is 8, but my redemption number was 6 - It would have been nice to get Redemption 8 though. There is no trivia tidbit on the WBC card (The Lowest BA against on the Blanton Card). The Stats on the WBC card are from the 09 Classic. This was the first WBC for Cespedes, perhaps the other redemptions have career WBC stats.

The blurb on Cespedes card notes a Home Run he hit off Damion Moss in Cuba's 5-4 Victory over Australia.

For a report on Team Phungo's WBC experience click here. And for a look at some other WBC cards click here.

Some other card blogs featuring WBC redemptions.
The Mojo Hand
Wax Pack Relapse
Saints of the Cheap Seats

The complete list of redemptions is located here.

Phungo World Baseball Classic Report and Traveblog from San Juan

Random Observations team Phungo made during the World Baseball Classic in San Juan Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is sort of like being in an ethnic neighborhood in Philadelphia or New York. Lots of stuff is very different and some stuff is a lot the same, many folks speak a different language but if you need somebody who can speak English you can usually find them. They use the same currency and you don't need a passport.

The local delicacy is the Mofungo - Mashed Plantains which are then fried and topped with your choice of Meat, Fish or Vegetables. (I think there is a Mo Phungo joke in here somewhere) Plantains go with everything and are even used as a Pizza topping.

Mofungo with Chicken or - Mofungo Con Pollo - I think.

Hiram Bithorn Stadium is a loud and rockous environment. Games are as much an event as they are games. The Crowd noise rivaled that of a Major League Playoff game.

Bithorn is a 20,000 seat stadium which I would equate to a large Minor league park. They have dizzy bat races and there are fireworks for the 7th inning stretch.

If you want free junk they got it. Some company was giving out 64 oz bottles of household cleaner - I have fears some drunken American may have confused it for gatorade.

Hiram Bithorn was the first Puerto Rican to play in the Major Leagues. Bithorn was a Right Handed Pitcher for the Cubs and White Sox for four seasons between 1942 and 1947. His career was interrupted for Military service in 1944 and 1945.

I saw the Netherlands play twice, once as the Home team and once as the Away team, yet they used the same dugout both times.

When they announce David Ortiz at Hiram Bithorn, they follow his name with "Big Papi"

The 375 sign in Bithorn's left field power alley was absolute death valley for hitters. I saw 4 or 5 balls caught in that very spot.

Free T-Shirts are just as popular in Puerto Rico as they are in America.

For one of the games 3 National Anthems were observed, none of which were the United States Anthem.

The lines in the Mens room were so long that a vendor came in to sell beer.

Concessions at Bithorn are run by Fuddruckers/Pizzeria Uno and include basically American food, but the Menu is in Spanish. The prices were more reasonable then an American stadium. $2 for a bottle of water and 2.50 for an order of fries. I think beers were $4 and they have Pina Coloda vendors.

You get fans of all types at the WBC, I met great folks from all over and even shared a cab with a Mets fan.

One local told me that Hiram Bithorn is not the nicest stadium in Puerto Rico. It is located in close proximity to the Airport and San Juan which makes it more convenient for big events like the WBC. He preferred a newer Stadium Named for Roberto Clemente that was further away from San Juan.

In the game in which the Dominican Republic was eliminated Big Papi played in the field, while Hanley Ramirez was DH. The Dominicans were so loaded at SS that Miguel Tejada played 3B and Jose Reyes started at short. Oh and Hanley is a pretty big man.

Randall Simon was clearly the on the field leader of the Netherlands Squad.

Walgreens in San Juan carry 75 card re-packs of baseball cards. they did not appear to have a regional flavour.

Mrs Conley would be very disappointed w/ me... I don't think I could recall much of my High School Spanish. Near as I can tell the only Spanish I know comes from mexican food menus, beisbol cards, and Madonna songs.

If you want to chase autographs or see ballplayers off of the field, the team hotels are in Isla Verde, which is supposed to be one of the nicest beaches in San Juan.

I am ashamed to admit that we attended the game where the Netherlands upset the Dominicans but did not stay to it's conclusion.This the meager crowd that witnessed the biggest game in Netherlands History

This is a far more crowded stadium for the Puerto Rico v Netherlands game.


Free Agent Pedro Martinez pitching for the Dominicans

Team Phungo received great tips and helpful information from many baseball fans including: Angels Mark, Nats Lisa, Lebanon Valley Carl, and locals Rafael, Nestor y Magdalena - Thanks to all of them and I hope they had as good of a time in Puerto Rico as we did. 

Sources and Links
Pedro Martinez HoF Index  

Swag from the World Baseball Classic

Team Phungo just got back from a few games of the WBC in San Juan, PR.

This a scan of a sheet of cards that T-Mobil and Topps were giving away at the games. (click to enlarge)

Hopefully I will get more details and Photos up over the weekend. Must go unpack.