Wednesday, January 20, 2010

2006 Somerset Patriots Andy Van Hekken

Who is this? Andy Van Hekken, a former pitcher for the Detroit Tigers

What is this? An autographed card from the 2006 Somerset Patriots team set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before a Somerset Patriots game in 2007

How much did it cost? The team set was around $5.

Why is this so special? For the sheer number of Andy Van Hekken cards that I own, I thought he had a longer major league career... he only appeared in five games for the 2002 Detroit Tigers.

Although they don't really look much alike, for some reason Van Hekken always reminded me of actor James Van Der Beek. (Pointless trivia note: Van Der Beek attended Drew University for a short time. I was actually in the same modern American literature survey class with him. He dropped out to pursue acting; I completed my degree. I'm sure you can guess which one of us makes more money today.)

Van Hekken pitched well for the Somerset Patriots, winning 15 and losing 11 over parts of three seasons. He spent 2009 in the Houston Astros system.

I would not want to have to decipher Van Hekken's autograph, though I suppose I should make allowances for him as a lefty with a long name. :)

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