Saturday, October 9, 2010

2005 Topps Brandon Sing



Who is this? Sioux Falls Pheasants outfielder Brandon Sing
What is this? An autographed card from the 2005 Topps set
Where'd I get it? From Zach, who likely got it signed at an American Association game this summer.


Why is this so special? Brandon Sing was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 20th round of the 1999 draft. He advanced through the minor leagues, and hit enough home runs in 2004 to convince Topps to include him in their 2005 set. But he never made it past AAA and was out of affiliated baseball by 2008.

Last year, Sing played for the Bridgeport Bluefish. I saw them play more than a dozen times, including three trips to Bridgeport, but I don't think I ever got him to sign a card for my collection. He hit .305 with 23 home runs and 94 RBI last year.

Sing did not return to Bridgeport this year, instead opting to play for the Sioux Falls Pheasants in 2010. His autograph is about as legible as most modern ballplayers.

5 comments:

zman40 said...

His 23 home runs this year broke his own American Association record of 22. The strange thing is that he hit #23 before the All Star break.

Maybe the home run derby did him in.

Paul Hadsall said...

That is bizarre - does the American Association All-Star break fall mid-season, or is it a little later than normal?

zman40 said...

The American Association has a four month schedule and the All Star Game seems to take place in the third week of the third month.

In other words, the ASG is towards the end of July while the season ends at the end of August.

Paul Hadsall said...

Ok, that makes the pre- & post- ASG split make a little more sense.

My local team, the Newark Bears, is switching leagues next year to gain the benefit of a shorter schedule -- I bet they do the same thing with their all-star game.

zman40 said...

I was kind of surprised that you haven't mentioned the AL/CAA switch on your blog. I've been wondering what your thoughts were on that.