2008 Atlantic City Surf Billy Kovatch

Who is this? Long Island Ducks outfielder Billy Kovatch
 
What is this? An autographed card from 2008 Atlantic City Surf team set
 
Where'd I get it? I got it signed before last night's game between the Long Island Ducks and the Newark Bears
 
How much did it cost? The team set was a gift from a friend
 
Why is this so special? Billy Kovatch is now playing his fifth season in pro ball, but he's never been part of a major league organization. He hit .281 with 19 RBI for the Surf in 2008. Last year, he split the season between the New Jersey Jackals and the Long Island Ducks.

The Atlantic City Surf were one of the original franchises in the Atlantic League. The team hosted the league's first all-star game and won the first championship in 1998. But poor attendance made team owners decide to move to the short-season Can-Am League for the 2007 season. It didn't help, and the team folded after the 2008 season.

Kovatch must have been a late arrival to the Surf in 2008, because most of the other players featured in the card set have nice action photos on their baseball cards. Kovatch ended up with a mugshot. ;) He's got a nice, distinctive autograph.

1989 Fleer Danny Cox

Who is this? Lancaster Barnstormers' pitching coach Danny Cox
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 1989 Fleer set
 
Where'd I get it? Cox signed it for me before a doubleheader between the Barnstormers and the Newark Bears last week.
 
How much did it cost? I'm sure where I got the card.
 
Why is this so special? I wrote a bit about Cox last week, when I posted the other card he signed for me at that game.

1989 was an interesting year for baseball card design. Upper Deck released their first set, which was considered the nicest of the year. Topps had a fairly bland design, but it's aged well and now looks classic. Donruss and Score were colorful, but they were hit and miss -- if the colors worked with your team's logo, they looked ok.

Then there was Fleer. My scanner doesn't like the design and has added a rainbow effect to the ugly grey columns in the border. The saving point is the nice action photo of Danny Cox. Of course, I think the card looks a lot nicer with an autograph.

2009 Lancaster Barnstormers Jason Perry

Who is this? Lancaster Barnstormers' outfielder Jason Perry
 
What is this? An autographed card from last year's Lancaster Barnstormers' team set
 
Where'd I get it? Perry signed it between games of a doubleheader between the Barnstormers and Newark Bears last week.
 
How much did it cost? I don't remember how much the team set cost last year, but I think it was under $10.
 
Why is this so special? I didn't realize it until I just looked up his career stats, but Perry is a former major leaguer. He appeared in four games for the 2008 Atlanta Braves. Sure, it's not much -- but it's good enough for a line in the Baseball Encyclopedia. (Do they even still print it in book form?)

Perry was the sixth-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2002; he was traded to Oakland for one-time Yankees prospect and current Newark Bears outfielder John-Ford Griffin in 2003. He was traded to the Detroit organization in 2007 and signed with the Braves as a free agent in 2008.

Perry made his big league debut on July 4th in a game the Braves won 6-2 against the Astros at Turner Field. Perry started in right field and batted eighth. His first time up, Perry hit a two-out triple against Astros' starter Brian Moehler, driving in Brian McCann to extend Atlanta's lead to 2-0.

Perry played in 9 games for the Lancaster Barnstormers last year, and spent the rest of the season in the Tampa Bay organization. In 2010, he's back with Lancaster to start the year.

Perry has a legible signature -- unusual for an active player -- though he did skip a few letters in his last name.

2000 Upper Deck Victory Toshihisa Nishi

Who is this? Former Yomiuri Giants second baseman Toshihisa Nishi
 
What is this? An autograph card from the Japanese 2000 Upper Deck Victory set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before a game between the Lancaster Barnstormers and Newark Bears last week.
 
How much did it cost? The card cost $2.50.

Why is this so special? Nishi was the Central League Rookie of the Year for the Yomiuri Giants in 1996. He is a three-time all-star and four-time gold glove winner in Japan.

At age 38, Nishi came to America with the hopes of playing for a major league team. When he couldn't find a job, he signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers with the hope that he'd get picked up during the season.

I got to see Nishi hit his first Atlantic League home run the day he signed this card for me.
I was a little disappointed that he already has a (mostly illegible) American autograph, but it's still a neat acquisition for my collection.

2009 TriStar Prospect Plus Michael Leake

Who is this? Cincinnati Red pitcher Michael Leake
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2009 TriStar Prospects Plus set  

Where'd I get it? I wrote to Leake c/o the Reds during the first week of the season and asked him to sign it; I got it back a couple weeks later.
 
How much did it cost? Fifty cents for the card, plus postage

Why is this so special? For all the hype that Stephen Strasburg is getting, Leake is the first member of the 2009 draft class to reach the majors. Through four starts, he's 2-0 with a 3.25 ERA.

I'll get my first look at Leake in about an hour when he faces the New York Mets.

Leake has a surprisingly readable signature and was nice enough to personalize the card for me.

1987 Fleer Pete Incaviglia

Who is this? Former Texas Rangers slugger Pete Incaviglia
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 1987 Fleer set
 
Where'd I get it? I wrote to Incaviglia in late March and asked him to sign it. I got it back last month.
 
How much did it cost? The card came out of one of the many 1987 Fleer rack packs I bought trying to get "hot" rookie cards, like Barry Bonds & Kevin Seitzer, back in 1988. I think they cost around $1.50 or $2 apiece back then. Now, you can buy unopened rack pack boxes on eBay for around $40.

Why is this so special? Pete Incaviglia was a fun player to watch, because he swung for the fences every time he came up to bat. He usually struck out - he led the American League with 185 in his rookie season. But he did finish his career with over 200 home runs.

Incaviglia was the 15th player to make his professional debut in the major leagues since the amateur draft was implemented. He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in 1985, but Incaviglia forced them to trade him by demanding to go directly to the majors. Following this incident, Major League Baseball implemented a rule requiring drafted players to be under contract for a full year before they can be traded.

After his retirement from baseball, Incaviglia served as the hitting coach for the AA Erie Seawolves and managed the Grand Prairie AirHogs in the American Association.

Incaviglia's autograph is completely illegible.

2005 Topps Brett Harper

Who is this? Lancaster Barnstormers first baseman Brett Harper
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2005 Topps set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed between games of Wednesday's doubleheader between the Newark Bears and the Lancaster Barnstormers
 
How much did it cost? I think I came by this card in a trade, but I really don't remember.
 
Why is this so special? Brett Harper is the son of former Minnesota Twins catcher Brian Harper.

The younger Harper was the Mets' 45th round draft pick in 2000, and I get the feeling that the team never really expected him to do much.

Yet he hit at nearly every level of the minors. In 2004, he was the team MVP for the St. Lucie Mets and he was named to the Florida State League All-Star Game, though he was unable to play because he'd been promoted to Binghamton.

In 2005, he split the season between St. Lucie and Binghamton again, hitting a combined 36 home runs. He missed a good part of the 2006 season, but Harper returned to All-Star form in 2007 for Binghamton. Then the Mets let him go as a minor league free agent.

In 2008, Harper played for Fresno in the Giants' organization. Last year, he played for Las Vegas (Blue Jays) and Albuquerque (Dodgers) and this spring, he had a training camp invitation from the Red Sox.

Yet somehow, he's playing for the Lancaster Barnstormers and hoping that someone will give him one more shot. Harper will turn 29 in a few months, so he's not likely to be a star - or even a regular - in the majors. Still, I'm surprised he never got more of a shot.

Harper's autograph isn't the greatest - I can make out the "B," but that's about it. Topps didn't choose the greatest photo for his card, either.