2008 Razor Signature Series Brad Holt

Who is this? Binghamton Mets pitcher Brad Holt
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2008 Razor Signature Series
 
Where'd I get it? I got it signed before a game between the Binghamton Mets and Trenton Thunder last month.
 
How much did it cost? The card cost around $1, if I remember correctly.

Why is this so special? Until the Mets selected UNC pitcher Matt Harvey with the 7th overall pick in the MLB Draft tonight, Holt was the last first-rounder they chose. He was the Mets third first-round pick in 2008, a supplemental selection obtained because the Atlanta Braves had signed Tom Glavine as a free agent.

Holt progressed quickly through the Mets system until he reached AA. In his second year at Binghamton, the 23-year-old right-hander is 1-4 with a 9.38 ERA and a 2.208 WHIP in 8 starts.

On the plus side, I think Holt has better handwriting than I do. :)

2008 TriStar Prospects Plus Conor Gillaspie

Who is this? Richmond Flying Squirrels third baseman Conor Gillaspie


What is this? An autographed card from the 2008 TriStar Prospects Plus set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before today's game between the Flying Squirrels and the Trenton Thunder.

How much did it cost? I got the card out of a clearance blaster double pack, so not much at all.  

Why is this so special? Conor Gillaspie was the San Francisco Giants' first round draft pick in 2008. Later that year, he made a brief appearance in the major leagues. He got his first ML hit off of Dan Haren.

Gillaspie spent last season with the San Jose Giants in the California League, and this year he's in AA with the Richmond Flying Squirrels. He's struggling a bit, but he did have two hits in the game today.

Gillaspie has a nice signature, even though he did have to shorten it to fit on the baseball card.

2004 Donruss Timelines Recollection Collection Julio Franco

Who is this? Former Texas Rangers second baseman Julio Franco

What is this? An autographed buyback card from the 2004 Donruss Timelines set

Where'd I get it? Found it at the local card shop

How much did it cost? $10

Why is this so special? I went to the card shop today hoping to find a card of Richmond Flying Squirrels pitching coach Ross Grimsley. I struck out, but I found something better - this autographed buyback card of Julio Franco.

To me, it seemed like Franco played forever. He "only" played in the majors for 23 seasons, though. During that time, he accumulated 2,586 hits and was a three-time All-Star. He finally retired from the game in 2008, months short of his 50th birthday.

Franco spent parts of two seasons as a pinch hitter for the New York Mets, which added to my interest in acquiring the card. He now manages the Mets Gulf Coast League team.

The Sharpie that Franco used to sign the cards was starting to dry out, but it still looks great signed.

1994 D.J. Boston

Who is this? Former Toronto Blue Jays prospect D.J. Boston  

What is this? An autographed card from the 1994 Signature Rookies set
 
Where'd I get it? Out of the dollar box at my local card shop
 
How much did it cost? $1
 
Why is this so special? I'm continuing the Signature Rookies theme that I started on my own blog today. Signature Rookies helped launch the trend of prospect autographs by producing a set of minor league players and including an autographed card in every (expensive) pack.

They came along right around the time I was finishing up high school, so fortunately I didn't have the money to really collect them. Now, it's fun to pick up cheap autographs of players I remember.

D.J. likely made it into the Signature Rookies set because he won the South Atlantic League MVP award in 1993. He never made it past AAA, unfortunately. I remember D.J. from the Atlantic League, where he was a star for the now-defunct Nashua Pride and the Bridgeport Bluefish.

After he retired in 2006, D.J. went into coaching. He got his start with the Atlantic League's Road Warriors in 2007, and move back into affiliated ball with the Greenville Astros in 2008. Last year, he was the hitting coach for the Gulf Coast League Astros.

D.J.'s 1994 signature is a little nicer than I remember the ones I got during his Atlantic League days.

2009 Southern Maryland Blue Crabs Kenny Rayborn

Who is this? Southern Maryland Blue Crabs pitcher Kenny Rayborn

What is this? An autographed card from last year's Southern Maryland Blue Crabs team set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before the game between the Blue Crabs and the Newark Bears on Memorial Day

How much did it cost? I think I spent around $8 for the team set.

Why is this so special? Rayborn, now 35, has been pitching professionally since 1997. According to Baseball Reference, he has a lifetime 61-34 record in 198 games through the 2009 season. Last night, I watched him earn his third victory of the season against the Bears.

I own a fair number of minor league and independent league cards, but you rarely see players pictured in their road grays. It's just easier to have the team's photographer take all the shots at home.

The Blue Crabs ended up getting a few photos from the Newark Bears' photographer to use in their card set last year. Since Newark did not produce their own cards in 2009, these are the only ones that picture the redecorated Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium.

Rayborn's signature isn't the greatest, but he didn't have a lot of time to sign before the game started.

2008 St. Lucie Mets Hector Pellot

Who is this? St. Lucie Mets infielder Hector Pellot

What is this? An autographed card from the 2008 St. Lucie Mets team set

Where'd I get it? I got it signed before a game between the Binghamton Mets and Trenton Thunder last month.

How much did it cost? I think I spent between $8-$10 for the team set.

Why is this so special? Hector Pellot was the Mets 4th round draft pick in 2005. I remember being at a Mets game at Shea Stadium in 2005 and seeing this skinny kid in a Mets jersey on the field during batting practice. Team officials took photos as he met countryman Carlos Beltran, and Pedro Martinez later came over to greet the kid.

Five years later, Pellot is still in single A ball and he'd never quite managed to put his offensive game together. Pellot is only 23, but time is running out for him to live up to the potential that the Mets saw when they drafted him. I'm pulling for him to succeed.

For a modern ballplayer, Pellot has a pretty sharp looking autograph.

2007 Newark Bears Jeriome Robertson

Who is this? Former Houston Astros pitcher Jeriome Robertson
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 2007 Newark Bears team set
 
Where'd I get it? I got it signed during a Newark Bears game in August 2007
 
How much did it cost? The team set cost around $5.
 
Why is this so special? Robertson won 15 games for the Houston Astros in his rookie season in 2003.

He died in a motorcycle accident over the weekend. He was only 33, much too young.

Robertson signed the card on an angle, so he didn't have to squish his signature too much to make it fit. It's not really the easiest signature to read, but you can tell that it is an autograph and not just a bunch of squiggles.