Who is this? Lancaster Barnstormers third baseman
Aaron Herr
What is this? An autographed card from the 2010 Lancaster Barnstormers team set
Where'd I get it? Herr signed it for me before a game in Newark this year.
How much did it cost? The team set was about $6 shipped.
Why is this so special? The Atlantic League was not particularly friendly to card collectors this year. As far as I know, half the league didn't put out team sets. Long Island's set didn't come out until after they already made their last trip to Newark. York never listed their set on their website, so I didn't know they issued one until after they made their final trip to Newark. I never gave a thought to Somerset, since they didn't used to sell their cards online. This year, they did.
But I was able to get most of the Lancaster Barnstormers cards signed. (Don't worry, I'm not going post them all right now... we've got all winter.)
Aaron Herr is the son of Lancaster manager and former MLB second baseman Tom Herr. The younger Herr was the 40th overall draft pick in 2000, selected by the Atlanta Braves. He spent five seasons there, but was selected by Seattle in the minor league phase of the Rule V draft during the 2004 off-season.
Herr didn't find a home in the Mariners organization, so he was
originally set to join the Barnstormers for their inaugural season in 2005. Just before the Atlantic League season began, Herr was picked up by the Cardinals organization. He stayed in affiliated ball through 2008, playing in the Cincinnati & Cleveland organizations after leaving the Cardinals. He made the AAA All-Star team in 2007.
Last year, Herr finally got to play for the Barnstormers. This year, he is hitting .325 with 23 home runs and 102 RBI.
Aaron Herr has a fairly legible autograph, but it's not as nice as his father's.