2007 Topps 52 J.A. Happ

Who is this? Houston Astros pitcher James Anthony Happ
What is this? An autographed card from the 2007 Topps 52 set.
Where'd I get it? Happ signed it for me before today's game between the Astros and the Mets at CitiField.
How much did it cost? I think the card came out of a pack.

Why is this so special? I actually managed to get a card signed at CitiField - it's something of an accomplishment, since there aren't all that many places in the park where you can reach a player to hand him a card.

Happ was selected in the third round of the 2004 draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. He made his major league debut in 2007 and was part of the 2008 and 2009 playoff teams. Happ was chosen as the Sporting News Rookie of the Year in 2009 after finishing with a 12-4 record and 2.93 ERA.

This year, he was traded to Houston for Roy Oswalt. He is 4-2 with a 3.45 ERA in 9 starts.

Happ has an interesting autograph. The letters J.A. are clearly written, but I don't know what's going on with his last name.

2006 Topps 52 Reggie Abercrombie

Who is this? Sioux Falls Pheasants outfielder Reggie Abercrombie

What is this? An autographed card from the 2006 Topps 52 set

Where'd I get it? Zach sent it to me; I believe he got it signed at a game between the Pheasants and the Wichita Wingnuts earlier this year.


Why is this so special? Well, it's always cool when people decide to send you cards. :)

Abercrombie was selected in the 23rd round of the 1999 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he didn't make it to the major leagues until 2006 with the Florida Marlins. The Mets and Marlins play each other quite a bit during spring training, so I saw Abercrombie a lot. He had a nice spring that year, and I thought he'd be a star.

The Marlins seemed to think enough of Abercrombie to give him a shot. Unfortunately, Abercrombie hadn't quite mastered the art of hitting even though he did show occasional flashes of skill. (This is perhaps why I'm not really a prospector.) He played one more year with the Marlins, and spent part of 2008 with the Astros.

Abercrombie is now playing in the independent American Association, where he is hitting .338 with 20 home runs, 82 RBI and 34 stolen bases.

For a guy with a long name, Abercrombie has a pretty decent autograph.

2007 Topps 52 Rookies Luis Hernandez

Who is this? Binghamton Mets infielder Luis Hernandez  

What is this? An autographed card from the 2007 Topps 52 Rookies set.

Where'd I get it? Hernandez signed it for me after a game in Trenton earlier this year.

How much did it cost? Maybe a quarter, or maybe it came out of a pack.

Why is this so special? After spending time in the major leagues in each of the past three seasons, Hernandez is now providing minor league depth for the New York Mets organization. He played for Baltimore in 2007 and 2008, and was a Kansas City Royal for a time last year.


I can make our Luis' first name, but I'm not sure what's going on with his last name. It's an interesting-looking autograph.

2006 '52 Topps Rookie Card Yurendell De Caster

Who is this? Pirates third baseman Yurendell De Caster.

What is this? An autograph card from 2006 '52 Topps Rookie Card, card number 52S-YD

Where'd I get it? That same eBay guy with all the penny cards.

How much did it cost? One one thousandth of a ten dollar bill.

Why is this so special? Ok, so I probably overpaid for this one. Yurendell's entire major league career to date consists of two at bats in three games for two strikeouts. The Curacao native has played for the Dutch national team (including the 2007 European Championship gold medal winners) so we might see him again in the 2009 WBC. We won't see him with Pittsburgh because he's with the Nationals organization now, stuck in Triple-A Columbus. His realative anonymity still didn't keep some goober from videoing him looking over the DVD rack in Wal-Mart. Yurendell has an elegant minimalist signature on this card. I don't mind someone signing their name as Y d Ct when their name is 17 letters long and he's given a space smaller than the cap on a Sharpie to sign.

2006 '52 Topps Rookie Card Chuck James

Who is this? Braves pitcher Chuck James.

What is this? An autograph card from 2006 '52 Topps Rookie Card, card 52S-CHJ.

Where'd I get it? Ebay.

How much did it cost? 99 cents.

Why is this so special? I got this card and tomorrow's card from the same seller. Gotta love combined shipping! Chuckie's apparently not a popular signature right now, because I got him for the opening bid. I like the card though. It looks good even being on the overdone '52 design and the signature itself looks fantastic. Chuck used every last millimeter of that box for the autograph and till made it look good. Good for you Chuckie!

Now obviously since it's a Brave I like the player, but Chuck is especially cool. He seems like a happy go lucky guy and has the typical lefty crazies. After his successful rookie season he admitted in a radio interview to everyone's horror that he spent the offseason working for Lowe's installing windows and stuff. Needless to say after two 11-win seasons, he's not working for Lowe's anymore. James is currently on the DL resting a rotator cuff injury but is expected to come off it quickly to take the brittle Mike Hampton's spot in the rotation. Chuck is a solid pitcher but he's got a reputation for only being able to go 5 effective innings. With the abundance of starting pitchers in the Braves' organization right now, Chuck is going to have to earn his job, but has the talent to stick in the rotation.