2009 UD SP Authentic Josh Reddick

Who is this? Oakland Athletics' Outfielder Josh Reddick.
What is this? An autograph card from 2009 UD SP Authentic
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by Josh Reddick after a Pawtucket Red Sox game in 2010.
How much did it cost? A dollar or two.

Why is this so special? Josh Reddick, drafted by Boston in the Seventeenth-Round of the 2006 MLB Draft out of Middle Georgia College, was one of the Red Sox Top Prospects since 2008 before making his Major League debut in 2009. Since then, he has split his time between Boston and Triple-A Pawtucket, filling-in for an oft-injured Boston squad of JD Drew, Mike Cameron, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Carl Crawford.

Yesterday, Josh Reddick was one of the key pieces in the trade that sent closer Andrew Bailey to Boston from Oakland. Now an Athletic, Josh looks well-positioned to win a starting job in Oakland and reach his Major League potential.

During his time with Pawtucket, Josh was a good signer, especially in 2010. A "Good Ol' Boy" from Georgia, he used to sometimes vacuum his muscle car with a dust-buster while smoking a cigarette before games. I wish him all the best in Oakland and hope that he has a long and successful career.

Here are eight more cards that Josh signed for me during his time in Pawtucket.

2011 Bowman Topps 100 Ryan Lavarnway

Who is this? Boston Red Sox Catcher/Slugger Ryan Lavarnway.
What is this? An autograph card from 2010 Bowman Topps 100 insert set.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by Ryan when he was a member of the Pawtucket Red Sox in July 2011.
How much did it cost? I think I paid 25 cents or so for it at a card show last spring. Oddly, I have seen far fewer of Lavarnway's Topps 100 cards than just about any other card. I am not sure if it is a secret short-print or someone is hoarding them, but I just don't see as many of them as I expect to.

Why is this so special? Ryan Lavarnway might be the best slugger to come out of the Red Sox farm system in a generation. A sixth-round pick out of Yale in 2008, Ryan has quickly risen through the ranks, smashing Minor League pitching at every stop.

Ryan hit 21 homeruns with the Greenville Drive in 2009; 22 homeruns with the Salem Red Sox and Portland SeaDogs in 2010; and 32 homeruns with the Portland SeaDogs and Pawtucket Red Sox in 2011, before making his Major League debut with Boston, where he smashed two more.

But, while his bat has been impressive, the lingering question with Lavarnway has been: where he will play defensively? Originally an outfielder in college, Lavarnway moved behind the plate at Yale to boost his draft stock. And, although his catching skills have improved since joining the organization, many scouts still doubt that he will ever be more than a below-average catcher, defensively.

Ryan's immediate future is likely to be determined by two factors: Will the Red Sox offer up the cash to re-sign David Ortiz this off-season? And how long will Jason Varitek continue to play with the Red Sox? If either of them depart, Ryan could find himself with Boston on Opening Day 2012.

Ryan has a very nice and consistent signature, which shows works well on this card. He is usually a better-than-average signer before and after games, and definately worth trying to get if he returns to Triple-A to begin the 2012 season.

2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Chrome Kyle Weiland

Who is this? Boston Red Sox pitcher Kyle Weiland.
What is this? An autograph card from 2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Chrome.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by Kyle before a Pawtucket Red Sox game in June.
How much did it cost? I bought the card for 10 cents at a local card show.

Why is this so special? Kyle Weiland made his Major League debut this past Sunday (7/10/2011) against the Baltimore Orioles, but things did not go as planned. In fact, Kyle became the first player to be ejected from his Major League debut since 2008 when he hit Vladimir Guerrero in the fifth inning. Overall, Weiland's debut was a mixed bag. He pitched 3+ scoreless innings, but was tagged for six runs in the second inning.

Hopefully Weiland's debut will just be a minor bump on the road to a long and successful Major League career. Pitching for AAA Pawtucket this year, Kyle has been an International League leader in strikeouts and threw an eight-inning one-hitter against the Rochester Red Wings on June 29th.

Kyle has been a great signer all year. In addition to the 2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Chrome card, Kyle also signed this 2008 TriSTAR Prospects Plus Boston Top Pick Pitchers card. I already had Stephen Fife, a pitcher for Boston's AA Portland Sea Dogs, sign the card and I only need Bryan Price, now in the Indians' organization, to finish-off the card.

2007 Topps Co-Signers Andrew Miller

Who is this? Red Sox pitcher Andrew Miller.
What is this? An autograph rookie card from 2007 Topps Co-Signers, card #100 in the set.
Where'd I get it? I got it before a Pawtucket Red Sox game at McCoy Stadium in May.
How much did it cost? I got it from a 10 cent box at my local card show at the Mansfield Holiday Inn in March.

Why is this so special? Andrew Miller played for the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox from April to mid-June of this season after being acquired from the Florida Marlins in a trade for LHP Dustin Richardson in the offseason. Miller was selected six overall in the 2006 draft by the Detroit Tiger's out of the University of North Carolina, where he won Baseball America's College Player of the Year Award as a Junior and became the first player drafted in 2006 to make it to the Majors when he made his debut on 8/30/2006 against the New York Yankees. Unfortunately, so far in his career, Miller has been unable to find the form that made him such a dominant pitcher in college and has posted mediocre numbers.

To most fans, Miller is best remembered for being traded to the Marlins as part of the Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera deal in December of 2007. However, since being traded to the Red Sox, Miller has had better control of his pitches and has recently been added to the Red Sox rotation and won his first game as a member of the Red Sox today, June 26, 2011.

This autographed card is so special because Andrew Miller is a true Major Leaguer, even when he was in the Minors. While many players with his skills and background avoid fans at Minor League ballparks, Miller was always very kind: signing autographs, taking pictures, and talking to fans. I hope that he remains in Boston and finds the success that has eluded him for too long, and will have his autographed cards as a reminder of what a nice guy he was in Pawtucket.

2009 Choice Pawtucket Red Sox Sandy Madera

Who is this? Newark Bears infielder Sandy Madera
What is this? An autographed card from the 2009 Pawtucket Red Sox team set
Where'd I get it? Madera signed it for me before Wednesday night's Bears game.
How much did it cost? $1 on eBay.

Why is this so special? Sandy Madera is one of the most out-going baseball players you are likely to meet. This is his 11th season in pro ball; he made his pro debut as a 18-year-old catcher in the Athletics organization in 1999. He was the Dominican Summer League All-Star Catcher that year.

Madera has also played in the New York Yankees, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox farm systems. In independent league baseball, Madera has played for the New Jersey Jackals in the Can-Am League (he was an all-star there in 2007) and the Newark Bears.

Last season, Madera played in five games for the Pawtucket yet he somehow got included in the card set. He's actually looking for copies of this card, but I don't think I'm going to be able to locate any before the home schedule closes out next weekend.

Madera is a finalist in the ugliest autograph of the year contest, unfortunately.

1987 Pawtucket Ed Nottle

Who is this? Brockton Rox pitching coach Ed Nottle
 
What is this? An autographed card from the 1987 Pawtucket Red Sox team set
 
Where'd I get it? It was a gift from Jeff before Sunday's Trenton Thunder game.
 
Why is this so special? Ed Nottle was a minor league pitcher in the 1960s. In 1972, he entered coaching and eventually became a minor league manager. He was named the International League Manager of the Year in 1987 and the first manager of the Sioux City Explorers in the Northern League in 1993.

Nottle's claim to fame is music. "Singing Ed" recorded an album, "To Baseball with Love" back in the 1980s. (If I had a working turntable, I would definitely be ordering this for the novelty value.)

My memory is playing tricks on me, because I clearly remember Nottle having a 1986 Topps card - and he doesn't. I must be thinking of one of the Red Sox minor leagues sets from the late 80s -- I did collect minor league cards even back then, but none of them really have a similar design.

I don't know what my fourth grade teacher would have said about Nottle's penmanship, but compared to the rest of the autographs I got on Sunday it's a thing of beauty. Unlike most of the minor league players, Nottle's signature is easy to read.

Thanks again, Jeff!