2010 Topps Team USA John Simms

Who is this? Rice Sophomore Pitcher John Simms
What is this? An autograph card from 2010 Topps Team USA Box set.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by John before a Falmouth Commodore v. Wareham Gatemen Cape Cod Baseball League game last summer.
How much did it cost? I bought two 2010 Topps Team USA sets last year for about $15.00.

Why is this so special? John Simms has the potential to become a top prospect for the 2013 MLB Draft. In his first year at Rice, Simms earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team Honors and was named National Pitcher of the Week on April 19 after he struck out 11 batters in in 7.2 innings to lead Rice to a 2-0 victory over #5 Texas A&M on April 12 and then came out of the bullpen just five days later to pitch 1.2 scoreless innings to help Owls defeat Tulane on April 17.

That spectacular regular season might have been enough for most freshman, but not for Simms. After Rice's season ended, Simms headed east to pitch for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Most Cape League hitters would have preferred that Simms stayed at home, as he did not allow a single earned run all summer in 24.2 innings pitched!

Before attending Rice, Simms pitched for College Park High School in The Woodlands, California (a baseball prospect factory) and also pitched for the Team USA 18 and Under squad in the summer of 2010. He was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the Thirty-Ninth Round of the 2010 MLB Draft, but turned down the chance to go pro in favor of Rice.

Simms was nice enough to also sign this 2010 Bowman Chrome Team USA 18U card for me:

2010 Topps Team USA Brian Ragira

Who is this? Stanford University and Team USA First Baseman and Outfielder Brian Ragira.
What is this? An autograph card from 2010 Topps USA.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by Brian last June before Team USA's game against the New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Stars at Fenway Park.
How much did it cost? I got this card when I bought two sets of 2010 Topps Team USA sets.

Why is this so special? Brian Ragira was recognized as a 2011 Freshman All-American by Baseball America, the 2011 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, and a 2011 Honorable Mention All-PAC-10 after his first year as a Cardinal. Playing First Base and the Outfield, Brian hit .329, slugged .465, led the team in RBIs, Triples, and Home Runs, and had a .993 fielding percentage.

Brian was also a member of the 2009 and 2010 Team USA 18U squads, batting .386, leading the team in RBIs and slugging .649, good for second best, in 2010. In the summer of 2011, Brian played in five games as an alternate for the Team USA Collegiate Team, where I saw him play at Fenway.

A raw and powerful athlete, Brian was also a top young soccer player, competing with the U.S. Development Program 12U team, before focusing on baseball full-time and is the son of Elijah and Abigael Ragira, both of whom were Kenyan Marathon runners. And, although he was born in Texas, Brian is actually a dual-citizen of both the United States and Kenya.

If he continues his development, Brian could become a top draft-pick in 2013 and an elite prospect. Brian was nice enough to sign six cards for me before the game, and was even nice enough to sign with his appropriate jersey number for each card. In fact, he signed with a smile and thanked me when he handed me back the clipboard and blue sharpie.

2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars Garin Cecchini

Who is this? Red Sox Third Base Prospect Garin Cecchini.
What is this? An autograph card from 2009 Upper Deck Signature Stars.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by Garin before the New York-Penn League Short-Season A-League All-Star Game in Lowell, MA on Tuesday.
How much did it cost? I bought this card for about ten cents a year ago.

Why is this so special? Garin was the Red Sox fourth-round pick in 2010 and he received a $1.31 million signing bonus to lure him away from attending LSU. A former member of the Team USA 18U squad, Cecchini lead the team in doubles and slugging percentage during the Pan Am Junior Championships, besting teammates Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.

Garin made his professional debut this season for the Red Sox Short-Season Affiliate Lowell Spinners. In 32 games, Cecchini batted .298 with 3 HR, 12 2B, 23 RBI, 12 SB, and an .898 OPS, impressive enough to earn a spot on the NYPL American League All-Star Team. Unfortunately, Garin injured his forearm on July 23 and is likely to miss the rest of the season. Nonetheless, even in his limited time, Cecchini demonstrated the above-average tools that made him a Top 10 Prospect for the Red Sox before the 2011 season and he should begin next season with the Low-A Greenville Drive.

Garin signed a total of six cards for me. Knowing that he is religious and that he used religious themes for his 2009 Upper Deck Team USA Inscriptions cards, I asked him to include a bible verse on some of the cards. He signed my 2011 Bowman card with Psalm 83:18 (That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.), telling me that he has that verse on his glove.

I had heard rumors that Garin was a tough sign, but he was very friendly and talkative with fans.

2010 Topps USA Brian Johnson

Who is this? Pitcher/Designated Hitter Brian Johnson of the Florida Gators, Team USA, and Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.
What is this? An autograph card from the 2010 Topps Team USA Box set.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by Brian before a Yarmouth-Dennis game against the Brewster Whitecaps last week.
How much did it cost? I bought the whole set for around $9.

Why is this so special? It isn't everyday that you find a pitcher who is also one of the best hitters in college baseball. Brian has been an important part of Florida's College World Series teams in 2010 and 2011 and is one of the most interesting prospects in the 2012 draft.

While his signature does leave something to be desired, the blue ink does look sharp and he was nice enough to sign three cards for me (two 2010 Topps and one Bowman Platinum).

2010 Topps Team USA Michael Lorenzen

Who is this? Michael Lorenzen, an outfielder with the 2011 Team USA Collegiate Team from Cal State Fulerton.
What is this? An autograph card from the 2010 Topps Team USA Box Set.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed, along with two other Team USA cards, by Michael before yesterday's Team USA v. New England Collegiate All State game at Fenway Park in Boston.
How much did it cost? I got the card when I bought the Team USA box set for around $10.00.

Why is this so special? This card is special to me not only because Michael is a top prospect with an elite outfield arm and speed, but because he was so nice to all of the fans. I asked him if he could sign a few cards when he was coming out of the dugout and he told me that he would as soon as he finished outfield practice. After watching him throw a few lazers from deep center right to home plate, he came back and signed for me.

He wrote a different bible verse on each card and asked me if I was a "believer." When I told him that I was he said to "Preach the word to all nations." He signed three cards for me, inscribing Galations 2:20 ("I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."), John 14:6 ("Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."), and Romans 10:9 (" If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.").

2004 Upper Deck Team USA Scott Spiezio

Who is this? Newark Bears infielder Scott Spiezio
 
What is this? An autographed card from Upper Deck's 2004 Team USA 25th Anniversary set
 
Where'd I get it? Spiezio signed it for me before a Newark Bears game earlier this year.
 
How much did it cost? I traded a duplicate card with another autograph collector at the ballpark
 
Why is this so special? Scott Spiezio spent 12 seasons in the major leagues and won two World Series rings, with the 2002 Angels and the 2006 Cardinals. He is the son of former major leaguer Ed Spiezio.

I've never seen another picture of Spiezio without his silly beard, so this card amuses me. Although it smeared a little, Spiezio's signature here looks a lot nicer than the one on the card I posted yesterday.

2005 Upper Deck USA Baseball Mark Romanczuk

Who is this? Team USA pitcher Mark Romanczuk.

What is this? An autograph card from 2005 Upper Deck USA Baseball I think. I'm pretty sure this is from the Team USA box set, but UD sprinkles Team USA cards all over their products so I'm not sure. Card numer J-34, serial numbered 028/275.

Where'd I get it? Atlanta Sports Cards.

How much did it cost? Three buckaroonis.

Why is this so special? It's Olympics time, so I felt compelled to post a Team USA autograph. Unfortunately I traded away my only one a few months ago. Oops. I had a meeting for work yesterday though, which means I had an excuse to hit my favorite cross-town card shop and pick up some goodies without feeling guilty for burning all the gas it takes to get there. So who is he? Mark is a lefty hurler who played college ball for Stanford (apparently when he was 4 years old according to the Baseball Cube). He was drafted by the Diamondbacks, missed the 2006 season with an injury to his ulnar nerve, and now is pitching for the St. Paul Saints. Mark's signature is scraggly but bold, very appropriate for a lefty. I'm wondering how this card was manufactured now that I look at it. It looks like the card was originally two cards, one die cut for the auto and jersey and the other with a blank side. UD must have had Mark sign the blank side, then glued the jersey swatch above it and finally glued the two halves together. The devious part of my brain wants to pull out the X-acto knife and reverse engineer this card, but so far I have been able to restrain myself.