On the signing front

The signing front returns with looks at the Hagerstown Suns and Frederick Keys team sets plus visits from the Charleston River Dogs to Hagerstown and the Lynchburg Hillcats to Frederick.

The Hagerstown team set was a battle from the beginning as both rumors and personal conversations brought forth news of the team possibly not making an 2010 team set.
Fortunately,whether the team listened to collectors or just decided to do the right thing,the Suns came out with a set to their credit and it was quick too,especially when you look at some of the teams still coming into the Hub City to play the Suns,which have yet to release their set.
Aesthetically,it is middle of the road.
The pictures are photoshopped on a navy blue background that would not be bad,if some of the players weren't wearing their alternate blue jerseys.
Those are rough because the autograph becomes very difficult to read and they look a lot like the team checklist head shots from 1970's Topps cards.
The set is sold for 15 bucks,which is double many teams price,but considering that the print run is just 250 sets,I am more than fine with that (But not with something else,that is in a future signing front) and if you are not able to get one through the team,the prices zooms even higher.
The best prospects in the set are Destin Hood,Jeff Kobernus,Danny Rosenbaum (who added Go Muskies to his card by request) and Trevor Holder,who has since moved up to Potomac.
All and all,not a bad set although a white background rather than blue would have looked a bit better with the issues of photoshopped images and I could have done without so many of the garbage cards in the set.
I love the Muni card that was put in the set in each of the last two seasons,but was it really necessary for cards of ALL of the H-Town Crew,Woolie B and the Scoreboard Cowboy at the expense of the two player prospect card that the team added in the 07 and 08 sets?

The Frederick Keys team set features lots of game action without photoshopping,although I must admit some trepidation when seeing the card on top of the set.
The Xavier Avery card was very dark and I had concerns about the rest of the set.
However,the Avery card was the only one like that and the rest are quite visible.
The Avery shot was taken as he camped under a flyball during a night game and he was in front of the batters eye making the shot even darker.
The Keys aren't loaded with prospects this season,but the best of the players in the set look to be the aforementioned Avery,L.J.Hoes and Brett Jacobson,who was obtained from the Tigers last season.
Thanks to both Ryan and Jeff for their help over two nights with the Keys team set...

When the Lynchburg Hillcats came to Frederick,it looked like a slow night.
One that which I had very little for and was invited to enjoy the game without a reason.
However,Lynchburg's team set arrived and I was able to buy one from another collector and suddenly I had something to do.
The set looks a bit drab with a gold bottom border,but not awful.
I'll take a drab set over a gaudy looking one every time.
Notable Hillcats that signed were former number one pick Brad Boxberger,who is reported to sign just one card,but both nights that I saw Lynchburg this season,I had just one card for him,so that is hearsay,Neftaili Soto,Mark Serrano (who was starting yet still took the time to sign for me) and Donnie Joseph,who earned a fan in me.
When I asked Joseph to sign,he told me that he had to go to the bullpen and "would be right back".
Usually this is playerspeak for "I don't have time/feel like it".especially in Frederick where the field is accessed by a long staircase,but Joseph put his stuff down in the pen and walked right back up to sign.
Very impressed and I am rooting for Joseph to do well.....

Charleston came into Hagerstown for a three game series that brought a Yankee affiliate to town for the first time in years.
Because Staten Island does not make a team set,the cards were limited to mainstream sets.Yankees are usually abundant in such sets,so I did have some.
First round pick Slade Heathcott signed everything and was very accommodating as was manager Greg Colbrunn,a former journeyman catcher in the show.
Other notable Riverdogs were Luke Murton,J.R.Murphy and DeAngelo Mack.
Two of the three games did well in attendance,making things tough at times,but the other game was light and far easier to get things finished.

Thanks to Bill Cover for his help with a few cards from Harrisburg with Danny Espinosa and the always difficult pair of Akron Aeros in Lonnie Chisenhall and the since promoted Cord Phelps.

The next signing front will look at the Salem Red Sox,Wilmington Blue Rocks and Hickory Crawdads as well as some through the mail signings...