I have loads of cards sitting around,so the chipping at the pile might as well begin today....
The Savannah Sand Gnats hit Hagerstown for the first regular season visit in years-The Gnats had been forced to come for the 2013 SAL Championship series,but not in the regular season since I have been doing this.
The Gnats will return next season,but as the Columbia Fireflies after a move to South Carolina.
One of the disappointments of the year was my inability to hit any of the three towns that will be losing teams or moving to new stadiums in New Britain Ct,Savannah or Augusta Ga....
Savannah wasn't loaded with prospects,but I did get a few interesting players.
Eudor Garcia might rank near the top of nicest guys all season and he gave Mike Oravec a bat to send to a mutual friend.
Luis Guillorme signed his SAL top prospect card and team setter with a Bowman,Corey Oswalt signed a Heritage with his teamer,Christian Montgomery signed two different USA cards and Wuilmer Becerra signed a Bowman and Sand Gnat card,although he would only sign coming off the field for warmups,which makes me think he could be more of a problem as he rises in the Mets system.
This was also the series that I got the rising prospect Bryan Meijia on his 2014 and 2015 Auburn cards from the Suns....
I then did the home Frederick Keys as the Keys took on the Winston-Salem Dash.
At that time,the Dash was rumored to not be doing a team set,which they changed their mind at the last minute when first rounder Carson Fulmer was assigned to them.
So the result was nothing for the Dash and time to do the Keys.
This is the one day a year that I don't enjoy graphing.
The layout at Harry Grove Stadium means that you have to do one team or the other and all the graphers are usually on the other side,
The Keys were their typically Oriole weak team and other than Chance Sisco on his Keys card and Josh Hart on his Delmarva,2014 SAL prospect and Bowman,the Keys were not studded with prospects.
I did get Cody Wheeler on an old Donruss Elite in his Coastal Carolina uniform and I always like those.
Wheeler was a very nice guy and I enjoyed talking to him...
Mike Oravec did the Wilmington Blue Rocks and even though I mostly was finished,Mike filled in a few needs,most notably a Bowman Chrome of Santiago Nessy.
Not sure when,but sometime during this was the visit of Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat to Frederick and I found Steamboat to be so down to Earth.He signed my card and figure and when I told him that I had rooted AGAINST him through my childhood and he snapped his head up and said "Against"? I told him that I was a heel fan and he said "you know you guys probably had a lot more fun than the rest of these guys" and smiled.
Great guy and if you are a wrestling fan and get a chance to meet Steamboat,I recommend that you take advantage of the chance..
Tom O'Brien sent me a Heritage signed by Nick Swisher with the Indians and had Nick add Go Bucks,which I always try to get when getting former Buckeyes.
The Greensboro Grasshoppers returned to Hagerstown for their second visit and their team set wasn't released,so the highlight of the series was Tyler Kolek and Justin Twine on their SAL prospect cards and a 1987 Topps of Luis Quinones on a Giants card,
Quinones ranks with the best coaches to come through Hagerstown in years-friendly,always had time to talk and signed everything that you had...
I also got Kevin Perez on a 2014 Lexington card after the Suns had signed him from the Royals,who had just released him...
Next in was the Delmarva Shorebirds,which was similar to the Frederick Keys.
Main addition was Brian Gonzalez on his SAL prospect card,little of of note other than team set cards.
Jason Christensen sent me some cool stuff from the Binghamton Mets with various cards of Brandon Nimmo,L.J. Mazzilli and Gavin Cecchini.
Jason also added me Phillies prospect J.P.Crawford and Yankee prospect Aaron Judge on their SAL prospect card and Eastern League prospects of Cecchini and Nimmo with three Reading Phillies from that set in Aaron Nola,Roman Quinn and Zach Elfin.
The Salem Red Sox finished their trips to Frederick and after doing most of their team set in a previous visit,the main addition was Trey Ball on his Carolina League prospect card
Bill Cover added me some Bowmans during a visit to Pulaski VA.
Yankees Gosuke Katoh and Kendall Coleman were combined with the Braves Dylan Manwaring and Ian Hagenmiller.
Between Bill Cover and Fred Landucci,I was able to get a lot of the Richmond Flying Squirrels finished while I was away.
Kyle Crick (EL,Bowman and Richmond),Mac Williamson ( Bowman Breakout,and 2 San Jose) and Tyler Beede (Richmond) were the big gets.
Fred Landucci also was able to get me Josh Bell and Tyler Glasnow of Altoona on their EL prospect cards before both of them were promoted to AAA Indianapolis...
I wrapped up this set with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in Harrisburg with Bill Cover.
I was able to get a decent chunk of the team set finished,but the big get was Jeff Hoffman on his top 100.
Hoffman signed tons during this set and shortly after was traded to the Rockies in the Troy Tulowitski trade.
Also was able to get former Columbus Clipper Scott Barnes on two of his AAA issues during this series.
That put a small dent in the pile,but much to be told over the fall and winter,so stay tuned...
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