Moments & Milestones

No, not the set.  We mark our collections in ways that are in many ways arbitrary, but in our own individual world views makes perfect sense.  Set builders have relatively objective, concrete goals: get every card in a specific set.  But for the rest of us?  Collecting habits differ, and I think the blogosphere is a great example of that.

A PWE from Baseball Dad last week put me at exactly 11,000 different Pirate cards according to my excel file.

The card itself was rather pedestrian.  A 2003 Donruss Estrellas card of short lives second sacker Jose Castillo.  The card is unique in that I had no idea a 2003 Estrellas set was even released (I thought the 02 issue was a one-and-done set).  But otherwise it's...ordinary.  Not to mention it includes the same photo of Castillo Donruss recycled on about half a dozen cards between 2003 and 2004.

And in all honesty, the milestone itself is rather arbitrary.  For some reason we like nice round numbers.  And 11,000 cards is an impressive achievement.  But no less impressive than 10,999.  Or 10,964.

And even then, odds are that my excel count is off in some way, shape, or form.  Maybe a double entry of Bill Madlock's 1983 Fleer card (just checked, and we're in the clear on that one), or some 1995 Ultra common that stuck to the back of another card when I was cataloging them.

So arbitrary?  Yes.  But collecting is about the journey.  And in the past eight years, I've gone from exclusively a player collector, to trying to collect one certified autograph of every player to appear as a Pirate, to a team collector, to what would probably be described by my loving bride as an out of control super-collecting monster hell bent upon picking up every single Pirates card ever produced.  Those collecting evolutions get dropped onto the mile markers of my life over that time as I moved from high school student, wide eyed college student, grad student, dumped, dating, single, engaged, married, in shape, not so in shape.

And I think that's one of the interesting aspects of collecting.  I'm quite sure many of us can associate a specific card with a place or time in our lives when we added it to our collection.  Or a card that has special meaning as a gift from a parent, child, or partner.  Maybe not every single card.  But some of those cards take us on this weird, spiraling journey both to a different time in our lives and a different time in our recollections of and relationships to baseball or a specific player.

Not to get too waxing and philosophical.  At the most basic level...11,000 unique cards is a pretty cool (and insanely frustrating to organize) accomplishment.  Especially since my goal for this calendar year was 10,000 (I think I was at about 8,700 on New Year's day).  And while it's quality, not quantity...there is something magical and exciting about each and every one of the cards in my collection.  Even those hideous 1995 Fleer cards.

So here's to all of you moving ever close to those ever changing collecting goals.  After all, it's the thrill of the hunt that's half the fun.

Minor Matters: Jose Castillo

I'm going to try to shift the focus semi-regularly away from the major league cards to take a look at my growing minor league collection.  I've been picking up a fair number of team sets from minor league affiliates of years past, and I've really enjoyed seeing the progression of the team's big leaguers as they rise through the system.  Sure, most of the team sets are filler - organizational players, failed prospects, and late round picks.  For newer sets, most names I recognize.  For the older sets, it's not quite as fun.

Jose Castillo's story isn't an unfamiliar one - guy who looked real flashy in the low minors.  He skipped straight from AA to the majors, and despite a strong glove his tools never fully developed and some added weight made him less valuable in the field.

This card comes from his time with Low-A Hickory in 2000, where his raw tools translated to some exciting play.  When I think of the current crop of Pirates top prospects in the low minors, I can't help but think of Castillo as a cautionary tale.  But that's baseball for 'ya.

COMC Haul: Certifiably Bad

Sometimes a dig through a dime box or scroll through COMC store or ebay listings tells a story.  A player collection forsaken, team collection being broken up, or set build aborted.  I'm guessing the latter would explain the origin of the cards in this post.  These parallels all come from the same seller, as well as a few other Pirates left behind that I already had.

This post is as much about the shiny, foil goodness of 2004 Leaf Certified Materials as it is about just how mind-numbingly bad the Pirates were in the mid 2000's.  This set is from 2004, and features two rookies in the Pirate team set.  None of these players are in organized baseball in the United States. The Pirates sure knew how to pick 'em.

 Craig Wilson had his best season in 2004, hitting 29 HR's with a .499 slugging percentage.  But Wilson would be dealt from the Pirates to the Yankees in mid-2006, spending an unimpressive 24 games with the Braves in 2007.  He would spend 2008 in AAA, but was out of baseball at age 31.

 Simon shouldn't have been in Pittsburgh in the first place in 2004.  A mid-season 2003 trade to the Cubs could and should have spelled the end of his time in the Burgh.  But GM Dave Littlefield proved you could make the same mistake twice, and Simon rewarded the club with a .194 average in 61 games before being released.  He would get picked up by the Rays for a few games, resurface again in 2006 for a few more games with the Phillies, and play independent league ball through the 2010 season.  But in 2004 a major leaguer he twas not.

 Mike Johnston made it to the majors as a 25 year old lefty, pitching 24 unimpressive games for the Bucs.  He would briefly see the majors again in 2005 for one game.  He would leave baseball after the 2006 season until reappearing in AA and AAA in the White Sox system in 2009, pitching well in 16 games between the two levels.  And then he disappeared again.  He apparently pitched 24 innings in the independent Atlantic League in 2013, but following his pattern I'd imagine he should reappear in 2016 in your local fast pitch softball league.

 Ian Snell has the most longevity of this bunch, which is saying something.  Snell spent 3 games in the Bigs in '04 and another 15 in '05 before establishing himself as a starter.  Snell looked like a solid major league pitcher with a chance at a long career, racking up 177 K's in 208 innings of work as a 25 year old in 2007 with a 3.76 ERA. 

And in true Pirate fashion, proceeded to implode.  He jumped to a 5.42 ERA in 2005.  His fastball lost miles like they were going out of style, he demoted himself to the minors in 2009 before a trade to Seattle ended his time in Pittsburgh.  The Mariners, stuck with his $4M salary, pitched him in the majors in 2010, and he would make 5 atrocious AAA starts for the Dodgers in 2011, but has been out of baseball since then.

And of course we can't forget Jose Castillo.  Castillo jumped from AA to the majors as a 23 year old in 2004.  He put up a respectable .256/.298/.368 line his rookie year with strong defense.  He continued improving in '05, showing flashes of above average power and spectacular defense.  But weak on base skills and questions over his work ethic moved him to the bench in 2007.  He spent 2008 between the Astros and Giants, and has since spent time between Japan and Mexico.  He put up excellent numbers in the Mexican League in 2012 and 2013 thus far, but at 32 I'd imagine it's doubtful he gets another crack at the majors.

But hey, look!  Shiny cards!