Do You Need These Player Lots?

I've got many lots of hits/rookies/inserts/randomness of a number of guys I'm ready to move. If you see any names you're interested in, please let me know and I'll be in contact to see if we can work out a deal.

- Evan Longoria
- Troy Tulowitzki
- Ryan Braun
- Jered Weaver
- Jason Heyward
- Chad Billingsley
- Alex Gordon
- Jay Bruce
- Danny Espinosa

There are probably a few others so ask if you need anything.

Trade With Brad's Blog: Heyward, Ginter.

I completed my third deal with Brad from the appropriately named Brad's Blog. You can check out our first trade here and second swap here. Brad had some available Ginter from 2015 and though I have yet to put my needs list up for this year's A&G offering I knew I only had two cards towards that goal so anything he would send would be much needed.

Before I get to the set help, Brad had a sweet Jason Heyward relic I was interested in and he was nice enough to set it aside for me. I'm in the process of narrowing my focus and a number of non-Dodgers will be left behind but J-Hey is one of those guys I will continue to collect despite his lack of Blue. He excels at everything, and I like that in a player.

A pair of Puigs also found their way to me. They will both make for very aesthetically-pleasing additions to the binder.

Back to the crux of the transaction. Brad knocked off 44 of my needs for '15 Ginter. If you have any to trade -- I need more than just '15s -- I'm interested.

Thanks for the tremendous trade Brad!

2 by 3 Heroes Strikes Again.

Jeff of 2 by 3 Heroes fame sent another of his wonderful PWEs my way, and I've picked out my favorites to showcase on this Saturday morning.

First up, my first autograph of shortstop prospect Brandon Trinkwon, and it's a beautiful rookie on-card offering out of 2014 Bowman Chrome.

A new Mike Trout (with a guest appearance from newest Dodger Howie Kendrick); a sweet Kyle Palmieri; and a pair of Jason Heyward manu-patches for my modest J-Hey Collection round out the envelope.

As always, many thanks to my fellow Kate Upton aficionado!

My Jason Heyward PC

As much as it pains me to root for anyone on this incarnation of the St. Louis Cardinals, they did just go out and acquire one of the most underrated players in baseball who hasn't even hit his prime yet. Jason Heyward is a guy I really like, and I assume they'll be able to sign him long-term after this upcoming season.

Black /25

Silver Auto, Black /25: Just Minors 8x10

Blue RC REF /199

If I could root for the guy while he was on the Atlanta Braves and playing with the insufferable Brian McCann, I think I can still pull for the individual that is J-Hey while simultaneously still loathing the Cards. And in fairness, that's really only because of their fans and the way certain St. Louis guys have acted around certain Dodgers that enjoy celebrating.

I know the Braves were worried about retaining Heyward and Shelby Miller has a really good arm and potential (and a more affordable contract) but I was quite shocked to see the Braves bail on Heyward.

Win A Contest, Win A Puig Chrome RC.

I won a "guess what I pulled" contest over at Play at the Plate, and for my prize Brian had me pick between two rack packs. I went with 2013 Topps Chrome. The highlight of my three packs and bonus pack was actually the final card I pulled, and boy is it ever a BIG ONE.

Such a great photo of #ManBearPuig. For a last card, it's hard to beat. Thankfully, I now don't have to chase this beauty, and I've been able to track down a number of Puig rookies on the cheap, which I never thought I would be able to do.

How about an orange refractor with a most excellent Rookie Cup of the best - and yes, most valuable - player in baseball, Mike Trout? Don't mind if I do. This baby was at the top of my bonus pack of orange refractors, which I opened up first.

We'll end it with the other two orange refractors I pulled, both of which feature former Dodgers: Shane Victorino and a RC of Allen Webster. I happened to pull a few other cards of note which will find their way into my collection and into trade packages for you wonderful people.

Thanks Brian!

Jason Heyward 2008 Just Minors Black Auto #'d /25 (BGS 8.5, 10 Autograph)

I won this Jason Heyward Just Minors black parallel auto a while back, and was able to land it for less than a blaster. For that price, I'm always willing to add a sweet new J-Hey to my modest collection of the Braves' best player.

Numbered 13/25 and graded an 8.5 with a 10 auto by BGS, the card is much nicer in-hand, as it scanned in quite poorly. This newest pickup goes very well with the /200 version of the card I landed about two and a half years ago.

Trade With plain gray swatch: Purple Kershaw, Blue Tulo, Necessary Ginter.

I completed my first trade with Roy-Z of plain gray swatch. Roy posted a couple of cards I was interested in and I posted a couple that he happened to be interested in. After some Want List perusing we worked out a deal.

First up, a shiny new Kershaw for the PC. I'm oddly intrigued by this purple refractor parallel from 2012 Topps Chrome, as the purple somehow works.

Next, new Tulowitzki additions for my Long Beach State PC. I don't have many Tulo relics so I'm always happy to pick one up, especially if it's well-designed.

Minis, gotta love 'em. The blue is #'d 044/200. Oh, and the mini is a Ginter back.

Randomness.

Roy also sent along 6 cards I needed for my 2012 Allen & Ginter quest. What I still need from '12 A&G - and 2011 A&G, for that matter - can be found here. Thanks for the great trade Roy, looking forward to many more!

Just Memorabilia, Just Jason Heyward.

My Jason Heyward PC isn't a huge one, but I'm quite happy with it. I pick up a piece every now and then when the price is right and the mood strikes me. A while back I came across an outstanding J-Hey item and I thankfully took the auction down. As I always try to do, I got it for a song (under a blaster).

Numbered 24/25, it's a gorgeous 8x10 from Just Memorabilia and it just so happens to be signed in silver. More things, pictures or otherwise, should be signed in silver. It just pops. I absolutely dig that the photo depicts a silhouetted Heyward, in color, with a black and white background. I'm a fan of such creative decisions.

The COA is neatly tucked in the back of the protective sleeve. Even with his injury history and slow start in 2013, Heyward is an elite player and a superb talent in all facets of the game. I'm going to love watching him play for the next decade plus.

Say Hey, It's A J-Hey Rookie Auto!

One of my smaller PCs is of Braves' right fielder Jason Heyward, one of my favorite players. The guy is a stud, and though my collection of him is not overwhelming due to high prices, I try and add to it when I can. I was thankfully able to add a big piece in the below beauty recently for a great price.

It's my second Heyward signature to go along with a minor league auto I scored a while back. It's a gorgeous card, and the scan doesn't do it justice, particularly because of the dusty penny sleeve causing some havoc. I love the chrome and on-card aspects of the card, as well as Jason's BIG signature.

My J-Hey PC is coming along nicely, and I hope to continue adding to it when I can and when the price is right and will allow me to.

Jason Heyward 2007 Just Minors Auto

I'm a big, big Jason Heyward fan, and have wanted an autograph of his for quite some time. However, when they first hit the scene, prices were well out of my range. I didn't think much of it, and eventually prices on his autos started dropping. Why, I'm really not sure. He's perhaps the most talented player in baseball, a true franchise player whom a team could build around for a decade. He had a fantastic rookie season and should have won Rookie Of The Year, considering he topped ROY Buster Posey in WAR, wOBA, OBP, XBHs, BB%, wRC+, WPA, and Clutch.  And yes, I know Posey wasn't called up until the end of May. However, Heyward missed time due to a thumb injury, an injury that cost him a trip to the DL and felled him for at least a month as he played through the ailment. But I digress.

What were once autographs that exceeded the $100 mark with regularity - with steals in the $60 range - dropped to the $30 range for most of the completed eBay auctions I watched. I passed on one of Heyward's Bowman Sterling autos that ended around thirty three dollars, and regretted it immensely. Thankfully, this beautiful card ended with my bid being the winning one. For $33 shipped, I am now the proud owner of this awesome minor league auto of one the game's elite, who will only get better as his career progresses:

86/200

I absolutely love minor league autos - and Just Minors products in particular - for the obvious reason that they're some of the earliest autographs a player signs. I especially love this Heyward auto because he wrote out his last name in full, as opposed to the shortened version he now inscribes. I can't blame him for changing his signature - with the amount he now signs, I can only imagine how much his hand hurts after signing hundreds and hundreds of stickers and other items (and even the occasional card), and how tedious and dull the process becomes after the one hundredth sticker or ball passes him by.

The card was oddly thin, seemingly about half as thick as a normal base card nowadays. It caught me off-guard as I removed the card from the toploader, and this Heyward gem was so thin that it almost slipped out of my hand and hit the ground, which would be bad in any case, but especially troubling in this particular scenario, as you'll see below.

One of the most interesting things about Heyward autos is that he seems to often sign on the far left of the area where they ask him to sign. I've noticed it on this card, one my local shop's owner pulled, and a few others here and there. Nothing really special about it; I just find it interesting. Especially on his newer autos, like Bowman Sterling, where his last name is in its shorter version. Makes for a good laugh when more than half the sticker is empty.

My only gripe with this purchase is directed at the seller. He shipped quickly and left me positive feedback, which was appreciated. However, he sent me my Jason Heyward auto in a toploader and nothing else; no penny sleeve to be found. Perhaps I'm overreacting, but it would seem to me that a high-end card of a fantastic player should be placed in a penny sleeve prior to being put into a toploader.

The seller's note asking for positive feedback was a nice touch. He received positive feedback, but I made sure to suggest that in the future, penny sleeves be a priority of his.

All in all, I'm more than pleased to add this card to my collection. It's instantly one of my favorites, a card I truly love and am thrilled to own, especially with the deal I was able to score. How a Heyward auto goes for under $50 boggles my mind, but then again, card pricing has never been one of my strong suits.

Welcome to my personal collection Mr. Heyward. I hope to provide you with a friend in a few months. Pack-pulled, perhaps. Who am I kidding, I'll snatch him from eBay when the time comes.

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On a side note, I've finally been shafted by an eBay seller, it would appear. I've opened two cases with eBay, so we'll see where they lead.

And one more follower means a contest to come at some point. The prize is good - I swear.