A (Mostly) Corey Seager Rookie Care Package From My Cardboard Habit

I recently received a care package from Judson at My Cardboard Habit. Said package had a distinct Corey Seager theme to it, and you can't really top a bubbler of Seager cardboard. I was aware of one card headed my way but Judson surprised me with three other wonderful Blue Crew cards I was previously without.

The first card is actually not the card I expected to find but it's easily my favorite. It's hard not to be a fan of Stadium Club what with the full bleed photography on top of the excellent shots they choose each and every year. Seager's RC is just a truly great card that I can finally cross off the needs list. I do need to track down his SP Variation to go along with it.

This was the card Judson told me he'd be sending my way: the Silver Ice parallel of Corey's 2014 Bowman Top Prospects offering. It really pops in-hand under light and I always love cards depicting players wearing the number they originally receive when making it to the bigs before donning the uniform we all know them for.

An insert from this year's Stadium Club with #ManBearSeag taking center stage once again. Everything about Stadium is stellar including these Beam Team inserts. There is definitely a lot going on with the card but it all works very well.

The one non-Corey in the care package was this outstanding Black and White Orange Foil Vintage Parallel of Joc Pederson. A great photo made even better by the vintage feel of the black and white of said photo. The orange foil really rounds out the awesomeness of the card and these are not easy pulls on top of all of that, falling at 1:48 hobby packs (1 in every 3 boxes).

I've already tracked down a couple of cards I think Judson will really enjoy as a thank you for the great stuff he's sent me in the last couple of just because bubble mailers that headed my way.

Thanks a ton Judson!

Random Rookies

Some I already own but most are new additions.

The Jose Fernandez XFractor is by far my favorite, and the pair of Manny Machado rookies are pretty sweet pickups as well.

Goldschmidt is a beast. I loved the trade for Heaney and hated the trade sending him packing immediately for Howie Kendrick. Kyle Seager is no Corey.

Trade With The Daily Dimwit: MOST OF 2015 ALLEN & GINTER + Awesome Kemp, Kershaw, and Puig Hits!

I reached double-digit deals with Sam from The Daily Dimwit fame as we recently competed our tenth trade. You can see the first here, second here, third here, fourth here, fifth here, sixth here, seventh here, eighth here, and ninth here.

The bulk of the deal was a near-complete set of 2015 Allen & Ginter. Sam sent 348 of the 350 Base + SPs (or theoretical SPs this year, I suppose). I already had the Yasiel Puig base and Sam was without one other base random dude (#97) so I'm only one card short!

There were inserts galore -- 65 to be exact -- which were led by 36 Starting Points. I can't thank Sam enough for hooking me up with this beastly group of set needs!

A new Kershaw relic is always welcome.

As is a new Kemp; this happens to be the card that long ago began these talks.

Now for a couple of complete surprises that popped out of the 800 count box. This Gary Sheffield dual jersey card is just fantastic. I'm in the process of thinning my tertiary collections but this bad boy will be staying put.

The real stunner was a first, actually: my first Yasiel Puig relic! It follows my first Puig auto and I'm so happy to have it in my #ManBearPuig PC. It hails from 2015 Panini Diamond Kings (a really stellar product despite no logos), features bat and jersey, and is numbered 07/25! Sam, your generosity continues to amaze me!

Some random goodness. The Puig is /199; the Pederson is /599; the Lasorda die-cut is #'d 10/25; the Verdugo Bowman Chrome RC might be my first card of Alex (I hope he turns into something one way or the other, the organization needs more home-grown position players); the Museum Collection Kersh base is a need; and Ginter miiiiiinnnniiissss! One Yasiel has a standard back, the other an A&G reverse, and Joc is a black-bordered.

I'm highlighting a simple Kershaw base card because damn Panini, well done!

As always Sam, thanks for the phenomenally stellar trade amigo!

Trade With All Cardinals All The Time: All The Matt Kemp Cards Belong To Me.

I completed my first trade with Ray from All Cardinals All The Time. Ray contacted me about a Matt Kemp card he had and we quickly worked out a Cards for Dodgers deal. I'm always happy to part with St. Louis cards; here's what Ray received.

Jumbo Bison swatch! Numbered 11/35 -- the Copper Parallel -- it hails from the Momentous Materials subset of 2015 Topps Museum Collection. I really like Museum....if I busted high-end I would probably go with Museum or Triple Threads.

Another Mattycakes' jersey card! This one is numbered out of a more plentiful 399 (125/399) and comes from 2015 Topps Tier One.

Here's a first for my collection: a commemorative medallion card of Matty, which references his first career dinger. The card is super thick and really heavy. Fun storage times are ahead, I'm sure.

Finally a random assortment of base and parallels of my three main PC guys, all of which are new additions to their respective collections. The Pederson Gypsy Queen mini RC is also a welcome pickup.

Thanks for a great first trade Ray!

Trade With Dodger Penguin: Kemp Auto, Kemp Quad Relic, Seager Mini Blue, and a Rising Joc.

I completed my first trade with Matthew from Dodger Penguin. We began this deal a year ago and traded in-person this May 3rd at the card show I recapped. The wait was worth it as we each picked up great stuff for our collections.

Matt surprised me with this 2008 SP Authentic Manufactured Letter Autograph of The Bison in exchange for a Julio Urias signed photo I was able to get at a Rancho Cucamonga Quakes' minor league game. I have legitimately been after one of these signed manu-letter patches for years but have never been able to secure one. This letter "M" is numbered 61/99 and is a most welcome addition, after all of these years, to my Mattycakes' Collection.

If this just isn't the perfect card. You have a great action shot of Corey Seager, my favorite prospect; he's got his pants rolled up to the knees, and I'm a sucker for old-timey throwbacks; it's a Blue Wave parallel; it's numbered 238/250; and it's a miiiiiiinnnnniiiiiii!

I had completely forgotten about this 2009 UD SPx Quad Relic teaming Kemp up with a troika of former Blue Crew members: Rafael Furcal, Takashi Saito, and Hong-Chih Kuo. When Matt and I re-booted our trade talks it was a nice surprise, and it's of course a welcome addition to my collection of Kemp hits.

Now that's a great shot of top prospect Joc Pederson. Joc is featured on a Rising Through The Ranks mini from 2013 Bowman Chrome and it's a swell addition as I have very little of Pederson in my Dodgers' PC.

I really dig these Cream of The Crop minis from '13 Bowman Chrome and I'm happy to add the base version along with the aforementioned Blue Wave parallel.

Finally, a nice refractor of Corey out of 2013 Bowman Chrome.

Thanks for the great trade Matthew! It was a pleasure meeting you and I look forward to many more deals in the future!

Trade With The Dutch Card Guy: The Sickest Kershaw, Joc Pederson's Auto, and I WANT YOUR GINTER.

I completed my first trade with Jeroen from The Dutch Card Guy. After winning a card in a contest he held, I took a look at his trade bait and a number of Dodger goodies jumped out at me. We worked out a great deal which allowed me to add these beauts to my collection.

Kid K! It may be hard to see, but this beautiful patch/triple bat Quad Relic from 2013 Topps Museum Collection is numbered 22/25. Yes, that would be 22 as in Clayton's uniform number. I would have wanted the card anyways because, well, look at it, but the numbering did make it a tad more appealing.

Joc! The above REF RC auto, numbered 002/500, is my first hit of the Dodgers' top outfield prospect. I still think there's a fairly good chance Pederson is dealt before ever playing in a major league game with the club, but no matter what transpires, I'm glad to finally own his John Hancock after a few failed eBay attempts.

A brand new Russell Martin is up next. It's so nice of Upper Deck to put "CATCHER" in bold print, as I never would have guessed from the picture alone.

A bunch of random Dodgers were included, and I scanned in my favorites. The Kirk Gibson is of course legendary and spectacular.

Finally, Jeroen also knocked off six Across The Years I needed for my 2013 Allen & Ginter quest. I would love to finish off all of my Ginter needs soon, so if anyone has what I need please let me know and we'll work out a trade.

Thanks for the fantastic trade amigo!

Trade With The Daily Dimwit: Puig Galore, An Eventual Seager Orange Auto, and Ginter o' Plenty.

I completed my ninth trade with the great Sam from The Daily Dimwit. You can check out our first deal here, second here, third here, fourth here, fifth here, sixth here, seventh here, and eighth here. Sam has thankfully come out of blog retirement, and we recently finalized a trade that had been in the works for some time. You can see what headed Sam's way here.

I'll start off with some Yasiel Puig RC goodness! Sam sent along Puig's 2013 Ginter A&G Back Mini RC, base RC, and a Puig rookie from 2013 Topps Pro Debut. All are much appreciated and are swell additions to my modest #ManBearPuig PC.

Next up, a redemption that has been entered for a Corey Seager Orange Parallel Auto from 2013 Bowman Inception (on-card!). I can't wait to have this beaut in-hand and part of my #ManBearSeag PC!

More Corey Seager! Seriously, how can you not absolutely adore a card with a raptor on it? I can't get enough and plan on taking in some Rancho Cucamonga Quakes' games while he's still a member of the team. In-person graphing will be the desired result of those games.

A nice mix of stuff is up next. We've got a Ryu Rookie (one of 2013's best cards); a new Matt Kemp; a new Clayton Kershaw (it's the regular back mini); a Joc Pederson Minor League RC; and an AJ Ellis for my PC of the charismatic catcher. I'm working on some sort of rainbow for AJ's 2013 Ginter card, another great offering amongst 2013's slew of cardboard.

Finally, Sam knocked out a ginormous chunk of my 2013 Allen & Ginter needs in the form of:

93 Base - Complete!
17 SPs
45 Across The Years
The last 4 Martial Mastery cards I needed (!)
6 Civilizations of Ages Past
7 One Little Corner
7 Palaces & Strongholds
4 Codes, Ciphers & Cryptographs
13 Heavy Hangs The Head
5 Famous Finds
7 Inquiring Minds
3 The First Americans
3 Peacemakers

Sam, as always, thanks for another phenomenal trade!

Los Angeles Dodgers' Winter League Wrap-Up + Dodgers Digest Debuts.

This picture has nothing to do with the post, but I came across it and LOVE it.

Most of my analytical work for the past three and a half years was written up at Memories of Kevin Malone and ChadMoriyama.com.

However, that has changed with CM.com mostly closing down its doors as a new mega-Dodgers' blog is about to hit the interwebs. It was a fun ride, and I may still post occasionally over there, but for the foreseeable future -- or until the Dodgers hire me, cough cough hint hint -- I'll be writing about the team here, as in the olden days of 2009-2010.

I'm jumping back into the saddle with a general recap of some key and notable Dodgers' prospects who participated in Winter League baseball.

Key Prospects....and Dee Gordon:

Corey Seager - SS

Seager, the Dodgers' first-round pick in 2012, spent the winter in the Arizona Fall League. In 19 games he struggled at the dish, hitting just .181/.253/.306/.559 with five extra-base hits and a 25:7 K:BB mark.

Seager's struggles don't concern me one bit for a number of reasons. First, it's a small sample size. Second, he's only 19. Third, it was Corey's first full season of pro ball and he admitted he was fatigued when the AFL rolled around. Finally, he's uber-talented, and I'm of the opinion that more often than not the exceptionally talented pan out.

I have Seager as my number one L.A. prospect. Whether he sticks at shortstop or more than likely moves to third, he'll give the Dodgers an impact and cost-controlled bat moving forward, something they desperately need and haven't had in quite some time.

Joc Pederson - OF

Pederson cemented himself as a top prospect in 2013, garnering a top spot in most Dodger prospect lists. He followed up a breakout 2012 campaign with another excellent showing, slashing .278/.381/.497/.878 with a .398 wOBA as a 21-year-old in his first taste of Double-A ball.

His strong play continued into Winter League action as he tore up the Venezuelan Winter League to the tune of a .255/.439/.473/.912 line in 34 contests and over 100 plate appearances. He drew an incredible 36 walks but did whiff 42 times while clubbing 13 extra-base hits.

While I'm not positive Pederson will stick in center field long-term, he does provide great depth and is one of the few guys major league or near-major league ready who can man center. He also happens to be the club's best trade bait among minor leaguers actually available in a deal, as I wrote about last June.

Alexander Guerrero - 2B

Guerrero was the name on Dodgers' fans minds, finally signing in Los Angeles after a prolonged "will he, won't he?" courting period. He came to Winter Ball late and was sidelined for some time due to a hamstring injury.

He was shut down eventually to ensure he didn't further injury himself and prioritize the club over his Dominican Winter League team. In 12 DWL games he hit .289/.325/.447/.772 with four extra-base hits. The second base job in 2014 is basically his to lose, and though it's fair to say he could certainly use some minor league seasoning, he is 27.

Also of note: he finally has his work visa, so no Ronald Belisario-esque worries.

This is not a Yasiel Puig situation due to Guerrero's advanced age, although of course he's nowhere near as talented as #ManBearPuig is. However, if Alexander has anywhere near the type of Spring Training that Puig did last year, he won't have to worry about heading to Albuquerque or Chattanooga to start the year.

Dee Gordon - CF(!)

Gordon makes this list rather than the below one because he stands a very real chance of making the bench for the 2014 major league squad. He was moved to center field in an attempt to increase his versatility and usefulness to the big league club.

Gordon posted a 12:5 K:BB mark in 12 games of Winter League action and an impressive slash line of .381/.426/.397/.823. I don't put any stock in those excellent offensive numbers, however, as it's 16 games in Winter Ball. His 669 plate appearances of .256/.301/.312/.613 MLB offensive output with a .274 wOBA means significantly more to me, although it is nice to see him get on-base so he can use his incredible speed.

Unfortunately, you can't steal first. Well, you theoretically can if you're adept at drawing walks. Remember kids, CLOG THOSE BASES CONSTANTLY.

If Gordon, soon to be 26, can competently field the position to any degree he could easily find himself with one of the last bench spots, as his speed and positional versatility could be quite the asset if used properly.

Other Notable Players and/or Performances:

Matt Magill - RHP

Magill, 24, is probably slotted in as the 7th or 8th arm amongst Dodgers' starters, although he did everything he could in five Puerto Rican Winter League starts to fall further down the depth chart.

He posted a 1.57 WHIP and 6.43 ERA in 21 innings while walking 13 and striking out 16. Magill posted big strikeout numbers in the minors and entered 2013 coming off of an excellent 2012 in AA (2.93 FIP, 10.33 K/9, 3.75 BB/9) before struggling in a short major league stint and not looking overly impressive in AAA this year.

The talent is there for Magill to be a solid number four or five starter, and on the plus side he still has no trouble missing bats. He must cut down on the free passes moving forward though if he doesn't want to transition to the pen, ala Chris Withrow.

Jose Dominguez - RHP

Dominguez, who saw action in the bigs last season (9 games, 8.1 IP, 3.53 FIP) before suffering an injury, struggled in ten relief outings in the Dominican. Jose, a big strikeout guy in the minor leagues, struck out eight against four walks in ten innings. He posted an ERA of 5.40 during his stint in the DWL.

At just 23 years of age, Dominguez will begin 2014 in either Double or Triple-A. Should one of the newcomers (Chris Perez, Jamey Wright) struggle or injuries befell members of the Blue Crew pen, Dominguez will be on the short-list of call-ups for the bullpen corps.

Nick Buss - OF

Buss, who got into eight games down the stretch in 2013, hit .301/.337/.495/.832 in 23 games in the Venezuelan Winter League. He had nine extra-base hits and only whiffed eleven times. However, he only drew three walks during his time in Venezuela.

Buss' ceiling did not change with his performance, as he's already 27 and is still a fourth outfielder at best and more of a fifth outfielder/AAAA player in actuality.

Angel Castro - RHP

Castro, 31, was excellent in eight starts in the Dominican Winter League. He fanned 37 against 13 walks in 48 innings of work while posting a 1.29 ERA. I don't like ERA, but I'm also not going to take the time to calculate FIP for Winter Ball and a 31-year-old career minor leaguer.

Castro, in his first season in the Dodgers' organization, was quite good in hitter-friendly Albuquerque. He's way, way down on the depth chart but every organization needs depth in the high minors.

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All Winter League numbers can be found here, via MLB.com

Image via Salon.

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A new Dodgers' blog debuts today: Dodgers Digest. It features my writing mentor and former blogging boss, Chad Moriyama; Mike Petriello of MSTI fame; Dustin Nosler of Feelin' Kinda Blue; and newcomer Daniel Brim.

Go and check it out. Good luck gents.