Wes sends Sal Fasano + other mega hits

Sal Fasano is the man.

So when this card was sandwiched between hit after hit after hit of the pre-Christmas package Wes of Willinghammer Rising sent me, I couldn't help but be thrilled. I wasn’t aware that Fasano had a Yankees card, as his time in Pinstripes lasted all of 57 plate appearances.  I love having a card of such a memorable player who made a short term stop on one of my teams.

I mentioned hit after hit, right? Because seriously, this package was loaded. One after another.

These next two cards were probably the highlights, but I don’t want to play favorites. Still, I was definitely floored when this Titanic Threads ARod jersey. Sure, it’s plain gray, but it’s basically about 50% of a jersey. That swatch is mammoth!

Equally cool is a terrific David Phelps from National Treaures. There’s a hint of patch on there if you look closely around the edges. There’s a beautiful on-card autograph too.

Two other jersey cards were in the package: A BIG MIKE and a Robin Ventura. Ventura is another short-term stop guy, although not nearly as short as Fasano.

Do you like ink? Because there was plenty of that too.

 

 

I know there are a lot of Yankees trade rumors right now, but I’m in the “keep Clint Frazier” camp. I know they have a bunch of OFers, but I still think he’s got a great chance to be a very good hitter.

While neither of these guys are Yankees anymore, they are super low-numbered.

High definition! There were two of these. They are VERY thick cards. I’m not exactly sure why they are as thick as a a pack of cards. The set is 2015 Bowman’s Best High-Def Refractor.

This ARod is from the limited edition 2011 factory set. I knew I didn't recognize the shot of him running down the baseline, as it's different than his base card.

There was some sweet vintage too! Love the Joe Sewell! These will go into my son’s HOF binder.

Lastly, I got a bit sad when I saw this card, for obvious reasons.

Man, Wes. You did it again. Thanks for an incredibly generous mailday.

A Dutch Victory

A few weeks back, The Dutch Card Guy pulled an A&G rip card and held a contest about the mysterious card. I correctly guessed that it was a Jacoby Ellsbury card, and somehow, my guess was right! It was weird...I was actually watching the Yankees at the time and Ellsbury was up, so that's why I guessed him. Pretty cool.

For the correct guess, I won a prize:

Sweet1 I've gotten a David Phelps auto TTM before, but not a certified one. This GQ on-card auto is really nice! I like how loopy his signature is.

The Dutch Card Guy also threw in a healthy stack of Yanks. Here are some highlights. Mr. Dutch, thanks for the contest and prize!

 

 

TTM Success: David Phelps

I admit, this was a glutenous request. A few years ago, I got David Phelps to sign a Topps Pro Debut card for me. I wanted his auto on a card of him in an actual Yankees uniform though, so I sent him this 2013 Topps Update, and he returned it signed in 10 days. I love how he scrawls his 'graph all across the card. I think it looks cool.

I could be wrong, but I think this is Phelps first Topps card, which is cool. I'm curious to see what his role on the Yanks will be. He's a capable fifth starter, but may be relegated to a long reliever/spot starter.

Here's my Phelps auto from a few years ago:

TTM Success: Yanks prospect David Phelps

The second envelope I got yesterday was from Yankees pitching prospect David Phelps. Phelps was the Yankees minor league pitcher of the year in 2010. Often overshadowed by sexier arms in the Yanks' pitching-rich system, Phelps is a solid prospect and is certainly in line to make his MLB debut in 2011. He is off to an ok start this year after going 10-2 with a 2.50 between AA and AAA last year. He has outstanding control and I look forward to seeing him pitch in the Bronx.

Phelps also took the time to answer my letter, which is super cool. The scan is below.

Here is the letter. I asked him: 1. Did he collect cards growing up? 2. What is it like to be on a baseball card? 3. Who is his favorite teammate in the Yankee Organization? He gave a politically correct answer for #3. His answer to the first question is something we can all relate to - digging for change to buy a pack of cards as a kid.

Thanks to David for this awesome success!