Two New Rays

So much to do today.  I have a professional development seminar this morning and then the Triple A All-Star game this evening.  I am also still behind on cards from the last two weeks, so let's knock two out of the way this morning.  I picked up both of these cards at Big D's Card Shop, my favorite local card shop, about a week and half ago.  Jimmy, the owner of the store, found both of these cards for me and set them aside.  

Up first is a cool Hak Ju Lee from last year's Bowman Inception set:

In my opinion this was the best set that Topps put out last year and I have picked up a slew of these cards during the past year.  While I already own a copy or two of the Hak Ju Lee card, I did not own a copy of the blue parallel.  Add in the fact that this card is number one and you have the makings of a great card.  Hak Ju Lee is having a rough year at the plate, but he is still playing defense at an elite level and think he should make his Rays debut shortly.....

Last card for this morning belongs to Leslie Anderson.  The former Cuban baseball star spent several years in Durham playing for the Bulls.  While Anderson never made it to Tampa, he was still a fan favorite of Bulls fans.  This past off season Anderson left the Rays organization and the U.S. to play ball in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants.  

More Goodness From the Vault

One of my favorite Durham Bulls players, Leslie Anderson, has almost zero cards out on the market.  It's actually not quite zero.  More like one.  The Rays signed Leslie Anderson after he defected while playing for the Cuban National Team.  At the time of his defection, Anderson was 28, and was starting off at the bottom of the Rays organization playing for the Charlotte Stone Crabs.  Topps captured him in his Stone Crabs uni and included him in their 2010 Pro Debut set.  His only card.

So, as a fan of Leslie Anderson I guess you could say that my collection of his card revolves around the team sets sold at the Ballpark Cornerstore and finding the parallels of the Pro Debut card on Ebay.  Well, this week I was fortunate enough to land a really cool Leslie Anderson card.  I can honestly say, my collection may very well be complete.  Really.

I found the front proof, blank back, of the Topps Pro Debut card.  Topps often sells them on their Topps Vault account on Ebay.  This card was actually bought by someone and then resold.  For $9.  I was happy to have a one of a kind card of a one of a kind card.  Here's a look at the front proof which Topps sealed in a plastic case.

2010 Topps Pro Debut Blank Back Proof Leslie Anderson

Topps also sells the back proofs of cards on the Topps Vault, so maybe one day I can put the two proofs together and have the complete set of 1/1.  The blank back of the card features a Topps hologram with a serial number, certificate came with the card, and a 1/1 stamp.  

Leslie Anderson has been on the Durham Bulls the past four seasons and there is little hope that the Rays will actually call him up for a cup of coffee.  While I would love to see him stick around and play another season with the Bulls I think he might go somewhere seeking a chance at some playing time in the Majors.  In a lot of ways Anderson reminds me a lot of Justin Ruggiano.  He's not going to be an everyday player if he ever sticks in the Majors (Ruggiano should not get 400 ABs in a season), but could be a nice player to stick into certain situations.  Spring will tell.  In the meantime, I am off to find the back proof of this card.