The Trading Post #118: Nachos Grande

Shipments from Chris at Nachos Grande have been a common fixture in my mailbox so far in 2018. Here's another, and there's still one more yet to come. The prolific blogger has had his Trade Stack theme going on for many years, and I finally managed to claim one.

To claim his Trade Stack #88, I mailed a few 2018 Topps cards sent to me by Peter at Baseball Every Night, plus a couple more from 2017 Topps Archives that probably came my way in one of Chris' own group breaks. As I wrote in my note, the cards came full circle. Chris, who is much more on top of his blog than I am, already posted a month ago about what Trade Stack #88 earned him in return.

2014 Topps Heritage #2 Michael Cuddyer / Chris Johnson / Freddie Freeman

Trade Stack #88 was mostly retro-themed, starting off with a couple of multi-player cards from 2014 Topps Archives, modeled after the iconic 1965 set. Even on this three-player card, the famous pennant is visible right on top, above Michael Cuddyer. Thanks to Cuddyer's prominent photograph, we know that the now-retired first baseman won the NL batting title in 2013, kicking off a run of four titles for the Rockies in the past five seasons, interrupted only by Dee Gordon in 2015.

Two Braves appear on this card, the first being Chris Johnson, who hasn't played in the Majors since 2016 and is now in Baltimore's farm system. Freddie Freeman, on the other hand, has been extremely hot to start the 2018 season, including an RBI single against the Rockies in yesterday's home opener at Coors Field. He's certainly the best player the Braves have, but they're developing lots of young talent.

The beginning of the baseball season also means the beginning of Fantasy baseball, and Freeman has been the second-most valuable hitter in my league, behind only the even hotter Didi Gregorius. Things on my team are getting of to a bit of a slow start, but I did pick one of Freeman's young teammates, Ozzie Albies, who was the R in Freeman's RBI I mentioned earlier. Ablies also hit one out of a snowy Coors Field as just the second batter of the day, which was about an hour late thanks to the snow. Or as the Rockies put it on Twitter, #SnowpeningDay.

2014 Topps Heritage #7 Anibal Sanchez / Bartolo Colon

Speaking of Fantasy baseball, Anibal Sanchez always reminds me of 2006, the first of two times I ended up as the runner-up in my league. I briefly mentioned that when Sanchez' equivalent card in 2014 Topps arrived (well, a parallel), which he also shared with Bartolo Colon and Hisashi Iwakuma. For whatever reason, Topps chose to just feature two players instead of three, giving lots of room to the ageless Bartolo Colon.

Sanchez, by the way, is pitching out of the bullpen for none other than the Braves this season, but he began his career as a Marlin. And in September 2006 against the Diamondbacks, he threw his only career no-hitter.

No hitters are hugely valuable in my points-based fantasy league, stacking with the Win, the Shutout, the Complete Game, and all the strikeouts. I had Justin Verlander's in 2007 and it was worth 126 points, if memory serves. I don't remember the point value, but Sanchez' in 2006 upended the league's playoffs quite a bit. It advanced a competing team that wouldn't otherwise have won. I met that team in the final, and even though my team scored a whopping 550 points that final week, Andruw Jones went on an absolute tear for my opponent, hitting 5 homers and helping them outscore my team 558-550 in a heavyweight bout.

This was twelve years ago, people.

Anyway, I'd have won the league if not for that no-hitter, so the way I see it, Anibal Sanchez owes me about $600.

1998 Upper Deck Retro #103 Travis Lee FUT

Shifting back to cards, the retro theme carries on, thanks to a set literally called Upper Deck Retro. This Futurama subset has an elongated hexagonal frame that 1999 Starquest borrows from, and the set itself has a nostalgic feel that pretty much everyone else borrowed from, and continues to.

Travis Lee was one of the top rookie prospects of the day, and let's not forget that 1998 marked the inaugural year for the Arizona Diamondbacks. This card just has his 1997 minor league statistics on the back, but the paragraph mentions his home runs as a full-fledged member of the Diamondbacks, with 17 by the time the All-Star Break happened. He finished his rookie year with 22, a high water mark he wouldn't pass. Lee finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in '98, trailing Todd Helton and winner Kerry Wood.

1998 Upper Deck Retro #106 Mike Caruso FUT

Mike Caruso, another prospect for the much more established Chicago White Sox, only played three seasons in the big leagues, despite finishing third in his own league's Rookie of the Year voting. 1998 and 1999 were decent seasons for him, but he had a gap until he briefly returned in 2002 for a handful of games as a Royal. That's all she wrote for Mike Caruso, one of the least-recognizable names in the entire 30-card subset.

This was an early attempt at a retro set. The design is about right, but the card is a little too smooth, the photo a little too sharp despite the sepia filter, and the jewel-like Upper Deck hologram diamond on the back always looks out of place on these retro cards.

2000 Fleer Tradition #352 Barry Larkin

2000 Fleer Tradition was fully on board with the retro craze, and they gave us a set that is pretty close to 1954 Topps, at least on the front. Topps seemed not to really care, nor did they with 2002 Upper Deck Vintage, so I bet UD was pretty surprised when Topps' legal team came knocking in 2009 after the release of O-Pee-Chee.

Regardless, the card back of 2000 Fleer Tradition is nothing like 1954 Topps, but it is a bit hard to read. The color scheme is sort of like an inverted 1989 Topps. Barry Larkin, the topic of Chris' top player collection, had a few more seasons left in his Hall of Fame career by the turn of the millennium, and it is nice to see a single team listed next to each year.

Perhaps Charlie Blackmon will be a lifetime Rockie, as he just signed a contract that will keep him in Denver for a few more years, possibly through 2023. That seems like a long time away, but it will be here pretty quickly. I was sure that Verlander's no-hitter I mentioned earlier was his second, in 2011, but it was over a decade ago, back in 2007.

2012 Bowman Draft Draft Picks #BDPP109 Johendi Jiminian

There was an extra spot in the PWE, so Chris tossed in a Rockie that wasn't part of the trade stack, one I've never heard of. The longer the Bowman card number, the longer the player's shot seems to be at making it to the big leagues. Indeed, Johendi Jiminian has been toiling away in the minors since 2010. Although he did make it as high as Triple-A last season, he still hasn't cracked the code, and is now part of the Mariners farm system.

It broke the retro card theme, but that's fine. It's part of an even twelve-card trade, and I think it worked out just fine for both sides!

The Trading Post #94: Cardboard Clubhouse

Adam was a fairly common name when I was growing up. Starting in the first year or two of elementary school and throughout my public school career, there were lots of Adams. Adam W., Adam T., Adam G., Adam B., and of course myself as Adam K. There's even another Adam K. at my current place of employment, so our colleagues have to come up with other ways to differentiate us, primarily that the other Adam K. is a talented dancer and soccer player, of which I am neither.

Even in Boy Scouts, there were two Adam S.'s in my patrol, leading to this particular exchange shouted between tents one dark night at a mountain campsite:

"Hey, where's Adam?"
"Which Adam?"
"S!"
"Which S?"
[frustrated pause] "<other S.'s last name>!"

Even in the Cardsphere, there are a couple of Adam S.'s, entirely different from the ones I knew in my Boy Scout days. Giants fan Adam (aka arpsmith) writes "ARPSmith's Sportscard Obsession", and Adam Sanders writes Cardboard Clubhouse, the sender of this particular PWE.

2010 Topps #51 Eric Young Jr (RC)

The Adam S. in question, a Reds fan, found this Rockies card of Eric Young, Jr. sliding into home plate at Coors Field against a Cincinnati Reds catcher. We might have enough information here to date this card. Ryan Hanigan was the regular catcher for the Reds in 2009, and Cincinnati visited Denver in early September 2009. Young, Jr. scored multiple times during that series, but the most likely candidate is September 9th, 2009. Eric Young, Jr. got on base to lead off the third inning, advanced to third on a Carlos Gonzalez single (wow, CarGo was a Rockie way back in 2009?), and scored on a sacrifice fly by Seth Smith.

He is facing away from the catcher, but that sliding position is fairly dangerous, the way his spikes are up like that. It's a good Nike ad, at least, but it's probably best that the pitcher wasn't nearby.

2015 Topps Rainbow Foil #94 Tommy Kahnle

Tommy Kahnle is now part of the Chicago White Sox organization. I might even get to see this ex-Rockie when the White Sox come to town in July, as part of my quest to see every Major League team in person. Even though Kahnle didn't make a huge splash for the Rockies (originally drafted as a Yankee), I'm still glad to have this Rainbow Foil parallel from 2015 Topps.

The stucco set (is that what we settled on calling it?) already seems like a distant memory, but if it's to be the last-ever bordered Topps base set, then I think they did a great job with it.

1995 Stadium Club #109 Doug Million

That's about it for the new cards, as the rest were mostly from the 1990s. 1995 Topps Stadium Club introduced a new brand logo that would stick around for a couple years, and it appears on this Draft Picks subset card. I've written about Doug Million's sad story before, and this promising lefty never had a chance to pitch in the Majors before his tragic death. The Rockies pitching staff is facing something similar today, as starter Chad Bettis will likely be missing most of the 2017 season as he is treated for testicular cancer.

I hope that I'll be seeing Chad Bettis cards long into the future, regardless of which team he's on.

1995 Stadium Club #94 Walt Weiss

Walt Weiss also got a card in that same Topps Stadium Club set, which was generally being referred to as TSC during this period. I can't quite tell if he's sliding into third or diving back to first base to avoid a pickoff attempt. Probably the former, unless the first baseman is playing far behind the runner. Either way, we can see that the former Rockies manager wore his cap underneath his batting helmet. I don't see anyone do this anymore, but it wasn't that uncommon in the 1990s. When I played my two seasons of little league, I used to do exactly that when I strolled up to the plate. Always wanted to be like the big guys. Unfortunately for me, that is slightly more difficult when your helmet has ear flaps on both sides. I guess I just didn't have the leverage at the age of ten to demand a right-handed batting helmet. But a switch-hitter in the Majors got a choice of either.

1995 Collector's Choice SE #260 Dante Bichette FT

1995 Collector's Choice SE came out in the final month of 1994, and the blue foil made it one of my favorites at the time. I have seen these Fantasy Team subset cards countless times, but I never really looked that closely at them. This was a decade before I knew anything about fantasy baseball, but the back of this card gives a look at per-position fantasy rankings, based on the standard 5-category scoring. Those 5 categories were based on statistics that you'd find in a box score in the newspaper, since this was long before any sort of live scoring you could check on an automatically refreshing webpage.

Strangely, the column for batting average shows a zero in front of the usual three-digit number, as in 0.284. More strangely, there is no column for runs scored, one of the key statistics in 5-category scoring. And perhaps strangest of all, Dante Bichette's fantasy stats don't even appear on the back of his own card. Luis Polonia is at the top of the AL outfielder rankings, and Derrick May atop the NL rankings. Rockies outfielder Mike Kingery shows up midway down the NL ranks, but Bichette is nowhere to be found.

That seems to be an error, as I checked the back of several other cards in this subset. Greg Maddux, Craig Biggio, and Jeff Bagwell are all listed at the top of their league table, in bold no less. Bichette and his stellar seasons as a Blake Street Bomber surely put him as a top-ranked outfielder. Which is pretty much where Carlos Gonzalez and Charlie Blackmon can be found today.

1995 Donruss #383 Roberto Mejia

Continuing our flashback to 1995, Roberto Mejia, an expansion draft pick, appears in this 1995 Donruss set. The front is pretty standard for a mid-1990s card, with a full-bleed photo and lots of illegible silver foil. But I do think I finally know whose batting helmet Charlie Hayes was wearing on his 1994 Upper Deck card.

1995 Donruss #383 Roberto Mejia (Reverse)

Over twenty years later, the back of 1995 Donruss clearly influenced the 2016 Topps Bunt set, with its huge team logo, a touch of color coding, and a general gray color.

Fake-finger-gun back at you, Roberto. I'm sure that was a nice throw.

1994 Score #528 David Nied

David Nied, the Rockies first pick in the Expansion Draft, was featured in the fragile 1994 Score set. The little yellow 1993 Rookie label isn't quite accurate, as Nied pitched three games for the Braves before the Rockies and Marlins poached rosters from the rest of the Major Leagues.

This photo is probably from 1993, making the blurry foreground catcher likely either Joe Girardi or Danny Sheaffer, both of whom also got cards in 1994 Score. Surprisingly, for as much 1994 Score as I collected when it was new, and for as many early Rockies cards as I get via trade, this Nied looks to be a newcomer to my collection.

Thanks again to Adam S. for sending this Adam K. some great Rockies cards, and I hope he enjoys the upcoming baseball season, which kicks off one week from today!

Your 2015 Lucky Numbers: The Pitchers

Some of you stopped by on Sunday to see my fantasy baseball lineup, only to ask where the pitchers were. Fear not, as the Lucky Numbers pitching staff is detailed below. I didn't win last week, and now have a record of 2-1, although I didn't lose by as much as I expected. 

Unlike category-based leagues, I don't care at all about ERA or WHIP. The scoring is just on wins, losses, saves, strikeouts, and walks, with the occasional hit batsman, complete game, shutout, etc... coming into the mix.

We added the quality starts category in recent years, and that has led me to focus a bit more on higher-end pitching, especially in this post-steroid era. We start four starting pitchers and two relievers in a one-week period, and after I picked McCutchen 4th overall as my top hitter, I got right into the pitchers.

2014 Topps #279 Corey Kluber

Starting Pitcher: Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians (2nd round)

Last year's AL Cy Young Award winner has gone 0-3 already this year. Not what you want to see out of a second-rounder, but at least he didn't tear his Achilles tendon in a freak batting incident like Adam Wainwright. That season-ending injury has triggered quite a bit of buzz about the idea of bringing the Designated Hitter to the National League.

I'm in favor of the idea. For one thing, it might cut down on retaliatory beanings like we saw with the Dodgers and Diamondbacks two years ago. All the bunting, double switches, pinch hitters, and lineup strategy that can be seen late in National League games is interesting, although it's a pain in the neck to keep score of. My mom found that out this weekend when she scored both sides of an 11-inning Rockies/Giants game.

It wouldn't be without controversy, and many old-time nuances of the game would be lost, but at least it would end the annoyance of watching guys get on base only to have the pitcher strike out on three or four pitches to end the inning.

Bartolo Colon sure has been entertaining this year, though.

2013 Topps 1972 Topps Minis #TM-14 Chris Sale

Starting Pitcher: Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox (3rd round)

Of course, pitchers are highly prone to injury regardless of whether they're at the plate. Chris Sale fell all the way to the third round, a consequence of missing all of spring training with an injured foot. He was handed a 5-game suspension for his role in the Adam Eaton/Yordano Ventura brawl last week, which he is appealing. Unless his suspension is overturned, I'll probably have to bench him for a week while he misses a start.
 

2015 Topps #142 Masahiro Tanaka

Starting Pitcher: Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees (6th round) 

And then I followed up one injury risk with another, even larger one. It's known that Tanaka has a partial tear in his UCL, but he hopes to be able to continue to pitch without needing surgery. He hasn't been as dominant to start 2015 as he was last year, when he won his first six major league starts after a stellar career in Japan. 
 
All looked promising as I wrote this post earlier today, but it appears that Tanaka is headed to the DL due to problems with his forearm and wrist, likely for a month or so. At least his card has that classic Topps Rookie Cup.

2014 Topps #163 Matt Shoemaker (RC)

Starting Pitcher: Matt Shoemaker, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (15th round)

After picking three pitchers in the first six rounds, I had to start focusing on some hitters. I picked Matt Shoemaker as my fourth SP to fill my last open starting slot. I was banking on my top three pitchers to rack up some serious points. With Tanaka headed to the DL, Shoemaker and some of the bench guys will have to step it up.

2014 Topps #188 Mark Melancon

Relief Pitcher: Mark Melancon, Pittsburgh Pirates (7th round)

Just a few spots after I picked Tanaka, I selected my first of two closers, Mark Melancon of the Pirates. He has blown a save already this season, but that happens to the best of them. After some early jitters, he seems to have settled down a bit. And the Pirates are likely to give him plenty more opportunities.

2014 Topps #310 Neftali Feliz

Relief Pitcher: Neftali Feliz, Texas Rangers (14th round)

Neftali Feliz has held the closer's job a couple times for the Rangers, including when they went to the World Series in 2011. He was the one who gave up the first of David Freese's key hits in Game 6, when the Rangers were just one strike away from winning it all. The Rangers are already in the cellar of the AL West, so it's unlikely they'll be in the World Series this year. At least he's no stranger to the role.

2013 Bowman Platinum Prospects #BPP35 Noah Syndergaard

Bench Guys:
SP Jake Odorizzi, Tampa Bay Rays (18th round)
SP James Paxton, Seattle Mariners (20th round)
SP R.A. Dickey, Toronto Blue Jays (21st round)
SP Noah Syndergaard, New York Mets (22nd round)
RP Luke Gregerson, Houston Astros (23rd round)

I went almost exclusively with pitchers in the later rounds. I'll surely be starting Odorizzi more often now that Tanaka is headed to the DL. Although Taijuan Walker didn't pan out last year, I took a chance on another Mariners prospect in Paxton, who clearly still needs work after some rough outings. The bright spot here has been Gregerson, who has been doing well for the first-place Astros, and I'll be benching Feliz to make room for him in week 5.

I saw Noah Syndergaard's name on lots of prospect lists prior to the draft, and though he's still in the minors, he might make a serious Matt Harvey-like impact for the Mets this summer, especially with Zack Wheeler out recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The injuries are already piling up for numerous teams. It's certainly a frustrating aspect of the game, especially since it's not really a contact sport. 

Unless you're Yasiel Puig, of course.

Your 2015 Lucky Numbers: The Hitters

We're about three weeks into the 2015 season, and my fantasy baseball team, the Lucky Numbers, have worked their way to a 2-0 record so far. Unfortunately, last year was a bust. I drafted lots of underperformers like Chris Davis, Matt Cain, and Billy Butler, and my prospects like Taijuan Walker didn't pan out.

It's unlikely that I'll pick up a win this week in my head-to-head CBS points league, but it's definitely time to present my team to the world via baseball cards.

2014 Topps #393 Devin Mesoraco

Catcher: Devin Mesoraco, Cincinnati Reds (8th round)

Mesoraco has been a disappointment already. He only played a few games before injuring his hip. He's an integral piece to the Cincinnati team, but for some reason, they refuse to place him on the DL. He hasn't played since early April, and I had to pick up Wilson Ramos of Washington to fill the catcher slot while Mesoraco is riding the pine. I feel like he slipped a bit in the draft, so I hope he'll return to action sooner rather than later.

2013 Finest X-Fractors #23 Adrian Gonzalez

First Baseman: Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers (4th round)

Adrian Gonzalez was on fire in week 1, smashing five home runs for 71 points. He's cooled off a bit since then, but is still second overall among hitters.

Like the Arenado card I showed a few days ago, this is an X-Fractor, which has lots of little squares and diamonds in the background pattern. If I had to pick one such design to keep in a shiny Topps set, it would be X-Fractors.

2014 Stadium Club #136 Jason Kipnis

Second Baseman: Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians (9th round)

Kipnis has gotten off to a bit of a slow start, but the season is still young and there's plenty of ebb and flow, unless you're Clayton Kershaw.

2014 Stadium Club Beam Team #BT-13 Manny Machado

Third Baseman: Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles (13th round)

Machado hit two home runs on Thursday, which is always nice to see. It also presents the opportunity to show off two consecutive cards from the terrific 2014 Stadium Club. I am not a fan of Manny Machado at all, but he can contribute to a fantasy squad. Longtime readers of this blog (or anyone that's been to a Rockies game with me this year) know that I'd pick Nolan Arenado over Manny Machado any day.

Arenado, in fact, got on base in the bottom of the 9th on Wednesday, and scored the winning run when Daniel Descalso hit it over five infielders into left-center. That was the perfect ending to a game I watched with some coworkers from a Super Suite at Coors Field. If you ever have a chance to watch a ballgame (or any sporting event, really) from a suite, take it. Lots of good food and snacks, a mini-fridge full of beer and soda, two TVs (which we tuned to hockey playoffs), and plenty of seating inside and out. You can even open a beer past the 7th inning.

2013 Topps Archives #177 Starlin Castro

Shortstop: Starlin Castro, Chicago Cubs (12th round)

I bought into the Cubs hype this year, as you'll see later. I waited a bit long to fill the left side of my infield, but if the Cubbies are as good as everyone says they'll be this year, having one (or two) on my team isn't a bad idea. My team is fairly NL-Central heavy, though with no Brewers.

2014 Topps Opening Day Breaking Out #BO-14 Andrew McCutchen

Outfielder: Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates (1st round)

You've probably been wondering who my first pick was. Well, here he is. I had 4th pick this year, so after the obvious choices of Trout, Kershaw, and Stanton were selected, I had to pick between McCutchen and Miguel Cabrera. Miggy isn't far removed from the first Triple Crown season in decades, but the now dreadlock-free McCutchen seemed like a slightly better choice this year. The Pirates just keep getting better and better, and the Tigers seem to be on a bit of a downswing, especially when you look at their rotation.

2013 Topps Triple Threads #90 Matt Kemp

Outfielder: Matt Kemp, San Diego Padres (6th round)

This is the first card that doesn't depict the correct team. Kemp was one of many interesting acquisitions by the Padres this offseason, along with James Shields, Wil Myers, Justin Upton, and even Will Middlebrooks. They, along with the Rockies and Dodgers, each have 10 wins so far in the NL West. It's great to see the Rockies up there, as is typical early in the season, but the wheels usually start to come off around the All-Star break. Here's hoping they stay healthy.

2014 Topps #99 Melky Cabrera

Outfielder: Melky Cabrera, Chicago White Sox (10th round)

Though he's not the "M. Cabrera" you most want on your fantasy team, Melky should be an adequate option. He delivered a game-winning RBI earlier this week, and managed to avoid getting caught in the middle of the Adam Eaton/Yordano Ventura brawl.

Here's a fun statistic: A third of ejections this season have been Royals.

2015 Topps Opening Day #25 Jorge Soler (RC)

Designated Hitter: Jorge Soler, Chicago Cubs (11th round)

You pretty much have to own at least one of these Cubs prospects. Bryant, Soler, Alcantara (who was sent down to AAA), Russell, Baez. There's a very real possibility that one of these "next years" very soon will finally be The Year. Soler already has two home runs under his belt, and the Cubs are in second place behind their division rivals, the Cardinals.

2014 Topps #46 Kolten Wong

Bench Guys:
2B Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals (17th round)
3B Josh Harrison, Pittsburgh Pirates (16th round)
OF Yasmany Tomas, Arizona Diamondbacks (19th round)

I focused a bit more on pitching and prospects this year than on the aging veterans that tend to start popping up in the later rounds. Cuban prospect Yasmany Tomas appeared in his first game a couple days ago, so if the D-Backs see fit to spend $68 million and ease him into the MLB, I can pick him in the 19th round instead of, say, Ryan Howard.

I took some real risks this year, but at least some of them should pay off. Mesoraco was injured when I drafted him and has been out for close to two weeks. Machado is a fragile player. The Cubs could turn into the Cubs at any moment. Tomas had yet to appear in an MLB game. And just wait until you see the pitchers.

Your 2014 Lucky Numbers: The Pitchers

Baseball is here! It's really here! I know it's been going on for a few days but I got to see real, live baseball in person today at the Coors Field home opener!

After coming off a disastrous 1-3 trip to Miami, the Rockies won big today, beating the Diamondbacks 12-2, a score we like to see at the launching pad that is Coors Field. Leadoff hitter Charlie Blackmon went 6-for-6, a triple short of the cycle, and Carlos Gonzalez launched a 2-run home run off the facade of the upper deck, just below the new Rooftop patio area that was added to Coors Field this off season. I visited it before the first pitch, and it remained standing-room-only the entire game.

Our seats were even in the Purple Row, actual purple seats (the rest are dark green) that signify an elevation of 5,280 feet above sea level. These seats are in the 20th row of the upper deck if you ever want to make plans to watch some mile-high baseball.

In light of all this baseball-ness in Denver, let's take a look at the pitchers of my 2014 fantasy team, the Lucky Numbers.

2013 Topps #50 Adam Wainright

Starting Pitcher: Adam Wainright, St. Louis Cardinals (1st round)

The ace of the staff and my first overall pick is Adam Wainwright, who has already pitched an opening day gem, winning a 1-0 ballgame against the Cincinnati Reds. More on that later.

Sharp eyes will notice that Topps gave Wainright card #50 in their 2013 set to match his uniform number. Nice touch, Topps.

2014 Topps Opening Day #91 Matt Cain

Starting Pitcher: Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants (8th round)

Cain has been one of the unluckiest pitchers in recent memory, often turning in solid pitching performances but failing to get much run support. We'll see if he and his team can turn that around this year.

If you flip this card over, you'll see that Topps is clearly going all-in with Sabermetrics. The backs now provide us with nerd-friendly columns like WAR (Wins Above Replacement) for 2014, to join WHIP (or OPS, on batters' cards) which have been present for years.

2012 Topps #517 Francisco Liriano

Starting Pitcher: Francisco Liriano, Pittsburgh Pirates (11th round)

Liriano got the honor of pitching Opening Day for the Pittsburgh Pirates (new team alert!), striking out 10 Cubbies but ending up with a no-decision. Liriano looked sharp that day, and the NL Central again looks to be a tight division if this week is any indication.

2013 Topps #366 Ervin Santana

Starting Pitcher: Ervin Santana, Atlanta Braves (15th round)

Ervin Santana, no longer a Royal, gets the last active slot before we start getting into the bench guys. He signed with the Braves so recently that he didn't really get to partake in spring training, so he's not expected to join the rotation for another week or two. Right now he's sharpening his stuff in the minors.

Topps really did a nice job color-coding these 2013 cards. Santana's blue uniform really is accented well by the prominent Royals logo and the "sea turtle" design in the lower left.

2014 Topps Opening Day #14 Trevor Rosenthal

Relief Pitcher: Trevor Rosenthal, St. Louis Cardinals (3rd round)

"Adam, why did you pick a closer in the third round?" you may ask. Well, it just happens to be a little quirk of my league that good closers are highly, highly valuable. Saves are worth 15 points, yes, and those definitely add up. Craig Kimbrel, who was selected 8th overall this year, just ahead of Justin Verlander, was the single most valuable pitcher to own in 2013. Three closers were selected before my third pick.

He only has four career saves. One of them came in Wainright's gem on opening day, preserving that tenuous 1-0 lead.

2013 Topps #547 Glen Perkins

Relief Pitcher: Glen Perkins, Minnesota Twins (7th round)

But the real reason good closers are so valuable is that there are so few reliable ones. There are thirty, of course, but very few of them can score almost a thousand points in a fantasy season. Couple that 15 point save statistic along with a dagger-like -5 for a blown save and -10 for a loss, and you start to see why we pick our closers so early. You never know when a guy like Brian Fuentes will blow four saves in a week, subtract 60 points from your weekly total, and get "demoted" from this unofficial yet crucial position, leaving you scrambling to pick up a decent reliever. Mariano Rivera's retirement does not make this task any easier.

Glen Perkins has already blown a save this year, so let's hope he settles down and earns that 7th round selection.

2014 Topps Opening Day #143 Taijuan Walker (RC)

Bench Guys:
SP Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners (19th round)
SP Marco Estrada, Milwaukee Brewers (16th round)
SP Tim Hudson, San Francisco Giants (20th round)
RP J.J. Hoover, Cincinnati Reds (22nd round)
SP Wade Miley, Arizona Diamondbacks (23rd round)

If there's any reason people tell me they don't have patience for fantasy baseball, it's because of pitchers. Most fantasy leagues use some format of weekly scoring, but standard pitching rotations have five starters. That means at least one guy in that rotation will pitch twice in a calendar week. Figuring out when to activate a mediocre two-starter and bench a stronger one-starter is one of the most delicate aspects of Fantasy baseball. And don't forget to reverse that roster change next week. Risk and reward, all in one fun-yet-aggravating activity.

Taijuan Walker is on the DL currently, but is one of the better pitching prospects to keep your eye on. Hudson is the aging yet capable veteran, and there are a couple other guys that could be used in two-start emergencies.

I always try to hedge my closer bets in some fashion, and J.J. Hoover is that hedge. He's expected to close for the Reds while Aroldis Chapman recovers from that very scary head injury he suffered in spring training.

That rounds out the fantasy lineup for 2014. It's a long season, but it's looking promising so far.

Your 2014 Lucky Numbers: The Batters

Yesterday it was time for that surest sign of spring: the fantasy baseball draft. I've been in a mixed head-to-head league on CBS Sports since 2005. That would make this my tenth season! I've missed the playoffs a few times, but overall it's been a success. I've been runner-up twice and won the whole thing in 2012! Now that the draft is complete, let's take a look at the Lucky Numbers' batting lineup.

2013 Topps #418 Evan Gattis (RC)

Catcher: Evan Gattis, Atlanta Braves (13th round)

This year, I found myself picking a lot of players that have multiple-position eligibility. This is always nice to have in case of injury. I was hoping for Carlos Santana here but he was selected just a pick or two before I could draft him in the 6th round.

2014 Topps Opening Day Blue #78 Chris Davis /2014

First Baseman: Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles (2nd round)

Guy hit 53 home runs last year. Given that a HR is worth 9 points in my league (5 for the HR, 2 for the run scored, 2 for the RBI), Davis could put up some serious points if he repeats that feat. He does strike out a lot though.

I pulled this card out of a blaster of 2014 Opening Day that I bought at Target a week or two ago. Expect a post on that soon. And it's a serial-numbered card in a lovely blue! This is #1145/2014. That foil date on the card is today, even! Apparently those two Australia games don't count in Topps' eyes, nor do they count in my fantasy league. However, rest assured that the Dodgers are already ahead in the standings. Even better, the D-backs are in last. I wouldn't mind them staying there well past Friday, when I'll be at the Rockies' home opener.

2013 Topps #15 Dustin Pedroia

Second Baseman: Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox (4th round)

I suppose you need to have one crazy beard in the lineup.

2012 Bowman Gold #146 Martin Prado

Third Baseman: Martin Prado, Arizona Diamondbacks (10th round)

Another player with multiple-position eligibility. Prado can be played at 2B, 3B or OF. And as he is a D-back now, I'll have a Lucky Number playing when I'm at Coors Field on Friday.

I don't have a whole lot of super-recent cards, and I didn't want this post to be all Topps 2013 base, so you get a card of Prado in his earlier days as a Brave.

2013 Topps #581 Andrelton Simmons

Shortstop: Andrelton Simmons, Atlanta Braves (14th round)

Simmons only had his first full season last year, but he finished surprisingly high in MVP voting and has plenty of upside. You could do worse in the 14th round.

2013 Topps #151 Alex Rios

Outfielder: Alex Rios, Texas Rangers (6th round)

Here's another out of date card; this time it's Alex Rios in an odd White Sox retro jersey. Apparently they wore these jerseys on Sunday home games in 2012, a throwback to their early 1970s uniforms. I don't have a card of Rios in a Rangers jersey yet. Who can keep up with all the transactions? Topps barely can.

2011 Topps Chrome Refractors #96 Hunter Pence

Outfielder: Hunter Pence, San Francisco Giants (5th round)

Not 100% sure on this guy. He's always been good, but he's never really had that superstar year. Puts up a .280 avg and 25 HRs rather consistently, but if he doesn't have his big year soon, I don't think he'll be a huge force in Fantasy.

And here he is pictured two teams ago, before he was a Phillie. When I was younger, I organized my collection by the team the player was currently on. It was a monster to keep up with, and involved a lot of shuffling cards around. I gave up on that goal after the Padres and Astros had that monster trade when they swapped Caminiti, Finley, Shipley, Bell, and 8 other guys.

2012 Topps Gypsy Queen #33 Ben Zobrist

Outfielder: Hunter Pence, Tampa Bay Rays (9th round)

When you do this for enough seasons, you tend to keep drafting the same guys over and over. This is at least the third time I've had Zobrist on my squad, and with eligibility at OF, 2B, and SS, he's definitely Mr. Versatility. Sort of like Chone Figgins but with better batting stats.

And just check out those shades in this HDR-crazy card brand. He needs those shades to shield his eyes from the hyper-real imagery in Gypsy Queen.

2011 Topps Chrome #46 Billy Butler

Designated Hitter: Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals (12th round)

Butler doesn't have 1B-eligibility anymore, and David Ortiz previously held this slot in the Lucky Numbers roster. Obviously that's a downgrade, but Butler is usually pretty consistent; sort of like Pence, but with lower expectations and thus can be had with a lower draft pick. I've had him three years in a row, and if he plays 10 games at 1B, he'll gain that eligibility back.

It's another card from 2011 Chrome, the year they finally figured out how to produce these nice, shiny cards without that abominable curl.

2014 Topps Opening Day #178 Xander Bogaerts (RC)

Bench Guys: 
3B Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox (18th round)
1B Mike Napoli, Boston Red Sox (17th round)
1B Mark Teixiera, New York Yankees (20th Round)

This Bogaerts guy was pretty interesting to watch in the postseason last year. I figured he'd be worth a late-round pick. And that is a great baseball name. Napoli and Teixiera aren't expected to be great, but both of them are Major League veterans on strong teams, and are capable of putting up a great year.

Coming up later, the pitchers!