Major Strides

Yesterday was the first Staten Island home game in a while, so I decided to go and see if I could finish up my team set.

Did I get everybody I needed? Well...

Autographs

My first autograph came from infield prospect Andres Chaparro. The Venezuelan catcher-turned-third baseman has been reduced to more of a bench role as the cast of infielders in the middle infield rotate in and out around him but he's made the most of his limited opportunities. Defensively he's really solid and his strong arm (reminder, he was a catcher once) is a marvel to behold.

The right handed Anderson Muñoz was back in the rotation yesterday and started the game. He went 3.2 IP and allowed zero runs, 2 walks and got one strikeout. Not bad for a guy who keeps getting yanked back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen.

Next up is Yankees outfielder Evan Alexander. Alexander was a 19th round pick out of high school back in 2016. He played baseball and football in high school before switching to baseball full time with the Yankees. In most of the games I've seen him play he's often playing really solid defense. Hopefully his bat can develop further and catch up to his glove.

Mitchell Robinson hails from Canada and has also been among a rotating cast of middle infielders. Often he platoons with Chaparro at third.

Matt Pita is a back-up infielder of sorts (it's hard to get 2B reps when you've got Ezequiel Duran on your team). Pita was the Yankees' 12 round draft pick in the 2018 MLB Player Draft. He's a polished college bat from the Virginia Military Institute and can be a solid option at second.

Last time I showed off a ticket stub signed by Alfredo Garcia. This time I have an actual card. I actually broke my own rule and bought a card where the shipping cost me more than the card itself. The benefit of course was that it arrived in my hands quickly and I was able to get ink on it immediately. Garcia was the lone pick-up the Yankees made at this year's trade deadline and though it's unsure how many starts/reps Garcia is going to get this season, he was super nice and I appreciated him signing this card and making my purchase worth it.

Next up is Carlos Narvaez, the man who has been tasked with being the everyday catcher in Staten Island this year. Narvaez is steady and has definitely made himself known as minor league catching depth in the Yankees org but what his ceiling is and if he can reach whatever that ceiling is remains to be seen. For whatever it's worth he has had a nice year so the first real indications might come once he tackles the full season leagues.

After getting Narvaez I got the other catcher in this year's team set, Carlos Gallardo. Gallardo is one of the many backup catchers behind Narvaez and he's either warming up the bullpen, or getting ready to enter the game himself as a late-game replacement.

Catcher-turned-defensive coach Tyson Blaser has been with the Yankees since 2011. His playing career unfortunately came to an end in 2014 but he's reemerged as a defensive coach and is often seen helping the catchers prep for games.

Teuris Olivares (his name is spelt wrong on the card) is another guy who worked his ass off in the minors as a player but then transitioned into coaching. The Dominicano hustled from rookie-ball to triple-A with the Yankees and even played in indy ball, but unfortunately he never got a taste of the big leagues, but he's still employed by the Yankees and a few of the players he's coached have made it to the majors now.

My last (but not least) autograph yesterday was courtesy of Abismael Villaman. Villaman is a left hander from the Dominican Republic. Earlier on in the season he was a reliever but since then the team has shifted to having him start and have really started stretching out his innings. A lefty with his repertoire should be interesting going forward.

And those were the autographs. I didn't get everyone I needed, plus I realized that the NYPL top prospects set had just come out, so there's another two cards I need signed. Yay. Oh well, there's still enough time.

The Game

The Yankees lost 11 to 4 against the Brooklyn Cyclones (BOX). Moving on.

Unfortunately yesterday was one of those "get the autographs and then leave" games as I had personal matters to tend to.

All in all it was a fun little haul for me. I managed to knock out most of the team set, plus I got Alfredo Garcia.

This trip was very worth it.
Also quick note, notice how the Garcia card here is a design that's obviously inspired by the ToppsNow motif.

As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).

2019 IP Auto Count: 53