Received On 10/4/2021
My first return this period was one that was a request I sent years ago to Derek Holland.
Holland was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 25th round of the 2006 MLB Player Draft out of Wallace State Community College. Armed with a fastball, slider and change-up, Holland made it to the big leagues just three years later in 2009. As a rookie he'd make 33 appearances (21 of them were starts) and pitch 138.1 IP, something that seems otherworldly here in 2021, although the results were mixed at best. Holland would eventually right the ship and in 2011 he was a key pitcher on a Rangers squad that would go all the way to the World Series. As the card above shows Holland even came through for the Rangers when they needed him the most. Though he didn't get a ring out of it thanks to David Freese having an even better postseason, but the future still seemed bright. Unfortunately Holland's career afterwards was bogged down heavily by injuries. He would go on to bounce around to the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants before really committing to a relief role in 2019 with the Giants and Chicago Cubs. He spent 2020 with the Pittsburgh Pirates where his pitches still showed a lot of life in terms of pure movement and velocity and that earned him another year as a reliever for the Detroit Tigers in 2021. The left-hander just wrapped up his 12th season as a major leaguer and while he may not be the same pitcher he was a decade ago, he's still fighting and clawing his way through baseball's ever changing pitching landscape.
Received On 10/4/2021
I don't really remember sending a 2010 Bowman card of Holland but it came back along with the Heritage card. I really appreciated seeing this design again for the first time in years. The early 2010's were when I first got into baseball and this hobby, and the combination of Holland who is one of the pitchers I think of for that era, and 2010 Bowman is perfect.
Received On: 10/18/2021
Next up is another return that was likely years in the making from Blayne Enlow.
Enlow was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the third round of the 2017 MLB Player Draft out of Saint Amant High School. Coming into the 2017 MLB draft Enlow was seen as one of the best pitching prospects in the high school ranks (MLB Pipeline ranked him 29th best on their top 200 amateurs list). A commitment to LSU made most teams back away until the Twins nabbed him in the third round and gave him an above-slot bonus. Armed with a mid-90's fastball, a curveball, a slider and a changeup, Enlow's potential as a middle-of-the rotation starter was easy to see. It looked like he was especially ready to make big steps forward in 2021 as scouts raved about his improved velocity but unfortunately he was shut down with Tommy John surgery and he'll have to continue his development in 2022/23. But the glimpses he showed before the injury were promising, if all goes well the Twins could have something special on their hands.
Received On: 10/28/2021
Here's a return from Yuki Nagasato.
Nagasato hails from Kanagawa, Japan and is one of the most notable in the NWSL. She's represented Team Japan in three World Cups (one of which she'd go on to be a champion) and two Olympic games. The forward started her professional career in the Nadeshiko league in Japan but came stateside in 2017 to the Chicago Red Stars. During that time she took up drumming and joined a band. She made headlines back in 2020 when she was loaned out to a mens football club Hayabusa Eleven in Japan. Becoming one of the first women to do so. She's still remained in the NWSL and was a key veteran for the Racing Louisville. It's pretty great to get a return from someone as notable as her ngl.
As if the return wasn't awesome already, a fun little extra accompanied the return in the form of this sticker. Super cool. Apparently this is something she really likes to do for her teammates who appreciate these stickers a lot. I feel pretty privileged and grateful to receive one myself.
And those were my returns in October. Big thanks to Holland, Enlow and Nagasato for the awesome autographs.
And always thank you (the readers) for stopping by :).
Take care.
2021 TTM Count: 56
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