Tag Archives: Brad Emaus

Hobby Inertia

Posted by on 15 September 2014 Comments Off on Hobby Inertia

Why some key Rookie Cards lag behind the rest

This is the tale of two pitchers. Both made their major league debuts at Citi Field against the Yankees on consecutive days this past May. Both pitched well but were denied wins because of the failings of the rest of their team. One would be sent back to the minors after four starts, only returning for a brief stint with two starts and a relief appearance before roster expansion. The other would spend the remainder of the season in the majors and would be a leading candidate for NL Rookie of the Year. One would have Rookie Cards in two products by the end of August while the other had his first professional cards released just two weeks before his debut and, four months after his debut, is still waiting for his first Rookie Card. The one with two Rookie Cards despite only brief MLB appearances is Rafael Montero. The Rookie of the Year contender with no Rookie Cards is Jacob deGrom.

On the surface, this looks like just the luck of the draw. Some players get the royal Rookie Card treatment, others get overlooked. Most of the time, the difference is due to when a player debuts during the year. August and September debuts usually correspond to lots of Rookie Cards the next year, while late June and July debuts result in just a few Rookie Cards later in the year. The reason for this is lead time – the time it takes to incorporate a new player into a sports card product. Historical evidence suggests a minimum two month lead time for modern baseball card products. That mostly explains what happens with mid and late season debuts, but what about early season debuts? That’s where things get more interesting and the Montero/deGrom dichotomy takes shape.

One of my goals with this blog is to explore the connection between the players on the field and their cardboard incarnations. When it comes to when, if, and how often players receive Rookie Cards, a key factor is prospect inertia. A player with several baseball cards as a prospect is more likely to have Rookie Cards earlier and more often than a player with one or no prospect cards. It would be logical to assume that the same factors that determine whether a player will have cards as a prospect would affect their Rookie Cards. For that to be the case though, changes in prospect status would need to be reflected in a player’s cards. As we’ll see over the last four years, this is not necessarily the case.

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2012 Futures at Fenway Game 2: Bisons 2, Red Sox 0

Posted by on 20 August 2012 Comments Off on 2012 Futures at Fenway Game 2: Bisons 2, Red Sox 0

Collin McHugh returns to Fenway

Box Score

And now, the main event. Last year, the Mets’ AA affiliate played the Red Sox AA affiliate in Futures at Fenway.  This year, the AAA clubs got into the action as the Buffalo Bisons took on the Pawtucket Red Sox in the 100 year old Fenway Park.  Pitching in such an iconic stadium can be intimidating, so it was awfully convenient that last year’s B-Mets starter Collin McHugh had his turn in the rotation come up today.  McHugh came into the game with six scoreless innings pitched at Fenway, not bad for a guy who has yet to pitch in a major league game.

Josh Satin and Brad Emaus are clearly plotting something as Lucas May, C.J. Nitkowski, and Dylan Owen sign autographs

I didn't see anything

The Bisons wasted no time moving in after the Renegades finished off the Spinners, but you probably don’t want to hear about autograph signings, warmup tosses, or Josh Satin getting worked over with a roller.  You want some action, so I give you Lucas Duda:

Duda hit a line drive to center in the top of the 1st for the first hit of the game.  That would be the only hit for Duda, but nobody else fared better; six Bisons would get hits, but just one each.  Of course, Josh Satin doesn’t need hits.

I told you they were up to something

Satin worked a walk, advanced to third on a double, and then scored on a Brad Emaus groundout.  With that quick tour of the Fenway bases, the Bisons were ahead 1-0.

It was Mike Nickeas’s turn to get a hit in the 5th, but a strikeout ended the inning with him stranded at first.

Eek! A home run!

Josh Rodriguez used his hit in the 6th to send a ball into the Green Monster seats, where fans reacted with surprised panic. 2-0 Bisons.

Matt den Dekker was next with a single in the 7th.  He advanced to second on a groundout and was left stranded one out later.

Zach Lutz doubled in the 8th, but like den Dekker, he was stranded at second.  And that concludes tonight’s offense.  What’s that, you didn’t hear anything about the Red Sox offense?  That could have something to do with these guys:

Collin McHugh, Robert Carson, Elvin Ramirez, and Fernando Cabrera combined for nine scoreless innings, with McHugh’s seven extending his Fenway scoreless innings streak to 13.  Robert Carson was pulled with two outs in the 8th after issuing a walk; Elvin Ramirez struck out J. C. Linares to finish off the inning.

"Sit tight Lucas, I got this one."

Fernando Cabrera came in for the 9th and narrowly avoided giving up a leadoff hit when Matt Tuiasosopo snagged a line drive from Andy LaRoche, stopping the Red Sox rally before it started.  A strikeout left Nate Spears as Pawtucket’s only hope.  He only managed a grounder back to Cabrera, (thankfully) nothing like the way this day started.

Bisons win, 2-0.