2019 Red Sox Opening Day Lineup

In just a few hours, the Boston Red Sox's highly-anticipated 2019 regular season will officially begin with their game against the Seattle Mariners scheduled to start at 7:10 PM est.

At this point, every other team in Baseball has started their 2019 season besides the Red Sox. Even though they're opening on the west coast, I would've preferred a 4:00 PM start time like last year's Opening Day game against the Rays. 

For the 2nd year in a row, Boston's ace, Chris Sale, will start Opening Day just days after signing a 5-year extension with the Red Sox. Similarly, just like the 2018 opener, 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia will not be in the starting lineup, for he is starting the season on the injured list.

So far today, the Brewers have bested the Cardinals 5-4, the Yankees crushed the Orioles at home 7-2, and the Mets won a decisive pitcher's duel against the Nationals 2-0 thanks to Jacob DeGrom's 6 shutout innings with 10 K's. 

On Opening Day in 2018, I previewed Boston's starting lineup which, for the most part, is incredibly similar to what we'll see later today against Seattle. Besides Hanley Ramirez, all players from 2018 will be starting tonight; the only other thing that has changed is the order of the lineup.

In just over 2 hours, the reigning World Champions will take the field for their first game of 2019. In order to get a better understanding of their lineup, let's preview who will be starting for the Red Sox later today.

Batting 1st; LF Andrew Benintendi

Making his 3rd straight Opening Day start in left field, Andrew Benintendi was stellar in 2018, the best season of his young career. The 2017 AL Rookie of the Month for August, Benny hit .290 with 16 homers, 87 RBI, and most surprisingly, 21 stolen bases in 2018. Now, the 24-year old will be hitting leadoff until Dustin Pedroia returns at the earliest. 

Batting 2nd; RF Mookie Betts

Starting with his very first at-bat of the 2019 season, all eyes are going to be on the 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts and for good reason. His 10.9 WAR during his MVP season remains incredibly impressive, likely part of the reason why he's surrendered the leadoff spot to Benintendi. Now, he can concentrate on boosting his RBI total after driving in 80 runs last season.

Batting 3rd; 3B Rafael Devers

After struggling with injuries and consistency across his first full MLB season, Rafael Devers is expected to have a breakout year in 2019. Every report that I've read states that Devers entered Spring Training looking and feeling much better. It'll be interesting to see if he fixes his biggest issues from last year, his batting average and defense. 

Batting 4th; DH J.D. Martinez

It's still surreal how J.D. Martinez can maintain a .330 batting average while also hitting 43 home runs, 130 RBI, and coming within striking distance of not just the AL, but the MLB Triple Crown. Now, at 31 years old and playing his 2nd season in Boston, I'm intrigued to see what his performance will be like in 2019 following a monstrous first season for the Red Sox.

Batting 5th; SS Xander Bogaerts

Following up behind fellow RBI machine J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts is a reliable option if J.D. fails to drive in runners in scoring position. With 103 runs batted in of his own in 2018, Bogaerts had his best season yet, and he wasn't significantly affected by injuries. In his contract season, let's hope for at least one more fantastic year from Xander Bogaerts.

Batting 6th; 1B Mitch Moreland

2018 World Series MVP, Steve Pearce, along with Pedroia, is also beginning the 2019 season on the injured list, but the 1st baseman's injury isn't expected to be serious. Until he returns to the lineup, Mitch Moreland and Sam Travis will split duties at 1st base. Because a lefty is starting for Seattle, Moreland will get the nod for Opening Day.

Batting 7th; 2B Eduardo Nunez

Nunez struggled with injuries throughout the 2018 season that limited his ability to contribute on offense. Now that he's completely healthy and starting on Opening Day for the 2nd straight season, I'll be watching him closely to see if he's improved. He'll have some respectable playing time before Pedroia returns as he's splitting the 2nd base duties with Brock Holt.

Batting 8th; CF Jackie Bradley Jr

After finally winning the first Gold Glove award of his career, Jackie Bradley Jr's defensive expertise can no longer be denied. The major concern, like 2018, is how he will fare offensively after struggling at the plate in 2018. Like Devers, it's been reported that he's worked on his swing. I suppose we can only wait and see if Bradley makes any major improvements on offense. 

Batting 9th; C Christian Vazquez

It took many years, but the Red Sox have finally settled on 2 catchers for their roster. Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez will begin the 2019 season on Boston's roster after Sandy Leon accepted a demotion to triple-A Pawtucket. The best all-around option for offense and defense, Vazquez will be starting on Opening Day.

Clearly, the 2019 Boston Red Sox's lineup for Opening Day isn't a drastic departure from the 2018 lineup. Rather, the major test for this year's team is if they can continue their success after a historic run last year.

Happy Opening Day everyone. Play ball!

HOF Relics and a Stellar Red Sox Auto; Card Show Recap #18 Part 3

With the ever-increasing popularity of autographs, rookie autos, in particular, the relic card has been left out to dry over the last few years. Simply put; fewer and fewer collectors seem to care about bat and jersey swatches.

Even though I understand why relic cards have become less desirable over the last few years, there was a time in which game-used memorabilia cards were all the rage. 

If you take a small step back, it's pretty cool to have a jersey swatch or bat relic that was worn in an actual MLB game, especially if it's a big name player.

Unfortunately, even with a decrease in relic card production, some of these cards still do not feature game-used memorabilia but, instead, game-worn jersey swatches. It's not exactly ideal, but when you think about it, card companies don't usually care about what the consumer's want and don't want.

If it's the right player for a fair price, however, I still have somewhat of a soft spot for relic cards. Besides the occasional cards that I pull from packs, I often return home from a Baseball card show with at least 1 new relic card for my collection, sometimes more. 

Thanks to these smaller, individual pickups, I've acquired a couple hundred relic cards since I started collecting cards. Surprisingly, even relic cards of Hall of Famers are usually quite inexpensive at Baseball card shows, and this was certainly the case earlier this week.

I purchased a couple relics from a vendor that I know quite well, but it was my Dad who sought after most of the relic cards that we brought home. For around $4 each or less, he landed numerous big-name jersey or bat relics to boost our collection.

The first card that I picked up isn't a traditional relic card, but technically, this is a manufactured felt rookie card patch, showcasing Bob Gibson's iconic 1959 Topps rookie card. 

For just a couple bucks, this card was a no-brainer despite my typical dislike of manufactured relic cards and reprinted cards as well. Somehow, Topps combined 2 types of cards that I'm typically not too fond of and created a card that is perfect for my Bob Gibson player collection.

Moving onto the real relic cards from Monday's show, such as this dual relic of Rangers superstars Ivan Rodriguez and Alex Rodriguez, a card that set me back a mere $1. 

I couldn't believe the price when I saw it, especially considering the fact that this is a dual relic, featuring a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest power hitters of this century, even without steroids. 

As many relic cards as I have, there aren't a slew of dual relic cards in my collection which helped make the decision to purchase this card an even easier one.

It really was like night and day between the 2017 and 2018 Panini Chronicles sets with the latter being an unbelievable improvement from the first set. With that said, some of the inserts and relics from the '17 product were at a much higher level than the rest of the set, ultimately inspiring what the 2018 product would look like.

The color scheme of this card, although rather basic, is very well-crafted, and the text is actually very interesting to read. My only complaint would be how small the jersey relic is, not even the fact that it's a plain white relic. There's certainly enough space to make the relic even the littlest bit larger.

Topps Gallery produced some of the most creative and colorful relic cards of the early 2000s, and this Ivan Rodriguez bat relic fits that bill perfectly. The sheer abstractness of the card is quite appealing, even if I don't understand the inclusion of Rodriguez's 2004 Topps card next to the bat relic.

Like the Dawson relic, I'd only change one thing about the Rodriguez card; remove the banner that goes over part of the bat relic. There's a surplus of other places to include this information without cutting off the bat relic.

If there was ever a set that's perfect for black and white images, it would be 2001 Upper Deck Vintage. The photo of Fergie Jenkins in front of the Wrigley Field ivy and paired with a pants relic card helps me see why my Dad picked out this card with countless other options available. 

I don't even mind the fact that the relic is slightly blocked off, this time with seams of a Baseball because it's a far better fit for the card. Upper Deck tells me all about the game-used relic on the back of the card while letting the front of the card speak for itself. That is what a relic card should look like.

And if you ever find a bat relic of a member of the 500 home run club for less than $5, go for it. Even with the value of relic cards declining, there's definitely something to be said about game-used memorabilia of a Hall of Fame player, especially when that guy is none other than Mr. October, Reggie Jackson.

I'd always prefer the Athletics over the Yankees when it comes to Jackson, but the choice to show Reggie in a New York jersey makes sense for this card. He emerged as a true postseason phenom during his time in New York, and he was certainly a key part of the Yankees' success in the late 1970s.

After meeting up and showing each other what we'd purchased so far at the show, my Dad and I, with time running out, realized we had enough money in the budget for one final card that we'd both been eyeing all day long. 

This time, it wasn't a relic card, but an autograph of one of Boston's best current players, and it was serial numbered as well.

For roughly the price of a blaster box and a rack pack, we collectively decided on this gorgeous, on-card autograph of Red Sox ace Chris Sale from the 2018 Topps Finest set. A gold refractor, the card is serial numbered 6/50, and it helps me further boost the collection that I've put together of autographs and relics of members of the historic 2018 World Series team. 

I understand that pitcher's autographs don't typically sell for as much money as hitters', but it's nevertheless surprising to see this on-card auto for such a low price at a Baseball card show in the Boston area, especially since it's licensed and on-card. Not to mention, a gold refractor as well.

Chris Sale's signature may not be the best I've ever seen, but he's still one of the greatest players on the Red Sox roster, and he remains a vital part of their recent success. 

Especially after purchasing this card and the Triple Threads relic a month or so back, I'm praying that the Red Sox sign him to a major extension.

A Quick 2-Card Twitter Package

Back when I received my first ever Twitter trade package earlier this week, I had intended to also show off a smaller package that I had claimed around the same time. 

Another Twitter user who I've since followed pretty closely since making this trade, I claimed a couple cards from Baseball Card Addict Jenny from a $1 per card lot she had posted a few weeks ago. This small purchase allowed me to gain access to yet another Twitter user who I'm in the process of completing another purchase with that will be finalized in the next few days.

As for these 2-cards, they came from a lot that had already been up for a couple hours by the time I got to it. Therefore, many of the cards I was looking to claim had already been taken by other collectors. However, this didn't stop me from getting my hands on this beautiful X-Fractor from 2013 Topps Finest of former White Sox ace, Chris Sale.

Not only is 2013 Finest one of my favorite Finest sets in recent years along with 2014 and 2016, but the throwback uniform Sale is also wearing adds to the uniqueness of this card. I'm not entirely sure if it's the same jersey he cut up years later in an event that eventually became a scandal, but it's an absolutely terrific card regardless, especially considering how fantastic it looks as an X-Fractor.

Similarly, the 2nd card is also from Topps Finest, though this is a Prism refractor and not an X-Fractor like Sale. With that being said, both of the parallels styles have their own plus sides, and one of my favorite things about this 2015 Topps Finest Anthony Rizzo card is the way the Prism refractor looks in contrast to the classic Cubs home uniform in the "modern art" Topps Finest set from 2015.

Another special thing about this Rizzo card is that when I updated the inventory, it turns out this card is my 70th total card of Anthony Rizzo, establishing him as one of my largest active-player PCs along with Joey Votto, Andrew McCutchen, Adam Jones, and Buster Posey. Keep in mind, Rizzo made his debut in 2011 and although he had over 300 at-bats in 2012, he didn't start playing full seasons in 2013, meaning he's already been able to reach 70+ cards by only playing for around 6 seasons.

I know this was a pretty quick post, but I really wanted to be able to demonstrate how buying from the right people on Twitter can lead to some fantastic cards for even better prices. If you haven't considered it yet, trust me, Twitter cards are definitely worth it.