Top 5 Cards: Alan Trammell

Last night, Alan Trammell and his teammate Jack Morris were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame via the Modern Era Committee. These 2 talented players combined to have 11 All-Star appearances and played alongside Lou Whitaker to win the 1984 World Series. 

These teammates, friends, and talented players weren't elected on the regular ballot when they most likely should've been. So a committee consisted of Bobby Cox, Rod Carew, Dennis Eckersley, and more decided to elect these 2 players yesterday. I'm doing the top 5 for Alan Trammell and I'll be doing it for Jack Morris later this week.

I have 22 cards of the star shortstop, here are my top 5.

#5 1982 Topps

Throughout his career, Trammell proved his strong dedication to the Tigers and to baseball. His 2365 hits rank 7th in Tigers history, but when you're behind names like Ty Cobb and Al Kaline it's pretty understandable. Not only was his defensive ability some of the best on his team, but he is arguably a top 10 defensive shortstop of all-time. All of these accomplishments give Trammell many reasons to smile just as he is doing in his 1982 Topps card. He appears on this card during batting practice, with a bat in his right hand and a smile on his face. It's very different from the serious looks on the player's faces that usually appear on cards, and I appreciate this photo decision, so I had to put this card on the list. 

#4 2006 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts

SP Legendary Cuts has always been a set that I liked. I always liked these types of retired player sets made by Upper Deck, Donruss, and Fleer in the mid-2000s, but it was Legendary Cuts that ended up lasting longer than the others. The 2006 set is one of my favorites because of the background color. I love the cream color and the design used in the background as well. That along with the red banner gives this card a very high-end feel and I actually like that a lot. I also really enjoy the picture used of Trammell. I don't usually see pictures of this road jersey with stripes on the sleeves, so I have to give Upper Deck credit for using a more unconventional image on this card.

#3 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game

2004 Fleer Greats of the Game is one of my dad's favorite sets ever made. He collected a lot of the individual player cards when the set came out 13 years ago, and one of those players that he chose to purchase a base card of was Alan Trammell. I have to agree with him, as this set totally blows me away after each and every card I see from it. The set is simple but is elevated to become spectacular. The brown borders look like stunning frames around the rest of the card which appears very sleek. Especially the font on the bottom, which is written out in a slight silver font that ties the card together. Overall, this is a classy set and this is a fabulous card from that set that I am glad to put in at #3.

#2 1982 Donruss Diamond Kings

The original Diamond Kings cards were known for their crazy color combinations on each and every card. Trammell's 1982 card is no exception as it pairs the pink and purple combo and actually puts it on a card, creating one of the craziest baseball cards in my collection, and it somehow works. You can definitely tell how much attention to detail was used on this card. Whether it's the banner on the top or the details included on the image's of Trammell as well as each and every color being there for a reason. And even though there are many colors on this card, there isn't too much and nothing is crowded, which is something I certainly appreciate. 

#1 1984 Fleer

But even before I saw the smiling Trammel card, the 2 classy looking cards, and finally the colorful card, I knew Trammell's 1984 Fleer card would be #1 on the list. This incredible card shows Trammell playing a night game on the road. He appears to be on the base-path ready to begin running. That's it, nothing crazy whatsoever. There aren't too many things going on, it's a very simple card that Fleer was able to excel in creating. It looks absolutely amazing and simple at the same time. Those 2 qualities are hard to find in a card, no matter the decade. So when I find a card like this one of Trammell, I feel like it rightfully deserves the #1 spot. 

I'm Annoyed

Just in case you haven't checked the MLB news today, it appears Giancarlo Stanton will be traded to the New York Yankees. And while I don't believe the trade has been officially confirmed, I do believe that this trade is not good for baseball one bit.

I'd like to say that I don't have anything against Stanton, in fact, I collect him. I don't dislike the Marlins and even as a Red Sox fan, I don't dislike the Yankees nor Derek Jeter. That being said, I do dislike the owner Jeter has become, and this trade proved why.

First of all, Derek Jeter played his whole 20-year career for the New York Yankees, so understandably he is loyal to them. However, if you assume the owner role of a team like the Marlins, you must put that team first. Derek Jeter didn't do that today. 

You mean to tell me that the best deal Jeter could get for the NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton was Starlin Castro and 2 Prospects? I don't care how much of the salary the Yankees are taking, you are ripping off the entire Marlins fanbase and you are certainly not getting enough value. But wait, why would he trade Stanton to the Yankees of all teams.

Because Derek Jeter doesn't give a crap about how well the Marlins do. He's made his millions, do you really think he cares? Of course not, he cares about the Yankees and only the Yankees and that was proven today.

This Marlins team has seen a lot over the last few years. They have been stuck in a rebuild for a while and have consistently been average for many years now. They even lost their beloved pitcher Jose Fernandez a little over a year ago. This team, fanbase, and organization are still healing. And this trade is setting them back even further. 

Again I'm not sure if it's official because MLB is still saying he agreed to the trade, but neither club confirmed. Now is the time for Rob Manfred to take a stand and reject the trade. And this is not coming from the Red Sox fan me, this is my realistic, unbiased opinion. The Marlins could've gotten much more for him, and this trade is not coming from a good place on the part of Jeter. It's a mockery and an unfair move and Derek Jeter has lost all my respect by doing this.

My Aaron Judge Rookie Cards

Aaron Judge was without a doubt the hottest player to collect in 2017. Every set that came out had at least one card of Judge, which became many collector's goals to obtain throughout the year. And while I'm not an Aaron Judge superfan like some collectors (I don't collect him yet because of how expensive his cards are), I still have acquired 6 rookie cards of the AL Rookie of the Year. Today, I'm going to show you what they are.

The card at the top of the page is the bazooka insert from 2017 Topps Archives. I may not have gotten Judge's base card, but in the blasters, I bought of Topps Archives I was able to get this insert, which I even like better than his base card in the 1960 Topps design.

The next card is one that I got in my most recent card purchase which is 2017 Topps Gallery. I got his Gallery base rookie card as the 2nd card in my first value pack of the set and I instantly was over-joyed. Like I said, I'm not going to be buying individual Judge cards until I see how much his 2018 cards go for simply because of how expensive his rookies are. So, to be able to get his cards in packs rather than by choice is a huge bonus. After all, this card on COMC is going for more than I paid for the entire value pack. 

Next is not 1, but 2 rookie base cards from 2017 Topps Gypsy Queen. This was a set that I acquired a few doubles of this year due to buying a decent amount of it, so one of the players I got doubles of was Aaron Judge and I'm definitely not complaining about that. Even though this card is pretty simple, I still love the card a lot. Especially because of how well, at least in my opinion, Judge's pinstripes go with the rest of the card. The black and white on his jersey is a combination that also appears on the nameplate which is a small feature that I really enjoy and appreciate.

But when collecting, you usually remember your first of something. And my first Aaron Judge rookie card was from Topps Flagship. The now famous photo on the card shows Judge getting ready to make a catch in the outfield in Yankee Stadium. This was not only used for his Topps base card but Topps Chrome as well. Therefore, this simple image is one that is easily recognizable by almost any collector who bought and looked at cards in 2017.

However, my favorite card of Aaron Judge is by far the base image variation that I got from a $10 rack pack of 2017 Topps Chrome. With his base image being so recognizable, I knew when I got this card that it was special. So I looked at the code on the back, then online, and sure enough, this card was and still is going for over $100. That's not bad for a $10 purchase. And even if he doesn't develop the way most think he will, cards like these are still a huge deal when you get them. That is what's pushing me to collect Aaron Judge. 

What Happened to the Relic Card?

It seems like, over the last few years, the popularity of the relic card has died down, big time. This is unfortunate because I see relics as one of the best parts of collecting. These things were worn in an actual MLB game, the idea is just so cool.

But I know that times are changing and that the value and hype of a relic card are not at what it once was.

Take this Chipper Jones relic, for example. This came out of a 2007 Topps Heritage hobby box at a time where Chipper was playing incredible baseball. Any collector would be glad to have this card back in 2007 and now, especially since he's making a strong case for a first ballot Hall of Famer. But now, with all the excitement over relic cards slowly dying. Surprisingly, this card is going for about $10 on COMC which is extraordinarily high for a standard relic. Then again, maybe it's because it's an older relic of a retired player.

On the other hand, there's this 2016 Allen & Ginter Yoenis Cespedes relic card. When you factor in that Cespedes is a 3-time All-Star and one of the best players on the Mets, it will definitely come as a shock that this card only goes for $1.50 online. I just don't like how modern relic cards are dying. Gypsy Queen got rid of them completely this season, and I hope no other set does that.

Then again, like I said, all the hype is the focused on the autograph. In particular, the rookie autograph. This season, prices for hobby boxes soared because of Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger and that caused many collectors to search for these prized autographs. It inflated the prices of almost anything to do with these players, and honestly took away a bit of the fun of collecting cards, which is something I'll touch on when I rank all the sets I collected in 2017.

20 years ago it would be special to get a relic card of an All-Star, and it would be super cool to get their All-Star workout jersey. Now, relics are almost like common cards and no one really cares about them.

I'm still nostalgic for the days when getting a relic of an All-Star was impressive, and it made your whole day. It still does that for me, especially if I get retail hits. I just hope that in 2018 Topps takes some control. They keep on producing relics, add them to more sets, and that they stop hyping up 2 players so much that it negatively affects card collectors.