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I'm trying really hard not to say "who are these guys?"

I recently opened six hobby packs of 2009 Tri-Star Projections Series 2. They were my winnings for taking first prize in a contest at Boxbusters. Many thanks to Ross.

It was an interesting prize because I am about as far from a prospect guy as you can get. And I feel guilty about that. I'm constantly running into baseball fans who can tell me about this prospect and that prospect in their favorite team's organization. I can't do that. I know a handful of Dodger up-and-comers and you can put a blanket over the rest of them, because I ain't got a freakin' clue.

So, as you can imagine, opening six packs of a set of nothing but prospects was the equivalent of a 10-minute blank stare. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining the packs were.

I've read on some blogs about how much they dislike Tristar, but after opening the packs I have a different viewpoint. The cards aren't all that bad. And if you like collecting guys like this, they're pretty cool. And believe it or not, I actually perked up when I pulled certain cards.

So, without further babbling, here are the six packs. I promise to refrain from saying, "Who?" a half-dozen times. And if you can shed some light on these guys, please do in the comments:

PACK ONE

#168 - Sean Doolittle (OF) Athletics, first-rounder.

#160 - Jack Rye (OF) Yankees, 13th-rounder
#146 - Tyler Chatwood (P), Angels, 2nd-rounder
#170 - Jim Murphy (1B), Phillies, 17th-rounder
#161 - Jesus Montero (C), Yankees, Free agent

PACK TWO

#133 - Jhoulys Chacin (P), Rockies, Free agent

#124 - Gordon Beckham (SS), White Sox, First-rounder. Hey! Someone I know! And he was just called up by the White Sox last night.

#166 - Brett Hunter, Athletics (P), autograph card. 7th-rounder. Apparently "a steal" by the A's. He's had injury issues, but is still a top guy.

As for the autograph, I'm trying to stay positive here, but the sticker makes it look like he signed a piece of scotch tape that they stuck to the card. Now that I think about it, that's basically what they did.

#154 - Dylan Owen, Mets (P), 20th-rounder. A Binghamton Met! That gets a special mention.
#143 - Danny Gutierrez, Mets (P), 33rd-rounder. Another B-Met!

PACK THREE

#111 - Mark Wagner, Red Sox (C), 9th-rounder
#189 - Seth Lintz, Brewers (P), 2nd-rounder
#134 - Josh Bell, Dodgers (!) autographed (!!) card. 4th-rounder. Well, this pack certainly was meant for me. Bell is supposed to be the Dodgers' third baseman of the future. He's now playing for Double A Chattanooga and doing quite well.

#152 - Evan Bigley (OF), Twins, 10th-rounder
#141 - Phil Disher (1B), Astros, 15th-rounder

PACK FOUR
#107 - Jake Arrieta, Orioles (P), 5th-rounder. I know this dude, too. But only because my brother is an Orioles fan.

#106 - David Hernandez, Orioles (P), 16th-rounder
#131 - Hector Rondon, Indians (P), free agent
#123 - Daniel Hudson, White Sox (P), 5th-rounder (card came out of the pack damaged)

PACK FIVE

#196 - Jake Opitz, Cubs (2B), 12th-rounder
#191 - Deryk Hooker, Cardinals (P), 7th-rounder
#162 - Luke Greinke, Yankees (P), 12th-rounder, numbered parallel. This is Zach Greinke's brother. You can't tell on the scan, unless you click on the image, but the shiny foil on the card is green instead of silver.

That's the back. No. 8/50. Hope you turn out like your brother, Luke.

#119 - Mitch Atkins, Cubs (P), 7th-rounder
#112 - Mike Lee, Red Sox (P), 8th-rounder
#118 - Luis Bautista, Cubs (P), 32nd-rounder

PACK SIX
#181 - Buster Posey, Giants (C), first-rounder. OK, even I have heard of this guy. Buster needs to get himself traded though. Or I'll hate him for life.

#171 - Vance Worley, Phillies (P), 3rd-rounder
#162 - Luke Greinke, Yankees (P), 12th-rounder, base card
#129 - Chien-Chang Lee (P), Indians, free agent
#121 - Tarlandas Mitchell (P), Cubs, 22nd-rounder

There's the six packs. Not too bad. Two autographs, including one of a Dodger. Two key players in Beckham and Posey. A numbered parallel of the brother of the biggest pitching sensation of 2009. No Tim Beckham or Matt Wieters, but better than I expected.

But that wasn't all I received from Ross. Another part of my prize was selecting one of the hit cards he featured. I settled on this:
A numbered relic (69/144) of Mets prospects Fernando Martinez and Reese Havens.

"F-Mart" isn't a prospect anymore now that he's been called up to the Mets. He's kind of gotten off to a rocky start. But he's only 20 and a lot is expected of him.

Reese Havens I know nothing about. He was a first-round pick by the Mets in 2008 and he's tearing up Class A right now, so I guess that's a good thing.

So there you are. I'm not going to complain. Now all I have to do is spend the next four years hoping all these guys become major stars.

Comments

madding said…
I have no idea who Deryk Hooker is, but if you're not particularly attached to him you should save him for me.
Anonymous said…
Nice packs! You should keep tabs on them to see if and when they make it to the show.
Kevin said…
Arrieta and Hernandez back to back - not bad! David Hernandez was called up by the O's last week and won his debut, holding the Tigers to a run in 5 and 2/3 innings. He had a rockier second start (5 ER in 5 and 1/3 at Seattle), but was victimized by a few defensive lapses. He's one of the Orioles' "first wave" of pitching prospects. Not a top guy like Arrieta or Chris Tillman, but decent nonetheless. He's had huge strikeout numbers everywhere, but he pitches up in the zone which can be tricky, and he could use some better control. Most scouts seem to project him as a reliever, but you never know.
steveisjewish said…
I wish I had a ron cey/clay kershaw dna/cash/jersey card t otrade for the havens/fmart!
Reese Havens's parents used to live across the street from me when I was a kid. We even graduated from the same high school, though about 100 years apart. At any rate, he's a solid prospect, had a great college career at USC (not THE USC, it's redneck little brother in SC), but I imagine will have to switch positions if he's ever going to get to the bigs with the Mets. Very cool to see that card.
night owl said…
Steve, if you pull something Dodgery, I'll keep you in mind.
Mr. Scott said…
Funny thing Luke Greinke has already been let go by the yankees.
halos17 said…
Kevin Goldstein over at Baseball Prospectus loves Jesus Montero and so do alot of scouts:

"The youngest position player in the Eastern League is now Montero, who was clearly wasting his time in Tampa, mashing at the rate of .356/.406/.583 despite the fact that he's just 19 years old. More importantly, this move ends the year-plus sharing system with Austin Romine, and lets them both play the position full time. For Romine, it's to see just how good he can become back there, and for Montero, it's just to see if he has any chance to even stay behind the plate. ."