The Orioles Acquire Taylor Teagarden

In what feels like about the twentieth Orioles-Rangers trade in the past year, multiple news sources are reporting that the Orioles acquired catcher Taylor Teagarden from the Rangers today in return for minor league pitcher Randy Henry and a player to be named later, which many times means that money will change hands at some point down the road.

Teagarden was the Rangers' 3rd round pick in the 2005 draft and has represented the United States in the 2004 & '08 Olympics. He has played sparingly for the Rangers over the past four seasons, totaling 118 games, and has a .220 average with a .703 OPS to date. He hit a home run in his first MLB at-bat in 2008; even better, it was in the sixth inning and broke up a no-hitter by the Twins' Scott Baker in a game the Rangers went on to win 1-0. That's a pretty awesome way to debut, but unfortunately Taylor hasn't been able to live up to the high expectations that surrounded him early in his career.

I'm still pretty excited about the trade, because Teagarden represents an upgrade to me over the Craig Tatums and Chad Moellers that have filled the O's backup catcher role over the past few seasons. He's still relatively young and I feel like there is some unexplored offensive potential to boot. Matt Wieters, coming off his Gold Glove winning 2011 season, is beyond the point of needing a tutor, and I think it's worth a roll of the dice to see what Taylor can do. I still expect the Orioles to sign another catcher, possibly a minor league free agent, to compete with him, but as of today, I'm a fan of the trade.

Since I don't have an autograph of Teagarden (yet) here is my autograph of Randy Henry, who the O's had to give up to swing the trade.

Randy was the O's 4th round pick in the 2009 draft and has spent the past two seasons with the O's three class A level teams, the short season Aberdeen Ironbirds, lo-A Delmarva Shorebirds, and hi-A Frederick Keys. My first meeting with Henry came during Spring Training this past year at the O's minor league complex in Sarasota. At the time, I wrote:

"Randy Henry was probably the nicest player I've ever come across during my 'graphing exploits. He was talkative and personable and spoke with me like I was his friend, not just some random person getting autographs. He told me how his Spring Training was going and that he had only pitched one inning to that point, but was happy with how it went. I think I have a new favorite O's Minor Leaguer. Good luck this year Randy!"


Thanks to Randy for that memory, and good luck in the Rangers' organization!

To make room on the 40 man roster for Teagarden, the O's designated Pedro Viola for assignment. I can't say that I'm too surprised, as I considered Pedro to be about the 39th/40th player on the 40 man. He pitched very sparingly with the O's over the past two seasons and the results weren't pretty; he had a 10.80 ERA over six games pitched.

Pedro spent most of the past two seasons with the AA Bowie Baysox and he was nice enough to sign a number of autographs for me over his time in Bowie, including my favorite autograph of the 2011 season. I gave him a small stack of these Orioles cards in return and he really seemed to enjoy them. Good luck with your future Pedro.

I'm Celebrating, Just Like Craig Tatum

Craig Tatum got the news from Dave Trembley yesterday that he is going to make the first Opening Day roster of his young career. Congrats to him; I hope that he can develop into a viable Major League backup to Wiety and can work towards building confidence with the mostly young pitching staff.

And I'm happy because for the first time since I started my blog a year ago, I averaged one post a day for an entire month. As I mentioned when I was celebrating my blog-iversary last week, I normally average just over 5 posts a week, so posting 31 times in 31 days is an accomplishment for me. I'm not going to fool myself into thinking that I will continue to average a post a day in April, and I have no idea how some bloggers average 2 or more a day. You guys are dedicated! I know that hosting my first contest was the main reason that I posted so often.


With Tatum making the Orioles 25-man roster, it means that Chad Moeller will either have to accept another Minor League assignment and spend some more time with the Tides, or he will ask for his release. I guess that Andy MacPhail is trying to find a spot for him on another team's 25-man, but it seems unlikely at this point. Good luck with whatever your future may hold Chad! You were always a good signer, and that was important to me at least.

Spring Training Successes- Orioles Card Edition

Here's the beginning of the autographs that I got in spring training. I normally try to avoid displaying so many cards in one post but stick with me on this. All of these are signed Orioles cards, and are either the first time I got that player to sign in person, or their first Orioles card that I have signed in my collection. I would say that this group of cards are my best auto-ccomplishment from Sarasota.

I have to start with two players that have been a thorn in my side for the past year. I recently obtained autographs of them both via trade and a gift but this was the first time that they signed for me in person.


I finally got the elusive "Koji 19" autograph that had evaded me for a complete season. He was also one of the last signatures that I got in my time at Ed Smith Stadium. As was the case on the other occasions that I saw him signing, he started signing far from where I was and I had to make a break for him, but this time, I finally got what I wanted.


I had few opportunities to get Alfredo's autograph since he was injured very early last season and was rarely with the team after his April surgery. I had to call out his name a few times before he reluctantly came over to sign, and he signed for only a few other people and me.



This next group of guys had their first Orioles cards produced after the 2009 season.


Including unlicensed 2010 UD cards of Chad Moeller and Justin Turner.


Whereas UD did a respectable job of hiding any glimpse of the O's logo on Moeller's card,


the Bird logo on Justin's helmet is clearly visible.



I bought the 2010 Topps Heritage team set in the week before I flew south which worked out well since it included Kevin Millwood's and Garrett Atkins's first O's cards.


Millwood is obviously wearing an Orioles uni but I have no idea where the picture may have been taken. Kevin was discussing golf with Scott Moore when he signed this and had just spoken to Dick Vitale, who was on the field during warm-ups.


I'm skeptical that this is actually an Orioles uniform since there is no way that Heritage had the time to take a picture and get it into a set that came out before Atkins had likely ever broken a sweat for the O's, but at least it's not obviously a Rockies uni on an "Orioles" card. This works for me!


Tillman had a few Orioles cards come out in late 2009 sets but this card is perfect for an autograph. He also signed the FanFest picture that Kalina had of the two of them, and said something about that when he signed it.


This is from the 2010 Topps When They Were Young insert set and is the only card to date that shows Berken in an Orioles uniform, even though it's focus is of him as a kid.


This is Kam's first Orioles card and it's from the Bowman Chrome set. I like it even more since he is wearing an orange uniform; the picture was probably taken during spring training last year. Although he doesn't have a great autograph, at least it's close to what is pictured on the card.


I mentioned that Scott had been talking with Millwood about golf. It sounded like both of them are pretty proficient at it and were talking about which other O's could hold their own against them. Scott has only spent a little time in Baltimore and was on the Tides' DL when I went to Norfolk last year, so this was one of my first chances to get his signature.


Somehow, I didn't have a Bordick in-person autograph in my collection. I really like this card of his because of the action shot and the textured laces that are visible in the top left and bottom right corners. Mike also nicely personalized a card for Kalina, who was always a big fan of his.


Sorry again for the long post, the next few Spring Training auto posts should be shorter, but I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my successes.

Some Random Friday Baseball Pictures

I've decided to showcase some of my baseball/autograph pictures that didn't get posted over the course of the season until I have some new baseball action to get excited about. And I'm not thrilled about this World Series. I want the Yankees to lose but it would be hard to say that I would be pumped about back-to-back Phillies wins. I grew up around Phillies phans and I don't need all that noise.


This picture is from the Orioles Minor League Appreciation Night that was held in mid-late September. In case you can't read the writing on the jumbo-tron, that is Zach Britton, who was the 2009 Carolina League Pitcher of the Year. It was cool since Brandon Waring was the Carolina League Player of the Year so Orioles prospects swept the Carolina League awards. Go Keys!



This picture features David Price, the Rays' star prospect, front and center. He had actually just signed my card, a card that may one day actually be scanned and shown on the blog. Nolan Reimold and Chad Moeller are standing by the cage in the background and you might also notice the back of former Orioles catcher Greg Zaun's head on the right hand side of the picture. I don't recall who Price is talking to, but it could be Pat Burrell. I know it's #6, any Rays fans out there know this one? I'm looking at you Troll...



This was taken at one of the last Orioles Alumni Autographs nights of the season. From L to R, that is Chris Hoiles, Joe Orsulak and Ken Dixon. I already had autos of all of them but it's always cool to see Hoiles around the Yard. Kalina is always excited to see him too.

Orioles Autograph Year in Review: The Best Signers

Well, this will be my last year in review post. I hope that everyone has been enjoying them but I think I might have lost some interest as I haven't got a comment in about a week. But regardless, I will soldier on and complete my review. Whether you like it or not!

These guys were the most reliable signers throughout the course of the season. Now they didn't sign at every game by any means but I probably saw them sign at an average of 1 out of 5 games throughout the year. And that's pretty good for today's current major league player.

So without further delay, here they are. The best of the best!


I have to start out with my boy, LUUUUKE Scott. He was easily the best Oriole signer on the year and seems to really enjoy signing too. I would estimate that I saw him sign 15-20 times in the 50 or so games that I went to. I am giving him my inaugural "Best Orioles Signer of the Year" award. He's a very positive guy and never ignored the fans; even on days that he wasn't signing, you could count on at least a smile and a wave.

Keep up the good signing habits Luke!

Apparently, Matusz and Tillman have become very good friends even though they never played together in the Minors and were only on the O's together for about two months. From what I hear, they spent a lot of time together and luckily for me, are both very good signers. That is somewhat rare for hotshot prospects and the fact that they both are easy to get is great for me.


Matusz signed for me in Frederick, Bowie and Baltimore this year. That's my first auto-trifecta!



Chris signed for me in Norfolk and Baltimore this year, as well as in Bowie last season. That's not too bad either and he has a pretty cool autograph too. I hope that these two guys continue signing throughout their long, productive careers for the Baltimore Orioles!


Chris was trying to look like he didn't want to be in the picture with me, but I know otherwise.



Dino was another player that I would consistently find signing. As the backup infielder, he had some extra time on his hands throughout the season and made good use of it. One of my favorite memories of him is the day he was goofing around with two little kids whose dad was trying to take a picture of the three. He stuck his head through the railing and was making funny faces. The kids couldn't get enough of him.



Even though Rich was injured and away from the team for almost half the season, I was able to get his autograph 3 times. Of course I got an Orioles card of him immediately after he was hurt so I am still hoping to get it signed sometime soon. Will he be back with the O's in 2010? I do not know.



Although both Wieters and Zaun didn't sign very often since they caught almost every day while they were with the team, their backup, Mr. Moeller, had the time to sign and sign he did. It took me a while to get him for the first time on the season but after that, I seemed to get his autograph every other game! Or something like that...



Justin Turner was one of the players who came over in the Ramon Hernandez trade. If you've read my blog for any amount of time, you should know that I wasn't a big Ramon fan. So that in turn (ha) makes me a Turner fan. He seemed to be a great signer after his September call-up and even got a little excited to be recognized and hounded for autographs. Keep up the good work Justin!




Sean Henn was another guy who didn't make his O's debut until later in the season but signed frequently once he was with the club. I'm not a big fan of getting Yankees cards signed but they are certainly better than nothing. Especially the A&G card turned out really well.



Well, there you have it. I reviewed the signing habits of all 48 players who suited up for the Birds in 2009. Hopefully, I will still be doing this little blog after the 2010 season and will again share my review. I hope that you all enjoyed it!

Recent Auto's at O's Games

Here are some cards that I have been able to get signed at recent O's games. My current definition of recent is within the past month or so. So, yes, that means that I am about a month behind on everything I am trying to do. Oh well, baseball season is almost over and then I can finally catch up on things. Sorry to anyone that I owe packages to, they will be on their way soon enough.

And I start off my post by lying to you. I got this Bruce Chen autograph when he was in town with the Royals in late July. So I'm like 6 weeks behind on showcasing this card. Wow, that's pretty bad.

But I do have a funny story about this autograph; if you read my previous post about Bruce, it really seems like he is a very nice guy. And at this O's-Royals game, he once again came through for the fans by being the only Royal to sign for the fans after BP. He signed everything for everyone, and used my sharpie for most of the signing but I didn't care as he was, like I said, the only player signing. He signed a couple of dollar bills for some guy and then the usher told him that he didn't think that was legal so I doubt Bruce will do that again.



This is now my favorite autograph of our slick-fielding shortstop. I like these O-Pee-Chee cards for autos.



Melmo came through again. And seeing as I got this signed shortly after my trip to Toronto; I got Mora's signature twice in one week and not another time for the rest of the season. At least to this point. It seems as though he is a streaky signer.



Bergy was around for his t-shirt giveaway game in mid-August. Not only did he sign this card for me but I was also able to get my t-shirt signed. Sweet!



I do not like that Moeller is featured in a Yankees uni on this card. I try to avoid getting Yankees or Red Sox cards signed whenever humanly possibly but I didn't have any other cards of his. But since I got my 09 Tides set for my birthday, this situation has been rectified.





That's it on Orioles autographs but I found out last weekend that the Indians are a very good signing team. I just missed out on Grady Sizemore twice but I did get a few decent autos.


Travis Hafner, although he's not the player he was a few years ago, is still a cool autograph to get at a game. He signed for a ton of fans too.


Aaron Laffey was talking to some friends/family in the stands and was signing while doing so. Interesting note about his autograph- he signed Laffey first, and then added the A. I've never seen a player sign backwards like that before.


Chris Perez signed for me for the second time this season. The first time was a Nationals-Cardinals game in DC when Perez was still playing for St. Louie.


Wyatt Toregas, a rookie catcher signed this team card for me. I think he was trying to leave some room for others to sign the card. That, or he has a tiny signature.


Finally, Eric Wedge. I like the way his signature looks; it's all over the place.

Autograph pictures from my trip

As I try to catch up on work, and life in general, after my trip I want to make sure I get back to posting regularly (whatever that might be). Pictures of the Orioles playing at the Skydome are forthcoming. And I do know that it's now officially called the Rogers Centre, but I definitely prefer calling it the Skydome.

In the meantime, here are most of the Orioles autographs that I was able to get in Toronto. I love going to O's road games since it is so much easier to get autographs from the Birds. These are presented more or less in order of how much I like the players, and/or whether or not I already have their autographs.

While I'm OK with the Gregg Zaun trade, I was not prepared for it, so didn't have my Moeller cards on the trip with me. I got him on this cool O-Pee-Chee Orioles checklist. But Bad Chad surprising me like that!

Felix finally signed for me at a game.

Berky got the win on Friday, which is the only reason he is ranked this high. I ran into his cousin before that game; he seemed like a really nice guy. And don't get the wrong idea, I don't know Berken but his cousin said hi since I was wearing my Orioles gear.

Dino continued to be a good signer, and to look tough in all pictures taken of him.

Guthrie signed but seems to like to mess with some of the fans by telling them he will sign and then running away multiple times.

Finally an in-person success with "The Crow"!

Also my first time getting Brian Bass in-person. I think Toronto was a good luck charm for me.


Probably the best signer on the team, LUUUKE signed for everyone, and some of their mothers.


This isn't the first time Melmo signed for me, but it is the first time this season.


Ty finally signed this card; his first in an Orioles uniform.


"Claw" signed for me! He has moved down a little on my favorite O's list as he keeps giving up runs but this is an awesome action shot of him pitching!


I think that this is now my favorite Jonesy autograph. What a great looking card.


Nolan was signing and let's just say that Kalina was a little bit happy about that.


But Wiety signed too! And I was very happy about that!
It's the first time I got him to sign since he was promoted to the O's in late May.
He signed all three days of the series too.

So, to wrap up this post; I highly recommend that, if you love the Orioles and getting them to sign things for you, you should hit the road with the team sometime. They are much more likely to sign since there are many fewer O's fans than in Baltimore and it's always cool to check out other ballparks.