Rich Amaral, Is That You?

Since I always prefer to have an Orioles card signed whenever possible, I was faced with an interesting problem with this card.

 

You see how it says Rich Amaral on the right hand side? And, if I understand how this MLB Showdown set/game(?) works, those are presumably his stats in the bottom right corner. But that sure isn't a picture of Rich Amaral.  

This is what Rich looks like, MLB Showdown. 

 So who is the guy pictured on the card up top? It's none other than...

Yep, Ryan Minor. 

Other than the fact that both guys played for the Orioles in 1999-2000, I don't think they look much alike. Not to mention that Amaral is listed at 6' 175 pounds, while Minor is 6'7", 225. So the body type is a little different too.

As you could probably tell, that IS Rich Amaral's signature on the card at the top of the post. He was nice enough to sign it for me even though the card doesn't picture him. I mentioned something to that effect in my TTM request, so he didn't think that I thought it was him, if he cares about that sort of thing.

I've seen pictures of an Amaral Orioles postcard that actually pictures Rich, but I haven't been able to get my hands on one. If I do, I will send it his way to replace the Frankenstein card up top.

A Trade with John

OK, I'm switching the format up a little today to showcase a trade that I recently made with a reader named John. He hooked me up with a few autographs of guys who I did not have at all, and a few autos from guys that I already had but needed their signature on Orioles cards. I'm just going to write a little blurb about each of these guys, not get all up in their business like I normally do. Are you excited about this yet? Well I think you should be!

Jackie Gutierrez 1986-87

Jackie doesn't have a great signature does he? Well, who am I to talk because neither do I!
He wasn't much of a hitter over his career but was known for his exceptionally strong throwing arm.

Greg Myers 2000-01

Hold onto the bat Greg! Haha, this is probably my favorite card of the bunch and since Greg doesn't have any Orioles cards, this is perfect for my collection.
He hung around the Bigs from 1987-2005, much longer than I thought, and caught almost 900 games for seven teams over that time. He was also Nolan Ryan's 5,714th and last strikeout victim in 1993. I wonder if he held onto his bat that time?

Mike Johnson 1997

Mike was a 1996 Rule V draftee from the Expos who eventually was returned to Montreal, thus supporting my Steve Johnson argument that he will come back to the O's. He pitched for Team Canada in the Olympics in 2004 & 2008 and in the World Baseball Classic in 2009. He has literally pitched around the world since his time in Birdland and was still active in 2009, pitching somewhere in Korea.

Rich Amaral 1999-2000

Rich spent the final two years of his career with the Orioles after playing in Seattle for his first 8 seasons. He spent 10 years in the Minor Leagues before his big league debut for the Mariners in 1993 and played at least 40 games at every position except for pitcher and catcher over his 10 years in the Majors. Quite a resume!

Eddy Rodriguez 2004, 2006 & Dave Borkowski 2004

Eddy went 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA over 38 games spanning two seasons in Baltimore but Dave is the reason I am featuring this card. It's his only Orioles card, and he only got half of one! He did only pitch for one season in Baltimore but I got the chance to meet him at one of the O's FanFests and he seemed like a nice guy.

Jimmy Haynes 1995-96

Jimmy is another guy who stayed in the Majors longer than I remember. He debuted for the O's in '95 and pitched into the 2004 season with the Reds. Also, I thought he was a reliever but he started 203 of his 227 career games.

And I've already blogged about and established that I don't like Jason Grimsley, but he is now a part of my collection now.

Thanks for the awesome trade John!