An Updated Steve Lombardozzi Autograph

For the first time since I scanned the autographs my dad helped me get during Spring Training, I was actually able to get my act together and organize my cards. Which pretty much means that I have some more autographs to write about, at least theoretically. I just need to find the time and motivation to write with my ever decreasing free time, but isn't that the case for most of us? Anyway, at least I can hang my hat on the fact that I've continued to stay up on the Orioles debut posts, if nothing else.

Today's autograph is of Oriole #971, Steve Lombardozzi. Steve played in 20 games for the Orioles in 2014, all but one of which was during April, but he was inexplicably pictured as an Oriole in the 2014 Topps Update set, which came out in October. Outside of my dad's OMC cards, I'm very comfortable in saying that this is the only Orioles card that will ever feature Steve.

He seemed to be a relatively big part of the O's 2014 utility infield plans when the team traded for him late in Spring Training last year, but I got the sense that he must have rubbed some people in the O's organization the wrong way since he was effectively out of the picture after April, even though he was hitting .288. He was passed up for promotion numerous times throughout the season, and didn't even get a September call-up, which was very strange considering that he was on the 40 man roster. Early in February 2015, the Pirates purchased him from the Orioles and that was the end of Lombo's strange stint in Birdland.

It was a relatively disappointing stint because Steve attended high school at Atholton, which is only about 15 minutes from Baltimore and very close to where I live. I had hoped to get a chance to talk to him about playing for his "hometown" Orioles at some point, but unfortunately, he didn't prove to be very fan friendly in my limited interactions with him, something that has been echoed to me by other autograph collectors. But luckily a fellow collector on SportsCollectors.Net was able to help me get his O's card signed and personalized, so now I can remove a name from my list that probably shouldn't have been there in the first place.

Oriole #971- Steve Lombardozzi

A day after skipping him, I give you Oriole #971, Steve Lombardozzi. I passed him by yesterday because I had just acquired these autographs and hadn't found the time to get them scanned yet. I had some time last night so we go. 

As I mentioned over my last few posts, Steve debuted in the same game as Ubaldo and Lough, but since Lombo started the game at second base (position 4) he is slotted between the other two guys to officially become the 971st player to appear in a game for the Orioles. 

Steve went 1-3 in his Orioles debut, and has started almost every day since, mainly due to injuries to Manny Machado and J.J. Hardy. Through Monday's game, he has five hits (all singles) over nineteen at-bats, has scored two runs and struck out four times. He has also made a few nice defensive plays in the field, and I like what I see so far.

Steve is actually a local guy, and graduated from Atholton High School in nearby Howard County, MD. The Nationals drafted him in the 19th round of the 2008 draft and he steadily rose through their farm system before playing for Washington from 2011-13. They traded him to the Tigers this past off-season as part of the deal to acquire Doug Fister, but he returned to the Mid-Atlantic area at the end of Spring Training when the O's acquired him for Alex Gonzalez.

When I wrote my post about Alex getting traded, I offered up a Gonzalez autograph in return for a Lombo signature. Shockingly, a reader took me up on that offer which netted me the autograph up at the top of the post. I was excited that my offer worked, but then I was able to trade another Orioles signature for the lower autograph as well. So I went from needing a Lombo autograph to having two!

Before I wrap this up, I feel like I should mention two other things that are noteworthy.
1) Steve's dad, Steve Sr., also played in the Majors for the Twins and Astros between 1985-90
2) I know he has a really long last name, but compare his autograph to the pre-printed version on that Bowman card. Not much resemblance, am-I-right?

Another One Bites the Dust

The Orioles made a relatively small trade yesterday, sending veteran infielder Alex Gonzalez to the Tigers in return for utility infielder, Steve Lombardozzi. On paper, it's a great trade in that the O's traded a 37 year old player who was signed on a minor league deal and likely would have been used mostly as a short-term fill-in at third base during Manny Machado's absence for a 25 year old who can more easily move around the infield and is under team control for four more years.

If nothing else, it's a nice depth move that looks towards the future of the club, and it sounds like Lombardozzi is expected to make the 25-man roster out of Spring Training and head north with the team. But it also sounds like that would have been true with Gonzalez. And I would have been much happier from an autograph standpoint.

Because I had some pretty solid success with Alex during my spring training trip. This card was ready to slide right into the collection.

And these were ready be used as trade bait. 

But at least someone still might be able to use this one...

 I'll trade it for an autograph of Lombardozzi. Anyone?


*This is the second time this off-season that one of my signed and personalized OMC Orioles cards are not going into my collection due to roster moves. But if anyone needs an autograph of Liam Hendriks or Alex Gonzalez, I'm your guy.