Emily Waldon, Detroit Tigers and National Prospect writer for The Athletic joins the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss Major League Baseball's proposal to contract 42 teams from Minor League Baseball. She shares how the two Detroit Tigers affiliates that Rob Manfred has put on the chopping block have responded to the news.
Baseball Happenings Podcast
"They're very against it, and they're both fighting to make sure that they don't lose their places," Waldon said. "They're working with Congress to try and fight against it. Obviously wanting to defend their place in the organization's farm system, I'm working very hard to make sure that that can stay reality."
In the 11-minute interview, Waldon also shares her thoughts on Lou Whitaker missing out on the Hall of Fame, her grinding journey covering the minor leagues, and the top organizational farm systems to watch in 2020.
John Strohmayer "Missing 1974 Topps Card" / Giovanni Balistreri
The South Dakota native made his major league debut in 1970 with the Montreal Expos. He pitched parts of four seasons with the Canadian club, compiling an 11-9 record before the Mets signed him off waivers midway through the 1973 season. It was a move that delighted the entire household.
Unfortunately, Strohmayer could not recapture his Flushing magic in a Mets uniform. He pitched in only seven games with an 8.10 ERA and was left off the postseason roster. He spent most of the 1974 season in the minor leagues, making one final appearance as a September call-up with New York. Citing a sore shoulder, Strohmayer hung up his cleats and embarked on a 34-year career in education.
He returned to his alma mater, Central Valley High School, where he was once a standout multi-sport athlete. Working as a teacher and a coach, he led Central Valley’s boys’ basketball team to the CIF championship in 1989. The district dedicated the current basketball court in his honor.
Strohmayer eventually moved up the administration ladder, working as an assistant principal and principal before becoming the district’s superintendent in 2005. Current Central Valley principal Kyle Turner found Strohmayer’s athletic and coaching experience enhanced his ability to relate to students and staff.
"I firmly believe that some of the best coaches can make fantastic administrators, and I know that a lot of the things that he's learned in his athletic past obviously helped him relate to students and keep the connections with students,” Turner said to ABC-affiliate KRCR. “And that's something that is an integral part of any educator, and he was able to do that very, very well, from everything that I've experienced with John."
In 2009 luck found Strohmayer, when he was one of 15 Gateway Unified School District employees who shared a $76 million lottery jackpot. He retired at the end of the 2009 school year after 32 years in education.
Collectors have impatiently waited for 2019 Bowman Chrome Baseball's release the entire season. The chromium-based set casts a wider reach than 2019 Bowman Baseball, offering new rookies and prospects to enhance its desirability. The two autographs promised in each master box further increases Bowman Chrome's magnetism as fans turn their attention to next year's upstarts.
2019 Bowman Chrome Baseball / Bowman
2019 Bowman Chrome Baseball Base Set, Prospects, and Parallels
The 100-card base set features rookies from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Keston Hiura, Fernando Tatis Jr., and the 2019 National League Rookie of the Year, Pete Alonso. To add further intrigue to the base set, 15 rookies contain rare image variations. The final three digits of the CMP code (#209) will indicate if you have one of these short-printed issues.
2019 Bowman Chrome Baseball / Bowman
The Chrome Prospects set is numbered from 151-250, hosting prospects that are likely to see the big leagues soon if they aren't already there. Collectors will find Royce Lewis, Nolan Gorman, Casey Mize, and Jo Adell among the group, as well as late-season call-ups Bo Bichette and Brendan McKay.
Both sets feature serial-numbered colored refractors that will keep player collectors on the hunt to corner the market on their favorite prospect. There are eight variations - Base Refractor #/499, Purple #/250, Blue #/150, Green #/99, Gold #/50, Orange #/25, Red #/5, SuperFractor 1/1.
Bowman Chrome continues with a consistent prospect theme by highlighting the Arizona Fall League stars with their own 30-card insert set. The Stat Tracker insert set also contains 30 players, each recognized for an impressive feat from the backs of their baseball cards. The 15-card Elite Farmhands spotlights a narrow group that could have a massive MLB impact in the coming years. The set includes Jarred Kelenic, Jordyn Adams, and Wander Franco.
2019 Bowman Chrome Baseball Inserts / Bowman
Just like the base set, each insert set also has serial-numbered refractor parallels - Atomic #/150, Orange #/25, SuperFractor 1/1.
2019 Bowman Chrome Baseball Autographs
Each master box guarantees two autographs. For collectors lucky enough to score a 1st Bowman Chrome autograph of a heralded prospect, the return could be massive in a relatively short amount of time. Alexander Canario, Noelvi Marte, and Orelvis Martinez are among those who are the most sought after from this set.
Bowman also provides collectors with the opportunity to catch one of 14 signed Chrome rookies, including the aforementioned group of Alonso, Guerrero Jr., and Hiura. Both the prospect and rookie autographs have the following serial-numbered parallels - Base Refractor #/499, Blue #/150, Green #/99, Gold #/50, Orange #/25 (Hobby), Red #/5, SuperFractor 1/1.
Buried deeper into the release is harder to find 2018 Arizona Fall League autographs, relics, and relic/autograph combinations. Bowman doubles down on the AFL theme, offering AFL alumni signatures, including Mike Trout, Ronald Acuña Jr., and the Hall of Fame member, Derek Jeter.
The box provided for this review drew two Bowman Chrome Prospect autographs. The first autograph was a 1st Bowman Chrome from Minnesota Twins pitching prospect Jhoan Duran. The second came from Texas Rangers infield prospect Jonathan Ornelas.
2019 Bowman Chrome Baseball Autographs / Bowman
2019 Bowman Chrome Box Break Video and Final Thoughts
Collectors were able to follow their favorite talents throughout an entire minor league season, noting which stars came to prominence. As the top tier breaks away from the pack, 2019 Bowman Chrome Baseball allows collectors to keep them in focus the entire offseason.
This year’s Clearly Authentic set is filled with over 20 rookie autographs including favorites Pete Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as well as Washington Nationals second year phenom Juan Soto. The base version serial-numbered parallels include: Green #/99, Black #/75, Red #/50, Blue #/25, Purple #/10, Orange #/5, and Gold 1/1.
Collectors with a lucky touch will find a batch of Hall of Famers within its 150 Years of Professional Baseball subset, as well All-Stars Don Mattingly and Darryl Strawberry set in the iconic versions of their 1984 Topps cards. To further bridge Topps’ historical releases, superstars and Hall of Famers are abundant in the attractive 1952 Reimagining and mini T-206 sets.
2019 Topps Clearly Authentic Box Break and Final Thoughts
The box provided for this review drew a Justus Sheffield red base autograph #/50. The see-through back on the acetate cards gives his signed rookie a distinct display compared to other Topps issues.
2019 Topps Clearly Authentic Justus Sheffield Red Rookie Auto / Topps
With box prices currently hovering around $50, the opportunity to score a uniquely designed Hank Aaron, Derek Jeter, Mike Trout, or Pete Alonso signed card makes 2019 Topps Clearly Authentic Baseball tough to pass up.
During the interview, Moskowitz explains how during his research he caught the collecting bug through watching online breaks, and eventually found a community through their chat rooms that has substituted for a lack of local card shops.
