Edwin Jackson

I finally got everything from Cubs Lot #2 scanned and cropped but ran out of steam to do any kind of write up about them. Instead, I'm falling back on some autographed cards from my draft folder.

Edwin Jackson came to the Cubs as a big free agent signing following a disastrous 101-loss season in 2012. Despite doing slightly better as a team in 2013, Jackson managed to lead the Major Leagues in Losses with 18. While losses aren't the be all, end all they used to be with pitchers on bad teams, having a nearly 5.00 ERA doesn't bode well either. The Cubs just haven't been able to match that offense.

This season, Jackson has a 1-2 record while the team is 1-4 in his starts. But the run differential is just -3. Scoring four runs is a decent total that'll win you some ballgames. You just can't give up five! 

These three Edwin Jackson cards were autographed last season with a little help from an SCN member. His signature is not much more than EJ but I'm glad to knock the two customs cards off my list.

This 2013 Topps card is actually form the factory team set and is Photoshopped. Jackson's Series 1 card still showed him in a Nationals uniform and didn't show up as a Cub until the Update Series where they used a different photo.

2013 Topps Brett Jackson Factory Team Set & Series 2

I sorta, kinda took the weekend off from posting but it was for the greater good. And by sorta, kinda, I mean I wrote out a bunch of postings, but for the future. At the end of this week, I am going on a 2-week, European vacation with the family, so I will be incommunicado. Cue the Clark Griswold references! I didn't quite come up with enough to fill the whole time I'm gone just yet, but I still have a few days. If not, there may be a random day off here and there.

Like my last couple of these, Brett Jackson has the same card in both the team factory set and Topps Series 2. It's a nice action shot, almost more suitable for a horizontal card. In fact, if it was somebody a little more popular, or Jackson had lived up to the hype a little bit better last year, it could have been one of the Series 2 Chase it Down inserts. He probably would have had to be closer to the ball for that to happen though. Speaking of which, did he make the play?

The caption claims that Jackson "makes a diving catch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the game at Wrigley Field on September 14, 2012" so it must be true. No reference to the batter or inning so I had to go to the boxscore on baseball-reference.com. The only fly ball out to Brett Jackson came off the bat of Pedro Alvarez in the top of the 8th inning.

The photographer took a flurry of shots and Getty posted two more shots:

This one would have made for a nice horizontal card, as he gets ready for full extension.

And the moment just before the catch. If the umpire hadn't cut right in front of the photographer, that would have been a pretty good Chase it Down card.

The Cubs beat the Pirates 7-4 that day. The play wasn't a game changer/saver, but a nice catch is a nice catch.

2013 Topps Scott Baker Factory Team Set & Series 2

Scott Baker missed all of the 2012 season following Tommy John surgery. He signed with the Cubs as a free agent this past off season but suffered a setback that has kept him on the DL since Spring Training. Topps apparently has high hopes for him with the Cubs though, because not only did he sneak into the Heritage set with a photoshopped card, they doctored another photo and put him into the Cubs Factory Team set. And then reused the card for Series 2, even though he has yet to play.

I tend not to mock Photoshop jobs because this is much better than I could ever do. So with that aside, the crop is a little too tight for my liking. Was there really a need to cut off his left elbow? At least they got his new number right as he is assigned #32 if/when he does make an appearance with the Cubs. The #30 that he wore with the Twins is worn by future potentital battery mate, Dioner Navarro.

Photo by Leon Halip (courtesy of Getty Images)

Topps had to go in the way back machine, all the way to 2011 to pull the photo they used for the card. June 1, 2011 to be exact. Baker and the Twins lost to the Tigers that day 4-2 at Comerica Park in Detroit. Miguel Cabrera hit a 3-run homer from which the Twins couldn't recover. How many other pitchers have suffered that fate? The caption from the Getty website narrows the pitch down to the third inning (when Cabrera hit the home run) but nothing more specific than that. It could be any one of the 36 pitches Baker threw that inning.

Spring Training estimates had Baker's return at June but nothing yet. The latest news I could find has Baker throwing simulated games at the Cubs Spring Training facility. Barring any further setbacks, he should find his way into the lineup by the end of the year.

2013 Topps Ian Stewart Factory Team Set & Series 2

Around the same time that Carlos Marmol was DFA'd, Ian Stewart was finishing up serving a suspension and was released outright. It had more than a little something to do with his Twitter rant in which he expressed frustration with his lack of a call-up. Although it probably doesn't help to be batting .168 when the comments were made.

I have no ill will towards Stewart as a player. It sucks to get hurt and while I have all the sympathy in the world for the frustration caused by rehabbing an injury and then not really having a spot when you're ready to come back, the way Stewart went about expressing it was out of line. 

Earlier this week, we said good-bye to Carlos Marmol after his trade to the Dodgers was made official. Now it was announced on Friday, that Ian Stewart has signed with the Dodgers as a free agent. He doesn't appear on their roster on the team website nor has he been officially sent to their Triple-A affiliate, the Albuquerque Isotopes where former teammate Marmol awaits. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Anyway, on to the card. Like the Marmol card earlier in the week, this is the same photo used on both the Factory Team set and on the Series 2 version. I apologize but for the life of me I can't remember where I saw it. Too many blogs busting Series 2 packs lately but somebody pulled one in a box or pack and likened Stewart's expression to the Church Lady (Dana Carvey) of Saturday Night Live fame. Classic. If you remember seeing it or it was you, say so in the comments so I can give credit.

Topps did a nice job cropping and zooming on this one. According to the caption on the Getty Images website, Ian Stewart is making a throw to first base in a 9-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Not real helpful on the actual play though.



Photo taken by Brian Kersey (courtesy of Getty Images)

After looking at the boxscore on Baseball-Reference, two balls were hit to Ian Stewart, both of the "weak" variety. In the top of the 5th, Chris Heisey grounded out to end the inning. In the top of the 6th, after a leadoff double by Willie Harris, Devin Mesoraco was credited with a single to weak 3B, moving Harris to third. And based on the third base coach's (Mark Berry) reaction in the background of the photo, I think that may be key information.

If this is the Heisey play, I don't think Berry has that kind of reaction with the bases otherwise empty and it being the third out. On the Mesoraco single, Berry has to be paying close attention and moving into a better position to direct incoming Harris on how hard he is rounding third.

So that's my call until proven otherwise.

2013 Topps Carlos Marmol Factory Team Set & Series 2

Last week, the Cubs designated setup man, closer, reliever Carlos Marmol for assignment. Wrigley Wax did a nice write up shortly afterwards that showed off his collection of Marmol cards. Aside from my customs which I've already showed off, I don't think I had anything he didn't but I also held back from posting because I didn’t want to count my chickens before they hatched. I wasn’t sure anyone would nibble let alone bite and there was a slim chance he could end up in Iowa and thus, still with the team.

But now that he is officially traded to the Dodgers, I may as well get this card out of the way in my 2013 breakdown. The front of the card was the same one used in both the 2013 Team Factory set and in Topps Series 2. A nice celebratory pose that has become increasingly rare.

I think they did a great job on this card considering the source photo that was used. The crop is tight and with Marmol's face shadowed by his hat in the afternoon Chicago sun, the lightening was well done too.

Photo taken by David Banks (courtesy of Getty Images)

According to the caption on the Getty website, Marmol just earned a Save (his 13th of the season) over the St. Louis Cardinals on July 28, 2012. Hopping over to the boxscore on Baseball-Reference.com, you can see this was a typical Marmol Save opportunity. Up by one run, Marmol of course gives up a leadoff single (a walk would have been just as typical). A stolen base that put the tying run in scoring position while recording the next three outs is enough to warrant a "here we go again" rise in blood pressure response from Cubs fans everywhere.

This game evened the series at a game apiece and the next day the Cubs would win in extra innings to take the series too.

The back is pretty unremarkable. No red "League Leader in Italics" notations which was a little surprising. I remember just a few years ago when he seemed near invincible as the Cubs closer but I suppose those types of stats aren't featured on the back of the card. I figured the K/BB ratio would be bad but I thought he would rank pretty high in K/9. Guess not.

In 2010, he did lead the MLB in Games Finished with 70 and his 38 Saves were good enough for 4th in the NL and 8th overall. I'll miss that Carlos, but not necessarily the current incarnation.

Series 1 vs. Factory Team Set vs Series 2

With Topps Series 2 out, I realized it has been a while since I broke down one of the cards from the Factory  Team set. But after looking at who was left from the Factory Team set, I noticed they were all Series 2 cards as well.

So instead of an individual card breakdown today, I thought I'd compare the three sets.

Not including Anthony Rizzo's Out of Bounds Short Print and Alfonso Soriano's appearance on the NL RBI Leaders card, the Cubs had six base cards in Series 1.

Of the six above, only Rafael Dolis was not included in the 17-card Factory Team set. Of the remaining twelve cards, four of them didn't end up in either Series 1 or 2.

I believe the stadium cards are exclusive to the Factory Team sets. Tony Campana was traded so it makes sense he didn't make the cut for Series 2. And for the record, Jackson and Feldman both appeared in Series 1 with their previous teams so it wouldn't surprise me at all if they both end up in the Update Series.

The remaining eight from the Factory Team Set showed up in Series 2.

Stewart and Marmol are gone and Matt Garza doesn't seem too far behind if rumors are correct.

Baker and Jackson have yet to play a game yet this year for the Cubs. 

And completely new for Series 2, the Cubs scored four more cards.

Cabrera and Vitters have also yet to play for the Cubs this season, making 6 of the 20 different Cubs featured non-Cubs. Considering the Cubs have used 38 players already, they probably could have found some other guys. A few notable exclusions are Carlos Villanueva, Luis Valbuena and Kyuji Fujikawa. Not that these guys are All-Stars but Villanueva and Valbuena have been starters most of the season and Fujikawa had enough hype before getting hurt that I thought Topps might try to get him into Series 2.

Unlike in years past, there weren't any photo changes between the Factory Set and Series 2. The Cubs had 20 players on 21 different cards (Soriano the lone double dipper with his Series 2 checklist card) and the Wrigley Field card.

We'll see what Update brings but until then, individual card breakdowns are coming!

2013 Topps Matt Garza Factory Team Set

Now that Matt Garza is off the disabled list, I had hoped to welcome him back with a win. He pitched well enough in his rehab starts, making two starts apiece at Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa with a combined 1.17 ERA and the big league club was on a roll too. The stars were not aligned on Tuesday though. Despite handing the bullpen a 3-0 lead after only giving up one hit and three walk in five scoreless innings of work, the Cubs ultimately fell 5-4 in his return.

 

 

Garza was trade bait last season until he landed on the disabled list right before the trade deadline so it's not wonder Topps didn't include Garza in Series 1. His factory team set card shows him in a throwback uniform from the game against the San Francisco Giants on June 2, 2012. This made the original pretty easy to find when sifting through photos from last year.  They could have done a little bit better job on the cropping, even if it meant zooming out a little bit, to get his left elbow in the frame.

 



Photo by Brad Mangin (courtesy of Getty Images)



While I usually see the appeal in throwback jerseys, I can't say I find this one particularly attractive. Unlike some of the other teams from around the league, I just don't feel nostalgia for this design. Maybe because it preceeds me by a good 65+ years. According to the picture below, these uniforms are from around 1911. Why not go back a couple more years to 1908 when they last won the World Series and maybe try those? Just a thought...

 

 

More from my time though, I wouldn't mind seeing the powder blue "pajama" uniforms of the late '70s/early '80s (not shown above). Or even those 1984 pullovers.

 

Like Tuesday, the Cubs lost the game last year by a run, falling 2-1. See, might as well try a different uniform. Garza pitched 6 innings, gave up both runs, but the Cubs coldn't muster any more runs than a David DeJesus solo home run. On a Tony Campana note that's probably only interesting to me, he was 2-4 in the game with two stolen bases. But when he led off the top of the fourth with a bunt single, he unfortunately was thrown out stealing just before DeJesus's home run. Doh! His second hit of the game and subsequent steals of second and third failed to yield a run.

 

Garza's Career Chase stat is Nolan Ryan's strikeout record. No danger of that record falling here although he did break into the top 10 in his league in strikeouts in 2009 with the Rays and 2011 with the Cubs.

 

With Garza's return to the rotation, Carlos Villanueva got bumped to the bullpen. Rumor has it that he also shaved that sweet villainous mustache too. Double whammy.

 

2013 Topps Edwin Jackson Factory Team Set

Edwin Jackson signed as a free agent this past off season so his inclusion in this team set needed a photoshop job. His 1-6 record this season doesn't necessarily reflect the ways he's pitched. I was fortunate enough to witness his lone victory this season last weekend against his former team, the Nationals.

The photo Topps used was good although, with his throwing hand knuckles nearly cropped off and his glove arm missing, it was probably better suited for a horizontal card. Since the Cubs didn't have any of those in the team set, that would have been nice.

This was kind of a tough photo to find. Apparently Jackson has a very consistent windup and follow through. The only variations were slight timing differences in when the photos were taken during the process. Sometimes his throwing arm was up closer towards his arm later in the delivery or the glove was curled in a little closer towards the body. 

What gave this photo away were the legs behind Jackson in the background against the blue signage. 

Acording to the caption, this was a game between the Washington Nationals and the Milwaukee Bewers on July 26, 2012. Normally, since this didn't involve the Cubs, I wouldn't really care but for the sake of consistency in these posts, I looked up the boxscore.

Jackson and the Nats defeated the Brewers 8-2 just like his game last weekend. Similarly, he also helped himself at the plate. In that game we went 1-2 with a walk and scored twice.

I've admitted not following much baseball beyond the Cubs and their opponents but I didn't realize Jackson had played for so many teams before coming to the Cubs. More than a couple one and dones. The Cubs are looking good right now so like the bullpen from yesterday, let's get the bats going and get some run support.

2013 Topps Travis Wood Factory Team Set

 Most of Travis Wood's cards from last year were photoshopped from Reds uniforms after the Cubs picked him up in an offseason trade. With a year under his belt with his new team, Topps was able to find a photo of Woods in a Cub uniform.

I think they did a pretty solid job with this card. The photo was cropped well, filling out most of the card all the way around. Bold Cubs logo on his chest showing. The dirt and grass provide a nice contrast to the home pinstripe uniform.

Photo by Brian D Kersey (courtesy of Getty Images)

The caption of the photo states that it was taken during a Cubs 3-0 victory over the Houston Astros on July 1, 2012. This is one of the last photos of Wood with his long hair as it was cut considerably shorter later that month. Unfortunately, Wood may be a descendant of Samson because while this victory evened his record at 3-3, he would finish the season at 6-13, losing 10 of his last 12 decisions.

Although the party in the back is gone, he has shifted to a much fuller beard this year and is 4-2 with a 2.03 ERA. At this point, he is the only Cub starter with a winning record. There could be something to this hair thing...

The back of the card is pretty standard. Although it appears he has a ton of minor league experience, it looks like he also moved up levels pretty consistently, thus the extra lines. That's always a good sign.

The Career Chase record is Cy Young's all-time wins record of 511. With three seasons under his belt, Wood has a long way to go. In fact, I read an article the other day about how even the 300 win milestone may be a thing of the past.

2013 Topps Welington Castillo Cubs Factory Team Set

In 2010, Welington Castillo was part of the Pro Debut set and played in 7 games for the Cubs. In 2011, he made the Update set even though he played in just 4 games. In 2012, he was shut out by Topps. With Geovany Soto out of the picture, maybe this is the year Castillo can claw his way into the base set by making it into the Series 2 checklist.

In my opinion, this 2013 Cubs Factory Team Set card for him is a great card and deserves to be mass produced into the flagship set. 

Play at the plate?

Check.

Horizontal card?

Check.

Interleague play?

Check.

Cubs coming out on top in the play?

Let's take a look!



Phot by David Banks (Courtesy of Getty Images)

According to the caption on the Getty website:

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 16: David Ortiz #34 of the Boston Red Sox is tagged out at home by Welington Castillo #53 of the Chicago Cubs in the first inning on June 16, 2012 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

Check.

Excellent! According the boxscore on Baseball Reference, David Ortiz drew a two-out walk off of Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija. Red Sox catcher/cleanup hitter Jarrod Saltalamacchia followed that up with a deep line drive to the CF-RF gap. Rightfielder Reed Johnson hit the cutoff man, shortstop Starlin Castro, who relayed the ball to home in time for Castillo to apply the tag.

Think about that for a second. David Ortiz tried to score from first. With two outs, he may have been running on contact, but this wasn't a 2-out, full count opportunity where the runner is already moving. This was a big guy, trying to score from first. He has 11 stolen bases in his career. He does have 16 career triples, much more than I would have guessed, but not too many players are capable of running 270 feet safely. I don't remember the exact play, whether the ball was caroming around off the wall or maybe a bobble, but I have to wonder what the third base coach was thinking to wave him around for another 90 feet.

A quick at the back of the card makes Welington Castillo look like a grizzled veteran. However, a closer look shows it to be only a few years worth of work, but at different levels in some seasons. As I mentioned earlier, with 2008 ROY winner Geovany Soto catching games for the Cubs, it was tough to get time in behind the plate for Castillo. There's a little competition from Dioner Navarro but Castillo is the only Cubs starter currently batting over .300. Sounds like somebody we need to keep in the starting lineup!

2013 Topps Scott Feldman Cubs Factory Team Set

The 2013 Cubs Factory Team set I picked up a little bit ago brought me Scott Feldman's first Cubs card. Along with fellow offseason acquisition Edwin Jackson, they have yet to earn a victory, combining for a 0-6 record. Meanwhile, Carlos Marmol has 2 wins, including being the pitcher of record in last night's extra inning debacle of a win. But I digress.

I don't know the exact timeline on when these team sets were produced and released but this one is definitely a photoshop job. I'm not as much of a uniform aficionado as Wrigley Wax is, but I think it looks pretty good. They even got his number right as he switched from 39 is Texas to 46 in Chicago. I don't think they should necessarily retire Ryan Dempster's old number but it is a little sad to see it move on so quickly. (And Tony Campana's #1 is now worn by Cody Ransom.)

Photo by Michael Zagaris (Courtesy of Getty Images)

When this photo was taken on June 4, 2012, Feldman was in the midst of a 1.2 inning shellacking at the hands of the Oakland Athletics. Whoops. In addition to adjusting the uniform, you'll note that Topps removed the logo from the outfield wall as well.

As I mentioned, this is Feldman's first official Cubs card. But it's not his first card of 2013. He was also given a regular card in Series 1, while still affiliated with the Rangers.

This game wasn't much better for Feldman although he did make it further, as the Rangers fell 6-5 to the Twins on August 26, 2012.

Photo by John Williamson (Courtesy of Getty Images)

The backs are nearly identical with only changes made to the team and the blurb. Apparently, the Cubs and Rangers have the same color scheme. I never really thought about it before, but I guess I associate them more with red.

The blurb on the back of the Rangers card talks about his rough start to 2012 and then his impressive comeback to even out his record. What it fails to mention is that he didn't pick up another win all season and rattled off another five more losses.