Favorite Player Collection Part 14: 1994 Topps Draft Pick Darren Dreifort

So now that Mr. Oddball is at it, I have to be careful with which customs I post. I would hate to start posting customs with watermarks on them, so we shall see. After my last post, I haven't seen any of mine on his page after viewing 20 or so pages, so I think were safe, but I don't trust the guy further than I could throw someone. With that being said, here is one of my favorite players, Darren Dreifort. 

Darren was one of the top picks in the '93 MLB Draft, and I thought he would be a great closer for the Dodgers, but he ended up being a starter for them, and had a few good years until he had arm troubles. He was left out of the 1994 set, even though he got '91 and '92 Topps Traded Team USA cards, and a 1994 Topps Golden Spikes Award card. Darren appeared in most Topps sets throughout his career, and I have most of them. I have him in my Favorite Player Collection just because I thought he would've dominated as a closer and I just thought he was larger than life when he was first drafted. I have his '92 Topps Traded Gold card, a Pacific Private Stock Game-Used Bat card, and a Upper Deck SP Chirography Autographed card as highlights in my collection. 

I've finished the 1983 Topps checklist, and it is up on the page, and just have a few more NL teams, and then most of the AL teams to make cards for. I'll be finishing that in the next few weeks/months, and then plan to work on the '98, '96, and '00 Topps checklists, before doing the '88, 87, and '86 Topps sets. Thanks for checking out my latest custom.

-Jeremy

2000 Topps Albert Pujols/Josh Beckett Draft Picks

Today's card is one of those fantasy cards that Topps could've theoretically made had they had a crystal ball. It features Albert Pujols and Josh Beckett, 2 players who were drafted in the 1999 MLB Draft. This card could've been worth alot during Beckett's prime, and would still command a ton of value due to Pujols being on it. Pujols has been in every Topps set since 2001, so this would've been his first Topps card, and Beckett appeared on his first Topps card in 2002, and got one for every season he played. Josh's final Topps card, in the 2015 set is actually just a highlight card with a checklist on the back, so I may do a regular version of his 2015 card. Other than that, both of these players have their career Topps run finished with this card, although I may put Josh on a 2001 Topps prospects card if I find a few other players to pair with him.  This is actually the 2nd 2000 Topps card I've done of Pujols, as I've done a 2000 Topps Traded version of him during the early days of my blog. Here is the Traded card.

I have made a bunch of templates this week, and am only 5 away from finishing the 1989 Topps set. That will give me the 1989, 1996, 2000, and 2001 Topps sets, and I have a feeling that the '90 set as well as the 1997 sets shouldn't give me too much trouble either. I should get a chance to work on more on Monday night. Also, Richard, who has made some customs for me before, sent me some yesterday and is working on a few more batches, so once I get the rest of them, I will post them for you. Some of them aren't technically Topps cards, but they are cool and if I were ever to make a custom set to print out and put in binders, I would definitely include them, so stay tuned for them in a coming post.
It's been a while since my team had a softball game, but we did have one on Monday, and I should've just stayed home. I went 0-2 with a fielders choice, and a lineout to 2nd with the bases loaded. We lost 25-3, and during the 6th, I think the other team batted around twice, and they scored at least a dozen runs. I let a bouncing ball get through my legs that inning, but I was ok with just 1 error, as our shortstop made at least 3 that frame. Things have to get better next game. Thanks for checking out my latest custom.
-Jeremy

A little help from my friends

Recently, a fan of my blog, Richard, emailed me with some customs that he made off of my list of cards that never were.  Included were the '08 Topps cards, '13 Topps cards, and a 2016 Topps card. I must say that I like what Richard has done, and I am happy to get help on any of the cards that I have on my list. The list is ever-growing, and I'd be happy even to just get help on names of players/cards to put on the list. Eventually I want to just list every player needed to complete the set (like I have with the 1992 Topps set), but let me tell you, when I did it for the '92 set, it took probably close to a month, and I knew that set inside and out, so it was easier to know who was in it and who wasn't. Maybe it's a pipe dream, but I do think that I can get the list updated, at least maybe from the '89 set up through the 2000's at least at some point.

I would like to thank Richard for his work. If anyone else wants to help make cards off of my list, I'll be happy to add them and post them. Every card made gets us a little closer to having a Topps set be officially complete.

Things are changing in my life right now. My wife and I are expecting our first child in mid-late November, we are (hopefully) moving into (and owning) a new house in the next month or so, and I don't know if I'll be able to update this blog as much as I have in the past. That isn't to say that I won't add new cards. Lately I have been updating my 2 blogs (I have another blog called Completing the 1992 Topps Set if you didn't know) during my lunch breaks at work, and I can usually get a post up during my lunch as long as the wifi is good. The making of new cards might just be slow, because I'm sure it's going to take a while to unpack everything in the new place, and I don't have any clue as to what things will be like with a baby, but I am excited. I will still be here making my '90's through the present Topps cards, and hopefully with friend like Richard and other custom card makers out there, every Topps set will be as complete as it can be.  Thanks for checking out the latest post.

-Jeremy

2001 Topps Yadier Molina/Chase Utley Draft Pick

Today's card is one of those cards that I kind of got to cherry-pick 2 good players and put them on the card. In 2001, Topps put 2 random players on draft pick cards, as they had since 1997. This practice (along with the fact that they didn't specify 'First Round Pick') will allow me to pair up some real superstars on customs draft cards from '97-'01.

Molina has been a fixture with the Cardinals for the last decade. Good enough to probably be inducted in the Cardinals Hall of Fame, and perhaps in MLBs if he puts up another 5-10 years of solid numbers. If he can get close to 2500 hits and wins a few more Gold Gloves, I think he could be a lock.

Utley has put up some good numbers in Philly until injuries hit him. After the cheap takeout slide he did in last years' playoffs, I lost a good deal of respect for him, but he had the best numbers out of the candidates I had, so I stuck him next to Molina on the card.

If you have any ideas for custom Draft Pick cards from the '97-'01 sets, or any other ideas for cards, feel free to let me know. Thanks for checking out my latest card.
-Jeremy

1994 Topps Draft Pick Derrek Lee

Topps for some reason left Derrek Lee off of their Draft Picks subset in the 1994 Topps set. Lee was featured in just about all of the other sets that year that included draft picks (Bowman, Collector's Choice, Pinnacle, Score, and Upper Deck), but was left off of good ol' Topps. His first Topps card would come in the 1996 on a 1B Prospects card, and he would get many other Topps cards throughout his career (besides a sunset card), but I would've figured that Topps would've got him in the '94 set.

This card was pretty simple to make, and now that I have the template made for it, I will probably make many more draft cards from '94. The good thing about just about all of the draft pick cards that Topps made after 1991 is that they don't have 'First Round' listed on them, so you can make a rookie card for anyone who got drafted and signed that year. I could theoretically make an Albert Pujols Draft Pick card from 1999 Topps and combine him with the biggest name that didn't get a card in that set, and have a card with 2 mega superstars on it that would never have been possible because card companies would've never paired the two, but now with customs becoming more prevalent, things like that are possible.

It's been busy, busy, busy around here, and I haven't made many non-1992 Topps cards lately, but I am about 1/4th of the way done with the backs of all of the coach cards in that set, and after that it should be smooth sailing. I'm hoping to be done with that set in a few months, and hopefully after that, I can make some more customs for this blog (including the previously mentioned 1994 Topps Draft Pick cards and the '99 Pujols.

Thanks for checking out my latest card.
-Jeremy

2008 Topps Buster Posey Draft Pick

Well, the Royals didn't win, so that means card #43 will be this 2008 Topps Buster Posey Draft Pick card. I was really pulling for the Royals, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. I will make a George Brett Pine tar card soon, though. Congratulations to the Giants.

1989 Topps Charles Nagy Draft Pick

Got back from my trip yesterday, and had time to make this card today before I go to work. Charles Nagy was one of the most solid pitchers for the Cleveland Indians in the 1990's. He won 16 in '95, 17 in '96, and helped them make it to the World Series that year. I met him a few times over the years at Indian Spring Training games in Winter Haven, Florida, and he was always nice, signing autographs and being pretty fan-friendly. He was one of 3 players the Indians picked up in the first round in 1988. Mark Lewis was the first, and he was given a 1989 Topps card. Next came Nagy, who wasn't given a card, and last came Jeff Mutis, who wasn't given a 1989 Topps card (but who I did make a http://completingthe1992toppsset.blogspot.com/2014/07/1992-topps-jeff-mutis.html of).

So now Charles Nagy has his 1989 Topps Draft Pick card. Card #42 is a 1987 Topps Traded Edgar Martinez, and depending on if the Kansas City Royals or the San Francisco Giants win the World Series, card #43 will either be a 1973 Topps George Brett/Mike Schmidt/Ron Cey card, or a 2008 Topps Buster Posey Draft Pick card. I personally hope the Royals win, just because most of the players on the Giants already have 2 rings, and most of the Royals haven't won any. I do sympathize with Tim Hudson, but I'm rooting for the Royals.

I do think the 2008 Posey Draft Pick card would be fun to make, and making that card unlocks an even bigger can of worms: Since Topps can't make a card of a player until they are on the MLB roster, they wouldn't have been able to make this card in 2008. But, if Topps gave every #1 draft choice a Bowman, and then once they made the Bigs, issued their "true" Topps Draft Pick card in a Topps Archives set, and gave it all the bells and whistles that previous Topps Draft Pick cards had before 2006 (autographs, Chrome/Refractors, maybe serial numbering), would those cards carry their weight as if they were issued during the player's draft year? I would personally get them to complete my Topps run of the player. Would MLB frown upon the practice? Would the cards just be considered another regular card of the player? I don't know, but I intend to make a few just to see what people think. Thanks for checking out my blog.
-Jeremy

1991 Topps Todd Van Poppel Draft Pick

Todd Van Poppel was the next big pitcher when he was drafted by the Oakland A's in 1990. He would've been the first overall pick if the Atlanta Braves thought he was signable. Instead, he slipped down to #14 and Oakland took him. He was rushed to the Majors quickly, and could've used a few years experience in the minors. Todd bounced around to a few different teams, and played into the mid '00's, but never was the ace pitcher everyone expected him to be.

I had the pleasure of meeting Todd in 1996 or 1997 when he was with the Texas Rangers organization. He was playing with the Charlotte Rangers, and I saw them take on my hometown Lakeland Tigers. Todd was nice enough to sign my 2 baseball cards in the rain, and I've been a fan of his ever since.

I think that Todd's 1991 Topps Draft Pick card would've been hot had it been issued that year. Here's what mine turned out like.

1990 Topps Mo Vaughn Draft Pick

Mo Vaughn was left off of the 1990 Topps #1 Draft Pick subset. I guess Topps thought Roger Salkeld and Tyler Houston were better players to put in the set. They did get it right with Frank Thomas, though. Topps gave Mo his first card in their 1991 Traded set. I remember the 1995 season where Albert Belle broke the 50 Home Run mark and thought for sure he would win the AL MVP award, but I think Vaughn's media-friendly personality won voters over. I think this card would've been pretty hot back in '95 had Topps made it.