So Long Mr. Zimmerman Employee Number 11

 

Ryan Zimmerman The Nat's first ever Draft Pick (well as the Washington Nationals) announced his retirement on 15 February 2022. Then at the beginning of the delayed Spring Training opening the organization announce that they will officially retire his Employee Number 11 Jersey Number on 18 June 2022. Two other Nationals wore number 11 in 2005 before Ryan wore it, Jeffery Hammonds and Junior Spivey, but it is Ryan who is known for wearing that number, previously he was Employee Number 25.

2006 Fleer Baseball 228 Ryan Zimmerman Washington Nationals

Image from Trading Card DataBase 

(I have a copy of this and/or maybe the gray/silver version,

but couldn't find my copy in time to scan it for posting)

An image I created using an old CheckOutMyCards logo and a Getty Image of Ryan. 

Here is one of my Fave Zimmerman cards. I wish it was available in a non-chrome version but it was apparently only for Chrome. This card was made several years before the Nats ever wore an Expos Throwback uniform. As far as I know they have only worn a Montreal Throwback uniform (The powder blue away uniforms) the one time. They have worn retro Homestead Grays uniforms plenty of times. Not a very flattering image of him, but it is better than some sketch cards.

2010 Topps Chrome Baseball: National Chicle CC49

Ryan Zimmerman Montreal Expos

Here is an oddball Z-Man Card I like: It is a die-cut standee so it is very fragile. I think I might have wrecked it some after I scanned it while removing it from the scanner.

2009 Enterplay MLB Fan Pak #60 Ryan Zimmerman Washington Nationals Standee

Now here is what will be Ryan's last career era card.

2022 Topps Baseball 296 Ryan Zimmerman Washington Nationals

A Solo Soto Or Have I Used This Title Before?

This month I was going to post about a batch/ lot of cards that I had gotten from the monthly Group Box Break I am a part of where I am in with The Nats. However as usual I kept procrastinating and putting things off and it would involved a lot of scanning that I didn't want to do. So here is just a Solo card from Juan Soto from that batch. It is an insert from the 2021 Topps Baseball Set from the 1952 Topps Redux Insert Set.. A retro insert set of 50 cards using top modern players in the style of the famous 1952 Topps Baseball design. I like when they do these I'd rather they do them here than in the Archives sets. I also like the Heritage sets which are from 49 years ago. With Archives they overuse all the designs so I would rather they do this.

2021 Topps Baseball - 2952 Topps Baseball Redux

T52-9 Juan Soto Washington Nationals

Seven From Topps 2021 Baseball Update

 For the last minute posting I am showing a seven card lot from 2021 Topps Baseball Update. Some of these players would be traded to other teams before or at the July trade deadline. I'll just show the fronts it saved me scanning time and I think at one point I showed the backs of some series one cards. Plus for the last 10 years or so Topps Backs have had very few changes. Including the silly email and website addresses for the players.

2021 TOPPS BASEBALL UPDATE

 US177 Andrew Stevenson

US89 Brad Hand

Traded to Blue Jays (now with Mets)

US100 Jon Lester

Traded to Cardinals

US50 Josh Bell

US26 Luis Garcia RC

US138 Will Harris

US315 Yan Gomes

Traded to A's

All Revved Up And Somewhere To Go

 Not much of a story for this post other than looking at some nice cards and getting teary eyed nostalgic or something. The first card of Ryan Zimmerman, who may or may not be back on the Nats Roster in 2022. The other card of a couple of players that were real fun to have around but are no longer with the team.

2020 Topps Baseball Series 2 - 385 Ryan Zimmerman Washington Nationals

2020 Topps Baseball Series 2 - 640 Rev'd Up Eaton, Kendrick Shift Gears

Adam Eaton and Howie Kendrick Washington Nationals

2021 Topps Now Josiah Gray Call Up

 Alright Today's (This Month's) featured card is a Call Up for a starting pitcher. It is from 2021 Topps Now and features young RHP Josiah Gray who was acquired from the Dodgers in that Scherzer/Turner deal. (Now Scherzer is going to be a Met BLAH). It commemorates his 22 Sep 2021 call up First Career Win where he got 8Ks in 6 innings of work vs The Marlins

2021 Topps Now 842 Josiah Gray Washington Nationals

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Grandstand Harrisburg Senators 2010 Team Set

2010 Grandstand Harrisburg Senators Team Set 

(shown sealed)

Here is a team set I acquired from Ebay (about 2 weeks ago) for 14 bucks plus 4 shipping brand new still sealed in the original clear cello-plastic wrapper. In past years I might have tried to find 2 sets, one to keep sealed and one to open up and "show off". Note due to many reasons I don't "show off" my collection or display it, I just basically "store" my collection. Now days I don't bother with the 1 to keep sealed and 1 for the "collection" although I did that years ago with the 2005 Topps Washington Nationals Commemorative Box Set. 

Any way the set is the Minor League farm Team Set of the 2010 Harrisburg Senators by Grandstand. It is a 28 card set. It includes the Manager (Randy Knorr (Front Card)), Both the Hitting and Pitching coaches (Troy Gingrich, Randy Tomlin) and the Trainer (Alsushi Toriida (Back Card)). Key player cards and Notable Nats are: Stephen Strasburg, Drew Storen, Matt Chico, Danny Espinosa Jhonatan Solano, and Chris Marrero.

The design is nice and reminiscent of a 1990s Fleer or Upper Deck card.   

Here is the team set shown in order as they were packed.

Here are the backs of the Notable players and the coaches (Atsushi Toriida the Trainer card back is shown above as the back of the sealed pack.)

2021 Downer Of A Season

 

SIGH!

The 2021 Nationals Season goes down as a big Loss. Not so much a HUGE loss of a season but still pretty much a downer. At least we didn't lose 100 or more games. Kind of close though as of this post the Nats have lost 94 games and 3 more to play. A final 3 game home series vs Boston.

I forget when it became apparent that this would be a losing season, but it was early enough that the Nats had a July Trade Deadline Fire Sale that I posted about last month. Seems like a year or more ago since we traded away Mad Max Scherzer and Treacycle Turner (now he's making smooth slides home for the Dodgers) but it has only been 2 months. At one point it looked like we might have gone into a 100 loss or more season. Fortunately this team wasn't THAT Bad, close very close though too close for any sort of comfort though. If they blow this last series the total losses will be 97 Yuck. 

Anyway here is the card from the top of this post the right way around. It is the 2021 Topps Washington Nationals Team Card. Sigh I miss the old days when A Team Card was a group photo of the full team sitting on the stadium bleachers or on a special set of risers made for the photo shoot.

2021 Topps Baseball 58 Washington Nationals Team Card

July Deadline Fire Sale Trades Kill Washington

 OH BOY! The Nationals had a Trade Deadline Fire Sale for a bunch of Prospects. Included in the Trades are Max Scherzer AND Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Another two Nats I really liked were traded to the Oakland Athletics Yan Gomes and Josh Harrison. The other players who are now ExNats are Kyle Schwarber to Boston Red Sox, Daniel Hudson to San Diego Padres, and Brad Hand to Toronto Blue Jays. Each and every one of these trades disappoint me. I like all of them, especially Trea and Max. Sending Trea to LA royally ticks me off.

Max Scherzer and Trea Turner were the big event traded for four players: Catcher Keibert Ruiz, Josiah Gray RHP, Donovan Casey Outfield, and Gerardo Carillo RHP. The Dodgers have two more Nats Killers and now a second named "Turner". Josiah Gray has been showing to be OK, but he hasn't gotten a win as a Nat yet.

Image of Josh Harrison 2021 Topps card from tcdb.com

Yan Gomes and Josh Harrison were sent to Oakland for RHP Richard Guasch, RHP Seth Shuman and catcher Drew Millas

Kyle Schwarber goes to Boston for RHP Aldo Ramirez

Daniel Hudson to San Diego for RHP Mason Thompson and Short Stop/ 2nd Baseman Jordy Barley

card image from tcdb.com

Finally Brad Hand goes to Canada for catcher Riley Adams. Riley is showing to be pretty good offensively. 

Sadly the Nats will probably still have a losing season this year. Each year all I ask is for the Nats to at least go .500. Some years that is way too much to ask.

The images of Nats cards are from my collection except for the Josh Harrison card (I have it but didn't scan it) from tradingcarddatabase dot com. and Brad Hand Indians card also from tcdb.com

Treacycle Turner Ties Record On Birthday

 WOW! What a birthday present to give yourself; tying a Major League Baseball record. Well The Nats Shortstop Trea Turner did just that on Wednesday 30 June 2021 on the evening of his 28th Birthday. Trea hit for The Cycle vs the Tampa Bay Rays. The THIRD of his career making him the Fifth MLB player to do so. He joins Adrian Beltre (who had all three in the same park), Babe Herman, Bob Meusel and John Reilly in this rare feat. Currently Three is the most cycles any player has hit. Perhaps one day Trea will hit cycle number 4. That would be amazing. Trea's previous cycles were hit in 2017, and 2019. Trea has hit 3 of the 5 cycles in Nationals History. The only other Nationals to Hit for The Cycle are: Cristian Guzman in 2008 and Brad Wilkerson in 2005 in the Nat's 2nd game. Wilkerson was the first Nat to hit for the cycle he also hit for the cycle for the Montreal Expos in 2003.

2021 Topps Now Baseball: 433 Trea Turner Washington Nationals

The Treacycle

Cycle Number 1

Cycles 2 and 3

Related Link:

ESPN.com Washington National's Trea Turner becomes first player to hit for cycle on birthday in modern era

TRADE UPDATE:

UGH: While procrastinating on scanning this record tying card of Trea news broke of him being Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers along with Max Scherzer for the July Trade Deadline. While news of Max getting traded was not a surprise and in the long run might be better for the Nats; Trea getting traded was a surprise and really ticked me off royally. 

Soto 1st Career Walk Off Single

This single card I am showing is a significant event for the Nats and in particular this young player's Career. 

On 06 April 2021 at Nats Park vs The Atlanta Braves. Bottom of the 9th the game is tied 5-5. Victor Robles singles with a sharp line drive to right-fielder Ronald Acuna, Trea Turner gets hit by a pitch, Robles goes to 2nd. Juan Soto at bat with 2 runners on First and Second. The count is 3 Balls 0 Strikes. Soto rips a sharp line drive single up the middle center-fielder Cristian Pache, Victor Robles scores. Nats win 6 to 5.

2021 Topps Now 39 Juan Soto