Time to catch up with cards that my buds on the cardsphere have sent my way over the past couple weeks or so. No bulk dumps this time, just four PWEs to spotlight.
Nice.. Thanks, AJ! My collection includes a lot of Padres cards and a lot of cards of guys named Gavin, but here's the first instance of that Venn diagram intersecting. I was thrilled to see Sheets break out into the best season of his young career in San Diego and hope he keeps improving next year.
I was having a ridiculously awful day when the Lost Collector's surprise PWE arrived, and the kind gesture and fun doodle really lifted my face up out of the muck for moment and breathed some life into me. I didn't even know the card existed, adding to the nice surprise of it all. I'll have to at least half-assedly go after the rainbow (ie, I've now added the other parallels to my TCDb wantlist). If you include Logofractor and Sapphire editions, looks like there are 66 different versions of this Topps Chrome card to go after. Oof!
Anywho, thanks again for brightening my day, AJ! I'm working on a little return to send over to you soon.
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I scored another sweet Seinfeld custom from a recent Nine Pockets giveaway. It was a contest with multiple winners, with a rubber duck race randomizer video deciding. My little ducky got off to a slow start and I thought for sure I was out of the running, but lo and behold he had a great push down the stretch and ended up in first place! I can't remember watching a more exciting duck race ever in my life. Big thanks, Gregory!
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Everytime I think Zippy Zappy has run dry of expendable cards to shed, another mailing from Japan finds its way to me.
Tariff tomfoolery might make sending international packages tricky these days, but looks like you can still get away with letter-sized mail. This 6-card PWE included some 2012 Topps Star Wars Galactic Files and a couple autographs of soccer player Taylor Otto.
Always a treat.. Thanks, Zippy!
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Last for today are a few cards from out of Johnny's Trading Spot. You guys know John is all about sniffing out killer bulk deals, and several of us are lucky enough to get some of his overflow set aside for us. Like AJ earlier, John often hooks me up with extra Gavins he comes across.
Gavin Cross is a 2022 1st rounder who has found himself stalling out in AA the past couple seasons.
Gavin Williams recently set the record for most strikeouts in a season for a pitcher named Gavin, with his 173 besting the mark of 163 by Gavin Floyd in 2009. A couple more clean Sheets round up the namesakes. Turns out I didn't need either of the 2011 Topps parallels for my frankenset, but I appreciate Johnny looking out. I'll try to scrape up some cards you could use soon, John. Thanks!
Thanks again to these fellas for the friendly mail and to you readers for stopping by.
Rod at Padrographs has been distributing cards around again and I was fortunate enough to have him swing by the other weekend with a stack for me. I've pulled out a few highlights for blog post.
Here's a big Devers, a regular Devers, and a big (but not as big) Gunnar Henderson RC.
Some additions to the Bryce Harper PC, including another of those awkward to store Master Photo cards.
A few standouts of the several Padres cards in the lot.
More rising stars of the NL.
This book about baseball movies looks interesting, and it pulled double duty by keeping the oversized cards safe during transit.
Lastly, a fresh pair of Sheets. Gavin's 2025 cards have to this point still featured him in his Chicago duds, making me wait for the personal double-bullseye of a Padres-Gavin card. But Rod whipped up a terrific custom to tide me over until an official version hits the market.
The new printer has been working out pretty well other than sometimes having trouble getting on the Wi-Fi without turning it off-and-then-on-again. I owed return card packages to blogging buds Johnny and Bob, and I don't have much in the way of real cards available that they'd want, so my first priority with the new printer was to finish some customs to send their way (again).
Back in 2022, I made a 9-card custom set called Bubble Gum Baseball featuring bubble-blowing photos of ballplayers. I had whipped up a "2nd series" with a new design in the middle of 2024, but my home printer at the time wouldn't cooperate, so here in 2025 I got to do the thing like real card manufacturers and not actually put out a product until the next year, kinda like how Topps (Fanatics) typically puts out those Chrome Anniversary sets a year late.
But yeah, here's a second page of bubble customs:
I retained the Bubble Gum Baseball logo and '73 Topps position silhouette from the 1st series for continuity. However, I decided to go all-horizontal and full-bleed this time. I admit the gumball design is not my best work, but it's fine. When it comes time to make a 3rd group of these, I'll most likely go back to a vertical design with borders.
The backs each feature a write-up paragraph, typically with added
context for the front photograph (e.g. that was Joey Votto's final game
in Cincinnati). Tiny text, but zoom in if you like.
The print run on this set is currently just 3: Bob, John, and one for me. But I could print more if anybody wants to make a trade offer involving any.
But wait, there's more!
I also made some All-Time Braves customs for Johnny in the style of cards put out by TCMA in 1986. I tried to think of notable Braves who don't have (m)any Braves cards out there. I love stuff like "short term stops" and other familiar person in unfamiliar uniform pictures.
I remember as a new collector getting a card or two in this design from a Sears catalog "collector kit" repack, circa Christmas 1990, so I've got a soft spot for it. Chances are I do more of these, and for more teams, because they're fun for me to whip up.
The backs mimic the real TCMA cards and similar to the bubble customs feature a write-up with more context.
I made a couple extras of each of the above All Time customs for trade bait and trade package thrown-ins, so if you'd like any, just let me know. Shameless link to my wantlist.
And one last new custom to show off today, but this one is really just for me. Two of my "under the radar" PC guys happen to be in camp with the Padres this spring as non-roster invitees fighting for a bench spot. I've got my fingers crossed that at least one of them makes the club.. hopefully both! But regardless how it shakes out, I at least wanted to get the moment documented in my card collection.
Trenton Brooks is a guy who went to the same high school as me, and Gavin Sheets shares my first name. I've been following/collecting both dudes for years, so it's cool to have them suiting up for my favorite team this spring. For the custom, I modified a 1986 Fleer rookie prospects template I had from years back. I plan to print out a copy for each PC.
Trenton would be just the third Guy From Granite to play for his hometown Padres, with the Giles brothers being the other two. And Mr. Sheets would be the first guy named Gavin to play for San Diego. Good luck, fellas!
It's that time of year again that I try to do these annual posts checking in with the lesser-known active players I collect. I did the 2021 season recap for guys who went to my high school back in October, now I'm getting around to the guys who share my name.
Gavin Lux is still looking for his breakout year, but he's an important part of the current Dodgers team. His season was up and down (all the way down to the minors for a while), but he bounced back from a forgettable 2020 to hold his own. Defensively versatile, he played everywhere but 1st base and catcher in 2021. With Corey Seager leaving via free agency, he might be given more opportunities for steady playing time in 2022 as he looks to establish himself in his age 24 season. [This post is written under the assumption baseball will be back with a full season next year, though I personally wouldn't put too much faith in that.]
(I haven't gotten any new Lux cards this year, so figured I'd revisit this auto/patch/Christmas Card I've had for years. Unlicensed Leaf stuff like this doesn't really go up in value much, but still kinda cool when you can pick up a card like this for a good price. The rest of the cards in this post are recent pickups.)
Meanwhile in the AL, Gavin Sheets became just the 4th player named "Gavin" to play Major League Baseball when he debuted June 29, 2021. All told, he got into 54 games and impressed with a 123 OPS+. Topps gave him 4 or 5 cards as a "call-up" in Topps Now, but withheld his "RC" designation until next year, so expect to see his rookie cards flood Topps products in 2022 (though technically he exceeded rookie status already). He turns 26 in April, so there probably won't be a ton of investor hype with his cards. But yeah, hopefully he keeps performing well.
Gavin Cecchini followed Gavin Floyd as the 2nd "MLB Gavin" years back, and while it looked like the former first-rounder's injury-plagued career had come to a close last year after struggling in Indy ball, 2021 saw him resurface in the Angels organization. He ended up batting .288 in triple-A, so who knows, there might be some life in his career yet. I'd love to see him get another gasp at the top level.
Before we take a trip down to the farm, one more mention is due. With the Negro Leagues now considered Major Leagues for most intents and purposes, there's technically a new Major League Gavin.
Just one career appearance for this player known only as Gavin: an inning pitched for the Brooklyn Eagles in 1935 where he gave up 4 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits and a walk. He may possibly have played in other games that've had their stats lost to the winds of time (along with the rest of his name), but at least he got his foot in the door for a baseball-reference page. Can't really add him to my card collection-- a very simple custom with no picture would be the best I could do; hardly seems worth it-- but figured I should at least give the man a head-nod here on the blog. Even assuming it's just his last name, still a true pioneer for Gavins everywhere!
Minor League Gavins
Man, we've hit a dozen active Gavins trying to crack the bigs.
The 2021 Columbus Clippers (AAA, CLE) included not only a guy named Gavin, but also a guy who went to my high school (Trenton Brooks)-- a team tailor-made for my fandom! Collins struggled to hit but was solid behind the dish, focusing only on catching after splitting time at the hot corner in years past.
Ah, a guy I've got a lot of cards of! LaValley was released by the Reds after the 2020 minor league season was cancelled. He found himself with the independent Kane County Cougars in 2021 and had a solid season, batting .270 with 12 home runs in 79 games. I'm rooting for ya, Gavin!
Baseball-reference is counting college stats in their active years here, which is kind of confusing. Anyways, Sonnier is an undrafted player who pitched for an indy team after college.
Oh wow! After not being in affiliated ball since 2017, Stupienski resurfaced in the Royals organization in 2021. Good for him! Got a nice TTM return from him with an assist from his cousin, former cardblogger "Bubba" (Matt) years back. After looking good in high-A ball, Gavin made it up to AA for a game.
Honestly I was thinking about not doing this post this year, as I've got plenty of other stuff in my mental "to blog about" list and with so many active Gavins out there now compared to only a few years ago, this annual exercise might have run its course. But then I saw the recent news that Grant Gavin had been selected by the Padres in the minor league Rule 5 draft and I got pretty excited that San Diego has their first Gavin (even if a last-name Gavin isn't quite the same, but hey, close enough). Grant pitched well this past season, with his K/9 rate of 11.1 ranking fifth-best in the Triple-A East league (minimum 70 innings). Hope to see him take the mound at Petco Park before long.
So there you go. Best wishes to all Gavins everywhere!
Here's my Gavin Sheets PC as it stood on the day of his debut.
A few decent Bowman cards.
Most of my Topps cards of him are autographed, lol. The Heritage is a glossy parallel.
A pair of numbered Panini cards and a minor league issue.
Nice selection of Leaf cards here!
And a slabbed auto. Sharp looking card.
Just pulled the trigger on the Topps Now card for his debut.. which is designated as a "Call Up" not a "RC". Probably too late to get him into Update, but I'd expect him to get the rookie card treatment next year. I'm more or less content with the PC as it stands (I don't plan to chase his rookies or whatever), but I'm always happy to receive more cards of his in trade. Let's hope he has an outstanding career ahead of him!
John Miller surprised me with some cool cards recently.
Card Twitter was buzzing today at the revelation that 2021 Topps Update is slated to feature inserts in the classic '93 Black Gold design. Let's just hope Topps goes all-in with actual gold foil like the originals, not the shine-less TBT versions from 2019. But yeah, if those Update cards are done right, I might have to chase the set, or at least go after my PC guys. I'm still working on the originals, but this lot from John helps.
Here are highlights from the many San Diego cards in the package. The 2017 Gypsy Queen Wil Myers throwback variation seems to be a pretty tough pull. Looks like John broke a few small sets like Donruss Opening Day and Fleer Update, passing the Padres onto me. I never had much from those near-oddballs so I get a thrill out of them with their less-familiar alternate designs. And always love adding cards to PCs of guys like Bip and Templeton.
John seems to dig up a few Gavin Floyds to include every time he sends me cards. While I already have most of Floyd's mainstream cards, there were a couple needs and an upgrade here.
Saving the best for last with this pair. Might seem unassuming at first, but...
A glossy parallel of Gavin Sheets and a 12/25 press proof of Matt Clement. Sheets is the frontrunner to be the next guy named Gavin to crack the big leagues, off to a good start in AAA this season. Clement is a guy I remember rooting for during his days in San Diego.
Great stuff.. thanks, John! I sent you a little return the other day, hope you like.
Here's the entirety of my 2018 Black Friday shopping. It's not quite enough to stretch out over 12 months, but I'll work it out somehow.
Now that I've taken care of #1, it's time to worry about shopping for my loved ones. But that's no problem.. I just give them all each an Oasis greatest hits CD every year.
Year after year, you can't beat those jams!
Another major Black Friday score for me was getting in on Wes's epic Area 40/Xmas Xtravaganza group break giveaway...
Hop your ass on over if you haven't yet. This will surely go down in history the most legendary free break in the history of the carsphere. Wes is my wonderwall and his supersonic awesomeness will no doubt cause this event to erupt in a champagne supernova in the sky which will live forever in the memory of cardbloggers everywhere.
I got a little greedy with not only asking for my Padres, but filling out the 5 allotted picks with the Cubs, Pirates, Astros, and a non-sport spot (specifically eyeing Star Wars and Benchwarmers). I'm hoping for some PC-hits (Rod Beck? Brian Giles? Ken Caminiti? etc) but don't look back in anger, as I'll be sure to pass along any non-PC hits to my trader buddies who might appreciate them.
As far as cards I got in-hand on Black Friday, well the lone piece of mail that arrived was a nice trade package from reader Joseph C. who was interested in some customs from me. Not only did he have some sweet cards up my alley to offer, but he won me over by declaring my musical taste as "impeccable" (which I might be putting to the test with all the Oasis references in this post).
Joe gets points right off the bat for this very amusing packaging job.
Gavin Sheets auto! I've got 2 or 3 unlicensed Sheets autos, but this is my first fully legit auto from the White Sox top Gavinized prospect.
My Francisco Mejia PC has been growing nicely lately. Some good ones here. I believe that's my first 2018 "Topps Holiday" card at the end, and a metallic snowflake parallel at that.
A pair of sweet holograms from the early 90s. Thinking about it, it's a bummer no card companies have put out any hologram sportscards in years. Did the technology just dry up?
Another new Tatis Jr card.. much appreciated! High hopes for this dude.
And we close with a pair of 2018 Dave Winfield cards, with a foily Fire and a pseudo blank-backed Donruss.
Very nice. Thanks, Joe! This was Definitely Maybe one of the best Black Friday card packages I've ever received.
I always look forward to doing these annual posts, even if their appeal is limited and typically don't get many views. But I like an excuse to look up how guys who share my first name performed over the past season.
My most active Gavin PC is Gavin LaValley. I was excited to see him have an autograph on the 2018 Bowman Chrome checklist, though it ended up souring for me. His superfractor auto popped up on eBay recently at a low opening bid. I was prepared to put up a very strong bid. But then with 2 days left to go, the auction jumped all the way up to $255. WTF?! Just this past June I paid $33 for his 2014 Bowman Chrome Draft superfractor (not an autograph, but still, that's his 1st Bowman). And the kicker? LaValley had a shitty 2018 season and at this point is probably a longshot to ever make the major leagues. Not sure who these guys are wanting to spend hundreds of dollars on one of his cards. Part of me is sad that I can no longer say I own every Gavin LaValley superfractor in existence, as I had been able to for a few months there (2014 Bowman Draft, 2014 Bowman Mini, 2018 Bowman Regular). The superfractor auto ended up selling for $300 at auction. A week or two later it popped up again at a buy-it-now of $399 or best offer. After a few days, the listing was pulled by the seller, perhaps due to a backdoor sale worked out away from eBay, or maybe the seller decided to hang onto it after not getting much interest in the card.
LaValley spent 2018 in AA, batting .209 with 13 dingers and 14 doubles. Quite a step back from his promising 2017 (.269, 18 dingers, 30 doubles). He's a first baseman (where big offensive numbers are expected) who will be 24 next season. Not "top prospect" territory. Don't get me wrong, I'm still rooting for him, and I hate to sound like I'm talking shit, but my point is it's ridiculous to be paying hundreds of dollars for one of his cards at this point.
Who knows.. I'll keep an eye out and perhaps one day in a few years if LaValley doesn't pan out, the guy who bought it will relist it and take a massive bath on it and I'll snag it for a fraction of the price.
After the superfractor debacle, I pumped the brakes on my Gavin LaValley PC. But before that, I did pick up a handful of his other 2018 Bowman Chrome autos. Here we've got: base, refractor (/499), purple (/250), blue (/150), and green shimmer (/99).
Ok, now let's get into other Gavins.
Sadly, 2018 was the first year since before Gavin Floyd debuted back in 2004 that there were zero Gavins in MLB. Floyd and Gavin Cecchini overlapped in 2016, with the former going out and the latter coming up. Cecchini then got into 32 games with the Mets in 2017, but he didn't make it out of the minors in 2018. He was playing well in Triple A and in line for a promotion up top, but unfortunately he broke a bone in his foot that derailed his season and limited him to 31 games for the year. Bummer. Hopefully he comes back strong in 2019.
And there are a bunch of other Gavins in the minors, so I wouldn't expect this Gavinless streak to last long.
Collins split his time between playing 3B and catcher down in the Indians chain. His offensive numbers were down this year after a solid 2017, but hopefully he gets back on track in 2019.
Garay was a 26th round pick by the Mets in 2017. He hit a robust .329 with 5 ding-dongs in just 18 Rookie League games this year. Hopefully he builds on that in '19.
Not a typo! It's hilarious that there are two different baseball players: Gavin LaValley and Gavin Lavallee. Confusing! I already talked about LaValley above, but Lavallee went undrafted from Eastern Connecticut State University and plays indie ball. He had a solid 2018, hitting .329 in 41 games, playing 3B and RF. Oh man-- I think my dream Gavin card/custom would be a dual auto signed by both Gavin Lavallee and Gavin LaValley.
The Dodgers' #1 pick in 2016, Lux bounced back from a lackluster 2017 to put up a strong 2018 season. Drawing comparisons to Corey Seager, the 20-year old shortstop got promoted to AA this year. Overall, he hit .324 with 15 tatters. I hear his Fortnite game is strong too.
A 2nd round pick by the White Sox last year, Sheets performed adequately in his first full pro season, hitting .293 with 6 homers and 61 RBI in A ball.
Here's a guy I was really rooting for-- a cousin of a cardblogger!-- but unfortunately Stupienski's baseball career hasn't been going well. Despite solid defense behind the plate and batting .307 in the minors, Arizona cut him loose after 2017, and he spent 2018 on an independent team in Winnipeg.
The 23-year old made it up to AA and pitched well out of the pen this year. Grant has also looked good in the Arizona Fall League so far, allowing just 1 earned run over 9 innings. I'd expect him to make it to AAA next year and hopefully get called up to Kansas City before too long.
An 8th round pick by the Giants in 2017, John had a solid 2018, highlighted by a complete game shutout in A ball. Overall, he had 139 strikeouts and 47 walks in 122.1 innings to go with a 2.87 ERA.
Happy Trails - Saying farewell to Gavins who've left pro ball since the last update.
A 16th round pick by the Marlins in 2017, Fritz didn't pitch in 2018 after a rough 2017 debut in Rookie League, so I gotta assume he hung up his spikes. "There goes Fritz," as they say.
Gavin Pittore was released back in July 2017 and didn't play at all in 2018, which surprises me because his numbers in the minors looked good (2.52 career ERA). Perhaps he had injury issues? I got a nice TTM return from him a couple years back where he included a friendly note, so I was definitely a fan and hoped he'd make it to the bigs. Bummer. All the best to Mr. Pittore in the next chapter of his life.
Lastly, squeezing in the one football Gavin, Escobar briefly suited up with the Browns and then Dolphins in 2018, but didn't get into a game with either of them. I don't think he's officially retired yet, but at this point I'd be surprised to see him play another NFL down, unfortunately. But hey, best of luck to him and all the other Gavins out there!
And that wraps up the 2018 update of pro baseball (and football) players named Gavin. Thanks for reading!
