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Mike Piazza was the 1,390th player picked in the 1988 MLB amateur draft. That means there were 1,389 players that MLB clubs thought were better. Mike played seven seasons with the Dodgers, five games with the Marlins and then eight seasons with the Mets before wrapping up his career with stints in San Diego and Oakland. He would be regarded as one of the best offensive catchers in MLB history. He was Rookie of the Year in his first season and would be selected to 12 All-star teams and win ten Silver Slugger Awards during his Hall of Fame career. An avid drummer, he is featured on an album by Black Label Society, has acted on television and movies and is married to a former Playboy Playmate. Here are nine of my 1,847 Beckett recognized cards of Mike.

          
1991 California League All-Stars #6 Mike Piazza
1993 Pacific Jugadores Calientes #34 Mike Piazza
1995 Flair Today's Spotlight #9 Mike Piazza

       
1996 Stadium Club Extreme Players Silver #442 Mike Piazza W
1997 Pinnacle Home/Away #3B Mike Piazza HOME
1998 Collector's Choice StarQuest #SQ84 Mike Piazza SS

       
1998 Topps Chrome Clout Nine Refractors #C2 Mike Piazza
2001 Donruss Class of 2001 First Class #26 Mike Piazza (Numbered 85/100.)
2015 Topps Tribute Relics Black #TRMP Mike Piazza (Another beauty I acquired from bigdaddyq. Numbered 1/50.)

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Baseball cards have long been associated with bubble gum. Cards were first included in packs of cigarettes but it soon became apparent that the men who bought the product weren't nearly as interested in the cards as were the kids who were too young to purchase them. In the 1930s, Fleer (the creator of Dubble Bubble gum) and the Goudey Gum Company competed with one another by including baseball cards with their gum. When Topps debuted in 1951 they included taffy with their cards but the following year, they switched to gum which was included in their packs until 1991. When I was a kid, I had a wad as large as a ping pong ball on my bedpost because that's where Lonnie Donegan suggested putting it, and yeah, it lost its flavor overnight but that didn't stop me from putting it back into my mouth and working it back into bubble blowing shape. What would you expect from a kid whose dentist gave me a Tootsie Pop after each visit? All of us with vintage cards have got at least one with a gum stain on it. For an oddball post today, here are nine cards from my collection featuring players blowing bubbles with their gum.

       
1976 Topps #564 Kurt Bevacqua/Bubble Gum Champ (The Brewers' Kurt Bevacqua won the first Joe Garagiola Bubble Gum Blowing Championship in 1975. Each team had a representative in the contest and Kurt beat out all of them including future Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven, George Brett, Johnny Bench and Gary Carter.)
1982 Fleer #196 Brad Mills (Brad had only appeared in 38 games coming into the 1982 season so it's safe to say he had plenty of time riding the pine to practice his bubble blowing skills.)
1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier #146 Will Clark (Sweet-swinging Will Clark appears on this O-Pee-Chee card. Did you know that O-Pee-chee was a Canadian confectionery company that was founded in 1911 as a manufacturer of chewing gum?)


1995 Pinnacle #128 Ken Griffey Jr. (I'm not entirely convinced this isn't a balloon Griffey is exhaling into here. If it's gum, it's impressive.)
1996 Pinnacle #131 Hideo Nomo (Here's Hideo making an effort.)
1996 Pinnacle Christie Brinkley Collection #5 Chipper Jones (Here's another card from Pinnacle's insert set featuring the photography of Christie Brinkley. The back of this card features a selfie of Christie and Chipper both blowing bubbles so there are actually three bubbles being blown on this card.)

       
1999 Stadium Club #112 Chan Ho Park (Chan Ho Park with a wide-eyed expression at the result of his effort.)
2000 Ultra #41 Billy Wagner (Here's Billy kicking back in the bullpen probably prior to one of his 422 saves.)
2016 Topps Opening Day Bubble Trouble #BT5 Albert Pujols (King Albert featured on a Topps insert set entirely devoted to bubble gum bubbles.)

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Tris Speaker is considered one of the greatest all-around center fielders in MLB history. His career .345 batting average ranks sixth all-time, he's fifth on the all-time hits list and no one has hit more doubles. Defensively he holds MLB career records in assists, double plays and unassisted double plays by an outfielder. His fielding glove was known as the place "where triples go to die".) He was a three-time World Champion, an AL MVP and a Batting Champion who led the AL in both Home Runs and RBI once. I currently have 118 different Beckett recognized cards of "The Gray Eagle" in my collection including the nine shown here.

               
1950 Callahan HOF W576 #68 Tris Speaker
1960 Fleer #10 Tris Speaker
1961 Golden Press #30 Tris Speaker

           
1963 Bazooka ATG #24 Tris Speaker
1968 Sports Memorabilia All-Time Greats #9 Tris Speaker
2010 Topps #569B Tris Speaker SP

       
2011 Topps Update #US278B Tris Speaker SP
2012 Panini Cooperstown #152 Tris Speaker SP
2013 Panini Cooperstown Orange #3 Tris Speaker

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The next name to pop up on the randomizer is Trevor Hoffman. I knew of his brother Glenn who played for the Red Sox before I'd heard of Trevor but Trevor went on to have the longer career becoming one of the elite closers of his day. The seven-time All-star led the NL in Saves twice and was the first pitcher to tally 500 and then 600 career saves. I didn't expect him to make the Hall of Fame because I didn't think relievers were full-time players so I didn't start my collection of him until he was actually elected. Now I have 393 unique Beckett recognized cards of him in my collection. Here are nine of them.

           
1992 Bowman #11 Trevor Hoffman RC (Remember Trevor pitching in a Reds uniform? Me either.)
1993 Topps Inaugural Marlins #572 Trevor Hoffman
1999 Topps Gallery Player's Private Issue #65 Trevor Hoffman

       
2001 Topps Heritage #338 Trevor Hoffman SP
2005 Topps Chrome Update Refractors #220 Trevor Hoffman HL
2006 Artifacts AL/NL Artifacts Blue #TRN Trevor Hoffman Jsy/325

       
2007 Sweet Spot Sweet Swatch Memorabilia #SWHO Trevor Hoffman
2008 Topps Moments and Milestones Blue #32-420 Trevor Hoffman (Numbered 2/10)
2009 Topps Update Gold Border #UH171 Trevor Hoffman

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After Nomar was traded to the Cubs and Griffey's career began to wind down, Albert Pujols became my favorite player to collect. He came up bashing home runs alongside McGwire in St. Louis and I liked the way he carried himself and just thought he was going to become one of the all-time greats. He's certainly compiled an impressive resume starting with a Rookie of the Year Award, ten All-star appearances, six Silver Slugger Awards and two Gold Gloves to go with a RBI title, a Batting Championship and two Home Run titles. Let's add two World Championships, three MVP Awards, two Hank Aaron Awards and a Roberto Clemente Award. He is among the all-time leaders in hits, doubles, home runs and RBI. I hate to see his career coming to an end but I feel that way about all of the great players. I currently have 1717 unique Beckett recognized cards of the player known as "The Machine". Here are nine from my collection including several relics and a short print.

           
2001 Topps Traded #T99 I.Suzuki/A.Pujols ROY (One day these two will be reunited on a stage in Cooperstown.)
2003 Topps Gallery Originals Bat Relics #AP Albert Pujols B
2003 Topps Heritage Clubhouse Collection Relics #AP Albert Pujols Uni D

       
2005 Upper Deck Trilogy Generations Present Lumber Silver #AP Albert Pujols
2006 Fleer Tradition Traditional Threads #AP Albert Pujols Jsy
2007 Ultra Feel the Game Materials #AP Albert Pujols

           
2008 Upper Deck Ballpark Collection #277 IRod/Ordonez/Inge/Pujols/Mulder/Duncan (I'll show you both sides of this beauty which features two of his teammates and three of his opponents from the 2006 World Series.)
2012 Topps #331C Albert Pujols VAR SP/Press conference (I pulled this out of a "ten for a dollar" box at a card show.)
2015 Topps Triple Threads Relics Sepia #TTRAP3 Albert Pujols (Numbered 15/27.)

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The postcard-size Exhibit cards were produced by the Exhibit Supply Company out of Chicago beginning in 1921 and were the first cards issued that weren't actually an advertisement or included with a product such as tobacco, candy or gum. They could be purchased from vending machines placed in penny arcades and featured boxers, movie stars and pinup girls as well as ballplayers. I've acquired a couple dozen of these throughout the years and have shown you a few throughout this thread. Here are nine more from my collection.

     
1962 Exhibit Stat Back #8 Orlando Cepeda
1962 Exhibit Stat Back #11 Whitey Ford

   
1962 Exhibit Stat Back #30 Vada Pinson
1962 Exhibit Stat Back #32 Warren Spahn (I have another of this card with a "B" on his cap instead of a "M".)

    
1962 Exhibit Stat Back #25 Eddie Mathews
1964 Exhibits #20A Yogi Berra

    
1964 Exhibits #73A Whitey Ford/no glove, throwing
1964 Exhibits #99A Gil Hodges/Brooklyn cap


1964 Exhibits #167 Hal Newhouser

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I don't think Larry Doby got all the credit he deserved. In 1947, the same season Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in MLB, Doby debuted for the Cleveland Indians becoming the first black player in the American League. I read Greatness in the Shadows: Larry Doby and the Integration of the American League and am currently reading Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series that Changed Baseball both of which discuss in depth Larry Doby's story. He began his professional career at the age of 17 playing for the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues, served in World War II before signing with the Cleveland Indians and joined teammate Satchel Paige as the first African-American players to win a World Championship in 1948. Doby was a seven-time All-star and led the AL in Home Runs twice and RBI once. In 1978 he became the second black manager in MLB, following Frank Robinson, when he took the helm of the Chicago White Sox. As of today, I have 92 different Beckett recognized cards of Larry. Here are nine from my collection.

           
1957 Topps #85 Larry Doby
1958 Topps #424 Larry Doby UER/Spelled Lary on the back
1959 Topps #166 Destruction Crew/Minnie Minoso/Rocky Colavito//Larry Doby

       
1959 Topps #455 Larry Doby
1964 Exhibits #61 Larry Doby
1983 Topps 1952 Reprint #243 Larry Doby

       
2005 Origins Old Judge Red #122 Larry Doby RET
2013 Panini America's Pastime Barnstorming Brilliance #9 Larry Doby
2013 Topps Tribute Blue #83 Larry Doby

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Ichiro Suzuki will be the first Japanese player enshrined in Cooperstown. Ichiro was a seven-time All-star, seven-time Batting Champion, seven-time Gold Glove Award Winner with a RBI title and a Stolen Base title and three-time MVP and that was before he arrived to MLB. Once he arrived he immediately won Rookie of the Year and a Most Valuable Player Award as a rookie and began a streak of 10 more All-star appearances and 10 consecutive seasons of 200 or more hits. He led the league in Stolen Bases, won two more Batting Championships and ten more Gold Glove Awards as well as setting the all-time record of 262 hits in a single season. I am fortunate that my younger brother was living in Japan and sending me baseball cards when Ichiro began his career. I showed you my Japanese rookie card back in post #307 of this thread. As of this post I have 1504 different Beckett recognized cards of Ichiro. Here are nine from my collection that I hadn't shown you yet including some relics and some MLB rookie cards.

           
2001 Topps #726 Ichiro Suzuki RC
2001 Upper Deck #271 Ichiro Suzuki SR RC
2001 Upper Deck MVP #60 Ichiro Suzuki RC

       
2001 Upper Deck Rookie Update Ichiro Tribute Gold #37 Ichiro Suzuki SAL (Pulled from a dollar box.)
2005 Bowman Heritage Pieces of Greatness Relics #IS Ichiro Suzuki Jsy C
2009 Topps Allen and Ginter Relics #IS Ichiro Suzuki Jsy


2012 Topps Mini Gold #119 Ichiro Suzuki/Joe Mauer/Vladimir Guerrereo LDR
2017 Topps Triple Threads Unity Jumbo Relics #SJRIS Ichiro
2018 Topps Tribute Triple Relics #TTRI Ichiro

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Billy Williams came up next on the randomizer. Billy was a NL Rookie of the Year, a six-time All-star and a 1972 Batting Champion. In 1970 he was batting. 319 with 26 home runs and 80 RBI at the All-star break and yet was left off the All-star team. That was the first of two years he was runner-up to Johnny Bench in the MVP voting. I currently have 143 different Beckett recognized cards of "Sweet-Swinging Billy Williams". These nine from my collection feature several vintage, his rookie card and a few autographs.

           
1961 Topps #141 Billy Williams RC
1962 Topps #288 Billy Williams
1963 Topps #353 Billy Williams

       
1965 Topps #220 Billy Williams
1967 Topps #315 Billy Williams
1969 Topps #450 Billy Williams

         
1996 Big League Chew #BW Billy Williams AU
1996 Canadian Club Autographs #4 Billy Williams
2004 Greats of the Game Autographs #BW Billy Williams C2

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Today I am going to mix it up just a bit and feature nine cards from my collection featuring nine current players that I am considering starting collections of in hopes that they wind up on a Hall of Fame path. There is so much young talent today that it is difficult to determine who exactly is the "cream of the crop" and will rise above all others. Players I've considered but left off this list are Pete Alonso, Nolan Arenado, Cody Bellinger, Luis Robert and Mike Yastrzemski although I do save their cards if I happen to come across any. A few of these scans are a bit cruddy as I used a different scanner for those.

           
2017 Topps Gypsy Queen Purple #121 Jacob deGrom (The only pitcher I am considering. It's difficult for me to go all in on a pitcher. The last one I decided to collect was Scherzer who joins Kershaw and Verlander as the only current pitchers I am collecting. I have 77 of his cards.)
2018 Bowman #49 Shohei Ohtani RC (I guess Ohtani would be considered a pitcher too and I've already jumped in and started my collection of Shohei. Currently 85 cards.)
2018 Topps Fire #109 Ronald Acuna Jr. RC (Acuna is the only other player that I've already begun a collection of and he hurt himself immediately after. I will continue to collect him for now as the talent is there. 79 cards.)

       
2018 Topps Fire Gold #181 Juan Soto (I'm not completely sold on Soto yet. Maybe if he puts up some gaudy numbers in the near future. 25 cards.)
2018 Topps Gallery Impressionists #I22 Rafael Devers (I feel like I need to collect a Red Sox player and Devers kinda excites me. He's still a kid but seems to be working on his defense and I love to watch him hit. 74 cards.)
2019 Certified Green #35 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (I collect his dad and the season Jr. is having this year is swaying me into thinking I should get my collection going on him, especially if he can consistently put up these type of numbers. 38 cards.)

       
2019 Finest Green Refractors #68 Xander Bogaerts (Another Sox player that I"m considering. I first met him in August of 2009 when he was playing in the Senior League World Series which we hosted in Bangor, Maine. He was on the Aruba team and was about 16 years old at the time. I was working for ESPN doing slow motion replay in the back of their production truck. 115 cards.)
2019 Topps Heritage #517 Fernando Tatis Jr. RC (Tatis may be Mike Trout's successor as the game's most exciting player and I'm almost ready to jump all in on him but I'm not sure he can stay healthy for the long run. We'll see. 34 cards.)
2020 Panini Prizm Prizms Red White and Blue #71 Bo Bichette (There seem to be several sons of ballplayers on this list and Bo is another one. I'm saving his cards for now but have not "officially" started a Bo collection yet. 33 cards.)