The kid must be good luck, because I pulled five O's cards in total: base cards of Mark Trumbo, Austin Hays, Jonathan Schoop, and Chris Tillman, and a Topps Salute insert of Hays. I'm not crazy about the design of this year's base set, and I'm not the first to note that the layout of Topps' flagship cards has been stagnant for the past decade or so. That said, this "Surf's Up" look is at the very least an improvement from last year's diagonally-lined monstrosity.
Meanwhile, Austin Hays was one of the brighter spots in what was largely a disappointing 2017 for the Orioles. The team's third-round pick in June 2016 had a meteoric rise through the minors. After putting up a batting line of .336/.386/.514 in his 38-game pro debut at Aberdeen two years ago, the product of Jacksonville University began the 2017 season at high-A Frederick. Halfway through the season he was promoted to AA Bowie, and had remarkably similar numbers on both levels:
| Year | Age | AgeDif | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | TB | GDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 21 | -3.2 | Bowie | EL | AA | BAL | 64 | 283 | 261 | 39 | 86 | 17 | 2 | 16 | 54 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 45 | .330 | .367 | .594 | .960 | 155 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 2017 | 21 | -1.6 | Frederick | CARL | A+ | BAL | 64 | 280 | 262 | 42 | 86 | 15 | 3 | 16 | 41 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 40 | .328 | .364 | .592 | .956 | 155 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/11/2018.
Austin's 32 homers were the second-highest total in the minors last year, trailing only Houston's A.J. Reed, who bashed 34 round-trippers in the hitters' haven that is the AAA Pacific Coast League. The Birds called him up in September when rosters expanded, making him the first player from his draft year to reach the majors. He had some growing pains, batting .217 with two walks, three doubles, and a home run in 63 trips to the plate as an Oriole, but 20 games at age 22 aren't the be-all and end-all. It's no sure thing that Hays will start 2018 with the O's, but it certainly looks like he's on the right track.
Generated 2/11/2018.
Austin's 32 homers were the second-highest total in the minors last year, trailing only Houston's A.J. Reed, who bashed 34 round-trippers in the hitters' haven that is the AAA Pacific Coast League. The Birds called him up in September when rosters expanded, making him the first player from his draft year to reach the majors. He had some growing pains, batting .217 with two walks, three doubles, and a home run in 63 trips to the plate as an Oriole, but 20 games at age 22 aren't the be-all and end-all. It's no sure thing that Hays will start 2018 with the O's, but it certainly looks like he's on the right track.
2 comments:
I can sympathize with your wife. I remember sitting at the pediatrician's office with one of my sons who had an ear infection and I mentioned that my ear was hurting too. Well he took a look and told me that mine was far worse than my boy's so I went home with two Rxs.
I haven't bought any 2018 cards yet. I have terrible luck at pulling Orioles and the design doesn't inspire me to just buy any.
Yeah, I just bought a couple of packs to scratch the itch. I haven't actually collected a Topps set in recent memory. I'd rather put my money into vintage cards than feed the Topps monopoly. (Which reminds me that I have a handful of 1950s O's coming in the mail...I'll show one off on Friday!)
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