Wow!!
David Bote's walk-off Grand Slam on Sunday was one of those Wow moments. He turned what would have been a demoralizing loss into a win for all ages.
The autographed card at the top is the Bote's only Topps general release. He was never in Pro Debut, Heritage Minors, or any Bowman Prospect release. He wasn't thought of very highly by the Cubs until this spring, and by Topps, never. Dillon Maples and Jen-Ho Tseng got all the rookie cards while Bote got major league service time and major league success.
He has turned some heads since spring. Five times he's been called up by the Cubs and it wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't ever go back.
I'm glad I bought my autograph card a while back. The prices for him on Ebay right now have risen dramatically.
While this Bowman autograph is his only general release, he was featured on a Topps card last year, though not by name.
That's Bote in the Mermen uniform, but he's not mentioned anywhere on the card from 2017 Pro Debut Promo Night insert set.
I suspect he will be showing up in future Topps products.
What an amazing moment in baseball. That's the exact scenario I'd role play when I was a kid. Congratulations to Bote!
ReplyDeleteWait, there is a team called Mermen? Crazy. I saw some highlights, pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteThe Cubs Single A affiliate is the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. For one of their theme nights, they went by the "Mermen" which is the team Kenny Powers played for in season 3 of Eastbound and Down
DeleteWhat have they been calling it? The Ultimate Grand Slam? Pretty crazy! I've watched a couple of his interviews on MLB.com and he's a very likable individual.
ReplyDelete