Saturday, May 23, 2020

Harold Baines



Recent 2019 inductee Harold Baines is the most recent addition to my collection of Hall of Fame autographs. Baines actually returned a through-the-mail (TTM) request - something that doesn't happen much with recent inductees - and signed without a fee! He chose to sign on the lined side of the index card that I sent, but that's alright with me... it's still a return. AND, he signed! I think most modern-era players often refuse to sign a blank index card, simply because they aren't sure what will be done with their signature.

Baines was elected by the somewhat-controversial Today's Game Committee, after failing to be inducted through the traditional Baseball Writers ballot process. He was an impressive DH for several American League teams, but his numbers are perhaps a bit more "on-the-fringe" than a few other recent inductees.

I'm really happy to add this one to my collection, and to my TTM stats!