#58 - Jeremy Hellickson

What’s that Turtle doin’? Perhaps, purring a little, just as the baseball was released? I mean, when the cats in my house have the tip of their tongue sticking out like that, they are always purring simultaneously. Surely one of the more odd 'Pitcher Face' cards you ever will see.

The live baseball playing motion is captured by the line of Hellickson's right leg flowing up to the billowing uniform and along the Rays logo but then the overall momentum of the pitching motion is even whip-sawing Hellickson's glove a fair bit. That is probably the most dramatic element in the photo, but somewhat brings your eye to a halt there, rather than at the frame sliced baseball at the top of the card. But a good reminder of just how rapid and forceful a Picher's delivery motion really is.

Otherwise, this is most definitely a Tampa Bay home game, which, on-card, always seem like neither a day game, or a night game. Just, an indoor game. For that reason, many baseball cards produced for Rays players just never interest me all that much, and to be honest, neither does this one. Maybe Topps will throw me a lifeline somewhere on the flip side.

Uniform Hero? Hellickson did wear #58 for his entire career.

Where’d the egg hatch? He was drafted by the Rays in the 4th round of the 2005, after his high school graduation.

How about the migrations? Naturally his MLB debut would not then occur until a good amount of minor league seasons; he would first appear in Tampa in the 2010 season for 3 starts and a few summons from the bullpen. In 2011, however, Hellickson would join the Rays' rotation and go on to win the AL Rookie of the Year award and this checklist position. Things were beginning to look very promising for a Tampa Bay club with a solid, high quality, young rotation.

Don’t flip over real Turtles.

Must be break time at the Topps Baseball card mine.

Can the Turtle Catch the Rabbit?

CAREER CHASE: With 27 wins, Hellickson is 484 away from Cy Young's all-time record of 511.

Ultimately, Jeremy Hellickson only appeared out of a bullpen 8 times in his career; Wins thus becomes the go-to stat comparison here. 

Hellickson's post ROY seasons included more successful ones in Tampa, then a series of ups and downs, stat wise, in Arizona, Philly, and then Baltimore. He reached Baltimore at the trade deadline in 2017 from Philly - quite a strange trade for Baltimore to be essentially trading _for_ a veteran starter like Hellickson in the middle of a season. Things must have been, perhaps all too usually, tough in B'more that summer. Jeremy's final 2 seasons with Washington in 2018-19 included the same mix of more success on the mound than not, but also more time with shoulder problems than without.


I am actually composing this one on February 15, 2020, several days before my devoted readers will follow along with me here. 2-15-20, it turns out, was the day Hellickson officially announced his retirement on news that his shoulder would require yet more surgery and another long rehab process in order to try pitching again.

Jeremy Hellickson finished his career with 76 Wins.

Subspecies? Sooo much promise in that early 10s rotation in Tampa; this card would also appear in Opening Day and Chrome, though without any variations.

Bling That Shell Another Tampa Bay card, another easy chance to acquire a parallel with a low print run, fairly cheap. I went with the tasty Pink here: