MiLB Madness: Managers, park pigs, familiar names & more

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

JUST CALL HER SKIP
The Card: Ronnie Gajownik 2021 Choice Hillsboro Hops
The Buzz On This: I picked up a couple cards from this team set for the Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate at some point last year while going through oddball MiLB singles for a couple reasons. First, this design is a pretty non-traditional look for most sets -- though it is from one of the companies that teams use to pick their looks for their sets each year -- and for a player it incorporates a smaller cut-out action photo and a facsimile auto (see one here). I picked off this one since you don't see many "video coordinator" cards out there in many sets but what made this one more interesting this season is that she was the team's manager in 2023. She is MiLB's first female High-A manager as Rachel Balkovec's Tampa Tarpons are in Single-A ball. In between this and her new role this season, she was a coach for the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles. Her team went 56-76 this season in the Northwest League. Read more about her here.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can find in MiLB.

BEFORE THE WORLD SERIES WIN ...
The Card: Brian Snitker 2005 Grandstand Mississippi Braves
The Buzz On This: His current team is on the march to its second World Series title in three years but for this baseball lifer there was plenty of time elsewhere in the organization as a player since 1977 and then other roles since. That doesn't mean the Atlanta Braves' manager has a boatload of cardboard --- though he does have some -- but now when you flip through those older sets his name jumps out from the bunch a little bit more.

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A TEAM OF MYSTERIES
The Card: Bat Boy Joe 2022 Florence Y'alls (team issue)
The Buzz On This: This independent team has one of the most-unique names in all of baseball -- y'all better know what it means -- and the color scheme on those unis is pretty tight, too. The card set? It's a bit mysterious as everybody's card backs are, well, a bit minimalist with the player info ... not just for the batboy. The fronts are a 1959 Topps homage for sure but those backs are something ... and it looks like the team's 2023 set has some fun inclusions, too.

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YEP, THE RALLY PIG ...
The Card: Parker The Rally Pig 2015 Grandstand Richmond Flying Squirrels
The Buzz On This: I'm pretty sure I have told the story of this ballpark pig before -- check the archives -- but if you don't know what the deal is the card back lets you know a bit more about this one. Just like ballpark pups, there are/were a few teams with other ballpark attractions. Why? I don't care ... but I do appreciate the oddity of this one and it's not alone in my stash of weird MiLB cardboard.

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REMEMBER ME?
The Cards: Bucky F. Dent, Von Hayes, Brett Butler, Bob Stanley assorted manager/coach cards
The Buzz On This: There are many a former big-leaguer out there on MiLB cards as they started or wrapped up their careers down on the farm and there are also some well-established names who have opted to do that on the coaching/managing side, too. Are the cards big-money finds? Nah, but there are better chances that they might have a collector who wants it all but can't/won't take the time/cash to buy a team set to get their one card. Sometimes names like this might sell for more than you might expect ... especially when old team sets don't have big print runs.

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MASKED MARAUDERS
The Card: Matt McNamee & Nick Presley 2021 Choice Bradenton Marauders
The Buzz On This: This one us a sign of the times with a pair of masked team members and then them being team members you wouldn't see on big-league cards but would find in these sets. A trainer and the strength and conditioning coach -- all big-league teams have them (often several) but they only can get cards down on the farm.

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PHOTOBOMBED ON CARDBOARD
The Card: The National Penn Bank Nook Monster 2014 Grandstand State College Spikes
The Buzz On This: Mascot cards are so common it's almost mandatory they're in a set these days -- I'm always a bit surprised if a team doesn't include them -- but this one is a promotional mascot that's being photobombed by somebody in an advertisement in the stadium ... that's like a tripleheader of good MiLB cardboard cliche all on on card. All it needed was some extra corporate sponsor logos. (Not a bad thing ... just one of the odd things that always jump out at me with these sets.

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