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Shogo Akiyama Rookie Card – 2020 Panini Chronicles Contenders Optic Season Ticket
$1.00Over nine seasons with the Saitama Seibu Lions of NPB’s Pacific League, Shogo Akiyama was the leadoff/outfield prototype that managers’ dreams are made of. His bat-to-ball skills and blazing speed made him a pest to opposing pitchers, while his range and steady glove in the outfield made him one of the best defenders in the league. He did all of the “little things,” and the flashy ones too! From 2011-2019, he amassed an impressive number of accomplishments, including:
- 6× Pacific League Golden Glove Award (2013, 2015–2019)
- 4× Pacific League Best Nine Award (2015, 2017–2019)
- 5× NPB All-Star (2015–2019)
Before the 2020 season, he signed with MLB’s Cincinnati Reds. While it took him a while to adjust to MLB pitching in the Covid-affected 2020 season, he was highly productive in the second half of the season and was named a finalist for the National League Gold Glove Award for left field. Reds fans got a taste of all the ways he can contribute to a winning ballclub, and we look forward to him becoming a fan favorite in Cincinnati, just as he was in Tokorozawa.
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Jack Howell Signed Tokyo Yakult Swallows Card (2 variations)
$9.00 – $12.00Despite not being selected out of the University of Arizona in the 1983 MLB draft, Jack Howell was signed by the California Angels as an amateur free agent and quickly worked his way up the Angels system, making his Major League debut early in the 1985 season. He quickly established himself as a reliable and versatile player. From 1987-1989, he averaged 20 home runs per season.
Before the 1992 season, “Cactus Jack” signed with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows Nippon Professional Baseball. In 1992, he became the first foreigner to win MVP in his first season, when he led the league in home runs and batting average, and led the Swallows to the Japan Series, where they lost in seven games to the Seibu Lions.
In 1993, hit for the cycle and set an NPB record with five “sayonara” home runs, en route to another Japan Series, where this time they beat the Lions in seven games. It’s safe to say that with the MVP season and clutch performances in the championship season, Jack is forever beloved by Swallows fans. He played on more season with the Swallows and then in 1995 played with the Yomiuri Giants. He returned to MLB and the Angels from 1996-1997, and Houston Astros from 1998-1999.