Found a nice fat package in the mail from Mike over at badwax.net, making up for the 1999 Bowman’s Best that didn’t get here. Here’s what he sent:

1 pack 1995 Fleer Update
1 jumbo pack 2004 Fleer Platinum
1 pack 2004 Fleer Platinum
1 Pack 2002 Upper Deck Vintage
2 Packs 1999 SP Minor Leagues

Great stuff! Here are some highlights:

Thanks Mike!

From the people who brought you the signing of TINSTAAP Poster Boy Dennis Tankersley—Ladies and gentleman, it’s Dewon Brazelton! The Braz was once a highly touted pitching prospect, the # 3 pick overall in the 2001 draft by the Tampa Bay Original Ray’s Pizzeria. John Sickels recently used him as a case study of busted pitching prospects, you can find a full profile of him over there. It’s a good read. Sickels concluded:

What happened here?

The easy theory is that Brazelton was never as good as he looked in college, that the gaudy stats at Middle Tennessee State misled everyone. But the fact is that he also pitched great for Team USA (pitching better than Mark Prior did actually). I don’t think his success there was an illusion, and his fastball and changeup were really outstanding back then. Something else happened here.

Scouts knew from the beginning that he had problems with his breaking ball, and sabermetrically this was apparent in the weakish strikeout rate in the minors. But why wasn’t he able to develop a better one? I think there is no question at all that he was promoted to the majors too quickly in 2003. He wasn’t ready, and it showed, and every part of his game went backwards after that. He’s the kind of pitcher who would definitely have benefited from a bullpen apprenticeship, rather than being thrown into the rotation for a bad team. Maybe with better handling he would have adjusted, and maybe he wouldn’t have. Maybe he should have ditched the traditional breaking ball and tried something different like a forkball or splitter, especially when being used out of the bullpen.

Dewon Brazelton is still relatively young, and he still has a major league arm. With the right coach in the right situation, he could still make a contribution at the major league level.

Duncan magic, do your work! Ala kazam kazoo! I like them taking someone who’s at least clinging to some upside, versus the Mike Smiths and Randy Keislers of the world.

And as for the LaRue signing, at least unlike Bennett and Stinnett, he can handle the running game. If he finds his lost stick, well then bonus.