Luke Hughes - 2017-18 Perth Heat

Former MLB player and Perth Heat veteran Hughes returned for his eight season with the Perth Heat during the 2017-18 ABL season.

2017-18 Perth Heat Luke Hughes card front - ©2018 Adam East

2017-18 Perth Heat Luke Hughes alternate card front - ©2018 Adam East

Luke Hughes - 2016-17 Perth Heat

Former MLB Player Hughes returned for his seventh  ABL season with the Perth Heat in 2016-17.

2016-17 Perth Heat Luke Hughes card front - ©2017 Adam East

Luke Hughes - 2015-16 Perth Heat

Perth MLB veteran Hughes had his sixth season with the Perth Heat during the 2015-16 ABL season. After having not played in the USA since his release from the Majors in 2012, Hughes spent 2015 playing independent ball with the Lancaster Barnstormers in the Atlantic League.

2015-16 Perth Heat Luke Hughes card front - ©2016 Adam East

Luke Hughes - 2014-15 Perth Heat

Former Aussie MLB player Hughes returns in 2014-15  for his fifth straight season in the ABL with the Perth Heat. Although still playing for the Heat during the ABL season, 2014 marked the start of Hughes' move into coaching. He spent 2014 in coaching roles with both the Australian women's baseball team and the MLB Australian Academy on the Gold Coast. During his time playing with the Heat during the 2014-15 season he was also the team's hitting instructor. Anybody who can boast of having hit a home run with your first MLB at bat definitely has some batting skill they can pass on to up and coming players.

2014-15 Perth Heat Luke Hughes card front - ©2015 Adam East

Luke Hughes - 2013-14 Perth Heat

Things kind of fell apart for former Aussie MLB player Hughes following the last ABL season. He failed to get picked up any of the MLB organisations during 2013 spring training, and there was talk of him heading over the Subiaco Lions in the WAFL to try his hand at Australian Rules Football. The Heat even started a bit of a "Hughes Knows" campaign emulating the Nike Bo Knows campaign from the late 80s / early 90s, however the campaign and the football career seem to have faded out of the media fairly quickly.

On top of all that, during his time with the Perth Heat during the 2013-14 ABL season, Hughes had to walk out to the sound of "Born in the USA" blaring from the ground PA when he came out to bat  in Canberra following his "Team USA' criticisms of the Canberra Cavalry after the 2012-13 season.

2013-14 Perth Heat Luke Hughes card front - © 2014 Adam East 

Dingo 2013-14 Perth Heat - Series One Checklist

Here is the checklist for the 2013-14 Perth Heat series one set of cards released on the 1st November by Dingo Cards.

Here are the ten cards that make up Dingo's 2013-14 Perth Heat Series One set of cards:

Card Number: Player: (Nationality, current or past MLB affiliation)

025 Tim Kennelly (Australia, played in Texas Rangers organisation in 2013)

026 Sam Kennelly (Australia, signed by Pittsburgh Pirates in 2012)

027 Allan de San Miguel (Australia, played in Baltimore Orioles organisation in 2013)

028 Corey Adamson (Australia, played in San Diego Padres organisation in 2013)

029 Warwick Saupold (Australia, played in Detroit Tigers organisation in 2013)

030 Cameron Lamb (Australia, played in Houston Astros organisation in 2013)

031 Daniel Schmidt (Australia)

032 Luke Hughes  (Australia, former MLB player)

unnumbered - Header Card / Checklist

unnumbered -  Release Schedule for Perth Heat card sets

COMC Batch of Serial & Signature Aussie MLBers

My second batch of COM cards arrived recently, and it featured serial numbered and autographed cards of Assie MLB players.All up three autos and two cards numbered 30 or less, makes the Card of the Buy™ a difficult choice. In the end, I've gone with the Nilsson 1996 Leaf Signature Silver parallel card as the Card of the Buy™. Although there are a 1000 of the Nilsson's card in existence, it's a nice, simple  looking card (the scan here doesn't do it justice) with an on card official auto of an Aussie baseballing legend. Thumbs up to Dingo :)

Josh Spence 2010 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Signature Aspirations 167 #d/100

Grant Balfour 2012 Panini Prizm Autographs GB 

Luke Hughes 2010 Bowman Draft Blue BDP65 #d/399

Justin Huber 2005 Bowman Chrome Draft Blue Refractor BDP156 #d/150

Chris Snelling 2002 SP Authentic 222 #d/1999

Liam Hendriks 2012 Bowman Chrome Orange Refractor 39 #d/25

Liam Hendriks 2012 Bowman Silver Ice 208

Liam Hendriks 2012 Bowman Chrome Draft Blue Refractor 19 #d/250

Liam Hendriks 2012 Bowman Chrome Draft Refractor 19 #d/300

Dave Nilsson 1996 Leaf Signature Autographs Silver #d/1000

Liam Hendriks 2012 Panini Prizm National Convention Pulsar 169 #d/30

Inaugural COMC Motherload - Part 3 - Luke Hughes

Here's Part 3 of my recent package from COMC. This post features the cards of Perth boy Luke Hughes who made it to the Majors with the Minnesota Twins (and a brief cameo with the Oakland Athletics). There's nothing overtly remarkable in this lot, with the Card of the Buy™ being a fairly straight forward pick of choosing the 2010 Topps Chrome Rookie Autograph card from an otherwise rather ordinary set of cards.

Luke Hughes 2007 Eastern League All Stars Grandstand 23

Luke Hughes 2009 Topps Chrome World Baseball Classic W63

Luke Hughes 2009 Topps WBC Star BCS18

Luke Hughes 2010 Bowman Chrome Draft Refractor BDP65 

Luke Hughes 2010 Bowman Draft BDP65

Luke Hughes 2010 Topps Chrome 187

Luke Hughes 2010 Topps Chrome Orange Refractor 187

Luke Hughes 2010 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs 187

Luke Hughes 2010 Topps Update US109

Ebay Goodness - Aussie Serial Numbers Galore

A recent bulk purchase on eBay of serial numbered Australian MLB player's cards. Thought I would share the goodness. Most of them aren't particularly low production runs, but the serial numbers still command a premium when trying to purchase them. The award for Card of the Buy™ goes to the Liam Hendriks 2012 Finest Rookie Jumbo Relic Autograph Gold Refractor.

Brad Harman - 2009 Bowman Chrome WBC Prospects Refractors BCW60 #d/500

Grant Balfour - 2011 Topps Update Gold US135 #d/2011

Luke Hughes - 2011 Topps Update Gold US109 #d/2010

Liam Hendriks - 2012 Bowman Draft Blue 39 #d/500

Liam Hendriks - 2012 Bowman Draft Orange 39 #d/250

Liam Hendriks - 2012 Finest Rookie Jumbo Relic Autographs Gold Refractor LH #d/50

Liam Hendriks - 2012 Finest 77

Liam Hendriks - 2012 Finest Refractor 77

Peter Moylan - 2011 Topps Update Gold US45 #d/2011

Rich Thompson - 2011 Topps Update Gold US286 #d/20l1

First Trade in Years!

It's been a long time since I've traded, so many thanks to Aussie baseball collecting legend Beckster for my first trade in ages and it was full of Australian MLB goodness :). Yes, most of them are commons, but I'm missing so much from the last 5 years, that even commons are still needed in my collection. The Phil Stockman SuperScripts auto takes out the award for Card of the Trade™ though.

Grant Balfour 2010 Upper Deck #490

Chris Oxspring 2005 Donruss #311

Ryan Rowland-Smith 2010 Upper Deck #449

Luke Hughes 2004 Bowman #241 Rookie Card (The line is from my scanner, not on the card!)

Liam Hendriks 2010 Bowman Chrome Prospects Green X-Freactor #BCP183

Phil Stockman 2004 SPx SuperScripts Rookies #PS

Luke Hughes - 2012-13 Perth Heat

As a Perth Heat fan in Canberra, I was a bit disappointed with how some of the Perth Heat fans and even players and staff carried on during and post the 2012-13 ABL Championship Series. Unfortunately, Luke Hughes was one of those who seemed to come across as having a case of "sour grapes" in Twitter posts and comments about the Canberra team and their import quota. Disappointing behaviour for a player I've liked.  As a Perth fan in hostile territory, bad sportsmanship from those associated with the Heat doesn't exactly endear me to the locals either.

Still, hopefully he's mature enough to reflect on his behaviour. I did find a certain irony in his criticisms of Canberra having lots of American players. The irony being:
1. His Twitter post "Whose playing for the Cavs next year? #whoknows" The irony is: Where will Hughes be playing during the 2013 MLB season?  #whoknows After 2012 Spring Training, a regular MLB spot beckoned, but since then he's been on a downward slide.
2. Criticisms of Canberra as "Team USA". In light of the point above, it's more than likely Hughes is praying that he'll be spending the northern summer playing in a league against teams full of Americans ... :)

As fans, let's hope he has a good WBC and gets picked up by one of the MLB organisations again, and leaves the internal Aussie slagging behind.  It would be even more ironic for the 2013-14 ABL season if the stories about Canberra trying to entice Hughes to play for the Cavalry next season come to fruition. Apparently his girlfriend Anna Flanagan, is a Canberran who plays for the Hockeyroos.

2012-13 Perth Heat Luke Hughes card front - © 2013 Adam East

Checklist - 2012 Perth Heat Select

The official 2012 Perth Heat baseball card set created by Select features cards of the following players:

2012 Perth Heat Logo card by Select

• 49 Perth Heat Logo
• 50 Aaron Bonomi 
• 51 Allan De San Miguel
• 52 Mitch Graham
• 53 Luke Hughes
• 54 Matt Kennelly
• 55 Tim Kennelly
• 56 Cameron Lamb
• 57 Warwick Saupold
• 58 Daniel Schmidt
• 59 Robert Sorensen
• 60 Mascot "Heat Flash"

The Perth Heat team set of 12 cards can be ordered from the ABL Online Store for $AU9.99.

Luke Hughes - 2011-12 Perth Heat

This design was for the Perth Heat for the 2011-12 ABL season. Several different photo options for the card front for Aussie Major Leaguer Luke Hughes. I decided to not include a box for autographs on the design of the card backs this season.

2011-12 Perth Heat Luke Hughes card front © Adam East 2012

2011-12 Perth Heat Luke Hughes alternate card front © Adam East 2012 

2011-12 Perth Heat Luke Hughes card back © Adam East 2012