Autograph of the week: Chris Young

 

New York Mets GM Sandy Alderson‘s most controversial free agent signing this winter was outfielder Chris Young.

Young, 30, was an All-Star for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010 when he hit .257 with 27 home runs and 91 RBI in 156 games. Since then, his performance has steadily declined.

In a part-time role with the Oakland Athletics last year, Young hit .200 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI in 107 games, striking out 93 times in 375 plate appearances. That’s not really the kind of year to have right before you enter free agency, but Young did ok for himself.

Mets fans have to hope Young has a year more like 2010 than 2013 in order to justify Alderson’s decision to give him a $7.5 million contract.

I was able to pick up a certified autograph baseball card for my collection for $5 shipped from an eBay dealer back in December.  It’s from the short-lived Topps 206 brand, which was launched in 2002 and discontinued after 2010, releasing just three sets.

Perhaps due to the size of the space for an autograph on the card, Young’s signature is little more than his initials. Still, they are written in cursive and recognizable – something we probably shouldn’t expect from future generations of athletes.

Young appears on over 100 different certified autograph baseball cards released by Topps and Upper Deck during his career. Maybe Topps will include one that shows him in a Mets uniform in a set later this year.

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