Casey Kotchman

Sent: 8/18/11
Received: 10/14/11
Time: 57 Days
Address: c/o Tampa Bay Rays
Item Sent: 2008 Topps Heritage
Item Received: 2008 Topps Heritage, signed in blue Sharpie.

Notes:
Kotchman was one of the great under-reported stories of the 2011 baseball season.  He's a long time removed from being the Angels' first baseman of the future.  Since then he had bounced around from Atlanta to Boston to Seattle before signing a minor league contract with the Rays last off-season.  He took the first base job in mid-April and ran with it.  At the time of my request, he was suprisingly among the top five in the AL batting average race with a mark of around .330.  He did slump a bit down the stretch, but still finished the season with a very respectable .306 average (eighth in the AL) and .378 OBP (10th in the league), all while playing his usual sterling defense.

Jamie Nelson

Sent: 2/19/11
Received: 4/14/11
Time: 54 Days
Address: c/o Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training
Item Sent: 1984 Topps, 1990 CMC Portland Beavers
Item Received: 1984 Topps, 1990 CMC Portland Beavers.  Both signed in black pen.

Notes:
In my quest to track down former Twins minor league players, I discovered that Jamie Nelson is now a minor league catching instructor for the Rays.  Nelson spent only one year in the Twins organization (1990), but he did briefly appear in the big leagues seven years earlier for the Seattle Mariners.  His dry gel pen had some unfortunate issues with the glossy Beavers card.  Oh well... cool addition to the Twins minor league collection.

Edwin Jackson

Sent: 4/15/10
Received: 8/18/10
Time: 125 Days
Address: c/o Arizona Diamondbacks
Item Sent: 2008 Upper Deck First Edition, 2009 Topps Update & Highlights, 2010 Topps Heritage
Item Received: 2008 Upper Deck First Edition, 2009 Topps Update & Highlights, 2010 Topps Heritage.  All signed in black Sharpie.

Notes:
Edwin Jackson is my first successful 100+ day return.  For a guy as well-traveled as he already is, it's good to know he takes his mail with him.  The request was sent to Arizona in April.  It came back post-marked from Chicago, where he now plays for the White Sox.  Thanks, Mr. Jackson!

Kelly Shoppach

Sent: 4/10/10
Received: 7/15/10
Time: 96 Days
Address: c/o Tampa Bay Rays
Item Sent: 2008 Topps Heritage, 2010 Topps Heritage
Item Received: 2008 Topps Heritage, 2010 Topps Heritage.  Both signed in thin blue Sharpie.

Notes:
Shoppach has not been able to build on his terrific 2008 season, when he clubbed over 20 homers for Cleveland, and is now platooning for the Rays.  Since he first came up with the Red Sox, I had him pegged as a solid big league catcher for many years.  There's still time for him.