Airbrushed Fridays: Farewell to Photoshop

Making Their Mark, indeed.

My fatigue with Topps and their flagship product is spilling over into my long-running "Airbrushed Fridays" series, which I'm effectively ending with this post. I introduced Photoshopped cards into the series long ago because it was kind of fun to look at how photos are doctored on modern cards in modern times. Sometimes this was born out of necessity (switching teams) and sometimes for no good reason at all (like when a team gets a new uniform set.)

Now that Photoshopping and digital enhancements in general is pretty much the standard operating procedure for all of these cards, I'm kind of tired of talking about it. I leave you with one last card. Guess where the photo for this 2013 Topps Making Their Mark insert of the Tsunami man himself, Carlos Martinez, came from?

Well, you don't have to go very far. Just check out his Topps Pro Debut photo from the same year.

I may revive the series at some point as a vintage-only thing if I build up enough of a cache of old school airbrushed cards. Until then, feel free to enjoy the very excellent (and occasionally R-rated) Baseball Card Vandals site and/or Twitter feed.

Airbrushed Fridays: 2014 Topps #495

Sans moustache. Oscar predictor. 

Who is he? John Axford is a reliever who came to big league prominence in an unlikely way. While was drafted twice, he came to his first MLB contract as a free agent and was given up on by two organizations before finding his place. In 2011, he tied for the NL lead in saves as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. And he sported some interesting facial hair. Also, he's Canadian.

How did he get here? Axford had a rough couple of seasons in Milwaukee following his stellar 2011 and was dealt to the Cardinals at the trade deadline in 2013. He seemed to have turned things around in his brief time in The Birds on the Bat, which he parlayed into a new contract with Cleveland. He's bounced around since and heads into the new season on a two year deal with the Athletics.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None, but here's the source photo. Which makes me angry. Because as far as I know, there are no John Axford Cardinals cards and there never will be.

Embed from Getty Images

Airbrushed Score: 6

Comments: If you want to realize how terrible the photo situation has become with the flagship Topps sets, here's a good example. Look at how bright and crisp this original photo is. And look at what they did with the card after all of the cropping and processing. Horrible. This would have made a great horizontal card.

Airbrushed Fridays: 2014 Topps #622

Two weeks until pitchers and catchers report. Two weeks! 

Who is he? Dexter Fowler is a speedy outfielder who came up in the Rockies system after Colorado made him their 14th Round draft pick back in 2004. His most productive season at the plate came in 2012, but he was known for having a severe home/road split like many Rockies hitters before him.

How did he get here? Fowler was traded to the Astros, recently moved to the American League, following the 2013 season. He only spent a year in Houston and played for the Cubs last year. He's currently a free agent.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None, but here's the source photo -

Embed from Getty Images

Airbrushed Score: 10

Comments: In the Photoshop era, this is about as bad as they come.

Airbrushed Fridays: 1972 Topps #64

He'll be your bro... berg.

Who is he? Pete Broberg was a starting pitcher for the better part of the '70s, albeit not a very successful one. He was the first overall pick in the June draft of 1971, back when there were multiple drafts in a calendar year.

How did he get here? Broberg was drafted by the Washington Senators and went straight to the majors in what would prove to be Washington's last season in MLB until the Expos were moved there in 2005. As such, he was subject to the Topps airbrushing department, where his red cap could remain but traces of his Senatorhood were removed. These days, Broberg is a partner in a Palm Beach law firm.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None

Airbrushed Score: 8

Comments: I don't know... sideburns?

Airbrushed Fridays: 2015 Topps #467

I wonder how Cat Latos is doing these days.

Who is he? Mat Latos is a starting pitcher who will be heading into his 8th big league season this year, although he's currently a free agent. Latos came up with the San Diego Padres before being traded to the Reds when he seemed to be on the cusp of breaking out. His best season to date was in 2013, his second with the Reds.

How did he get here? The Reds have been in a slow but steady full rebuild process in the last year to two years, and Latos was one of the casualties. Miami picked him up in a trade for Anthony DeSclafani, one of five rookie starters to hold down a regular rotation spot for the Reds in 2015. After a lackluster stint with the Marlins, Latos actually made appearances for both L.A. area teams down the stretch.

Repeat offender? Yes

Other versions of this card: Here's Mat as a Dodger, later in the season. And here's the source photo for this card:

Embed from Getty Images

Airbrushed Score: 7

Comments: Los Rojos indeed.

Airbrushed Fridays: 1972 Topps #255

Cheers.

Who is he? Jim Lonborg was an All-Star and Cy Young Award winning pitcher, his accolades all occurring in a magical 1967 season that saw his Red Sox team come up just short against the Cardinals in the World Series. TV nuts will note that it was Lonborg's photo that was used in the background as a stand-in for Ted Danson's character on a certain popular '80s TV sitcom.

How did he get here? After spending his first 7 seasons in Boston, Lonborg was part of a massive 10 player swap that moved him to Milwaukee. Other notables in this trade: George Brett's brother and Tony Conigliaro's brother.

Repeat offender? No

Airbrushed Score: 10

Comments: It's a perfect 10. Perfectly awful! It does look like the back of his head is glowing, though.

Airbrushed Fridays: 2015 Topps #684

It's a new year... full of doctored photos!

Who is he? Wil Myers is a former top prospect who was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2013. He's also been traded twice. He's a mixed bag, basically. Myers has primarily played the outfield in the majors and came to the Tampa Bay Rays by way of Kansas City as part of a blockbuster deal that sent James Shields and future closer Wade Davis to the Royals.

How did he get here? Many expected Myers to be a building block of the Rays future, but after struggling in 2014 he was traded to San Diego in a three team deal that included the Nationals, mostly seeing young players changing uniforms. San Diego was on a buying binge at this time last year, but Myers struggled to separate himself from the pack offensively and missed a significant portion of the season due to injury.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None, but here's the source photo --

Embed from Getty Images

Airbrushed Score: 9

Comments: The Padres have a number of uniform looks these days, but I'm pretty sure none of them look quite like this.

Airbrushed Classics: Vic Davalillo

It's a new year, careful what you pack.

Happy New Year! Have a Davalillo!

Airbrushed Classics: Ray Fontenot

This still creeps me out, man.

One of the most ridiculous airbrushed cards of all-time still haunts me. Take a look back at the first Airbrushed Fridays post from way back in 2009. Imagine this guy in his fake red hat, sliding down your chimney and putting a few presents under your tree. Merry Christmas?

Airbrushed Classics: Sonny Siebert

Sideburns. Or Highway To Heaven?

You've got less than 24 hours to enter the big bowl game contest. While you're thinking about which mid-major standout is going to topple which Power 5 also-ran, let's take a look back at a guy who tossed a no-hitter with Cleveland nearly 50 years ago.

Airbrushed Classics: Ray Sadecki

'Tis the season for some reruns.

Take a look back at the late Ray Sadecki, who won a World Series ring with the Cardinals. This is also a reminder that there's a contest lurking on the near horizon.

Airbrushed Fridays: 1970 Topps #277

Trying not to stare at the sun.

Who is he? Paul Doyle was a lefty reliever who played in parts of three seasons with three franchises. It turns out that there are several notable Paul Doyles out there in the world, and he's one of them.

How did he get here? Doyle was a career minor league starter who had been through several organizations since the Tigers first signed him in 1959, but it would be with Atlanta 10 years later that he'd finally make his big league debut -- out of the bullpen. The Angels purchased him after his first season with the Braves.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None

Airbrushed Score: 7

Comments: There wasn't much to airbrush here, so they just went with a little black patch on the cap.

Airbrushed Fridays: 1975 Topps #412

My last name can do things.

Who is he? Bill "Froggy" Hands was an 11 year starting pitcher in the majors, with the bulk of his playing days coming with the Chicago Cubs in the late '60s and early '70s. While never an All-Star, he won 20 games with the Cubs in 1969 and had respectable numbers throughout his career.

How did he get here? Hands was in the middle of a down season in 1974 when the Twins waived him. He was claimed by the Texas Rangers, with enough time left in the season to squeeze in two starts but apparently not enough time to get a Topps photographer on the scene.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None

Airbrushed Score: 8

Comments: There's a lot of blue here.

Airbrushed Fridays: 1972 Topps #148

Do you want the cap on... or off? Too bad.

Who is he? Dick Billings was a part-time catcher and utility man throughout his eight big league seasons. The bulk of his playing time came from 1971-1973, as he spent most of his final seasons in AAA ball. Billings' biggest claim to fame was catching Jim Bibby's no-hitter in 1973.

How did he get here? Billings didn't actually go anywhere, but wound up with this dubious photo as a result of his Washington Senators team moving to Texas to become the Rangers. He spent his final seasons under the Cardinals control, but he only managed to get into a few games with St. Louis.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None

Airbrushed Score: 2

Comments: So it's probably not airbrushed, but it's an awkward photo nonetheless. I feel like the Topps photographers would take a couple of different headshots of each player just in case someone got traded (or the team moved!) You see these "looking up into the scary sky" photos quite often.

Airbrushed Classics: Michael Pineda

When Topps used a 3 year old photo.

Let's take a look back at Michael Pineda, who has certainly had a weird career.

Airbrushed Fridays: 1975 Topps #453

Enjoy the World Series tonight! Game 3. Friday night!

Who is he? Claude Osteen, sometimes known as "Gomer", was a southpaw starting pitcher who broke into the big leagues with the Reds at 17 in 1957. He tossed a few innings in between writing book reports and trying to get enough credits to finish high school it would seem. Osteen's best years were with the Dodgers, where he would make the All-Star team 3 times. He logged more than 3400 innings, a prime example of someone one of the modern blowhard broadcaster analysts could site when talking about the so-called wussification of baseball and how innings limits and pitch counts are causing cancer.

How did he get here? Osteen was first traded to Houston after a long run in Los Angeles for fellow all-star Jim Wynn, but he didn't make it to the end of his first season. The Cardinals picked him up for no one of significance for the final weeks of the 1974 season, but by 1975 he was already off to the Chicago White Sox for his final MLB season.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None

Airbrushed Score: 10

Comments: This is really not good.

Airbrushed Fridays: 2015 Topps #432

Not everyone gets to playoff.

Who is he? Alexis Rios is a two-time All-Star outfielder who until very recently held the distinction of being the longest-tenured active MLBer who had never participated in the postseason. In recent years, the postseason has been opened up to a larger pool of teams than we're used to, but it still took Rios 12 big league seasons and 1691 games before he played meaningful October baseball. Rios split most of his time with the Blue Jays and the White Sox, but prior to this season he had spent a season and change with recently eliminated Texas.

How did he get here? Strangely enough, Rios lost pretty much all of his speed and power in recent years. The Rangers found him expendable after last season, but he caught on with defending AL champs Kansas City with a one year deal. Though he once garnered MVP votes as recently as 2012, his production never recovered with KC. And yet, there he is, in the playoffs, helping the Royals to a Divisional Series victory and a shot at the upstart Blue Jays. And now the playoff-less crown belongs to Adam Lind.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None, but here's the original photo --

View image | gettyimages.com

Airbrushed Score: 5

Comments: I wish the Cardinals were still in the playoffs.

Airbrushed Fridays: 1975 Topps #572

Just happy to be here.

Who is he? Roger Nelson pitched professionally for 17 seasons, though he only appeared in 135 big league games. His minor league career began in 1963 and ended in Portland in 1979 with Pittsburgh's AAA affiliate. Although he was able to be a full time starter for a couple of seasons, there were only a handful of years where he didn't log at least some time in the minors. His best season was with the Royals in 1972, where he split time between the bullpen and the rotation and led the league in some sort of futuristic space stat called WHIP.

How did he get here? After his standout season, the Royals decided to move him along to Cincinnati in a deal that included future angry person Hal McRae. After two seasons in the bullpen with the Big Red Machine, Nelson was bought up by the Chicago White Sox who proceeded to dump him before the season ever started, rendering his so-called appearance in this uniform entirely fraudulent.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None

Airbrushed Score: 10

Comments: This one is immortalized on his Baseball-Reference.com page.

Airbrushed Fridays: 1990 Topps Traded #13T

Three days left in the season. Time to be geeked!

Who is he? Glenn Braggs was an outfielder who came up with the Milwaukee Brewers back in their American League days. Braggs was a second round pick in 1983 and showed flashes of power in his years with the Brew Crew, though he never broke out as a star player. Don't feel too sorry for the man, however. In addition to playing baseball professionally for a living for a number of years at the highest level, he also married a member of En Vogue. En Vogue!

How did he get here? The charmed life of Glenn Braggs took a turn in 1990 when he was part of a four player midseason deal involving the Cincinnati Reds. It was a turn for the better, as the Reds would go on to shock the juggernaut that was the Oakland A's with a World Series sweep that year. Braggs would go on to play for the Reds through 1992 before taking his talents to Japan for several more years.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: 1990 Topps #88

Airbrushed Score: 5

Comments: It's not bad, but it's not good either.

Airbrushed Fridays: 2015 Topps #384

A season of disappointment in the Emerald City.

Who is he? Justin Ruggiano is a journeyman outfielder who, mostly as a reserve, has spent parts of 7 seasons in the majors with 5 different teams. Ruggiano was drafted by the Dodgers but broke into the bigs with Tampa Bay. Although he appeared in the World Series, he never really cracked the Rays lineup and ended up with the Marlins (by way of Houston) in 2012. The following year in Miami was the closest he came to a full season's worth of appearances, but he was off to the Cubs in 2014.

How did he get here? Ruggiano found himself on the other side of another exchange for a minor leaguer late last December when Seattle came calling. After a relatively strong showing the previous season, Ruggiano wasn't used much in Seattle and didn't perform all that well. The Dodgers became the latest team to acquire him at the deadline, and he's done well there so far (small sample size alert).

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None, but here's the original photo --

View image | gettyimages.com

Airbrushed Score: 10

Comments: This is an atrocity. Does this look at all like Seattle's dark jersey? Does that even look like a '2'? It's funny, because you can still see Ruggiano's old Cubs jersey number (20) on the knob of his bat.