Matt Carasiti, American in Japan

I've told you all the story of how I came to collect Matt Carasiti's baseball cards, right? Basically, this guy was a pitcher in San Francisco Giants spring training last year - just before the pandemic - and I heard him interviewed on KNBR's Giants broadcast & came to think that he might be one of the most inspirational nice guys in sports. That's it. That's why. He then proceeded to get hurt; was out for the year with Tommy John surgery; came back to the Red Sox organization this spring; didn't make the bigs; and is now on the Worchester Red Sox - but hurt again. He has not pitched in 2021. I do hope he pitches again.

One thing I liked about that interview is that he told some fantastic stories of trying to get his pitching career into gear by playing in Japan for a couple of years. He moved his wife out there, and they fell in love with the place. Japan'll do that to you. I've been there a few times myself. After that stint, the Giants brought him into camp, and then things went sideways. Anyway, I really only have 4 more cards of his that I need before I have everything with his picture on it. 

This first one's a 2018 card put out by Epoch Sports, with Carasiti pitching for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. The one you see below you is also from 2018, and is put out by Baseball Magazine, aka BBM. Here's to Carasiti - very much wishing him a path back to the majors, and/or eternal peace and happiness otherwise.

A Matt Carasiti Japanese Card

I'm pretty psyched - I'm nearly done collecting a player's entire run of cards. The fact that it's a journeyman relief pitcher named Matt Carasiti with 25 MLB innings pitched to his name doesn't knock me off my pedestal too much. You can read all about why I collect Mr. Carasiti here.

I thought I only had two minor league cards of his to find, but then realized he spent 2018 with the Yakult Swallows in the Japanese league - now I need to contend with those. So here it is - my first Japanese card of any kind. According to the back you see below here, it was put out by "Baseball Magazine". Carasiti was pretty good for them as well, having gone 8-3 with a 3.99 ERA, which earned him a trip back to the majors with Seattle last year, and a spot on the SF Giants in spring training this year until he got hurt.

So here's what I'm down to: another Yakult Swallows card for Carasiti - this one - plus his 2014 Asheville Tourists card and 2015 Modesto Nuts card. If you've got any of these lying around, please get in touch with Card Hemorrhage...! We'll find something nice to send you in return, most assuredly.

Matt Carasiti is Another Guy I Collect

Believe it or not, folks, the 2020 MLB season actually did get off to some sort of start this year.  I can remember it well. In late February, I was listening to my local SF Giants broadcasting station KNBR, and Marty Lurie's afternoon show live from Spring Training during the "pitchers and catchers" portion of the spring. Lurie had as a guest one Matt Carasiti, a guy trying to make that Giants as a reliever and as a spring training, non-roster invitee.

I'd never heard of Carasiti, but I learned during the interview that he'd had the proverbial "cups of coffee" with the Colorado Rockies in 2016, and with the Seattle Mariners just this past year. He'd played in Japan in the interim, as well as for an assortment of minor league teams starting in 2012. His interview with Lurie was great. I instantly warmed to the guy: articulate, funny, interesting and just one of those dudes that you totally root for, and wish nothing but success for. He talked about proposing to his wife in San Francisco, and about how important it was for him to try his best to make the Giants in the spring and get a chance to play big-league ball again in 2020, as well as told some stories about his time in Japan and about the life of a player on the minor/major-league bubble. I vowed on the spot to start pulling together a Matt Carasiti baseball card collection, even though I'd never seen the guy pitch.

And then - maybe a week later? - I read the news that Carasiti blew out his arm in camp, and had to immediately undergo Tommy John surgery. Totally heartbreaking. This was a guy who clearly knew that he might never pitch in the majors again, and then this happens. I redoubled my efforts to ensure that I built up the world's finest Matt Carasiti baseball card collection.

It took me a few months and a bit of internet sleuthing to track down his Hartford Yard Goats card, among other things, but here's what a bit of what I've got from Carasiti. First, if you happen to have a Matt Carasiti card sitting in your own collection, it's probably some variation of this card.....and look at how many of them there are...!

There's a ton of 'em, but I think I have them all - including an autographed version of one of them on the lower left. Here's that card again:

And now to a few other highlights from the Matt Carasiti collection:

I'm still missing two Carasiti cards to complete the collection, far as I know: this 2014 Asheville Tourists card, and a 2015 Modesto Nuts card. With those, I think I'll be all caught up, at least until the man returns from Tommy John and lights up the National League in 2021 for the Giants as our closer. Anyone got a spare of either of those?