Topps Allen and Ginter is always an interesting set for collectors. You can find not only baseball players, but also celebrities in this set. Additionally, you can find something “weird” as well. I always look for top rookie cards from this set. And, I got two mini cards of two rookies. One was a Ryan Mountcastle black-border mini insert and the other is a Spencer Howard mini insert. The Phillies selected Spencer Howard in the 2nd round of the 2017 draft and Howard made his MLB debut on August 9, 2020. He earned his career win on August 31. In his first season in the big league, he posted a 5.92 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP in 6 starts. Opponents hit .300 against him. Hence, his first season in the majors wasn’t going very well. In 2021, he made 7 starts and 4 relief appearances for the Phillies. During these 11 games, he tossed 28.1 innings, posting a 5.72 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Meanwhile, opponents hit .236 against him. Batting average against Howard dropped. However, he didn’t pitch particularly well and he was sent to Triple-A twice. He threw 21.2 innings for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies) and he was dominant. Howard owned a 1.25 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP with the IronPigs and opponents only batted .171 against him. On the 2021 trade deadline, the Phillies traded him to the Rangers. Howard took 3 losses with the Rangers and hasn’t recorded a win yet. In 8 starts, he posted a 9.70 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP. He was considered a top pitching prospect, but he will have to show his capability to pitch consistently in the big league next season. In the meantime, Ryan Mountcastle’s story in the 2021 season is quite interesting. Mountcastle was selected by the Orioles in the first round of the 2015 draft and he was called up on August 21, 2020. Mountcastle played 35 games last season, hitting .333/.386/.492 with 5 home runs and 23 RBI. With good performance in 2020, it was reasonable to think that Mountcastle was a strong candidate for the 2021 AL Rookie of the Year award. However, in the first month of the 2021 season, Mountcastle was only hitting .198/.229/.286 with 1 home run and 7 RBI. Nonetheless, he gradually heated up. In May, Mountcastle was hitting .256/.283/.465 with 4 home runs and 14 RBI. In June, he slashed .327/.382/.634 with 9 home runs and 26 RBI. Mountcastle was named the AL Rookie of the Month for June. He finished the 2021 season with a .255/.309/.487 slash line. He crushed 33 home runs, leading qualified rookies. Additionally, he passed Cal Ripken Jr. to set the Orioles rookie home run record. Also, he collected 89 RBI, second most among qualified rookies. Thus, Mountcastle had a rough start in 2021 and there were ups and downs during the regular season, however, he finished the season as a strong candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year award. Ryan Mountcastle faced Spencer Howard twice this season. He collected one hit and he was struck out once. In the 2021 season, Mountcastle already showed that he’s capable of hitting in the majors. The Orioles are still in the process and Mountcastle is a key player to the Orioles’ future success.
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