6 Degrees Of Raffy: The Roger Clemens Connection

It's time for another installment ("aka filler post") of 6 Degrees Of Raffy, where I connect a beloved card from my collection and connect the player depicted on it to current Red Sox superstar Rafael Devers. 

 

We start with a randomly generated card from my collection:

Random TCDB Card: 

1997 Select #24 Roger Clemens (BLUE)

Roger Clemens is the most prominent player in my collection, with over 200 unique cards in my collection. It was only a matter of time before he popped up as a random card. For once, I'm glad he's depicted as a Blue Jay and not a member of the Red Sox. That would have been too easy. Upping the level of difficulty is that the 1997 Select set only has 9 total Toronto cards in it, with one of them a prospect who never reached the big leagues. 

Teammates in the 1997 Select set
#24 Roger Clemens (BLUE)	#178 Kelvim Escobar (SR, RC)

After checking in on bigger names like Carlos Delgado and Joe Carter, I found a link in rookie pitcher Kelvim Escobar. Escobar pitched 12 years for the Blue jays and Angels, but it was his time in sunny California that got my attention.

Teammates in the 2007 Upper Deck set
#754 Kelvim Escobar	#758 Mike Napoli

Aw yeah, party at Napoli's! Back before tugging on his big bushy beard became a celebratory mainstay for the 2013 World Champion Red Sox, Napoli was a power hitting catcher for the Angels.

Teammates in the 2015 Topps set
#130 Mike Napoli	#445 Christian Vazquez

 

From one (former) catcher to another! Napoli's tenure in Boston saw him play with numerous players who would continue on with the team long enough to see Raffy's debut in 2017. It's a nice opportunity to showcase someone else besides the big names like Ortiz and Pedroia. 

Teammates in the 2022 Topps set
#63 Christian Vazquez	#331 Rafael Devers

 

Vazquez spent 8 years in Boston before being traded to the Astros in 2022, where he won his second World Series ring. He is currently with the Minnesota Twins.

Degrees of Raffy: 4