MiLB Madness: Tyler Gilbert's debut, Chico, tacos & more

Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card and here are five example of some oddities in this latest MiLB Madness series item. 

BIG DEBUT ...
The Cards: Tyler Gilbert 2016 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws (in team sets)
The Buzz On This One: Gilbert arrived in the Arizona Diamondbacks rotation on Saturday as a 27-year-old rookie and struck out 10 in his first start -- a no-hitter. That's something just three other players have done in all of MLB history, instantly making him a big name for the moment and that moment led people to look for his baseball cards. With all of the prospect releases that arrive seemingly weekly, he'd never appeared on anything found in a pack, just MiLB team sets. (And then a Topps Now card on Sunday.) Rather than grab the new card -- 5,791 copies sold -- I opted for what may be his first MiLB card at a lower cost. I landed three of these team sets for just $4 apiece as they were on clearance via the team's site. (Meanwhile, on eBay? It was insanity ... I'm sure they all get paid for.) He pitches again tonight so we'll see how start No. 2 goes.

Keep reading for four more examples of weird baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

HEY, CHICO!
The Cards: Chico 2014-18 Grandstand El Paso Chihuahuas cards
The Buzz On This One: If you ask me, there's one MiLB team's unis that run with the big dogs and it's this one where their mascot logo (see the first card's logo) is the same one that appears on their caps. (Well, at least one of them as they have many.) The team re-branded as the Chihuahuas in 2014, so my run here for the first five years of "man's best friend" is complete and you can read all about him on those cards. (Some say more than others.) I'll track down the rest at some point -- and this kind of classic cardboard is totally one I'd consider grading ... just because many of you might not. Snarl!

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WHAT?
The Card: Blayne Jetski 2014 Grandstand Lancaster JetHawks
The Buzz On This One: "Jetski was the third string goalie for the Alaskan team in the movie Mystery, Alaska. He's not allowed entry in the country of Sweden after sneaking on the ice during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and ruining their chances at a medal. Trained under Coach Gordon Bombay in Minnesota during his childhood." ... That's just part of the story with this card of something that just screams MiLB cardboard oddity to me. FYI: The card some of you might want to grab out of this team set? Carlos Correa.

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ONE FOR THE FOODIES
The Card: Taco 2014 Grandstand Birmingham Barons
The Buzz On This One: Mascot races are definitely a baseball thing beyond Milwaukee (and elsewhere) but down in Alabama where Michael Jordan once roamed the field apparently there's a "cheating hot dog" and then others who battle it out. Just take Taco's card-back word for it. This one? Well, it even has a Twitter account ... not so active these days but it's out there. The cards are a bit out there, too, and this one wasn't alone. (I should have grabbed others for a foodie mascot stash in my collection.)

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A MEMBER OF THE GROUNDS CREW?!?
The Card: The Gorilla 2011 Grandstand Lake Elsinore Storm
The Buzz On This One: OK, so this guy isn't working the bases or raking dirt -- at least that I know of -- but that card back has all you need to know about a gorilla on the field out in California. Check it out. There's plenty to be digested on this pocket-change card and it's not alone out there ... in fact, nothing here was pricey at all.

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