Max Scherzer signs baseball cards for a cause
By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor
Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer wants to help the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, so he’s doing one thing he does pretty well.
He’s signing autographs.
Scherzer and the team have created the Baseball Cards for a Cause program where the right-hander will sign baseball cards sent to him for a $25 donation to the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation.
Cards — and only cards — should be sent with a check or money order payable to the Foundation and a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
Max Scherzer
Baseball Cards for a Cause
1500 S Capitol St SE
Washington, DC 20003
According to a statement issued by the team, you can expect to wait six to eight weeks for your card to be returned. Autographs are limited to two per season. Any cards postmarked after Sept. 1 will not be signed. Anything that’s not a standard card will be returned unsigned.
Collectors seeking more information on the program can contact the Nationals via email at cardsforacause@nationals.com.
The Detroit Tigers, Scherzer’s former team, has a lineup of players who sign for a similar charitable program. Among them are Miguel Cabrera ($120 per card), Alex Avila ($20), Yoenis Cespedes ($30), Nick Castellanos ($20), Joba Chamberlain ($10), David Price ($40) and Alan Trammell ($20) to name a few. See all the signers and get more information by clicking here.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball and Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazines. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
This is pretty cool. Other than the Tigers and Max Scherzer, are there any other teams/players that do this?
In 1980, I had a charitable ball that I was trying to get signed for an 8 year old girl in my 3rd grade classroom who was dying of cancer. I had accumulated several autos on the ball as a concession manager for my night time job. Prior to an August game- my friend Reggie came up and asked for an ice cream bar. I proceeded to give him the box of one dozen bars. I then asked for his autograph on the little girl’s ball. He promptly gave me and the ball a … salute and walked away.
I never told the girl or her family about Reggie’s salute. They were too overjoyed of the players that did actually sign the ball.
A number of players will go out, either for their own programs or as part of team initiatives, for such appearances. In Winnipeg, the Jets have sent a player each year to a Shoppers Drug Mart location around the same time each year for a signing, usually $5-10 for an autograph with all proceeds going to a particular fund. Dustin Byfuglien, Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba have been involved.
Yet Scherzer would not honor his 2012 Allen & Ginter autograph redemption.
This is awesome……thanks for letting us know.
I plan to contribute to this great cause in a week or so. I will send $50 & 2 cards to get Max’s autograph. I will give one to my son who is 11yrs old & the 2nd one is for me to add to my hobby collection. Thank you so much for sharing this information!