Fan Mail???

First congratulations on having a fan request your autograph. The only time I was asked for my autograph was when I was driving 70 in a 55.
On a serious note: What you describe does happen fairly frequently and is probably legit, but I’m like you, it does make one wonder. Playing D-1 ball I’m sure you sign autographs for fans you have never seen before but when a request comes in the mail, it looks suspicious. I personally told my son to ignore the mail in autograph request unless there is a very good written explanation accompanying that request.
Fungo

was that 70 mph on a stalker or jugs gun

Just curious how a fan who does not know you got your e-mail address to begin with.

I would have to agree wtih Fungo - in this day and age.

Nothing wrong with giving autographs - and it really is a big thrill for both you and the fan. There is also nothing wrong with being a little cautious.

Note of caution learned from my son last year. Be careful about giving an autograph on a blank piece of paper. In the minor leagues there were reports of people taking the autograph from the blank paper and using technology to forge for identity theft purposes. Issue came up when we were watching members of an opposing team sign for someone who just had a white peace of paper on a clipboard. My son and his teammates were cautioned away from doing that.

My son also got one from I think DC right after the 03 draft. It was from someone who claimed to be a kid who collected baseball autographs. Bottom line, my son was drafted out of HS in the 40+ round and at that time had a better chance being that kids hisory teacher than a MLB player. This is a no-win situation and the only place the letter belongs is in the trash.

I have to give the adult who wrote it credit for spending time on the low probability futures market. All it would take is one long shot that makes it real big and his 37 cent stamp would be well worth it.

Don't sign anything sent to you from an unknown, unsolicited source period. It could be a legit autograph seeker, but usually isn't. The ones son has received are obviously from people who do not know him (ex: "I've seen you play many times" or "following your career", but the return address is somewhere in the country where he has never played). E-mails and addresses of baseball players are unfortunately too easy to come by ... like from discarded media guides at showcases or tournaments. The best advice we received was to only sign those items handed to you personally. Sign items like programs and balls, not blank cards. Make sure your "autograph" signature is not the same as your "financial" signature. Hope this helps.

Agree with all the advice given.

Kinda nice to be asked for autographs. Hope he gets to sign a lot of them and remembers how it feels now when it starts to seem like a bit of a chore. I've noticed that Barry Zito is one player who makes quite an effort to sign autographs.

Only time I signed an autograph was at a pro-celebrity tennis tournament. I was coming out of the player's lounge and a little guy insisted that I was Steve DeBerg, who was my doubles partner. Only a little kid could have mistaken me for Deberg as I weighed about 165 at the time.