Addison Russell gets his favorite players' autographs on the backs of Pokemon cards

Typically, when you're the 23-year-old starting shortstop for the defending World Series champions whose Game 6 grand slam helped snap a 108-year title drought, you're the one giving out autographs. Addison Russell, however, recognizes that being a big leaguer affords him the rare opportunity to get signatures from all his favorite players. So that's exactly what he does -- with Pokemon cards.
Seriously: According to ESPN, Russell has been sending clubhouse attendants to opposing locker rooms with Pokemon cards for players to sign. It started with his own teammates in Spring Training, and in the weeks since he's put together a pretty great collection: Kenley Jansen and Corey Seager of the Dodgers, Carlos Correa and José Altuve of the Astros, Jonathan Villar of the Brewers.
"I started collecting this offseason because my cousins, nieces and nephews all started collecting, so I wanted to find a way to relate with them. Get on that level with them. I've signed a lot of baseball cards of myself, and I just thought it would be cool if professional athletes would sign Pokémon cards. I started collecting them more, and now I'm asking guys to sign them."
Of course, like any true Pokemon fan, he's committed to finding an appropriate match: For example, Russell chose a fire-type card for the flamethrowing Jansen to sign. For Altuve, it was a dragon-type -- "because he's aggressive and I like his style of play."
So far, no player has turned him down, and they all seem to love it. But it does beg the question: What's Russell planning on doing with his collection? "My cousins are waiting to check out the collection after the year is over. I really don't want to sell them, but I'm down to trade some Pokémon if people want."