Posted by Jeremy on December 31, 2008 under Uncategorized | 
Thank you for the cards!
Yesterday I received a nice little care package from my friend Mario at Wax Heaven. A little while ago, I had sent a couple of Marlins lots to him to add to his collection. Today, to my surprise, he sent me a nifty little list of autographed prospect cards. Here’s how it broke down.
2007 Bowman Chrome Prospects RYAN ADAMS Autograph
- Adams is a young 2B prospect who demonstrated good pop and decent speed. At Low-A Delmarva, Adams hit .308 with 11 HR 57 RBI 12 SB and 68 runs scored. He still strikes out too much, but his bat has nice gap power and the potential to carry him to the bigs.
2008 Bowman Chrome Prospects JOSH BELL Auto
- I’ve written about Bell before. Big and strong, Bell has the potential to hit between 25-30 HR at the big league level as either a 1B or 3B. He had some injury woes this past season, but he seems to have gotten past them and worked on his athleticism in the off season. I expect a nice jump forward for this guy. If he can reign in his discipline at the plate, Bell should become a solid MLB middle of the lineup slugger.
2004 SP Prospects GABY HERNANDEZ/AARON HATHAWAY Dual Auto #/175
- The one time New York Mets “future battery” now has a Washington state feel to it. Gaby Hernandez came to the M’s organization in the deal last season that sent Arthur Rhodes to Florida. Gaby Hernandez has slipped considerably since being an elite pitching prospect in the Mets farm system. He should pitch with AAA Tacoma this season with some possibility of making the Mariners’ rotation or bullpen at some point in ‘09. Hathaway was a catcher with the University of Washington who had some decent success before having a considerably less successful professional career. Although he hit .311 with the St. Lucie Mets in 2005, it proved to be his last professional season.
2008 Tristar PEDRO BEATO Auto
- Beato is big, strong, and young, but for some reason, he had an awful 2008 season at High-A Frederick going 4-10 with a Coors Field-like 5.85 ERA and a 33 BB/51 K ratio in 97 IP. Beato has electric stuff, but no real feel for how to set up hitters and mix his pitches efficiently. He often misses locations with his fastball, which makes him very hittable. This kid’s ceiling is much higher than his performance has indicated. Let’s see if he can turn it around in ‘09.
Thanks again Mario! If any of you haven’t gotten a chance to check out Wax Heaven, quit shortchanging yourself and get cracking. Mario offers an honest, insightful, and entertaining look at our hobby as well as pop culture that provides food for thought on a daily basis. In addition, he has one of the most tight knit and active reading communities that offer poignant contributions on a daily basis.
Tags: aaron hathaway, autographed cards, baseball cards, gaby hernandez, josh bell, Minor League Baseball, minor league prospects, pedro beato, rookie cards, ryan adams, wax heaven
Posted by Jeremy on December 30, 2008 under Uncategorized |
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft KELLEN KULBACKI Auto
Current eBay Price—$6.00-8.00
- The San Diego Padres have had an affinity for drafting small, stocky, Brian Giles clones over the past couple of seasons. Players like Chad Huffman and ‘08 draftee Jaff Decker have fit the bill, but no one has personified the Giles-like game more than Kulbacki. Last season, the James Madison alum terrorized California League pitching to the tune of a .332 BA with 20 HR and 66 RBI in just 84 games. Kulbacki’s sophomore season at James Madison put him on the prospect radar after he hit .468 with 24 HR and 75 RBI. He has the ability to play either corner OF spot, though he profiles better as a leftfielder. I think Kellen’s stellar plate discipline should allow for him to maintain his high average at the big league level which makes future .300 BA with 15-20 HR seasons quite likely. His 2007 autographs in the Bowman Sterling set are even cheaper right now, ranging between $4.00-6.00.
Tags: baseball cards, baseball prospects, bowman chrome draft, bowman sterling, ebay, kellen kulbacki, kellen kulbacki scouting report, Minor League Baseball, san diego padres, san diego padres prospects, sportscards
Posted by Jeremy on under Your Daily Value |
I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. I offer to you my sincere apologies for the lack of posts recently, but life has a funny way of enforcing its own to do lists on us. Ok, I will do my best to give you a couple quality Y.D.V. posts before we kiss 2008 good buy…I mean bye!
2005 Bowman’s Best GEORGE KOTTARAS Auto #/974
Current eBay Price—$5.00-7.00
- The continued uncertainty of Jason Varitek’s future as captain of the Red Sox makes this card, along with Kottaras’ other ‘05 autos, intriguing purchases. Last season, the Ontario native had a power breakthrough, belting 22 HR and 65 RBI. Kottaras is the kind of player that appeals to the Red Sox organization—blue collared, disciplined, and team oriented. Georgie won’t win any batting titles, but his lefty bat has generated surprising pop and he is adept at working counts (sometimes too much) and drawing walks. Kottaras has spent the winter playing sparingly in the Venezuelan Winter League, which indicates that he may get a real good shot at making the Red Sox’ roster in April. The Red Sox recently signed Josh Bard which, if Tek plays one more season, could really serve as a detriment to Kottaras’ Beantown opportunities. Nevertheless, he remains an intriguing, low-risk option for bargain hunting prospectors and Fenway faithful alike.
Tags: baseball cards, boston red sox, Bowman Chrome, bowman chrome draft, ebay, george kottaras, jason varitek, josh bard, minor league prospects, red sox prospects, rookie cards, sportscards, spring training
Posted by Jeremy on December 26, 2008 under Your Daily Value |
Today I offer a slight tweak to Your Daily Value as we examine two prospects at once. The Pittsburgh Pirates made several acquisitions last season as they parted ways with Jason Bay, Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. Additionally, the draft of Pedro Alvarez has effectively provided the Bucs with, potentially, their best 3rd baseman ever. Naturally, Alvarez is likely at least two seasons away which leaves the hot corner available to two somewhat intriguing and overlooked prospects. Today we examine the merits of both Andy LaRoche and Neil Walker’s Bowman Chrome autographed cards.
2005 Bowman Chrome ANDY LAROCHE Auto
Current eBay Price—$6.00-9.00
- This guy’s stock has dropped significantly since being named the L.A. Dodgers’ #2 overall prospect prior to last season. LaRoche has looked like a potential batting champion with 25-30 HR power through the minor leagues, but has, to this point, been unable to replicate those numbers at the big league level. After the trade, LaRoche hit an anemic .152 with just 3 HR and 12 RBI in 164 AB. Plate discipline in not an issue with LaRoche, as he walks almost as much as he strikes out, but injury issues have plagued him all throughout his career. All things considered, I think, while he is likely not the player he was in the minor leagues, he is surely better than he demonstrated with Pittsburgh. He is in line to be the starter and he has the hitting ability to be a 20 HR hitter for the Bucs, which would make this card, his only 1st year auto, a decent short term buy.
2004 Bowman Chrome Draft NEIL WALKER Auto
Current eBay Price—$6.00-8.00
- The former catcher is younger, stronger, and much more athletic than LaRoche, but his ‘08 performance disappointed the Pirates brass, who fully expected to have him make his MLB debut. Still, there are a lot of things to like in Walker. He is a switch hitter who projects to hit 20-25 HR annually, has above average speed, and the range and arm strength to be an exceptionally good fielder at 3B. This may also play well into Walker’s hands as top prospect Pedro Alvarez profiles to be an average fielder at 3B and may shift to 1B in the future. The big negative with Walker is his poor plate discipline. Last year’s 29 BB/102 K ratio was the major culprit behind his poor .246 BA and was the primary indicator behind Pirates GM Neal Huntington’s decision to not promote him in September. Walker will be just 23 through the ‘09 season and, if he can improve his plate discipline, his several autographed cards from various ‘04 sets (Donruss Elite Extra, SP Prospects, Fleer Hot Prospects, Bowman’s Best, Bowman Sterling) could receive a considerable market bump.
Final Word: Walker has way more upside than LaRoche, but LaRoche is the current starter at the hot corner. I think that Walker will start the ‘09 season at AAA Indianapolis, but at the first sniff of an injury or continued slump from LaRoche, Walker will get an immediate call up to Pittsburgh.
Tags: andy laroche, baseball cards, bowman chrome draft, bowman sterling, ebay, hot stove league, minor league prospects, mlb prospects, neil walker, pittsburgh pirates, rookie cards, sportscards, thrid base prospects
Posted by Jeremy on December 25, 2008 under Your Daily Value |
Merry Christmas to everyone! I have a little break in the action to bring you a new daily value buy. I hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas day with family and friends as we commemorate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ.
2008 Donruss Threads DOMINIC BROWN Auto #/999
Current eBay Price—$5.00-8.00
- In a system that is stuffed with 5-tool, high-upside OF’s, Dominic Brown may be the best of all of them. Tall, fast, and sinewy strong, Brown has an extremely polished bat despite his young age. Brown paced the pitcher-friendly Hawaiian Winter League with a .389 BA and earned 15 BB/14 K in his stint. There isn’t any part of Brown’s game that doesn’t project to be above average and, once his power develops, Brown should develop into an elite prospect. At these current prices, Brown’s 1st year autos are something to accrue in bunches. Want to spend a couple extra bucks? His Donruss Elite Extra autos are nice buys in the $8.00-10.00 range.
Tags: baseball cards, Bowman Chrome, dominic brown, dominic brown scouting report, donruss elite extra, donruss threads, ebay, minor league prosepcts, philadelphia phillies, rookie cards, sportscards
Posted by Jeremy on December 24, 2008 under Uncategorized |
2008 Donruss Elite Extra CALEB GINDL Auto #/245
Current eBay Price—$4.50-7.00
- Gindl built on his successful ’07 debut season with another fine statline at Low-A West Virginia hitting .307 with 13 HR 81 RBI 14 SB and 86 runs scored. He followed up in the Hawaiian Winter League by hitting .281 with 3 HR and 18 RBI. This kid reminds me a lot of Brian Giles as he has a strong stocky build and he plays the game with grit and fire. He still needs to work quite a bit on his strike zone judgement (63 BB/144 K) but, at just 19 years old, there is plenty of time for that. He is close to being maxed out physically, but I think that he will develop 20-25 HR power as evidenced by his 38 doubles hit last season. The Milwaukee Brewers, under the guidance of Doug Melvin and Jack Zdurencik have been keen evaluators of projectible talent. Gindl is one of the offensive gems in their system. Want another fine Gindl auto? His ‘08 Donruss Threads autos sell for $3.00-5.00 each.
Posted by Jeremy on under Uncategorized |
The New York Yankees, in a perpetual spending orgy, added a big piece to their star-studded roster with the addition of former L.A. Angels 1B Mark Teixeira. 8 years and $180 million was the bait of choice for this big fish, and with this addition, many now feel that the Bronx Bombers are the odds on favorites to win the highly competitive A.L. East and, perhaps, the entire coup de gras.
The acquisition of Tex will now shift White Sox acquisition Nick Swisher to RF, moving Nady to LF and Damon to CF. The lineup with Tex in it is now stronger and the infield defense should improve immensely as well. Following the announcement, Teixeira’s 2001 SPX RC’s experienced an immediate eBay jump in value from $85-90 to $125-140 each. I think that many people feel that Teixeira provides the Yankees with the final knock out punch that they need to win the AL East and, likely, the pennant.
A Yankees pennant is not a forgone conclusion
The Yankees, much like the Washington Redskins in the NFL, have a history of winning the offseason by signing high-profiled free agents throughout their roster, only to have them fold in the post season.
Examining the recent success of the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays, it is easy to see that each of these franchises were able to succeed by shrrewdly scouting, drafting, and developing their farm system talent while adding the right blend of mid-level, role-fulfilling free agents. That said, the Yankees have replaced the losses of Mike Mussina, Andy Pettite, Jason Giambi, and Bobby Abreu with younger and more talented pieces.
How will all of this play out? We shall see in October. My personal feel is that the Red Sox will need to deal a few of their more talented pieces like Michael Bowden, Justin Masterson, Clay Buchholz, and others to fill their holes at catcher, designated hitter, and, depending on how Mike Lowell comes back, third base. Given Theo Epstien’s proclivity to be aggressive in the trade market, I fully expect some pre-deadline deals to be made.
As for the Rays, last season was a special year and, while they are a good young team, I do believe that they were one that overachieved quite a bit. Beware of the sophomore slump from Evan Almighty and the pressure on David Price to be a solid frontline pitcher will be great. Closer is a shaky position for them as Troy Perceival has shown time and time again that he is just about ready for the senior citizen discount at IHOP. This is an offense that is in need of more power production. Sure Longoria and Pena are great, but stacked against the two other beasts of the east, the Rays seem to be armed with pea shooters.
My conclusion is that the special ‘08 season that the Rays had will fade into obscurity as the Yankees and Red Sox will once again return to the top of the AL East mountain in late September to battle it out for the top spot. The losing team will inherit the Wild Card and wait a couple of weeks to battle again for the AL Pennant.
Posted by Jeremy on under Uncategorized |
2007 Bowman Heritage NOLAN REIMOLD Auto
Current eBay Price—$3.50-5.00
- Reimold’s first year cards were in 2005, but this is one of the few autographs he has out right now. I just love the look of Bowman Heritage’s Signs of Greatness cards and the price of these autos are always a bit lower than their Bowman Chrome or Bowman Sterling counterparts. Reimold is one of my darkhorse rookie impact players for the 2009 season. He had an immensely successful ‘08 campaign at AA Bowie hitting .284 with 25 HR 82 RBI and 87 runs scored. He has superb plate discipline and has the ability to be a very good rightfielder. Reimold also played well in the Arizona Fall League after a slow start, belting another 4 HR and 11 RBI. This spring should see Reimold getting a fair amount of playing time to showcase his talents. I, for one, believe that Reimold is not far away and once he cracks the O’s lineup, he should stay there.
Tags: baltimore orioles, baseball cards, bowman chrome draft, bowman heritage, bowman sterling, ebay, nolan reimold, nolan reimold auto, nolan reimold autograph, nolan reimold rc, nolan reimold rookie cards, sportscards
Posted by Jeremy on December 18, 2008 under Uncategorized |
The Yankees signed another top-tier free agent hurler to join C.C. Sabathia when they shelled out $82.5 million to retain A.J. Burnett’s services for the next 5 seasons. Last year, Burnett was fully healthy and won 18 games while striking out 231 hitters in 221 IP playing second fiddle to Roy Halliday. Since saying yes to the pinstripes, Burnett’s 1999 Topps Traded Autos have experienced a slight jump in eBay market value from $35 to $45 each.
My take: Burnett is a great #2 starter and htere is no reason to believe that he won’t be a 15 game winner with the Bronx Bombers. However, C.C. Sabathia is still the headliner of this rotation and will likely be the one that draws the most market love from the vast contingent of Yankees fans. Sell ‘em if you’ve got ‘em.
Update on Sabathia 1999 Topps Traded Autos. Last week I projected that these cards would be selling in the $150-200 range by this time. Currently, the eBay market shows a price range of $100-110 each. I was waaaaaaay off! This may be due, in part, to a tumultuous economy or to the fact that Yankees fans are quite used to signing big ticket free agents.
Next big question for the drunken sailors…will they let Manny be Manny?
Posted by Jeremy on under Market Watch |
Thank you to all of you who have been checking out my blog on a regular basis. Some of you I have met via email or phone and in every circumstance, it has been a delight. For those of you that have yet to drop me a line and say hello….what are you waiting for?
Some of you may have noticed that the amount of posts have decreased somewhat recently. I assure you that this is not reflective of a decline in dedication to this blog or a lack of new material. Rather, I have been working dilligently with a good friend of mine, Mike Smeth of the Cardboard Connection, in creating a new prospecting site called Hot-Prospects.net.
The main goal of this site is to create a comprehensive database of MLB prospects that have 1st year cards available on the market. Each prospect profile features a brief scouting report, projection for 2009, and a list of some of their more significant cards. In just over a month, we have created about 125 profiles and are adding 3-5 more on a daily basis. During the season, Hot-Prospects will be providing regular updates and statistical data from the top performers.
Check it out and let me know what you think. As always, your suggestions and comments are valued and appreciated!
