Posted by Jeremy on January 15, 2009 under Your Daily Value | 
2008 Donruss Elite Extra LORENZO CAIN Auto #/817
Current eBay Price—$4.00-6.00
The skills are starting to catch up with the tools for this guy. Cain had his best season as a pro in ‘08 at three different levels, hitting .276 with 11 HR 60 RBI 25 SB 31 doubles and 71 runs scored. Even more impressive was the fact that he continued to sting the ball in the Arizona Fall League belting 5 HR and stealing 4 bases in just 18 games. The Brewers have seen a breakout with this guy coming for some time and many officials within the organization liken him to current Brewers RF Corey Hart.
After his performance in the AFL, it seems reasonable that Cain will get an opportunity to start the season at AAA Nashville. It will be important to monitor his performance there. Despite his athletic abilities and projectibility, Cain still strikes out at an unacceptible rate (51 BB/115 K in 126 games). Early struggles in the PCL may find him back down at AA Huntsville at some point. If he continues to succeed, though, Cain could either take Mike Cameron’s place in CF after this coming season or replace Hart in RF should the club not offer him a long term contract.
Cain has 1st year cards in the 2006 Bowman Chrome Prospects set that sell for $1.00-1.50 each, but this is his first non-minor league autographed card. His power output in the AFL gives me optimism that he can, indeed be a 20 HR/20 SB guy with the Brew Crew which should only enhance the value of this card in the future.
Tags: baseball prospects, Bowman Chrome, bowman chrome draft, donruss elite extra, ebay, lorenzo cain, lorenzo cain auto, lorenzo cain autograph, lorenzo cain baseball cards lorenzo cain memorabilia, lorenzo cain rc, lorenzo cain rookie card, lorenzo cain scouting report, milwaukee brewers, milwaukee brewers prospects
Posted by Jeremy on under Your Daily Value |
2005 Bowman Sterling COLBY RASMUS Jersey/Auto
Current eBay Price—$25.00-27.50
Ok, so this is a little bit spendier than many of the other Daily Value posts. The fact remains, though, that Colby Rasmus is still one of the elite talents in all of baseball and, by the looks of things, he should break camp with the big club in April. Ramus suffered through a difficult 2008 campaign which saw him struggle offensively in the early going and miss a good deal of time with various physical ailments.
When healthy, Rasmus is an elite 5-tool talent with a game very similar to Cleveland Indian All-Star Grady Sizemore. Aside from his 30-30 potential, he plays Gold Glove caliber defense and has solid plate discipline. The Cardinals currently have Skip Schmacher at the top of the CF depth chart which doesn’t seem like much, but Rasmus is not going to be given a clear path to a starting job. Remember, it was the venerable Tony LaRussa that said that Rasmus didn’t earn a September call-up even though he was healthy enough to play. I, for one, think that this and the fact that Rasmus did not play any winter ball will provide enough incentive for him to come into spring training with his game face on. Rasmus is a notoriously slow starter so it will be interesting to see just how he plays this spring.
The 2005 Bowman Sterling set has featured some nice 1st year autographs over the last few seasons that have appreciated greatly in value as prospects become performers at the major league level. Ryan Braun’s auto once sold for about $10 each before balooning to $100 during his rookie power surge. Former Red Sox farmhandsJacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia and Jed Lowrie’s jersey autos increased to the $50-70 range as they began to bang out hits in Fenway.
Other good low-priced values can be had in his 2005 Topps Chrome Update cards and Bowman Heritage. He also has had an auto released in the 2008 Bowman Signs of the Future subset that sells in the $6.00-8.00 range.
Rasmus has the potential to experience the same kind of appreciation in value. He plays for a well-respected franchise with an intensely dedicated fan base that extends far beyond the stae of Missouri. Once he starts making a positive impact at the MLB level and once Baseball Tonight starts mentioning his name, these cards should take off.
Warning: There is a chance of attrition for the young outfielder. He has been banged up a few times over the last couple of seasons. The sprained knee should be healthy by now, but you never can tell the nagging long term effects that an injury like that can have on the overall athleticism that Colby exudes.
Keep your eyes open and fingers crossed!
Tags: autographed cards, baseball cards sportscards, Bowman Chrome, bowman heritage, bowman sterling, colby rasmus, colby rasmus auto, colby rasmus autograph, colby rasmus cardinals, colby rasmus cards, colby rasmus rc, colby rasmus rookie card, draft, dustin pedroia, ebay, jacoby ellsbury, jed lowrie, major league prospects, minor league prospects, mlb roy candidates, Ryan Braun, St. Louis Cardinals, st. louis cardinals prospects
