Michael Young Warms Up to the Hot Corner
Posted by Jeremy on January 16, 2009 under Market Watch | 
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Will GM Jon Daniels help him unpack?
After all the conjecture and fuss kicked up over the last couple of days, Michael Young has agreed to take the 40 foot jaunt over to 3B to make room for super prospect Elvis Andrus. Young’s decision came after numerous discussions with team president Nolan Ryan, manager Ron Washington, and his agent Dan Lozano (The fact that Rangers GM Jon Daniels was not involved in the discussion is a prime indicator that there still may be some hard feelings on Young’s end). Nevertheless, it was determined by all parties that this move was in the best interest of the Rangers organization and for Young himself. After investigating several trade possibilities it became increasingly evident that a deal would not be able to be constructed before spring training.
What does this new development mean from a baseball card market prospective? What jumps out most to me is the fact that Young will not be switching uniforms anytime soon and the move to 3B, while beneficial to the Rangers organization, will have a diminishing effect on the market of his cards. His numbers have made him one of the baseball’s top shortstops over the last 5-6 seasons but Young’s below average power relegates him middle of the road 3B, and should end his streak of 5 consecutive All-Star appearances.
For Andrus, this maneuver has kicked the door to Arlington wide open. Short of an absolute meltdown in spring training, he will be the team’s starting SS for the 2009 season and beyond. The presence of Young and his expressed interest to act as a mentor will benefit the young SS greatly through the early stages of his career.
How has the market responded to this news? Well, if you recall my recent post about Andrus’ 2008 autos, I reported prices for his Bowman Sterling and Donruss Threads versions in the $5.00-7.50 range. After that post, I promptly went out and purchased a regular Sterling jersey auto ($7.90) as well as the refractor version #/199 ($13.79). Market data over the last 24 hours for these cards show that the regular Sterling jersey autos are now selling at $12.50-15.00 each and there are two refractors on the market right now that, with more than 24 hours remaining, are sitting at $31.00 and $40.10 respectively.
Ahh, the joys of prospecting! This market spike may subside briefly after the news of today’s developments becomes archived fodder, but I don’t think that Andrus’ cards are quite done appreciating. He is a player that has the potential to dazzle and his name will assuredly be on the lips of sports media types well beyond the Texas state line. That is always a good thing!
Keep an eye on this card throughout spring training. I expect that he will have some growing pains this season as the Rangers are being a tad aggressive with his development, but with his considerably high ceiling, strong intangible skills and the simple fact that he is just 20 years old, it is reasonable to expect that his card values are far from reaching their apex.