Posted by Jeremy on January 24, 2009 under Market Watch | 
10-6 2.69 ERA 151 K's in '08
Once again I was parusing through the MLB news and notes and happened upon an article chronicling the progress of top Texas Ranger hurlers Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz. Reports have it that both pitchers are looking great in spring workouts and that the rumor that Feliz can hit 102 MPH are indeed true. Feliz should begin the ‘09 season pitching at AAA Oklahoma City which should be a good challenge for him as it is a very hitting condusive environment and will hopefully give us a precursor for what we can expect from him once he makes it to Arlington. That should happen at some during the regular season, especially now that Eric Hurley will be sidelined for the entire season.
The market for Feliz’s ‘08 autos is quite active right now with his various Donruss-made autos selling in the $25-35 range. Ugh, I really like Feliz’s upside, but spending that much on a pitcher goes against just about every prospecting bone in my body. The best bet may be to wait and see what he does in spring training as well as the early part of the season. Early struggles may lead to a down market period that could be more advantageous to adding a card or two to your inventory.
If you just can’t wait and need to get a piece of this future star right now, believe me…I understand! Here are some fine auctions available right now for the Rangers flame throwing phenom.
Tags: autographed cards, baseball cards, donruss, donruss elite extra, donruss threads, ebay, leaf limited, major league prospects, minor league prospects, neftali feliz, neftali feliz auto, neftali feliz autograph, neftali feliz rc, neftali feliz rookie card, neftali feliz scouting report, playoff contenders, rookie cards, sportscards, texas rangers, top mlb prospects
Posted by Jeremy on under Your Daily Value |
2002 Bowman Chrome Draft SHIN-SOO CHOO
Current eBay Price—$1.00-1.50
This guy has been around forever, yet will be just 26 this season and is coming off of a blazing final two months of the ‘08 season which saw him hit .359 with 10 HR 41 RBI and 41 runs scored in just 44 games. Choo was a career .300 hitter in the minor leagues but never got an opportunity to earn much playing time with the Mariners. After the trade to Cleveland, Choo platooned for a couple of seasons until the Tribe made him a full time starter in mid-July. Choo has the potential to hit at least 20 HR per season as a starter and there is also some potential for him to chalk up double digit SB totals. His strong arm and decent range makes him a good candidate for RF which bodes well for his future with the club as prospects Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley profile to be better fits in LF.
The 2002 Bowman Chrome Draft set was a landmark set for top prospects like Cole Hamels, Jeff Francouer, Zack Grienke and others. While the set has cooled significantly over recent years. Choo’s first year card could be a nice little gem that can be grabbed at a bargain basement price. Keep an eye out for his various autographed cards as well. Once he starts compiling good stats, the demand for all of his stuff should appreciate both here and overseas.
Tags: baseball cards, Bowman Chrome, bowman chrome draft, bowman sterling, cleveland indians, cleveland indians 2009, shin-shoo choo rookie card, shin-soo choo, shin-soo choo autograph, shin-soo choo autos, sportscards
Posted by Jeremy on under Your Daily Value |
2005 Bowman Chrome Draft STEPHEN DREW Auto
Current eBay Price—$27.50-30.00
Remember when this card was selling for $75-100 each? A sophomore slump in ‘07 and the emergence of several other autographs from this remarkable set (Ryan Braun, Jacoby Ellsbury, Colby Rasmus, etc..) muted the enthusiasm collectors felt for J.D. Drew’s younger brother’s cards despite his big turnaround in 2008. Last season, Drew batted .291 with 21 HR 67 RBI 41 doubles and 91 runs scored. At 26 years old, he will be entering the prime of his career and is, quite easily, one of the top 5 shortstops in all of baseball. I think that it is reasonable to believe that Drew can become a 25-30 HR hitter who drives in 85-100 runs and scores 100 runs per season for the next several years. The one area that I would like to see him address is his BB/K ratio. He walks far too little for someone of his power potential—this seems to be a common thread throughout the Diamondbacks whiff-prone roster.
There is a good deal of potential for Drew to establish himself as an All-Star this season, though Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes serve as formidable roadblocks. From a value standpoint, players that drop in value after stellar debuts often have a difficult time regaining the market demand that their cards. I think that Drew will buck the trend, he plays a prime time position in a hitter’s ballpark and there is plenty of reason to believe that the best years for this young player are ahead of him.
The Bowman Chrome Draft autos have always held up extremely well in the eBay market but there are also several other first year Drew cards from ‘05 that should be cheap acquisitions. Most notably are his Bowman Sterling and Topps Chrome Update cards that can be found with regularity in the $2-4 range. Also, there are plenty of serial #’ed RC’s and autos various Upper Deck products. Get a few while they are cheap!
