Posted by Jeremy on January 16, 2009 under Market Watch | 
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.
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Posted by Jeremy on January 12, 2009 under Market Watch |
Big news from Arlington!
5-time All-Star SS Michael Young has requested a trade from the Texas Rangers after they asked him to move to 3B to make room for phenom Elvis Andrus. . Last season, Elvis hit .295 with 4 HR 65 RBI 54 SB and 82 runs scored at AA Frisco as a 19 year old. Committed to making the big club in ‘09, Andrus continued to toil in the Venezuelan Winter League where his bat started slowly but heated up to hit .257 with 2 HR 15 RBI and 7 SB in 50 games. I wrote a recent post mentioning the potential growth in demand for Andrus’ cards, and these recent developments may confirm my prognostication much earlier than expected.
There is no doubt that this move, regardles of his 2008 Gold Glove award, would eventually have to happen for Young. Andrus has incredible range and top of the order speed that would fit very well in this exciting Rangers lineup. As badly as Young wants a trade, it is going to be difficult to receive top value for him. The Rangers just signed him to a contract extension at 5 years and $80 million that, in this volitile economy, will limit the potential trade partners to a handful of teams.
Boston seems to be a nice fit for him as they have already been rumored to be seeking the future services of their former farmhand and now Marlins superstar Hanley Ramirez. After losing the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes to the Yankees, the Red Sox may decide to turn their attention toward the 32 year old SS. With a system chocked full of talented pitching prospects and outfielders, they seem to be ideal trading partners. One thing that could inhibit the deal, however, is the soreness that BoSox GM Theo Epstien may still be feeling after being robbed in the ill-fated Eric Gagne trade of 2007. That deal netted the Rangers starting OF David Murphy, RHP Kason Gabbard, and super prospect Engel Beltre.
This story bears watching as the opportunity for Elvis Andrus to break camp with the big club in April now looks to be extraordinarily bright. The Rangers are not averse to aggressively promoting their more promising prospects and Andrus, despite his youth, has the blend of physical skills and intangibles that could successfully facilitate such a move. Andrus has 1st year cards in the 2006 Bowman Chrome Prospects set that sell for $2.50-4.00 each and his 2008 Bowman Sterling and Donruss Threads Autos have been selling for $5.00-7.50 apiece.
Young’s situation will be of great interest as well. Pay attention to what teams start inquiring about his services. If the frontrunner hails from Boston or another large market team, Young’s 1999 1st year cards and certified autographs could see an appreciable increase in demand. At some time a deal will have to be done as it is quite clear now that Young and Andrus will not coexist on the same playing field.
Tags: autographed cards, baseball cards, boston red sox, boston red sox trade, Bowman Chrome, elvis andrus, elvis andrus auto, elvis andrus autograph, elvis andrus scouting report, michael young, michael young autograph, michael young trade, minor league prospects, mlb prospects, rookie cards, texas rangers, texas rangers prospects
