Retail stores (in this case Shopko) carrying hobby boxes could prove to be the death of my bank account. I got another box of 2009 UD Signature Stars as a birthday present to myself and although it looked bleak heading into the last few packs, it turned out to be a pretty good break. Here's what I pulled:
Garin Cecchini USA Jersey: Garin Cecchini was a fourth round pick of the Boston Red Sox (who else?) out of high school in 2010 after being rated as one of the top hitting prep prospects available. There's probably more info about him available online but it's late and I don't care enough to look for it...a thousand apologies.
Chris Tillman RC Auto: I've always rooted for Tillman because he's a former Mariners' prospect even though he was part of the ill-fated Erik Bedard trade (which doesn't quite seem as bad today as it used to). He's had a decent spring training and hopefully will put it all together in 2011. I could see the Orioles surprising quite a few people this season and their young starting pitcher will be a major reason why.
Drew Pomeranz Winning Materials #/499: Pomeranz was the ace of the Arkansas Razorback staff and was drafted 5th overall by the Cleveland Indians in last year's draft. The Indians hope Pomeranz is the next Cliff Lee but only time will tell. He signed to late to pitch in 2010 so no stats to speak of...sorry.
TJ Walz USA Jersey/Auto #6/799: T.J. Walz is a senior pitcher at Kansas who currently has a record of 2-3 with a 4.88 ERA and 31 K's in 31 innings. I don't have particularly high hopes for Walz as a professional (although I hope he proves me wrong) but I do love the design of the USA Future Watch cards. The sticker blends right into the card and the large photo is a big plus. I might have to find a player from this set to collect. Sonny Gray? Gerrit Cole? Bryce Harper?
Joe Mauer Sky Blue Parallel #32/170: Though underwhelming, the blue parallels are a tough pull at about one in every other box, and one day will be sold by Burbank Sportscards for ridiculous amounts. I was awfully happy to pull one of a great player and someone that I collect. WINNING!
Pablo Sandoval Gold Signature #7/15: The box had been pretty mediocre until one of the last few packs when this beauty popped out. Technically this set is from 2009 (even though it wasn't released until 2010) making this one of Pablo Sandoval's most difficult rookies to track down. This card nearly paid for the box by itself and I certainly won't complain about that.Overall Thoughts: I had quite a bit of fun busting this box once again, and even though I didn't pull a phenomenal looking Pride of Nation auto or a Bryce Harper, I was awfully happy with the results of my break. At the right price I certainly wouldn't hesitate to bust another box of this. Thanks for looking!
Nice couple of pulls at the end. I hope some of those other guys make it for ya. My son likes all that USA stuff though so it's cool.
ReplyDeleteOne of these times I'll remember that you collected USA players and I'll send some your way. You got that last package didn't you? I'm assuming the scanner issues are what's holding ya back.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay in responding. Yes, it's all scanner issues. I just spent $500 dollars for new tires and part of that was money I had set aside for the scanner.
ReplyDeleteNo problem, I always just worry about mail being lost. Sorry to hear about the tires; I was in the same spot last spring. Good luck with everything Brian...at least baseball will be here soon to cheer ya up!
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