Card of the Week: 2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Brad Hand Red Refractor Auto RC #1/5

Well, it looks like my O.C.D. finally got the best of me, and in one fell swoop I took this whole prospecting craze to the next level.

I took the plunge on this card last week while browsing eBay on a slow afternoon at work (always a bad idea). I've been hunting for an under the radar prospect to collect, and for no real reason, was drawn to Florida Marlins' farmhand Brad Hand (too many hands in one sentence). I put in an offer on the card that I didn't think the buyer would take, but lo and behold he did, and I found myself in possession of my lowest numbered card ever (#1/5).

Since that time, I've found myself closely following Hand's starts for the Jupiter Hammerheads (High Class A), despite the fact that he's still years away from the majors (still just 20-years-old). On the season, the young left-hander is 5-4 with a 3.10 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 87 innings. He's cut down on his walks and increased his strikeouts since last season and looks like a viable big league starter (and maybe an ace) down the line.

Will I be patient enough to hold onto the card until then? Only time will tell, but in the meanwhile, it's a great looking card and a fun way to spice up the collection.

Anyone else have an under the radar prospect they collect?

The Agony & Ecstasy of Cards: Gordon Beckham

About two months ago I pulled this beautiful card from a pack that I bought at a gas station (that's no typo--it was a gas station that sold baseball cards) and was thrilled.

Gordon Beckham was coming off a strong rookie season and looked to be one of the AL's rising stars at second base. If I had pulled this card during the summer or fall of 2009, it would have netted between $125-150, but unfortunately he started 2010 slowly and the card plummeted in value.

I figured it was just a sophomore slump and he would ride it out, the card was selling for $50 and there was seemingly no where to go but up-- just don't tell that to Gordon's batting average.

Well, it's been nothing but heartache every time I check the White Sox box score, hoping to see a strong game from Beckham. Tonight for example, Chicago scored nine runs on 16 hits, but G-Beck went 0-4 with a strikeout.

I need some Pepto-Bismol; my indigestion is out of control. Apparently, prospecting isn't for the faint of stomatch...

Box Break: 2008 Bowman Draft Hobby (Aflac Auto)

I've been on a bit of prospecting spree lately, a choice made easier by the utter lack of new products being released. As crazy as it sounds, I had a gut feeling that if I was going to buy a box, it had to be a box of 2008 Bowman Draft. The feeling was so strong that I spent some money I didn't really have to get a box off eBay, and as luck would have it, the decision turned out pretty well. You've already seen the best card out of this box but here are the rest of the inserts to get a better idea about how the product looks:

Brent Morel Blue Border Parallel #69/399: The blue border parallels fall about one per box and work fairly well with the design of the base cards. My blue border was of White Sox third base prospect Brent Morel, a third round pick of the team who just got promoted to Triple A. He's a career .298 hitter in the minor leagues so there's a chance this card may raise in value from $1 to $2. I guess that's just what makes prospecting so much fun.

Will Inman Rookie Refractor: The refractors from this set look phenomenal in person--really some of the nicest looking refractor cards I have ever seen. The first one I pulled was of Padres' pitcher Will Inman, who was originally drafted by the Brewers in 2005. The 23-year-old right hander has put together a solid minor league career and is currently sporting a 3.42 ERA at Triple-A Portland. The Padres' already have a surplus of pitching, so maybe he'll be moved at the deadline this year when the team looks for more offense. At least he's still in baseball.

Lou Marson Futures Game Refractor: Marson came to the Indians as the part of the Cliff Lee trade and started 2010 as Cleveland's primary catcher. He's struggled at the plate and is likely only keeping the seat warm till top prospect Carlos Santana gets called up, but Marson did hit three doubles a few days after I pulled this card, so that's something. Right?

Kevin Dubler X-Fractor Rookie #68/199: After nearly being blinded by the shine of this card (I first thought it was a Gordon Beckham auto) I realized that I had pulled an x-fractor of someone with a great baseball name. Unfortunately, Dubler hasn't lived up to his surname yet, with just 14 two-baggers in over 300 minor league at-bats. There's still time, but I don't plan on stocking up on his cards just yet. I would love to get an x-fractor auto from this set--it would look stellar.

Carlos Gutierrez First Year Auto: Well, thank goodness for the next card, because this is one of the worst autographs in the product. Carlos Gutierrez was a first round pick of the Minnesota Twins out of the University of Miami and has struggled to live up to his potential after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He's currently in Double-A but it looks like he is still a long way off from the big leagues. Though I was upset that I didn't pull a good chrome auto with so many good names available, I quickly realized that I couldn't feel too bad after I pulled the Heyward. That's just selfish.

Jason Heyward Aflac Auto: Sold for $499...nuff said.

Overall Thoughts: If you can find a box of 2008 Draft between $80-90 it's a great buy. There's an amazing checklist of future stars (Jesus Montero, Mike Stanton, Ike Davis, Buster Posey, Gordon Beckham, Wilmer Flores, etc.) and if you pull a parallel version of an autograph you're in for a nice payday. There's also an outside shot at a Jason Heyward Aflac Auto, though a bit less so after this box :) The base chrome cards have a nice design and the refractors look great in person. If you like prospecting, and are looking at fun high risk/high reward type box, then I would highly recommend 2008 Draft. I'm using my earnings from this break to buy a few more boxes so stay tuned for a couple of box breaks in the next week.

As always, thanks for dropping by!

I Just the Pulled the Most Amazing Card of My Life: Run, Don't Walk to First Day Issue and Prepare to Be Stupified!! My Oh My!!! You Gotta See This!

I just got done busting a box of 2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects (full review to come once I catch my breath) and needed to show the blogosphere the mind-boggling great card I pulled. Behold, a 2006 Aflac Auto of rookie superstar Jason Heyward. I was literally shaking when I pulled this card (a case hit by the way) because I knew it was one of the best cards in the product. Little did I know how good it was--the last few have sold on eBay between $400 and $500 dollars!!! Needless to say I am on top of the world right now and I am still trying to wrap my mind around how amazing this card is. WOW! Thanks for looking!!!

Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Packs a Punch

I made a trip to the other side of Washington on a long weekend to catch a couple of Mariners games (they're awful) and spend time with some friends from college. Since there are zero card shops within three hours of me I went a little crazy when I found one in Olympia. I got four packs of Topps Unique (which yielded bupkus), four packs of SP Authentic (same story) and last but certainly not least, 12 packs of 2009 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects. Here's what those packs yielded:

Eric Arnett Rookie Auto: Well, I guess I should be excited about an autograph, even if the player and signature both leave something to be desired. Arnett was a first round pick, so I suppose he must bring something to the table. I'll hold onto this one and see if he breaks out in the next few seasons because it fetches about $3 on eBay right now. I figured that this was the only hit of the box, but thankfully I was wrong, because in the last of the 12 packs I pulled...

Tony Sanchez X-Fractor Rookie Auto #114/225: Shazow!! A beautiful on-card rookie autograph of the #4 overall pick in last years draft, Tony Sanchez. He's one of the better prospects in the set and is tearing the cover off the ball at high class A so far in 2010. The x-fractoring looks great in person and I was very happy with this pull as it saved me from a complete disaster at the card shop.

Instead of stopping while I was ahead (and by that I mean not totally behind) I stopped by a gas station on the way home that carries hobby packs. I got one pack of SP Authentic (nothing--and I'm done buying these forever) and two dusty packs of 2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects. The first pack had nothing noteworthy and at that point I was cursing myself for spending money I didn't have on rookies who would never sniff the big leagues. I opened the last pack, fully expecting more disappointment, but was greated by a friendly face. I saw the shine of the refractor and was happy to at least pull something worth a buck or two. Here it is:

Gordon Beckham Refractor Auto Rookie #393/500: Great googely moogely! My jaw literally dropped when I pulled this gorgeous card out of the last pack of the trip. As far as I know, Beckham was the best possible card to pull from this set, and the fact that it's the refractor version is just icing on the cake. I wished I had pulled this last summer, but once Gordon starts hitting again this will be one of the centerpieces of my collection. A great way to end the trip and make me forget about the Mariners struggles.


Thanks for looking! None are for trade at the current time. Have a great Thursday!