Box Break: 2009 Bowman Chrome (x4)

Tax season is a great time for those of us who don't make much money (cough Bud cough). The government sent me a decent chunk of change for my year of not making much money and I decided the most American thing to do with my new found wealth would be to buy some baseball cards. After much deliberation I settled on a favorite, 2009 Bowman Chrome. A low price, lots of shine and a few decent autos in the checklist...who could ask for more? Here's what I pulled:

Holliday/J. Johnson/A. Jones/Eichorn/Mauer/Doolittle/D. Bard/Parra/A. McCutchen: The regular refractors fall about six per box (there are plenty not pictured--no offense Scott Olson. Actually offense, I really don't like you) and I was happy to pull two PC players (Josh Johnson and Joe Mauer) as well as a handful of decent "RC" logo cards. The prospect cards are numbered to 500 and fall about one per box. Kevin Eichorn looks like a decent prospect (lots of strikeouts) although Todd Doolittle was born in 1982 so I'm not holding my breath on that particular card.

Dan Hudson RC Refractor #230/500: Besides Starlin Castro (who seems to be a case hit in this product) Dan Hudson is the top prospect in 2009 Bowman Chrome (he utterly dominated the NL after being traded to Arizona) and I was thrilled to pull a refractor of his true rookie card. If he continues pitching like he did at the end of last season this will probably be worth more than all of the autographs from this break.

Hermida/Parnell/Wright/Kulik/Sizemore/Youkilis/Takahashi/Beckett X-Fractors #/250: X-Fractors fall about two per box and I pulled a decent crop of players (the Sizemore is just one serial number away from his jersey number) although I would have liked more prospects in the mix. I love these cards and was awfully disappointed that Topps did away with them in 2010--they add quite a bit of value and fun to each box. Hopefully they'll bring them back soon, although for the initial reports, it doesn't look like they'll show up in 2011.

Jermaine Dye/Hanley Ramirez/Kazuo Matsui/Hunter Pence/Jorge Posada Blue Refractors #/150: Blue refractors fall roughly one per box (although Matsui and Ramirez both came in the same pack) and look just terrific in person. I've said it before and I'll say it again: if I had the time and the money, I would definitely attempt to complete this set. In fact, maybe I'll start now...

Hector Correa Orange Refractor #9/25: I was pretty happy to pull an orange refractor until I realized that Hector Correa (who projects as a solid middle reliever) also had a "1st Bowman Chrome Card" in 2008 Bowman Chrome. That makes very little sense to me. I understand the whole "RC" logo thing, but not back-to-back first year cards. Thanks Topps.

Tim Federowicz/Connor Graham/Brett Anderson/Robbie Grossman Autos: I went into the break hoping for an auto of Freddie Freeman, Carlos Santana, Dayan Viciedo or Tommy Hanson. Unfortunately, I was shut out and left with three scrubs and one solid auto (Brett Anderson). Thankfully, there is much more to these boxes than just the autos (something you can't say about Bowman Draft) including the following card:

Tim Lincecum Gold Refractor #20/50: Wow! I was excited when I opened a pack and saw that I had struck gold and downright ecstatic when I realized I had hit a great card of the terrific Tim Lincecum. This card is a real peach in person and even though Tim isn't a Mariner (although he could have been...ehhhh) I think I will keep this one in the PC for a while.

I love this product and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a cheap, shiny break. Thanks for looking!

Box Break: 2009 Bowman Chrome (Rare Hit!)

This is the last of three boxes I purchased from Atlanta Sports Cards on their Black Friday sale--yes I know I'm very slow at posting. Without a doubt 2009 Bowman Chrome is my favorite product of the last few years (Ginter is of course excluded from this ranking--it's untouchable). I love the look of the base and prospect cards and with 10 or so refractors per box, it's a very fun break. The autograph checklist is average (which can always change from year to year) but are well designed so that the signatures really "pop" from the white box behind them. I ended up with a pretty good box, depending on how well the prospect I pulled pans out. Here's the goods:

Chase Utley/Some WBC Guy/Zack Grienke Refractors: As always, Bowman Chrome refractors look great and make a good looking set even better. The only downside to 2009 Bowman Chrome is the inclusion of WBC players. The Watanabe is numbered to 500 and I would have much preferred a prospect. No such thing as perfect I suppose.

Dan Haren/Ryan Zimmerman X-Fractors #/250: Everyone loves x-fractors so why did Topps decide to do away with them for 2010 Bowman? The world will never know, but I didn't have to worry about that because 2009 Bowman Chrome delivers two per box. I was happy with the players I pulled, although now that Haren is in the AL West I wish bad things would happen to his pitching arm. I'm a terrible person.

Ryan Ludwick Blue Refractor #/150: These blue refractors are absolutely breathtaking (and I don't throw around that term like that doctor in the Hamptons on Seinfeld) and if I had the money and the diligence I would seriously consider putting together the full set. Since I don't, I'll probably just send this to Kerry at Cards on Cards (of amazing Albert Pujols 1/1 fame).

Kyle Weiland Orange Refractor Auto #8/25: I'd never pulled an orange refractor (a real orange refractor, not the value-pack variety) so I was very excited when I saw the orange sheen of this card as I opened the pack. I was thrilled when I found out it was an orange autograph (1:1,500 packs) of Red Sox farmhand Kyle Weiland. The 6'4" right hander was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2008 draft and posted a 5-9 record with a 4.42 ERA and 120 K's in 128 innings. Hopefully, he has a break out season in 2011 and I can cash this in for a nice Griffey.

Overall Thoughts: Love the product, loved this box. What more I can I ask for?

Oh By Gosh, By Golly, Collie!

Did I feel incredibly lame while writing that title? Of course, but my hand(s) was (were) really tied in this instance (not another pun!) I was perusing Mojo and Beardy's Blog for the Ages a few weeks ago and saw some cards Mojo pulled over the summer that caught my eye. I sent him an email and we we're quickly able to work out a deal that benefited both sides (I sent him a 2009 Bowman Draft A.J. Pollock RC Refractor Auto). Mojo's got a great collection and is easy to deal with--I was so impressed with our trade that I give Mojo my full endorsement (ala Fred McGriff and Tom Emanski). Here's what he sent me:

2009 Bowman Chrome Austin Collie RC Auto: As a fantasy football veteran (though not necessarily a successful one) I realize the inherent value in Colts wide receivers. Despite sharing the field with Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Anthony Gonzalez, Collie posts big numbers nearly every week and is in the very early conversation for MVP (27 receptions, 359 yards and 4 touchdowns through three games). Boy's got some serious skillz.


Thanks Mojo!

Box Break: 2009 Bowman Chrome (Shiny!)

My brother and I both ordered a box of 2009 Bowman Chrome to bust as a last hurrah before he took off for college. For around $50, you got a boatload of shiny cards and an on-card autographed prospect. The checklist is decent (the big names include Freddie Freeman, Tommy Hanson and Carlos Santana) and with so many parallels there's rarely a dull pack in the box. My brother was lucky enough to pull a Santana auto, here's what I got:

Carlos Pena/Felix Hernandez/Bryan Shaw RC (#/500)/Jorge Cantu, Daniel Murphy and Joey Votto Refractors: I like the design of both the veteran and prospect cards and they really pop with the refractor finish. I was happy to pull the Felix as I already had his blue refractor and x-fractor from the set.

John Lackey/Garret Atkins X-Fractors #/250: Cool cards, lame players. Anybody want them?

Andy Parrino Blue Refractor RC #/150: The blue refractors in this set are simply beautiful, which is good, because Parrino is currently hitting .249 in Double-A. But seriously, if I didn't have a girlfriend, I would consider dating one of these blue refractors.

Brad Emaus Rookie Refractor Auto #200/500: While Brad Emaus isn't one of the big name prospects in the set, he's putting up some solid numbers in the minor leagues, and it's always nice to pull a refractor auto. Emaus is a second/third baseman in the Toronto system with a season line of .290-15 HR's-75 RBI's-.397 OBP between Double and Triple A. Next year's Brennan Boesch perhaps?

Overall Thoughts: Despite the fact that I didn't pull one of the top autos, I was still very happy with this box and would probably consider getting another. With 10 refractors in my box, including a prospect auto, I've got plenty of trade bait moving forward and the high quality base cards seem like inserts themselves. If you can find a box of 2009 Bowman Chrome for between $50-60, I would give it my seal of approval. Thanks for looking!