Box Break: 2009 Bowman DPP (x2)

Bowman is an extremely feast or famine product, and unfortunately, I was left quite hungry after these two boxes. It's possible that some of these lesser prospects will turn into starts later on, but I wouldn't exactly bet the house on it. Here are the goods:

Brett Wallach RC X-Fractor #1/199: An eBay one-of-one! I love x-fractors and was a little puzzled that Topps left them out of Bowman in 2010, although it does look like the will be inserted in Topps Chrome. Wallach went 6-4 on the year with a 4.25 ERA and 116 K's in 114 innings between the Dodgers and Cubs Single-A affiliates.

Tobias Streich RC Blue Refractor #99/99: Another eBay one-of-one! The blue refractors in this product are sharp, although strangely enough the hue of blue changed between Bowman Chrome and Bowman Draft. Streich was a 5th round pick but certainly didn't look like one in 2010, hitting just .150 in over 200 AB's. Not holding my breath on this one.

Jeff Manship Gold Refractor RC #12/50: It's always nice to pull something golf, even if it isn't of a top prospect. Manship (great last name) spent the second half of the season in Minnesota, posting a 2-1 record with a 5.28 ERA in 29 innings. Any Twinkies fans out there?

Tony Sanchez RC Auto: Sanchez is a big part of the Pirates youth movement and was having a great season in the minors (.314-4 HR's-35 RBI's) before breaking his jaw. Not one of the best autos in the set, but certainly not the worst.

A.J. Pollock RC Refractor Auto #/500: A.J. "the Beast" Pollock was a first round pick out of Notre Dame who missed all of 2010 with an arm injury but is still considered a solid prospect for the D-Backs. The refractor autos from this set are great looking in person, and the Mojo Hand was able to pry it away from me for an Austin Collie RC Auto. Love Pollock's signature.

Brad Boxberger RC Blue Refractor Auto #/150: The "hit" of my two boxes, Brad Boxberger was not the Reds pitching prospect I was hoping to pull from this box (looking for Mike Leake). Boxberger looks like he might be converted to a relief pitcher after struggling between Single and Double-A in 2010 (110 K's in 91 innings, but a 4.91 ERA and 1.46 WHIP). He's still just 22, so there is still plenty of time for him to develop as a pitcher.

Overall Thoughts: I had a great first box of this product (Jared Mitchell Gold Refractor Auto) but my luck came to a screeching halt with these two boxes. It's a fun break, but would be better with more than just the few refractors in each box. I'm planning to just stick to singles from now on. Thanks for looking and let me know if you are interested in anything.

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?

Box Break: 2009 Bowman Draft Picks (Dos Autos)

This is the second box that I bought from Atlanta Sports Cards with the money I made from the Jason Heyward Aflac Auto (I promise that's the last time I mention it for a while--although, I did sell for $500 so I feel I am allowed to gloat a little). After the stirring success I had with a box of 2008 Bowman Draft, I felt it was only fair that I gave the '09 variety a chance to shine. Well, my good luck continued with a great box, including two rookie autos and a bevy of refractors and numbered parallels. Here are the best cards from my box of 2009 Bowman Draft Picks:

Mike Minor Refractor Auto #494/500: Mike "Spike" Minor is one of the best strikeout pitchers in the minor leagues, with 101 punch outs in just 80 innings. Another in a long string of talented Atlanta pitching prospects, Minor was the #7 overall pick out of Vanderbilt last year after a storied college career. I would have been plenty happy if this was the only auto I pulled from the box, but...

Jared Mitchell Gold Refractor Auto #33/50: I was hoping to pull a colored refractor out of this box and was thrilled when I opened a pack and saw the golden edge shining on one of the cards. I was ecstatic when I realized that the gold refractor was also an autograph of White Sox top prospect Jared Mitchell. A two-sport star at LSU, Chicago envisions Mitchell as their leadoff man of the future. I'm not quite patient enough to wait for that to happen, so I went ahead and sold this card for twice what I paid for the box. Yeah, I'm on a bit of a roll. Let's hope it continues on to 2010 A & G.

Overall Thoughts: With a strong rookie class (Mike Minor, Mike Trout, Mike Leake, Bobby Borchering, Drew Stanton, etc.) and a chance at multiple autos per box, 2009 Bowman Draft Picks is a great box to break for aspiring prospectors. The boxes have risen in price from around $55 to $75, so if you can find a box at the low end of that spectrum I would encourage you to go for it. Of course, I might be a little biased...

Pack Attack: 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition (x12)

I stopped by a small card shop while I was visiting some friends out of town last week. The store didn't have the greatest selection but the owner was very friendly and I was happy to spend some money on baseball cards at a place other than Target or Shopko. I cleaned out a box of 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition hoping to pull a Mike Stanton, Gordon Beckham or Buster Posey. While I didn't get any of the big names, I was happy to pull a couple of inserts and autographs. Here's what I pulled:

Andrew Liebel Gold Status Die-Cut #7/25: This is a phenomenal looking card in person; shiny, die-cut and a low serial number--who could ask for more? Okay, well maybe a good player would have been better. Liebel was a third round pick of the Blue Jays in 2008 but has struggled so far in the minors and is currently mired in Single A. I guess I'm just not meant to be a prospector...I want instant gratification. Blame the culture for that, it's not my fault.

Cody Satterwhite Aspirations Parallel #46/150: Satterwhite was a second round pick of the Detroit Tigers in 2008 and had a decent showing at Double-A last season, going 4-6 with a 3.47 ERA and 52 K's in 49 innings. I'm not really sure what the pattern for these die-cuts is but I know it's very heroine chic...or avant garde...or something.

Jacob Jefferies Rookie Auto #555/819: Jake Jefferies isn't exactly John Jaso Jr. (so many J's!!!) at this point in his minor league career. The Tampa Bay Rays former third round pick is hitting just .222 with no home runs and only 8 RBI's so far in 2010. I would be happy to send this one your way if you want it Mr. Troll.

Juan Francisco Rookie Auto #1487/1495: Francisco is a legitimate power prospect for the Cincinnati Reds coming off a season between Double-A and Triple-A in which he hit a combined .295-27 HR's-93 RBI's. He's only 22 (we think) so hopefully he pans out and these packs won't prove to be a total bust...not that it would ever stop me from buying more cards.

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!