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.

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!