Sports Card Geek Heaven
Prospect Spotlight
Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche
Nov 16th
This kid is good just in case you hadn’t heard. Colorado’s 3rd Overall pick in 2009 is paying huge dividends as he approaches the 60 goal mark (for his career) averaging almost a point per game for his career thus far. The 20 year old lefty Center probably would have went #1 if a guy name Tavares hadn’t been in the 2009 draft class.
His cards are relatively cheap compared to guys like Tavares and other young stars. (Prices are sell value, we don’t go by book value…that’s just nonsense)
SP Authentic Future Watch Auto/ 999: $40-60
Upper Deck Trilogy /499: $15-20
Upper Deck The Cup Auto Patch /99: $375-500 (may be even wider range depending on colors in patch)
Upper Deck Ice /99: $200-$300 (These don’t show up very often)
Least Shocking News Update of the Day: John Tavares is GOOD
Oct 16th
If you don’t already have a Tavares stash I recommend you get one quickly. This kid will take off even more this year as he has added some weight and can hold his own in faceoffs much better this season. Also he plays for a success starved franchise in the New York Islanders which are off to a 3-1 start behind Tavares league leading eight points despite only averaging 16:18 of ice time per game thus far.
His 2009-10 Upper Deck Series One Young Gun will cost you between $40-50 at this point and may be climbing higher if he keeps his current level of play up.
Prospect Spotlight: Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Philadelphia Flyers
Jul 30th
The Flyers recently signed Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a 9 year deal which seemingly puts an end to the chances of 22 year old Sergei Bobrovsky becoming the full time netminder in Philly. The 2010-11 rookie was very good for the Flyers in the regular season but got eaten up by the Bruins in the playoffs stopping only 35 of 39 shots faced for an .877 SV %. In the regular season Bobrovsky had 28 wins, almost 1400 saves and a .915 SV % to go along with the less than creative nickname “Bob”. Philly signed Bob before the 2010-11 season out of Russia where he played professionally for three seasons compiling stellar numbers. The Flyers are reportedly shopping Bobrovsky and he hopefully will land somewhere as a starter before the 2011-12 season begins. It seems Flyers GM Paul Holmgren would love to keep both Bryzgalov and Bobrovsky but likely will not be able to do so with the salary cap in play.
So what are the best options for Bobrovsky? The best playing time option would probably be Florida who is about to lose Vokoun to free agency. The problem with that is for card collectors who want his Autographed RC’s to appreciate in value rather than be thrown in the $1 bin. Perhaps he will be sent to Phoenix to replace Bryzgalov but that wouldn’t be a boom to his value either. Colorado could be a good spot and they desperately need a goalie but they may not have the players and/or picks Philly wants. Colorado is definitely the best option for Bob when it comes to his card values and he would get plenty of play time there but in reality the best case scenario would have been never signing Bryzgalov. Damn you Holmgren. What am I going to do with all of this autographed Bobrovsky cardboard showing him in a Flyers uniform?
Is Sergei Screwed?
Prospect Spotlight: Deck McGuire, RHP, Toronto
Jul 28th
A 22 year old drafted 11th overall in the 2010 MLB Draft, Deck McGuire is off to a fine start in his first professional season. Averaging almost a K per inning his first 100 IP, McGuire is 7-4 with a 2.75 ERA for Class A Advanced Dunedin in the Florida State League. He is a natural competitor like Roy Halladay. He just wants to pitch and win games. That type of attitude has led him to holding runners to .178 with runners in scoring position this season. McGuire continues to progress and hopefully will be moved up to AA before the end of the year since he is a little old for the FSL.
Investors should take advantage of the fact that he is in hobby wasteland Toronto and could go relatively unnoticed. Chances are his cards will slowly decline as we roll into the fall and winter. Be sure to buy as many of them as you can at as low of a price as possible BEFORE the Baseball America Prospect Handbook is released for 2012. He surely will be a Top 3 Toronto prospect and that alone will cause a little bit of a spike in his values. It probably won’t be enough of a spike for you to make a bunch on your investment so I urge you not to purchase any of his cards unless you’re in it for the long haul. We’re talking two years at a minimum.
With that being said he has a bevy of solid RC Autographs to pick up. I’ll list them with average prices and a “buy” price which is the marker at which you should start buying them.
2010 Bowman Chrome Auto: $5-7 , BUY: $5 or less
2010 Bowman Chrome Base RC: Lots of 20 for less than $5, BUY: NOW
2011 Bowman Platinum: Doesn’t matter, don’t buy them. 2nd year autographs that are only drawing bids because it’s a hot new product.
2010 Bowman Sterling Auto: $3-5, BUY: NOW
2010 Donruss Elite Auto: $3-5, BUY: Only in lots. This will easily be his least valuable autograph.
Prospect Spotlight: Francisco Lindor, SS, Indians
Jul 22nd
Francisco Lindor was the 8th pick in the 2011 Amateur MLB Draft. He is touted for being a defensive stalwart with an above average bat and enough power to excite you albeit not a 25 HR type of guy. Scout Tim Laden had this to say about Lindor:
“He comes in,” Layden said. “He barehands it, takes two steps, dives and in mid-air throws the guy out. He ended up sliding and doing a somersault four feet from the first-base foul line. It was the best play I’ve ever seen a shortstop make.”
Lindor has a 2010 Bowman USA Chrome Autograph as well as USA Chrome without the autograph. His autos usually sell in the $15-20 range with refractors going for $30-40 yet somehow this auction ending tonight (7/22) is only at $20. Yes it is a BGS 9 but it’s a BLUE REFRACTOR AUTO! In addition to the chrome he has a 2010 Topps USA Auto with jersey and patch parallels and of course a Bowman Sterling RC Auto.
Don’t go overpaying for him as with any prospect but if you find deals like the one above you should jump on it. It’s good that he has USA autos out as there is always a steady chance of him being traded especially with the way Asdrubal Cabrera is playing with the big league club. Another reason to not overpay is because he has yet to sign with Cleveland but is currently signed with Florida State to play there. He still has time to change his mind. Early indications are he will sign simply because it will be tough to improve upon 8th pick.
Prospect Spotlight: Tim Wheeler, OF, Colorado Rockies
Jul 19th
Tim Wheeler was thought of as one of the “safest” hitter picks in the 2009 MLB draft. After a rough first two years in the minors Wheeler has found his groove at AA Tulsa this season with 27 HR’s, a .314 average and a much improved defensive game. With decent speed and a good bat Wheeler could be the perfect for the #2 or #3 slot in the Rockies batting order in 2012. If his HR pace keeps up he could be a very popular player in Colorado and we saw what that meant for Carlos Gonzalez card values last season.
Rockies prospects and rookies usually have a lot of market support but somehow Wheeler isn’t getting as much as you would expect for a guy with his stats. He is a little older than your typical AA prospect but he is on track to be in the Majors by 24 years old, possibly even this September. If there is a big knock on Wheeler it has to be his K’s. He’s on pace to eclipse last years K total of 110 even though his average his about 40 points better.
Wheeler has 2009 Bowman Chrome Autographs, 2009 Bowman Sterling Autographs and 2009 Donruss Elite Autographs. As usual the Chrome’s carry the highest value but the best deal at the moment has got to be the Elite autos at $5-$10.
