2012 Topps Heritage Minor League Oscar Taveras Jersey Card

One of my highlights of 2012 baseball card season has been the release of Oscar Taveras cards.  I knew enough about the Cardinals farm system before the season to know that he was the top prospect in the system, but I hadn't taken time to watch him play or check out a scouting report on him.  Part of being a smart collector is knowing what minor leaguers to find cards for and what players to pass up.  When the year began I noticed he popped up on the Bowman checklist and was able to snag a nice on card autograph of the AA outfielder.

2012 Bowman Oscar Taveras Autograph

Taveras ended up having a nice summer playing for the Springfield Cardinals in the Texas League.  The Texas League tends to be more pitcher friendly, so the fact that he hit bodes well for the outfielder's future.  He even ended up making an appearance in the Futures Games this summer in Kansas City.  Of course, by the middle of summer his cards took off and were a little bit steep.  

Not that I won't invest in a nice card of a young player, but I am not going to go overboard on a high end minor league autograph, relic, or rookie card.  September passed and rumors surfaced that the Cardinals might call Taveras up for the stretch run and playoffs.  He stayed off the roster and his cards have cooled a bit.  I am not going to saw they are completely sane, but they are much better than this summer.

2012 Topps Heritage Minor League Oscar Taveras Jersey Card

The slight downtick has really helped me with being able to trade or buy some of the parallels and inserts that Taveras had in some of the Bowman releases and Topps Debut.  I acquired this card for a pair Topps Update All-Star Jersey Cards.  The card can be found in secondary market sites selling anywhere between $7 to $20 for the white border, or $30 to $50 for the black border, or triple digits for the autographed version.  For the moment I am happy with what I have, but will keep my eyes open for the others...at the right price.