2008 Razor Letterman Justin Smoak Autograph

I have spent the first couple days of the new year trying to fill in a few holes in my collection.  One of my areas of focus has been on college baseball players.  Over the last six years I have had a chance to watch numerous college games at Duke, NC State, UNC, and the ACC Baseball Tournament in Durham.  Watching college baseball games has given me the chance to watch many professional baseball players before they reach the majors, or even the minors.  

2008 Razor Letterman Justin Smoak Autograph 

One of my favorite players that I watched, during the 2008 Super Regional, was South Carolina first baseman Justin Smoak.  South Carolina played UNC, in Chapel Hill, during the Super Regional and would end up losing allowing the Tar Heels to advance to the College World Series.  Entering the series he was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award for the National College Player of the Year.  However, I was really impressed with Smoak's play and have picked up some of his cards over the last five years since he was drafted, eighth overall in the 2008 amateur draft, by the Texas Rangers.  Smoak has since been traded to the Seattle Mariners where he has not produced much.  Last season, Smoak has an OBP under .300 and a slugging percentage under .400.  

Despite the fact that Smoak has not produced since being drafted into the Majors, I have still enjoyed collecting some of his cards.  This is my first Smoak autograph, but he really has very few to choose from and none in a Major League uniform.  After weighing my options, I decided to go ahead and add a Smoak autograph despite not being a certified issue.  Happy addition to my collection.