An Online Set? Why not.

The baseball season starts and I always have to check out the rosters for my teams to find a few projects for the season.  New players, new cards.  Old players, new cards.  All sorts of combinations of those words.  So, this post started sometime last fall when the Cardinals brought up outfielder Tommy Pham.  He's been in their system forever, just never stayed healthy.

He had a good end of the season and had a nice Postseason moment when he hit a home run against the Cubs in Game 1 of the NLDS.

and all of the Cardinals collectors lost their minds over Tommy Pham cards.  He has an autograph in the 2015 Topps set, but they are fairly expensive.  I decided to wait for the excitement over Tommy Pham to die down a little.  I went on Ebay, put a few of his cards on my watch list, and kind of ignored them for awhile.  

Prices came down a little bit on a few of his cards and I found a really cool looking Topps card of Pham that I thought looked really cool.  There was a Buy It Now and also one or two floating around in auctions.  

Pretty nice card.  I didn't know much about this card when I first started watching it, so I did a little digging and found that there was also a Stephen Piscotty card in this set.  Then I found out there were only 13 cards in the whole set.  Then I found a set for $10.  I bought them all.  They are all numbered out of 99 and are print run 99.  Pretty cool.  I guess Topps sold these sets in their online store.  Kind of cutting out the card shops there big guy....

The cards are also oversized at 5x7.  Not only are they postcard sized, but they also appear to be made out of the same material as the common postcard.  Perhaps an Office Max Brand index card.  The cards are really thin and the George Springer card has a little ding on the bottom right corner.  Here's a look at the other 12 cards...... 

Pro Debut Base Set: 9 Players I Watch

I did a top 10 list with my Bowman box a few weeks back and decided to do something similar with my Pro Debut box.  However, since the two sets share quite a few players I decided to put a little bit of a twist on this list.  For Pro Debut I am going to share nine players who I check in on regularly during the season.  I like checking the scoreboard and readying through box scores, but with the minors there are only so many scores that you can stop and read without spending the whole day on baseball.  That wouldn't be so bad, but I am not sure I would get much done at work.

Everyone ready?  Let's go.

Alex Reyes- Peoria Chiefs - He's only 1-4 on the season, but has 66 strikeouts in just 44 innings.  The tall right hander is widely considered the best prospect in the Cardinals system and rated by many publications in the Top 50 for all of baseball.  While Reyes might not win many of his starts, I always check his box scores for his strikeout/walk ratio and to see if the other team hit him in any way.  He has not given up a home run yet this year.

Carlos Rodon- Chicago White Sox - The former NC State lefty did not last long in the minors this year.  He made his Major League debut in late April out of the bullpen, but was quickly put into the starting rotation by the Sox.  Rodon has now made 4 starts with almost a strikeout per inning.  His WHIP is 1.709, so he needs to keep a few more people off the base paths if he is going to be successful long term.  Still, the rookie has an ERA+ of 113 during his limited time up with the ChiSox.

Willy Adames- Charlotte Stone Crabs - I follow the Rays Minor League team to see who is up on their way to the Durham Bulls.  The scenery around the Rays Minor League changed greatly during the past year with all of the trades.  Adames is one player who has flown under the radar to a degree.  The shortstop was acquired in the David Price trade with the Tigers and has posted a .316/.382/.462 line so far this year with 18 extra base hits (13 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs) in just under 200 at bats this year.  I know there are some Rays fans who have openly, and frequently, complained about the haul the time received for Price, but Adames seems to be a really nice prospect.

Corey Seager- Oklahoma City Dodgers- Seager is a local guy from North Carolina.  He's had a great Minor League career and has now reached Triple A.  His OBP is down slightly, but Seager is still showing good pop at the high level of the Minors.  I obviously watch Seager to see how well he hits, but it also seems that the Dodgers are starting to work the top prospect out as a third baseman.  He has played 5 games so as at third, but many predict that he will land there long term.  

Colin Moran- Corpus Christi Hooks - Moran was one of the better college players I have seen with my own two eyes.  The guy could hit while he was at UNC.  My only hang up with him was always his foot speed.  Still, the Marlins took him with the fifth overall pick in the 2013 draft and later moved him onto the Astros.  Moran is almost a .300 career Minor League hitter with an OBP near .350.  However, his slugging percentage is just above .400 and he has only 11 career minor league home runs in almost 800 at bats.  Moran was a great college player, I hope he makes it in some capacity.  

David Dahl- New Britain Rock Cats - Dahl has shown great flashes during his time in the Minors, but has had some trouble staying healthy.  Last season, his only full year in four years in the Minors, Dahl went .299/.355/.492 with 41 doubles, 8 triples, and 14 home runs.  The Rockies outfield prospect also stole 21 bases.  He was off to a bit of a slow start in Double A this year, but is out again after having his spleen removed last weekend after a pretty bad collision.  

Trea Turner- San Antonio Missions - Well, for the moment Turner is a Padres prospect, but he will be a National soon.  He was in the Will Myers/Steven Souza three way trade between the Padres/Nationals/Rays, but he could not actually leave the Padres yet because he has not played a year in their system.  In 47 Double A games the former NC State shortstop is hitting .333/.405/.508 with 5 home runs 2 triples, 12 doubles, and 9 steals.  I think Turner could be up in the Majors within the next year.  

Francisco Lindor- Columbus Clippers - Lindor is a top 5 prospect according to MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus.  He played locally the past few summers with the Carolina Mudcats and has worked his way up to Triple A Columbus.  While the Clippers play the Durham Bulls, I still have not seen him play in Triple A.  However, the future shortstop of the Indians has had a slow start in the International League with a .260/.318/.367 line.  There is definitely a strong defensive presence with Lindor, base running is also an important tool also, but even those have been a little shaky this season.  I am still watching Lindor, but if he does not pick up the pace, I am going to have to check in a little less often.  

Henry Owens- Pawtucket Red Sox - I like Henry Owens, but he has fallen into a bit of a rut in Triple A.  It's not anything as bad as Lindor, but his ERA is up, along with his walks, and his strikeouts are down.  Still, I like the chances that Owens will figure out Triple A hitters and continue to progress as a top prospect.  Plus, I am watching the Paw Sox right now for Allen Craig.  Owens is there too, but someone left Allen Craig out of the Pro Debut set.  Hmm.


This is my list of players.  What are some of the players you check on everyday?  

Top 10 Prospects in 2015 Bowman

Friday is usually my countdown post, but this week I am throwing in a second in honor of this year's Bowman set.  I live in the middle of North Carolina which is jammed packed with minor league teams and college teams.  I usually get a chance to see quite a few of these players on their up to the Majors, and if I do not, I usually form an opinion on them anyway.  So, here is the deal with this post:

I flipped through all of the cards in the Bowman product; base set, prospects set, chrome prospects set, autographs, inserts, everything.  I picked out the ten best players in my opinion.  I know we all want these guys to be superstars, but in some cases I willing to settle for solid contributor.  That counts for something........

10. Noah Syndergaard- He's really big and has a nice fastball and curveball.  Syndergaard should be a power arm in the Mets rotation for a long time.  I still like Matt Harvey better, but not being quite as good as Matt Harvey means you are still pretty good.  I hate comps, because they usually get people upset, but I will go John Lackey.  Similar build, fastball/curveball, and the guy won two World Series rings.  If you're a Mets fan you take that right?  

9.  Joey Gallo- I have two swing and miss hitters on my countdown.  I do not like low contact hitters because they usually do not do much in the Majors.  See Mark Reynolds.  That's not my comp by the way, I don't think......So, Joey Gallo hits a lot of home runs.  Last year in the minor the Texas third base prospect hit 41 in 126 minor league games.  He also struck out 179 times in 537 plate appearances.  He's hitting for average this year in Double A, but the K's are still there.  I am going with Adam Dunn as a comp.  Should be a fun player to watch in Arlington for years to come.  

8.  Francisco Lindor- Lindor played locally for the Carolina Mudcats last year and is the gem of the Cleveland Indians farm system.  What's he do?  He's got a little bit of pop, but not a ton.  He hits about .270-.280, steals some bases, plays good defense.  I think he's going to be an above average Major League shortstop.  He might not hit the home runs that Gallo, or some of these others players put up, but I think he's a safe prospect.  Meaning he's going to play and play a long time.  I will say his comp is Orlando Cabrera.  

7. Carlos Correa- Correa was the first overall pick in the 2012 MLB draft.  He's already missed some time with a knee injury, but also already reached Triple A by hitting .300 most of the way through the minors.  He's not got a lot of pop yet and will steal a few bases.  He's 6'4 and has a chance to fill out a little bit more.  Definitely a higher ceiling than Lindor, but he's my second best shortstop on this countdown.  I think he develops some pop he could be something really special.  If not, he's going to be like Edgar Renteria with a slash numbers.  

6. Corey Seager- I am not sure if Corey Seager is going to end up at SS, but I kind of doubt it.  He's got some power, he hits for a good average, and he gets on base.  I do not mind his defense at short, but think he'd be a good defender at 3rd.  I think at worst he is a good to above average everyday third baseman for the Dodgers for the next decade plus.  He has the potential to be a very good player though and would not be surprised if he was an All-Star caliber player for a long time.  Sounds a lot like the other Seager......

5.  Julio Urias- I am putting this guy on my list at five, but I thought about putting him at 1.  He's the youngest player on this last, at 18, but has already spent a few seasons in the minors with the Dodgers.  Basically he strikeouts about 11 hitters per 9 innings that he pitches.  The Dodgers are really careful with him, so he has not pitched a lot of innings, nor won a lot of games (5 wins in 3 seasons), but he's supposedly really impressive.  No comp here.  

4. Addison Russell- I like Russell better than the other two shortstops on the list.  He's has the good qualities of both players (steadiness and fielding of Lindor, average and OBP of Correa) with a little bit more power and pop.  Russell is the second highest Cubs prospect on this list, but it' not going to shock me if he ends up being the better of the two players in the long run.  I think he's got a lot to offer.  I will go with Alan Trammel on my comp.  

3.  Kris Bryant- I can hear the booing and hissing already along with the chants of "You're a Cardinals fan".  Note that my number 4 player was a Cub and his comp player was someone many believe to be a Hall of Famer.  Bryant has a higher ceiling than Russell, but I have more concerns with Bryant.  Mainly, I do not like players who do not make contact.  Bryant has a lot of home runs.  He is going to hit a lot of home runs.  He is also going to strike out a ton.  You remember when Ryan Howard had an OBP above .400 and hit 58 home runs?  That could be Kris Bryant.  He could also end up being an Adam Dunn, Dave Kingman type too.  Lots of home runs, lots of strikeouts.  Hopefully lots of walks...

2. Joc Pederson- He's got some of the same problems as Bryant with the strikeouts.  Pederson needs walks if he is going to be a good Major League player.  He's also already got 9 home runs in his first 40 some MLB games, so the power seems to be there.  While I do not think Pederson has 40 home run power, he is probably going to hit 30 in year and he also steals bases.  He has gone over 30 twice and 25 two times in the Minors.  Pederson has the potential to be a good power speed guy who hits 25-30 home runs a year with 25-30 steals in a season.  

1.  I think the safe choice here is to go with Pederson or Bryant at 1, but I will roll the dice a little bit and go with Buxton.  First, he's really talented, but he's also really raw.  It might be a little bit before he's in the Majors, but he has the potential to be really good when he gets there.  He's hit for average, he's gotten on base, and he has tons of speed.  The home runs are not there yet, but he has hit a lot of doubles and triples during his time in the Minors.  

Buy Local Part 1

I was looking through a box of autographed cards the other day and realized that I have put together a pretty nice collection of local, North Carolina, players over the past year.  Despite not having an MLB team, North Carolina has several minor league affiliates, a few top 20 college programs, USA Baseball, and a great high school baseball scene too.  Why not put together a few posts to highlight some of the great players and cool cards coming out of North Carolina.  So, I will start out tonight with a local high school player turned top prospect. 

2012 Bowman Chrome Corey Seager Auto

 

I actually just recently picked up this Corey Seager autograph.  I have the blue version of this card too, but Seager autographs are getting harder and harder to find and also more expensive.  A year ago you could find Seager autographed cards around $20.  After a stellar 2013 campaign in the minors his 2012 rookie cards have taken off in popularity and price.  Off brand Seager autographs, there are actually quite a few, are less expensive, but all of his Bowman cards are very nice cards and could well be worth the price if the shortstop prospect pans out for the Dodgers. 

Seager was selected out of Northwest Carrabus High School in Concord, North Carolina which is west of Raleigh-Durham towards the Charlotte area.  Seager also played for USA Baseball which is located a few minutes from my house in Cary, North Carolina.  The Dodgers selected Seager in the first round of the 2012 draft making him the second of the three Seagers to be drafted.  His older brother Kyle is the Mariners third baseman, he'll be in another post, and another older brother Justin played for UNC-Charlotte and was drafted by the Mariners in 2013. 

2012 Bowman Draft Gold Corey Seager Autograph

Going local to start off my Saturday.  I ran into a local collector looking to move some of his cards and had some interest in adding a nice card of Dodgers prospect Corey Seager.  Seager is a North Carolina product from Concord which is north of Charlotte where he was drafted by the Dodgers out of high school.  He was drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft and is viewed by many as top prospect.  Currently, he is playing shortstop for the Great Lakes Loons in the Midwest League.  Seager is putting up a .282/.349/.450 line with 4 homers in 36 games.

2012 Bowman Draft Gold Corey Seager Autograph

As far as the card goes, Seager has several autographs out on the market, but his Bowman Draft autographs are considered the best of the bunch.  My copy is the gold parallel limited to a print run of just 50.  While the 2012 Bowman sets lacked some of the pizzaz of the 2011 and 2010 editions, there are still several solid prospects in the set including this guy.  The regular version of this autograph runs in the $20 range with the colored parallels drifting north from there.