Game 2: Card Bounties, 1968 Topps Set, New Panini and Bowman Releases
Weekly Roundup 4/24/23-4/30/23
The Roundup
2023 Bowman Baseball was released this week, and the prices for the hobby and jumbo boxes skyrocketed. Last Sunday, blowoutcards.com was selling the hobby box for $275.00 and the jumbo box for $490.00. Just a week later, the boxes are selling for $294.95 and $599.95 – up 7% and 22%, respectively.
Dave and Adam’s put a $250,000 bounty on the head of prospect Druw Jones’ Superfractor if pulled within 30 days of the release. However, if you want to hold on to it for a while, Dave and Adam’s will pay you $1 million for the card if he reaches the Hall of Fame (word of advice – take the $250,000).
In other news, Netflix released “King of Collectibles” on Friday which consists of six episodes. The show follows Ken Goldin and Goldin Auction employees on the hunt for high-value collectibles, such as Jackie Robinson’s game-worn jersey and the contract selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees. The show is a bit over-the-top but entertaining enough.
Trivia Question of the Week
Who is the only pitcher in MLB history with an immaculate inning, a perfect game, and a four-strikeout inning?
Answer is at the bottom!
Sales: 1968 Topps Complete Set!
A complete set of 1968 Topps cards, with an average PSA grade of 9.94, sold at Mile High Card Company’s auction for $1.4 Million.
The Nolan Ryan + Jerry Koosman card (middle-left, in the image above) is the most valuable card from the set. Only one PSA 10 exists, and that card has no sales history. The PSA 9 is valued at around $118,000.
New Releases & Top Prospects
Panini Stars & Stripes Baseball
Panini Stars and Stripes is set to be released on Wednesday, May 3. Panini promises the set will include the "largest grouping of unique players’ autographs ever." Whereas Bowman’s appeal is recently signed prospects’ first card as a big leaguer, Stars and Stripes contains autographs and relic cards from players on the USA 15U National Team and USA 18U National Team.
2023 Bowman Baseball
Bowman Baseball was released last week, and as we discussed in last week’s roundup, Druw Jones’ 1st Bowman is currently the set’s most sought after card. Here are some other top-tier prospects with 1st Bowman’s you should be on the lookout for:
Cam Collier, Cincinnati Reds, 3B – Collier was the 18th pick in the 2022 draft. The 17-year-old has 63 at-bats in the minors and is hitting .286/.438(!)/.460. Baseball America ranks Cam as the #64 prospect in baseball.
Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays, 3B – The 99th ranked prospect by Baseball America, Caminero is hitting .314 with 11 homers and 12 stolen bases in 62 games in the minors.
Spencer Jones, New York Yankees, OF – Drafted by the Yankees in the first round with the 25th pick, Jones hit .370 at Vanderbilt and is hitting .325/.411/.494 in Low-A. Prospects Live ranks his ceiling as a 10. He’s 6’6 with a 220lb+ frame… sound like another current Yankee?
Josue de Paula, Los Angeles Dodgers, OF – The 17-year-old hit .349 with five home runs and 16 stolen bases in the Dominican Summer League. Many sources rank him as a top 100 prospect.
Gabriel Gonzalez, Seattle Mariners, OF – The 19-year-old has 497 at-bats in the minors, hitting .314/.397/.495 through A ball.
There are a ton more top prospects worth your attention. If you want to read up on all the prospects with 1st Bowman’s in this year’s Bowman Baseball release, Prospects Live does a phenomenal job ranking players by tier and providing insight.
Grading Specials
SGC is running a special – grading any Bowman Baseball card for $9 with no minimum submission size and an expected turnaround of 5-10 days!
PSA is running a special for Collectors Club Members, grading cards for $16 per card. The one caveat is that members must submit a minimum of 20 cards valued at $299 or less.
Shout out to Reddit user AmongstTheBeans for recommending I include grading specials in the email!
Trending Up / Trending Down
Trending Up: Jarred Kelenic
As a Seattle native, I’m loving this. Kelenic’s cards are up 25.80% over the last month. Kelenic hit home runs in three straight games (including a 482 foot bomb and following a 4 game home run streak the previous week), is currently hitting .316 (14th best in the MLB), and has seven home runs (tied for 6th in the MLB). He’s come a long way from going 0-7 in Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS – after which I couldn’t help but send him a $300 Venmo request for making me suffer through it…
Kelenic’s current tear is incredible, and if he grows into the player he was once projected to be, it would be an unprecedented turnaround. Deadspin broke it down perfectly only eight months ago:
Of all non-pitchers in MLB history with at least 490 Major League plate appearances, Kelenic has the second-worst batting average. The only player ever to record a lower career average is former Phillies infielder and Cubs manager John Vukovich, who hit .161 across 607 plate appearances between 1970 and 1981. That’s it. This isn’t a good sign, obviously. Of the 70 players to have an average of .200 or worse after at least 490 plate appearances, 53 never made it (or haven’t made it yet) to 1,000 plate appearances. They were all pushed to the minors or forced into retirement before then.
Kelenic could absolutely be among the 17 that did, but of those 17, only one, Lewis Brinson, was an outfielder. Most of the players who lasted in the Majors were catchers (10 of the 17), which makes sense given the importance of defense at the catcher position. That’s why people like Jeff Mathis lasted as long as they did, and why guys like Michael Perez, Austin Hedges, and Kyle Higashioka are all still getting ABs despite their offensive woes. That’s beside the point though. Basically, outfielders nowadays need to be able to hit. As great a defender as some may be, a center fielder who can cover a lot of ground, but can’t hit the white side of a baseball just isn’t worth it for most big league clubs.
Trending Down: Spencer Torkelson
Torkelson is trending down more than any other baseball player, falling -26.07%. Brock Purdy remains the leading loser among all sports cards, down -31.59% (lol Aaron).
Prospect of the Week: Alex Ramirez
If you read last week’s post, How to Build a Comprehensive Baseball Card Investment Strategy, you’re aware that in 2010, Baseball America ranked Mike Trout as the #85 prospect. In honor of Mike Trout’s #85 ranking, this week’s Prospect of the Week is Alex Ramirez, Baseball America’s current #85 (Fansgraph’s #72, MLB’s #88).
The Mets signed Ramirez on July 2, 2019 for $2.05 million as the 26th ranked international prospect on MLB Pipeline's list. After missing out on the 2020 season due to the pandemic, Ramirez has gone on to hit .273/.338/.751 through High A.
Ramirez is a highly-rated prospect with the Mets, known for his strong arm and well-rounded set of skills. The Mets are hoping he can develop into their center fielder of the future.
Ramirez's scouting grades are as follows:
Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55
Trivia Answer of the Week
Who is the only pitcher in MLB history with an immaculate inning, a perfect game, and a four-strikeout inning?
Félix “King Félix” Hernandez
Adding “King of Collectibles” to the watch list.