Tag Archives: Anthony Rizzo

FCB Weekly Hot List June 29th 2012 Edition

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I typically write this Hot List on Thursday night and clean it up a bit before publication on Friday morning.  Last week at this time I spent a good deal of time writing about the fact that there was little going on as it related to the events that drive the sports card world.  Since then, the NBA finals have ended and the big soccer tournament going on in Europe is winding down, so seemingly there’s even less going on.

However, you would have to be living under a rock (and I suspect many find their home in exactly that spot) to not have noticed the most anticipated Supreme Court ruling in seemingly decades come out today.  The right’s selling John Roberts rookie cards and the left is snapping them up!  Oh wait, he doesn’t have baseball cards.  However, as you are unfortunately aware the links between the judicial system and sports aren’t that hard to find.  Congressional testimonies, perjury trials, anti-doping committees in cycling and seemingly so many more connections.  My question to you the reader is?  Do you care?  Do you even desire to have your elected representatives investigating these sorts of things or do they just soil and tarnish the game you love while taking away their precious times from other, potentially more important matters?  Good arguments can be made for both sides but I guess when you think about it, baseball’s first commissioner (Kenesaw Mountain Landis) was a judge after all so maybe this was bound to happen.

But but but rulings regarding constitutionality weren’t the only thing going on today.  Just as there are Supreme Court watchers there are watchers of the NBA draft (and I suspect they outnumber the former group just a touch).

So the interesting news day continued and SURPRISE!!!  Anthony “If I wasn’t amazing at basketball I’d likely be a social reject for this unibrow and therefore it would probably be gone” Davis was the #1 pick.  But you knew that weeks ago the question was who would the M.Jeff’s franchise cast their lot with because the consensus was that picks #2-#15 had real high upside and probably some pretty high downside too.  Now, this is the point at which you need to pause because this past year’s draft class although not too exciting in the card world (no rookie cards) really wouldn’t have been that exciting anyway.  You had Kyrie Irving (All-Star caliber) and then you had everybody else.  The conundrum the Bobcats had of picking between multiple high ceiling picks was a good one.  They went Kentucky just in case you were wondering and boy their was a lot of blue in this draft between Kentucky and Carolina.

Now all that said, if you’d like to take a guess how much basketball is on this list please do?  Oh wait, none, that’s right none.  See sometimes you have to start writing about something to stop writing about something else and the Hot List is no place for political rants, go check your Facebook news feed for that drivel, lets get to some news we can smile about.

 

1. Adam Warren 2011 Bowman Chrome Autos

Warren

Comments: The Yankees can be described with many words, one word which is not on that list is cheap.  Whether it comes to free agent spending, ticket prices or in this case cards, they are not cheap.  A guy like Adam Warren gets called up to the A’s and the only thing that happens in the world is Billy Beane rolls over in his sleep.  Adam Warren getes called up to the Yankees and cards triple and quadruple and all of a sudden the “oh crap, it’s Adam Warren” pull becomes something that’s actually worth a little money.

2. Miles Head 2011 Donruss Elite Auto

Head

Comments: Last week in the #2 spot we featured a Magic the Gathering card about Land Taxes.  This week, Gilmore wrote an article about his new love for Magic the Gathering cards, folks, “The Times they are a Changin’.”  And speaking of a song, I can see for Miles and Miles..  Name two “famous” Miles in sports…fast.  How about Austin and Simon (of the ’97 AZ Wildcats).  What, you didn’t say Miles Head?  Well Miles is appropriate given all the home runs he’s been hitting and yeah they are in the Cal League but collectors are loving his only rookie card the Elite anyway.  It doubled this week up to over $20.

3. Jeimer Candelario 2012 Bowman Chrome Auto

candy

Comments: The Cubs sadly aren’t good for much these days except apparently generating Hot List appearances for their young prospects.  This partially happens because in spite of no results, the Cubs still have a large fan base and it probably also is driven by the fact that Cubs fans are grasping for straws, or whatever is less than straws, that’s what they are grasping for.  As a result, a prospect like Candelario comes up, hits his first home run and chrome auto prices double overnight. Cubs.fans.will.take.anything.  And by the way, wasn’t the “Candy Man” which might be a nice nickname for Jeimer, a scary movie staged in the projects of Chicago?  I digress.

4. Anthony Rizzo 2011 Bowman Sterling Autos

Rizzo

Comments: Speaking of which, the Cubs have something more immediate to be excited about with the call up of Anthony Rizzo.  As you’ll recall, Rizzo’s initial 2010 Bowman Chrome Auto release got very hot while he was with the Red Sox, he then got traded into the hobby dead zone (but otherwise awesome zone) of San Diego.  He didn’t spend a long time with San Diego before he re-united with his former GM, Jed Hoyer in Chicago and anyone still holding his cards must have been happy that day.  Rizzo came up to much fanfare and even “lesser” autos like the 2011 Sterlings moved quickly from $15 to over $30.

5. Ryan Lochte 2012 Topps Olympic Autos

Lochte

Comments: Is it just me or does the name Ryan Lochte roll much better off your tongue when it’s said with a William Wallace type accent.  “Lochte is with us as long as he gets to kill English!”  And tangent over, no war with England is starting but an internal U.S. competition certainly is as Lochte competes with and in fact, beat Michael Phelps in the Olympic trials recently.  If you recall  Michael Phelps autos went absolutely insane after his most recent Olympic performances and that will lead to “prospecting” of others – Olumpic Trial results like Lochte’s will make that happen as his autographs rose from $50 to $100 this week.

6. Dan Straily 2011 Bowman Chrome Draft Parallels

Straily

Comments: It’s age discrimination I tell you.  One of the things that happens in the minor leagues is when an 18 year old does something spectacular people start foaming at the mouth while throwing out absurd comparisons “haven’t seen an arm like this since Rapid Robert Feller I tell you!”  On the flip side, if that same pitcher is 23 it’s more likely going to be “he’s playing against inferior younger competition and in reality, he ought to be pitching even better.”  Straily falls into the latter category and that’s why his cards likely sell for diddly but after a very nice debut in AAA his parallels started moving.  It doesn’t mean they are selling unreal high yet, it does mean that cards that previously sold for $3-$5 are now $8-$10.

7. Mike Trout’s Face

Trout

Comments: I loved the remark from a commenter in the Hot List Nomination thread “anything with Mike Trout’s face on it.”  Indeed, Mike Trout’s face is on fire.  His face, his face, his face is on fire, he don’t need no water let the…yeah and we’ll stop there.  A couple times a year you have a player whose cards skyrocket and just don’t seem to stop.  Trout who is lighting up the AL West in his first full season is getting rave reviews from everyone who watches him play or looks at the stats.  Sterling Autos which are generally pretty cheap are now hitting $200 in 9.5 form, up from $130 last week.

8. Topps Tier One Bat Knobs

Maris

Comments: They’rrrrree baaaaack!  Sometimes its not the set that gets hot, as much as a particular subset and Tier One has two of these (more on the second in spot #9).  How often do you think you’ll have the chance to acquire a bat knob of a guy like Roberto Clemente?  Can’t think of another time?  Yeah, well neither could a whole bunch of other bidders and thus that card ran well into the 4 digits.  As long as these keep hitting the market we will continue to see crazy prices due to the true 1 of 1 nature of these cards.

9. Topps Tier One Acetate Reprint Autos

Banks

Comments: The reprint autos are hot for an entirely different reason.  They are a nostalgic set due to the reprints, look absolutely fantastic on acetate, limited to 25 and top to bottom the check list is great.  Even with a print run of 25, these will shortly dry up and rarely be seen so in the mean time, collectors are getting in on them while they can and that’s making them very, very pricey.

10. Blake Snell 2011 Bowman Chrome Autos

Snell

Comments: Blake Snell wasn’t a name that got a lot of people excited when checklists were released and due to the fact that he was playing short season ball, his cards stayed extremely cheap.  However, so far in the early going his short season results have been fantastic and blue refractor autos that were $15-$20 are now selling for in the $30 range.


 

 

 

FCB Weekly Hot List – May 25th 2012 Edition

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I’m sure there are a good number of you who each week, upon seeing that the Hot List is posted, click the link, scroll past my initial blather and start looking at the pretty pretty pictures! That’s not a slam on your collective intelligence, it’s just a fact. There’s a reason that the most popular books are novels like Harry Potter, the Hunger Games and other publications of that ilk. They are enjoyable to read and in ones free time much easier to pick up then the latest musings on what might exist beyond our galaxy by some Ivy League professor sitting in an ivory tower.

That’s a long winded way of saying that we like to look at picture and other entertainment as opposed to pages full of words, boring words. It’s also a way of indicting what I’m about to do. The Hot List doesn’t have pictures this week and it doesn’t have a list aspect. The Hot List has lost it’s identity and lost its way in the world. No, not really, I’ve just lost a ton of time due to a ton of issues this week and the usual picture collection and research part of the Hot List doesn’t seem to be in the works – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t hot cards and players out there.

During the MLB and MiLB seasons we very frequently see lesser known players becoming more well known due to their performances on the field. Additionally, sometimes we see previous big name prospects resurface. This week it seems that if your name begins with a J, you made the cut for that category. Josh Harrison, Josh Bell, Josh Sale and Jonathan Lucroy are all players with cards at least two years old now, that up until this week had seen better days. Each one of them in their respective leagues MiLB for Sale and Bell and MLB for Harrison and Lucroy had somewhat breakout weeks and in some cases, just added on to already surprisingly good seasons. This breathed new life into their cards this week.

Another category we often touch on is big names that only grow hotter due to outstanding performances. National phenoms Harper and Strasburg have both made multiple appearances on the list already this year. This week it is Mike and Mike. No, not the radio show but Trout and Stanton…oh wait, it’s Mike and Giancarlo…dang it and there goes the joke. Although these two young outfielders are different in many ways one thing is very much the same. They are both extremely skilled players with ceilings that aren’t really definable. You can expect to continue seeing both of them on the ESPN Top 10 for quite a few years and it may push prices up from their already crazy highs. A Trout Xfractor /225 sold for over $250 this week and a Stanton BGS 9 Refractor Auto sold for nearly $300.

Another category we often see is new releases that are getting a lot of publicity. The Blue Wave refractor redemption packs have certainly gotten a ton of publicity on these boards and eBay is following suit. Collectors love the design and prices are reflecting as such. Additionally, in a more niche market, Leaf Army 2012 has hit the market with a splash. Box prices are moving at nearly $150 each for a box of 12 autos and the Jumbo Patches are selling outstanding on eBay.

Then there is the “I’m going to get the call to the big leagues when??” category. Wil Myers has previously been in this category and this week it is Anthony Rizzo’s turn. Rizzo continues to toy with Triple A pitching but unfortunately for him, Bryan LaHair is playing better than any Cubs fan could have dreamed.

We’ll be back to our standard format next week

 

 

 

FCB Weekly Hotlist – January 13th 2012 Edition

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I’m just finishing up listening to a preview of the FCB podcast that your friends – Wes, phillyfan0417 and cgilmo created.  When Chris sent me the preview link he prefaced it with something like “talking is hard.”  Indeed, if you try to create a podcast, write a blog, write articles, or frankly do anything related to publication, on a regular basis and in a semi-professional manner, you’ll find, it’s probably harder than you think.  Doing something routinely and coming up with unique ideas, are not two things that go hand in hand and without a common theme (like….what’s hot in the hobby any given week) it can become a bit of a bear to do anything with consistency.   This is why message boards and community type interaction flourishes like it does here on FCB.  Members can come in, spout off about something, make a point, or attempt to make a point, pimp something, show something off and then disappear for a time without anyone really noticing.  This is only because the next member is there ready to do the same thing.

To be honest with you, this is a conversation that I’ve often had with Chris, the need for regular and routine content.  But think about that just for a moment, particularly as it relates to how this hobby used to be.  The idea that you would have had this kind of information via this community, eBay, other hobby websites, scouting websites, general sports websites and other means at your fingertips would have been absurd just 15 years ago.  I mean, you don’t even have to sit down at a computer to do it, some of you are probably reading this through your phones or other means.  I used to wait on pins and needles each month for my Beckett to come in the mail, it wasn’t because I believed that Dr. Beckett was a genius, or the people that worked at Beckett were geniuses, it was because it was one of my only sources of information.  Same with the local card shop, as much as I wanted to buy cards, I wanted to know what was going on in the hobby.  So now this information has revolutionized the hobby to a point that we now worry about having enough content and ideas to fill pages on the front of a website absolutely packed with ideas and information, information that you couldn’t have accumulated in a years worth of work just 20 short years ago.  So how does this all lead into the Hot List?  Well, fortunately, some time back Chris and I were talking and the idea of a Hot List came up and voila, an easy way to create regular content each week that still stays unique each week.  Not that it doesn’t take time and effort but recurring themes are beautiful and on that note,  away we go.

1. Barry Larkin 1987 Topps Tiffany Rookies

Larkin

Comments: A few years ago, I ate some chili at a contest that was named “creepsuponya.”  This of course referred to the level of heat within the chili but it might refer to my realization that Barry Larkin was elected to the Hall of Fame.  Of course if you are a Baseball Tonight person, Barry’s face is not unfamiliar but all of a sudden, the guy became eligible and was elected.  .295 BA, 2340 hits, less than 200 HRs, less than 1000 RBIs, a couple of Gold Gloves, some Silver Sluggers, an MVP, a World Series.  I don’t know, you tell me?  The career is certainly a really really good one but what is a HOF’er anymore?  Do you benefit from being in a class with a bunch of ‘roid boys?  I’ll step off the soap box for now – Barry’s rookie cards were in that era where I was going to card shops trying to get information – that also means the printing presses from 1987 Topps are still glowing red hot, due to how hard they were ran.  None the less, collectors will find the rare rookie and chase they will.  In this case the Tiffany set provides that opportunity and Barry’s 1987 Tiffany PSA 9s went from $15 to $40ish overnight.

2. Kahwi Leonard 2011-12 SP Authentic Autos

Leonard

Comments: I don’t think anyone knows what is happening with Panini’s exclusive NBA license as it relates to making rookie cards this year.  It’s very easy to throw stones but you have to realize, once Panini puts out a few sets with rookies in it, the break the bubble so to speak and lose the opportunity to do a full product run and get the usual value they would out of a rookie class.  Isn’t this just one more reason to love the lockout?  Maybe that could be a movie title “how I learned to stop caring about anyone outside of myself and love the lockout.”  Starring the players union, the owners and some downright ridiculous negotiators.  Oh, yeah, Kahwi Leonard, right, the guy who has a first name that could be in one of those old Batman movies “Bam” “Pow” “Kahwi!”  In the midst of no Panini products the sole 2011-12 NBA basketball product on the market is SP Authentic and it doesn’t have most of the big names in it (for the guy who keeps nominating Kyrie Iriving for this list!).  However, in a somewhat strange year, lesser picks are making big impacts – Kahwi certainly is with the Spurs who just seem to do nothing but win every year.  His Autos went from $15 to $30 this week.

3. Darren Sproles 2005 Bowmans Best Auto RC

Sproles

Comments: I really don’t have any horses in the NFL playoff race but I have to admit, that I absolutely love watching the efficiency of the Saints and Packers offenses, I wish they were not both in the NFC so Brees and Rodgers could square off in the Super Bowl in the year of the quarterback.  I say all this and one of them will lose this weekend but that’s not here nor there.  The slightly bittersweet taste in my mouth as a Chargers fan watching the Saints is that the two players making that team go are ex-Chargers both of whom the Chargers let walk away.  Someone mentioned Darren Sproles as the free agent signing of the year and it is hard to disagree, they use him perfectly, that is, in space.  Norv Turner often thought it a wise idea to run Darren up the middle and use his incredible bulk to overpower linebackers (a hint of sarcasm), the Saints get it and he’s flourishing.  He scored a couple TDs and immediately his rookie autos, even Bowmans Best doubled.

4. Demaryius Thomas 2010 Playoff Contenders Auto

Thomas

Comments: If you started “Tebowing” immediately after the touchdown pass last weekend, you missed Demaryius Thomas running into the end zone (and due to the new rules not realizing he’d won the game) and you missed an emerging wide receiver star.  I guess fast, strong, big, athletic wide receivers come from Georgia Tech right?  Demaryius has had trouble shaking the injury bug in his first two years but in his last 6 games he has 652 yards of receiving and timely catches at that.  Demaryius’ Contenders Autos could have been had all season long in the $5 range but if you want one now you would have had to pay $8 last week and $16 this week.

5. Tim Tebow 2010 Playoff Contenders Auto RC

Tebow

Comments: Matthew Berry writes a weekly fantasy column called Love/Hate.  It’s pretty much my relationship with Tim Tebow – as a sports fan what he’s done has been tremendous by anyone’s standards, particularly with the expectations and thoughts about him prior to him ascending to the starters role.  The Hate side of it is I can’t seem to get away from hearing about him from the sports media and I can only hear a story rehashed so many times by whatever ex-players and coaches are sitting on the panel before we run out of unique angles to take.  However, on the Hot List you make it on merit and Tebow’s Contenders Autos going from $95 to $140-$150 certainly merit it.  As a point of interest these sold for $200 upon release last year.

6. Mario Chalmers 2008-09 Exquisite Auto Patches

Chalmers

Comments:  We’ve often observed on the Hot List that being on a really good team can be really good for your card values.  That’s the exact spot Mario is in – however, he’s done some things himself to merit his Exquisites moving from the mid-$20s to around $50 as well.  Mario is probably still most well known for his stunning shot to tie the National Championship game while he was playing for Kansas, against Derrick Rose and Memphis.  However, if he keeps it up he’ll be known as the point guard on the team with Lebron, Wade and Bosh who in the midst of grabbing a couple steals a game shot a very efficient 40+% from 3 point land and doubled his PPG average in the 2011-12 season.

7. Anthony Rizzo 2010 Bowman Chrome Autos

Rizzo

Comments: What Theo wants, Theo gets.  Mr. Epstein probably had a significant hand in picking Anthony in a draft and now after a stop in San Diego, Anthony’s back with Theo in Chicago in exchange for Andrew Cashner.  San Diego is a lovely place in pretty much every way except for hobby exposure, it just doesn’t happen too much.  Chicago, also a lovely place in many ways (weather and traffic not among them) gets a lot more hobby exposure even though the Cubs and the Padres are on the same wavelength when it comes to winning baseball – that is, it doesn’t happen.  So that being said, Cubs fans greeted Anthony’s arrival in Chicago by hitting a bunch of buy it nows and pushing up Bowman Chrome Refractor Autos in 9.5 form over $100 again.

8. Iman Shumpert 2008 McDonalds All American Autographs

Iman

Comments: Panini needs to make some NBA stuff with rookie cards in it, guys like Iman are precisely why.  Knicks collectors desire to buy cards of this young player who displays lots of potential.  In the absence of typical rookie cards collectors have went for his McDonalds All-American cards produced by Topps (just like they did when Kemba blew up in the tourney last year) and the autographs associated with those cards are now pushing $150.

9. Josh Bell 2011 Elite Autographs

Bell Elite

Comments: Since I’ve mentioned Panini twice in a less than positive fashion, relating to their production, or lack thereof of rookie cards this year, I mention them again.  The on card autos in 2011 Elite look downright fantastic and this product continues to evolve, I believe for the better.  One of the beauties of Elite is that due to its enormous autograph checklist it features guys who lack autographs in the Bowman products and in many cases, their Elite autograph becomes the chase card.  So it is with Josh Bell who previously only had Leaf Metal Draft autos and now has an Elite on-card auto that sells for $40 and diecuts that get into the triple digits.

10. 2011 UD Goodwin Animal Kingdom Shortprints

Goodwin Animal Kingdom

Comments: If you’ve been a reader of this list for some time, you know that a while back UD Goodwin Etymology cards made this list when collectors paid big bucks for rare, encased bugs.  I have to admit, it would be pretty sweet if they actually had part of a hippo tooth in this card but in fact, its just a rare short print that set collectors are apparently obsessed with and paying near $300 for, much like many other cards in this set.  Isn’t a pygmy (or any other word associated with small) paired with a hippo somewhat oxymoronic?

11. Special Space – NOT SO HOT LIST – ETOPPS

No picture needed, the words EPIC FAIL will do

Comments: To the point I made in the introduction to the Hot List, the interwebs and these boards are just full of information.  I was going to say good information but if you are holding any etopps cards, then you know that good isn’t a word you’ve been feeling much of this week.  eTopps isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last time that some company tries to develop a stock market like commodity with baseball cards.  Just like stocks, these are not just fictitious virtual shares of ownership, they are backed by something real, something limited and you can buy and sell them, or so you thought.  thepit.com does this with actual cards previously released as opposed to the specialized etopps cards.  eTopps truly was a different world, points, shipping, the availability of actual cards, cardtarget.com, selling them on eBay and other things made it as such, however, much like most other niches, it had its big fans but I’m guessing no longer.  Topps announced this week that it no longer would be producing cards (read: probably paying attention or generally giving a thought to eTopps) to be marketed as eTopps.  This is the equivalent of a major stock market index saying, oh we’ll still trade current stocks but not allow IPOs, make you cash out when you make your next trade and generally pay less attention, if any to this as time goes on.  Stocks would tank nearly immediately and so have eTopps.  Lets not kid ourselves, eTopps wasn’t a huge market but that doesn’t matter – many collectors are and will be left with a very sour taste in their mouth relating to Topps due to this matter and that can’t be good for business.