Apr27th

MLB Briefs - The First Three Weeks

By Adam McFarland | Posted at 3:27 pm | Filed Under MLB, Cards, Cardcollectingrambler

We’ve seen a lot of hobby action through the first 3 weeks of the season. The hottest player has been Alex Rodriguez (NYY). His record HR pace has pushed his 94 SP RC to incredible heights. The average selling price (incl S&H) for the month leading up the season was $56.33. Since opening day (through 4/24) it has averaged a whopping $80.39 (+42.7%). Expect to pay around $100 to $120 for this one now. His SP Die-Cut RC has experienced even more of a rise, averaging $58.73 before the season, and $127.05 since (+116.3%). One just sold on 4/25 for $207.49! Collectors have caught on quickly to the fact that the D/C version is much more rare than the regular version.

The hottest pitcher so far has been Felix Hernandez (SEA). What a roller coaster he’s been on for the past month. In the month before the season started, his 2004 Bowman Chrome Auto RC averaged (incl S&H) $101.92. Then, after his 1st shutout, the average jumped to $175.76. After his 2nd shutout, it rose to $205.65. Immediately after his injury in his 3rd start, his cards plummeted. Since the injury it’s averaged $156.42 (each sale since his 4/18 injury has dropped in price). Felix has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, so I don’t think his RC cards are ready rebound just yet. When news of a concrete date for his return is announced, that will probably signify the turning point in his RC values on the market. Right now might actually be a good time to pick one up, before the announcement is made.

Ryan Howard has been slumping since Spring training (maybe something to with his bumpy contract negotiation with the Phillies?). He’s batting .207 with only 2 HR, and his key RC cards have fallen as a result. Comparing average sales prices from March to April (through 4/24), his 2001 UD Prospect Premieres XRC has fallen 10%, from $33.33 to $29.93. His 2003 Bowman Chrome Draft RC fell 19.1% from $50.51 to $40.85. And his coveted 2003 Bowman’s Best Auto RC fell 14.4%, from $580.83 to $497.36. Now might be an opportune time to pick some of these RC’s up before his morale & dominant play return.

One young pitcher that I think is a good buy right now is Justin Verlander (DET). Last season (his 1st full year) he went 17-9 with a 3.63 ERA & averaged 6 K’s/9 IP. This year, after his 1st 4 starts, he’s 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA & 7.27 K’s/9 IP. This kid is still improving, and he’s a part of a strong young Tigers rotation. One of his top base RCs is his 2005 Bowman Chrome Auto, which has been selling in the $55 to $70. I also like his Bowman Sterling Auto/Jsy RC. It’s averaged around $31 over the past month.

Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Howard, Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez cards

About the Author
Hi, Cardcollectingrambler here. I started collecting sportscards back in the early 80’s, then stopped, and resumed in 1995 (got caught up in the Hideo Nomo craze!). Like most collectors, I subscribed to Beckett and used it to gauge what prices I should pay for the cards that I wanted. Of course, since Beckett only comes out monthly, the real card market would change daily (sometimes even hourly) because of what it’s based on – actual real time sports. That’s why I started my blog, Break Open Another Box!. I follow MLB Baseball & NBA Basketball, tracking players & teams and tying in their play performance to their sportscards market performance. In this blog, I write my predictions for which players I think are good investments, I provide examples of real auction prices to gauge what a card’s true value is and when a good time to buy/sell it would be, I give my opinion on the direction that various card companies/brands are going in, and any other observations/views that I have from being a fan of the game & card collector.

Thanks for taking the time read my ramblings!

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