Apr5th

Around the MLB

By Cardcollectingrambler | Posted at 10:33 am | Filed Under MLB, Cards, Cardcollectingrambler

Oliver Perez, Rick Ankiel, Dan Haren Rookie Cards

Guest post by Cardcollectingrambler from Break Open Another Box!

Rick Ankiel, the Cards’ pitcher-turned-hitter, went 3-for-5 on 4/2 with his first homer of the season. Batting in the clean-up spot, between Albert Pujols & Troy Glaus, he should be allowed many opportunities to showcase his long-ball talents. His 99 Ultimate Victory RC’s value has seen major fluctuations since his return to the majors last season. It’s average market value reached a high of $26 TAC back in September, and a low of $6.28 in January. As soon as the season started, his top rookie took off. In March, it had an average TAC in the low $30’s range. One just sold on 4/3 for $40.50 TAC! Ankiel’s 99 SP Top Prospects Chirography Auto (his only rookie-year auto from a major card company) also peaked out at around $26 last season, and fell to a low of $8.50 in December. In March it was selling for around $18, and so far in April it’s at about $20. It seems like collectors have been more interested in his 00 SPx Auto #’d 1500, a 2nd year card (just like for Josh Beckett). If you want his true rookie-year auto, the SP Top Prospects is the way to go. Yes, it’s a minor-league issue, but it is made by Upper Deck, so it may have decent value potential.

Overall, Dan Haren had a very solid ’07 season in Oakland, but his first outing for the D-Backs was pretty mediocre. In his debut on 4/2 against the Reds, he allowed 3 ER in 6 innings, including 2 HR. Maybe he’s still adjusting to the desert climate. Or maybe he’s just continuing where he left off at the end of last season (after a Cy Young-type first half, he had 3 straight months of 4.00+ ERA). His 03 Bowman’s Best Auto RC peaked out at around $40 TAC last June, but then consistently fell over the next few months, along with his performance, before bottoming out at $17.39 in October. Since January, it’s been selling in the $24-34 TAC range. There aren’t many for sale on auction right now, so sellers might be waiting for Haren to step things up, in order to maximize their returns.

Oliver Perez started the season with a huge “W”, helping the Mets demolish the Marlins 13-0 on 4/2. He tossed 6 shutout innings, allowing 5 hits, 0 runs & 1 BB, with 8 K’s. Perez has always been a strike-out pitcher, but the thing that’s hampered him has been his walks, making his 1 BB in this game quite impressive. He averaged 4.02 BB/9 IP in ’07 (career average is 4.70 BB/9 IP). If he truly has gained more control, I would expect him to improve on his 15 W’s & 3.56 ERA from last season. His 02 SPx Auto RC #’d 825 & Ultimate Collection Auto RC #’d 550 have sold in the $13-20 TAC range over the past 9 months. These are two must-have cards for any Perez collector, and could very well become decent investments for buyers looking for value-growth opportunities. Now that Pedro Martinez is out for 4-6 weeks, the team will be looking to Perez & the other starters to pick up the slack and keep them on top of the NL East.

Please check out my blog, Break Open Another Box!, for more of my ramblings!

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