Apr16th

Around the MLB: Pitching Performances

By Cardcollectingrambler | Posted at 11:44 am | Filed Under MLB, Cards, Cardcollectingrambler

Jeff Niemann, Cole Hammels, and Chad Billingsly Rookie Cards

Guest post by Cardcollectingrambler from Break Open Another Box!

Jeff Niemann, the Rays’ 25-year-old rookie, made his long-awaited MLB debut on Sunday against the Orioles. In 6 innings pitched, he allowed just 1 run off of 6 hits, with 1 BB & 5 K’s (the one run came off of a solo shot by Nick Markakis in the 6th), helping his team to a 6-2 win. Niemann’s 05 Bowman Chrome Auto RC was selling in the $18-19 TAC range last year, as he posted a 12-6 record & 3.98 ERA with the Triple-A Durham Bulls. It then fell to around $11-12 earlier this year, as I guess collectors thought that he wouldn’t make the majors in ’08. This month, the card was averaging $13 before his call-up, then, on the day he pitched, a two-card BC auto RC lot sold for $49.71 ($24.85 average per). His 05 Bowman Sterling Auto RC has averaged in the $6-12 TAC range over the past year. After his debut, the next two sales went for $18.51 & $14.05. Niemann’s cards are definitely at the beginning of their rise, and should continue to gain value as long as he can stick around and hold his own in the Bigs.

In recent years, Chad Billingsley has been the Dodgers’ best hope for a homegrown ace. Through a combination of starts & relief appearances since ’06, he’s accumulated a record of 19-11, with a 3.58 ERA and an average of 7.70 K’s/9 IP. This season, Billingsley made his debut as a starter (he had two relief outings prior) against the D-Backs on 4/8, and got rocked for 5 runs (4 earned) and 3 BB with 1 K in just 2-1/3 innings pitched. Then, in his 2nd start, he actually had a great performance, pitching 5 innings, in which he allowed just 4 hits, 1 run & 2 BB with 8 K’s. Unfortunately, he was matched up against the future HOFer Greg Maddux, who bested him with 5 shutout innings to pick-up his 2nd “W” of the season. Billingsley’s 03 Bowman Chrome Draft Auto RC has been a consistent seller in the $30-40 range for the past year, holding steady at that level probably because collectors believed in this youngster’s potential, but was held back from significant jumps because he’s only been able to show glimpses of his talent. A less expensive alternative to buy is his 03 UD Prospect Premiers Auto RC, which can be found in the $20-30 TAC range.

The Phillies’ 24-year-old Cole Hamels is off to a strong start this season, posting a 2-1 record with a 0.82 ERA, and averaging 6.14 K’s/9 IP through his first 3 starts. His 02 Bowman Chrome Draft RC peaked out at an average TAC of $27 last year, as he was working his way to a 15-5 record. In the off-season, it fell to the $15-21 range, and now in April, prices haven’t experienced much change, despite his most recent impressive performances. I expect his BCD RC to jump to the $25-30 range very soon, as long as Hamels can keep up his level of play, and help his team compete in the so-so NL East. His BCD refractor #’d 300 & BCD x-fractor #’d 150 have been selling in the $110-115 & $130-140 ranges, respectively.

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

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.