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Topnotchsy
Featured Contributor, The best players in history?
- Aug 7, 2008
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So with the season coming to an end it's time (in my mind) to come up with an off-season shipping list, those players I want to target over the winter months while the market is a little soft. I've moved away from looking at prospects so I no longer have to really worry about spiking the market. There's usually enough to go around with the established stars. Below are some of the guys I am targeting/considering. Would love to hear thoughts.
Albert Pujols
He's 8 homers away from 500, and with the time off to get healthy there's reason to imagine he could be back to close to what he was in St. Louis. His cards have dropped a ton since their peaks, and he's a guy who could provide very healthy returns with very little downside. My favorite has always been his SPx RC Auto which at its peak was a $1200 card. I just got a BGS 9/9 for under 3 bills.
Prince Fielder
As I posted a little while back, I was able to snag a Fielder Ultimate Collection Auto PSA 10 for just a hair over $200. That's basically his best RC Autograph at a very small fraction of the what the going rate used to be. Fielder had a very disappointing season this year and there are always concerns about his weight, but he was going through a difficult divorce and he never seems to miss a game. (And he still had pretty decent numbers.) For the right price I think he's worth pursuing, although I'd be selective about which cards to buy (the 2002 Prospect Premieres 9.5 auto's still get $100, which is not nearly the drop that other cards have seen.)
David Price
This one is a little more interesting in my mind. You have two things going on here with a pitcher who played poorly this season (and was injured) as well as a player who will likely be traded. Considering that over the last few years he has been one of the best 5 pitchers in baseball, that he is young, prices are low and he will likely be traded to a team who can afford to pay him (read: big market) and it could be a nice combination.
Hanley Ramirez
His season was eipc but I don't think that people are sold on whether he is "back." If you assume he is and look at his previous struggles as an aberration you have a player on a HOF trajectory. If you assume this season was the aberration than he's a decent player who had a few great seasons and a great partial season this year. If you think there's a decent chance of the former, this offseason is probably the time to buy as another season that looks anything like this past one will entrench him amongst the best hitters in baseball. (Of course, there's more risk here than some of the other players.)
Carlos Beltran
This offseason may not be the time but I've been trying to determine what cards of his people might chase if he is able to maintain a high level of play a couple more seasons and becomes a legit HOF candidate. His 1995 RC card had the wrong player on it, he doesn't have a true RC Auto, and was not in any of the classic early auto sets. The closest thing he has is his 2000 SPx Auto, which IMO probably has the best chance of standing out amongst the crowd (although buying now is not smart, wait until after the Series is over if you want one as prices have jumped).
Quite frankly Beltran has almost no cards that sell well. I took a flyer on this one for $50 as an early and really rare card, though I don't really expect to see much from it if I ever decide to move it:
Albert Pujols
He's 8 homers away from 500, and with the time off to get healthy there's reason to imagine he could be back to close to what he was in St. Louis. His cards have dropped a ton since their peaks, and he's a guy who could provide very healthy returns with very little downside. My favorite has always been his SPx RC Auto which at its peak was a $1200 card. I just got a BGS 9/9 for under 3 bills.
Prince Fielder
As I posted a little while back, I was able to snag a Fielder Ultimate Collection Auto PSA 10 for just a hair over $200. That's basically his best RC Autograph at a very small fraction of the what the going rate used to be. Fielder had a very disappointing season this year and there are always concerns about his weight, but he was going through a difficult divorce and he never seems to miss a game. (And he still had pretty decent numbers.) For the right price I think he's worth pursuing, although I'd be selective about which cards to buy (the 2002 Prospect Premieres 9.5 auto's still get $100, which is not nearly the drop that other cards have seen.)
David Price
This one is a little more interesting in my mind. You have two things going on here with a pitcher who played poorly this season (and was injured) as well as a player who will likely be traded. Considering that over the last few years he has been one of the best 5 pitchers in baseball, that he is young, prices are low and he will likely be traded to a team who can afford to pay him (read: big market) and it could be a nice combination.
Hanley Ramirez
His season was eipc but I don't think that people are sold on whether he is "back." If you assume he is and look at his previous struggles as an aberration you have a player on a HOF trajectory. If you assume this season was the aberration than he's a decent player who had a few great seasons and a great partial season this year. If you think there's a decent chance of the former, this offseason is probably the time to buy as another season that looks anything like this past one will entrench him amongst the best hitters in baseball. (Of course, there's more risk here than some of the other players.)
Carlos Beltran
This offseason may not be the time but I've been trying to determine what cards of his people might chase if he is able to maintain a high level of play a couple more seasons and becomes a legit HOF candidate. His 1995 RC card had the wrong player on it, he doesn't have a true RC Auto, and was not in any of the classic early auto sets. The closest thing he has is his 2000 SPx Auto, which IMO probably has the best chance of standing out amongst the crowd (although buying now is not smart, wait until after the Series is over if you want one as prices have jumped).
Quite frankly Beltran has almost no cards that sell well. I took a flyer on this one for $50 as an early and really rare card, though I don't really expect to see much from it if I ever decide to move it: