Name A Forgotten Once-Big Prospect

[AmishDave]

I bought a certified auto for .50... I was actually upset at the guy for selling it that cheap. Does that make any sense?

I wish folks would sell, or even have them in their boxes, at shows around here. I'd buy 'em all up.

 

[phillyfan0417]

Pat combs, stanley jefferson but my first real big stash was pat Burrell

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Freedom Card Board mobile app

 

[AmishDave]

Ryan Spillbroughs

 

[ballerskrip]

David Nied

Good one! I had a "nied for speed" poster on my wall

 

[DeliciousBacon]

Marion Encarnacion's 1999 Bowman RC used to book for a few bucks.

 

[Ty Hope]

Matt LaPorta. Still can't believe he turned out to be such crap.

 

[BiggioBrooks755]

Not forgotten, and not done yet...but I will say Stephen Strasburg

This was the guy that was supposed to be the next "big thing"

Has he done alright? Yeah

Was he what everyone expected him to be at this point? No not really

25 years old...1 TG surgery...28-19 record...will turn 26 middle of next season...only one complete game...

 

[AmishDave]

Mike Darr

 

[notjomommasclint]

Nigel Wilson!

 

[AmishDave]

Danny Almonte

 

[jbmm161]

1998 was pretty bad year.
I always seemed to pick the wrong years to collect a sport.
Got out of football in 1998 should have been stocking up on Manning rookies.
Stopped collecting for a while missed the Pujols years in 2001.
And definitely messed up not collecting basketball during Lebron's rookie year.

 

[hofvintagecollector]

Not forgotten, and not done yet...but I will say Stephen Strasburg

This was the guy that was supposed to be the next "big thing"

Has he done alright? Yeah

Was he what everyone expected him to be at this point? No not really

25 years old...1 TG surgery...28-19 record...will turn 26 middle of next season...only one complete game...

Im going to go ahead and quote this before you delete it

 

[Brewer Andy]

Im going to go ahead and quote this before you delete it

I've been biting my tongue for an hour. Its half gone! HALF GONE!

 

[BiggioBrooks755]

Not saying he wont be a good player...but not the player everyone expected

 

[mchenrycards]

1983 TT

Not only is Ron Kittle a forgotten once-big prospect, he is the once-big forgotten prospect. More than that, he may very well be the first 'prospect' with regards to baseball cards & his 1983 Topps RC as a investment! Ron Kittle was perhaps the first minor league player to gain national exposure, inside or outside our hobby, when he clobbered 50 HR's playing for Edmonton of the Pacific Coast League in 1982, a feat I am not sure anyone has done since. Unlike today, in the early 1980's it took time in the MLB to gain exposure and subsequent hobby love. It was a rarity, even perhaps unheard of, for a 'prospect' in the minor leagues to make a name nationally before hitting the bigs but Kittle did just that.

If memory serves me correctly, Kittles 1983 Topps Traded RC card was the first ever Topps card to list for over $1 upon initial release. Partly because of his milb lore but also because for the first full year in MLB he somewhat actually lived up to the hype hitting 35 HR's and driving in 100 in 145 games, winning ROY and making an AS appearance. However, the next few years showed a steady decline in production although shades of power remained. In the end he simply never could adjust to MLB off speed stuff and his strike out total rose as his BA diminished. Finishing his career that spanned 10 seasons and 5 teams with a .239 lifetime BA and 176 HR's. Even though he never lived up to his billing of the 'next Babe Ruth', he did lay the foundation of prospecting as we know it today, with regards to paying attention to the milb and purchasing RC cards to flip.

There is a player and a card that predates this Kittle one by two years. I know this because I invested heavily (and the reason why I dont prospect) in this player who could open beer bottles with his eye socket and changed his hair color more than Dennis Rodman. He was also rumored to have done his own dental work as well and fixed his own broken nose. He was a national media darling for one summer...... I give you.... the 1980 American League rookie of the year...Joe Charboneau



Joe Charbenou

 

[OscarOne]

I have every "Baseball America" prospect handbook since 2001. It is the #1 reason I don't think serious dough into prospects. Go through some of those Top 30 lists is really depressing.

Corey Smith
Matt LaPorta is a good one.
Chris George (a really super guy though, and still had a long career)
Ken Harvey
Mario Encarnation
Hee Sop Choi (what the heck happened?!)
Mark Prior
John-Ford Griffin (I really thought he would be good)
Michael Restovich (Come on!)
Brad Nelson
Jason Lane, the new Lance Berkman

 

[RStadlerASU22]

I've been biting my tongue for an hour. Its half gone! HALF GONE!

I'm on more of the won't pan out as a "superstar" side as well.... I think overhype and Mark Prior when I think of SS. Won't be mad if I'm wrong though

Ryan

 

[Lars]

B.J. Garbe

Rick Asadoorian

 

[RogerMarisCollector61]

Alex Gordon

I wouldn't exactly call Alex Gordon forgotten.

According to fangraphs over the past 3 years Alex Gordon has been worth:
2011:6.6 WAR
2012:5.6 WAR
2013:3.3 WAR

 

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