Pitchers Spotlight

Here are some the 25 years or younger pitchers that I've been keeping tabs on:

• Tom Gorzelanny (PIT, 03 RC) - In 8 starts, he is 5-2 with an impressive 2.36 ERA & 34 K's in 53.1 IP. Gorzelanny has been one of the bright spots for the slumping Pirates so far. His 03 UD Prospect Premieres Auto & Bowman Heritage Auto have been hot sellers, averaging $24 & $16 respectively (although you can definitely find both of these for less with the right timing). As the Pirates' hitters start to finally do their thing, look for their key pitchers to push them to some W's.

• Ian Snell (PIT, 04 RC) - I think that Snell is the best pitcher the Pirates have right now. If he can keep consistent, he can be quite effective. In 8 starts, he is 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA & 43 K's in 53 IP. I like his 04 SP Authentic Auto #'d 999 or 195 and his Ultimate Collection Auto #'d 75. You can probably find his SPA Auto for around $20, but expect to pay close to $55-60 for the Ultimate Coll Auto.

• Jake Peavy (SD, 01 RC) - Peavy has been the most dominant pitcher in the majors. He's 5-1 with a 1.52 ERA and 66 K's (MLB lead) in 53.1 IP. His best base RC, 01 Bowman Chrome Ref, has been selling for over $50 in the past month, but has eased some and can now be found in the $40-50 range. A lot of collectors assumed that he didn't have any RC year autos, but as soon as they found out he had ONE, there was a mad frenzy! I'm talking about the elusive 01 Topps Fusion Auto. Pre-discovery (on 4/24) one sold for $67.44. Post-discovery (5/16) one auction is currently at $144.38 (incl s&h), with 8+ hours to go! These are the only two that I've seen on auction recently
  

• Oliver Perez (NYM, 02 RC) - Perez has struggled through his first 4 years in the majors, but has shown some bright signs along the way, which the Mets obviously saw when they decided to pick him up last season. In his first 7 starts this year, he's 4-3 with a 3.00 ERA & 43 K's in 42 IP. He has 2 key base Auto RC's from 02, which are SPx Auto #'d 825 & Ultimate Coll Auto #'d 550. Since both are pretty fairly priced, go for the more limited Ultimate Coll, which can typically be found in the mid to high $20's range.