Player Update: Rick Ankiel

In his first 61 at-bats, Rick Ankiel has hit .354 with 5 HR (12.2 AB/HR) & 17 RBI (3.59 AB/RBI). The only down side is that he also has 19 strike-outs (3.21 AB/SO). Collectors seemed to have been a little hesitant to buy into Ankiel for the first few weeks, waiting to see he really could hold his own in the majors as a position player. His 99 Ultimate Victory RC was averaging around $12.20 TAC through the end of August. Then, one sold yesterday for $36.08! One of his 99 Ultimate Victory parallels sold for $48 yesterday, and $63.85 today! It was like all of the sudden people decided that he was going to be a hobby hit, so they all jumped in.

His 99 SP Top Prospects Auto is probably his best RC year autograph card. It averaged $25.66 in August, with a high of $34.99 and a low of $14 TAC.

It looks like Ankiel is here to stay, so expect increased action on his key cards in the weeks to come. They will be commons no more.