Last Home Run Hero Standing

Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi (and of course, Barry Bonds)...all tied to performance-enhancing drugs. Vladimir Guerrero has been hampered with injuries and may not reach the 500 HR milestone. Looks like Ken Griffey Jr. may be the last of the old school big bats not tarnished by HOF-preventing elements, and not questionable regarding his ability to accomplish the milestone marks.

In this decade, Griffey has been overshadowed by the big names listed above, and has suffered significant slow-down in achievement due to heath issues. Now, as he makes his storied way back to Seattle, where he began his career, and he continues to add to his current 611 HR count, I would think that collectors would develop a renewed interest in his top rookie issues. You can still find his 89 UD RC for $20 or less TAC on ebay; a steal for an unmarred star like Griffey.

Griffey is #5 on the All-Time HR list, and will likely end his career at #4, behind only Ruth, Aaron and Bonds (*). Now, if we were to find out that he too juiced up during the pre-ban era, I guess we would have no choice but to put our hopes in some of these younger guys like Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder, and wait to see where they land in 10-15 years.

Yankees Bulk Up Their Rotation

With the Yankees failing to make the World Series since '03, and not even making the post season in '08, they've decided to start bulking up their rotation this off season by acquiring C.C. Sabathia & A.J. Burnett. Sabathia is coming off of a near-perfect 3-month run with the Brewers in '08, going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA and 8.8 K's/9IP. Burnett posted career-highs in IP (221.1), W's (18), K's (231 - 9.4/9IP), and starts (34) with the Jays in '08.

Sabathia's 99 Topps Traded Auto remains his best rookie-year issue, and is currently selling on ebay for between $122-199 in fixed-price auctions. It sold for between $48 to $64 TAC during the '08 season, so if you want to pick one of these gems up, I would wait until someone posts one in a bidding auction to get it for a better price.

Burnett's best rookie-year card is also the 99 Topps Traded Auto. These aren't as easy to find (probably because of the lower demand), and should be available (when found) at lower price levels than Sabathia's. I'm guessing in the $25 to $35 TAC range.

These pitchers join a young Yankees rotation consisting of Phil Hughes, Chien-Ming Wang and others, and could potentially be a what NY needs to get back into the post season. Personally, I think that they will need more young bats to get them past the Red Sox & Rays in the AL East.

Rays Going to Their First World Series

Thanks to those readers who wrote in while I was M.I.A. What an exciting weekend this was, watching the cinderella Rays finally take down the defending champ Red Sox. Tampa Bay has had several young players with impressive performances, but two that are still very hobby-affordable are Matt Garza & Willy Aybar.

Garza's rookie auto's have been fairly inexpensive all season, with his 05 Bowman Chrome Draft Auto RC selling in the $17-25 TAC range, and his 05 Topps Chrome Auto RC in the $12-20 range. After tonights dominant performance (7IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 3 BB & 9 K's), I would hope that his cards finally start to pick up some hobby steam.

I've been an Aybar fan since he was with the Dodgers organization. After playing for a couple of different teams, he seems to have finally found his groove in Tampa Bay. After a slow ALDS against the White Sox, he really stepped up his game in the ALCS, batting .421 with 2 HR & 6 RBI. He only has two MLB rookie cards: 01 Bowman's Best RC #'d 2999 and 01 Bowman's Best Auto, both of which I believe were a part of exclusive rookie subsets for that product. Both of these cards have been selling for less than $10 each for a long time, and still remain at that level on the open market. I pulled one of his BB Auto cards back in '01, and have been holding onto it ever since.

Both of these players are 25 years old this year (Garza will be 25 in November), and can potentially have long & prosperous careers ahead of them. With other young players like Scott Kazmir, B.J. Upton & Evan Longoria playing by their side, you can expect this Rays team to be in the post-season for years to come. Was anyone else impressed with the maturity and confidence that Longoria & David Price displayed through this high-stress series? These two 23-year-olds are definitely ones to watch for the future.

I'm very sad that my Dodgers got knocked out by Philly, but I have to admit that they did get further than I had thought they would. Hiroki Kuroda was a nice surprise, Manny Ramirez was great as expected, and Chad Billingsley was disappointing - my take of their performance in a nutshell.

Thanks for reading...

Sorry everybody, I've been out of the country for the past few weeks, and haven't been able to keep up with what's been going on, and as a result, haven't written any new posts. I hope to have something up soon. Thanks for visiting my blog.

Players Who's Values Were Hot in '07, and Not in '08

Last season, several players had cards that were hot hobby commodities. One of them was Dan Haren. In his final year with Oakland, he achieved career-bests in wins (15), ERA (3.07) & strike-outs (192). As a result, his 03 Bowman's Best Auto RC was selling in the $35-40 TAC range by mid season. He cooled after the break, but his BB RC still maintained a $20-30 market value. This season, Haren is on track to improve in wins & strike-outs, and repeat his low 3.00's ERA. Pretty darn good, especially considering that it's his first year with the D-Backs. And what is his BB RC doing? Plummeting with every month that passes by. In April it averaged $22.75, then fell to $22.25 in May, $20.61 in June, $17.17 in July, and now $15.77 in August. So Haren went to a play-off contender, improved his overall stats, and his values are dropping. Is something wrong with this picture?

Alfonso Soriano, despite missing 50 games so far this season, is batting .293 with 23 HR, 63 RBI & 17 SB (only 2 CS) in the lead-off spot for the NL-leading Cubs. He'll probably reach the 300 HR-300 SB milestone within the next couple of seasons (he's currently 264-246). All this, and his 99 Topps Traded Auto (his only rookie-year auto) is selling for around 38% less than it was at it's peak in '07. It's averaging $76.38 TAC this month, close to the lowest it's been in over a year. I consider Soriano to be the best established lead-off hitter in the game, who's cards should experience a rise in value, possibly during this year's post-season play.

The Tigers' Justin Verlander is giving up more runs & walks, and striking out fewer batters this season vs last, and his team is 11 games behind the AL Central-leading White Sox. What's the good news? Collectors have an opportunity to buy his key rookies cards at good prices! His 05 Bowman Chrome Auto RC is averaging in the $40-45 TAC range, down from it's $65-80 range in '07. His 05 Bowman Sterling Auto/Jsy RC is selling for $20-30, down from $35-45 in '07. Despite his high 4.43 ERA, he's still had 14 outings this season in which he's allowed 2 or fewer earned runs. It's those 9 other outings with 5+ earned that have really hurt him. Verlander was quite consistent in '07, and I believe that he will regain his old form going forward.

One to Buy: Edinson Volquez

The Reds' Edinson Volquez has been one of the biggest pitcher success stories of the season. His 15-5 record is amazing, considering his team is 57-72, and his ERA of 2.73 ranks him 3rd in the NL. Despite all this, and his 8.9 K's/9IP, Volquez's cards have been falling in value over the past month. In June, his 05 Bowman Chrome Draft RC averaged around $9.20 TAC. In July it dropped to below $8.50, and in August it can be found for around $4.50. You can find his 05 BCD Ref #'d 500 & Xfractor #'d 250 in the mid to high $20's range.

During the April to June time period, Volquez was red hot, going 10-3 with a 2.08 ERA, putting him on the hobby map. For the month of July, he posted a 4.54 ERA (despite going 3-1), which explains his drop in value. So far in August, he seems to be getting back on track, posting a 2.89 ERA over 3 starts.

Volquez is one of a handful of 25-and-under pitchers that should regularly find a spot atop the statistical charts for years to come. Now appears to be a good time to buy, as the upside potential of his cards outweighs the downside.

No Posts - Watching the Olympics

I don't normally get too into watching the Olympics, but I've been strangely finding myself watching it every night since the opening ceremonies. From beach volleyball, to gymnastics, to swimming, it's become like a daily routine. Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh are so great to watch. Their 100+ game winning streak is amazing! They both have Auto cards in the 2007 Topps Allen & Ginters set, and you can bet that their values are on the rise. Did anyone have the foresight to secure the rights to a Michael Phelps Auto and/or memorabilia card? Actually, Donruss had a Fans of the Game Auto insert back in 04, inserted in their Leaf Rookies & Stars baseball packs. It's now selling in the $600-700 TAC range.

Anyway, I realize that I haven't posted anything since the beginning of the month, so I'm now working on getting something up soon. Possibly highlighting the MLB players that have dropped off the radar since last season, or players who are currently selling below their values. We'll see.

Manny Finally Leaves Boston, Heads to L.A.

After all of his complaining, Manny Ramirez finally packed it up and moved to L.A. this past week. After his first two games with the Dodgers, he's hitting .500 with 1 HR & 2 RBI.

Ramirez has probably been the best individual hitter in the majors over the past 10 years, with his .316 BA and 13.44 AB/HR & 4.16 AB/RBI (Alex Rodriguez has averaged .304 with 13.14 AB/HR & 4.68 AB/RBI over that same period of time). Despite his awesome hitting and the fact that he's played for one of the top 3 high profile teams in the league, his card values have never really reached their full potential. Over the past year, his 92 Bowman RC has averaged between $8 to $16 TAC. In July, it averaged $11.79.

Manny is a future HOFer who probably has a few more good years left before we see any significant declines in performance. It's unfortunate that his values have remained almost unaffected by his two World Series Championships & MVP-type hitting. It's hard to say if he'll be a good investment going forward, but I would say that his Bowman rookie is a must-have for any true collector of modern day stars, especially at these very affordable price levels.

Harden Moves to Top Team in NL, Can't Get a W

Rich Harden has been one of the best strikeout starting pitchers in the game in recent years...well, he has been during those rare times not spent on the DL. After playing in only 16 games through the entire '06 & '07 seasons, Harden had 13 solid starts for Oakland in '08, going 5-1 with a 2.34 ERA, and averaging 10.93 K's/9IP. The A's then decided to leverage this streak of good health and trade Harden to the Cubs, getting away from the potential gamble that they've already endured (and lost) for the past few seasons.

Since moving Chicago, Harden has been better than ever for the NL-leading Cubs. In two starts, he has a 0.73 ERA, and he's averaging 14.60 K's/9Ip. Oh, and he's 0-1! In his first start against the Giants, he left the game in the 6th leading 7-0. His relievers then allowed 7 runs, pushing the game into extra innings, robbing him of the W. In his 2nd start against the D-Backs, he allowed just 1 run in 7 IP, but was outdueled by Randy Johnson, resulting in a 2-0 loss. This guy just can't catch a break!

Harden's 02 Bowman Chrome RC has been averaging $14.90 TAC this month. His BC Ref RC #'d 500 has been selling in the $29-34 range.

I think that Harden has the talent to be a perennial Cy Young contender, but unfortunately his time spent on the DL has really marred his hobby popularity. If he can stay healthy for consecutive seasons, collectors will probably start to snatch up his cards with a fury, but until then, I don't expect to see his values reaching much higher levels and sustaining.

High-Priced Packs

I just received my new multi-sport Beckett today (I didn't request to be changed back to the old format because I figure that I don't look at the pricing anyway, so at least this way I can read the articles about all of the various sports) and was reading the "Previews" section about the new 2008 Upper Deck Ballpark Collection, which is ANOTHER $50+/pack product to hit the market. I can see having one, maybe two, brands that are priced that high, but why cannibalize your other brands? (this sounds very familiar - maybe I wrote about something similar a while back). Also, with all of the economic challenges that we're currently experiencing (gas prices, sub prime, food prices, stock market, etc...), does it really make sense to increase your number of high-end brands to spark product sales? Like most other industries, recession-like conditions typically result in consumers downgrading their spending habits to one (or two) levels lower. For example, those people who would usually be eating dinner at Mi Piace will now be satisfying their craving for Italian food at the fast-casual Olive Garden.

If I worked for Upper Deck, I would be trying to shift gears to accommodate the the economic climate (actually, this could've been done over a year ago when home values started to fall). Why do you think Hyundai recently scrapped their plans to enter the truck business? Because the writing was on the wall as the other OEM's truck sales started to struggle last year due to high gas prices (it helps to be a market follower in these instances). I must say that I've been impressed with a lot of the decisions that Upper Deck has made in the past, but this isn't one of them. I'm also not sure that their move to have one of their vendors control their production plant & material sourcing was the best option (unless they didn't have enough business to fill their capacity, resulting in too much downtime?). Anyway, I hope that a shift in brand strategies is coming soon, otherwise, the big two (UD & Topps) could see a drop in sales volume, and collectors could be left feeling empty with too few buying options to match up to their tighter budgets.

I'm sure that the card companies have done their due dilligence to determine where the sweet spot is between unit price, sales volume, etc., but I kind of miss the days (which were not that long ago) when the mid-level packs were selling for around $5-7, and the premium ones could be bought for around $20. Unfortunately, like many other consumer goods, prices usually don't go down as time goes on; they just go up.

Ankiel Heating Up; Brief on Kinsler

The Cardinals' Rick Ankiel, the pitcher-turned-outfielder, has been having a hot July, batting .349 with 5 HR (20 overall) & 12 RBI (50 overall). For the year, he's averaging 1 homer for every 15.35 AB, which is more frequent than teammate Albert Pujols (1 every 15.89) & AL HR leader Grady Sizemore (1 every 15.74).

Ankiel's 99 Ultimate Victory RC started the season on fire averaging $37.04 in April. As his performance cooled, so did his values. His UV RC then dropped to an average of $18.53 in May, and $15.54 in June. I haven't seen any sell this month yet, but I expect them to be on the rise. His most popular autograph card, his 00 SPx Auto #'d 1500, is selling in the $40-50 TAC range so far in July. You can probably find his 99 SP Top Prospects Auto for around $20.

Has anyone been tracking Ian Kinsler? I've been watching him since July '07, and all I can say is WOW! He's batting .337 with 14 HR, 58 RBI & 23 SB, he's in the middle of a 25 game hit streak, and he's been selected to his first All-Star Game. Only downside? His Rangers are 7.5 games behind a pretty tough AL West-leading Angels team.

Expect to pay in the $15-25 TAC range for his 05 Bowman Chrome Ref RC.

Collectors Finally Taking Notice of Nolasco

Florida starter Ricky Nolasco is finally starting to receive some hobby attention. He made his MLB debut back in '06, and showed some signs of his potential, but finished the season with a not-so-impressive 11-11 record & 4.82 ERA. After missing nearly the entire '07 season, Nolasco started '08 slowly, going 1-2 with a 5.82 ERA in April. He then proceeded to improve every month since, going 4-1 with a 3.97 ERA in May, 3-1 with a 3.31 ERA in June, and 2-0 with 1.80 ERA through his first 2 starts in July. He's 10-4 with a 3.74 ERA overall.

Nolasco's 04 Bowman's Best Auto RC (his only base autographed rookie card) has been selling in the $2-5 TAC range for the past year or so, but has jumped this month to around $10 & rising.

'08 is looking to be Nolasco's breakout season, and the value of his key BB RC card should benefit in a big way. If he can maintain his current pace, I wouldn't be surprised if it reached the $20+ range before the end of the year.

Billingsley - Only Bright Spot for Dodgers' Rotation

With the Dodgers' veteran starters in a slump, Chad Billingsley has been the only bright spot in their rotation. Brad Penny, who's been on the DL since 6/17, is 5-9 with a pathetic 5.88 ERA; a far cry from his 16-4 & 3.03 ERA in '07.

Billingsley is 8-7 with a 3.12 ERA, and is averaging 9.26 K's/9IP, with 4 outings in which he allowed 0 earned runs. The negative (besides his team's overall performance) is his 3.98 BB/9IP, which should improve with age & experience. His mediocre record can be attributed to the lack of offensive support provided by his team.

Billingsley's 03 Bowman Chrome Draft Auto RC is currently selling in the $30-35 TAC range, up from it's June average of $26.95. Expect to pay in the mid $40's range for his BCD Ref Auto, and the mid $60's range for his BCD Xfractor Auto. A nice, less expensive option is his 03 UD Prospect Premiers Auto XRC, which has been selling in the $20-25 range over the past few months.

At 23-years-of-age (he'll be 24 later this month), I think that he has the chance to become a very dominant pitcher in the next year or so. All of his cards are still trading below their 12-month highs, with deals to be found for those who are willing to look for them. I'm now kicking myself for selling my BCD Auto about a year-and-a-half ago for $25!

Joba Gets First Win as Starter

After 4 no decisions in his first 4 MLB starts, Joba Chamberlain finally earned his first win as a starter on Wednesday against the Pirates, 10-0. In an impressive 6-2/3 IP, he allowed 6 hits, 0 runs, 1 BB & had 7 K's. Through these 5 starts, he's posted a 1.80 ERA in 25 IP, and averaged 4.68 BB/9IP and 9.36 K's/9IP.

Joba's 07 Bowman's Best Auto RC & Bowman Sterling Auto RC have been averaging in the $60's TAC range during the May-June period. His 07 Bowman Chrome Auto RC has averaged $126.50. We'll see if there are any significant jumps in value now that he's achieved this milestone first W (I'm guessing YES!). I'll do a follow-up post after I collect some data over the next couple of weeks.

With the Yankees' dilapidated rotation (with Phil Hughes, Carl Pavano, Chien-Ming Wang & Humberto Sanchez on the DL, Ian Kennedy struggling and Kei Igawa sent down to the minors), the team's been relying on 39-year-old Mike Mussina and 36-year-old Andy Pettitte to keep them afloat. Joba has the opportunity to really shine in this environment, and, in turn, elevate his hobby stature.

Major Fall From Grace: Justin Upton

20-year-old phenom, Justin Upton, looked ready to have a breakout season at the beginning of the year, batting .327 with 5 HR & 15 RBI in April, for the MLB-leading D-Backs. Then came May. Through 5/5, his batting average was up to .348, but by the end of May, his average had dropped to .275. As of 6/25, his average stands at .240. June has been his worst month yet, going 6-for-53 at the plate (.113).

His 06 Bowman Chrome Auto RC averaged an amazing $196.74 TAC in April. That average dropped to $136.35 in May, and can now be found in the $120's range. His 06 Bowman Chrome Ref Auto #'d 500 dropped from $256.10 in April, down to $176.50 in May, and more recently has been selling for around $150-160 TAC. If you don't want to spend $100+ for his Auto rookie, a good alternative is his 06 Bowman Sterling Auto RC, which has been selling in the $55-65 TAC range this month.

Coincidentally, his team's record went south around the same time that his bat started to give out. They were 20-8 in April, and 20-31 in May-June (thru 6/25). Fortunately for Arizona, the rest of the NL West has played even worse than they have, allowing them to maintain their top spot.

I think that it's pretty clear that Upton is going to be a hot commodity for years to come. It'll just be a matter of when he can gain enough consistency at the plate to help this young D-backs team win. If he continues at this current pace, there should be some great buying opportunities to be found on auction.

Best Lead-Off Hitters: 25 & Under

As a general rule, I typically like to buy into "new" players who are 25 years of age or younger (which would potentially give them a good number of years to reach various key career milestones). When I started looking into possible investments for lead-off hitters, 9 players fell into this age group. I then tried to narrow the field to players who have .300 BA + 30 HR-30 SB capabilities, and my list then dropped to just 4: Ian Kinsler (TEX), Jose Reyes (NYM), Hanley Ramirez (FLA) and Grady Sizemore (CLE).

• Regarding Kinsler, see my 6/3 post on Sportslizard.
• Reyes' 01 Bowman Chrome Ref RC was hot a couple of years ago, but has since fallen in value, and could probably be found for a good price. Realistically, he probably wouldn't reach the 30 HR mark, but could hit 20, paired with 70-80 SB per season.
• Ramirez is, in my opinion, the lead-off hitter that has the biggest potential. In '07, he had 29 HR-51 SB and batted .332. This year, despite a recent slowdown after a red-hot start, he's still on pace to reach 34-39, according to espn.com projections. Both his 03 Bowman's Best Auto RC & Bowman Chrome Auto RC are selling at very high prices, averaging $107.25 & $176.89 TAC respectively in May. This month, there are a lot fewer of his key rookies cards for sale on auction. I'm guessing that sellers are waiting for him to heat up again before listing them for sale.
  
• Sizemore, who's had 20-20 performances in all 3 of his full MLB-seasons thus far, gained a lot of hobby popularity in '07, as he hit 4-5 HR & 11-17 RBI per month from April through August. During that time, his 00 Bowman Draft Picks Auto was selling in the $250-350 TAC range. He then proceeded to have a mediocre September & post-season, driving his BDP Auto value down to $180-240 range through the entire off-season. If Sizemore can get his BA back up (currently .267) to go along with his 30-30 projection, I wouldn't be surprised to see his BDP Auto go back up to the $300+ range.
  

From a hobby standpoint , I think that lead-off hitters are getting the most attention that they've ever received before. In the past, it seemed like the #3 & #4 hitters garnered the bulk of the $'s spent on offensive players' cards. It's about time that this this key line-up position received some of the spotlight.

MLB Market Movements

Ryan Howard was in a slump and was overshadowed by teammate Chase Utley through April. His .168 BA, 5 HR, 12 RBI and 37 SO's for the month drove down his key rookie card values. His 03 Bowman's Best Auto RC went from a monthly average of $277.58 TAC in March to $221.76 in April. It then rebounded in May to $255.70, as he hit .238, 10 HR & 30 RBI that month, despite striking out 40 times. So far in June, he's been pretty stagnant, and his BB Auto RC has been dropping in value again, with an average of $196.12. Once Howard learns to reduce his strikeouts, we should see his BA increase and he should be able to regain his hobby-star status. When that day comes, expect his BB Auto RC to rise back up to the $300-400 range.

With Albert Pujols on the DL, opportunity should come-a-knocking for Rick Ankiel to step up and help the Cards maintain their NL Wild Card lead (or even compete with the Cubs for the NL Central). Ankiel's 99 Ultimate Victory RC was hot in April, averaging $37.04 TAC, as he hit .290 with 5 HR & 16 RBI for the month. In the next month-and-half, he saw fewer at-bats and only added 5 more HR & 14 more RBI, as his BA dropped to it's current .254. His UV RC has been selling in the $13-18 TAC range over the past week; a steal if he starts to heat up again. His most popular Auto, his 00 SPx Auto #'d 1500, has been selling in the $60's range over the past couple of months. I expect this card to also sell at reduced levels this month.

Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th career HR this month, but you wouldn't know it based on his rookie card values. His 89 Upper Deck RC averaged $31.11 in April and $26.89 in May. Since his historic swat on 6/9, this card has averaged $28.14. Griffey may have already reached his full hobby potential. Collectors probably shouldn't buy his rookies for investments (unless maybe his graded versions might hold more future value). I personally plan to hold on to my mint 9 specimen for my private collection.

Player Focus: Adrian Gonzalez

Padres' first baseman Adrian Gonzalez was on the cusp of becoming a hobby star last season, as he hit a career-high 30 HR & 100 RBI. What held him back? The two main things, in my opinion, were his strikeouts (1 SO for every 4.6 AB) and his so-so batting average (.282 - which isn't that bad, so it probably didn't have too much of an impact). His rookie-year 00 Bowman Auto peaked at a monthly average of $54 last June, and then held steady in the $40-45 TAC range throughout the rest of the '07 season. This April, it started the '08 season in the high $30's, and then jumped to the mid-high $40's in May. So far in June, it's averaging right around $50.

Gonzalez is again averaging around 1 SO per 4.6 AB in '08 (other batting leaders have much higher AB/SO - Chase Utley is at 6.6), and is batting a slightly-better .294. The big improvement has been in his HR & RBI (he's projected to reach 44 HR & 141 RBI if he plays all 162 games). At 26-years-of-age, Gonzalez is still fairly young and could have a very decent 300-350 HR career. If he can raise up his BA to over .300 and actually start hitting 40+ HR/season (and strikeout less), I would expect his cards to elevate above their previous highs.

Player Focus: Chase Utley

Chase Utley has been the hottest hitter in the majors thus far in ’08, batting .312 with an MLB-leading 20 HR & 50 RBI. For his career, he’s averaging 30 HR & 112 RBI per 162-game season. He's currently on pace to hit 56 HR & 140 RBI! With 5 HR in his last 7 games, I don't see this guy slowing down anytime soon.

Unfortunately, Ultey only has 2 base rookie cards, and neither of them is serial #'d, autographed or from a premium set. In May, his 01 Bowman Draft Picks RC averaged $21.46 TAC (one sold on 6/1 for $32.35), and his 01 Bowman Heritage RC averaged $10.81. Collectors are also flocking to his 01 Bowman Draft Picks Jersey card, which is selling in the $40-50 TAC range, and his 02 Bowman Autograph, which can be had for upward of $120.

Utley is a part of a big-hitting Phillies line-up, which includes Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard & Pat Burrell. They've teamed up to help Philidelphia claim the top spot in the NL East. This may be their year to win the NL (and his year for the MVP), and if they do, you can expect Utley's four cards listed above to experience big jumps in value.

Around the MLB

The hobby had high expectations in '08 for last year's NL ROY, Ryan Braun, driving up the TAC of his benchmark 05 Bowman Chrome Draft Auto RC every month leading up the start of the season; $128.93 in Jan, $144.18 in Feb, $155.62 in Mar and $168 in Apr. Braun had a slow April, batting just .276 with 3 HR & 17 RBI in 105 AB, but has turned things around in May, hitting .298 with 10 HR & 19 RBI through 5/24. His BCD RC dropped off this month due to his mediocre April stats, averaging $143.04, and has yet to recover it's value. If you want to buy Braun's cards, don't wait too long because they'll probably start to jump again in the very near future. In '07 he hit 34 HR in a short 110-game season. According to espn.com, he's projected to hit 43 HR at his current pace.

Brandon Webb was a distant second to Jake Peavy in last year's NL Cy Young award race, but he started this season off as a clear favorite ahead of the rest of the pack. He put his perfect 9-0 record on the line on 5/21 against the Marlins, and despite pitching a decent game (7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB & 7 K's), picked up his first loss of the season. Webb's 03 Ultimate Collection Auto RC #'d 250, arguably his best rookie card, is averaging an amazing $148.76 TAC in May (a Gold version #'d 25 sold for $419.99 on 5/13!). His Ultimate Coll rookie cards are pretty scare, and before this month, the last one that I saw sell was back in Oct-07, and it went for $57.19 (and that was when he just completed a 16-10, 3.01 ERA season!). If you didn't already pick up Webb's key cards, it may be too late. I'm guessing that most (if not all) of his potential value is already built into his current TAC's.

Interesting Note: Jon Lester's 06 Bowman Chrome Auto RC had been averaging in the $20-25 TAC range this month. On 5/19, the day that he tossed his no-no against the Royals, one sold for $87.52! The next one that I saw sell, on 5/25, went for $23.36 (the same price level as before his no-no). What an example of hype affecting the market!