2011 Bowman Chrome Starling Marte Auto
It is always nice when you buy one of these Chrome autos and the guy actually turns out to be a decent player. Thankfully as a Pirate collector we haven't had many high $ guys out of the gate. Right now only Austin Meadows carried a big price tag from day one. Guys like Josh Bell and Tyler Glasnow had lulls where you could buy them on the cheap.
The cool thing about Marte is that he has found ways to make himself a little better every year he has been in the big leagues. Last year he stole more bases and actually learned how to take a walk every once in a while. That led to his best season as a Pirate. If he can manage more of a power stroke then he could put himself into superstar territory.
Do you guys actively chase these? I kind of put myself in the middle category. The desire to add these is always there, but I use extreme patience. Obviously this style can bite you in the ass for the guys that turn themselves into superstars right away, but for the most part it has worked out for me. I don't really have a story where I got burned paying $50 for an auto and the guy peters out in AA.
Thanks for reading.
Was this a recent addition or were you holding onto this for rainy days? lol.
ReplyDeleteThat Marte looks sharp and reminds me fondly of my first year in the hobby. Everybody was going mad for Harper so the rest of the good names in 2011 like Paul Goldschmidt, George Springer, Joe Panik, Trevor Story, Francisco Lindor, Eric Hosmer, Sonny Gray and Brandon Belt were kind of overshadowed (before their prices started getting higher).
I remember how other notable autograph names from that year's Bowman Chrome releases were Dylan Bundy, Bubba Starling, Brett Lawrie and Dustin Ackley. All of whom, well, didn't pan out.
I bought this card a long time ago. Probably not long after it came out. At the time he didn't have much hype.
DeleteFreaking Dustin Ackley man....that was a pretty strong bust. Most people thought he was going to be the sure thing.
I bet that Lindor auto is through the roof now.
I used to be somewhat of a prospector; I had a list of guys I'd chase every year and I'd narrow it down to ten or so. Then I'd prioritize players whose first Bowman Chrome card was autographed (such as your Marte) I'd usually end up with two blue chippers and a "long shot"
ReplyDeleteHowever, I was terrible at knowing when to "hold 'em" and when to "fold 'em" as the song goes, and so I stopped collecting high-end prospects in favor of something more reliable - vintage.
That said, it sure is rewarding when you can watch a prospect you've invested in (as a fan and a collector) blossom into a star player - especially when he plays for your favorite team.
I don't think I have ever spent more than $20 on a Chrome auto. Even high picks like Gerrit Cole had periods where the autos could be attained cheaply. Austin Meadows has been the only one that has had high value from day one.
DeleteI'm just not brave enough to chase some of the refractors or high end guys. I don't want my card collecting to feel like I'm playing the stock market. I would probably feel more comfortable with vintage than prospecting as well....
With all that being said it is cool when some of the lower end guys turn out to be pretty big prospects and major league stars. The Pirates have had several guys that were high draft picks that have turned themselves into blue chips like Tyler Glasnow and Mitch Keller. They have also done well on the international market with guys like Marte and Polanco.
My prospect dud came by way of a pack.I pulled a 2007 Bowman Chrome X-Fractor auto Michael Burgess.At the time he was a budding prospect power hitter and that particular card was going for about $100 bucks.It might be a 10 dollar card today,If that.I still have the card.
ReplyDeleteWell pulling out of the pack is a whole different beast. At least you don't have the huge acquisition cost. Based on what I've seen it is almost always better to sell right away on some of those huge rookie pulls. Only a handful of guys each year are going to continue to improve on their value.
DeleteI haven't heard the name Michael Burgess in a while.....
I'm better at capitalizing when guys hit a lull...got a decent amount of Gary Sanchez cards when his prospect fatigue set in. Also did ok adding some James Kaprielian cards when he was hurt last year.
ReplyDeleteThe international guys that are in the system for a long time almost always have a lull. The guys from Japan are the main exception as they are always expensive.
DeleteI pick these up when I can find them on the cheap, but in my neck of the woods any auto of a current Cub player (majors or minors) can't be had for less than ten bucks. Sigh...
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, if you collect a big market team the prospect hype is high.
DeleteAs a new collector in 93, I was all about the prospect. Funny how we change. Now I pull an auto’d rookie and think ‘dang it, why not a current player I know AND like?’ I do like many player and have TOO many PCs. How about one of those, just once??? The ONE card I pulled and should have kept, I sold almost immediately – Pujols Topps Reserve encased auto-rookie.
ReplyDeleteOh man, I bet that Pujols was worth a pretty penny.
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