Spotlight Stealers

I've been much more proactive trying to locate cards I want out of this years Update. Usually I let the market cool off, but the checklist was very appealing so I wanted to see if I could snag a few of the rarer cards.  The good thing is most of the desired cards are from the more obscure bench/reliever type of players like the Arquimedes Caminero and Joe Blanton that I showed off last week. Plates for these guys usually fall around the $10 range.

Now with that being said I knew if certain cards popped up on eBay I would most likely overpay to acquire.  Such as this one.....

2015 Update A.J. Burnett Yellow Printing Plate

Over the years I haven't made it a point to chase plates for more established players. The ones that are in my collection are more of the Joe Blanton types than Andrew McCutchen. My usual thought process is I would rather have an auto of said player than a plate. It's not that I don't enjoy them, but their is only so much money to spread around. 

A.J. Burnett is kind of a unique case, but I was torn on whether I wanted to chase this card. He kind of fits the mold of a Joe Blanton in the sense that he doesn't have a certified Pirates auto. Cards like printing plates are about as high end as your going to get. The reason I was torn is that I'm not the biggest A.J. Burnett fan.  He was very good for the Pirates, but something about him just leaves something to be desired. I'm sure most Yankee fans agree....

For me the deciding factor is subject matter. I love that the background is PNC park and that it features two of my favorites in Gerrit Cole and Cutch. Just like antiques, subject matter can drive a the price a little higher than normal. This card ran me about $25 shipped. In the grand scheme of things not too bad, but much more than I'm use to spending on printing plates. 

By the way if you noticed I try to always type out the price I spend on cards. Kind of a virtual check and balance in my head to keep me from overpaying. 

Here is the base card of the Burnett for a more colorful reference.

Thanks for reading! 

Also, if you like free cards enter my contest.

Sweet Name

My apologies to Gavin. I wanted to showcase the rest of the cards he sent me, but my scanner is acting up. Hopefully I can figure it out tonight and get everything scanned and posted tomorrow.

In the meantime here is a recent purchase from 2015 Update.

2015 Arquimedes Caminero 2015 Update Printing Plate 1/1

The Marlins gave up on Caminero because of command issues last offseason. Blessed with 100 mph stuff, the Pirates decided to give him a chance in spring training and the rest is history. He has a chance to play an even more important role next year as the Pirates will look to rearrange the bullpen. I suspect the Pirates could shop Melancon this offseason. If that is the case Caminero would be in line for a late inning role. 

If I were to have a little boy I think Arquimedes would be on the short list for names. 

I'm hoping to find some other obscure Pirates from this years Update. Would love to find a plate of Michael Morse! 

Thanks for reading. 

One Update (Card)

In terms of Pirates it has been a pretty quiet year for new cards in Topps sets. Jung Ho Kang was the only new Pirate prominently featured, but his prices are still through the roof. I really didn't mind as I used the time to focus on older releases and my WVU collection.

I knew my best chance for some unique Pirates this year would be Topps Update. With the expanded checklist the chances of more obscure additions were feasible. I had high hopes and Topps really delivered with the likes of Sean Rodriguez, Joe Blanton, Travis Ishikawa and Mike Morse just to name a few.

My first addition came in the mail today.

2015 Topps Update Joe Blanton Magenta Printing Plate

I'm a sucker for the obscure parallels of short stay Buccos.

Joe Blanton career was pretty much all but over last offseason, but after a workout with former Pirate Zach Duke the desire to pitch hit again. Duke noticed that Blanton was throwing hard and convinced him to give it one more shot. He caught on with Kansas City and worked himself into a bullpen roll, but was ultimately designated for assignment because of a roster crunch. The Pirates swooped in and the rest was history. Blanton was lights out for the Buccos. He was dominating in long inning relief and was to key to winning several extra inning games. Always cool to see guys revitalize their careers.

If you find any cool parallels of the Buccos from this set let me know.

Thanks for reading.