Waiting on Cole

I miss a lot about the baseball season right now. I know there are bigger things at play, but it's ok to miss things we like.

I'd like to see what Gleyber Torres would have done in the first month of his age-23 season, and first as a full-time short stop. Would he have been on a tear at the plate? Struggled defensively? Would he already have 20 HRs against the Orioles?

How would DJ LeMahieu be doing? Hitting .330 again in a contract year?

Would Miguel Andujar be back to hitting bombs?

Would Giancarlo Stanton be ready to go? How would Aaron Judge's broken rib have been healing?

Would Clarke Schmidt be close to the Majors?

But I think what I feel most disappointed to be missing is Gerrit Cole's start to the season. This is his age-29 season. The Yankees are paying him $36M this year for that season. He is in his prime. While I expect him to be elite for several more years, he's still in his 20s. I want to see Cole pitch for the Yankees in his 20s.

I've gotten a few Cole cards, but recently splurged on this autograph. A fellow Twitterer was selling a few cards, and this was one. It seemed like a good time to add an autograph of his, while most weren't thinking of baseball.

I still think I'll see Gerrit Cole pitch as a 29-year-old. I just hope it's soon.

An actual Snapshot

I recently completed a TCDB trade with a user named NYMHall. I received two Tino cards, as well as an Aaron Judge, in exchange for five different Mets card. Rather, a few were cards of current Mets but shown on different teams, such as Marcus Stroman with the Jays.

The highlight for me was a 1998 Pinnacle Snapshot. I was surprised that when I actually opened the package, it wasn't really a card at all. It was a slightly larger...errr...photo, as the set name would suggest.

Now, I am certainly counting this as a Tino card, as it was an issued card set. Or something. I think I just expected it was a full bleed card of the snapshot. Sort of like Archives Snapshots have become. I didn't anticipate this being a photo on photo paper.

The other Tino was something I had no idea existed. I guess some of the 1998 Collector's Choice cards have different-shaped holograms on the back? What? I have no idea. I probably have about 25 copies of this card, so maybe I should go check the back of all of my Collector's Choice cards for hologram variations? What a pain!

Lastly, the third card in this deal was of 2017 AL MVP, Aaron Judge. Bowman Platinum isn't something I've ever opened or seen in the wild, so always nice to pick up cards from these sets.

Cool trade, even if it made me feel like a bit of a failure for not knowing these Tinos existed.

Ty Hensley heads back to Evansville

A few weeks ago, it was announced that Ty Hensley will be returning to the Evansville Otters for the 2019 season. You can read about it HERE.

I still have an outside hope that Hensley will catch fire and open up the eyes of an Major League team. Guys get plucked out of independent leagues all the time, and he's a former first round pick with low mileage on his arm. If he dominates, it seems likely that someone would roll the dice.

I did send Ty a 'thank you' card for the amazing gift he sent me before Christmas. However, I'm not sure if he got it, and hopes he doesn't think I didn't appreciate it. I'll send him another one when Evansville's season starts in mid-May, just to be sure.

My two newest Henlseys are right here. The first is an orange auto from 2013 Bowman Platinum. These were exclusive to the National Card Show. It's numbered to 5.

The second is from that same set, a red refractor numbered to 25.

Best of luck to Ty this season!

Not too slabby

I'm not a huge fan of graded cards.

I don't purchase enough high end or vintage cards to really be concerned about them. I do have a couple that I've gotten sent to me or purchased, and that's all well and good. With so few in my collection, they aren't easy to store and sort of stick out like a sore thumb.

However, there are instances where a graded, slabbed card is more affordable than unslabbed. For instance, in March, this same card, ungraded and #'d 1/5, sold or $35.99 on eBay. The bidder was not me.

I bought this same card, graded and #'d 2/5, for $1.99 + 3.99 shipping last week. That's quite a price swing for the same card. It's a 2013 Bowman Platinum Orange that was exclusive to the National Convention. I've had the regular version of this (Orange #'d to 125) for years, but the autograph /5 is fairly rare and I've only seen it pop up once or twice.

I think I scored quite the deal, especially compared to the person who purchased the ungraded version two months ago!

It's just so...atomic!

I know Superfractors are one 1-of-1 and all the rage. I do. And I have one and can officially say they are great.

However, I have never seen an Atomic Refractor I didn't like. In my opinion, they are the best looking Refractors that Topps produces each year. The speckled nature of the card stock basically makes these cards dance when lights hit them.

I didn't even know 2013 Bowman Platinum had Atomic Refractors until this Ty Hensley showed up in my eBay saved search. I'm happy to say I won it for just $1 (+$3 shipping...of course). But I would have paid $4 for it with free shipping, so to me, it wasn't too bad at all for a new Hensley #'d just 2/5. And truthfully, the card is beautiful.

Additionally, I had been going back and forth with a different seller who has a 2012 Elite Extra Gold Status Hensley listed for $10. It's numbered 5/5, and I offered $5. He wouldn't come down off of $8. It's a rare card, sure. But it's only worth what someone will pay, and so far, no one is biting. I've been sending him side notes seeing if he'll accept my offer, yet he keeps saying he's got a lot of people watching it and he'll do just fine.

Well, he's already lowered the price to $9, and so far there is only one watcher, presumably me. I'll continue to watch it, but it's just funny I scored an Atomic Refractor #'d to 5 for less than $5, yet can't score an Elite Extra for under $8 (as of now).

I'm a little torn because I've never seen it and need it, but I just feel the price is a bit too steep as of now.

A rare Platinum Refractor

We all have cards that haunt us. No matter how hard we look, we either can't find it, or the price isn't right.

There was an ebay seller that kept listing this card, and he wouldn't budge. I best offer'd a few times, but we just couldn't quite agree.

Finally, I gave up. I would still see it pop up on my feed, but the price was stagnant. It clearly was just auto-relisting.

Then one day, it appeared, but with a BIN that was lower than what I was offering for my best offer, and by a few bucks to boot. I pounced, and finally brought home a rare 2013 Bowman Platinum Chrome Platinum (yes, Platinum twice) Refractor. It's really a striking card, and is numbered to just 10 copies.

Outside of a few 1/1s, this is one of my rarest Ty Hensley cards, and certainly one of the most attractive due to the platinum foil effect.

What about Gary?

Gary Sanchez is easy to forget about. He’s been in the Yankees organization since he was 16. He’s been rated in Baseball America’s Top 100 since 2011. He’s in his second full season at AA, yet he’s just 22, nearly four years younger than the average age of guys he’s playing against (according to Baseball Reference).

When a guy has just been consistently good, as well as around for a long time, he gets overshadowed by shiny new toys. Players like Aaron Judge and Luis Severino have injected much-needed life into the farm system, but Sanchez is still one of the crown jewels.

He’s a righty-hitting catcher with power, and his defense has become a strong point, notably his arm. I think people are weary of getting too hyped about him because of Jesus Montero, but he’s a better defender than that. His bat is good as well, as he should be a solid middle of the order guy in his prime. He hit 13 HRs as a 21-year-old in AA last year, after hitting 15 in 2013 and 18 in 2012. He’s off to a slow start this year, but I expect him to heat up as the season goes on.

So while Yankee fans are excited over Judge and Severino and Lindgren and Bird and Refsnyder, I, for one, am anxiously awaiting Gary Sanchez’s arrival, likely sometime next year or maybe even this September. It’s been a long time coming. There's no need to rush him, and I hope that he and John Ryan Murphy form a solid 1-2 catching combo in the next few years.

Yellow brick road, emerald city, ruby slippers

Seriously, a lot of Wizard of Oz going on with these three colors. These three 2011 Bowman Platinums get me to 91 different Pinedas. Closing in on 100 and he's included in 2015 Topps Series One! So with parallels, I should probably end up with approximately 250 after next week.

 

More eBay bargain hunting

I've done a few posts like this before, but there are always deals to be had on eBay. Sometimes I'll take a few minutes and search penny auctions (with free shipping) and put in a low maximum bid, and once in awhile, I'll win a card for dirt cheap.

Most of the time I lose, and I expect to. But all of these cost me just a few cents a pop, and no more than a buck including shipping. Pretty fun when it actually works out.

 

Two more Hensleys

My Ty Hensley collection is growing rapidly, and he only had one or two cards in 2014. That's because he had 9,000 parallels in 2013.

I'm now up over 50 unique Henlseys, which is awesome. I'm not sure what I can realistically get to until he's included in more sets, but there are definitely a bunch I still need. Here are two I just picked up from 2013 Bowman Platinum. If you think you have one that I might not have, check my 'have' list HERE.

Fixing a mistake

At the end of November, I won the above Ty Hensley card on eBay for $.99 + free shipping. Solid pickup for my PC, if I must say so.

So I waited and waited, and it didn't arrive. The seller said he sent it. Given the free shipping, and the fact that end of the auction was less than $1, I figured one of two things:

1. I got unlucky and the PWE got lost in the crazy December mail blitz.
Or
2. The seller said he sent it, but didn't, because it sold for less than he thought it would.

I always think of #2 when I win a card for cheap, especially when free shipping is part of the deal. Why wouldn't the seller just say "screw it" and say he shipped it, then just refund the $.25 or whatever it was I paid.

I hate to think that way, but I do.

Anyhow, the seller was nice enough to refund my money when this card didn't show up. It's only $.99, but still, every penny in my PayPal account adds up.

So last week, as my wife and I were driving to Maryland, we stopped at a rest area to attend to my screaming daughter. You know, those piercing screams during a car trip? As she's getting out of the car, my wife goes, "Hey! An envelope for you was down here by the door. I must've grabbed the mail in the car a few weeks ago and this slipped down by the door." Sounds right out of Christmas Vacation, doesn't it?

And in the envelope? No, not a membership to the jelly-of-the-month club. It was this:

So I was in a little pickle, as the seller refunded my money, but the card actually did arrive. Not wanting to be a cheapskate, I sent a note to the seller explaining what happened and asking if I could send the money back to him. I offered to paypal him directly, or to buy one of his $.99 auctions and he just wouldn't send me the card. He said, "No, it's ok, I understand."

Not good enough for me. I returned his $.99 via PayPal. It was only right. I felt better about myself, and I also had the Hensley I needed. We all won in the end, it just took a little longer than expected.

Let's go Camp(os)ing

Judson over at My Cardboard Habit has been buying a decent amount of Bowman Platinum lately. This year's set is nice. It looks and feels high quality.

He pulled this gem, and was nice enough to send it my way. I really love the green, and the signature area is pretty unique. Better than just a rectangle.

Campos came to the Yanks in them Pineda/Montero trade, and at the time many felt he might end up being the best part of the trade. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to remain healthy. He underwent TJ surgery this past April, so we won't see him until 2015. He's got a big arm, so hopefully he rebounds and puts himself back on the prospect map.

Judson, thanks for the sweet auto.

Prospectin' for autos

I'm in the middle of a busy time at work, plus traveling Thurs-Sunday, so I've got some short show and tell posts lined up. Let's be honest, that's what most of my posts are, but these are especially straight to the point.

I recently snagged two autos of Yankees prospects on eBay. The first is this Gabe Encinas auto. He's working his way back from elbow surgery. I hope he makes it to the bigs, because I'm sure the tabloids would have a field day with the name. "Encinas Man" comes to mind.

Also snagged this relic/auto of former first rounder Slade Heathcott. Love the guy's skills, but he just has a very hard time staying on the field. Still, a cool card and I'm hopeful he can eventually make it. He's in AAA and on the 40-man, so it's not unreasonable.

A must for the prospect collector

I really didn't consider my Ty Hensley collection as 'serious' until I picked up the above card - his 2012 Bowman Chrome Refractor Autograph. I had the base auto, but the Refractor is a must-have for any prospect collector. I got it for about $6, and it should cost a lot more than that. I got lucky. When Ty is in the Bigs pitching shutouts for the Yanks, this card is going to be highly sought after. You watch.

While I'm talking Ty Hensley, here are a few more recent additions. I'm doing very well with 2013 Bowman Draft half-assed attempt for a rainbow. This Red Wave Refractor is #'d 20/25, and is one of the nicer looking colored Wave Refractors in the set.

 

And here's a simple Bowman Platinum Purple Refractor I didn't have.

Orange you glad I have a Ty Hensley PC?

Awful title. Unoriginal. Corny. Cheesy.

Yet how else I would I show off this sweet 2013 Bowman Platinum Ty Hensely? It's an orange parallel, issued at the National Convention. It's numbered 045/125. I got it for about a buck on COMC, which is a steal.

I'm not sure if there are any more color variations of this card, but I'm satisfied with the orange. It's sharp looking, low numbered, and my first quasi-oddball card of Ty.

Two more certified Yankee autos

I'm on a serious certified Yankees auto binge. I don't know what it is, but I keep on picking them up. I still love and prefer TTM, but it's so much simpler and convenient to just pick up an auto for $3. No risk, all reward.

Although, to be fair, I didn't pay for this one at all. This was a Listia win. Rarely do Yankee prospect autos surface, but I won this for a very reasonable price. It's a  2013 Bowman Platinum on-card auto of Peter O'Brien. He hit 22 HRs between two levels of A ball last year, and I'd expect him to start 2014 in Double A Trenton. As for the card, I have no idea if it's a Refractor, or if that's how all of the autographs are.

Next up, a PC guy! I snagged this 2011 Leaf Metal Draft Manny Baneulos auto for a few bucks on on eBay. Yes, unlicensed sucks, but Leaf really brings it with some sweet on card autos.

 

Two solid pickups of guys I expect to both play in the Bronx one day.

Listia, sometimes you are my friend

I'm still pretty active on Listia. I do tend to come and go, but I enjoy turning cards I don't want into things I do. I have a decent amount of credits, but am still pretty stingy on what I buy. Over the past month or so, here's how I've done:

The below lot was for 25 2013 Bowman Chrome Yankees. I needed these badly for TTM, plus this set has some of my favorite Yankees prospects. There were some dupes, but it was a great lot that I got at way too low of a credit price. Not sure what everyone was doing passing this one up.

 

I'm always looking to add to my PCs when I can, and I did just that with this cool 1980 Cramer card of Phil Rizzuto. It's a cool looking card. I also picked up another Michael Pineda card I didn't have.

I've seen a few sellers offer up lots of nine cards, and they just fold the binder page three ways. This is interesting. This was a nice nine-card lot I snagged, complete with a Gary Sanchez (another PC guy!) Bowman Platinum Purple Refractor. I love the Jeter Prizm. It's amazing how much nicer logos make cards look.

 

Right before he signed with the Twins, this Phil Hughes jersey card set me back 900 credits, which is nothing for a Yankees jersey card on Listia. The Pinstripe is impeccable.

Here's a nice Whitey Ford from a high-end Topps product (Tribute). I was the only bidder at 200 credits.

Lastly, while I don't collect football, Ryan Nassib was one of the best QBs to ever come through Syracuse, so I felt it appropriate to grab a card of him.

O No!!! Not Another PWE! (said no one ever)

First off, I've been awful at updating my blog. Since my return to regularly blogging, I think I've done a decent job of at least posting something 4-6 times a week. It's never much, but it's something in an attempt to stay relevant and remind you guys that I'm always here to take your unwanted Yankees.

Recently, Ryan of "O No! Not Another Orioles Blog" showed off some Bowman Platinum cards, and was nice enough to set aside this Gary Sanchez for me. Sanchez is the Yanks top prospect, and has advanced to AA this year. Overall, his year hasn't been great, but he's still a decent prospect. He's only 20, and in 13 AA games he's hitting .269 with a .406 OBP.

 Sadly, this is the same photo Topps/Bowman has used in a bunch of his cards.

A blatent look what I got post

I don’t have much to say here. This is blantently a “look what I got” post. These cards have trickled in through various purchases/auction wins. I don’t have much to say other than I like them, and here they are. Now I can put them away.