The cheaper brand is sometimes the Best brand

I've never shied away from the "store" or "generic" brand. Sometimes, it works out. Things like bottled water, hydrogen peroxide, cornflakes. Usually you can get away with going a little cheaper without suffering much quality.

Other items, not so much. Batteries. Ketchup. Peanut Butter. Nope. Stick with the name brand!

When it comes to prospect autographs, the name brand, and really the only brand, is Bowman Chrome.

However, there is a cheaper alternative. The store-brand Rice Krispies, if you will. And while still "Bowman," these cards run significantly less. And sometimes, they even look better. That is what Bowman's Best is all about.

I went down an eBay rabbit hole a few weeks back and picked up three prospect autographs that would have cost me significantly more if I went with the name brand BoChro. Yet, I'm a discount shopper, and am happy to have these.

The one I'm most pumped about is top Yankees pitching prospect Deivi Garcia. His Bowman Chrome is a no-go for me. Just too much. But this one? For under $10. Sign me up. Maybe I'll regret not getting the real one, but I'm happy to have this one for sure.

Garcia, as long as he stays healthy, should find his was to the Bronx this year. He's MLB Pipeline's #1 Yankee prospect right now, although Jasson Dominguez is getting ready to de-throne him.

Another guy who should move fast is lefty TJ Sikkema. He was taken 38th overall by the Yanks last June, coming from Missouri University. He only appeared in 4 pro games after a heavy college workload. MLB Pipeline has him at #16.

Last but not least, Luis Gil, MLB Pipeline's #4 Yankees prospect. The Yankees got Gil from the Twins after Jake Cave was DFA'd. It's fun to see a prospect rise this high after trading someone to make roster space.

These are good-looking cards, and all the autos are on-card. Sometimes the cheaper brand isn't a bad alternative at all. In fact, it can be the (Bowman's) best option.

Just Anthony

Over the past few months, I've seen Yankees 2018 first rounder change his signature from "Anthony Seigler" to just "Anthony."

I don't have a strong opinion on such a matter, I just thought it was interesting. A player can sign his name however he sees fit, from very neat to very messy to very abbreviated. As someone who has long gone by initials instead of a given first name, I'm not one to judge an abbreviated signature.

I just found it interesting, and wonder if it was the result of signing so many autographs that he couldn't bear writing out his last name, or if it just naturally shortened over time and eventually ended up in its current state.

The first time I saw his signature, it was on this TTM autograph I received from him:

Here is Seigler's autograph on a recent Bowman's Best purchase I made.

And here is his autograph on some Leaf set I don't know anything about but bought it because it was a dollar and numbered to /99.

Looks like it's just Anthony moving forward. Or maybe he'll be Tony one day. Or Tone. Or Big Tone. As long as just Anthony/Ant/Tony/Tone hits and catches well and plays in the Bronx someday, he can go by whatever he wants in my book.

Bowman's Best always comes out of nowhere

Bowman's Best always catches me off guard.

Just when I think card releases for the year are winding down, Bowman's Best cards start popping up on eBay all over the place. I have no idea how it is even distributed. I'm going to guess via hobby shops and online retailers, as I don't recall ever seeing it Target.

Regardless, it can serve as an "update set" in two different ways. First, it includes many new draft picks found in Bowman Draft, and often their autographs go for much less. It's definitely a cheaper alternative in that regard.

Second, it gives the opportunity to find late season acquisitions in their new uniform. While Andrew McCutchen was only a Yankee for a short time, he was awarded a last-minute SP in Update because he was an August 31 acquisition. However, in Bowman's Best, he's part of the Yankees team set.

While I would never compete with Collecting Cutch, and I made sure he had this card before I posted, I really do want to pick up a run of McCutchen Yankees cards. I got the Update SP, and my second one comes in from Bowman's Best, an Atomic Refractor. It looks great!

In a 2018 filled with ugly, uninspiring cards, Refractors and Atomic Refractors still hold up, despite any other design flaws within the set itself. Although I do like Bowman's Best design overall, it just feels similar to years past or Topps Finest They all get me confused these days. This card only set me back about 2/3rds of my whopping $3.21 in eBay bucks, so it was well worth the cost.

It was fun to have Cutch in pinstripes for a short time, and hopefully the early 2019 releases still depict him as a Yankee.

Spending a little more wisely

I mentioned on Twitter, but on New Year’s Day my wife was running to Target. I was going to hand her a $20 bill and tell her to pick up a blaster of something, but then I decided not to. Instead, I went on eBay and dropped far less money on a card I actually wanted…a card I would have been thrilled to actually pull from a blaster, even though it can be had for about $5 shipped. I think it was a wise choice.

Honestly, if I bought a blaster and pulled a Yankees autograph, I’d be over the moon. The thing is, I could most likely buy that same autograph on eBay for substantially cheaper, as I just did. So what is it? Is it the fun of pulling it from the pack versus knowing what you’re getting?

On to the card. Last season, the Yankees drafted Clarke Schmidt with their first round pick. Schmidt had just knowingly had Tommy John surgery. With high-rated prospects left on the board, this pick surprised many.

The Yankees signed Schmidt to an under-slot bonus, and used the savings on two big arms in the 2^nd and 3^rd round. I’ve seen theories that the players they wanted to pick were all off the board, so they snagged Schmidt knowing they could sign him under-slot, and then used that money on guys who were going to be a bit tougher to sign. I can see that has a viable strategy, albeit a bit risky.

It's not like Schmidt is a slouch. He was dominating at South Carolina and was viewed as a borderline first rounder anyhow. They then went substantially over-slot to sign second rounder Matt Sauer, so essentially ended up with guys Baseball America ranked 32^nd (Schmidt) and 28^th (Sauer). Not bad.

Schmidt found his way into several sets toward the end of the season, and his autograph is in Bowman Draft, Bowman’s Best, and a handful of Panini products.

I’m happy to have add his autograph to my collection, and I’ll probably add a few others in case his prices soar and I’m priced out.

Get him while you can

Good Yankees prospect autos tend to blow up pretty quickly once the prospect starts to make some noise. I guess that's true for all teams, but for the Yanks, many dealers see dollar signs in their eyes once a prospect starts going mainstream. Guys like Aaron Judge and Luis Severino blew up over the last two years while still in the Minors, while Greg Bird autos really didn't until he arrived in the Bronx and started mashing. Then his $4 autos became $40. I should know. I sold one.

Now the next crop of Yankee prospects are arriving, and their autos are predictably starting to climb, starting with Jorge Mateo and James Kaprielian. The latter has a first-round label, so he started off pretty high. He'll move through the Minors quickly, so his autos should see a steady rise this season as long as he's healthy.

Mateo was an international signee who burst onto the scene two years ago, then had a monster year last year. While he's still a ways away, his 82 stolen bases last year caused quite stir. Then he was invited to spring training, and promptly clubbed a triple that he didn't run out, then a homer the next day.

I decided that was enough to act, not because I was buying the hype, but because I knew others would, pushing his prices up. While I had a TTM auto from him, I needed a certified, and I needed one fast. I quickly settled on this beauty, as it was in my price range. Similar cards were rapidly on the rise, so I scooped it up, and I'm glad I did. Sure it's not the original Bowman, but it'll have to do for now. I have kids to feed, damn it.

I doubt he'll make the Majors this year, although a late season call-up isn't out of the question, especially if the team is in contention. However, if he duplicates last year's success at a high level, this guy is going to be one to get now while you still can.

Delivered via Owl

In the Harry Potter series, it’s well-known that mail is not delivered by postmen or even electronically. It’s delivered by owls. I’d like to think that a fluffy night bird delivered this bubble mailer to my NJ address. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

So what did it entail? Clearly a bunch of Yanks that Night Owl had a hard time parting with.

And it wasn’t just cards. This teeny tiny Don Mattingly pin fell out. I have never seen these. They are small! And Mattingly was so young here. It’s really cool. I feel like I need to put it on my backpack or something.

I know how much NO loves Mark Teixeira, especially when he is making the puffy fish face. While he isn’t doing it here, these are two inserts that were passed along, showing that Greg not only pulls Giants cards at alarming rates, but he pulls Teixeira parallels far too frequently. Maybe after his Yankee deal is up, Tex will sign with the Giants, and Greg will pull Giants card of him. Wouldn’t that be enjoyable for everyone but Greg? 

This Cano is fancy. I’ve never seen this edition of Bowman’s Best. It’s nice, but feels like it should be Topps Tribute or Topps Supreme or something else I can't afford. It’s not quite fitting of Bowman’s Best, in my opinion. Nice card, just off-brand. 

I like this card entirely too much. 

I think this is my favorite Topps Opening Day set. I really like the gray border with blue foil. Maybe because it’s Yankees colors? I just like that it feels different than the flagship, as opposed to the same exact card with an Opening Day logo.

Some legends are next! Those are not reprints.

Ok, they are. Lastly, a Jeter from 2015 I didn’t have. I have an unofficial quest to collect 500 different Jeters. I don’t know what number I’m at just yet, but it’s pretty high. I hope to know within the next few weeks when I start to organize a bit more. 

Greg, thanks for sending this package via owl post. Hope you saved on shipping.

O Kap'n! My Kap'n!

Come on, that's a good post title, right?

Especially when you realize it's a post about the Yankees #1 pitching prospect, James Kaprielian. I know Zippy Zappy will appreciate it, at least.

I'm pumped for Kaprielian's first full season of pro ball. He's got the potential to be a solid, mid-rotation starter at the MLB level sooner than later. People tend to get a little bored with that scouting report. Mid-rotation. Blah. Not me. That sh*t is useful. Plus, there's no telling. Maybe he'll be a top of the rotation guy. Maybe not. But give me a first rounder who was UCLA's ace last season. I like my chances with that guy every five days. Battle tested.

Anyways, I've picked up a few Kaprielian cards as of late. His Bowman Draft auto is out of my price range right now, but I'm hoping to grab it soon. In the meantime, I settled for the slightly less cool, yes still attractive, Bowman's Best auto. It's pretty sharp, and on-card to boot!

This here is a Kaprielian Team USA jersey swatch. I added it to my COMC account a long time ago, but only recently shipped it.

Lastly, a combo-card with another Yankees top-4 prospect, Jorge Mateo. He is a very young (turned 20 last June), blazing fast shortstop. His name is constantly coming up in trades. He swiped 82 bases last year between low-A and high-A ball. I'm not quite as excited about him because he is still several years away and a lot can happen, but I look forward to seeing him progress again this season. It's awesome to have such an exciting guy in the farm system.

Oh yeah, Kaprielian is on the card too.

There you have it. I'm sure there will be a lot more cards to pick up of these two over the next year.

Only the (Bowman's) Best to start off 2016

I had no idea that 2015 Bowman's Best was released...or that it was even going to exist. I feel like after the Topps flagship release, I don't really pay attention to what releases are next. I just wait for new cards to pop up on blogs or on eBay.

That's what happened with this Michael Pineda, a green Refractor from 2015 Bowman's Best. It's numbered 78/99. I'm not sure what the set entails or how many parallels there are, but I liked how it looked.

When I got the card in the mail yesterday, the front really reminded me of 1999 Topps Gold Label. Check out the logo placement in the back. Pretty close, eh? Gold Label felt a little classier with the script font and fancy product name, but the design is definitely re-used. Topps kept it to single player shots instead of two front photos, as well.

I'll probably pick up a few more of these if I see them for good deals, but this set certainly doesn't feel unique at all.

On another note, Happy New Year to you and your families. I hope 2016 holds nothing but the Best - Bowman or otherwise - for you!

Treat Yo'self to Tinos

In early July, I found a cool Tino Martinez I didn't have on eBay. Turns out, the seller had a bunch of Tino inserts listed, and of course, I had to take advantage of combined shipping and treat myself to some new Tinos. Seriously, combined shipping is really a worth it sometimes.

So I'll keep this post lite, as it's completely a "look what I got" post without much to say, other than a lot of these insert sets bring back memories of collecting as a kid. Most of them are rarer parallels to an insert or card I already have.

And I know a lot of people don't love cards from the late '90s or early '00s, but I always will. These are the brands I knew as a youngster, and are the sets I lusted for as a 12-year-old when flipping through a Beckett. Some seemed so high end, I could never have imagined that I'd one day own them.

Without further ado, check out some shiny beauties:

 

 

Die cut? More like Ty Cut!

After not going anything interesting with their cards for a long time, over the past two or three years Topps has busted out some serious die cuts into their products. In fact, they might have overdone it a bit between Finest, Chrome, Bowman Chrome, Diamond Giveaway, etc. We went from no die cuts to die cut overload. However, that’s fine by me. I love asymmetrical cards.

This is my first Ty Hensley die cut, and it’s sharp as hell. It’s from 2012 Bowman Chrome Bowman’s Best (or something). The colors are vibrant, and the design is very visually pleasing. Lots of rounded edges. The yellows and greens really jump out. The card is numbered to just 99 as well.

Upon Google searching, someone pulled an Atomic Refractor 1/1 of this card and had it up for sale for $300. No idea if he sold it. Pretty damn cool though.

Thoughts on printing plates?

I really don’t have many 1/1 cards in my collection. I like them, but it’s hard for me to justify sometimes spending significant money on a 1 of 1 card when I can buy so many cards for the same price. I think I have about four or five total.

However, deals do pop up and sometimes you need to splurge. This is the case with this sweet Manny Banuelos card. It’s a 2012 Bowman’s Best Yellow Printing Plate 1/1. I put in a fairly low bid and won it.  Maybe Manny will tear it up this year and earn a call-up, and I can flip it for a lot more than I paid for it.

Printing plates are weird. I love the 1/1 angle, and to know this card was instrumental in making all of the others. On the other hand, they really aren’t much to look at, and are usually scoffed up quite a bit. I guess that’s part of the allure. One other thing I love: Manny is a lefty, so you get the reverse angle of how he would look as a righty here. I always get a kick out of that.

What’s your take on printing plates? Love 'em? Like 'em? Hate 'em?

Bowman's Best: 1994 vs 2011

I was excited to see the return of Bowman's Best this year, albeit as an insert in the "retro" design of 1994. However, these were one of my favorite sets of cards in the mid-90s, partly because I'd always see pictures in Beckett and Tuff Stuff but never owned any of these cards. They felt like 1993 Topps Finest, in a way. The card stock thick and they were super glossy for the time. The were like the precursor for Bowman/Topps Chrome.

I picked up a 2011 Bowman's Best Gary Sanchez, and I was a bit disappointed. I was certain that these cards would have been in more of a Chrome look. However, the Sanchez is a foil insert on the same (or similar) card stock as the base cards. How were these not the same card stock as Chrome? I think that's a miss on Topps' part. Maybe it would have been too hard for seeding in packs, but I would have been ok with that replacing a Bowman Chrome card.

1994 Tate Seefried

I put my 1994 Tate Seefried (anyone remember him?!) next to my 2011 Gary Sanchez to compare. The artistic design is similar for the most part. From the side by side scan, it appears that the 2011's have a thinner name bar and the Bowman's Best logo is a little smaller.

Overall, I'm happy with this Sanchez. I just wish it was Chrome.