Hobby injustice: Mulder and Hudson prices vs. Prior and Wood

KallMaloneSay

Now I know I might be a little biased since I'm a huge A's fan, but after another amazing outing by Mark Mulder against the Angels, I can't help but compare the prices of Mulder and Tim Hudson vs. Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. Here's a comparison:

Player Age career record career ERA
Hudson 28 87-36 3.23
Mulder 26 72-36 3.67
Wood 27 62-44 3.58
Prior 23 25-13 2.80

It's hard to throw Prior into the rookie card price comparison, but Wood's Bowman Chrome RC books at $40 while Mulder and Hudson book at $15 each. Hudson's Ultimate Victory seems like a real steal at $25 when he has the best numbers of the bunch, especially when you factor in the ERA bump for the American League vs. National League.

I realize that strikeouts for power pitchers are a factor as well as playing for the Cubs (or Yankees), but the hobby attention differential is ridiculous. The A's might not be able to keep either one of these guys, so the Yankees and other big market teams are probably at the forefront when Hudson becomes a free agent after the 2005 season and Mulder in 2006. Seems like there could be some great buys for potential Hall of Famers in Hudson and Mulder.

Just the way I see it, Jason

1420sports

The A's might not be able to keep either one of these guys, so the Yankees and other big market teams are probably at the forefront when Hudson becomes a free agent after the 2005 season and Mulder in 2006

and that is a shame. Why MLB does not adopt some kind of cap is beyond me.

joestalin

Good eye Karl, Hudson has been one of the most underrated pitchers in the league, if he played for
NY or Chicago his rookie card would be worth twice what it is now, you also have to figure in the
OBVIOUS bias that beckett has against 99 UD UV, afterall it was a crappy moslty retail product that
blew away every hobby product in 99. I bet you can find 50 gem mint Wood rookies for every 1
UD UV Hudson! Remember book prices with 99 UD UV are for Nrmt cards not mint.

Mulder is overshadowed by the other two (zito), if he was on another team he would be the #1
guy. Talk about undervalued how about his 99 TT auto? Ever bust a case of 99 TT? Chances are the
auto is dinged, as many were packed first in the box, or suffered from damaged due to falling
boxes or rough handleing. Mint copies are hard to find!

Its simple, Prior and Wood pitch in a big city, Hudson and Mulder pitch out west in a city that doesn't
apprecaite what they have....in my opinion the best rotation in baseball.

JS

jasonjames1979

i struck out against mark mulder in little league

nana poo poo
LOL

jason

I AGREE

Futureman

I know draft position doesn't matter that much in baseball, but Wood was #3 overall, and Prior was #2 (though I think Mulder was at least a top 10 pick). Wood's Bowman Chrome is from '97, while Mulder and Hudson are both in '99. BC '97 was the first BC set, which I think helps. As a big Cubs fan, and a big Wood fan, it kind of hurts me to say this, but I think a lot of the value for Wood cards comes from his 20 K game in '98. All the comparisons between Wood and Ryan and Clemens -- hard throwing Texans are still helping out Wood's prices.

Age might have something to do with it as well; Mulder and Hudson debuted at 23 and 24, while Wood came into the league at 21 and Prior came in at 22. Something that, I don't know if it's just a misperception on my part, but it seems to me like it is hard for lefties to get recognition in the hobby. It could be because there are fewer left-handed pitchers, but even the successful ones don't seem to measure up to right-handers of similar talent. Randy Johnson might be the one exception, but compared to Clemens, I think Roger still comes out ahead.

Finally, you make the mistake of thinking that the hobby market is full of rational decision makers.

TheRoach

<< <i>i struck out against mark mulder in little league

nana poo poo
LOL

jason

I AGREE >>



That's right, Mulder is a Chicago native. A bit too young for me. Besides, I played football.

Jason - I totally agree! It's going to make me sick when the Yankees grab not one, but both of these guys!! They are desperate for pitching. Even if they are a year apart from being free agents. Yanks will have them if they choose to. Along with Pedro. Throw in Carlos Beltran for some hitting. Damn Yankees.



TheRoach

helionaut

I think the information as to why there are price discrepancies are within your post. Hudson has at least 2 prime RCs, UV and BChr. If he had one or the other, the value of it would be at least double. Plus, the UV card was up to $40 or more in Beckett, but slid because, well, what has he done lately? The A's guys are all good pitchers, but on a slightly less than world-beating team this year. Unless individual performance is truly outstanding, stats like wins are going to be depressed somewhat, and that's the easiest, most heavily weighted benchmark. The way the hype was, Zito, Hudson, and Mulder should be going in some order 1-2-3 in Cy Young voting every year. That has yet to happen. Wood has the "Texas Fireballer" tag that will always make him at least an unlisted star because people love guys like that, he will always be remembered for his 20-K game, and there's the hangover of the Cubs run for the WS. Prior, of course, is the king stud young pitcher, so his prices will be off the charts for a while yet. His best RCs are in a separate class from the other 3.

Here's another:
38 258-161 3.39

This pitcher's RCs can be had by the bushel, and are worth only a pittance compared to his slightly more accompished teammate of 10 years. Not even a move to NY and it's famous bias could help budge the prices of his cards.

TheRoach

Who is Kevin Brown, Alex?



TheRoach

TheRoach

Duh. Tom Glavine.




TheRoach

royalbrett

Mulder is a serious stud.
Already with 4 complete games this year.

shockman

Kerry Wood is very overrated. He throws hard and has a ton of K's but he is injury prone and very inconsistent. His career high for wins is 14, a number he probably will not reach this season either.

mrn98

Chicago is a much more marketable team. They have a stronger fanbase across the country, as do most chicago franchises (bulls, bears).

gregmadduxfan

You said it best in the original post, power pitchers, that is a huge reason. Power pitchers and power hitters typically draw a premium over other pitchers, look at Glavine, Moyer, etc. I think most of us would agree that Maddux's cards are also undervalued as well.

The market you play in also is a huge factor and so is the only rookie card issue that was brought up. If Mulder or Huddy make it in a bigger market you should see a bump in their prices, more Hudson then Mulder though because Mulder has 2 similar rcs Bowman chrome and topps chrome, just another little thing to consider, the 99 bowman chrome set is amazing, lot of incredible players there.