Anybody out there making investments in young players?

CDsNuts

I have 2 right now: Vernon Wells and Carl Crawford. I feel the 97 Bowman Chrome Wells can hit $25 in the next 2 years and Crawford will be a superstar if he gets traded to a contender. Both will need like 2 more seasons of good stats before they will be considered for the MVP. Wells especially, since he avoided his typical season starting slump. .321 and 17 HR is not bad at all for a guy who is usually a slow starter. Crawford will be tougher because his HRs will max out around 20-25, but he's one of those guys that reminds me of Kenny Lofton early in his career with the Indians.

You guys like any young guys?

Lee

Boopotts

<< <i>I have 2 right now: Vernon Wells and Carl Crawford. I feel the 97 Bowman Chrome Wells can hit $25 in the next 2 years and Crawford will be a superstar if he gets traded to a contender. Both will need like 2 more seasons of good stats before they will be considered for the MVP. Wells especially, since he avoided his typical season starting slump. .321 and 17 HR is not bad at all for a guy who is usually a slow starter. Crawford will be tougher because his HRs will max out around 20-25, but he's one of those guys that reminds me of Kenny Lofton early in his career with the Indians.

You guys like any young guys?

Lee >>



Man, ALL my investing money is tied up in Worldcom. Don't know much about it, but I got a hot stock tip from a Wall St. insider and I felt like I had to run with it.

If I had a few bucks laying around I'd probably consider Verlander-- although the great gamble there is that the Tigers need to end up in the post season. But if they do, and this guys dealing 97 mph fastballs on the national stage, I think we'll see his cards go waaayyy up.

phreakydancin

I was thinking of cornering the market on Delmon Young auto /50 RC's.

montanafan

i know of a kid that's trading those for ipods.

added: plus i hear that market's pretty well demolished

Stone193

Lee

Do you ever look at the Pit to see what's being pushed.

I go over there from time to time - just to see what's hot - here's a list from a few weeks ago:

Jason Terry SPx Autographed RC.
Brad Hawpe 2001 Bowman Draft Picks Rookie.
Casey Blake 1999 Fleer Tradition Update Rookie.
Scott Kazmir 2004 SP Prospects Rookie.
Josh Johnson 2002 Bowman Chrome DP Rookie.
Alex Gordon Bowman Chrome Prospects XRC.
Nick Adenhart 2006 Bowman Chrome Prospects XRC.
Max Ramirez 2006 Bowman Chrome Prospects XRC.
MIKE O'CONNOR 2006 Bowman Chrome Prospects XRC.
YUNG-CHI CHEN 2006 Bowman Chrome

I like Wells - has good power, nice HR hitter, would like to see him get his average up a bit which he has done this year and is having another good year hitting HRs - wow, does Toronto find them or what! He keeps this up and he'll be playing for Yankees before you know it!

Do have a lot of his cards? I agree, they could be a winner.
mike

gradeddream

thats all i do!

FifthScaleRacer

"investments" in young players?

LOL

Reminds of those 100 count card lots of players like Kal Daniels, Ricky Jordan, Mike Greenwell, Danny Tartabull, etc. back in the late 80's.

Basebal cards should be about collecting for the fun of collecting.

1977topps

The only "investment" I ever made in a young player was pulling a Chin-Feng Chen (remember him?) from a pack of 2000 Bowman's Best and immediately selling it for $80.00. When it comes to cards, I go with blue chips.

onlyanumber

Josh Johnson, Ian Kinsler, and Matt Kemp. Nothing too extravagent though. A Kemp Bowman Chrome Red Refractor auto rookie (numbered 5/5) sold on Feebay for $1100. last week. I was tempted, but couldn't do it.

Allen

Anyone notice that Brian Mccann is blowin up?

larryallen73

"investments" in young players?

LOL

Reminds of those 100 count card lots of players like Kal Daniels, Ricky Jordan, Mike Greenwell, Danny Tartabull, etc. back in the late 80's.

Basebal cards should be about collecting for the fun of collecting.


I agree 100%. I remember buying 20 Felix Jose rookies back about '91 when he was hitting .350 in May.

Having said that, there is something fun about speculating. Like any "investment" you should diverisfy for steady return or focus on one if you want to go for broke. However, I still think investing in cards is a very risky business. Good luck!

helionaut

In hobby terms, neither Wells nor Crawford are "young" players. Their RCs are 9 and 7 years old, respectively, so people's patience for them to become true stars is wearing thin. While some return could be made on them if you have their cards cheap and they do indeed reach MVP levels, the chance of that is small. Holding onto them for another 2 years? No, thanks. And it's not how many years, but what kind of years you have before you get looked at as an MVP, and neither of them are close. I've already held onto them this long and once I overcome my LAS I will list them now that they are finally blossoming (Crawford especially). The time to buy Kinsler and Kemp was last year, and the time to sell is now, but they still have some room to grow the way they're going. Adenhart's RCs were in 2004. This 2006 XRC stuff is just silly. Go with Reid Brignac (another 2004 RC getting red hot) and Yung Chi Chen, though the latter only has one 2 cards out (2006 Bowman and Bowman Chrome) so their values could drop if he's included in other sets. But they could rise exponentially if not and he continues to perform. Billy Butler's cards have cooled off a bit, but he's been on a tear for the last month, and his cards could take back off, especially if he gets a promotion. I think Verlander could be good, though his prices are obviously much higher now than last year, and pitchers are always risky. One day they're the darling rookie all-star, the next they're learning how to make eggplant en croute with hollandaise sauce.

Also, Ryan Howard and Dan Uggla. Neither are secrets anymore, but I think they both have great potential for growth. Uggla has one RC, and one parallel, and if he keeps going for even another month or two their values should double or triple, being so low a the moment. Ryan Howard's Chrome and Elite RCs are flaccid at @$15, while his Bowman's Best is scorching. People not wanting to pay $250 for the best card will funnel their money into the cheaper alternatives, so there's no reason those cards couldn't double, especially at the rate he's homering. A supplement-free 50-homer guy could be the new poster boy for the game.

And if they ever make Mike Napoli cards, look out. They'll be hot out of the gate if he hits more like his first couple weeks than his last couple weeks.

Bicem

<< <i>"investments" in young players?

LOL

Reminds of those 100 count card lots of players like Kal Daniels, Ricky Jordan, Mike Greenwell, Danny Tartabull, etc. back in the late 80's.

Basebal cards should be about collecting for the fun of collecting. >>




Cards should be about whatever you want them to be about. Investing or fun or both - it's up to the individual. Dealers don't come here and tell other people baseball cards should ONLY be about making money and paying the bills, so why do collectors feel that they have the right to tell people the reason they should or shouldn't collect?

I'm personally a collector and collect for fun (although watching my collection increase in value is also fun). I'm just sick of people being bashed for wanting to make a buck or two in our great Hobby. There's nothing wrong with investing in cards, art, toys, stamps, coins or anything if that's what an individual wants to do.

Just my 2 cents.

GlynRParson

I dont buy modern but if i did Ryan Howard is a stud!!!

MajorDanby

i dont speculate too much, but i would look into lastings milledge. he wont do much this season since he'll be sent down once floyd comes back from the DL, but he may contend for ROY honors next season. i avoid pitchers like the plague....they are death in terms of making any sort of profit. only a handful of pitchers in the past two decades have been able to sustain any sense of profitability. just look at zach duke cards and how much they have reduced.

CDsNuts

Boo- Hold onto that Worldcom. The info I got straight from the CEO was that it can't miss.

Stone- Nothing serious in terms of investing dollars- I have maybe 30 of his Bowman Chrome RCs. Thanks for the info on the pit, but I just don't have time to go through 2 message boards on a daily basis. Maybe I could do a search over there every now and then.

Everybody else- I guess I should have clarified, but I'm not talking about any serious kind of investment. Obviously there are much better ways of generating profit than sportscards. But seeing as how this is a hobby we all enjoy, I think it's fun every now and then to jump on "a feeling" about a player or set or whatever and try to make a little dough to pay for the cards I really want.

Helio- While I agree that Crawford and Wells can't really be considered prospects, in terms of baseball and history, MVP type players generally hit their stride at around 25 or 26 after they have logged in a few years at the major league level, developed a knowledge of the pitchers, developed chemistry with their teammates, etc.... The pattern for hitters seems to be flashes of brightness with some inconsistency, steady improvement over a few years, then the breakout year. Not that everybody is like this, but for every Pujols who is awesome right out of the gate, you have 10 Jeters, Bonds', Delgados, Beltrans, etc... who took a few years at the Major League level to heat up. Rather than just guessing by how somebody has performing in the minors and college, I like to see what they look like in the Majors for a few years to get a feel for their potential. I wouldn't be surprised if Toronto was the best team in baseball next year with Wells being their best power hitter.

Lee

FifthScaleRacer

<< <i>
Dealers don't come here and tell other people baseball cards should ONLY be about making money and paying the bills, so why do collectors feel that they have the right to tell people the reason they should or shouldn't collect?
>>




Bicem, so people that bought 100 count lots of Benito Santiago or Greg Swindell back in the 80's were just trying to make a "buck or two"? Hahah Lol right.

I never said what any person should or should not do.

It's a free world. Do what you want.

If you enjoy deceiving yourself, thinking your a collector, while at the same time hording every Dan Uggla card you can find, have at it!

I just stated what I think this hobby should be about.

Bicem

<< <i>

<< <i>
Dealers don't come here and tell other people baseball cards should ONLY be about making money and paying the bills, so why do collectors feel that they have the right to tell people the reason they should or shouldn't collect?
>>




Bicem, so people that bought 100 count lots of Benito Santiago or Greg Swindell back in the 80's were just trying to make a "buck or two"? Hahah Lol right.

I never said what any person should or should not do.

It's a free world. Do what you want.

If you enjoy deceiving yourself, thinking your a collector, while at the same time hording every Dan Uggla card you can find, have at it!

I just stated what I think this hobby should be about. >>



Sorry, your first post sounded like you were saying that people SHOULD ONLY collect for fun while there are in fact many people that make their living from baseball cards.

Anyway, so who wants to buy some Dan Uggla cards?

CDsNuts

Fifth- The simple fact is that cards cost money. Some cost a lot of money. If you feel that you can make a few bucks flipping and turn around and use that money to buy the cards you really want, how exactly is that not collecting? Do I want 100 '97 Bowman Chrome Vernon Wells cards in my collection? No, not really. But If I can make $5 a card and turn around and buy a PSA 9 '82 Topps traded Ripken, a PSA 9 Marino Rookie, and a PSA 9 Karl Malone Rookie- all three cards I have always wanted- how exactly am I collecting "wrong"?

Lee

FifthScaleRacer

There's no "right" or "wrong" way to collect.

But if you're buying multiple count lots on a regular basis, you're more of a speculator than a collector.

Writer11

<< <i>Fifth- The simple fact is that cards cost money. Some cost a lot of money. If you feel that you can make a few bucks flipping and turn around and use that money to buy the cards you really want, how exactly is that not collecting? Do I want 100 '97 Bowman Chrome Vernon Wells cards in my collection? No, not really. But If I can make $5 a card and turn around and buy a PSA 9 '82 Topps traded Ripken, a PSA 9 Marino Rookie, and a PSA 9 Karl Malone Rookie- all three cards I have always wanted- how exactly am I collecting "wrong"?

Lee >>



Lee,

Being from near Toronto, I guarantee you that you will make big bucks on those Vernon Wells rookies if the Jays make the playoffs this year or at least make a good solid run. It never ceases to amaze me the number of people that jump on the Blue Jays bandwagon when they do well, but jump off when they don't. I know the buying patterns of Blue Jays fans quite well and if the Jays are in the mix in September or make the playoffs, the bandwagoners will dish out big bucks for Wells. Wells and Halladay are the faces of the Blue Jays franchise, so their cards have the most potential. So I really think Wells is a great short term invesment!

CDsNuts

I thought about Halladay as well because he's always in the Cy Young hunt, but as an earlier poster stated, pitchers are usually poison when it comes to card value. Just ask Rick Ankiel and Kerry Wood fans. I do love what the Jays did in the offseason to their lineup and the addition of solid closer. They should at least be in the wild card hunt this year.

Lee

CDsNuts

Wells is now 4th in HR, 2nd in RBI, and 9th in BA. I have him third in the MVP voting behind Big Papi and Thome. Not bad for a guy who usually starts slow.

Lee

envoy98

I finally managed to get my hands on a David Wright bowman chrome rc auto and his 04 sterling auto/jsy.

Zimmerman, Howard, Hanley Ramirez...all are looking good. Mauer stuff is a little too hot right now, wait for a little "slump" in July and pounce. Morneau, Liriano and Kubel are all studs too just waiting to break out. They've all been on a tear the last few weeks and their stuff is starting to reflect it as well.

Delmon Young has his uncirculated bowman chrome auto (pop of 1523) at $95 right now on the pit...might be a good buy at that price.

1989FleerBillRipkencollector

I dont know if its really investments but I am buying as many Andre Ethier and Russ Martin 2006 as I can afford. The cards go directly to my sons collection. We went to our first game (Dodgers) and Ethier signed for them and Martin hit his 1st HR . Lady 2 rows in front if us got hit. Ahh the memories. I tell my boys (4,10) they can sell them when they get older or whatever. They have quite a few of them. If they make it big my boys can sell them and make a few bucks,keep them or whatever. I hope of course they do good but all in all it doesnt matter that much ethier oops I mean either way.

alnavman

Does anyone have any idea how Grady Seizmore rookies are doing?? Being from the Cleveland area I would think his cards might be worth investing in. Also maybe Pronk. Any ideas?

chaz43

NO.......chaz