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Sunday, September 30, 2018

2018 Bowman Chrome Baseball - Early Pricing Trends

2018 Bowman Chrome Baseball has been out for a few days and I wanted to provide some pricing updates for some of my buy recommendations. Please note that I only looked at completed auctions for base autograph cards on eBay for the price estimates . I expect prices to change as supply increases. 

Carlos Rincon - Los Angeles Dodgers OF - Currently around $30. I hope the price comes down to around $20.

James Nelson - Miami Marlins 3B - His auto is selling for about $10. I would not pay above that price.

Michel Baez - San Diego Padres P  - Under $10. A good price for a nice talent. Still has some things to work on but I like the potential.

Seth Romero - Washington Nationals P - Not a lot of sales online. I don't think he is short printed. Keep an eye on the sales.

Yordan Alvarez - Houston Astros OF - As expected his prices are on the high end. 

Akil Baddoo - Minnesota Twins OF - His auto is selling for $15-$20. I would prefer to buy at $15. $25 would be too much.

Antoni Flores - Boston Red Sox SS - Prices are around $20-$25. Seems that people are buying the potential. Him being with the Red Sox helps. 

Brandon Marsh - Los Angeles Angels OF - Auto is selling for around $35-$40. Way too much for my taste. I will wait until the winter to buy. 

Carter Kieboom - Washington Nationals SS - As expected his prices are on the high end. 

Daulton Varsho - Arizona Diamondbacks C - I was surprised to see his auto selling for $20. In my opinion this is a great price. If he performs well in the Fall League the price will go up to around $30 possibly. 

Eduardo Diaz - Arizona Diamondbacks OF - Auto is selling for around $10. I am waiting to see if the price drops. 

Kristian Robinson - Arizona Diamondbacks OF - Robinson's prices are odd to me. I thought they would be around $10 or less but I have not seen any prices under $50 so far. Due to the price I am going to wait to see if the price drops.

Luis Garcia - Washington Nationals 2B 50-60 - I'm surprised that Garcia's auto is on the high end. His auto is selling for $50-60. 

LoLo Sanchez - Pittsburgh Pirates OF - Sanchez auto is selling for $15-$25. Not really surprised at the price.

Luis Urias - San Diego Padres 2B - As expected his prices are on the high end. 

Tyler Freeman - Cleveland Indians 2B - Auto is selling for $10-$15. Not surprised at the price. It seems people are afraid that he only has doubles power. I am willing to take a risk that he will hit for more power. 

William Contreras - Atlanta Braves C - His auto is selling for $40-$60. Way too high for me. 

Yasel Antuna - Washington Nationals 2B - Not too many sales out there. I will watch. 

Sunday, September 23, 2018

2018 Bowman Chrome Baseball - Prospect Checklist Review

2018 Bowman Chrome Baseball releases this week and I wanted to provide my thoughts before the release. Please review the breakdown below. I will write a follow up after prices settle. The recommendations below are all based off performance and not card prices. If you have any questions please email me at prospectsforprofit@gmail.com or on Twitter @prospectsforcash. Overall I think the checklist is a C+ due to a number of older prospects being included.

Brett Cumberland - Atlanta Braves C - A little older prospect but the K rate is 25%. I want to see an improvement before purchasing.

Brayan Hernandez - Miami Marlins OF  - Pass. I don't see huge power potential here.

Chris DeVito - Kansas City Royals 1B - Pass. No pop.

Carlos Rincon - Los Angeles Dodgers OF - Buy. Love the power numbers and I am making the bet that the K rate drops. He need to keep it under 25%.

Daniel Gonzalez - Boston Red Sox P - Decent numbers but not enough for me to purchase.

Estevan Florial - New York Yankees OF - Love his talent but he will be overpriced due to being a Yankee prospect. Too high of a price to pay and too many strikeouts for me to recommend. I wonder what his auto cost would be if he was not a Yankee.

Gavin LaValley - Cincinnati Reds 1B - Another decent prospect but nothing really blows me away here.

Heath Fillmyer - Oakland Athletics P - Too old and the K/9 rate is not the best.

Jaime Barria - Los Angeles Angels P - Pass. Stats look very average to me.

Jose Gomez - Philadelphia Phillies 2B - Pass. No pop.

James Nelson - Miami Marlins 3B - Nelson is a buy for me. He had injuries during the 2018 season but I like the power numbers and I think he can improve on the strikeouts. I will take a small position.

Jake Ring - Baltimore Orioles OF - Pass. 24 and has not touched AA.

Jake Rogers - Detroit Tigers C - I like the profile but I think he has too much swing and miss.

Kyle Cody - Texas Rangers P - Pass. 24 and has not played in AA.

Kyle Young - Philadelphia Phillies P - Decent numbers but nothing blows me away. Pass.

Michel Baez - San Diego Padres P - A buy for me. The numbers jump out. Potential #2 starter.

Matthias Dietz - Baltimore Orioles P - Pass. Nothing really moves the needle to me.

Matt Hall - Detroit Tigers P - Pass. 25 years of age.

Nick Fanti - Philadelphia Phillies P - Pass. Not enough innings in 2018 for me.

Ryan Helsley - St. Louis Cardinals P - I love the numbers but the reports say he may be a bullpen guy. Pass.

Ranger Suarez - Philadelphia Phillies P - Pass. K/9 rate is too low.

Shao-Ching Chiang - Cleveland Indians P - Pass. K/9 rate is too low.

Seth Romero - Washington Nationals P - Romero is a buy for me . Not a lot of innings but this guy can pitch and will be a starter. I will take a small position depending on price.

Travis Lakins - Boston Red Sox P - Numbers are not bad at all but he is not a top end starter. Pass.

Willie Abreu - Colorado Rockies OF -  I really like the numbers but he is a Rockies prospect. If he gets traded I would buy.

Yordan Alvarez - Houston Astros OF - Very impressive prospect. I would buy but the price has to be right. He may be on the high end out of the gate.

Aramis Ademan - Chicago Cubs SS - Ademan will most likely be the Cubs top prospect going into 2019. He won't hit for a lot of power but I am curious to see what his auto will go for. I will watch for now.

Austin Allen - San Diego Padres C - 24 years of age but had good numbers in AA. Due to the age I would have to pass. Buying one auto would not hurt though for the right price.

Akil Baddoo - Minnesota Twins OF - I am recommending a buy here. Please be aware that he is a project and if you buy the hope is that the Twins and Akil will work on cutting down the K's. If he improves a 20-20 player is the ceiling. I need to see where prices settle at before writing more.

Antoni Flores - Boston Red Sox SS - Not a lot of data on this player. But that is not a bad thing. If you buy you are relying 100% on the scouting reports.

Alex Wells - Baltimore Orioles P - K/9 too low. Pass.

Brusdar Graterol - Minnesota Twins P - Love the numbers but he has already had injury issues. Pass.
Brendon Little - Chicago Cubs - Pass. K/9 not high enough for me.

Brandon Marsh - Los Angeles Angels - Marsh is a strong buy for me but is a gamble. I am aware of the high K rate but love his 5 tool potential. The bet I am making is that he will improve and hit for more power. He will be 21 during the 2019 season.  For other prospectors, I 100% understand why you would pass.

Charcer Burks - Chicago Cubs OF - Pass. No pop.

Conner Capel - Cleveland Indians OF - Capel is a watch for me. He just was traded to the Cardinals. I am interested in how he develops with them. Right now he is hitting for a little power.

Cole Freeman - Washington Nationals 2B - Pass. 23 years old in A ball. College bat who was just drafted in 2017. His extra base hits are not bad though.

Carter Kieboom - Washington Nationals SS - A high end prospect. Prices will be insane.

Chase Pinder - St. Louis Cardinals OF - Pass. Decent numbers but I don't see a lot of upside here.

Connor Seabold - Philadelphia Phillies P - Numbers are not bad. Worth a watch. I want to see more data before buying.
Chris Torres - Miami Marlins - Pass. Good player but the K's are too much of an issue. Not sure if he can improve those issues.

Darwinzon Hernandez - Boston Red Sox  P - Watch. Very solid numbers but needs the BB/9 rate to drop 50%.

Dustin May - Los Angeles Dodgers P - Another good Dodgers pitching prospect. Does not walk a lot of batters. Not a front line starter so I will have to pass.

Daulton Varsho - Arizona Diamondbacks - Strong buy for me. Will be 22 most of the 2019 season. He had a few injuries but the K rate is 20% and the walk rate is solid. He can also hit for power. Varsho is one of the few catching prospects that I would recommend. My hope is that prices are reasonable. In addition, he also stole 19 bases in 2018.

Eduardo Diaz - Arizona Diamondbacks OF - Watch. Played decent in A ball but struck out 31% of the time. Seems to be a project.

Enyel De Los Santos - Philadelphia Phillies P - Pass.

Edwin Rios - Los Angeles Dodgers 1B - 24 years of age. Seems to be stuck in AAA. Pass.

Evan Steele - Kansas City Royals P - Pass. Not much out there. I think he may have gotten injured.

Franklin Perez - Detroit Tigers P - Young but I need to see more data. Pass but I am watching.

Gregory Soto - Detroit Tigers P - Pass. Too many walks.

Jose Albertos - Chicago Cubs P - Watch. Stats are all over the place. I want to see if he can get back on track. Only 19 years old.

Joe Dunand - Miami Marlins SS - Worth a watch but I want to see how he does in a full season at AA. Decent pop. Seems like a 15hr guy.

Jorge Guzman - Miami Marlins P - Pass. Walk rate needs to improve.

Joey Lucchesi - San Diego Padres P - Pass. 25 years of age.

Jonathan Loaisiga - New York Yankees P - Yankees are the best at developing pitchers. Not sure if I would buy though. He may go to the bullpen.
Jairo Solis - Houston Astros P - Only 18 years of age. Walks are up there. A buy but you need to be aware that he is a project.

Kevin Maitan - Los Angeles Angels - Pass. Second auto.

Kristian Robinson - Arizona Diamondbacks - Buy. Please be warned this is a long term project buy. Robinson is only 17 years of age but is a 5 tool prospect. The swing and miss is there but he continues to make adjustments. I think he has the chance to be a really good power/speed prospect.

Luis Guillorme - New York Mets 2B - Not a bad talent but the power numbers are not there.

Luis Garcia - Washington Nationals -Only 18 and is a strong buy. I think there is power potential here. A lot of upside and will take time but is worth the risk.

Luis Medina - New York Yankees P - Only 19 but is a project. If you buy now you are trusting the Yankees to develop him.

Leonardo Rivas - Los Angeles Angels 2B - Pass. Low extra base hits numbers.

Logan Shore - Oakland Athletics P - Pass. Not a front end starter.

LoLo Sanchez - Pittsburgh Pirates - 19 years of age. 16.3% K rate 10% walk rate but I need more power. It is a chance it could happen. The price has to be right for me to buy.

Luis Urias - San Diego Padres 2B - I expect him to be on the high end. Good hitter that hit for power in AAA.

LaMonte Wade - Minnesota Twins OF - Pass. 24 years of age. Decent numbers but I see no upside.

Micker Adolfo - Chicago White Sox OF - Pass. Love the talent but has some elbow issues.

Mike Baumann - Baltimore Orioles P - Pass.

Nick Allen - Oakland Athletics - Only 19 years old but I see no power potential at all. Pass.

Nicky Lopez - Kansas City Royals SS - Nice hitter but wont hit for much power. Pass for me but I would love to debate.

Riley Adams - Toronto Blue Jays C - Nice catching prospect but rather spend money on Varsho. I would not be mad at a prospector who bought a few.

Rogelio Armenteros - Houston Astros - 24 years of age. Pass but the numbers are insane. Too old for me but I understand if you would buy.

Russell Wilson - New York Yankees - No comment.

Shane Bieber - Cleveland Indians P - Nice bullpen arm but not a player I would buy.

Sheldon Neuse - Oakland Athletics 3B - Pass. K rate over 30%.

Tyler Freeman - Cleveland Indians - STRONG BUY - Line drive hitter.Scouts say he will not hit for game power. I am making the bet that he does. He is only 19 and is already an advanced hitter. 29 doubles, 4 triples and 2 home runs.

Trevor Oaks - Kansas City Royals P - Pass.

Trevor Stephan - New York Yankees P - Decent number but walks need to be cut down. Possibly a reliever. Pass.

William Contreras - Atlanta Braves C - Wow. Another catcher that I like. Brother of Wilson Contreras of the Cubs. Worth a buy but I am focused on Varsho.

Yasel Antuna - Washington Nationals 2B - 18 years of age. 14 doubles, 2 triples, and six home runs in 2018. The gamble will be the power potential. I think it is there and I will buy.

Saturday, September 15, 2018

The Most Important Arizona Fall League Players To Watch

Arizona Fall League rosters have been released and did not disappoint. The Fall League is a great time for teams to test the overall skills of a prospect. Positive performance is a great sign of future success in the Major Leagues. I have listed a few players below that I will be watching.

Peoria Javelinas

Keston Hiura - I am interested to see how well he hits and defends. AFL MVP is not impossible.

Cristian Pache - Keep a close eye on his extra base hits and home runs.

Buddy Reed - I am looking for an overall good performance. He continues to improve.

Scottsdale Scorpions

Sixto Sanchez - I am worried about Sixto's health. If he is healthy and performs well, he will be a top 15 prospect in 2019.

Ronnie Dawson - Watching for an improvement in the strikeout rate.

Suprise Saquaros

Khalil Lee - Watching for an improvement in the strikeout rate.

Bryan Reynolds - Nice prospect. A good performance will boost his stock.

Salt River Rafters

Daulton Varsho - A rare catching prospect that I love. He should play well. Still needs a Bowman Chrome auto.

Pavin Smith - Smith is the most important player to keep an eye on during this Fall League season. I will be monitoring a few things. The most important will be power numbers and batting average.

Mesa Solar Sox

Bobby Dalbec - The K rate has to come down.

Jahmai Jones - Trout needs help. Jones must have a good showing.

Josh Ockimey - Josh is under the radar. He won't be after if he performs well.

Glendale Desert Dogs 

Yu Chang - I love Cleveland hitters and will be looking for a good performance with a decrease in his K rate. 

Arizona Fall League Full Rosters