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Showing posts with label Topps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Topps. Show all posts

Sunday, August 29, 2021

My Thoughts on the Fanatics Sports Card Takeover

In one of the biggest deals in sports card history, Fanatics has reached an agreement with the MLB, NFL, and NBA player's associations to distribute all their cards starting around 2025. Its an interesting deal to say the least. I watch a ton of CNBC and always noticed that Fanatics was raising a ton of money every funding round. No one saw something like this coming but maybe we should have. Cards have exploded in sales and when big time money sees an opportunity to get a piece of the pie they move in. I want to take this post to follow the money and suggest why this happened and what will happen next. 

Why Do I Think This Happened? 
Since the pandemic started modern cards have been selling for millions of dollars (Giannis, Luka, Lebron). The players who signed these cards were not paid much up front in comparison to what the card sold for. Imagine being a prospect and signing for Bowman Draft for a few thousand bucks and your card sells for millions a decade later if not sooner. Not sure if I would be happy about that. I think the players want their cut on the front end. The big part that no one seems to mention is that each league will have an equity stake in the company. That is why this is happening. It all came down to getting more money. 

Predictions 
1. Fanatics will file to go Public very soon. Might not be a bad buy as they hold the license to the three most popular sports in the US. (Not Investment Advice) 
2. Fanatics will buy Topps and Panini. Right now I would say they would be better off buying Topps and creating their own brands for NFL and NBA cards.
3. Distribution will forever change. Everything will go through Fanatics. They run the show. Group breakers may run into issues. 
4. I could see a scenario where auto's of certain players never make it into a hobby box. A high profile player's auto would automatically go to auction.
5. Fanatics teams up with PSA for grading. I could also see a team up with Goldin Auctions. Look out for more vertical integration like this. A one stop shop for all things cards. Fanatics does not want you going anywhere else to do business. Buying, selling and grading will all be done on their site or one of their partners.  

Saturday, December 5, 2020

2020 Bowman Draft Baseball - Full Prospect Analysis

Hello readers. The long awaited Bowman Draft 2020 checklist has been released and it is massive. The checklist includes over 100 names! Due to this draft only being five rounds it seems Topps wanted to include the entire draft class. Overall there are a ton of pitchers that I will wait to see play before commenting, but a nice group of hitters are also included on the list. In addition, a good amount of first round picks are in the product. It seems 2020 Bowman Draft was built for team breaks, so my review is team by team this year. Due to stats not being available as short season ball was not played, I had no choice but to read a ton of scouting reports. Because of the lack of stats, my comments are shorter than usual. Thanks again for reading and feel free to send me a comment on this post or Twitter. Ebay links have been provided for most of the players on the checklist. 


*Brewers, Mets, Orioles, Indians, Rangers and Tigers are my favorite team break targets. 


Hudson Haskin - Baltimore Orioles OF - Upside college bat.

Jordan Westburg - Baltimore Orioles SS - Upside college bat. 

Heston Kjerstad - Baltimore Orioles OF - Top pick that will be high priced. Big time power. 


Alec Burleson - St. Louis Cardinals OF - Nice college bat. 

Jordan Walker - St. Louis Cardinals 3B - Top pick with big time power but big time risk. I need to see more. Reminds me a little of Will Benson (Cleveland Indians). 

Levi Prater - St. Louis Cardinals LHP - College arm.

Ian Bedell - St. Louis Cardinals RHP - College arm.

Tink Hence - St. Louis Cardinals RHP - Prep arm. 


Ed Howard - Chicago Cubs SS - Love the player. Huge buy for me as I think he develops power. He has the frame to do it. 

Luke Little - Chicago Cubs LHP - Junior college arm. 

Burl Carraway - Chicago Cubs LHP - College arm. 

Bradlee Beesley - Chicago Cubs OF -  Undrafted free agent that could develop. 

Jordan Nwogu - Chicago Cubs OF - College bat but I love the potential here. There are swing and miss concerns. 


Freddy Zamora - Milwaukee Brewers SS 

Garrett Mitchell - Milwaukee Brewers OF 

Hayden Cantrelle - Milwaukee Brewers SS 

Zavier Warren - Milwaukee Brewers C 

I love all the players in this group. Tons of potential and I think the Brewers will develop it. 


Austin Hendrick - Cincinnati Reds OF - Love the player. Power potential and seems to be able to cut down on the swing and miss. 

Joe Boyle - Cincinnati Reds RHP - College arm.

Bryce Bonnin - Cincinnati Reds RHP - College arm. 

Jackson Miller - Cincinnati Reds C - I really love his profile and potential. 


Daniel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers OF 

Keith Colt - Detroit Tigers 3B 

Spencer Torkelson - Detroit Tigers 3B - No.1 pick. Great player. 

Trei Cruz - Detroit Tigers SS 

Gage Workman - Detroit Tigers 3B 

Dillon Dingler - Detroit Tigers C 

Love the Tigers draft. Would target this team for group breaks. 


Zac Veen - Colorado Rockies OF - Insane power and he may make me break my Colorado Rockies prospects rule. 

Jack Blomgren - Colorado Rockies SS 

Drew Romo - Colorado Rockies C 

Case Williams - Colorado Rockies RHP 

Chris McMahon - Colorado Rockies RHP 

I will pass on the rest of these prospects. 


Alerick Soularie - Minnesota Twins OF - I am going to wait. Need to see more. 

Marco Raya - Minnesota Twins RHP - Prep arm. 

Kala'i Rosario - Minnesota Twins OF - Upside prep power bat. 


Isaiah Greene - New York Mets OF - Love the potential here. 

Eric Orze - New York Mets RHP - College arm. 

Pete Crow-Armstrong - New York Mets OF - I like the tools this kid has. 

Matthew Dyer - New York Mets C - College bat that could be a utility player. I'm interested. 


Jimmy Glowenke - San Francisco Giants SS - Overall safe pick. Pass for me. I may revisit. 

Patrick Bailey - San Francisco Giants C - Power bat but not sure what the plan is. 

Nick Swiney - San Francisco Giants LHP - College arm. 

Casey Schmitt - San Francisco Giants 3B - Nice player with a little upside.  

RJ Dabovich - San Francisco Giants RHP - College arm.

Ryan Murphy - San Francisco Giants RHP - College arm. 


Carson Tucker - Cleveland Indians SS - Nice player but I'm not sure if there is power at the moment. 

Tanner Burns - Cleveland Indians RHP - College arm. 

Petey Halpin - Cleveland Indians OF - Nice player but I'm not sure if there is power at the moment. 

Milan Tolentino - Cleveland Indians SS - I love the upside here. My favorite player that Cleveland picked. 

 

David Calabrese - Los Angeles Angels OF - High upside risky pick. Classic Angels. Would prefer to see more data.

Reid Detmers - Los Angeles Angels LHP - College arm. 

Adam Seminaris - Los Angeles Angels LHP - College arm. 

Werner Blakely - Los Angeles Angels SS - High upside risky pick. Classic Angels. Would prefer to see more data. 


Evan Carter - Texas Rangers OF - Seems to be a reach. I will monitor. 

Tekoah Roby - Texas Rangers RHP - Upside arm.  

Thomas Saggese - Texas Rangers SS - Risky pick. I will monitor.

Justin Foscue - Texas Rangers 2B - Risky pick. I will monitor. 


Jesse Franklin V - Atlanta Braves OF - Its a pass for me. 

Bryce Elder - Atlanta Braves RHP - College arm.


Zach DeLoach - Seattle Mariners OF - Safe college bat. I would pass. 

Connor Phillips - Seattle Mariners RHP - Junior college arm. 

Emerson Hancock - Seattle Mariners RHP - College arm.

Kaden Polcovich - Seattle Mariners 2B - College arm. 


Nick Gonzales - Pittsburgh Pirates SS - Elite top pick. Tons of talent and can hit for power and average.  

Jared Jones - Pittsburgh Pirates RHP - Prep arm.

Logan Hofmann - Pittsburgh Pirates RHP - College arm.

Nick Garcia - Pittsburgh Pirates RHP - College arm.

Carmen Mlodzinski - Pittsburgh Pirates RHP - College arm. 


Trevor Hauver - New York Yankees 2B - Good college bat. 

Austin Wells - New York Yankees C - Good college bat. 


Nick Loftin - Kansas City Royals SS - College bat but I like the player. 

Christian Chamberlain - Kansas City Royals LHP - College arm. 

Ben Hernandez - Kansas City Royals RHP - Prep arm. 

Asa Lacy - Kansas City Royals LHP - College arm. High pick.

Will Klein - Kansas City Royals RHP - College arm.

Saul Garza - Kansas City Royals C - Undrafted free agent. Pass. 


Nick Yorke - Boston Red Sox 2B - Nice prep bat that could develop power. He can hit so I am in. 

Shane Drohan - Boston Red Sox LHP - College arm. 


Owen Caissie - San Diego Padres OF -  Nice bat with power. 

Justin Lange - San Diego Padres RHP - Prep arm. 

Robert Hassell - San Diego Padres OF - Best prep hitter and a safe pick. Will be high.


Sammy Infante - Washington Nationals SS - High school bat with some upside. 

Holden Powell - Washington Nationals RHP - College arm.

Cade Cavalli - Washington Nationals RHP - College arm. High pick. 

Cole Henry - Washington Nationals RHP - College arm. 


Tyler Soderstrom - Oakland Athletics C - Love the talent. High pick that may move to another position. Big time power. Classic Oakland pick. 

Jeff Criswell - Oakland Athletics RHP - College arm.

Dane Acker - Oakland Athletics RHP - College arm.  


Zach Daniels - Houston Astros OF - Some swing and miss but I like the tools here. 

Tyler Brown - Houston Astros RHP - College arm.

Alex Santos - Houston Astros RHP - Prep arm. 


AJ Vukovich - Arizona Diamondbacks 3B - 4th round pick with power potential. I would buy for the right price. Will revisit in my pricing trends update.  

Slade Cecconi - Arizona Diamondbacks RHP - College arm. 

Brandon Pfaadt - Arizona Diamondbacks RHP - College arm.

Bryce Jarvis - Arizona Diamondbacks RHP - College arm. 


Alika Williams - Tampa Bay Rays SS - Defensive SS. I need to see more. 

Jeff Hakanson - Tampa Bay Rays RHP - College arm.

Nick Bitsko - Tampa Bay Rays RHP -  Prep arm. 

Ian Seymour - Tampa Bay Rays LHP - College arm. 


Casey Martin - Philadelphia Phillies SS - Interesting tools but risky. He needs to show improvements before I buy. 

Carson Ragsdale - Philadelphia Phillies - RHP - College arm. 


Bobby Miller - Los Angeles Dodgers RHP - College arm.

Landon Knack - Los Angeles Dodgers RHP - College arm.

Clayton Beeter - Los Angeles Dodgers RHP - College arm. 


Zach McCambley - Miami Marlins RHP - College arm. 

Kyle Nicolas - Miami Marlins RHP - College arm.

Max Meyer - Miami Marlins RHP - College arm with good stuff. High pick. 

Daxton Fulton - Miami Marlins LHP - High school arm.


Adisyn Coffey - Chicago White Sox RHP - Junior college arm. 

Bailey Horn - Chicago White Sox LHP - College arm.

Garrett Crochet - Chicago White Sox LHP - College arm. 


C.J. Van Eyk - Toronto Blue Jays RHP - College arm. 

Zach Britton - Toronto Blue Jays OF - Solid college bat. 

Trent Palmer - Toronto Blue Jays RHP - College arm. 

 

Jared Shuster - Atlanta Braves LHP - College arm. 

Spencer Strider - Atlanta Braves RHP - College arm. 

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

2020 Bowman Baseball - Full Prospect Analysis

Hello all. I hope everyone is staying safe out there. Bowman 2020 is set to release and my initial thoughts are below. The checklist is pretty good this year and this release was worth the wait. Links to Ebay have been provided. Please note older prospects were treated a little more harsh this time around due to baseball being postponed.

Aaron Ashby - Milwaukee Brewers P – The overall stats are not bad but I will pass.

Adam Hall - Baltimore Orioles SS – Not showing HR pop at the moment but his extra base hits are great. A buy for me if cheap.

Adam Hill - Milwaukee Brewers P – Pass. Older prospect.

Andy Pages - Los Angeles Dodgers CF – Buy. Only played in rookie ball but the power is serious. The strikeout rate needs to come down, but the Dodgers are great at player development.

Adley Rutschman - Baltimore Orioles – Second autograph. Pass.

Alvaro Seijas - St. Louis Cardinals P – Pass. Older prospect.

Aaron Shortridge - Pittsburgh Pirates P – Pass. Older prospect.     


Anthony Volpe - New York Yankees SS – Decent rookie ball numbers but I will wait to see how he develops. Seems like a defensive prospect with limited power.

Andrew Vaughn - Chicago White Sox 1B - Second autograph. Pass.

Ben Braymer - Washington Nationals P – Pass. Older prospect.

Bryce Ball - Atlanta Braves 1B – A little older but has some good power. I’m in. I wish he was younger but he can really mash.

Brennen Davis - Chicago Cubs OF – One of the stronger buys on the list. He will eventually be a top 100 prospect.

Brandon Howlett - Boston Red Sox 3B – 31% strikeout rate in A ball. He’s 20 so I am watching.

Bobby Witt Jr. - Kansas City Royals SS – Love him. Let’s see where the prices settle at.

Connor Cannon - San Francisco Giants 1B – Pass. Older prospect. Power is legit though.

Cooper Johnson - Detroit Tigers C – Pass. Older prospect.

Canaan Smith - New York Yankees OF – I have been a fan of Smith for a while. Good power and contact. Buy.

Chris Vallimont - Minnesota Twins P – Pass. Older prospect.

Diosbel Arias - Texas Rangers Utility – Pass. Older prospect.

Damon Jones - Philadelphia Phillies P – Pass. Older prospect.

Ezequiel Duran - New York Yankees 2B – A nice prospect that just needs to improve his contact. Great power numbers. A buy for me.

Everson Pereira - New York Yankees CF – Young prospect but is still developing. I like him.

Erik Rivera - Los Angeles Angels OF – Small sample size. Not much here. Will keep an eye on him.

Ford Proctor - Tampa Bay Rays Utility -Pass. Older prospect.

Glenallen Hill Jr. - Arizona Diamondbacks 2B – Only played in rookie ball. Young player that I will be watching.

Grant Little - San Diego Padres OF – Older prospect with not a ton of pop. Pass for me.

Gus Varland - Oakland Athletics P – Pass. Older prospect.

Hogan Harris - Oakland Athletics P – See above.

Jacob Amaya - Los Angeles Dodgers SS – I love the walk and strikeout rates. Buy if under $20.

James Beard - Chicago White Sox OF – Another younger prospect that has only played rookie ball. Need to see more.

Joey Cantillo - San Diego Padres P – A pitcher with some good K/9 rates! Buy if under $10.

Jarren Duran - Boston Red Sox OF – Pass. Older prospect.

Jasseel De La Cruz - Atlanta Braves P – Pass.

Jhon Diaz - Tampa Bay Rays CF – Could not find much on this kid. A July 2 signing that has not played. Need to come back to this one.


Jasson Dominguez - New York Yankees OF – I am going to write a separate post about Dominguez. Too much to say here. A buy based off the scouting report. 

Jerar Encarnacion - Miami Marlins OF – Not a bad player but just a little too old for me.

Joe Genord - New York Mets 1B – Pass. Older prospect.

J.J. Bleday - Miami Marlins – Second autograph. Pass.

Jeremy Pena - Houston Astros SS – I love the numbers. A little older so its tricky. I’m leaning towards pass.

Jackson Rutledge - Washington Nationals P – Not bad but does not move the needle for me. Pass.


Joe Ryan - Tampa Bay Rays P – Nice player but 23 years of age. Pass.

Lency Delgado - Chicago White Sox SS – Has a little upside but I will be watching. I need to see more.

Luis Patino - San Diego Padres P – One of the better arms in the minors. I am curious to see his card price. A buy based off the tools.

Leonel Valera - Los Angeles Dodgers SS – 100% watch for me. Can the Dodgers help him improve contact?

Micah Bello - Milwaukee Brewers OF – Hmm. Not ready to buy yet but I am watching.


Mario Feliciano - Milwaukee Brewers C – Pass for me.

Miguel Vargas - Los Angeles Dodgers 3B – Love the profile here and the power and plate discipline is there. Buy.

Omar Estevez - Los Angeles Dodgers 2B – Another talent that I like. I would be even higher on him if he was younger. Buy.


Oscar Gonzalez - Cleveland Indians OF – Love the talent. Great power potential. A buy for me but please note he is 22 years old.

Philip Clarke - Toronto Blue Jays C - Pass. 

Quin Cotton - Cincinnati Reds OF - Pass. I like the prospect but is 22 and only played in rookie ball. 

Ruben Cardenas - Tampa Bay Rays OF - Pass. 


Robert Puason - Oakland Athletics SS - Has not played yet. Watch. 

Sherten Apostel - Texas Rangers 3B – Not a bad player. Worth a buy if under $15.

Sam Huff - Texas Rangers C – He’s a little older but people love the power. It’s a pass for me though.
 
Stephen Paolini - Atlanta Braves OF – A lot of potential here. But I need to see more. I will be watching.

Tony Dibrell - New York Mets P – Pass. Older prospect.

Thomas Dillard - Milwaukee Brewers 1B – Pass.

Tarik Skubal - Detroit Tigers – Pass. Older prospect.

Vidal Brujan - Tampa Bay Rays 2B – His stats do not show a ton of power, but I love his contact and walk rates. Buy.

Xavier Edwards – Tampa Bay Rays SS – Great contact skills but not a ton of power but I expect his card to be hot. A pass for me but I get why people would be interested.

Zack Hess - Detroit Tigers P – Pass. Older prospect.

Saturday, December 14, 2019

2019 Bowman Draft Baseball - Early Pricing Trends

Hello all. Bowman Draft has been out for ten days and I have taken a look at the prices. No big surprises but there is some value out there. Please note I am only looking at the prices for base autographs. Lastly, I only took a look at the prospects I think you should keep an eye on. Thanks again for all the support and reach out to me with questions. Spend wisely.

Andre Lipcius - Detroit Tigers 2B/3B - Around $5-$10 bucks. Not bad and not a surprise.

Adley Rutschman - Baltimore Orioles C - High as expected. Around $200 or above for base.

Andrew Vaughn - Chicago White Sox 1B - High as expected. Around $160 for base.
Brett Baty - New York Mets 3B - Hmm around $75 bucks right now. Nope.

Brennan Malone - Arizona Diamondbacks P - Around $10 bucks. Not bad. See if you can get lower than that. 

CJ Abrams - San Diego Padres SS - High priced as expected.

Corbin Carroll - Arizona Diamondbacks OF - Base auto is around $40. I would go no higher than $50.

Dasan Brown - Toronto Blue Jays OF - Affordable. Prices between $10-$20.

Daniel Espino - Cleveland Indians P - Around $10. I would go no higher than that.
Gunnar Henderson - Baltimore Orioles SS - Around $15 bucks. Not bad.
Grant McCray - San Francisco Giants - Affordable (Around $10) but a ton of refractors are on the market vs base.

Hunter Bishop - San Francisco Giants OF- High priced. Over $60.

Jamari Baylor - Philadelphia Phillies SS - Around $10-$15. Not bad but the power potential is a major concern.

Joshua Mears - San Diego Padres OF - Can be yours for under $20. Not bad.
Josh Smith - New York Yankees SS - Under $20 but I would lay off the Yankees right now. The team is going for it and all prospects are available. (Except Jasson Dominguez!)
Jared Triolo - Pittsburgh Pirates 3B/SS - Under $10 and will be 22 when the season starts. Power potential is there.

Keoni Cavaco - Minnesota Twins SS -Hmm. Selling for around $40. I'm surprised. Help me out on this one readers.
Matthew Lugo - Boston Red Sox SS - A ton of redemption cards and is it possible he only signed refractors? Help me out on this one. 

Nick Lodolo - Cincinnati Reds P - Around $40. The price has to be related to being a top ten pick.

Quinn Priester - Pittsburgh Pirates P - Around $10. A good price for a pitcher. See if you can get under that.

Riley Greene - Detroit Tigers OF - High priced. Over $100.

Rece Hinds - Cincinnati Reds 3B - Around $20. Good price for him but it comes with risk.

Sammy Siani - Pittsburgh Pirates OF - Around $10. Not bad. The power is not there right now.

Tyler Callihan - Cincinnati Reds OF - Around $10-$20. I like the price.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

2019 Bowman Draft Baseball - Complete Prospect Analysis

Hello all. I know its has been a while since my last post but thanks for hanging in there with me. My review of the 2019 Bowman Draft Baseball checklist is complete and overall I think its a strong product. Overall high school arms were very weak in this class. In addition, teams selected a ton of college talent. The one thing that concerns me about a college prospect is will they be able to move quickly and their age. How much upside is still there? Remember these are my opinions so if you disagree that is OK. Go with your instincts. Please see the review below and spread the word. Links to EBay have also been provided. Thank you for your patience and I promise more posts are coming soon.

Antoine Kelly - Milwaukee Brewers P - Pass

Andre Lipcius - Detroit Tigers 2B/3B - A little older but someone I will keep and eye on.

Alek Manoah - Toronto Blue Jays P - Pass
Alec Marsh - Kansas City Royals P - Pass
Adley Rutschman - Baltimore Orioles C - He's the No 1 pick. Prices will be high. Too high for me to recommend.

Aaron Schunk - Colorado Rockies 3B - Pass
Andrew Vaughn - Chicago White Sox 1B - Love him. Has power and can make contact. We should see him in the majors this season. Prices will be insane but could be worth it.

Brett Baty - New York Mets 3B - I like the overall numbers even though the strikeouts are high.
He is someone to keep an eye on. Watch.

Brennan Malone - Arizona Diamondbacks P - Watch. Small sample size.

Brady McConnell - Kansas City Royals SS - Pass. Too old.

Beau Philip - Atlanta Braves SS - Pass. Too old.

Bryson Stott - Philadelphia Phillies SS - Pass. Too old.

Braden Shewmake - Atlanta Braves SS - Pass. Too old.

Blake Walston - Arizona Diamondbacks P  - Pass

Brandon Williamson - Seattle Mariners P - Pass

CJ Abrams - San Diego Padres SS - A top pick who is good but will be high priced.

Corbin Carroll - Arizona Diamondbacks OF - Numbers are not bad. Watch.

Cameron Cannon - Boston Red Sox 2B/SS - Pass. Too old.

Chase Strumpf - Chicago Cubs 2B - Too old.

Dasan Brown - Toronto Blue Jays OF - Watch. Small sample size and is only 18.

Daniel Espino - Cleveland Indians P - Watch. Young arm.

Dominic Fletcher - Arizona Diamondbacks OF - Pass. Too old.

Drey Jameson - Arizona Diamondbacks P - Pass

Davis Wendzel - Texas Rangers 3B - Pass. Too old.

Ethan Small - Milwaukee Brewers P - Pass.

Gunnar Henderson - Baltimore Orioles SS - Watch. Young with small sample size.

Greg Jones - Tampa Bay Rays SS - Pass.
George Kirby - Seattle Mariners P - Pass.
Grant McCray - San Francisco Giants - Watch. Can he develop power?

Hunter Bishop - San Francisco Giants OF- Love him. Another top pick that will be high priced. Its the new normal now with cards.

Isaiah Campbell - Seattle Mariners P - Pass.

Jamari Baylor - Philadelphia Phillies SS - High upside with no stats but I am interested.
John Doxakis - Tampa Bay Rays P - Pass.

Josh Jung - Texas Rangers 3B - Pass for me. Older and I am not sure he will move quickly.

J.J. Bleday - Miami Marlins OF - Great addition to an improved system but I will pass. Older and will be high priced. 

JJ Goss - Tampa Bay Rays P - Pass.
Jack Kochanowicz - Los Angeles Angels P - Pass.

Jimmy Lewis - Los Angeles Dodgers - Pass.

Joshua Mears - San Diego Padres OF - Watch. I want to see how he plays in a full season.

Josh Smith - New York Yankees SS - If you think he can move fast by all means go for it. 

Jake Sanford - New York Yankees OF - Pass. Too old and too many strikeouts.
Jared Triolo - Pittsburgh Pirates 3B/SS - Almost a pass but I have decided to watch. I wonder what the price will be.

Josh Wolf - New York Mets P - Pass.
Keoni Cavaco - Minnesota Twins SS - Watch. Very small sample size.

Kody Hoese - Los Angeles Dodgers SS - Pass. Too old.

Kameron Misner - Miami Marlins OF - Pass.

Kyren Paris - Los Angeles Angels SS - Pass.

Kyle Stowers - Baltimore Orioles OF - Pass.
Kendall Williams - Toronto Blue Jays P - Pass.

Logan Davidson - Oakland Athletics SS - Pass.

Logan Driscoll - San Diego Padres OF - Pass.

Logan Wyatt - San Francisco Giants 1B - Pass.

Michael Busch - Los Angeles Dodgers 2B - Pass.
Matt Canterino - Minnesota Twins P - Pass.

Matt Gorski - Pittsburgh Pirates OF - Pass.

Matthew Lugo - Boston Red Sox SS - Looks to have no power but is young. Still a pass for me.

Michael Toglia - Colorado Rockies P - Pass.

Matthew Thompson Chicago White Sox P - Pass.

Matt Wallner - Minnesota Twins OF - Pass.
Nick Lodolo - Cincinnati Reds P - Wow a pitcher that I will not pass on. I only say that because Derek Johnson works for the Reds now. Hopefully prices are reasonable.

Nasim Nunez - Miami Marlins SS - Pass. Seems to have no power.

Nick Quintana - Detroit Tigers - Pass.

Noah Song - Boston Red Sox P - Pass.

Peyton Burdick - Miami Marlins OF - Monster numbers for an older prospect. Not sure anyone will care. Pass.

Quinn Priester - Pittsburgh Pirates P - Hmmm. Watch. Seems to have good stuff.

Riley Greene - Detroit Tigers OF - Watch. Cost will be high due to being selected 5th overall but is being pushed aggressively by management.

Ryan Garcia - Texas Rangers P - Pass.

Rece Hinds - Cincinnati Reds 3B - No sample size but has insane power. I am interested.
Ryan Jensen - Chicago Cubs P - Pass.

Ryne Nelson - Arizona Diamondbacks P - Pass.

Ryan Zeferjahn - Boston Red Sox P - Pass.

Seth Johnson - Tampa Bay Rays P - Pass.

Shea Langeliers - Atlanta Braves C - Not a bad prospect but I will pass.

Sammy Siani - Pittsburgh Pirates OF - I will keep an eye on him. Watch.

Spencer Steer - Minnesota Twins Utility - Pass.
Tyler Baum - Oakland Athletics P - Pass.

Tyler Callihan - Cincinnati Reds OF - I am interested. Reds seem to be a strong team break candidate.

Tommy Henry - Arizona Diamondbacks P - Pass.

T.J. Sikkema - New York Yankees P - Pass.
Will Wilson - Los Angeles Angels OF - Pass.

Zack Thompson - St. Louis Cardinals P - Pass.

Saturday, January 6, 2018

The State of MLB Baseball Prospecting In 2018

As we prepare for a new baseball season, taking a look at the overall state of prospecting, baseball and the hobby is needed if not mandatory. In my honest opinion baseball and prospecting have never been better. Here are a few reasons why.

1. Social Media - It has never been easier to follow a prospect on a day to day basis. Most if not all players have accounts on Twitter and Instagram. YouTube provides scouting videos and interviews.

2. The MLB and Topps Relationship - Prospectors may have issues with various checklists when they are released but Topps has done a great job. I don't see this relationship ever breaking up and Topps continues to release the best on card autographs on the market.

3. Data - Access to advanced statistics has made the prospecting process very fun if not easier. A number of sites have emerged that provide all the information you need to analyze a prospect.

4. Media Coverage - From Blogs to Podcasts, access to discussions and other opinions have never been more available. In addition, the Futures Game and MLB Draft continue to improve their broadcast. You can even watch the Arizona Fall League now!

Are there concerns? Of course there are. The Hobby Shops are slowly being taken over buy the online stores which makes buying cards harder since you are looking at photos and scans. The positive is that card shows are still very active and provide an alternative.