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Sunday, August 4, 2019

Stats Don't Lie - August 2019 MLB Prospect Report

The month of August is here are I have listed some important stats to take note of. For this report I wanted to talk about the lesser know prospects that are playing well.

Bo Naylor - Cleveland Indians - Very impressive stat line. Shows power and speed and is only 19. K rate is 23.20% which is OK for now. For sure a buy. 

Canaan Smith- New York Yankees - Smith is having a great season at the A ball level. A buy once he signs a Bowman Chrome Auto. 37 XBH.

Mark Vientos - New York Mets - Very good numbers and showing good power with a 0.157 ISO. For him to be 19 his auto price is undervalued. Ronny Maurico's are overvalued in my opinion.

Miguel Yajure - New York Yankees - A pitcher that does not have an auto but is putting up good numbers this year across the board.

Other pitchers to note are Sixto Sanchez, Blayne Enlow and Simon Woods Richardson. All are having good seasons.

XBH - Extra Base Hits
ISO - Isolated Power

Recap of the National Sports Collectors Convention

I was able to attend the National Sports Collectors Convention on Saturday and I found some interesting things as I looked at all the tables. If you have not been to the show before I recommend going. Its a cool event and the whole industry is in the building. Here are some key takeaways. 

1. The prospects I saw the most across the tables were: 

Wander Franco (Saw Tons) 
Alec Bohm
Nolan Gorman
Marco Luciano 
Bo Bichette 
Kristian Robinson

Tons of Christian Yelich and Ronald Acuna. Not a ton of Gavin Lux, Alek Thomas etc. Only pitcher I saw was Casey Mize. 

Takeaway: People are starting hold prospects instead of sell them after breaks. The old days are over. An argument against this statement may be because the main goal of the show is to make money but I thought it was interesting. Making money on current MLB stars seems to be a new trend as well. I saw a few people buying a ton of Acuna. 

2. PSA vs BGS. The tide has turned. I saw way more PSA graded prospects than BGS graded prospects. PSA seems to be hotter now and sells for a little more than BGS graded cards. BGS graded cards are still good but PSA is the hotter slab right now despite all the issues with PWCC. 

Takeaway: PSA graded cards are the hot ticket but only buy PSA 10 for a prospect. 

3. Mike Trout is the new long term investment. I saw a few tables with his Topps Update PSA 10. These cards were selling for 1K easy. He is easily the safest investment right now. 

Takeaway: If you can afford it. I would buy one and lock it up. Maybe look into his Bowman Sterling Rookie. The print run is lower.

Hope this helps. The market has changed for sure. Be smart. 

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Prepare Now for 2019 Bowman Draft

I want to share with the readers the importance of preparing for the release of 2019 Bowman Draft. My guess is Adley Rutschman will be in the product and Bobby Witt Jr will be in 2020 Bowman. Overall as prices rise it might be a good time to put some dollars away as we get closer to the release date. I am aware that Bowman Chrome comes out in September prior to Bowman Draft but I think this draft class will produce a hotter product to invest in.

Sunday, June 30, 2019

Stats Don't Lie - June 2019 MLB Prospect Report

The month of June is coming to an end and here are some important stats to take note of. One thing I noticed is most of these prospects are selling for big money. It might be time to invest in non auto's if the prices are out of reach.

Wander Franco - 7% Strikeout Rate - He's number one for a reason.

Jo Adell - 1.046 OPS - Only 100 or so plate appearances but he has insane talent.

Jeter Downs - 0.210 ISO - Underrated prospect in the Dodgers system. Also still affordable.

Mickey Moniak - 31 XBH - He's only 21 and is hitting for more power. Don't give up on him yet.

Conner Capel - 0.189 ISO - Conner was drafted by the Indians but is now with the Cardinals. He is showing some power and sells for around $10.

XBH - Extra Base Hits
ISO - Isolated Power
OPS - On-Base Plus Slugging

Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Josiah Gray - Invest Now

One affordable pitching prospect that is a good deal right now is Josiah Gray. He was originally drafted by the Reds and was traded to the Dodgers last season in the Yasiel Puig trade. His auto's are around $10-15. I think the current price is a huge bargain considering the way prices for prospects have exploded over the past few months. The Dodgers are so good developing talent and I think its a good entry point for a pitcher.

Saturday, June 29, 2019

New York Mets Superstar Pete Alonso - 2016 Bowman Chrome Rewind

In 2016 when I reviewed 2016 Bowman I recommended you buy Pete Alonso. The price was around $10-15 at the time. You can say this is a humble brag but please spread the word on what this site is about. It's free to look!

Scouting MLB Prospects in Triple A

The major league baseball being juiced may not be breaking news for most fans but the change has made the ability to scout prospects difficult. Triple A teams have starting using the ball this season and now home run totals have spiked. With these changes I suggest taking Double A stats more seriously when it comes to measuring power potential as home runs in the majors and Triple A have been devalued.

Sunday, June 9, 2019

Chicago White Sox 2B Nick Madrigal - Spray Chart Analysis

Nick Madrigal was recently promoted to Double AA Birmingham and it seems he has bounced back from the wrist injury he suffered his last year in college. Nick did not hit for much power in his pro debut and I think this was due to the injury. As you can see he was not able to pull the ball to left field his first year. In 2019 he has done what the White Sox have asked and is pulling the ball to left field. We all know that Nick is an excellent contact hitter. His ISO this year is only .105 but for some reason I think he will add some power to his game as he regains strength in his wrist. 

*Spray charts were used from Baseball Savant.


Nick Madrigal's 2018 Spray Chart 
Madrigal showed little to no power in his first season and only hit to the opposite field.

  Nick Madrigal's 2019 Spray ChartMadrigal is finally pulling the ball to left field and showing a little more extra base hit power.











Saturday, May 25, 2019

Adapt or Die - MLB Prospecting Tactics

At Prospects for Cash, it is always a good thing to look at the state of prospecting and the overall health of the market. Tactics change all the time and philosophies evolve. It is clear that the market is trending up. I explain this in my previous article.

Due to the changes, here are a few thoughts on how I feel about prospecting as we move forward in 2019.

1.Group Breaks and Case Breaks - It may be a good time to consider participating in these breaks as buying a slot on the front end for a prospect could mean big money on the back end as prices rise.  

2. Timing - I am still sticking to the 20% rule. If I can make a profit I am OK moving on. Timing is everything now. Your choice will all depend on your investment. You can still make money on a player before they make the Majors.

3. Player Positions - Positions still matter but not as much anymore. We know the risks with pitchers but I used to avoid buying catchers or second baseman. Catchers do take time to develop but lately there have been good ones to invest in. If a player can play the price will show it.

4. Age - Age still matters. A 19 yr old prospect still has the room for potential while a 24 year old prospect has reached his ceiling.

5. Power and Contact - It seems with the new baseballs flying out the park the power numbers are tricky to analyze. Contact is still king. Walk rates matter. 

6. State of the Hobby - Overall the hobby is heating up and prospecting will continue to pick up steam. Keep an eye on the trends. Or just follow me for the best info on the web. Could supply increase? Is a correction in play down the line. Stay tuned.

7. Buying Retail over Hobby - Another emerging subject. Buying retail blaster boxes of Bowman is a good play. I am still surprised boxes sell for $20.You could easily resale for double the price! The tough part is that you have to really know when they hit your local stores. People know the vendors so sometimes the boxes never hit the shelves.

Los Angeles Angels OF Jordyn Adams - MLB Prospect Breakdown

One prospect on my radar and selling for a good price is Jordyn Adams. As of the writing of this article, I have seen prices as low as $20 for a base autograph. My guess is this is due to his slow start. In my opinion, I would not worry about the numbers right now. Investing in his Bowman Chrome auto will be a long term hold. Two sport athletes out of high school take time to adjust to pro ball. He is walking 10.6% of the time and his K rate is around 26.7%. The kid is talented with upside.