The answer is......"cards of mostly unrecognizable figures in the major leagues as card companies continuously to inundate us with a checklist of prospects to cash in on the next big thing." Xth Round Draft Picks and Top 100 prospects are all the rage and have been for some time in this hobby. As one of many different kinds of collectors, I can tell you one thing, it is always tantalizing to invest in the upside of the little known and well regarded rather than the well known with varying degrees of being regarded
I was an avid Bowman collector for years because there's nothing more satisfying than discovering a player and making him a part of your collection for the most inane and irrational of reasons, you pulled the first card of that player out of a pack. Usually though, there were other explanations, that gave you the need to collect a player and seek out their cards, maybe something normal like team association or something visceral like photo selection or something greedy like value in the monthly Beckett's of old.
Let's see where these cards rank on the scale of collectability; all cards scanned are from a 2013 Bowman retail pack, the peak of buying a set for one player, Yasiel Puig (spoiler: none were Yasiel Puig).
Oct 25, 2015
Oct 22, 2015
Blog Flashback to 2012: Cole Hamels Can Now Be a Long-Time Phillie: Top 10 Reasons Why This is Good
NOTE: I've decided to publish all my thoughts from the past as I reboot this blog to one with actual thoughts. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by how many posts I have in the draft folder, so a lot may not be as current as I like. This post was mostly written in July 2012. I've finished it up now. So the perspective is a little skewed.
With the news that all Phillies fans were waiting for in some fashion (either for or against the extension), the wait is over. Cole Hamels has signed a 6 year contract extension with the Fightins' for a cool $144 mil. The Phillies team that Hamels grew up with has not grown up with him. There are vestiges of the old team left behind. The "four aces and Blanton" of 2011 have become 2 aces, a broken Halladay, and a Blanton. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are hurting, Jimmy Rollins is slumping, and for some reason, Hunter Pence's socks continue playing and pretending to be a cleanup hitter.
It may sound like an expensive investment, but Hamels is 28 with a talent level at about a 135 ERA+ (after the pitching adjustment after the 2009 season), which is one step below elite. For comparison purposes, Halladay had an ERA+ average of 160 the last four years before his breakdown. In other words, Hamels would be an ace on many a team. And now, he's cost controlled at a just below market value. They'll get him for $19.5 million for 2013 and then $22.5 million per year through 2018 with an option for 2019.
Free agent prices are on the rise, so market value now is essentially the same as below market value in 4 years. As it is, he will be the 8th highest paid pitcher in the league, and can be as good as the 3rd best pitcher (in my humbly humble opinion) of the league.
Here are 10 reasons why this is good for the Phillies, me, and Phillies fans.
10. Hamels is at the tail end of his prime, and can be expected to have at least 3 more years of quality ace-like pitching.
With the news that all Phillies fans were waiting for in some fashion (either for or against the extension), the wait is over. Cole Hamels has signed a 6 year contract extension with the Fightins' for a cool $144 mil. The Phillies team that Hamels grew up with has not grown up with him. There are vestiges of the old team left behind. The "four aces and Blanton" of 2011 have become 2 aces, a broken Halladay, and a Blanton. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are hurting, Jimmy Rollins is slumping, and for some reason, Hunter Pence's socks continue playing and pretending to be a cleanup hitter.
It may sound like an expensive investment, but Hamels is 28 with a talent level at about a 135 ERA+ (after the pitching adjustment after the 2009 season), which is one step below elite. For comparison purposes, Halladay had an ERA+ average of 160 the last four years before his breakdown. In other words, Hamels would be an ace on many a team. And now, he's cost controlled at a just below market value. They'll get him for $19.5 million for 2013 and then $22.5 million per year through 2018 with an option for 2019.
Free agent prices are on the rise, so market value now is essentially the same as below market value in 4 years. As it is, he will be the 8th highest paid pitcher in the league, and can be as good as the 3rd best pitcher (in my humbly humble opinion) of the league.
Here are 10 reasons why this is good for the Phillies, me, and Phillies fans.
10. Hamels is at the tail end of his prime, and can be expected to have at least 3 more years of quality ace-like pitching.
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