Going for the Gold!!!!

The Pirates are entering the home stretch as they currently have the 3rd best record in the major leagues, yet still trail the St. Louis Cardinals.  Rosters will be expanding soon which is both a good and bad thing for baseball fans.  For fans of teams who have already basically been eliminated from contention, it gives them a false sense of hope for next season to "see what the young kids can do".  For fans of teams in playoff contention it means having to face rosters fully maxed out to prevent you from winning a game. 

One player that I am hopeful the Pirates promote, but seriously doubt they will, is switch hitting speedy middle infielder Alen Hanson.  I have seen Hanson play nearly a dozen times in the minors and his bat speed AND foot speed is unbelievable.  The kid can flat out run and swing the bat.  He would be a perfect pinch hit or pinch run option for the Pirates as they strive for a World Series berth.

I have added several nice Hanson cards to my collection over the past year, but this is by far the nicest of the bunch.  Bowman Inception offers beautiful On Card Autographs of some of the game's upcoming prospects.  The Gold Autos are numbered to only 5 copies and there are a few people out there trying to build the set.  I'm glad I was finally able to add this to the collection.

My new way of doing business on ebay

I recently decided that I'm going to buy in bulk.  I have been coming across some nice sized lots of players that aren't in my PC, but I still enjoy collecting and I have been buying them in bulk.  For $14 delivered I bought 35 cards of Pirates infield prospect Alen Hanson.  The lot included several refractors and even an autograph.

Did I get a lot of value out of the lot?  Probably not a lot, but to be able to add 14 new unique cards to my collection PLUS another Bowman Chrome Auto of the young switch hitting Dominican, I thought it was worth the price.

Among the numbered parallels were a 2013 Bowman Sterling refractor /199 and a 2013 Bowman Platinum Green Refractor /399.

I also got a lot of dupiclates in the bunch so if anyone is interested in some Alen Hanson cards, let me know.

Another 2014 Goal Accomplished

Two weeks ago I showed off one of the toughest (and most expensive) Bowman Black autographs I have ever picked up.  That Austin Meadows autograph brought me done to needing only one Bowman Black autograph of the Pirates, Alen Hanson, who I recently purchased just in time to close out the new year.

Alen Hanson entered the 2014 season with the expectation that he could be a mid season callup along with Gregory Polanco if he showed continued improvement in the field.  The 21 year old middle infielder put up strong numbers at the plate in AA despite some minor injuries and an extended period of time missed that the reason still hasn't been revealed.

In 118 games, the switch hitting Dominican hit .280/.326/.442 with 11 HomeRuns and 25 stolen bases.  Many see Hanson as a future leadoff hitter that can play 2B, SS, or 3B.  Despite the struggle that Hanson suffered last year which dropped his elite prospect status, I personally still think that Hanson will be a very good major leaguer and given the right opportunity in 2015 could have a season like 2014 Josh Harrison.  He has incredible bat speed from both sides of the plate and possesses a good bit of pop for being only 5ft10.

Bowman Black will continue to be one of my favorite autographs to collect every year going forward.  I will most likely add Connor Joe and Cole Tucker to the list of players I want to get Bowman Black autographs from in 2015.  I may also continue to pick up Tyler Glasnow's bowman black cards as well since 3 out of 25 just isn't enough.

If you want to see the other Bowman Black autographs I got in 2014 click here.

Alen Hanson Bowman Inception Auto and Jersey

2014 Bowman Inception Alen Hanson AUTO/RELIC 9/50

Alen Hanson entered the season regarded as one of the best shortstop prospects in baseball. Somewhere between the start of the season and finishing the 2014 season with 33 errors (most at shortstop) he was taken off many top 100 prospect lists. He two former minor league team mates, Gregory Polanco and Dilson Herrera have already made their MLB debuts.

There's still a lot to like about Hanson's gameplay offensively. I got to see him with the Curve this year and his bat speed is incredible. If he can hit .280 and steal 20+ bags a year batting in the leadoff or two hole for the Pirates their lineup looks frightening to NL pitchers.

BTW...I am disappointed in you all for not leaving a single comment on yesterday's post. Where's your sense of charity folks?

The Future is Now!!!

Wow! Yesterday's game was intense.
The Pirates had a top 5 farm system in the MLB heading into the 2014 with many analysts having them either 1st or 2nd.  The emergence of Gregory Polanco to the big leagues proves the efforts that the Pirates have put into scouting in the past 5 years.  Polanco was highly regarded as a top 15 prospect in all of baseball and a top 3 outfield prospect behind only Byron Buxton and Oscar Taveras. Polanco is a true 5 tool talent and his arm last night preserved a Buccos win.

One player that is having a breakout season and will be on display in today's All-Star Futures Game is switch hitting outfielder Josh Bell.  As many of you know, Josh Bell is one of the main reasons why their is a signing bonus cap in the Amateur Draft now.  After sending out letters to teams asking them not to draft him, the Pirates rolled the dice and drafted Bell, a consensus top 15 prospect entering the draft.  He signed with the Bucs for a record high $5 million and began his pro career.  In 82 games in A ball, Bell is hitting a .328/.375/.492 line with 9 HR and 51 RBI.  He looks every bit like the player as advertised when drafted.

Another player that is having a very good season is switch hitting shortstop Alen Hanson.  Hanson will need to continue to improve defensively at shortstop, but is hitting very well in AA as a 21 year old.  His 8 HR, 17 SB, and .274 batting average really don't provide realistic viewpoints on what he is able to do.  I've seen close to half a dozen games of Hanson in AA this year and when he makes contact with the ball, it is a quick short stroke and the ball just jumps off the bat.

I won the above card a few months back and even though it's a triple sticker auto card, I have to say that this is one of my favorite cards in my collection because of the 3 top prospects on it. The low numbering to 10 copies helps.

Buy More, Save More

I don't buy into the concept of buy more, save more very often.  Bulk stores like Costco and BJ's Wholesale don't often offer much more value than your average supermarket's sale price.  I should know, I work at a supermarket.

However, I do find ebay lots to often offer incredible savings.  Take the lot you see above for example.  Reese McGuire, Alen Hanson, and Gregory Polanco all show up on most scout's top 100 prospects while Blake Taylor and Nick Kingham profile to be mid rotation innings eaters.

I managed to win all 6 cards for $39 delivered.  That's around $6.50 a piece.
Only 3 of the 6 autos are on card (Blake Taylor, Reese McGuire, Gregory Polanco)
Let's see how I was able to save on this lot.

Blake Taylor was a 2013 second round draft pick southpaw that put up very strong numbers as a 17 year old pitching in the gulf coast league in his debut season.  Due to the shortened season and signing late, Taylor pitched in only 21 innings, but had  a WHIP of 0.762 with an ERA of 2.57 while striking out 13.  His fastball reaches low 90s and many scouts think he will add velocity as his figure fills out.
These normally go for under $5 delivered which could be a steal in the future.

Reese McGuire was the second 1st round pick the Pirates had in 2013.  Reese is currently in low A ball and had a tremendous season last year after quickly signing.  He doesn't have much pop yet, but is highly regarded for his defensive skill set and contact at the plate.  In terms of his skill set, I see him being similar to Jason Kendall but with less HR potential.
These base autos typically start around $5 delivered and run up to $10.

Alen Hanson is one of baseball's most promising shortstop prospects.  He profiles as a typical leadoff hitter with solid line drive contact, some pop, and lots of speed.
The base autos for Hanson run around $7 delivered

Gregory Polanco is one of the top ranked prospects in baseball right now and his Bowman Sterling on card autos are by far the best value if you are looking to add an auto of the young 5 tool talent.
The base autos start around in the range of $10 -$18 delivered.  

The base auto for Nick Kingham normally start at around $5, but often run up to $9 delivered.  The real highlight of the lot was the gold refractor numbered 5/50.  This card averages to around $20 delivered.

Taking the highs and lows of the lot, the average price for this lot would be in the $52-$69 range.  That's a savings of $14-$30 for a lot of cards that were all new additions to the Treasure Room.

2013 Heritage Minors Team Set

I like Topps Heritage.  I said it, let's move on.
I came across someone selling the Pirates team set from Heritage Minors and pulled the $8 trigger for ten cards.  Dilson Herrera is no longer part of the organization as he was the centerpiece to the trade that brought Marlon Byrd, John Buck, and cash to the Pirates for their playoff push.

Of the 9 players still with the organization, 4 of them are listed as top 100 prospects in baseball (Taillon, Heredia, Hanson, and Polanco).  One is not too far removed from being on that list and if he can prove he's healthy, will likely return to being a top prospect (Josh Bell).

The Pirates future is bright, but....

The future star of this set though is Jameson Taillon (seen below)

My loot from the Crackin Wax break

I decided to participate in the Crackin Wax Allen & Ginter 2013 Case break and of course chose my beloved Pirates.  The Bucs had several good hits from the set list and I was hoping to add one or two to my collection.  Unfortunately I got shut out, but that also meant I got a $5 reimbursement which I've already used to purchase a Starling Marte auto which I'll show off in a future post.

2013 SPs: McCutchen & Martin

The Pirates did have two SPs in the team set (Andrew McCutchen and Russel Martin) and I managed to grab two cards of each.  I will consider trading a copy if the offer is right.

2013 Base team set: Clemente, Mazeroski, Kiner, Stargell, Burnett, Jones, Alvarez, Walker, Marte

The rest of the Pirates team set includes 9 base cards

2013 Across the Years inserts: Stargell and Clemente

The Allen & Ginter Across the Years set includes two Bucs greats (Roberto Clemente & Willie Stargell).

2013 Minis: Walker Black Border, Kiner base, Kiner A&G back, Stargell base, McCutchen A&G back

One of my favorite things about A&G is the minis.  I didn't exactly hit on anything of major note, but did get two A&G backs (Kiner and McCutchen) along with a black border Neil Walker.

As an added bonus I received two cards from 2013 Platinum that I desperately needed to add to my collection.  They are of top prospects Gerrit Cole and Alen Hanson.

2 of Baseball's Best Prospects dual AUTO

The Pirates farm system has vastly improved over the past couple years.  They've increased their scouting in the Latin America communities and we've already seen one of those players (Starling Marte) impact the major league roster.

MLB recently updated their top 100 prospects in baseball and the Bucs have 5 prospects in the top 100.  More importantly they have 2 of the top 15 prospects in baseball (Jameson Taillon and Gregory Polanco).  3 of the Pirates top 5 prospects are latin players (Gregory Polanco, Alen Hanson, and Luis Heredia).  The Pirates continue to rise through the standing thanks to a great farm system of homegrown talent.

2013 Bowman Inception DUAL AUTO Gregory Polanco and Alen Hanson 5/25

When this card was tipped off to me, I knew I had to pull the trigger on it unless it went over triple digits. Well, it barely went over triple digits which was hard to accept.  However, if these guys pan out as planned, this card could be the equivalent of a Jimmy Rollins/Andrew McCutchen dual autograph as those are the comparisons of the players.

I'm now officially done with Bowman Inception after acquiring this card.  I have the Gregory Polanco, Alen Hanson, and Barrett Barnes.

Bowman Inception Alen Hanson

Earlier in the month I showed off some of my Alen Hanson collection.  Hanson remains one of the top shortstop prospects in baseball and is a trade target for noncontending teams looking to unload veterans. While I know the Pirates need to add a bat to their lineup, I don't want them giving up any of their elite prospects (Taillon, Polanco, Hanson, Glasnow) for anyone not named Giancarlo Stanton.  There's rumors that Hanson may be moved for Alexei Ramirez or Alex Rios from the White Sox.  NONONONONO!!!!!

Hanson has cooled down a bit over the past 10 games, hitting only .256, but does have 12 RBI, 1 HR, and 3 SB in those 10 games.

2013 Bowman Inception AUTO

I managed to grab this Alen Hanson Bowman Inception auto on ebay in a lot with a Jose Fernandez auto for $20 shipped.

2013 Bowman Inception Jose Fernandez AUTO

The 2013 All-Star selection Jose Fernandez is going immediately to my brother who happens to be a Marlins fan.

Prospect Profile: Alen Hanson

For the first time in over a decade the Pittsburgh Pirates have a core nucleus in place at the major league level and some promising prospects on the horizon.  The upper levels of the minor league system feature power arms that will be ready to help the major league club this season while the lower levels feature toolsy players ready to join the team in 2-3 years.  Once a month I will profile one of the Bucs intriguing prospects and highlight some of the cards I own of that player.

This month's Pirate Prospect Profile is on Alen Hanson

Hanson is an interesting player to highlight.  He wasn't even considered to be one of the Pirates top 20 prospects heading into the 2012 season, but emerged with a breakout season last year as a 19 year old playing in short season A ball.  He's currently ranked the 54th best prospect by MLB.com and 61st by Baseball America.

2012 Leaf Memories AUOT 10/25

When I saw that Leaf was able to get Alen to be part of their 2012 Memories Autograph line, I knew I would have to add a card to the collection.  I put what I thought was a really high bid to ensure that I would win the auction.  Evidently, the person I was bidding against thought to do the same thing and the limited print run (25 made) stickered auto card of the young shortstop went for $37.  Looking at similar completed listings though I guess I didn't overpay too much as many others have been sold for similar prices.

Hanson also appeared as part of Bowman's Best which I managed to grab this diecut for just over $2.

Far and away this Bowman Sterling is my favorite of the bunch though as the parallel just looks awesome in black and gold.

2012 Leaf RIZE of the Prodigy Print Proof 94/100

I recently grabbed this Rize Inaugural Edition Proof of the young shortstop also.

Hanson is currently playing in A ball as a 20 year old shortstop.  He has a batting line of .289/.346/.446 which means his OPS is .792.  That's a very strong line for a middle infielder who just turned 20.  Take away his terrible April start in which he batted only .255 and he would have an average over .300 and an OPS around .900.  Add in the fact that he has 5 HR and 20SB through only 72 games and you're looking at a future top of the lineup hitter and top prospect.