Austin Meadows Patch & On Card AUTO!!!!

I've purchased a few of the Leaf Trinity patch cards in the past like my Tyler Glasnow I showed off last year.  I have also grabbed a Cole Tucker for only $13 that I haven't had a chance to show off yet.  This on card autograph of the Pirates prospect, Austin Meadows, cost me only $17 delivered.

It is my 3rd on card auto of the young outfielder who is hitting very well as a teenager in the Florida State League.

$5 gamble? Dual Auto of Austin Meadows and Reese McGuire

I normally don't buy non certified autographs online unless they come from a respected source that I have personally dealt with in person.  However, when the Pirates two 1st Round draft picks of 2013 ended up on the same card as in person autographs for $5 I just couldn't pass it up.

The seller lives not too far from me and claims that he got both of them at a West Virginia Power game.  That makes sense as their are several teams that play the Power within a two hour drive.

I seriously think the autos are real, but even if they aren't it's a nice looking card with some cursive writing and nice pen marks of two of baseball's top prospects.  I'll take that gamble every time for $5.

Black is the New Black: Austin Meadows Edition

One of my 2014 Collecting Goals was to add as many Bowman Black autographs as possible of the Pirates Prospects.  I specifically set out to add  Tyler Glasnow, Gregory Polanco, Jameson Taillon, Gerrit Cole, Reese McGuire, and Alen Hanson Bowman Black autos.

My latest Bowman Black ran me A LOT of money, but because I had nearly $40 in ebay bucks and was able to take advantage of the triple ebay bucks on items over $50 I was able to get this card for a fair price considering how rare the card is and how much talent Austin possesses.

With just a few weeks left in the year, I will be looking on ebay for the Alen Hanson Bowman Black to complete another 2014 goal.  It's been a very successful year for collecting and hitting my goals.

Despite missing much of the 2014 season, Meadows still managed to post very solid offensive numbers while playing Center Field for low A ball as a 19 year old.  His final line for the season after 38 games was .322/.388/.486.  He's striking out twice as much as walking, but his overall strikeout percentage is 17.9% (very good for a 19 year old in A ball)

Entering the draft, Meadows was garnering a lot of Jay Bruce and Colby Rasmus comparisons.  I honestly see a higher ceiling for Meadows, but maybe that's just me looking through rose colored glasses.

A look back at the 2013 Draft on Draft Day

The Pirates 2012 season ended in disappointment. At the All-Star break they were one of baseball's best teams and it seemed certain that they would have their first winning record in nearly two decades.  Due to injuries and struggles by the pitching staff, the Pirates would end up with the 13th worse record in baseball and continue their losing streak.  That year, they also saw their first round draft selection, Mark Appel, return to Stanford as a college senior.

2013 Leaf Trinity Reese McGuire Inscriptions 10/10

Since the selection of Appel was a protected pick, that allowed the Pirates to draft 9th overall in the 2013 draft in addition to 14th overall.  Many reports linked the Pirates to high school catcher Reese McGuire prior to the draft.  When the draft day arrived and super talented five tool athlete Austin Meadows was still available 9th overall, the Pirates selected him.  When it came time to draft 14th overall, Reese McGuire was still available and the Pirates fulfilled those early discussions by selecting him.

The 2013 draft for the Pirates was a succesful draft, but much of the talk revolved around those two first rounders.  However, the draft included several other probable major leaguers.  The Pirates focused on left handed pitching and middle infielders in rounds 2-7 before stock piling right handed pitchers.  They were able to add to their farm system top 20 prospects like left handed pitchers Blake Taylor (2nd round) and Cody Dickson (4th round), shortstops like JaCoby Jones (3rd round) ,Trae Arbet (5th round), and Adam Frazier (6th round).

In a short time, the Pirates will be drafting with the 24th overall pick, something they haven't had to do in over 20 years.  It's nearly impossible to pinpoint one name they will draft, but I suspect that Neal Huntington will continue to draft the best player available even if that means drafting someone they doubt they will be able to sign that dropped due to signability issues (like Appel in 2012).  My personal preference if he's available is college first baseman Casey Gillespie.  I really like the bat he has and think that he will be a quick rise to the majors.

Another Austin Meadows Major MOJO HIT!!!!

When the Pirates had the fortune of having Austin Meadows drop to them at 9th overall in the 2013 draft, I instantly went on ebay in search of some of his cards.  While I haven't had much luck at making crazy good snipes like I had hoped, I am happy to finally add another major hit to my growing PC of the Pirate Prospect.

I have to hand it to Pirates GM Neal Huntington and owner Bob Nutting for not shying away from talent in the draft just because of coveted signing bonuses.  If only the Pirates had this kind of support behind them like in the 2007 draft when they overlooked Matt Wieters for a middle reliever Daniel Moskoes (ugh!!!!).

2012 Panini USA Prime Patches 23/24

Pictured above is my prime patch of Austin Meadows from 2012 Panini USA.  It's numbered 23/24 and makes my first jersey relic of the 5 tool teenager.

Meadows had a very good first year in pro ball after a slightly rocky start.

In the Gulf Coast League he batted a .294/.399/.519 line (.918OPS) as a Center Fielder 18 year old.  Of his 47 hits, he had 11 doubles, 5 triples, and 5 homeruns while driving in 20 over the course of 43 games.  Defensively he committed 1 error, but had 3 outfield assists and 1 double play.

After the Gulf Coast League season ended, him and fellow 1st round pick Reese McGuire became members of the NY Penn-League Jamestown Jammers where he played in 5 games and hit 2 HR and batted a .529/.636/.882 line for an OPS of 1.519 while walking more than striking out.  To say this kid isn't going to be something special would be disrespectful.  From video I've seen, he's going to be one of the game's best in a few years.

If you had previously missed my post where I showed off autographs of the Pirates recent draft picks in Team USA gear, click this link to see autos of Cole, Taillon, McGuire, and Meadows.

Team USA autographs: Future Aces, 5 Tool Player, Solid Backstop

I've been tracking down Pirates prospects wearing the Team USA uniform as of late and wanted to show off some of my recent additions to the Treasure Room.  3/4 of the cards were on card signatures and many were very cheap that I just couldn't pass them up.

2011 Bowman USA Blue Refractor Austin Meadows AUTO 18/99

Up first is the Pirates 2013 1st Round Draft Pick Austin Meadows.  The minute the Pirates drafted him, I looked on ebay for a nice refractor auto to grab.  While this card was quite pricy, if he pans out as expected this will be a steal of a deal.  It's from 2011 Bowman USA and is the blue refractor auto.

Meadows got off to a very slow start before finally turning it on.  His line is now a very solid .316/.409/.534 which gives him an OPS of .943 as a center fielder.  Many feel that Meadows has the skill set to remain a centerfielder as he continues to climb through the minors.  Some have even said that they wouldn't be surprised if he becomes the most talented player selected in the draft.

2013 Panini Team USA AUTO 63/349 Reese McGuire

From the same draft class is the player that the entire Pirates fan base thought would be their 9th overall selection and fellow 1st round talent Reese McGuire.  McGuire was linked to the Pirates days before the draft happened and many Pirates fans felt that McGuire should not be taken 9th overall.  Fortunately, Austin Meadows slipped to the Pirates and McGuire was still on the board 5 picks later when they selected 14th overall.  McGuire has had a pretty good start to his pro career, but has cooled off recently.  He began the year with a batting average over .500 for his first 10 games.  Since that time it's dipped to a .315/.375/.385 line.  McGuire has yet to show any kind of power at the plate (10 doubles of his 45 hits), but many see the power potential growing as he matures and fills out a bit more.  One thing about McGuire that will help him accelerate through the minors is his ability to recognize pitches.  He currently has a 15 SO to 13 BB ratio, showing clear judgement for the strike zone.  The most impressive thing about McGuire is the rate he's throwing runners out (41%).  To put that into perspective, many fans and scouts view Yadier Molina as the premier defensive backstop in the game today.  Molina was throwing runners out at 43% at the same level and slightly older.  I grabbed the above auto for $15 shipped.

2013 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes Jameson Taillon AUTO 694/800

Next up is a Jameson Taillon USA Panini Stars and Stripes sticker auto that I grabbed for $7 shipped.  I don't understand why Taillon autos are so cheap.  I've talked an aweful lot about my excitement towards the future with Jameson Taillon so I don't really need to say anything further.

2010 Topps USA Gerrit Cole AUTO

Finally the Pirates future ace and current rookie flamethrower Gerrit Cole from 2010 Topps USA Baseball that I grabbed for $22.  Same as Taillon, I've expressed my thoughts on how good I think Gerrit Cole will be for years to come.