A Tale of 1 City

I follow the Pirates minor league system as closely as I follow the major league roster.  With the way the Pirates used to do things before Neal Huntington took over, you could get maybe 3 years out of a player before you had to say goodbye to them.  They were in fan's eyes what the Oakland A's are doing now (but the Pirates had about 20 more losses each season).

Now the Pirates have a competitive team on the field for 162 games a year and also have a very interesting farm system rich with right handed pitchers drafted out of high school.  At the head of the class is Tyler Glasnow, but right behind him are Jameson Taillon and Nick Kingham.

Kingham is repeating in AAA to start the year, but will most likely be the first guy called upon to make his MLB debut this year.  Jameson Taillon, the 2nd overall pick in 2010, is still recovering from Tommy John Surgery last year.  It's likely that he will make his minor league season debut around June/July with the potential for a September callup.

Both the cards above feature Taillon and Kingham with the Pirates AA affiliate, the Altoona Curve.  I won both cards nearly 4 months ago for around $10 each.  The Taillon is numbered out of 75 and hails from 2013 Topps Pro Debut.  The Kingham is not numbered and is from 2014 Topps Heritage Minors.

Going Green: Nick Kingham Autograph

My optimism for Nick Kingham might be higher than others in the sports card collecting world.  Maybe it's because I own his Superfractor or it's because I've seen his stuff in person and it is incredible stuff, but I think that Kingham will be a key piece to the Pirates success in 2015.

Nick has a unique signature which is actually kind of cool.  Check out this numbered to 100 sticker auto to see what I'm talking about.

Mega Autograph Lot!!!!

I've been purchasing bulk lots on ebay for the past few months and have been very happy with my results.  For $36 I added 5 autographs and a plethora of parallels from 2014 Bowman Chrome Prospects.
 I've been adding Nick Kingham autographs to my collection for the past year, but recently due to his success have been seeking out JaCoby Jones autographs as well.  However the 4 players featured above fail in comparison to the amount of time I have been adding this guy to my collection.

Over the next few months you will be seeing A LOT of Willy Garcia cards pop up on the Treasure Room. Why????  Well....I think he's going to be a special talent at the major league level.

In addition to the 5 autographs I also received 4 refractors of Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Trae Arbet, and JaCoby Jones.  I included the back scans because there is a lot of cool information on the backs and the base and refractors look so similiar.

Want more?  How about a blue refractor (/250) and Gold Refractor (/50) for both Pedro Alvarez and Starling Marte.

Feeling blue that you didn't go after this lot?  Well this Harold Ramirez Blue Refractor will make you regret it even more...

Is that Purple Rain playing on your ipod?  Weird, here's a purple refractor of Fransisco Liriano

I think you're starting to feel green with envy as I was able to grab Green Refractors (/75) of JaCoby Jones and Nick Kingham...and yet you

Still want more????  Ok....do you like bubbles?
I grabbed this bubble refractor of prospect Ryan Hafner also in the lot

Individually this lot would have cost me up to $80 and I happened to get it for about half that price.  Pretty good deal if you ask me.

$15 Lil Man, put those team sets in my hand...

I've been on a roll adding some great ebay deals for $15 lately.  My latest acquisition is a bunch of Pirates 2014 team sets for $15 delivered.  For a winning bid of $11 I received complete or near complete team sets of 2014 Topps, 2014 Donruss, 2014 Topps Opening Day, 2014 Finest, 2014 Topps Heritage, 2014 Gypsy Queen, 2014 Bowman, 2014 Archives, 2014 Bowman Platinum and a few inserts as well.

Included were 3 really nice inserts or parallels of young outfield prospect Gregory Polanco

Also included were 4 different brands of cards using the same image of Pedro Alvarez.

Of course there were some Hall of Famers in there too with Clemente, Stargell, and Kiner all being represented.

Gerrit Cole made several appearances in the 102 card lot.
The white border Gypsy Queen is especially nice

A Nice Tyler Glasnow Purple Bowman Platinum was included

Along with a bunch of the Pirates top prospects (both hitting and pitching)

And of course it wouldn't be a Pirates lot if this guy didn't show up half a dozen times or more

Along with soooooo many others

Black is the New Black: Nick Kingham Heritage

For the second time this week, I'm showing off a Topps Heritage Minors Black Parallel card that literally ran me just a few pennies...well in this case 99 to be exact.  The above Nick Kingham 2014 Topps Heritage Minors black parallel numbered 102/105 ran me 99 cents delivered and is my most recent addition of the future major leaguer.  Many people were thinking that Kingham might receive an early cup of coffee last year due to top pitching prospect Jameson Taillon suffering from Tommy John surgery and many of the Pirates rotation having multiple stints on the DL.  Fortunately Jeff Locke and Vance Worley helped solidify the rotation lead by Edinson Volquez over the course of the season.  Yup, you just read that all correctly...that's how the Pirates 2014 season went.

I have high hopes for Kingham to make an impact at the major leagues, but don't see him much more than an innings eater with mid to high 3s ERA.  Basically I see him as a Bronson Arroyo type without the crazy delivery.  When put that into the back end of a rotation, the Pirates rotation plans look pretty good for 2016 and beyond.

At one time I considered super collecting Nick's cards especially since I have his superfractor, but that mustache was just too terrible to ever bear witness on a baseball card consistently.

My Second Ever Superfractor

I finally added another Superfractor to my collection and it's of one of the Pirates top pitching prospects.

Nick Kingham!!!!

I got a chance to watch Nick Kingham pitch in Trenton last weekend and he was fantastic.  His fastball reached 97mph and his line really doesn't do it justice.  7 innings pitched, 3 earned runs, 6K/0BB, 6 hits.  I really like the idea of a nearly homegrown rotation in 2016 and beyond.

I don't think that Nick is a true ace like pitcher, but I can see him being a great innings eater with good strikeout rates and being very under rated in the league.

Nick Kingham Red Wave numbered to 25

I've been adding several Nick Kingham cards to my collection in 2014.  Here's my latest.

2012 Bowman Chrome 4/25

It's a very low numbered (4/25) red wave parallel that I grabbed for under $15.

Another Nick Kingham AUTO

Back in January, I showed off the $5 Nick Kingham auto I purchased at a local mall card show.  For $5.95 shipped, I added the refractor version numbered /150 to my collection.

Nick Kingham Bowman Sterling Refractor 87/150

My scanner is acting up right now, but trust me the card looks really nice in person especially for the low price I paid.

It will go nicely with the green refractor I won in a giant lot earlier in the month.

It's very likely that Nick will finish the 2014 in AAA as he continues to impress at the AA level.  In 96 AA innings between the end of last year and start of this year, Nick has amassed 88 strikeouts (8.3K/9), 1.34WHIP, and a 2.45 ERA.  He's still relatively young for the league at age 22 (average age is 24.5) so they will likely keep him there to lower the number of free passes he's allowing (3.8BB/9)

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.

$5 Auto: Nick Kingham

At my local mall card show, I recently picked up a Nick Kingham Bowman Sterling Auto for a five spot.  Not a bad price, for the Pirates fourth best pitching prospect (Taillon, Glasnow, and Heredia are all ahead).  On most teams top 10 propects, Kingham has the stuff to be a top 3-5 prospect, but on a loaded farm system like what the Pirates have, he's currently ranked 9th.

Kingham posted a 2.89 ERA over two leagues last year (A and AA) with 144 strikeouts in 143 innings while allowing a low .233 batting average against.  The 21 year old will likely begin the season in AA with a quick callup to AAA when Jameson Taillon makes his MLB debut.

Nick Kingham Goodwin Champions AUTO

Nick Kingham was a 4th round pick of the Pirates in 2010, the same year the Pirates grabbed Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie.  Kingham was a highschooler when he was drafted and reached the AA level in 2013 during his age 21 season.

In 2013, Kingham's line was very solid in AA Altoona where he pitched to a 3-3 record with a 2.70 ERA over 73 innings.  His command got a little worse than what he had been doing through the rest of his career as he increased his BB/9 rate to 3.7.

If all goes well for the Pirates, Kingham will likely start the 2014 season in AA and recive a callup to AAA mid season when Jameson Taillon gets called up to the majors.

I found the above 2012 Goodwin Champions for a lowbid of .99 with $2 shipped.

My First 2012 Bowman look and another Bucs Contest winner

The Bucs managed to split a series against the Nationals pulling off a 5-3 win in the nation's capital.  This means that someone is going to win some free cards of the Nationals.

I will have to randomize it off tomorrow, but in the meantime I'm going to show off some Bowman 2012 that I picked up.  I was in Target shopping with my girlfriend for baby shower gifts for a friend and at the absolute last minute decided to dart to the card aisle.  We were literally in line when I said, hold my place I'm buying some Bowman.  She said, "we're going to a card show at the mall tomorrow.  Isn't that enough?"

"I want an autograph" I said running towards the card aisle 8 registers away.  I came back with a blaster in hand and some Life Saver Gummi Savers (damn you impulse buy endcaps)  Paid my $22 and change and was on our way to the car.

As we were walking, she looked at the package and said in an excited school girl voice, "That's Bryce Harper!" 

Yup!  The ladies love Bryce Harper.

Once we got home we split the 7 packs + 1 bonus pack into 2 piles.

Her first pack had this guy in it.  What are the odds of that?
Since she is such a big Bryce Harper fan, I'm not adding this to the contest winnings, but there will be plenty of other Nats swag included to our Contest winner

My pack
Brian McCann (Braves)
Brandon Morrow (Blue Jays)

Matt Purke (Nationals) CHROME I'm a big Matt Purke fan and wish he had gotten drafted by the Bucs

Myrio Richard (A's) CHROME
Carlos Santana (Indians) GOLD
blah blah blah
Matt Kemp (Dodgers)
blah blah blah

 Nick Kingham (Pirates)


Things were looking pretty solid in terms of getting players we like to this point.

The next few packs showed these cards as the highlights

Nothing to get really excited about, but I am happy to add the Starling Marte to my collection.

And then in the fourth to last pack was this blue bordered auto of Matt Adams numbered 277/500
I KNEW I WAS GOING TO PULL AN AUTO

If anyone is looking for base or to complete team sets let me know specifically what you're looking for.  All nonPirates are for trade if they aren't named Bryce Harper or Matt Purke.

ON ANOTHER NOTE, THE PIRATES BEGIN INTERLEAGUE PLAY TOMORROW AGAINST THE DETROIT TIGERS IN DETROIT.  THE PIRATES HAVE STRUGGLED OFFENSIVELY, BUT GET TO ADD ANOTHER BAT TO THE LINEUP WHICH MAY HELP THEIR CHANCES.  IF THE PIRATES WIN THE SERIES AGAINST DETROIT, SOMEONE WILL RANDOMLY WIN THESE CARDS BELOW.

LEAVE A COMMENT SAYING
LET'S GO BUCS! BEAT THE TIGERS!
TO ENTER

I have a dozen packages that still need to get to the post office, so if you're expecting something from me, it hasn't been lost, I just haven't had time to ship it yet.

Pirates Top Pitching Prospects

Here's a listing of the Pirates Top 10 Prospects heading into the 2012 season by MLB.com.

1. Jameson Taillon
2. Gerrit Cole
3. Starling Marte
4. Josh Bell
5. Stetson Allie
6. Luis Heredia
7. Tony Sanchez8. Robbie Grossman
9. Jeff Locke
10. Justin Wilson

I covered Marte, Bell, and Grossman in my previous posts on outfielders of the future and have talked extensively about Tony Sanchez in the past.  Since everyone else on this list is a pitcher, I plan on talking about the Pirates top pitching prospects and some that didn't make the Top 10 overall list.  I'm not going to focus too much on Gerrit Cole or Jameson Taillon.  Their exposure over the past two seasons should speak for themselves.  Both are ranked in the top 15 of all prospects in baseball.  To the best of my knowledge, the Pirates have never had 2 pitchers rank that high. So instead of getting scouting reports on both of them, you just get to see these cards below. I am so excited to see these guys come up together and see them both become top of the rotation starters for the Pirates.

Taillon 2010 Bowman Chrome AUTO

 Taillon 2011 OBak

 Taillon 2011 Obak Oversized Box Topper (Mike Trout on back) 

numbered 9/80

Taillon 2009 UD USA Future Watch

AUTO/Jersey 555/899

Taillon 2009 UD USA By the Letter "S" AUTO 9/100

As if you couldn't tell I like to collect Jameson Taillon.  The guy has filthy pitches.

Gerrit Cole 2009 UD USA By the Letter "A" AUTO 41/100

Cole/Hosmer/Beckham 2008 OMR Draft Future Stars

Stetson Allie 2011 Heritage Minors Red Tint 355/620

Drafted in the 2nd round the same year the Pirates selected Jameson Taillon is Stetson Allie.  Allie was viewed as a 1st round talent for his radar busting heat he throws.  Despite not having much pitching experience in his career, he's still viewed as the Pirates 3rd best pitching prospect due to his upside. Allie throws hard, really really hard (clocked at up to 100MPH) but he lacks control.  In 2011 while a member of the State College Spikes (short season A ball) Allie had a monsterously high 10BB/9.  This lead to an inflated WHIP (1.88) and ERA (6.58).  Despite the lack of control, he still managed over a strikeout per inning which is a good sign.  Allie must continue to focus on his fastball control if he wishes to become a MLB starter or future closer for the Pirates. 

2011 Leaf Metal Black Valiant 4/5 AUTO

What's not to love about a 16 year old that can throw in the mid90s?  That's what many teams asked when top Latin American pitching prospect Luis Heredia became age eligible to sign.  It's far too early to project Heredia as he's barely old enough to drive in some states.  However in 30 IP in the Gulf Coast leage, Heredia racked up 23 punchouts while only surrendering 3 homeruns.  He will most likely begin the season in short season State College to continue his advance. 

Jeff Locke and Justin Wilson were part of the "Altoona 4" pitching staff that won the Eastern League Championship for the Altoona Curve in 2010.  Justin Wilson was named MVP of that series by averaging a K per inning and surrendering shoutout innings. 

Locke was aquired along with Charlie Morton and Gorkys Hernandez from the Braves farm system as part of the 2009 trade that sent beloved fan favorite Nate McLouth to Atlanta.  Locke began the 2011 season repeating in AA before a midseason promotion to AAA.  In September, Locke was called up to began his MLB career when he faced the Florida Marlins on September 10th.  Locke struggled with his command in his first 4 professional outings, but looks to be able to contend for a rotation spot when the season start should the Pirates need a spot start or injuries to the staff occur. 

Justin Wilson has been moving up the minor league 1 level per season since being drafted out of college.  He struggled in AAA Indy last year and was moved to the bullpen to finish out the year.  His fastball velocity increased once the move happened and was clocked at up to 99MPH which is incredibly hard for a lefty.  If he can work on his command, his hard throwing fastball and off speed breaking balls should enable him to see time in Pittsburgh before the year is over.


Outside of the Pirates Top 10 prospects exist guys like Kyle McPherson, Zach Von Rosenberg, Colton Cain, Trent Stevenson, and Clay Holmes.  All were selected out of high school and could project to be solid pitchers in the Pirates future.  While they don't have the pure heat of guys like Cole, Taillon, Heredia, or Allie they all show good signs.

When discussing Pirates pitching prospects who have shown success in 2011, Kyle McPherson comes to mind.  Voted the Pirates minor league pitcher of the year, McPherson started in Bradenton (A) before being promoted to Altoona (AA) to finish out the year.  During his breakout campaign in 2011, McPherson controlled the strike zone very well, averaging just a hair under 8K/9 while maintaining a 1.02 WHIP.  He will continue to develop in AAA and may see time in Pittsburgh by the end of the 2012 season.

 ZVR 2010 Tristar Opak AUTO 27/50

ZVR 2010 Tristar Pursuit Green AUTO 24/25

 ZVR 2009 Donruss Elite Extra Edition AUTO 384/770

Zach Von Rosenberg or ZVR as I will refer to him from now is the kind of pitcher that the Pirates like to draft in recent years.  He's tall, throws hard, and is very projectable out of high school.  Despite giving up a freakishly amount of homeruns to start the 2011 season, ZVR showed great improvements during the 2nd half finishing with a 8.2 K/9.  He will most likely begin the season in playing A ball in Bradenton.

Trent Stevenson threw a very impressive 11 strikeouts per 9 innings as a junior at Brophy Jesuit Prep.  The 6-foot-6 righty struggled in West Virginia (low A) last season and was demoted to short season State College.  His command over his minor league career has been pretty good (1.92 BB/9), but he hasn't missed many bats either as hitters get an average of 1.22 HIP.  I think that if he can just retool his mechanics to better hide the ball, he will become a better pitcher and start to increase his K/9 which currently sits at only 4.4.

I've mentioned Colton Cain on this blog before and think that he is the best LHP prospect the Pirates have.  He throws in the mid90s and is a very polished pitcher despite being in only short season A ball.  If he can continue to improve and pound the strike zone, he should start moving up the system quicker.

 2011 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Aspirations AUTO 40/100

Clay Holmes was the top pitching prep arm in Alabama entering the 2011 draft.  The Pirates had to go well over slot to sign him away from his Auburn commitment and has not yet made his minor league debut.  As a senior, he struck out 89 while pitching only 60 innings.  He has the projection to be a front of the rotation power arm due to his raw tools.  It may take a few more years for him to develop than all the other pitching prospects the Pirates have in the system, but when he hits the majors WATCH OUT!