Baseball Cards

Catchers have a special place within the realm of Major League Baseball, whether it is the famous quips of Yogi Berra or the sweet swing of Johnny Bench.  They not only have to navigate their team’s pitching on a nightly basis but also figure out a way to get on base themselves, and all of the intricacies involved with the position make it one of the most important, if not the most important, roles on a team.  Throughout the decades there have been many great catchers to have played the game, and this article will delve into a handful of them.

Mike Piazza

Mike Piazza will easily go down as the best power hitting catcher of the modern era, and was arguably one of the greatest power hitting catchers of all time as well.  Piazza hit 427 home runs over the course of his career along with driving in 1,335 runs to go with a dazzling .308 average as well.   Mike was selected to the All Star game 12 times over his 16 year career along with winning the Silver Slugger award on 10 different occasions as well.  Piazza’s memorabilia value should continue to climb as the years progress and is already highly popular among many fans of the game today.

Yogi Berra

Berra is not only one of the most well-known New York Yankees players of all time but also one of the best catchers of all time as well.  More than that, he may well be known for his famous quips, such as “I really didn’t say everything I said.”  In nearly 20 years in Major League Baseball Berra put up many impressive numbers, including over 350 home runs, 1,400 RBIs, and a .285 average as well.  Yogi was selected to the All Star game 18 times, and won the AL MVP award in 1951, 1954, and 1955.

Johnny Bench

Bench was the quintessential catcher who could practically do it all, whether it was hitting or playing defense.  In 17 seasons Bench hit .267 with nearly 400 home runs and over 1,300 RBIs as well.  He was selected to 14 All Star games and earned 10 Gold Gloves along with winning the NL MVP award in 1970 and 1972.  His memorabilia continues to be among the mostly highly valued among catchers with Yogi Berra.

Ivan Rodriguez

If Piazza was one of the best power hitting catchers of the modern era, Ivan Rodriguez will more than likely go down as one of the greatest all-around catchers during this time period.  Similar to Johnny Bench Rodriguez could do it all, hitting nearly .300 with 2,844 hits, over 300 home runs, and 1,332 RBIs as well.  He was selected to 14 All Star games over his career and won 13 Gold Gloves along with seven Silver Slugger awards and a lone MVP award in 1999.  Ivan should easily make it into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, and will likely continue to rise in popularity among both memorabilia collectors and fans alike as the years progress.

What makes an outfielder one of the best in Major League Baseball of all time?  Is it the ability to hit for power?  What about having a great glove?  In reality it is a combination of both offensive and defensive skill sets that truly sets certain outfielders apart from others, and what makes their memorabilia so valuable in the eyes of baseball collectors.  What follows are just a few of those special outfielders who changed the way we think about the game.

Ken Griffey Jr.

The sweet swinging Ken Griffey Jr. may likely be among the few outfielders of the modern era to not be linked to steroids and make it into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot, which can only mean his memorabilia will become more collectible over time.  Griffey Jr. was not only an amazing hitter but also one of the best defensive center fielders the game has ever seen.  He hit 630 home runs for his career along with winning 10 Gold Gloves, a feat that may not be surpassed ever again.

Frank Robinson

Robinson was known for his bat more than anything else, and boy did he have a great bat.  Frank hit almost .300 for his career along with nearly 600 home runs and 3,000 hits, a true mark of a great hitter.  He is still the only player to win an MVP award in both leagues, and truly defined an era in baseball alongside Mickey Mantle.

Hank Aaron

Another person who was known to be pretty good with the bat was Hank Aaron, who some say is still the all-time home run king given Barry Bonds’ links to performance enhancing drugs.  Over his 21 year career Aaron hit 755 home runs, but the more impressive feat was the fact that he averaged over .300 with nearly 3,800 hits to his credit as well.  It is truly difficult finding someone who could consistently hit for both power and average over such a long period of time, and that is what makes Aaron’s memorabilia so valuable these days.

Willie Mays

Willie Mays is arguably the greatest player to have ever put on a baseball glove, period.  He had not only an outstanding bat that saw him hit over .300 for his career along with over 3,200 hits and 650 home runs, but as a precursor to Griffey Jr.  won a dozen Gold Gloves and was selected to the All Star game for nearly a quarter of a century, which goes to show that he was a consistently great player and deserving of the Hall of Fame.

Babe Ruth

We can’t forget about one of the most iconic baseball players of all time in Babe Ruth, right?  Ruth’s numbers speak for themselves, with a .342 average, 714 home runs, and nearly 2,900 hits over a 22 year career in the Major Leagues.   Let us not forget that he wasn’t too shabby of a pitcher either, going 94-46 with a 2.28 ERA, which truly makes him one of the more unique players to collect memorabilia for in this day in age.

The Atlanta Braves were one of the most successful franchises ever during the 1990’s, and many prized baseball collectibles for the team can be found during this era when many future Hall of Famers played.  To put it into perspective how great the Braves were during the decade, the team averaged 93 wins per season, and won the division title in eight out of the ten years, along with five National League pennants and one World Series title in 1995.  What follows are the top five Atlanta Braves players from the 1990’s.

1. Greg Maddux

Greg Maddux was a part of the “Big Three” starting pitchers that were the foundation of Atlanta’s success during the decade, and will more than likely go down as one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game.  From 1993-99 when he was with the Braves, Maddux earned an amazing 7 Gold Glove Awards, three Cy Young awards, and went to five All-Star games as well. He compiled a record of 136-51 (.712 winning percentage) with an ERA of only 2.34 to go with over 1,200 strikeouts and 15 shutouts as well.  His best season came in 1995 for the Braves, when Greg went 19-2 with a 1.63 ERA and 10 complete games with over 200 innings pitched and a WHIP of only 0.896.

2. Tom Glavine

Tom Glavine played more of a role with the Braves during the 1990’s than Maddux as he was brought up through the team’s farm system, but didn’t put up quite as good of numbers as Greg did during his time with the team, hence him being in the number two position. From 1990-99 Glavine went 164-87 (.653 winning percentage) with a 3.21 ERA, 38 complete games, and nearly 1,500 strikeouts as well.  Tom went on to make six All-Star teams and won two Cy Young Awards, and should easily make it into the Hall of Fame in 2014 on the first ballot with Maddux.

3. John Smoltz

Like Glavine Smoltz spent the entire 1990’s with the Atlanta Braves having come up in their farm system, and put up equally good numbers as well.  Smoltz went 143-95 from 1990-99 (.601 winning percentage), with a 3.32 ERA, 42 complete games, and nearly 1,900 strikeouts as well.  His lone Cy Young Award came in 1996 when John went 24-8 with a 2.94 ERA, comprised of over 250 innings pitched and an amazing 276 strikeouts (or 9.8 strikeouts per 9 innings).  With over 200 wins and 150 saves for his career, Smoltz will likely join the former two in the Hall of Fame as well, making their memorabilia that much more important to get right now before it skyrockets.

4. Chipper Jones

Last but certainly not least there is Chipper Jones, who came up with the team in the 1993 season and soon made a name for himself at third base.  Through the decade Jones averaged .301 with 26 home runs, 87 RBIs, and nearly 150 hits, playing an important role for the team during their run to the 1995 World Series title.  His best year came in 1999 when Chipper hit .319 with 45 home runs, 110 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases, winning the MVP and Silver Slugger awards.  Having just retired in 2012, Jones’ memorabilia should also increase in the coming years as he will also look to join the Hall of Fame with the Big Three.

Curtis Granderson – Baseball’s Global Ambassador

Growing up in a city south of Chicago, one might expect Curtis Granderson to have been a White Sox fan. However, he made a personal choice to follow the Atlanta Braves instead. The Cubs were never an option due to their interfering with him watching his favorite after school TV show, “Saved by the Bell’ when one of their games was broadcast on WGN preempting it.

Today, as a member of the New York Yankees he has travelled the world in the support of MLB. England, Italy, China and New Zealand are just a sampling of the trips he has made in support of Major League Baseball International. This worldwide recognition has contributed to the popularity of his memorabilia. His number 14 jersey is already being prominently displayed in Europe and Asia.

Curtis Granderson began his professional career as a center fielder with the Detroit Tigers. He was promoted to the big league squad for the third time in August of 2005. In September of that year he had an inside the park homer, a 5 hit game and then a walk off round tripper within a 12 day stretch. Curtis was in the majors to stay. He won the starting center field spot in spring training of 2006.

In his first full season with the Tigers they reached the World Series. He had 2 home runs in the 2006 AL Divisional Playoffs and added another during the AL Championship Series. Unfortunately Detroit came up short in the series itself, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in 5 games.

In 2007, Granderson established himself as one of baseball’s premier all-around players. His defensive prowess had already been shown at the beginning of his pro career. He was error free in the field for the first 151 games he participated in. During the 2007 season his offensive abilities became apparent as well. His batting average was .302 and he hit 23 home runs. Along with the 23 homers were 23 triples and 38 doubles. He also stole 26 bases and was caught stealing only once. The combination of these assets officially showed him to be a 5 tool player. He could hit for average, hit for power, run the bases, throw and field. During the 2007 campaign he joined one of the games historic 5 tool players, Willie Mays, as one of only 2 other ball players at the time to hit at least 20 home runs, 20 triple, 20 doubles and steal 20 bases.

Andrew McCutchen is the starting center fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, while he is putting up tremendous numbers he is still flying under the radar when it comes to both fans and collectors. Due to McCutchen playing in a struggling smaller market like Pittsburgh he is not as well known as he should be. The 25 year old was recently just selected to his second All Star Game, something McCutchen should get used to if he continues to play the way he has this season. McCutchen is currently hitting .341 with 26 homers and 85 RBI’s.

Defensively Andrew McCutchen covers center field with tremendous speed and ability; he is likely to earn himself a few Golden Gloves or more. McCutchens’ .341 batting average is good enough for second in the National League, trailing only Melky Cabrera who is currently serving a 50 game suspension for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. In all reality with McCutchens speed and power he will likely be a 30/30 guy and possibly approach 40/40. Another reason I think McCutchen is a guy collectors should be paying attention to is the fact that a small market like Pittsburgh may be unlikely to afford to pay him fair value after his current contract expires.

We saw a similar situation around 20 years ago with Barry Bonds, he was also a Pittsburgh Pirate and outgrew the small market. With Bonds’ Pittsburgh items being less abundant it is likely those items would be worth more.

While Mike Trout may be just a 21 year old rookie and obviously has a long way to go in his young career he also is a lock for the Rookie of the Year Award and and possibly a front runner for the AL MVP Award. Trout has put together a season that most good hitters dream of, not to mention his defensive play in the outfield could earn him a Gold Glove Award. Trout is currently leading the American League with a .328 batting average, with 27 homers and 77 RBI’s in just 118 games this season; Trout is also a future Triple Crown threat.

With Trout only being 21 years old it is obvious that he has a long way to go and should only progress as a better all around player. The other reason I think collectors should pay attention to Trout is that he has the potential for amazing career numbers, a player this talented and still possibly 5 or 6 years away from hitting his prime could threaten any offensive career record in the league. When it is all said and done twenty years from now we may be talking about Mike Trout the best player since Babe Ruth, the sky is the limit for this kid as he continues to amaze fans and teammates.

Baseball Collectibles as Investments Part 1

The economy in the United States has been very fragile since 2008, with the housing crisis causing many to lose their jobs along with their homes going into foreclosure.  The stock market continues to change on a dime as well, one day posting solid gains and the next posting solid losses.  With so much uncertainty out there is it worth looking at baseball collectibles as a form of investment?

The simple answer: yes.  You always hear about the financial advisors these days who always say individuals should diversify their retirement assets as much as possible to lessen the blow if one asset were to go down drastically.  Why shouldn’t baseball collectibles be considered as a form of investment?  Not only will they be enjoyable to see on a daily basis (as opposed to numbers in a stock market), but more likely than not they will have a great chance of appreciating in value year after year.

With that said though, it is still an investment like gold, and there is the risk that the collectibles could go down in value over time along with appreciating.  The condition of the collectible will have to be kept very stable for as long as possible as well.  Now, should you just go out and start collecting anything baseball related and then stock it away for a few years hoping that it will be worth a lot of money in a few years?  Of course not.  It takes some time and effort to choose the correct baseball collectibles that will appreciate in value over time.  This article will provide three current and recently retired players whose collectibles should safely continue increasing in value over time.

Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols is one of the greatest baseball hitters to have ever played the game, and when all is said and done with his career the prices of his collectibles will continue to rise.  Over his 11 year career to this point Pujols has an annual average of 42 home runs, 126 RBIs, and a .328 batting average.    In the 2011 offseason Pujols signed a ten year deal with the Los Angeles Angels, so this presents and interesting situation for collectors, as one can get collectibles for the Angels or the Cardinals.  He will more than likely be remembered for his time with the Cardinals, so it would be a wiser decision to focus on getting collectibles featuring him on that team.

Ken Griffey Jr.

With steroids rocking the state of baseball throughout the 2000s, one player’s legacy that has remained in-tact into today is that of Ken Griffey Jr.  Ken played his last season in 2010, and over the course of his career had a total of 630 home runs, 2,781 hits, and a .284 batting average.  Griffey Jr. should make it into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot with ease, only increasing the value of his collectibles.  As the dust settles on the steroids era Ken’s accomplishments (especially in regards to home runs) will increase his legend more and more as time passes.

Greg Maddux

Greg Maddux is considered as one of the five greatest starting pitchers to have ever played the game, compiling a record of 355-227 over his 23 year career, with 3,371 strikeouts, 35 shut outs, and an ERA of 3.16.  Greg is most known for his stretch during the early 1990s where he won four consecutive Cy Young awards, posting an ERA of 1.56 in 1994.  He will be eligible for the Hall of Fame soon and could possibly have the highest voting percentage of any player who has ever been elected.

Continue Reading: Baseball Collectibles as Investments Part 2

Top 5 Baseball Prospects of 2011 to Consider Getting Collectibles In

Baseball is a game that is full of stars both past and present, but what about the future?  For baseball collectors who don’t want to spend gobs and gobs of money on past and present stars, there is an interesting market to consider, and that is upcoming stars.  In 2011 there were quite a few of them, and this gives baseball collectors the opportunity to pick and choose which ones they prefer the most.  There is certainly risk to consider when dealing with these types of players, with Mark Prior as a recent example.  He was a can’t-miss All-Star starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, going 18-6 in 2003 with 245 strikeouts in 211 innings pitched.  Right after that though the injury bug hit him, and he was never the same after that.  While there is certainly more risk involved in collecting players at such early starts in their careers, the rewards can be tremendous and should also be factored in.  Here are 10 baseball prospects from 2011 that baseball collectors should consider adding into their collections if they have not already.

Jesus Montero

Montero is one of the best up-and-coming catchers in the game right now, and was recently traded to the Seattle Mariners in the 2011 offseason.  What makes him special is that he is a fantastic offensive catcher that has the ability to put up huge numbers for any ball club he plays for.  He has yet to play a full season though so now is the best time to take advantage before he really takes off in value.  I would recommend getting the 2008 Bowman Chrome Rookie Card, especially if it has an autograph that has been authenticated on it.

Jeremy Hellickson

Hellickson is currently a starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays, and is coming off of a 2011 season where he was 13-10 with 189 innings pitched, 117 strikeouts.  Don’t let the record fool you, as he posted a 2.95 ERA that year and had little to no offense to support him for many of his starts.  What’s great about him is that he is overshadowed by David Price on the same team, thus keeping his price down for the meantime.  He is expected to have a great year in 2012, so there are opportunities out there to get his collectibles at a great price.

Mike Stanton

Stanton is a beast of a player, at 6’5” and 235 pounds.  As an outfielder in 2011 he hit 34 home runs and drove in 87 RBIs.  He is expected to continue to improve upon those numbers, especially as the ownership of the team he is on has decided to spend more money to compete.

Buster Posey

Posey is an offensive catcher on the San Francisco Giants, who won the World Series for the team in 2010.  Why am I mentioning him then?  A lot of it has to do with what happened to him in 2011, as he suffered a sever injury that put him out for most of the year.  His prices went down somewhat after that and have stayed fairly low until now, so there is still time to get his collectibles at a fair price.

Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper has been considered by many to be one of the best prospects in the game right now, and he will be looking to show off his talents for the Washington Nationals as early as 2012 depending on how he performs in spring training.  Harper has both a great bat and a great arm, and at only 19 years of age, he has a lot of room for growth.