J-Hey and Bring the Rain!

Hey everyone, Drew back here! I must say, I've been spending most of my time lately feeling rather jealous of all of those who spent the last weekend in Chicago. However, if all does work out, I do plan to attend next year's National Sports Collectors Convention in Atlantic City, NJ. I'm already really excited for the show, but most of all in getting to see my buddies William, Andrew, and Frankie!

In the meantime, I'll continue to pick up an autograph or two for the right prices on eBay. Two of my most recent impulse buys are as follows:

Out of 2014 Topps Tribute and numbered 50/99 is this Jason Heyward autograph. I bought this card for under $10, despite my mixed feelings for Tribute's 2014 autograph design. I don't understand or see the point in the old time players on every card. They simply don't fit in, at least in my mind. Heyward is perhaps the best defensive outfielder in the game today, and though he hasn't gotten quite to the level of superstardom that was expected of him as a prospect, he's been more than serviceable through his first 6 years. In addition, I absolutely love that as his career has evolved, his signature has only gotten nicer. That was a big draw for me when I made this purchase.

This card is available for trade or sale at the right cost.

This one, however, is not, and most likely will not be for sale or trade anytime soon. For years, I had played third base for my school baseball team, and I learned from experience that is quite possibly the most difficult position to field (besides catcher) on the diamond. It is rare to go one game without having a rocket pulled right at you, and your reaction time needs to be exceptional to field it well. I looked up to Evan Longoria and David Wright in particular, because they were well rounded players that could handle the hot corner better than practically anyone. 

As time has gone by, Wright and Longoria are no longer the same players, and this year I began to really enjoy watching Josh Donaldson play. He has since become my favorite third baseman in baseball, but considering he set the All Time All Star ballot record for votes, I'm certainly not alone. Which is why I'm even more happy to have picked up his 2015 Topps Finest on card autograph for below $10! Donaldson is batting .293 with 27 home runs and 77 RBI this season, and is on pace to set multiple career highs. Not to mention, he also has dazzled on defense.

Don't get me wrong, Rockies fans. Nolan Arenado is a heck of a lot of fun to watch as well. But being in the AL East gives me ample opportunity to watch this man bring the rain, and I really do enjoy it (except when he brings too much against my Yankees). 

Until I spend more money on eBay, See Ya!

Autograph Pickup of the BEST Current Cubbie!

Hey guys, Drew back here! To go along with my recent eBay addition, a Paul Goldschmidt Five Star on card autograph, I decided to pick up an autograph of who I believe is the best current player on the Cubs roster. Kris Bryant has loads of talent, and I feel like we'll be spending the significant future admiring his play. But in this case, I wanted to show a little love for someone who is doing big things right now, Anthony Rizzo.

Out of 2013 Topps Tribute, I found a gorgeous on card autograph numbered 60 of 99 of the Cubs young slugger. Many people have turned their focus on Jorge Soler, Kris Bryant, and Addison Russell for good reason, but Rizzo is often the forgotten man on what is becoming one of the most exciting lineups to watch in all of baseball. Last year, Anthony clubbed a personal high 32 home runs while batting .286 and driving in 78 runs. He's off to a great start in 2015, and looks to be one of the better players for the foreseeable future in baseball. If you haven't heard his story, in which he overcame Hodgkins Lymphona several years ago, I highly recommend you check out this piece MLB Network ran about him over the offseason.

I bought this card for a little over $10 shipped on eBay in my recent attempt to catch up on adding some of the better autographs I've been missing. Rizzo doesn't have the best penmanship by any means, but his performance makes up for it. I also was able to add several others through Check Out My Collectibles, but there's one more card I'm saving up to buy with store credit once I sell a few more cheap cards (please feel free to help a friend out and check out my store, thanks)!

Who's your favorite player to watch on the Cubs? I wouldn't say they're off to the World Series this year, but I'm not ruling them out as a potential playoff team for years to come. Whatever the case may be, it will be fun to watch.

See Ya!

Let's Just Take the Car..Go!

Hey guys, Drew back here! This past week has been quite the disaster in terms of schoolwork; having to do quite a bit to finish up my college level courses. However, I found a little time today to get a quick post up about a card I picked up a week or so ago. I got this one for about $10, which in my opinion was quite the steal!

Out of the relatively new 2013 Topps Tribute set, here's a beautiful on card autograph of Car-Go, Carlos Gonzalez! I've been following Gonzalez's career ever since he first left his mark on my fantasy team a few seasons ago, and I've been a big fan since! Whether he benefits from Coors Field or not, he can easily call himself one of the only 5 tool players in the game today! He's off to a great start in 2013, batting .303 with 13 home runs and 33 RBI, and his 9 steals put him on pace to possibly be a 30/30 player! His autographs were always fairly expensive, but he had been in a few recent products, thus driving down his price a little bit. 

What do you guys think of Car-Go? Is he a product of his environment, or would he play well anywhere? 

See Ya!

A Mixed Bag of MLB Veteran Auto Pickups!

Hey guys, Drew back here! I just did the calculations- 66 days left until my summer vacation begins! Junior year hasn't been a piece of cake; in result I've had to work a lot harder than usual. However; the results have still been quality for me, and I'm proud to say I've done all that and also still made a lot of time for this hobby! Take a look at some of my recent pickups, most of which in exchange for my sales on Check Out My Collectibles:

First of all, my friend Mike and I made a 1 for 1 trade, which landed me his Exquisite autograph numbered to 50 of current Tigers DH Victor Martinez! I gave him my National Chicle Hakeem Nicks autograph straight up for the card, so the value was about even. Martinez is up there as one of the more underrated hitters in baseball, and I'm hoping he could have a solid bounce back campaign to make up for his injury plagued 2012 season. 

Joel Hanrahan was one of my favorite relievers in the game up until he packed his bags to become a member of the Red Sox. However, I still thought it'd be nice to pick up one of his autographs in his Bucs uni, and I took the one out of 2013 Topps. It's a decent looking card, and I'll probably hang on to it despite his dreadful start to the season. 

Next, I added this beautiful Masterpieces autograph of Indians speedy center fielder Michael Bourn! Bourn has really made his rounds in the big leagues throughout his 8 years, from Philadelphia to Houston to Atlanta, and now this season, to Cleveland. He's a valuable asset to any team, but I guess those sorts of players get overlooked because of the risk for injury. On another note, Upper Deck, come back, these are way too nice looking. 

Limited to only 2025 copies was my next pickup, this 2002 Best of Donruss Fan Club Alfonso Soriano autograph, pictured back during his pinstripe days! Soriano had a very underrated 2012 season, although he never really has hit for much of a batting average. It's crazy to imagine if the Yankees never traded him for A-Rod. I've always liked Sori though, and I think he's had a pretty nice career.

Lastly, how about this incredible 2011 Topps Tribute Giancarlo "Don't Call Me Mike" Stanton autographed relic? I've wanted an autograph of Mr. Stanton for a while now, as he's become one of my favorite players in the league! I wish the Marlins would get rid of him though, because it'd be for the best for both sides. As long as he doesn't go to Boston, I'd be happy. I used $40 of COMC store credit for this one, and I'm hoping my investment will pay off!

What do you guys think? Have a good week everyone! See Ya!