Atlanta Sports Cards
Wednesday’s 9 Spot to Watch
Feature Article written by James Graham, edited by James Kennedy, ASC Writer
“Top Performing 2010 Bowman Draft Chrome Autographs”
Matt Harvey DOB: 3/27/89, P, Florida State League. High A, St. Lucie Mets
The former star at UNC has started his season just about as well as he could have hoped. In his first 4 starts he won all 4 decisions and had amassed a perfect ERA of 0.00 in 22 innings pitched. His last outing was a minor setback, but Harvey’s cards are surging nonetheless. Harvey has looked completely unbeatable at times, with a 27/22 K/IP ratio and opponents hitting just .184. Harvey was a 50/50 guy in 2010 Draft, as half of his autographs were live in packs from the get-go, and half were redemptions. His Elite Extra Autograph is a SSP /150 with parallels and patches to go along with his base. Overall, he has a lot of autographs (a gluttony of USA autos dating back to 2006-07) but the Draft Chrome is moving up the most, and despite having older cards, Bowman Chrome On-Card autographs remain the most wanted.
| Last 10 Games: (Current team only) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date | OPP | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | GO/AO | AVG |
| Apr 07 | PMB | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 1.50 | .263 |
| Apr 12 | @FTM | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1.25 | .150 |
| Apr 17 | FTM | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0.71 | .118 |
| Apr 22 | @CHA | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2.00 | .200 |
| Apr 28 | BRD | 0 | 1 | 8.31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0.80 | .450 |
| Totals | 4 | 1 | 1.37 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26.1 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 30 | 1.10 | .240 | |
Gary Brown, DOB: 9/28/88 CF SF, California League San Jose Giants
Scouting reports refer to Gary Brown as a throwback speedster, who lets you know he’s stealing and can still get away with it. So far in 2011, Brown has batted .338 with a homer and 13 RBI’s. This isn’t tremendous, but if you add in that he is a leadoff hitter with an OBP % .424 and 16 steals in 21 attempts, it is pretty impressive. Brown is opening eyes and many feel he will be SF’s leadoff man for the foreseeable future. Brown has the speed to change a game, the only question mark is how much pop he will develop. Brown, much like Harvey, has a SP Elite Extra Redemption autograph /199 and he is a full redemption out of 2010 Bowman Draft with his cards already live in both sets to go along with a Sterling Autograph.
Zach Lee 9/13/91 P, LAD, Midwest League Great Lakes Goons
Lee de-committed from LSU in order to pitch for the Dodgers. He had a full ride to be their starting Quarterback but turned it down due to the biggest signing bonus other than Harper in the draft (He got the highest over slot bonus of anyone.) Lee was a talented High School player and has been ultra impressive in 4 starts. He is 3-0 with a 1.37 ERA to go along with 25k’s in 19.2 IP. So far, Lee has been very impressive, but we will see as time goes on and he rises throughout the system.
Mike Olt DOB: 8/27/88 3B TEX, Carolina League Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Olt, a native of CT and former UCONN third baseman, started 2011 on fire. His average is .359 with 7 doubles and 3 Home Runs. His OPS is 1.071, while he has knocked in 14 in just 17 games. Early on, Olt was the hottest minor leaguer in 2010 Bowman Draft. He was not initially thought of to be a star, being a supplemental pick out of college in a weak hitters draft. Boy has he proven them wrong, tearing his way through high A ball and on his way to AA. Olt has Autos in all 3 major prospect sets, Draft, Elite Extra, and Bowman Sterling. The EEE is SP’d to 399, and the sterling remains cheap. But Chrome is King. One last note: a mint Bowman Draft auto seems hard to locate, as most have come back with L/R centering issues.
Manny Machado 7/6/92 SS BAL, South Atlantic League Delmarva Shorebirds
The 3rd overall pick last year, Machado’s Bowman Draft auto had dropped below $50 on the heels of a rancid start to the 2011 season. Fast forward to the last 10 games, where Machado is showing everyone without a shadow of a doubt that he must be reckoned with:
| Last 10 Games: (Current team only) | ||||||||||||||||
| Date | OPP | AVG | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Apr 22 | @AUG | .000 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .000 | .250 |
| Apr 25 | SAV | .500 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 1.250 | 1.750 |
| Apr 26 | SAV | .500 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .600 | 1.250 | 1.850 |
| Apr 27 | SAV | .500 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 1.500 | 2.000 |
| Apr 28 | SAV | .333 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .600 | .667 | 1.267 |
| Apr 29 | SAV | .500 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .600 | .500 | 1.100 |
| Apr 30 | CSC | .667 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .800 | 1.667 | 2.467 |
| May 01 | CSC | .333 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1.333 | 1.833 |
| May 02 | CSC | .667 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .750 | .667 | 1.417 |
| May 03 | CSC | .000 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Totals | .400 | 35 | 9 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 0 | .523 | .886 | 1.408 | |
Bryce Brentz D.O.B. 12/30/88 OF BOS, South Atlantic League Greenville Drive
Brentz began the season hitting .462 in his first week of pro ball. He has cooled a little bit, but still remains one of the breakout stars of the draft, connecting on a pinch hit, 3-run HR last night (6). With a 1.097 OPS, Brentz has 15 Extra Base hits in just 25 games to go along with his 20 RBI’s. He has hit safely in 15 straight games. Brentz is another Bowman Draft product and also has an Elite Extra autograph. The Bowman Draft is far more desireable, especially refractor versions. Brentz’ profile has raised as he appeared on Baseball America’s HS last week, as well as Kevin Goldstein’s “Monday Morning Ten pack.” With Red Sox nation alive across the country, you can almost expect a regional premium no matter where you live in the USA. If you really want to invest heavily in Brentz, we highly recommend the Buyback auto numbered to 100 out of those dastardly silver Wrapper redemption packs. It will cost you about the same as a blue refractor auto, and has a way higher ceiling. Bazinga.
Kolbrin Vitek D.O.B. 4/1/89 OF BOS, Carolina League Salem Red Sox
In Vitek’s first week in 2011 he managed only 3 hits and was looking like a bust as many had thought (His chromes dropped to under $5 per as the season began.) Due to the lack of power hitters in the 2010 draft, Vitek, Brentz, Josh Sale and all power hitters seemed to be overvalued power bats that teams reached for. Since his horrid start, Vitek has hit safely in 14 of 15 games, managing 24 hits in those 15 games. He has whacked 9 extra base hits during his hot streak. Vitek is much like Brentz in that they both possess a Bowman Draft auto and an Elite Extra autograph.
Yasmani Grandal D.O.B. 11/8/1988 C Cin
The #12 overall pick in 2010, Grandal began the season slow and then had a week of TREMENDOUS breakout games. Currently, he sits at 7 homers and showed great plate discipline. He managed 20 BB/20 K ratio to give him an OBP of .429. For a catcher needing to concentrate on defense, that is great. Look for Grandal to move fast through the system but with a potential roadblock in Devin Mesorasco in AAA. Grandal is in all three major rookie draft products with a SP in Elite Extra.
Jameson Taillon D.O.B.11/18/91 P, Lo-A, PIT
Taillon, the 2nd overall pick last year behind Harper, spent a few weeks in extended Spring training to refine his secondary pitches. His first start was a 2 inning, rain shortened stint, and his 2nd start consisted of 4 innings of dominance. In attendance for the game, one can’t help notice his smooth, three-quarters slot delivery in which his fastball regularly tops 98 (the gun showed 102 MPH at one point) with heavy sinking movement, and his tremendous, intimidating frame (6 foot 6, 235 lbs.). He reminded me very much of King Felix, and if I had to make a current comp, Mike Pineda comes to mind. He has a plus plus fastball, and projects to have a plus plus slider that sits at 92 MPH, and an average change that will evolve over time (he’s just 19!). His chrome autos are stunning cards, especially the colored refractors. He does have 1 major drawback: He plays for the Pirates. I’m not sure he can produce desired ROIs until he moves to a bigger market.
| Date | OPP | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | GO/AO | AVG |
| Apr 27 | HAG | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1.50 | .375 |
| May 02 | GBO | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.20 | .143 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 1.50 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0.57 | .227 |
Next week, ASC resident scout, Jim Graham, examines the rookie autographs in 2010 Bowman Platinum. After that, we will be gearing up for the massively anticipated 2011 Bowman release, which we will cover in-depth.
Tags: 2011 bowman, atlanta sports, Auto, autos, bowman chrome, Brentz, california league, CSC, Draft, Elite, Extra, florida state league, investment, james kennedy, jameson taillon, jamie kennedy, jim graham, leadoff, manny machado, matt harvey, May, mike olt, minor setback, OPP, OPS, pricing, redemption, san jose giants, SAV, scouting reports, sports, st lucie mets, Vitek, Watch