As you may or may not know from reading previous posts, I do a lot of blog reading. There are a lot of great blogs out there focusing on a wide array of subjects, profiles, contests, etc. But the one thing that I see on everyone's blog pages are player collections, of which I have none. Over the years I've focused so much on set building, that I just never got around to trying to collect a certain baseball player or players (the only player I specifically collect in any sport is hockey's Joe Sakic, to be the subject of many posts when the cold weather comes). So my friends, I turn to you, the blogging community, to help me pick a player to collect. I do have a few exceptions to list:
- No need to suggest a Blue Jay, I am already collecting them.
- I live in western PA, so no Pirates (their prices are out of line....)
- No Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers or Mets (so many people collect them already)
- I would like the player to be "established", meaning they should have approximately 5 yrs in the bigs.
Suggestions please!! Let me know why you would collect them if you were going to collect that player (if you already don't). I thank you in advance for your responses...
Robert
I recommend Hunter Pence. He's been around about 5 years, and for most of it he was the biggest name on the Astros, so he is included in a LOT of the insert, relic and auto sets. Plus, with him changing teams, you can probably find some Astros collectors looking to clear out their collections. He's got a bright future, especially with the Phillies, so his cards should maintain their value.
ReplyDeleteI vote Mat Latos since I seem to get his cards a lot and could use someone who wants to trade for 'em!
ReplyDeleteA lot of the players I collect share the same faith as myself...or they are from my home state of North Carolina...or are just underrated and I enjoy watching them play (if they are still playing that is).
ReplyDeleteWould you prefer collecting a pitcher? If so I like Madison Bumgarner. With him playing on the west coast (Giants) I don't get to see him play much. He is from not too far away from where I grew up and I enjoyed watching him pitch in the World Series last year.
As for other position players I like Michael Bourne...and not just because he is a Brave now. I like base stealers.
For me it's hard to recommend a certain player since different people have different reasons behind the players they collect. If you want someone that appears in a good many sets including relics and autograph sets then look at the various checklists to see who pops up often. Then take a look at those players and try to narrow it down. I like to learn more about the players off the field too. For me that can influence whether or not to collect them. For instance, I thought about collecting Carlos Zambrano for awhile. Then he became a mega jerk and I lost all interest in him.
Good luck and have fun with it!
If you're looking for an arguably lesser known player, I'll suggest Armando Galarraga for his incredible sportsmanship shown last year when he was robbed of the umpire of his perfect game.
ReplyDeleteYou also won't have to worry about chasing down umpteen million cards since he'll not appear in many sets or at least will have few and far between inserts.