Rescued from Retail Purgatory: 2011 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects

Before getting down to business, just wanted to say that I always keep scans of my cards in file folders, and tell myself that I can't get rid of those picture files until I've done a post that I intended to have them in. Consequently, I post fairly frequently because I just can't stand the clutter. Anyway...

While every other blogger and his (or her)mother is reviewing A&G box cases/packs/treasure chests right now, this guy is ripping a humble little $2.99 pack of 2011 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects. I really didn’t even want to pay that much, but Panini Triple Play (MY NEW FAVORITE SET!) still hasn’t hit the shelves, and as far as the $1.59 Target repack bin goes…well, let’s face it, we’ve all seen 2010 Topps, Upper Deck X, and Upper Deck Documentary too much by now. I’m serious-that’s all the baseball there was. Maybe some '07 Ultra, but that’s the same story, I’m afraid.

Let’s see what’s in this sucker (the pack, not me). Seven cards. $2.99. Each card must be worth $0.43 for my investment, which is what baseball card collecting is all about, to be justified.

Here we go:

Card number 1: #4 Anthony Bass Padres base RC

Off to a good start! Mr. Bass has not only been pitching in the majors of late, but his rookie card is going for $1 on eBay! Make your momma proud, boy!

By the way, do his teammates call him Big Anthony? Inquiring minds...

Card number 2: #10 Tyler Chatwood Angels base RC

Oh, but poor Chatwood is going for only 30 cents on COMC. This bodes horridly for my investment!

Card number 3: #95 Mike Nickeas Mets Chrome RC

Oh, thank goodness, a chromie. Shineee....But it's a Met. I'm not even bothering checking the price, he's worthless! MWAHAHAHAHA! To the Trade Pile with you, Nicky!

Card number 4: #37 Charlie Furbush Mariners Gold RC

Just to show how dated my posts have gotten of late, I actually no longer even have this card. Golden Furbush worth...$0.25. Ouch.

Card number 5: BDPP101 Hunter Mercado-Hood USA Baseball Bowman Chrome

So, his name is Mercado-Hood; he signs his name "Hunter Hood," and his name on the back of his jersey starts "MER...". Oh by the way his Twitter handle is huntermercado42. Can't wait to see our next Giancarlo Stanton name-switcher, I guess. Asking price on Amazon? $0.98. It just keeps getting better.

Card number 6: BDPP105 Carson Sands USA Baseball

Gee, hellow Carson. An FSU commit, I see. Ach, we're down to $0.20 on this guy. Next!

Card number 7: BDPP35 Sonny Gray A’s 1^st Bowman Card

Alright, moment of truth, and it all comes down to a young man named...Sonny. We're at a tally of $2.73. Will Gray come through?

...

YES!!! Victory! http://www.checkoutmycards.com/Cards/Baseball/2011/Bowman_Draft_Prospects/BDPP35/Sonny_Gray/5724112

So, adding an element of excitement to an otherwise boring day, a Bowman Pack redeems itself! Now to try to get that $2.99 back.

One thing I don’t get about these cards is the faux autographs on all the non-base cards (of which there were almost half of in this pack, which I did not like). Kind of annoys me. Beyond that, the base design is not bad-I had already gotten a few of these in trade packages and liked them.  So there you have it. All these cards are hereby up for trade. Check out these and my other Trade Bait items on my Trade page!