Bowman Chrome Top 100 Rookie & Prospect Hobby Sales Rankings January 2012

Bowman Chrome has been the staple of the baseball card hobby for the last decade and a half. The Bowman Chrome Autograph rookie cards are generally a players most prized rookie card by baseball card collectors. Each month we will list and rank the Top 100 highest selling Bowman Chrome rookie and prospects that ended with multiple bids in the Ebay auction format. Beginning next month we will track the movement of each player from the previous month. You may view the active selection of each player by clicking on the link in their name.

Only players with Bowman Chrome Autographs from 2008 to Present Are Eligible.
The list is in order of Highest Selling single Bowman Chrome Base Autograph of each player from within the past month.
Each sale was completed via the Ebay auction format with multiple bids. (No Buy It Now or One Bid Items Included)
If a player does not have a Bowman Chrome Autograph rookie card, they will not appear on the list.

#1 Bryce Harper — Washington Nationals — $283.53
#2 Brett Lawrie — Toronto Blue Jays — $228.49
#3 Eric Hosmer — Kansas City Royals — $199.87
#4 Bubba Starling — Kansas City Royals — $124.50
#5 Buster Posey — San Francisco Giants — $122.50
#6 Stephen Strasburg — Washington Nationals — $111.50
#7 Mike Stanton — Miami Marlins — $96.51
#8 Mike Trout — Los Angeles Angels — $90.09
#9 Jason Heyward — Atlanta Braves — $86.87
#10 Jesus Montero — Seattle Mariners — $76.00
#11 Jacob Turner — Detroit Tigers — $75.00
#12 Manny Machado — Baltimore Orioles — $74.09
#13 Freddie Freeman — Atlanta Braves — $69.00
#14 Matt Moore — Tampa Bay Rays — $61.34
#15 Trevor Bauer — Arizona Diamondbacks — $52.00
#16 Ike Davis — New York Mets — $51.01
#17 Dylan Bundy — Baltimore Orioles — $51.01
#18 Mike Moustakas — Kansas City Royals — $48.00
#19 Starlin Castro — Chicago Cubs — $47.60
#20 Shelby Miller — St Louis Cardinals — $45.00
#21 Jurickson Profar — Texas Rangers — $44.96
#22 Paul Goldschmidt — Arizona Diamondbacks — $43.74
#23 Miguel Sano — Minnesota Twins — $42.00
#24 Nolan Arenado — Colorado Rockies — $41.00
#25 Julio Teheran — Atlanta Braves — $41.00
#26 Manny Banuelos — New York Yankees — $38.00
#27 Dustin Ackley — Seattle Mariners — $36.00
#28 Jameson Taillon — Pittsburgh Pirates — $35.00
#29 Aroldis Chapman — Cincinnati Reds — $32.87
#30 Brandon Belt — San Francisco Giants — $32.35
#31 Carlos Santana — Cleveland Indians — $31.00
#32 Zack Wheeler — New York Mets — $31.00
#33 Madison Bumgarner — San Francisco Giants — $30.00
#34 Gary Sanchez — New York Yankees — $30.00
#35 Brennan Boesch — Detroit Tigers — $29.88
#36 Anthony Rizzo — Chicago Cubs — $29.29
#37 David Price — Tampa Bay Rays — $29.03
#38 Archie Bradley — Arizona Diamondbacks — $28.79
#39 Wil Myers — Kansas City Royals — $28.44
#40 Wilmer Flores — New York Mets — $26.99
#41 Mat Latos — San Diego Padres — $26.51
#42 Mason Williams — New York Yankees — $26.00
#43 Javier Baez — Chicago Cubs — $26.00
#44 Brandon Nimmo — New York Mets — $25.00
#45 Gary Brown — San Franciso Giants — $23.00
#46 Francisco Lindor — Cleveland Indians — $22.73
#47 Austin Romine — New York Yankees — $22.51
#48 Matt Laporta — Cleveland Indians — $21.50
#49 Daniel Bard — Boston Red Sox — $21.39
#50 Jordan Zimmerman — Washington Nationals — $20.50
#51 Michael Choice — Oakland Athletics — $20.50
#52 Christian Yelich — Miami Marlins — $20.50
#53 Brett Jackson — Chicago Cubs — $20.05
#54 Jose Iglesias — Boston Red Sox — $19.00
#55 Martin Perez — Texas Rangers — $17.77
#56 Gordon Beckham — Chicago White Sox — $17.50
#57 Joe Panik — San Francisco Giants — $17.50
#58 Jeremy Hellickson — Tampa Bay Rays — $17.50
#59 Desmond Jennings — Tampa Bay Rays — $17.00
#60 Dayan Viciedo — Chicago White Sox — $17.00
#61 Tim Wheeler — Colorado Rockies — $16.38
#62 C J Cron — Los Angeles Angels — $16.16
#63 Drew Pomeranz — Colorado Rockies — $16.13
#64 Bryce Brentz — Boston Red Sox — $16.00
#65 Zach Lee — Los Angeles Dodgers — $15.62
#66 George Springer — Houston Astros — $15.50
#67 Josh Sale — Tampa Bay Rays — $15.50
#68 Yonder Alonso — San Diego Padres — $15.50
#69 Derek Holland — Texas Rangers — $15.38
#70 Matt Harvey — New York Mets — $15.31
#71 Arodys Vizcaino — Atlanta Braves — $15.27
#72 Logan Morrison — Miami Marlins — $15.00
#73 Kolten Wong — St Louis Cardinals — $15.00
#74 Larry Greene — Philadelphia Phillies — $14.73
#75 Tommy Hanson — Atlanta Braves — $14.59
#76 Sonny Gray — Oakland Athletics — $14.51
#77 Mike Montgomery — Kansas City Royals — $14.50
#78 Allen Craig — St Louis Cardinals — $14.19
#79 Travis d’Arnaud — Toronto Blue Jays — $14.01
#80 Austin Jackson — Detroit Tigers — $14.00
#81 Jason Kipnis — Cleveland Indians — $14.83
#82 Mike Leake — Cincinnati Reds — $13.50
#83 Devin Mesoraco — Cincinnati Reds — $13.50
#84 Jedd Gyorko — San Diego Padres — $13.38
#85 Mike Olt — Texas Rangers — $13.38
#86 Josh Vitters — Chicago Cubs — $13.10
#87 Blake Swihart — Boston Red Sox — $13.10
#88 Garin Cecchini — Boston Red Sox — $13.06
#89 Jarrod Parker — Oakland Athletics — $12.65
#90 Lonnie Chisenhall — Cleveland Indians — $12.55
#91 Josh Reddick — Oakland Athletics — $12.50
#92 Starling Marte — Pittsburgh Pirates — $12.26
#93 Aaron Hicks — Minnesota Twins — $12.04
#94 Jed Bradley — Milwaukee Brewers — $12.00
#95 Cito Culver — New York Yankees — $12.00
#96 Chris Sale — Chicago White Sox — $11.76
#97 Taylor Guerrieri — Milwaukee Brewers — $11.62
#98 Taylor Jungmann — Milwaukee Brewers — $11.50
#99 Zack Cox — St Louis Cardinals — $11.50
#100 Yasmani Grandal — San Diego Padres — $10.55

Weekly Top 10 Highest Priced Modern Baseball Cards

Each week we will take a look at the Top 10 Highest priced active items on Ebay’s auction format from the modern baseball card era.

#1 Prince Fielder 2006 Bowman Chrome Orange Refractor Graded 9.5/10
— Ends In 1 Day

#2 Jim Thorpe 2008 Playoff Prime Cuts Jersey Tag 1/1
— ENDS TONIGHT

#3 George Washington 2011 Allen & Ginter DNA Hair Relic 1/1 Graded BGS 9
— Ends In 6 Days

#4 Babe Ruth/Hank Aaron/Willie Mays 1999 Upper Deck Piece Of History 500 Home Run Club Bat
— Ends In 7 Days

#5 Manny Pacquiao 2011 Allen & Ginter Red Autograph /10
— Ends In 3 Days

#6 Jackie Robinson 2011 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts Autograph /5
— Ends In 6 Days

#7 Ichiro 2001 SPX Jersey Autograph
— Ends In 6 Days

#8 Hank Aaron/Willie Mays 2003 Topps Cosigners Autograph Graded BGS 9
— ENDS TONIGHT

#9 Eric Hosmer 2011 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor Autograph Redemption /50
— Ends In 3 Days

#10 Mike Trout 2009 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor Autograph /50
— Ends In 2 Days

VIDEO: Double-A Reading Phillies Sum Up The Minor League Baseball Experience In Two Minutes

This is a great promotional video by the Double-A Reading Phillies which gives a great look at all that Minor League Baseball has to offer. Enjoy!!

Braves Prospect Todd Cunningham Puts Out “Rock Yo Jock” Music Video

Atlanta Braves prospect Todd Cunningham (KEY ROOKIE: 2010 Elite Extra Edition) is spending his offseason dabbling into the world of music. Cunningham has recently released his “Rock Yo Jock” music video. In the story link below, Cunningham talks about his music, reaching out to youth groups with his music, and how his dad’s ties in the music industry helped get the project off the ground. You can also watch the completed “Rock Yo Jock” music video below.

Cunningham reaching youth through music JaxNews.com

Q&A With Boston Red Sox Prospect Boss Moanaroa

By: Andrew Martin
@historianandrew
BaseballHistorian.Blogspot.com

The Boston Red Sox look high and low to ferret out prospects for their farm system. In recent years they have expanded their efforts outside of the draft, and have scouted in countries like the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, and Australia. A number of intriguing talents have been uncovered, with one of the most recent finds being Boss Moanaroa, a powerful first baseman out of Australia.
Just 20 years of age, Moanaroa already has three professional seasons under his belt, making it as far as short season Lowell this past year. The Red Sox are taking it slow with him because of his limited experience and raw skills, but have to be pleased with what they have seen so far. In 105 games the left-handed hitter has put up a .258 average, with 7 home runs and 47 RBI. His .351 OPB is also impressive for someone his age, and while he is still acclimating to first base, the Red Sox believe he is making progress.
This past season I caught up with Moanaroa to check in with him about his path to professional baseball.

How did you first become interested in playing baseball?
It was by my dad, in Australia. He actually played cricket and softball. He played that for a while, he played when he was young actually. We actually started off in t-ball, and went from there.

Was it through softball that you grew to like baseball?
I didn’t really play softball. I watched it, but my dad told me I needed to try baseball. We went along with that, and I’m glad I did.

How did you first find out that the Red Sox were interested in you?
There are Australian scouts for different organizations, and I guess they approached me. It just went from there. For me it was just a shocked because I was 16. We talked and had a one-on-one session, and it went from there.

Did your brother (Moko) sign at the same time?
No. He actually came over here, and the first game he played, he hit a home run. They put a contract out, and it went from there as well.

When you signed with Boston, did you do anything special for yourself or your family?
We actually went out for a big dinner. It wasn’t really too out of control; just had the family over.

How has it been adapting to the United States and minor league baseball?
A challenge is the routine you have to get in to. You play every day, and in Australia, you probably play like twice a week. The main thing for me has just been getting into my own routine and sticking with it. I’m doing really well so far, so I have to keep that up.

Modern Unopened Premium Baseball Card Motherload Hits Ebay

Growing up as a kid, I remember when the 1989 Upper Deck baseball card product revolutionized baseball cards. Soon after 1990 Leaf hit the shelf and one upped the competition. However there was nothing as amazing as when the Topps company released it’s 1993 Topps Finest baseball card product with refractor technology and a $25 a pack price point. Only 4,000 12 box cases were made in an era in which millions of cards were produced each year. The big seller were the first of it’s kind refractors which fell one per box and were limited to 241 produced of each player. The cards themselves are rarely seen anymore, let alone unopened product. So it was absolutely amazing to see this lot of sealed 1993 Topps Finest when checking out Ebay the other day. The price tag is already well into the multi-thousands and I would only expect it to go up.

UPDATE: YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE HOW MUCH THIS SOLD FOR
1993 Topps Finest Hobby Box Lot — Ebay.com

Weekly Top 10 Highest Priced Vintage Baseball Cards

Each week we will take a look at the Top 10 Highest priced active items on Ebay’s auction format from the vintage baseball card era.

#1 Christy Mathewson 1914 Cracker Jack Graded PSA 4
— ENDS TONIGHT

#2 Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps Graded PSA 2
— Ends In 7 Days

#3 Roberto Clemente 1955 Topps Graded PSA 7
— ENDS TONIGHT

#4 Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey Graded PSA 3
— Ends In 5 Days

#5 Roberto Clemente 1958 Topps Yellow Team Letters Graded PSA 8
— ENDS TONIGHT

#6 Mickey Mantle 1959 Topps Graded SGC 88
— ENDS TONIGHT

#7 Joe DiMaggio 1938 Goudey Graded PSA 4
— Ends In 5 Days

#8 Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey Graded PSA 2
— Ends In 6 Days

#9 Christy Mathewson T-205 Gold Border Graded PSA 5
— Ends In 1 Day

#10 1977 Robin Yount Graded PSA 10
— Ends In 5 Days

Minor Leaguers Go To Work In The Offseason To Make Ends Meet

Playing minor league baseball is not exactly a way to get rich. For the bonus babies or the players who are rushed to the big leagues, playing minor league ball is a necessity among their already financially secure future, but for late rounders chasing a dream, many look to the offseason and pick up odd jobs to help support themselves. St Louis Cardinals prospect Chris Swauger, a 26th round pick in 2008, is among those who go to work. In the story link below, Swauger talks about his time as a substitute teacher during the offseason, previous jobs he’s had, and the story looks at the offseason jobs of other minor leaguers as well. It’s a good read.

Baseball players find odd jobs — PostAndCourier.com

VIDEO: Yoennis Cespedes Probably Made Himself A Couple Million Wednesday Night

Aside from Prince Fielder, one of the biggest things going in the free agent market right now is Cuban defector Yoennis Cespedes. The 26 year old is currently showcasing his talents for Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League. While he is off to a slow start (hitting under .200 thus far in a handful of games), he did this Wednesday night, crushing a home run off former New York Mets prospect & Houston Astros Rule 5 pick Rhiner Cruz. Cespedes baseball cards which went to the moon when they hype train began a few months ago are Starting To Pick Up Steam once again as well.

Weekly Top 10 Highest Priced Modern Baseball Cards

Each week we will take a look at the Top 10 Highest priced active items on Ebay’s auction format from the modern baseball card era.

#1 Ichiro 2001 SPX Jersey Autograph Graded PSA 10
— ENDS TONIGHT

#2 Ichiro 2011 Leaf Patch Autograph /25
— ENDS TONIGHT

#3 Hank Aaron 2011 Topps Tier One Jumbo Patch /10
— Ends In 1 Day

#4 Jim Thorpe 2008 Playoff Prime Cuts Quad Jersey 1/1
— ENDS TONIGHT

#5 Derek Jeter 1992 Little Sun High School Prospects Autograph Graded PSA 9
— Ends In 1 Day

#6 Brandon Nimmo 2011 Bowman Chrome Red Refractor Autograph /5
— Ends In 3 Days

#7 2011 Goodwin Champions Animal Kingdom California Condor
— Ends In 3 Days

#8 Ichiro 2011 Leaf Valiant On Card Autograph
— ENDS TONIGHT

#9 Bryce Harper 2011 Bowman Chrome Blue Refractor Autograph Graded BGS 9.5/10
— Ends In 3 Days

#10 Nolan Ryan 1999 SP Signature Autograph Graded BGS 10/10
— Ends In 3 Days