The 2008 HWL season has come and gone and some intriguing prospects had solid performances over the past five weeks. This article will chronicle the top 10 offensive performances as well as the top 5 pitching performances from this year's HWL league. While not all of these prospects are, or ever will be, household names, their performances deserve some notice.
Offensive Performances:
#10) Ryan Kalish---Boston Red Sox OF
.282/.446/.366 1 HR 9 RBI 13 SB (21 BB/14 K)
Kalish is a highly talented OF whose skill set is a cross between fellow Red Sox Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew. He will likely begin the 2009 season at hitters paradise Lancaster where his numbers will blossom. His 2008 Bowman Chrome autograph is a popular card that can be had at $13-16 each right now on Ebay.
#9) Miles Durham---Pittsburgh Pirates 1B
.273/.338/.430 3 HR 28 RBI 24 R
Durham finished second in RBI's but his status as a top prospect is limited due to the fact that he will be 26 years old by the start of the regular season. With the presence of Adam LaRoche and Steven Pearce ahead of him, Durham will have a tough time earning a big league job.
8.) Kyle Peter---Detroit Tigers OF
.370/.416/.467 1 HR 12 RBI 11 SB 20 R
Peter has top of the order speed (he stole 42 bases at Low-A Western Michigan) and a solid line drive bat. Don't expect much power from him, but he could provide value to a club down the road as a speedy, defensive 4th outfielder.
7.) Todd Frazier---Cincinnati Reds SS/3B
.295/.375/.547 3 HR 22 RBI 19 R
Frazier has a potent bat that produced 19 HR and 74 RBI over two levels this past season. Frazier has more value if he can stay at SS, though his defensive range and strong arm will likely land him in the crowded 3B mix in Cincinnati's farm system. Frazier's 2007 Bowman Chrome and Bowman Sterling autographs can be bought on Ebay for $8-10 each.
#6.) Brad Emaus---Toronto Blue Jays 2B/3B
.333/.447/.494 2 HR 12 RBI 18 R (17 BB/7 K)
Emaushas a solid line drive bat withgap power. He played well in his first full pro season at High-A Dunedin hitting .302 with 12 HR 71 RBI and 87 runs scored. He controls the strike zone very well and grinds out AB's. He has much more value if he can play at 2B instead of 3B as his 10-15 HR power is below average for a corner infielder. He profiles as a solid #2 or #6 hitter in a MLB lineup.
#5.) Dominic Brown---Philidelphia Phillies OF
.389/.506/.542 1 HR 8 RBI 3 SB (15 BB/14 K)
Brown led the HWL in hitting this year though his power has yet to fully manifest itself. Brown has a 6-5 200 lb. frame that oozes athleticism. In addition, his strike zone acumen is extremely polished for his age. Brown is one of Philly's brightest talents and he has a long way to go before reaching his considerable ceiling. Brown has autographs in the 2008 Donruss Threads set (#'ed to 999) that sell for $6-9 each on Ebay.
#4.) Buster Posey---San Francisco Giants C
.351/.428/.431 1 HR 18 RBI 16 R
Posey could have been the MVP of this league if he did not take time mid-season to head to the Giants' winter training camp. Posey emerged from relative obscurity to hit .463 with 26 HR 93 RBI and 89 runs scored for the Florida State Seminoles before becoming the Giants' 1st round pick. Posey will have autographed cards in the upcoming Bowman Chrome Draft, Bowman Sterling, and Donruss Elite Extra sets. Posey is the perfect backstop to manage the stable of exciting young arms that will be pitching in San Francisco within the next couple of seasons.
#3.) Yonder Alonso---Cincinnati Reds 1B
.308/.419/.510 4 HR 21 RBI (20 BB/23 K)
Alonso did quite a bit to prove that he was worthy of being a 1st round selection by the Reds. Alonso demonstrated good power and advanced plate discipline. Alonso had a big year at the University of Miami hitting .370 with 24 HR 70 RBI and an incredible 76 BB/35 K ratio. Alonso will have autographed cards in the much anticipated Razor Draft Picks set as well as the minor league Tristar set (I like the design this year!)
#2.) Mark Hallberg---Arizona Diamondbacks SS/2B
.362/.423/.483 3 HR 21 RBI 24 R
Hallberg demonstrated better power in Hawaii than he was able to muster in a full season at High-A Visalia. Hallberg is a scrappy, over-achieving middle infielder who has good baseball intangibles, but limited talent. Hallberg sprays the ball to all fields and is a tough guy to strike out. He will never be a power hitter at the MLB level and likely won't ever earn a full time opportunity. That said, he plays with grit and determination and could stick as a part-time utility infielder.
#1.) Cyle Hankerd---Arizona Diamondbacks OF
.318/.392/.545 5 HR 30 RBI
Hankerd led the HWL in RBI and was second in HR. His total in Hawaii matched his total in a disappointing season at AA Mobile. Hankerd has a big strong frame that should hit the ball for more power than he did this year. Hankerd has the ability to hit for good average though his power is below average for a corner outfielder. His ceiling is as a 4th outfielder at the major league level. His second tour of AA should be more successful.
Top Pitching Performers:
#5.) Jeremy Papelbon---Chicago Cubs RHP
1-0 2.45 ERA 1.16 WHIP 9 BB/16 K (14.2 IP)
Papelbon did much to follow in his brother's footsteps by leading the HWL in saves. Papelbon, at 26, is too old to be pitching at High-A though he did have a solid season. Likely, Papelbon will be a middle inning pitcher at the big league level. If his older brother Jon wasn't so stinking good, Jeremy would not garner nearly as much attention.
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2007 BOWMAN STERLING JOSH JEREMY PAPELBON DUAL AUTO REF
US $24.99
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07 BOWMAN STERLING REFRACTOR JEREMY PAPELBON 199
US $2.00
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#4.) Jeremy Bleich---New York Yankees LHP
3-2 1.77 ERA 1.15 WHIP 12 BB/33 K (35.2 IP)
Bleich was a supplemental 1st round pick by the Yankees out of the University of Stanford. Bleich did not pitch overly well in college, but the Yankees like his competitive demeanor and array of off-speed pitches. Bleich seems to be a finesse lefty who could put up better numbers as a pro than he did as a collegian. Bleich will have autographed cards in the upcoming Razor Draft Picks set.
#3.) Scott Shaw---New York Mets RHP
2-2 2.51 ERA 0.65 WHIP 9 BB/35 K (32.1 IP)
Shaw, like Bleich, did not have a sterling collegiate career, yet he has performed much better as as pro going 6-3 with a 2.80 ERA and 79 K's in 74 IP at Low-A Brooklyn. Shaw has a thick 6-5 230 lb. frame that looks to be able to handle a sizable workload as a mid-rotation starter. He is a long way off and is by no means a sure thing. He is one, though, that is worth keeping an eye on this coming season.
#2.) Kyle Bloom---Pittsburgh Pirates LHP
2-0 1.50 ERA 0.86 WHIP 11 BB/32 K (30 IP)
At 26, Bloom was one of the older players in the HWL which may be why he had so much success. Bloom's '08 regular season at AA Altoona was quite pedestrian, going 5-8 with a 4.19 ERA and a 55 BB/93 K ratio in 109.2 IP. Bloom has rookie cards in the 2004 Bowman Chrome Draft and SP Prospects set, though, his ceiling as a middle reliever and spot starter are not worth getting too excited about.
#1.) Satoshi Nagai---Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles RHP
4-2 1.94 ERA 0.86 ERA 10 BB/48 K (41.2 IP)
Nagai was a 1st round pick in Japan and he demonstrated his worth by being dominant in several outings in Hawaii. The demure 5-10 160 lb. Nagai has a deceptive delivery and good control of his off-speed pitches. That helped keep many HWL hitters guessing at the plate.
I hope you enjoyed a closing glance at some of the top performers from the 2008 Hawaiian Winter League. Stay tuned for my synopsis of the Arizona Fall League shortly after the AFL championship game. Until then, happy prospecting!
Posted on 07 November 2008
When you look back in time throughout the 100+ years sports card collecting has been around, the year 1997 sticks out like a sore thumb. In 1997 there were significant releases in the hobby that made an impact that continues to this day.
To start off, Upper Deck released the first memorabilia cards that the hobby had ever seen. To this day the 1997 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr jersey card still sells for around $150.00. That’s not too bad considering its not even serial numbered and contains only a small teal colored piece of cloth. As the year went on, Upper Deck did release more jersey cards for football, hockey, and basketball.
Football collectors went crazy over the 1997 Upper Deck Legends set. Every box contained four autographs of legendary players such as Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, Franco Harris and much more. Some of these autographs are extremely difficult to find and some of them were never even released, a group which included Sid Luckman. One of the big reasons why this set is so popular is because all the autographs are on card and the checklist of players is unbelievable. In addition to the autographs, this set has some great insert cards like Big Game Hunters and Marquee Match-ups. Boxes of this product skyrocketed in price and now cannot be found for less then a few hundred dollars.
What is better than an autographed card? How about an autographed card that you can see through? That is what 1997 Pinnacle Inscriptions introduced to football card collectors. Many of these autographs are serial numbered into the hundreds even thousands, but back then that was very limited. The checklist contains players such as Favre, Marino, Elway, and Sanders.
One of the highest end products in 1997 was Pinnacle Totally Certified which was made for baseball, football, basketball, and hockey. Every card in the set featured a “peel off” sticker that protected the very condition sensitive surface. Collectors love, even to this day, to hunt for the rare parallel versions of the base. Personally, I think the Mirror Gold inserts look the best.
I guess you could say that “prospecting” received a huge surge during 1997 because Topps released their first version of Bowman Chrome. In the years before, Topps made regular Bowman cards but the new Chrome set gave collectors new parallels and refractors to collect. Some key rookie cards from 1997 Bowman Chrome would include Kerry Wood, Lance Berkman, Vernon Well, Eric Chavez, and Miguel Tejada. Out of all the years Bowman Chrome has been produced, I think the 1997 version has the best looking refractors.
In 1997 Tiger Woods shook up the game of golf after winning the Masters, and people were on the hunt for his cards. One of his few cards at the time was the 97-98 Grand Slam Ventures Masters Collection card.
1997 was such a big year for the sport card collecting hobby, and I wish that we would have more years like it. Just like a lot of things, the first version of a product is the best.
Andrew Chrisman runs Sports Card Info, http://sportscardinfo.wordpress.com/
A blog that provides hobby news, stories, thoughts, and fake card information.
Posted on 06 November 2008
The Dual Auto craze is nothing new to the collecting world. In 1994, Upper Deck seeded dual autographed cards of baseball greats Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr. into random packs of its product, reviving interest in its otherwise mediocre product. In the 14 years since, dual autos have infiltrated the industry, sometimes chronicling the greats of yesteryear, the aspiring stars of tomorrow, or in many cases, combining the two. Like many dead horses within the industry, the concept of the dual auto has been beaten to a pulp. Rather than scrap the idea altogether, I propose that the industry tweak the dual auto a little to capture significant moments in modern baseball history - the humorous, tragic, and pivotal events that have become embedded in baseball lore. Below, I submit 5 dual autos I would love to see in my next pack of baseball cards.
5.) Tommy Lasorda and the Phillie Phanatic - “Can’t we all just get along?”
This rivaly spanned nearly 20 years and on one day in 1988, it took a turn for the ugly. The portly Lasorda was often the butt of the infamous Phillies mascot’s crowd pleasing antics as a dummy dressed in one of Lasorda’s Dodger uniforms was pulverized in effigy before the home crowd fans. Prior to a 1988 visit to Veterans Stadium, Lasorda contacted the Phillies’ front office to request an end to the defamations of Lasorda’s caricature. Rather than comply, the Phillie Phanatic upped the ante, mowing over the Lasorda dummy with an ATV. This proved to be too much for Lasorda who charged out of the dugout and tackled the lovable green fuzzball to the ground. A battle over the faux Lasorda ensued with the real Tommy winning and tossing it into the dugout. Apparently unfulfilled, Lasorda engaged in a vigorous tug-of-war over the ATV. As the battle ensued, Dodgers players tossed the dummy back on to the field. To this day, Lasorda is still bitter about the rivalry even stating on his blog that the Phanatic’s antics “exhibits violence and disrespect”. Hmmm, I guess that pummeling goofy looking stuffed animals is OK.
4.) Don Zimmer/Pedro Martinez - “Ole!”
No, I don’t have a fascination with angry fat men, but this melee in Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS personifies the intensely bitter rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Like many brawls , preceding incidents led to the fracas. Early in the game, Karim Garcia was plunked in the back by Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez. Garcia responded by sliding hard into Sox 2B Todd Walker on a force out. Later in the game, Roger Clemens, who at the time was thought to be pitching in his final game at Fenway Park, buzzes Manny Ramirez’s tower prompting Man Ram to charge the mound. Both dugouts cleared leading to the memorable moment. Yankees bench coach Don “Popeye” Zimmer made a bee-line for Pedro Martinez swinging at his head. Pedro deftly dodged the punch and evasively tossed Zimmer to the ground. Zimmer rolled a couple of times before being helped up by teammates. Zimmer’s fine…$5,000, Pedro’s fine….$50,000, a dual auto chronicling the event…priceless.
3.) Rob Dibble/Lou Pinella - “You don’t want to be treated like a man!”
This will be the last one involving angry brawling managers…I promise. Late in the 1992 season, then Cincinnati Red manager Lou Pinella pulled hot-headed All-Star closer Rob Dibble from a game. Dibble was vehemently displeased with the move and had words with Sweet Lou in the Reds dugout. The argument turned into a post game wrestling match in which Pinella shouted the infamous line “I’d treat you like a man, but you don’t want to be treated like a man!” The audio footage from this melee still makes me chuckle. Pinella and Dibble are close friends to this day and this incident has become a punchline (not literally) between them.
2.) George Brett/Tim McClelland - “@%^&^&*#?^%#$#!!!”
Who can ever forget the footage of this outburst? In 1983, when the Royals and Yankees were formidable rivals, George Brett had just gone upper tank against the Yankees closer Goose Gossage to give the Royals a 5-4 lead. As Brett rounded the bases, Yankees manager Billy Martin protested to home plate umpire Tim McClelland that Brett’s bat had an illegal amount of pine tar on it. McClelland dutifully measured it across home plate and then raised his right arm to signal that Brett’s long homerun was a long out. A wild-eyed and crazy haired Brett sprinted from the dugout and maniacally spouted a profanity-laced tirade. I swear, if McClelland had a taser, he might have used it right there. Much forgotten about this incident was the fact that baseball cheater extraordinaire Gaylord Perry grabbed the bat from McClelland’s hands and tossed it to Rocky Colavito who proceeded to try and hide it. Security officials repossessed the bat which now resides in the Hall of Fame.
1.) Billy Buckner/Mookie Wilson - “Yeah, but what about Calvin Schiraldi?”
Had 2004 or 2007 never happened for the Red Sox, this infamous moment in baseball history would haunt me so much more. Even the most casual of sports fans know this incident all too well. With the Mets on the ropes in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson hit a slow roller up the 1st base line to the sure handed Bill Buckner. Wilson hustled up the line briefly diverting Buckner’s attention from the ball. Consequently the ball rolled through his wickets as Ray Knight scored the winning run. Buckner’s error made him a pariah in Beantown until 2004, but many people fail to remember that it was Calvin Schiraldi who coughed up the two run lead in the 8th and Bob Stanley who threw the wild pitch that allowed tying run Kevin Mitchell to score and winning run Ray Knight to move to 3B. I remember watching helplessly as a passionate, albeit new, 11 year old Red Sox fan. Even at that young age, I knew that the Red Sox had no shot of winning Game 7. Sure enough, the Mets rolled over Boston 8-5 en route to their second World Series championship.
There are my favorite 5 potential dual autos. I invite you to add to the list. Baseball is a game of rich historical moments, perhaps someday the card industry make more of an effort to chronicle them!
Posted on 31 October 2008
This hobby of collecting trading cards has a funny way of bringing back former collectors. For me, I opened my first pack of wax in 1990 and collected for close to a decade before quietly bowing out of the game in late 1997.
At that point, I was seventeen years old and was tired of paying $10 dollars and up for cards when I could have been using that money to fix up my car or take a girl out on a date. For me, the final straw came during back to back releases from Bowman.
Bowman Chrome & Bowman's Best were two of the more popular products released in 1997 and one player in particular made some real Hobby noise that year after making his debut with the Seattle Mariners and outshining the immortal, Ken Griffey Jr.
By early 1998, Jose Cruz Jr.'s Bowman Chrome rookie card and the parallel versions were among the hottest cards of the year, selling for $40 dollars and up. Meanwhile, his Bowman's Best Atomic Refractor and his certified autograph from the same product was rare and desired enough that if you were to sell it, you'd have enough money to put a down payment on a nice car. Maybe not a Lexus or Mercedes Benz but still something nice.
To a teenager with a part-time job and too old to get an allowance from his parents, I chose to walk away and never look back. I wanted those Jose Cruz Jr. cards more than one can imagine but there was just no way it was going to ever happen, or so I believed.
Folks, it took exactly a decade before I made a return to collecting. As you can imagine, a lot has changed in ten years but one thing that has not was my desire to own these cards. By now, Jose Cruz Jr. was a Major League "washout". A player who flourished for a couple of seasons and suddenly forgot to hit for almost a decade.
Little by little I have been stocking up on his Bowman releases over the last year. First came his base card from '97 Bowman's Best and just two days ago I went on a crazy eBay shopping spree and picked up the following cards:
1. '97 Bowman's Best - Refractor
2. '97 Bowman's Best - Atomic Refractor
3. '97 Bowman's Best - Best Cuts
4. '97 Bowman's Best - Best Cuts Refractor
5. '97 Bowman's Best - Mirror Image
6. '97 Bowman's Best - Certified Autograph
Keep in mind that this lot alone in the late-90's would have cost me close to $500 dollars cash, if not more considering there was no secondary market and I would have had to travel all over the United States to find these cards. The price I paid for this "Wax Gold" was....wait for it, under $20 dollars including shipping!
These cards may be worthless to 99% of collectors today but to me it has created a bridge to my collecting youth that died sometime in 1997. Surprisingly enough, I am just shy of a master set of '97 Bowman's Best Jose Cruz Jr. I just hope I can complete it in under a decade's time.
Mario Alejandro
Author,
"Due to a production error at the time of pack-out, some 31 copies of a Wade Miley card mistakenly were inserted into packs of 2008 Playoff Prime Cuts Baseball.
