2013 Jose Fernandez 2013/2014 Oscar Taveras

Welcome back to the the 16th profile on A Very Simple Idea!  I got some feedback that the “themed” post was a good idea, so this week I will give it another try.  Unfortunately, the theme this time around is much less enjoyable, even if the players on the profile were a joy to read about.  

I knew that at some point I would need to write about Jose Fernandez and Oscar Taveras, but I really wasn’t sure how to approach each of their profiles.  After thinking on it for the last few weeks, it seemed only appropriate to write about them together, as the tragedy of their early departures and the resulting sentiments were all too similar. 

Before looking into the data on these guys, I admit that I did not have enough appreciation for what Fernandez was doing in terms of strikeouts and just how highly touted Taveras was.  I am sad that we will never get to watch them play baseball again, but am glad to be able to capture a piece of history for my collection with these three Bowman Inception autographed cards.

The goal of this post is to celebrate the players as they were on the field, not get into any discussion about their deaths or the circumstances surrounding them.  

Player History:

Some times I wish that I had stuck with Statistics as one of my college majors, because as I have gotten older I have really wanted to understand baseball analytics and the way players are scouted.  The debate on who to draft and why will always be a back-and-forth between statistics and “the eye test,” but sometimes it should just be obvious.  Now that I have a better sense of where Fernandez came from, I believe that his rise should have been seen from a mile away.

Without going into the significant story of how Fernandez ended up in America, I will start with the fact that he was a two time state championship winning pitcher from Tampa, Florida.  His senior year he was 13-1 with a 1.35 ERA in 16 starts.  This was good enough to be drafted 14th overall by the Marlins in 2011.

Here is a composite scouting report from prospect361.com regarding Fernandez:

When looking at Fernandez, it’s hard not to be impressed by the mature physicality of the body.  He’s 6-foot-2 and 240 sturdy pounds.  he carries himself very well on the mound, projecting that ever so elusive mound presence.  What exactly is that?…An attitude and look that he is in charge and belongs.  Fernandez has it and more…[his] arsenal is elite and he has the potential to be a top of the rotation starter with an ace ceiling.  

Ironically, the scouting report continues (this part was written just as Fernandez was being called up to the majors):

Do I believe he’ll be as dominating in the Majors?  No, but I also believe that he will hold his own with a chance to be very effective over his first few outings.  However, Major League hitters will quickly expose his deficiencies and this is when his inexperience could play a factor.  Will he be able to react to the adjustments?  The Marlins must think he can and I for one, can’t wait to find out.

And how did that turn out? Fernandez made his Major League debut on April 7th of 2013 against the Mets, allowing only one run on three hits (and of course eight strikeouts).  From there he became an All-Star and National League Rookie of the Year. Despite battling injuries over the course of 2014 and 2015, Fernandez compiled a career record of 28-17.  Over his 471 innings pitched, Fernandez amassed 589 strikeouts, giving him an astounding 11.25 strikeouts-per-nine rate. For perspective, Nolan Ryan’s k/9 rate was 9.54.  

Oscar Taveras was born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic in 1992.  Sixteen years later, the Cardinals signed him as an international free agent.  From 2009-2013 he was consistently one of the best hitters in the Minor Leagues.  He garnered enough acclaim and attention that he was declared the batting champion of the MidWest League (A level ball) with a .386 average even though he was 31 plate appearances shy of actually qualifying!

In 2012 alone, Taveras lead all Cardinals minor league players in hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and on base percentage.  He was also in the top five of batting average and runs scored.  He was the MVP of the Texas League All-Star Game and was a starting outfielder in the 2012 Future’s Game, batting third for the World team.  

2013 saw Taveras injure his ankle only 46 games into the season, but by this time, he was already one of the top ranked prospects in all of baseball.  Taveras was still able to make his MLB debut in May of 2014, going 1-3 with a home run.  Statistically, that season would not be amazing for Taveras, but it was assumed it was only a matter of time before he would have the same success in the Majors as he did in the Minors.  

The comments from the baseball world about each player were very similar in the days following their deaths.  Marlins President David Samson said that “Jose is a member of this family for all time, his story is representative of a story of hope, and love and of faith, and no one will ever let that story die.”  MLB Commissioner at the time, Bud Selig, said of Taveras: “Oscar, a young member of the Baseball family, was full of promise and at the dawn of a wonderful career in our game, evident in his game-tying home run against the Giants exactly two weeks ago.”  Selig was referring to the second to last hit of Taveras’ career, a pinch-hit game-tying home run in the National League Division Series that the Cardinals won with a walk-off home run in the ninth. 

Without a doubt, both Fernandez and Taveras will be continue to be missed by the baseball world  for a very long time.  I am thankful to have gotten to know them a little better though this blog and will always enjoy holding their Inception cards in my collection.

Look of the Card:

Long before I came close to finishing this set, I felt like the Fernandez Inception was one of the best looking cards in the set.  The colors of the Marlins black jersey combined with the detailed coloring of the logos on the jersey just really stand out on the cobalt background of the 2013 card.  The signature leaves a little to be desired - I have not compared it to other types of cards or years to see if he ever got better with this - but I do love the addition of his jersey number 16 at the end.  Love that move.  

All that really can be said about this card is that it does seem to embody the mound presence that Fernandez captured so perfectly.  There is nothing tight or tense about him in this moment before unleashing a pitch that was mostly likely about to be swung at and missed.  His face is relaxed, yet focused.  His body coiled but not tightly wound.  It absolutely projects self-confidence and the belief that this is the perfect pitch for the moment.  

The 2013 Taveras card contains much of the same feel to it.  In the photo, he has obviously just followed through on a ball that he connected with, as evident by his eyes tracking the flight of the ball.  This may sound sacrilegious to some, but it has a very Ken Griffey Jr. feel to the follow through.  Just smooth and complete. 

The mechanics of the 2013 card is fairly basic, though, as nothing else really stands out about the coloring, positioning or the signature.  Definitely not one of the best signatures I have seen; looks like the pen came up off the card as he finished the auto.  

Everything about the 2014 Taveras Inception is a little more intense.  The look on his face is not nearly as relaxed, and there is a spark in his eyes that is not present in the 2013 card.  The fact that the shot is from the opposite angle as the 2013 card show he is about to take off for first base, giving a greater sense of his athleticism. Even the signature seems a little more intense, as if he was paying more attention or pushing down on the marker a little harder as he scribbled his name.  I am also a fan of the flourish of the line through the name at the end!  For whatever reason, it gives an aura of completeness to the whole thing.

Card Value:

This is the first time that I have looked at three cards in one post, so I am hoping that the chart does not get too convoluted.  Here is a quick guide to the chart:

BIN - Buy It Now (to keep it simple I am not including auctions in the chart)

eBay Sales: eBay data is only available for the previous three months

COMC Sales: this covers the amount of times a card was purchased and changed hands, not necessarily that that number of individual cards were purchased

(Sorry for the formatting of the chart. I am still trying to figure out the best way to get this part down)

	eBay Listings	eBay Sales	COMC Listings	COMC Sales
Jose Fernandez 2013	BIN listings: $21.99-$59.99	16 sold: $10.49-$44	1 listed for $50.25	80 total sold
Notes	There is an /25 parallel listed for $125 but a /10 parallel sold for $37 recently.
Oscar Taveras 2013	BIN listings: $7.95-$75.95	5 sold: $3.99-$15.50	8 listed: $7.75-$30.24	46 total sold
Notes	There is an /25 parallel listed for $59.99 but a /10 parallel sold for $17.88  recently.
Oscar Taveras 2014	BIN listings: $7.99-$50	4 sold: $2.25-$14.99	2 listed: $20.25-$24.50	43 total sold
Notes	An /99 Gold parallel sold for $10 recently.

I really wish I had data going back to when each of them passed away.  I remember shortly after Fernandez died that it was hard to get his Inception for less than $60 for a couple of months.  It was not too long before prices started coming back down into the $20s and then some even dipped down into the teens.  It really is an interesting phenomenon, the way prices surge when a player dies; probably worth looking into for someone with more time on their hands than I do!  

Thanks for hanging with me this week!  Next week, my plan is to look at the only player that I currently have cards for that span 2013-2015…Miguel Sano! 

Thanks again to Gibson Sports Memorabilia for their continued sponsorship! Please check out their inventory at:

www.gibsonsportsmemorabilia.com

@gibsonsportsmem

Check out their inventory on eBay here

2016 Alex Reyes and James Kaprielian

 

Today is Monday, July 3rd.  At 4:30am I got out of bed and began the process of prepping my Kamado Joe grill for my first ever attempt at smoking a slab of brisket.  It seemed only fitting that once the meat was on the grill, I turn my attention to another American passion, baseball.  

This week I want to focus on two different players in the same set for the first time.  For me, going outside the norm means finding a connection or theme as opposed to just pairing two random guys.  Today’s pairing is Alex Reyes and James Kaprielian. What connects them? Two highly touted pitchers that will not see the mound in 2017 due to Tommy John surgery.  The sub-connection is that they both missed time in 2016, but for very different reasons.

Reyes first came on to my radar at the Future’s Game in Sand Diego last season.  He was the starter and was whistling heat for the first two innings, even touching 100mph!  It was very impressive!  But I had not heard of Kaprielian until a friend of mine @bigpandacards send me his 2016 Inception.  Both players seem destined to do big things in the Big Leagues, IF they can stay healthy and (in Reyes’ case) clean.  Here’s hoping they both live up to the promise we have seen so far! 

Player History:

Let’s start with Reyes, since he did actually get some time in the Big Show last year.  Reyes grew up in New Jersey but moved to the Dominican Republic in 2011, and was eventually signed by the Cardinals as a non drafted free agent.  

Going into the 2013 season, Reyes was already ranked by Baseball America as the No. 7 prospect in the organization.  In 2014 he jumped to No. 2 and did everything possible to justify that ranking, keeping it as he headed into 2015. It looked like Reyes might be on the inside track for a spot in the MLB in 2016, but he failed a drug test for the second time at the end of 2015, missing 10 games followed by 40 games to start 2016.  Despite the setback, Reyes came in to 2016 as the top prospect in the organization, earning a start in the Future’s Game and an eventual call-up to the Cardinals on August 9th, 2016.  

What about Reyes made him such a prolific prospect to this point? This quote from Baseball America when it was announced Reyes was being called up puts everything into simple perspective: Aside from touching 100mph, “he’s consistently in the high 90s.  The curveball has 12-6 shape and flashes plus, and the changeup is gaining in consistency.”  Pretty much exactly what you want in a Major League pitcher. 

In the minors, Reyes struck out 449 batters while issuing only 179 walks.  In his Major League debut he struck out Adam Duvall and proceeded to get 51 more Ks in only 11 more appearances while issuing only 23 walks.  Obviously, Reyes has the skills and stats to keep the baseball world salivating for his return hopefully in 2018!

As for Kaprielian, he was “arguably the most polished arm available in the 2015 draft.”  In 2012 he had been drafted by the Mariners in the 40th round, but opted to play at UCLA, winning a National Championship in 2013.  He finished his career fifth in career ERA and sixth all-time in strikeouts at UCLA. This garnered the attention of the Yankees who took him  16th overall.  

The scouting report on Kaprielian is pretty impressive:

• After working at 88-92 in colleges with a fastball that stood out more for its sink and command than it did for velocity, Kaprielian has sat at 93-96 mph and touched 99 in pro ball.  There’s no consensus as to which of his secondary offerings is the best, because his curveball, slider and changeup all grade as plus pitches when they’re on.
• Kaprielian controls and commands his pitches very well, doing a good job of delivering all of them from the same arm slot.  Considered more of a pitchability right-hander with a ceiling of a No. 3 starter when the Yankees drafted him, he has shown frontoline stuff on the rare occasions he has been healthy.

So it seems Kaprielian took a leap forward as he moved up in competition, but cannot stay healthy. He missed most of 2015 with flexor tendon issues and in April it was announced he would miss 2017 to undergo Tommy John surgery.  He has only appeared in 8 games over the course of his career (in short season ball after being drafted then all of last season) because of his health issues.  Again, I am the type of guy that really roots for potential to be lived up to, so I really hope both of these guys can get healthy, stay healthy, and give us fans something exciting to watch in the years to come! 

Look of the Card:

I laughed when I started actually looking at these cards because I was not aware how similar they were when I chose them.  Both cards show the pitchers in the moments before they unleash a pitch towards the plate.  Both have the glove tucked and ball locked up the upright position prior to being fired home.  In general they both have an “eh” feel to them as far as Inception cards go.  The white of Reyes’ jersey stands out against the dark background much better than the Yankee jersey of Kaprielian.  

I think the best part is that the facial expression on both is awkward, though Kaprielian definitely takes the cake for looking strained.  Admittedly, Kaprielian looks like he is trying a lot harder and thus there is a lot more coloring and shadowing on his card than with Reyes, so it would get points in that category if this was a competition.  

Both guys get style points in my book with the signature because of the contrast of big initials and smaller lettering for the rest of their names.  Again, if I was comparing, I would give the slight edge to Kaprielian because it has more of a classic feel to it with the full name being a little more distinguishable.  I can’t really complain much about either though, they both looked like the players were actually paying attention while signing and not half asleep.  

Card Value:

I really wish I had sales data for Reyes that goes further back than the last three months.  There is no way that the recent card values represent what it looked like for him late last year or pre-Tommy John surgery this year.  Here is the breakdown:

There are 11 listings for the base version of Reyes on eBay that range from $11.99-$24.25.  When I last checked there was an auction listing that had two days remaining with no bids, with the starting bid at $3.99.  Most of the listings are right around $15, but you can get the /25 parallel for $59.99.  In the last three months, there have been 15 copies of the base sold on eBay.  One went as cheap as $1.99, with the most expensive being $16.99.

The COMC.com data for Reyes follows on the same line.  There are 5 available from $10.25-$20.25, with 20 sales since the card’s release during 2016. 

The sales data for Kaprielian is strikingly similar.  There are 11 listed as Buy It Nows, ranging from $11.95-$29.99.  You can buy the 1/1 version if you are chasing the rainbow for a cool $230.  Only 6 have sold recently; as low as $1.25 and as high as $15.99.  Of note is that a /5 parallel sold for $29.99 and a /25 parallel sold for $34 recently.  There are 4 copies available on COMC.com and 20 have sold since it first appeared on the site. 

Thanks for hanging with me on the first of the themed blog posts!  I would love to hear what you think or if you have ideas for how to connect players in different ways!  

Thanks again to Gibson Sports Memorabilia for their continued sponsorship! Please check out their inventory at:

www.gibsonsportsmemorabilia.com

@gibsonsportsmem

https://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&_ssn=gibsportsmem&_sop=1

2014 Mark Appel Pink Parallel

It was so good to get back into the groove of writing about Inception last week!  Admittedly after a long layoff it is really hard to find the motivation to sit down and get back into the swing of things.  But it was so much fun!  

So this week I decided to come back with a very familiar name, one that elicits groans from many Astros fans and snickers from just about everyone else (especially Cubs fans): Mark Appel. For the those of you who don’t know why, the Astros chose Appel over Kris Bryant in the 2013 MLB Draft.  That’s really all that needs to be said about that.

Even with all the controversy surrounding that pick and Appel’s inability to live up to projections, he is still a player that a lot of people root for, myself included.  In fact, for a while, I was intending on chasing down the whole rainbow of Appel Inception cards but abandoned pursuit because chasing the base set of Inception alone is challenging enough! 

I think the reasons so many people still hold out hope for Appel is simple: he has been open and honest about the struggles on his journey.  He hasn’t made perfect decisions nor has he had a smile on his face the whole time, but he has never given up and that resonates with a lot of people.

Player History:

I don’t want to spend a lot of time on the facts and figures with Appel today.  If you follow baseball even a little more than the average fan, you know that Appel has been statistically a disappointment.  To this point in his career, he has yet to make an appearance in the Big Leagues, and here are his Minor League stats:

Wins: 24 L:17 ERA: 5.04 G:76 CG:2 Batting AVG Against: .276 WHIP: 1.48

What makes these pedestrian numbers so frustrating? Appel “owns the career school record [at Standord] for strikeouts (372), ranks fourth in innings pitched (377.2) and sixth in wins (28).” And during his senio year, he went “10-4 with four complete games and a 2.12 ERA (25ER/106.1IP)...recorded 130 strikeouts in his 106.1 innings pitched and allowed just a .203 opponent's batting average.”  I was actually able to watch one of those four losses in person, as he opened the season with a loss to my Rice Owls in Houston!  

Overall, Appel was obviously a top notch prospect with “Big League Pitcher" written all over him by scouts and fans alike.  He had been drafted out of high school, then again after his junior year (8th overall by the PIrates) before coming back for his senior year.  And then the Astros took him first overall. 

• A Baseball America report in the wake of the selection praised Appel’s “ideal” mechanics and “bulldog” mentality. He could dial his fastball up into the high 90s, and complemented it with a nasty slider that could generate whiffs and a promising changeup to keep opponents off balance. With a lean 6’5″ build ideal for starting and an advanced arsenal of potential plus pitches, Appel appeared the rare high-ceiling, high-floor pitching prospect, a polished Pac-12 product with frontline potential. 

And the GM of the Astros, Jeff Lunhow, was quoted as calling Appel “a future ace” after taking him the draft.  Unfortunately for Appel and his fans, all of the accolades and potential has just not panned out.

Yet, I still root for him.  Why?  I am going to post some quotes from Appel’s blog, specifically what he wrote in a letter to Astros fans after being traded to the Phillies.  I think they illustrate what kind of person he is and exactly why I will ALWAYS root for him:

• “That’s a bunch of stuff that I’ve learned over the last few years, going through this process: Struggling — struggling a lot — then getting traded, and then having surgery, it seems like every year it’s something different. But I’m learning through it all, and I trust that the Lord’s making me a better person and a better teammate and a better player for the organization.”

• [One lesson I learned] is how little you can control life…sometimes we get what we want and sometimes we don’t. I believe how you react defines your character. Lesson number two has to do with expectation…If I had a definitive answer, I would tell you. But I don’t. Life doesn’t always go as expected, and that is okay. However, I think I have learned a little bit dealing with expectation over my time being a professional ballplayer. Keeping things in perspective is a huge first step…The second step is simply to have fun. Don’t take yourself seriously. Take your craft seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously. There is a difference in attitude, not work ethic. 

• [The final lesson] is to be thankful. Appreciate what God has given you and the people He has placed in your life to make your experience uniquely yours. 

On June 19th, Appel threw 8.1 scoreless innings for the Phillies AAA team (the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs).  Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come for him!

Look of the Card:

Probably the first thing any of you might notice is that this is currently my only /50 Pink Parallel. I also had the /99 Gold Parallel but let that go when I decided I was not going to attempt the rainbow of this card.  I am not a huge fan of the Pink Parallel in general just because I think it looks awkward as a whole, but it’s fun to have one because it definitely stands out!  

Just a couple of notes about today’s card.  I’m going to get all artsy for this first comment: I feel like the photo that was chosen of Appel is symbolic of his career.  The way his body is contorted looks uncomfortable - even though it’s all a part of a motion that propelled him to being the number one overall pick - it does not have the sense of fluidity of any of the other pitchers I have profiled thus far.  And the look on his face seems to hold a lot of tension, it harkens back to the sense that he said he was always trying too hard to live up to the expectations of being the top overall pick.  He is focused and determined, but also seems to be straining very hard to stay that way.  Appels work ethic has never been in doubt, so really this all seems emblematic of the mental struggles he has faced since the day he was drafted.  

The other note is about the signature.  There are a number of features about his signature that I really like.  The first is the large M and A at the beginning of his first and last name.  In general it is a look that I think looks very classy.  The flourish of the line under the name that curves back around to the bottom of the A really creates a sense of balance and care by the signee.  

And then there is the verse of scripture.  I am sure that any time an athlete or celebrity signs their autograph with a Bible verse they are met with eye rolls or skepticism.  It can seem very cliche or disingenuous for sure. The thing that I like about Appel is that he signed all of his Inception cards with a verse and used multiple verses; instead of just throwing out John 3:16 or the same verse as sort of a “calling card,” I count at least seven different verses on the cards listed on ebay.  To me that says he has invested some time in knowing and understanding what he is doing, and I will always appreciate that kind of thoughtfulness and care in an athlete.  

Card Value:

Here is the basic information about the market value of the card as seen on ebay and COMC.com.  

For eBay, there are five copies of the base version listed.  They range in asking price from $6.25 to 19.99.  My favorite listing has “Super Prospect! Astros” in the title; I definitely L-O-Led when I saw that.  It was definitely one of those moments where I wonder just how much attention some of these sellers pay to the product they are listing.  I realize there are tons of sellers out there with way too much product to give each listing individual attention, but that doesn’t I won’t laugh at something ridiculous like this.  And as for the parallels, you can get the /10 red parallel for only $179.99 or $149.99 right now!  

In the last three months on eBay, only 4 copies of the base version have sold, ranging from $2.30-$6.25.  One copy of the /75 blue parallel did sell for $5.99.  There was an auction that ended recently for the /25 Silver Signings Inception; the starting bid was only $5.27 but it had a reserve.  I would have liked to bid on the card but with no idea what the reserve was, there was no point.

On COMC.com, there are currently 17 copies of the base version available for purchase, with the cheapest going for $6.25 and the most expensive being $34.75. Since the card first came available on the site, there have been 32 sales, but I do not have access to the selling point prices as my History Points all expired on the site!

That’s it for this week!  Hopefully you liked the slightly different tone of the profile!  Going to try something a little different next week too!  Thanks!

As always, thanks a lot to Gibson Sports Memorabilia for their continued sponsorship! Please check out their inventory at:

www.gibsonsportsmemorabilia.com

@gibsonsportsmem

https://www.ebay.com/sch/gibsportsmem/m.html?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEFSXS%3AMESOI&_trksid=p2053788.m1543.l2654

2013 Bowman Inception Complete Set

Before I get into the completion of the 2013 Bowman Inception Set, I wanted to let you know that the blog has an official sponsor!  A big thanks to Gibson Sports Memorabilia for partnering with me on this project!  Please check out their inventory at:

www.gibsonsportsmemorabilia.com

@gibsonsportsmem

http://www.ebay.com/sch/gibsportsmem/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=

Ok, so even though I have not been able to write about cards over the last two months, I have still been collecting.  I am excited to show you the completed 2013 Bowman Inception set! It is almost completely filled with base versions, but the exceptions I made were very much acceptable in my book! 

A huge thanks to @lorivansanten and @odiegoat for their help in completing the set!  

Pictures of the set are below.  Let me know which cards you would like to see profiled soon!  

2013 and 2014 Jorge Bonifacio

 



It’s not often that you hear about a guy making his Major League debut almost 8 years after signing his first contract.  But that’s exactly what we have in Jorge Bonifacio.  I chose him because he was recently called up by the Royals for his first taste of the bigs, and because his first home run came off of Yu Darvish!  An added bonus is that Bonifacio has cards in 2013 and 2014 to compare! 

Player History:

[The information below was collected during April/May and does not reflect Bonifacio’s extended stay in the MLB and surprising success according to “experts”]

Jorge Bonifacio is the younger brother of Braves left fielder Emilio Bonifacio, and was signed by the Royals out of the Dominican Republic in 2009, when he was 16 years old.  Since then, he has given the Royals flashes of potential, but a lot of average baseball statistics.  

Bonifacio has been ranked anywhere from being the Royals No. 15 ranked prospect going into a season (2012), to their No. 4 ranked prospect (2013 and 2014).  Injuries have smothered break out years and he has had struggles, yet he has persisted and obviously done enough to earn a cup of coffee at least for now.  Here is a progression of comments by scouts and reviewers about Bonifacio over the last seven years:

• 2013: Raw tools suggest potential plus hitter but approach has to come along to allow that to manifest
• Generates plus bat speed and can really drive FB to all fields. Lacks hard contact on secondary pitches. Swing is line-drive oriented and lacks loft.
• Nothing really stands out 
• Potential MLB piece late in the 2015 season, but more likely 2016.

• 2015: 
• Bonifacio possesses above-average bat speed and laces the ball to all fields thanks to his combination of quick wrists and a line-drive stroke. 
• He shows the potential for a solid-average hit tool at maturity, though that will also depend on whether he can make swift adjustments in his approach. 
• batter’s power hasn’t emerged as many believed it would have by now, but there’s still some thump in his bat yet to be harvested.
• Bonifacio has a solid shot at developing into an average or better right-fielder at the big league level.

• 2016: Bonifacio’s swing is a little loud, but when he’s performing, scouts see a natural hitter with a direct bat path, while he looks out of sorts when he struggles

• 2017: Bonifacio’s calling card has long been his feel for contact which, despite evolving over the last two years, remains the most alluring aspect of his profile.

Jorge Bonifacio obviously has a strong feel for hitting a base ball, but does not seem to do anything great enough to merit consideration as a serious Major League contributor anymore. 

His Minor League career has spanned 728 games and 2751 at-bats.  He accumulated 737 hits (just over one per game) but also 660 strike outs (ouch).  

In seven games since his call-up, he has 7 hits (continuing his one-hit-per-game style) and five strikeouts, with the one home run coming off of Yu Darvish in his second game.  On the defensive side of the ball, he has played in Center Field and Right Field for the Royals, with eight successful put-outs in nine chances (with one error).  

So what will Bonifacio’s story look like at season’s end?  Will he continue to travel the path of “good but not great” and find a spot as an everyday contributor for the Royals?  Will his power finally unlock and combine with his above-average eye for the baseball to turn into something special?  I honestly don’t think so.  I believe that as long as Jorge Soler is injured or incapable of unlocking HIS potential, Bonifacio will have opportunities to put it all together.  I just don’t think it will happen in a spectacular enough fashion to warrant any big time opportunities for the young man.  He is still only 23 years old though.  Maybe he is still just a year away…

[Bonifacio is currently hitting .250 for the Royals with 23 RBI and 9 HRs]

Look of the Card:

As I believe I stated before, I love when a player has Inception cards across multiple years.  It adds the chance to compare and contrast as well as see a player’s physical changes (albeit captured in two or more single moments).

The 2013 card for Bonifacio is really intriguing to me, because it is one of the few that is not some sort of “action” shot.  I don’t know if the picture captures him in the on-deck circle, or stepping into the batter’s box or between pitches, but it’s obvious he is locked in on the pitcher. 

The scouts’ takes on Bonifacio suggest he has a real understanding of how to hit a baseball, and I submit that this picture show he is very much in the moment as he prepares to hit.  The look on his face suggests focus, concentration and mental preparedness.  And his body posture is one of controlled anticipation.  It’s like he knows he is about to get a hit and is just keeping calm and collected on the surface.  The way the bat is being loosely held in his does not betray any sort of anxiety; rather that he has confidence in what he is about to perform. 

Similar to the Cubs colors, the Royals colors look very good on the 2013 Inception.  The royal blue jersey on the cobalt background just really has an appealing look.  I like that he has his helmet on; the shine off the blue adds an intensity and depth that I don’t think would be there if it was a hat with it’s more muted reflection. 

I feel like Bonifacio’s signature on this edition of his card is one of the more fun and unique ones that I have noticed thus far.  It’s almost like a palindrome - it looks the same going forwards as backwards - which is not easy to pull of with a signature.  It is also reminiscent of a dollar sign, which may or may not be intentional (I would LOVE to know the truth about that!).   The 2014 signature is a little more wild, a little less tight, but he definitely did not change his approach between signing 2013 and 2014 cards.

The 2014 card overall is not as pleasing to the eye as the 2013, the white of the jersey just does not mesh with the background the way the 2013 jersey and background did.  But at least it still captures Bonifacio at what he does best: hitting.  

The 2014 card shows Bonifacio on the follow of a swing, his head obviously tracking the flight of the ball.  When I look at how his body is positioned, I want to watch the video of this specific swing to see how he ended up that way.  It’s very awkward looking to me the way he sort of bent over.  His tongue is half way sticking out his mouth too; I love little details like that on these cards! 

Overall, I like the look of both of Bonifacio’s cards.  2013 is definitely superior to 2014, but I have no qualms about either. 

Card Value:

[All of the information below was from research done in April/May and is not reflective of any recent trends in Bonifacio’s value]

Bonifacio is an example of why I really like collecting Inception.  It’s just really fun to be able to pick up on-card autographs of guys who do end up playing in the Majors for really cheap!  Here is the breakdown of the two cards of Bonifacio: 

	eBay Listings:	Sales	COMC Listings	COMC Sales
2013	$3.25-$14.99 (17)	$1.99-$3.70	$2.67-$7.25	63 sales up to $5.24
2014	$2.99-$15	$1.21-$3.77	$3.25-$10	60 sales up to $3.24

Updated Inception Needs

Now that the 2013 set is complete, I figured it could possibly help to post my needs from the 2014-2016 sets.  I am currently 9 cards away from finishing the 2014 set!  Unfortunately that list of needs includes names like Kris Bryant, Gary Sanchez, Francisco Lindor…and Aaron Judge.  Yikes.  If anyone feels like donating a card to help with the cause, dont’ be shy!  Just kidding friends.  

Here are my needs for each set:

As always, thanks a lot to Gibson Sports Memorabilia for their continued sponsorship! Please check out their inventory at:

www.gibsonsportsmemorabilia.com

@gibsonsportsmem

http://www.ebay.com/sch/gibsportsmem/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=