2015 Allen & Ginter Part 1- Autographs and Relics

I will put up a few posts this week showing off my Allen & Ginter cards.  I know I am a little late to the party, but this is always a really fun product.  We have now had Allen & Ginter for ten years and it is definitely a fixture in the world of baseball cards.  I still remember my first box of Allen & Ginter I opened back in 2006.  Great box of cards.  This year I picked up my box from Big D's in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Here are my autographs and relic cards from the box:

First up today is my autograph.  There are some great names on the autograph checklist in this set, so always hopeful to pull something good, Dilson Herrera might seem like a little bit of a disappointment.  However, Herrera is still just 21 and has proven himself as a good player at every level outside of the Majors.  Most of his at-bats have come at Triple A this year and is hitting .340 with an on-base percentage close to .400.  Maybe he will never do that for the Mets, but he's still a good prospect.  I love the look of this autograph with the blue frame, the blue ink on the autograph, and the blue in the Mets jersey.  Looks really nice.

Two relic cards:

This was my first relic out of my box.  I like Aaron Sanchez.  I have seen him pitch a few times in the minors and really liked him as a player.  I am not sure if he is ever going to be a front of the line pitcher, but should still be a pretty solid performer.  This is a pretty ho hum card, everyone loves the framed relic cards.  Next...

I really like this card.  I almost wish that Topps had scrapped the relic cards in the design of the Sanchez card and gone with the framed relic cards and this 10th Anniversary look.  Topps has done a lot of horizontal cards over the years in Allen & Ginter and this relic piece looks nice.  I like the die cut job around the relic piece and the framed picture of the player on the right hand side of the card.  Just a nice looking card.  I am going to go find a Cardinals card in this style, probably asking to much for there to be a Rays card.  

A Dollar You Say?

I am often left scratching my head at the prices of cards.  There is a lot of speculation that goes into determining the card prices of some of the younger players, but do collectors actually follow up and watch these guys play games?  I could find a ton of collectors who have spent hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on Kris Bryant cards, but how many of them actually have taken the time to watch him play a whole game?  

Luckily the speculation surrounding young players is a two way street.  As often as I am left scratching my head at people who spend thousands on a player like Kris Bryant, not to say he won't be good-I would not spend that sort of money on most Trout cards, I am equally as baffled when there are really good young players who don't sell at all.  

For example, I am a pretty big fan of Blue Jays prospect Aaron Sanchez.  I have heard the same tired argument about him for the past year which include:

1. He's pitched in the Minors for five years and has only won 18 games
2. His career ERA is almost 3.50
3. He's on the Blue Jays
4. Norris and Stroman are better

All of these are really silly and I do not care about any of them.  Depending on the source, Aaron Sanchez is a top 20-30 prospect in all of baseball.  Throughout his Minor League career he has almost averaged a strikeout per inning, and despite not winning many games, has pitched very well throughout his journey to the Majors.  In fact, I love Marcus Stroman, but I like Aaron Sanchez more.  Sorry Marcus.  Norris, maybe not.  

The Blue Jays currently have the talented right hander pitching out of the bullpen where he has appeared in 22 games, pitched 30 innings, and has a great ERA of 1.19.  Oh, and his ERA+ is 334, FIP is 2.70, and WHIP is 0.692.  I'm not sure he's going to make it with those numbers.  

Collectors are still sleeping on this guy.  My latest pick up is a copy of the Aaron Sanchez 2014 Topps Chrome autograph.  

The best part about getting this card, as the title suggests, is the price.  One dollar is a bargain for any autograph, but especially for a guy who has the potential to be something pretty good.  Stop sleeping on this guy, go out and pick up a copy of these for your collection.