About That "Passing" On Bowman Platinum.... *puig*

Look, I believe in 2nd chances.  It's why I still agreed to marry the lovely wife after finding out she used to make a living stealing cards and instead of going to college, she spent her 20's travelling with the circus.

It's the reason I still consider The Lost Collector to be a friend after finding out that he used to... oh I can't even bring myself to writing the words.  Trust me,  it was bad. 

Yes, I believe in 2nd chances, so I decided to buy some more Bowman Platinum, even though I did put in writing that I didn't like it and wouldn't buy anymore.

I guess having a great big forgiving heart worked out for me *puig*.  Here was what was in the first value pack:

Boom.  I collect Wil Myers cards because I was on the same field as Wil Myers once during a minor league game.  That's all the reason I need dammit.

 

 

Cool.  Not only did I get the purple refractor, I got the plain old base card too.  Did I mention I was once on the field at the same time as Wil Myers?



 

 

Yes!  All you need to know about Joey Gallo is that he hit 40 homers in the minors this year.  And he's 19 years old.

And the pack also yielded a couple of other nice cards of Tavares and Profar.  So that was a great pack and put Platinum back in my favor. 

But the next pack was even better *puig*.

 

Who knows if Lewis Brinson will make it to the Show, but apparently, he's a 5 tool prospect and had a good year this year in the Rangers minor league system.  I was happy to get this.

 

 



In my previous post about Platinum, I mentioned my dissappointment with these "ice" parallels.  They still aren't great looking, but I'll take whatever Yu Darvish cards I can get.

Yes!  Another cool Joey Gallo card!  Remember- 40 HRS/ 19 Years Old.

I'm a big fan of this sapphire blue rookie reprint set, so this was welcome too. 

So if this had been all I got from the 2nd value pack,  I would have been satisfied.  As I started opening the last pack, my only "complaint" was that I had opened 5 of these value packs and hadn't hit a Puig card yet.  I haven't hit a Puig in anything I've opened yet, and that kind of sucks.  I want to partake in Puig-mania too!

But, I kid you not, on the last pack I opened this beauty fell out:

Thank you cardboard gods!

I know the smart thing to do would be to sell this while Puig-mania is still going strong.  But knowing my luck, as more Puig cards hit the market, this one would tank in value right as my sale of it ended on eBay.  Plus, I figure the most I would likely get would be $40 or $50.  So I'm pretty sure I'll just hang on to it and hope he continues to be a star. 

Ranger Prospect Autos

I know not everyone does, but I kind of enjoy playing the prospect lottery game.  It's fun to go back through my Bowman cards that are a couple of years old and dig out players that have made it to the Show.  For me, it's equally cool to find players that I've been able to see play here locally in the AA Texas League, either for the Naturals, or even better, the Rangers AA team in Frisco when they come to town.

I picked up a couple of guys who I don't expect to see at AA this year, but likely will next season.  Both are considered high ceiling players with decent chances of reaching the Majors.

Joey Gallo will be playing in the Futures game this All Star weekend break.  He's considered Texas's best power prospect and has 80 power.  I don't know what 80 power means, but it's good.

Lewis Brinson is an athletic, toolsy prospect that is having a pretty solid season at Class A Hickory.  I see his name mentioned in a lot of trade rumors, so there is a better than average chance that if he makes it to the Show, he makes it with a team other than the Rangers. 

I guess the same could be said for Gallo, or most any other prospect.  And I'm always good with trading prospects for proven players.  If these guys do get through this season without being part of a trade package, I'm hoping to see them both play at the AA level next season in person.  In fact, there is a boatload of top prospects at the A level right now that have Rangers fans excited about the long term future of the team.