Sunday, May 18, 2014

Blue Border Binder Beauties #7 - 2014 Bowman Edition

I'm a hypocrite. I admit it. Bowman is EVERYTHING I complain about. Excessive serial #'s, overpriced autographs of minor leaguers, too many parallels, etc.. Despite that, I'm addicted. Why? I don't know for sure. Part of it is the ingenious packs configuration. At least one out of every two packs will deliver a shiny insert or a parallel. The minor "hits" aren't worth much, but they make you feel like you're doing alright and aren't wasting money. That's part of it. 

For me, the biggest reason is that Bowman (as in regular Bowman, not Bowman Platinum, Draft, Sterling, etc.) is the closest thing to traditional baseball cards other than Topps flagship. The pictures aren't fancy, they provide a good face shot, the borders aren't too distracting and are generally pretty nice. The best part is the card backs. They're divided into three rows: Resume, Skills and Up Close. You get some info on their background, a small scouting report and some fun facts. What more could you ask for? I don't go nuts for the prospects, but it is fun to hoard base cards and look back through them after a while to see if any made it to the show. 

The best part of Bowman? Duh. The Blue Border Beauties!!!

Card #16




Can it be Upgraded?: Yes
What's to Love?: That ball looks likes it flattening out. Is it a camera trick? It's pretty neat. Starlin Castro appears in the BBBBinder several times. He's photogenic and Cubs colors always look good on BBB's.

Card #59



Can it be Upgraded?: No
What's to Love?: I love that this is an Alex Gordon card. Every card that is an Alex Gordon card is a card that I love because it is a baseball card featuring my favorite player, #4 Alex Gordon of the Kansas City Royals. 

Card #81



Can it be Upgraded?: Maybe
What's to Love?: CONSTIPATION FACE and the color combo


Card #85



Can it be Upgraded?: No
What's to Love?: The American League is packed full of good rookies this year. Abreu, Bogaerts, Tanaka, etc.. The best one is Yordano Ventura. If you haven't watched this kid pitch then you're doing yourself a disservice. During his first start of the year, Ventura hit 102.9 MPH on his FB. Can you believe that? To top that off, he has an insane curve that drops like a hammer and comes in 20 MPH slower than his FB. As his command improves and he settles down, he's slowly bringing that FB down to a measly range of 96-97 MPH. He throws fire.

Card #132



 Can it be Upgraded?: Maybe
What's to Love?: Here's another tantalizing rookie that isn't getting the attention he deserves. After a slow start, Hamilton is coming around at the plate. His plate discipline needs some major help, but he's made decent contact of late. The real show begins when Billy gets on base. He'll be an exciting player to watch develop.

Card #154



Can it be Upgraded?: Maybe
What's to Love?: Martin Prado doesn't excite me, but 90's era Diamondbacks uniforms do.

Card #168



Can it be Upgraded?: Probably not
What's to Love?: Damn I love Mike Trout. As I mentioned on episode 1.1 of CBN, the MLB needs to get their crap together and market this guy. He should reach Mickey Mantle levels of popularity. He's in a big market, he's white and handsome, he's likable, he's fast, he's strong, he shines on camera and his reputation is squeaky clean. Step it up MLB! 

Disclaimer: None of these were pack pulled by me. I've acquired around 100 2014 Bowman BBB's so far through buying them in bulk on Ebay. If you have any you'd like to trade or sell, hit me up!

1 comment:

  1. Man, I need to make a point to watch this Ventura kid. Thanks for reminding me that I haven't seen him pitch yet!

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