[Odyssey]

Any thought on wood and Bethancourt?

Yup, avoid them unless you are going to collect them as PC. Wood has shown he's a good player but I don't believe he's an Ace. Minor, Beachy, Hanson, Medlen, Jurrjens, Delgado, Kawakami, Jo-Jo Reyes.. remember those guys?

All of them were highly touted out of our system and most of them had a few good seasons but where are they now? Only Minor is still on our team but he's visiting Dr. James Andrews to have his shoulder looked at. And I only named starters, don't even get me started on some of our Bullpen guys we brought up and overused.

If you want to look at guys who have potential to be everyday players then look outside of our organization. Bethancourt is more of a defensive Catcher. He won't put up sexy hitting numbers like Posey. Even after winning 3 titles and numerous other awards take a look at Poseys BV. You will be amazed how low it is and he's probably the best overall backstop in the game.

Just my opinion but if you are going after prospects then you will need to mix it up a lot if you want to trade with most people on here. Having a good Braves collection will be appealing to people like myself, Buckles, and Vintage Collector but you probably won't get too many people sending you offers if you don't have a good variety.

[Dub24rollin]

I like to use the BCW Trading Card Dividers "Tall". They work great! I wanted something neater and these do it for me. They are neat and sturdy. They come in packs of 10. Here is some links to some on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-BCW-White-Pla...20f6bbe1f5

http://www.ebay.com/itm/150-BCW-White-Pl...5b0d7439b9

[petillo64]

I like to use the BCW Trading Card Dividers "Tall". They work great! I wanted something neater and these do it for me. They are neat and sturdy. They come in packs of 10. Here is some links to some on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-BCW-White-Pla...20f6bbe1f5

http://www.ebay.com/itm/150-BCW-White-Pl...5b0d7439b9

Just curious. Are these the ones that are barely over the top loaders by an inch or so? Or does the tall extend to be visible among graded cards?

[redsoxfan1534]

Yup, avoid them unless you are going to collect them as PC. Wood has shown he's a good player but I don't believe he's an Ace. Minor, Beachy, Hanson, Medlen, Jurrjens, Delgado, Kawakami, Jo-Jo Reyes..

All of them were highly touted out of our system and most of them had a few good seasons but where are they now? Only Minor is still on our team but he's visiting

Jair Jurrjens was fast as all get out! I remember my brother telling me how he was the fastest player on the Braves for quite along time. But, alas, speed does not make a pitcher great

[joba the clark]

Taijuan Walker....his stuff sells pretty cheap and he has been compared to Felix Hernandez but with better stuff. I also like Aaron Sanchez, Yordano Ventura, Danny Hultzen. I also think the biggest bargain right now is Anthony Rendon. He is on his way to becoming a superstar and on the Nationals he is going to stand out in the hobby. Also a little older guy that is starting live up to his potential is Ben Revere. Drafted in 2007 in the first round he had huge expectations and the has hit around or above .300 for the past few years and his cards are dirt cheap.

[jonathani]

For dividers I use blank index cards cut to fit. The name of the "section" pops above the cards, and the dividers don't get smashed in a box with the lid on. Also, they are very easily changed.

[Dub24rollin]

Just curious. Are these the ones that are barely over the top loaders by an inch or so? Or does the tall extend to be visible among graded cards?

They are the ones that extend just over the top loaders.

[petillo64]

I only "prospect" for the fun of it. If I make a dime or two I can put towards some other cards, then awesome! The prospect aspect of collecting has gotten me heavily into following both the minor leagues and college baseball... Even 18u USA baseball! Researching/buying prospects makes me a bigger baseball fan and is a lot of fun, which is the heart of why I collect. That being said, I will never be a good "prospector" because after following players for a while, I become attached to my cards (unless they're on my A's, and then Beane trades them to the Red Sox or Yankees).

The whole prospecting thing is crazy. I refuse to pay more for a Bowman Chrome card of a random top 100 than a well-established MLB star. In order to make money at "prospecting" you need to sell right on call up, or most times, before call-up at the peak of "prospect hype". Few, if any, will retain their value after the hype dies down, even if they have a very impressive debut in the bigs. A goldschmidt bowman chrome auto could be had for $55 in the off-season, meanwhile Alex Jackson '14 Bowman Chrome autos were going for more. Jackson cards will increase in value if he crushes the minors, but unless he is the second coming of Trout, they will take a hit once he reaches the bigs (see just about every non-trout player as a reference).

I do a lot of what Odyssey is talking about. I look through scouting reports and make my own judgments. My favorite things to look for in hitters are advanced plate approaches (k/bb ratio), high contact, the fielding ability to stick at a premium position, and the potential for future pop (current pop ='s too high of prices). Pitchers are too risky, so I only pick up a few of them.

I personally like the players like you are talking about, Wood and Bethancourt. Both have the potential to be all-stars for years to come... Bethancourt has a lot of work to do with the bat, and Wood needs to show he can do what he did last year over a full year of starting and 200+ innings on a regular basis though, which is a hard thing to do when their delivery is labelled as funky/irregular.

I'm done buying anything prospectish for a while... Focusing on my PC's... But as mentioned above, Taijuan walker has huge potential as a pitcher. Needs to stay injury free and refine the command, but what young pitcher doesn't?

There are a bunch of others I like, but one prospect I have a stash of and am cheering on throughout the minors is the Astros' 29th ranked prospect Danry Vasquez. Young kid out of Venezuela, and a former #4 prospect in the Tigers system and has gotten sort of lost in the pool of talent the Astro's have. Went .290/5 hr's over a full-season at high-a ball last year as a 20 year old. Seems to be getting better in his approach. His 5 homers came in two different games lol. The kid is as skinny as a rail, but wiry. If he ever fills out, or learns to put the screws on the ball the way he did in those two games, watch out lol! Probably a longshot to crack the bigs, but if I can pick up his BC Orange autos for $25, and get a lot of entertainment out of rooting him on, then why the heck not!?

[redsoxfan1534]

I only "prospect" for the fun of it. If I make a dime or two I can put towards some other cards, then awesome! The prospect aspect of collecting has gotten me heavily into following both the minor leagues and college baseball... Even 18u USA baseball! Researching/buying prospects makes me a bigger baseball fan

This is the way I look at it. Prospecting brings you closer to the game! It makes you want to tune into every spring training game, looking at the guy you chose to collect and smiling to yourself once he hits a homer.(And possibly gloating to friends that you knew he was going to be a great player before he turned out to be one) I don't look at it for money, I look at it for fun. I personally check stats at least once a week during the season just to check in on the guys who I have cards of. Watch out for Tyler Goeddel for the Rays! HaHa

[Odyssey]

This is the way I look at it. Prospecting brings you closer to the game! It makes you want to tune into every spring training game, looking at the guy you chose to collect and smiling to yourself once he hits a homer.(And possibly gloating to friends that you knew he was going to be a great player before he turned out to be one) I don't look at it for money, I look at it for fun.

Agreed 100%. Doing research on prospects is one of the few times its enjoyable and doesn't feel like work. I'm no Billy Beane but it does feel like a win when you see guys you follow breakout. I think that's the biggest reason I enjoy prospecting.