Will Manny Ramirez's performance-enhancing substance suspension affect his cards?
According to a Los Angeles Times report, Major League Baseball will announce today that Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez will be suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
While the test may be tied to a medical condition (as he’s expected to say later today), the perceptions within the hobby may well be that he’s just another tainted player from an era where stars who put up legendary numbers are shrouded in clouds of controversy.
Guilty or not, more than a few fans have probably already made up their minds and associated him with known cheaters and those mired in controversy regarding their reputations and their statistics from the field.
In the case of Ramirez, who has rubbed many a fan the wrong way in the past — “Just Manny Being Manny” — as much as he’s carried teams, there may not be a long way for his cards to drop, particularly his Rookie Cards, as many of them were produced during a time of overproduction and market saturation. In other words, the demand will inevitably never exceed the supply.
The items that will inevitably take the biggest hits are his autographs and his rarer cards. Ramirez-signed baseballs sell for approximately $100-250 — an undoubtedly expensive option for collectors considering prices on Hall of Fame players. (And his signature, well, it could be more visually appealing.)
Ramirez has 8,709 cards listed in the Beckett.com database, but only eight of those are RCs and only one is priced at more than $10 high book value. Not exactly legendary numbers worthy of a 500 home run club member:
1992 Bowman #532, $15
1992 Donruss Rookies #98, $4
1992 Pinnacle #295, $4
1992 Score #800, $4
1992 Stadium Club Dome #146, $8
1992 Topps #156, $5
1992 Topps Micro #156, $1.50
1992 Upper Deck #63, $4
Ramirez’s most valuable early card is a 1991 Front Row Draft Picks Autograph card limited to 1,900 copies. It’s worth $40.
So, really, will this hurt Ramirez’s image — and particularly the Dodgers’ season — if he’s out until July 3?
Undoubtedly.
But with many of his cards — ones that many collectors would consider to be undervalued for a player of his past successes — there really isn’t that much farther to fall.
Chris Olds has collected sports cards and memorabilia since 1987. Before coming to Beckett Media, he wrote about the hobby for the Orlando Sentinel on his blog, SportsStuff, and for the San Antonio Express-News and The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News. Do you have a comment, question or idea? Send e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com.
Sad day for Baseball as a whole and especially Dodger fans. If you’re a Giants fan or an NL West rival you’re stoked.
Manny Ramirez stock has already plummeted nearly 30% today.
Scott Boras’ headache must be epic right now…