• Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
  • Hot on Ebay
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Hottest Topps Living Set Auctions on eBay
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Nolan Ryan Cards
      • T206 Cards
      • 1952 Topps Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Stephen Curry Cards
    • Most Watched Football Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Soccer Cards
      • Panini World Cup Stickers
    • Rookie Cards
    • PSA 10 Cards
    • Sports Autographs
    • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
  • Search 268X60

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

Top Mobile

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
    • What’s Hot in the Shop
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Sports Card News / Modern Sports Card News / Baseball Myths: Invest in 27 Year Olds?

Top Banner 486X60

Baseball Myths: Invest in 27 Year Olds?

February 26, 2013 By Eamonn Donlyn

no27Ah, to be the ripe age of 27 again.  If you are an athlete, the 27th year of your life is a very important and momentous one.  The body is in prime condition, and combined with just enough experience is set to reach full potential, creating a mythical age for athletic performance.

And of course, we can blame baseball for this article.  (And so many other things).  When it comes to superstitions, myths, trends, statistics, anomalies, or any other words you can think of to describe obscure and random things to believe in…baseball has it all.

As collectors, we like to consider ourselves the ‘nerds of the nerds’ in baseball terms, with probably fantasy baseball diehards the only ones to rival baseball card aficionados.

For the ‘age 27 is the breakout year’ maybe it is best to blame Bill James and his 1982 Baseball Abstract, where he stated that “both pitchers and non-pitchers attain their greatest aggregate value at the age of 27.”   Spoken like the purest of baseball nerds, and words that fantasy baseball players live and die by.

But unlike fantasy gamers, rather than use some sort of statistical measurement that we recently made up (don’t get me started on W.A.R), we’ll just talk about a few players entering their prime that might be worth gobbling up before the season begins, regardless of their age.

HomerBailey
Is Bailey’s star ready to shine and reward those patient collectors?

First up, you’d think that this Reds starting pitcher is probably 30 years old by now, but surprisingly he is just 26 years of age.  Yep, that’s right, tops on the ‘breakout players to buy’ list is the soon-to-be 27 year-old Homer Bailey.

Forever maligned in collector circles as a first-round bust, Bailey hit the headlines late last season with a no-hitter, followed up by a one-hit, 10 strikeout performance in the playoffs.  The 2004 first rounder finally showed some consistency over the year, with a career-high 13 wins in a career-high 33 starts with a career-low 3.68 ERA.  We’ll understand those of you who aren’t buying in just yet, but finding a couple of signed rookies cheap might not be the worst idea.

Scherzer
Scherzer is poised for stardom this season

Along similar lines, many would say it is too obvious to add Max Scherzer to the list, as it could be said he has already had his breakout.  With 2 straight seasons over 15 wins, Scherzer now has now over 4 full seasons under his belt.  But he’s included here because he is on the verge of becoming one of the elite pitchers in the game, taking that ‘next’ step.  Overshadowed by his teams ace, Justin Verlander, Scherzer struck out 231 batters last season, 2nd in the league only to none other than Mr. Verlander himself.  In the 2nd half of last season, Scherzer’s line was one of the best in baseball, posting a 2.69 ERA, with a 1.15 WHIP, and a .229 opponents batting average.

At age 28, Scherzer has the opportunity to quietly rise into the upper echelon and into Cy Young talk alongside his teammate, and his cards are still quite reasonable at the moment.  Find some deals among these Scherzer rookie cards, and you won’t have to kick yourself at the end of the year.

2013 might be Justin Smoak’s last chance to breakout in Seattle

Another player more similar to Bailey than Scherzer,  is 26 year-old Justin Smoak, the Seattle Mariners first baseman.  A promising career .283 hitter in the minor leagues, Smoak has amassed over 1,200 big league at-bats but has disappointed by hitting at a lowly .223 clip.  He did manage 19 home runs in 132 games in 2012, showing the potential that the Texas Rangers saw when they drafted him in the 2008 first round.

Although the Mariners aren’t the highest spenders in the league, the additions of Raul Ibanez and Jason Bay should supply Smoak with just enough protection to give him a chance to reach his full potential.  With his cards at rock bottom prices, it is small investment that could pay major dividends this season.

Carter may 'power' the Astros move to the AL
Carter may ‘power’ the Houston Astros move to the AL

Chris Carter is another 26 year-old power prospect that had fallen off most radars before last year.  Carter belted 170 home runs in the minor leagues since 2005 as a Oakland prospect, but until last season had yet to really get much of an opportunity at the major league level.  In just 67 games in 2012 for the A’s, Carter hit 16 homers to go with 39 RBI.  The Astros thought enough of that performance to trade Jed Lowrie away for Carter and a couple prospects, adding a power bat as they move to the American League.

Carter will apparently play some DH and even outfield to make sure he gets into the lineup enough, with Carlos Pena and Brett Wallace in competition at first as well.  This situation should provide Carter with the opportunity he needs, and while he’s too old to likely be Hall of Fame material,  his cards can be found in the bargain basement at the moment and he could have fans and local dealers on the hunt for rookie autos if he breaks out.

Gyorko has major power potential for a 2nd baseman
Gyorko has major power potential for a 2nd baseman – grab him now while you can

The breakout stars seem to get younger every year, bucking the ‘magical age of 27’ trend.  Although not sleepers, just behind Mike Trout and Bryce Harper are budding young stars such as Manny Machado, Anthony Rizzo, Salvador Perez, Matt Moore and Will Myers.  All have the chance to take that next step in 2013 and are worth grabbing when value is available, but most people are targeting them.

Another player to keep an eye on as well is Jedd Gyorko, the Padres standout prospect at 2nd base.  Last year, Gyorko batted .311 with 30 homers and 100 RBI in the minors, showing why the Padres might just keep him in the minors until May of this year, to preserve another year in arbitration.  When he finally does get his chance in the bigs (which still could happen out of spring training), he might just never leave.

There are many players rising through the ranks, and it is tough to slide young talent past die-hard collectors nowadays.  But it is more of a matter guessing when the future stars reach their potential, and while they aren’t all turning the mythical age of 27, the bet is that the ones on this list will be worth an investment by the end of 2013.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Digg

Related Stories:

No related stories.

Bottom Mobile

Bottom Banner 336X280

Filed Under: Modern Sports Card News

Left #1 200X50

What\\\

Left #2 200X150

Left #3 200X150

Right #1 160X240

Memory Lane

Right #2 160X240

Left #4 160X600

Right #3 160X600

  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

Right #4 – 160X240

Bargain Corner

  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $100
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards Currently Under $5
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards Currently Under $5
  • Pre-1980 Graded Basketball Cards $5 and Less
  • Pre-1980 Graded Hockey Cards $5 and Less
  • Complete Sets Under $10 with Free Shipping
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30
  • Rookie Cards Under $1

RSS Auction Report

  • Iconic Auctions February 23, 2019 Autographs & Memorabilia Auction In Progress
  • Bid Now On The Current Weekly Sunday Auction by EvansArchive on eBay
  • Landmark Mystery Fiction Collection of Otto Penzler Offered by Heritage Auctions in March 6 Rare Books Auction
  • Clemente’s 1972 All-Star Ring, His Final Baseball Award, To Be Sold in Mile High Card Company March Auction


Categories

  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Library of College Football
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Old Hockey Card Sets
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Shopping
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia
    • Around the Hobby
    • Sports Memorabilia News
  • What's Hot in the Shop

Sponsor Links

  • Buying Vintage Sports Cards
  • Game Used Jerseys
  • Every Athlete Autograph Event
  • 1952 Topps Baseball
  • Championship Rings For Sale
  • Vintage Basketball Cards
  • NBA Signed Items
  • Signed Sports Memorabilia
  • UFC Memorabilia
  • Autographed Baseballs
  • NASCAR Autographs
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cards
  • Player Pictures
  • Vintage Football Cards
  • Sports Card Boxes
  • Sports Collectors Store

Left #5 200X50

Sports Card Forum

Pages

  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 20 Hottest Barry Sanders Football Cards
  • 2016 Cubs Replica Championship Rings Don’t Cost a Fortune
  • 2017 Topps Definitive Collection Box Breaks, Most Watched
  • 50 Hottest Kareem Hunt Rookie Cards
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • About Us/Contact/Advertise
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Affordable Vintage Sports Cards and Collectibles
  • Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Best Derek Jeter Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Best Display Cabinets for Sports Memorabilia
  • Best Joey Votto Rookie Cards
  • Current Most Watched Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Eagles Super Bowl Champions Memorabilia Guide
  • Fanatics Under Wraps 2017 Next Level Edition Autographed Baseballs
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Great Gifts for Cubs Fans
  • Guide to 2018-19 Clemson Tigers National Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to Houston Astros Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Memorabilia
  • Hank Aaron Cards on eBay
  • Henrik Lundqvist Rookie Cards a Strong Long-Term Play
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Hottest Lonzo Ball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini World Cup Stickers on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Hottest Topps Living Set Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest Topps NOW Cards on eBay
  • Hottest UFC Relic Cards
  • Hottest Xander Bogaerts Rookie Cards
  • LeBron James Lakers Jerseys Already Available
  • Links
  • Mickey Mantle Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
    • Hottest Michael Jordan Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Patriots Super Bowl 51 Champions Merchandise
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Test
  • The 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Kris Bryant Auto Saga: A Timeline
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top Selling Patriots Super Bowl Championship Items
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
  • What’s Hot on eBay
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Write About Your Sports Collection

Copyright © 2019 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Genesis Web Design by Wickam Group