Clayton Kershaw starts tonight against the New York Mets, freshly minted signing deal now out of the way.
After a stellar debut, 20 year-old Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Clayton Kershaw is a hot commodity for fantasy baseball owners–and sports memorabilia companies and collectors.
New York-based Steiner Sports announced an exclusive collectibles agreement with the curve-balling left-hander this week. Prices range from $99 for an autographed photo to $169 for autographed Dodger caps, all of which are already for sale on the company’s website.
A native of Dallas, Texas, Kershaw made his major league debut May 25 with a seven strikeout performance in six innings against St. Louis. He joins the likes of Derek Jeter, Tony Hawk, Franco Harris, Joe Torre and Sandy Koufax among the lengthy list of Steiner exclusive athletes.
Kershaw attended Highland Park High School and established himself as an elite high-school prospect in 2006 when he posted a 13-0 record with an ERA of 0.77, and recorded 139 strikeouts in 64 innings. He was selected by USA Today as "High School Baseball Player of the Year" and was also the "Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year." Entering the 2006 MLB Draft, Kershaw was considered the top high-schooler available. The Dodgers selected Kershaw with the 7th pick in the draft.
"We are thrilled to announce Clayton as the latest of many young, promising athletes joining the Steiner family," said Steiner Sports Executive Vice President, Chris Amoroso. "His tremendous potential should excite collectors from coast-to-coast."
Kershaw wore number 54 in his big league debut, but that jersey is destined to be a collector’s item. He’s switching to #22.