I have very few card collections given my limited resources and space, but I did decide some time ago to begin collecting on-card Royals autographs. It’s been a blast so far trying to track these things down and this is the latest addition to my collection. To view the cards currently in the collection, take a look at the Gallery or the other posts in this series. I’m working on getting a legit want list together on my trade page but, in the meantime, if you have any on-card Royals autos that it looks like I don’t have, don’t hesitate to drop me a line!
Take a knee, Jeremy. Take a knee.
About 100 years ago, Topps released a so-called high end set called Topps Marquee. There were two cards I cared about from it and I worried (given it’s high retail price) that I would struggle to afford them.
I had no need to worry. Marquee sank like a revival movie house (going for a “marquee” thing there… apologies) and I was able to pick up their two strange Royal sections for less than $4 shipped a piece. Jeremy Jeffress came over with Alcides Escobar in the Greinke trade and he had some nice looking autos in 2011 Bowman Chrome. I’ve got lots of them. Also very cheap. I got to see Jeremy warming up for the AAA Omaha StormChasers when I visited my sister there last summer. I’ve got pictures I meant to post but damn if I’m not the laziest blogger this side of SlothBlog. (Not a real site. But the domain is available for $1400 if someone wants to cash in on unassailably-cute videos of sloths in pajamas.) Jeffress has a good start going for him at AAA in 2012 but it looks like his actual starting days may be over. Which means he’ll probably never get another auto because relievers get no love.
Lighten up, Francis.
This guy’s a starter though. Once a top prospect and, indeed, a top pitcher for the Rockies, Jeff Francis is also starting in AAA this year. For the Louisville Bats in the Reds organization. His one year contract with the Royals last year did not go well. He pitched to a 6-16 record with a WHIP approaching 1.5. But Topps thought highly enough of him to put him in a high class baseball card set, much to early buyers of said set’s chagrin. I’d rather it was Bruce Chen… not that anyone else would rather such a thing.
Marquee was a big time dud but Topps snagged the Museum Collection auto subset from it and gave it its own release, now enjoying great success in both the primary and secondary market. That set’s got Moustakas, Salvador Perez and stupid flippin’ Eric Hosmer in it which means I’m out a bunch of cash. Maybe Francis will turn it around and I can sell this puppy at a wicker profit to fund some of those purchases! Oh wait, they made 570 of them? Ugh. Nevermind.
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