First Draft

I've started another writing project at the behest of my mother and others who insist that I have talent for such a thing. It's exciting in a way, but the problem I've had is that the ideas come to me at all hours. Doesn't matter if I'm trying to work or trying to sleep - if I get an idea I have to jot it down or I'll lose it.

As a result I'm trying to wrap up my TCDB trades and hit 'pause' on that site for a while. Unfortunately none of my pending PWEs arrived over the weekend. Fortunately I did get one PWE of note. Kevin, the Diamond King, recently hosted a Card Draft. This was the first time I participated in such an event and it was a lot of fun.

Each of the eight participants sent in a PWE of nine cards and TDK randomized the order of selection. We were asked to submit a pick list to rank the cards in order of preference (in case we could not attend) and I landed six of my top eight targets.

 

In the first round I had the 6th pick. There was one card that I was certain would be a top three pick and if it had dropped to me at six I might have claimed it. Laurens grabbed it at #4 so I stuck with my top priority, this Ke'Bryan Hayes Topps Chrome refractor RC. 

Hayes might end up being a superstar in the coming years. Or maybe his ceiling is as a decent player who earns a couple All-Star Game appearances because the Pirates don't have anyone better. Either way, it's a sharp looking rookie card of a young player with some upside.

The second round snaked around and I picked third, giving me two picks in the top nine. With my second choice long gone I claimed my third priority, this color-matching Skip Schumaker autograph:

The third round required some forward thinking. The snake-style draft order didn't come back to me until pick #20. There was another autograph on my want list but I claimed a card that probably wouldn't have been around much longer:

Mike Piazza isn't one of my favorite people but I can't resist a Prizm parallel. Plus catcher cards always hide the lack of licensing.

In between my third and fourth picks one of the cards I offered up got claimed by gcrl - which made me happy. I was starting to worry that my contributions were subpar.

At pick #24 I landed the second auto on my draft board: a 1996 Leaf Signature Reggie Jefferson card.

There didn't appear to be any other Red Sox fans in the draft but I could not risk letting that one go until the fifth round. Especially because I didn't pick again until the 35th selection. By then Laurens had claimed another card I had my eye on.

My fourth-highest priority was still available, but it was not a baseball card and I made the assumption that everyone else was focusing on baseball. My sixth-highest priority was a card that I knew wouldn't last long (similar to my #2 want) and so I selected the "best player available", Ken Griffey Jr.:

I had a hunch that this went unclaimed because it appears to be a 1994 Fleer base card. However the lack of gold lettering will indicate that it is a Sunoco oddball.

Two of the next four cards claimed were from the PWE I supplied, which helped me land my fourth priority:

I finally have an Ice Trae NBA single; the only Young single in my collection was a Panini Contenders college card.

With the sixth pick in the seventh round I selected this color-matching Alex Cobb Fire parallel:

I could have got more 'value' picking a Steve Carlton or Derek Jeter base card but I liked this one better. Both of those singles were gone by the time my eighth-round pick came up. I threw out my "big board" and picked Paul DeJong.

This is a short print, and the Cardinals are a popular team. Perhaps I'll add it to my TCDB trade list.

As the end of the draft approached I had a tough decision to make. Two of my wants were still on the board, along with a nice numbered parallel that looked interesting. One pick ahead of me Nick claimed the Jose Abreu Topps Chrome so I quickly grabbed this Shaun Alexander Prism single:

  

Nick saved me a lot of time I would have wasted trying to decide between two similarly-valued cards.

I was very happy with my draft, and Elliptical Man gave me a great draft grade as well. Most importantly I had fun, and I think everyone went home with some nice new cards for their collection.

If I get to participate again I will certainly try to contribute better cards. One-third of my PWE went unclaimed.


Kevin, thanks again for hosting the Card Draft!



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