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Tuesday, January, 28, 2020
Can We Talk About the Price of Bowman Draft?
In the 2019 MLB Draft, the Texas Rangers selected Josh Jung out of Texas Tech with the #8 overall pick. For me this was huuuuge. Not only was Jung (pronounced "Young") a Red Raider, but I also call him a friend. Let me say here that I am not trying to portray Josh as my best friend or someone I hang out with every weekend. In other words, I don't clam to be close friends.
I met Josh and his parents during the summer of 2016. I was at my LCS in Lubbock when they came in. Both he and his father are collectors, so they were looking to see what the shop had. I struck up a conversation. He was in town visiting one last time before moving.
During the next three seasons, Josh would become perhaps the most decorated baseball player ever to play at Tech. He was Big XII Freshman of the Year, a Freshman All-American, and Second Team All-Big XII his freshman year. His sophomore year saw him become a Big XII first-teamer, an All-American, and a member of the Team USA Collegiate National Team. His junior year, Josh continued to bring in the awards. He was again named All-American and followed that up with the Big XII Co-Player of the Year. He won the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award, as well. To top it off, D1 Baseball named Jung the Big XII Player of the Decade.
So, it goes without saying that I planned to be a Jung super collector. Right away, I noticed competition for his cards. In early 2019 (well before the June MLB Draft, while Jung was still at Tech), Panini featured Jung in its Stars & Stripes, Donruss, and Contenders sets. Nothing went cheap. But nothing would compare to his Bowman Draft prices.
Needless to say, I don't have a single Bowman Draft card featuring Jung. I don't know when or if I will get any, either.
But let's not sulk. Instead, I appreciate what I do have. Let's take a look at a few.
I'm a big fan of the Stars & Stripes cards. And sorry for not going into a lot of detail...I just realized it's almost 7 am. I've got to get ready for work.
Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone is well!
