Me and Julio Down By The Colorful and Shiny Schoolyard

I submitted a pair of Julio Urias non-standard Bowman Chrome cards for grading prior to leaving PSA. Neither card was anything major but the grading price was right and both cards are scarce due to lower print-runs.

First up is a 2014 Bowman Chrome Mini Orange Refractor. I really like how the orange pops -- it looks way better in-hand -- and it's numbered 6/10 which doesn't hurt either. PSA gave this one an 8 and I was holding out hope it would sneak through with a 9.

The second slab is this 2015 Bowman Chrome Prospect Profiles Mini Gold Refractor, limited to 50 copies. This one did get a 9.

Julio Urias 2016 Topps Chrome Rookie Auto Blue /150: Newly Slabbed a PSA 10!

I don't remember when I purchased the below or for how much but I bought it ungraded and almost certainly got it from eBay. I was looking for things to submit and thought it would be a cool one to try and gem -- lo and behold, it returned to me as a PSA 10. It's a welcome addition to my modest Julio Urias Collection.

This Blue Refractor Auto -- numbered 32/150 -- pairs quite nicely with the BGS 10/10 Purple Auto numbered out of 250 I snagged in 2017.

Topps Throws Me A Base Card Bone

I got a Julio Urias redemption in the mail from Topps a while back and as is their recent custom they included an extra card as their way of apologizing for taking time to fulfill the redemption.

Here's the Julio, a 2017 Topps Inception auto numbered 17/99 (the Magenta parallel). Now, Topps didn't actually take that long to get me the card, as it was probably no more than 4 weeks. I've waited much longer and I think the extra they tossed in was unnecessary. That being said.....

It did and still does make me chuckle that the extra that found its way to me is a base card of Mike Trout. Unless I'm missing something and this is actually the super duper rare version of this Stadium Club Beam Team insert.

Is It Still Prospecting When I Pick Up Julio Urias Cards At This Point?

What with Julio having been excellent to close out 2016 and all. He's hurt now but I expect he'll still end up being pretty great once he returns down the road from his season-ending shoulder surgery. He's still only 21 and I want to pick up a few nice PC pieces -- and potential flip pieces -- while prices on his cardboard are down after a dramatic drop from their pre-injury levels.

This is by far the nicest of the two cards I've landed since he was hurt. For roughly the price of a blaster, this beautiful 2017 Gypsy Queen Black and White Auto Parallel, numbered 85/99, already came in the spiffy BGS 9.5-10 AU holder. It's a great looking card to start and the signature being hard-signed is an added bonus.

That Time Thor Came Shooting Through The Strata-sphere and Into My Collection

I recently won an Instagram contest held by my good friend JK. The prize surprised me a bit as he's a huge, huge Mets' fan but I imagine he had an extra one that allowed him to give the below away as the prize.

I will always like Noah Syndergaard for the simple fact that he has an awesomely dope nickname: Thor. Just maybe listen to the medical staff in the future. Also, Strata is a really nice product. Tricky to scan, but aesthetically-pleasing to be sure.

When JK came into the shop to drop off Noah he opened quite a bit of 2017 Topps Chrome and was kind enough to pass along this cool Julio Urias insert to me.

Thanks as always dude!

No Cap, No Blackplate, No Problem

Here's another great bubbler that came my way via Judson of My Cardboard Habit fame. I'm not going to call it a trade but it is essentially an extension of our last deal which netted me a sweet Urias auto and for which I still owe him some cardboard.

Boom! Judson was fortunate enough to pull this awesomely awesome Corey Seager No Cap Missing Blackplate Variant out of 2017 Gypsy Queen. Thankfully, he thought of my Seager PC and was kind enough to send it my way.

Judson also sent along a pretty cool 2017 Heritage disc of ManBearSeag as well as a brand new addition to my Clayton Kershaw Collection in the form of the above 2017 Heritage Action Base Variant!

Thanks as always Judson! I have a feeling you're going to love the main piece of the return package once it leaves COMC and heads my way and then heads your way! It has been so lonely not in your collection.

Julio Urias: 2016 Topps Chrome Rookie Autos Purple REF /250, BGS 10-10 AU!

I was looking to add a specific Julio Urias auto to my modest collection of the young left-hander. I would have been happy with any version of the card, graded or ungraded. Prices have been relatively reasonable for Julio over the last six months, though they ticked up at the time of his recall this season. I struck when that uptick occurred, although not by design. I had the most eBay Bucks available to me I have ever had and I could not lock down anything to spend them on.

That all changed when the above popped up at the end of the month in which I had the extra funds. I'm a huge fan of 2016 Topps Chrome and the autographs are just gorgeous. They are on-card and fit in extremely well with an overall fantastic design for the product. I was thankfully victorious and after applying my free dough from eBay the purchase was much closer to a number I was comfortable with. The card is the Purple REF parallel and numbered 115/250. It serves as the first BGS 10 in my collection and the first 10 of any company I've purchased.

While Julio struggled upon his 2017 recall I still think he's going to be a wonderful pitcher long-term and I hope to land a couple more John Hancocks of his while prices are at a nearly all-time low for him.

Julio Urias: 2013 Bowman Sterling Prospect RC Auto, BGS 9/10 AU

An update on a card previously posted. I recently got my batch of cards back from BGS, and here's the first one to be recapped. I'm fairly positive our group got the world's toughest grader on corners and this card shows it with an 8.5 sub for the corners. There is a small issue with a back corner but I also believe a few cards came back worse than they were when they left my collection. I know Dodger Penguin, who submitted for me again, feels the same way on his cards.

I don't hate 9s by any means, but if I think a grader is wrong or may have worsened an issue when handling the card, it just irks me. I'm not parting with this Julio Urias rookie signature anyways so I can certainly live with it, but it's the principle of it. Or something like that.

Trade With My Cardboard Habit: A Gorgeous Julio Urias Gold Label Auto!

I completed my fourth trade with Judson of the fantastic My Cardboard Habit. You can check out the first here, second here, and third here. Judson and I have been sending bubblers back and forth and this time around I knew I had to find a lot for him as he sent me a fantastic addition to my modest Julio Urias PC.

This beaut is the Black Frame parallel out of 2016 Topps Gold Label -- one of my top five products of the year -- and is numbered 28/50. It will eventually head to BGS for slabbing.

Judson wasn't done as he sent along a handful of really cool additions to various collections, starting with the Seagers you see above. Bowman's Best was easily my favorite release of 2016.

A pair of new Kershaw cards with the right being a refractor.

If only Kenta Maeda could find consistency on the mound. Even last year he struggled with that far too often. Although I guess technically that makes him consistently inconsistent.

Finally, a few more Julios as he's set to make his 2017 debut tonight. The middle is another refractor and I dig the Heritage (this is at least my second copy of it).

As always Judson, you've outdone yourself! Thanks again buddy!

Urias, Jose Fernandez, Carlos Correa, and '66 Batman: Cards From Mike

I recently received a handful of cool cards from the ever-generous Mike.

Julio should be a really, really good one. This Heritage RC is fantastic.

A couple cool rookies featuring guys I enjoy watching. I've low-key wanted that Correa for some time, for whatever reason. I just like it.

BATMAN!!! Last but certainly not least, here are a couple of needed additions to my Red Bat '66 Batman set.

Everything Julio Urias I Own.

Work Perks: John Gibson, Urias, Walker Buehler (Cowboy or Texas Ranger?)

Last Saturday saw a few new items enter my collection through the sheer generosity of others. While at work a customer came in and traded in some random jerseys and autos for credit towards a large purchase of wax he was making. One of those cards was the below orange sweater swatch of Anaheim Ducks' netminder John Gibson, and when I asked my boss how much he would want for it he simply handed it to me. It's my first relic of Gibby. Thanks Zack!

That same customer broke a box of 2015 Bowman Draft Jumbo while in the shop, and in addition to letting me open three packs he graciously handed me the two Dodgers I pulled. Any Julio Urias card is cool, and the Walker Buehler marks my first piece of cardboard featuring the 2015 1st rounder out of Vanderbilt.

Thanks Dayton!

Dirt Cheap Low-Numbered Prospecting

It's better to be lucky than good. I've come to believe in that more and more considering how many things are out of our control. When the below was nearing its end with almost no action I couldn't believe the opportunity presenting itself. Skill then was key as I scored this sweet Julio Urias for a measly $1.25 shipped.

Numbered 09/50, this Gold Refractor Parallel comes from 2015 Bowman Chrome and the Prospect Profiles subset. I dig these Tall Boys; it helps that both Urias and Corey Seager are featured in the subset.

Prospecting With 2014 Bowman: Julio Urias Black Parallel #'d /99

I've always been a prospect guy when it comes to collecting, and much more so when it comes to actual baseball. I generally have at least one prospect in the Dodgers' organization I heavily collect at all times and a few others I try to land deals on here and there. So when this Black Parallel -- #'d 50/99 -- from 2014 Bowman featuring 18-year-old lefty phenom Julio Urias popped up on eBay, I decided to add more of his cardboard after not picking anything up for some time.

I'm not pursuing Urias' cards as much as I chased and still chase after Corey Seager's cardboard. I think Julio will be a really good pro but prices have never been all that low for his cardboard as they were for a time with Corey. I've got an autograph of Julio (plus some in-person stuff) and a few rookies so unless something remains affordable as this Black Parallel was (less than $10 delivered) I won't be adding much more of his for the foreseeable future.

Trade With DocHoloday: Kemp, Kershaw, ALL YOUR DODGERS, and A Custom Archer Sketch Card!

I completed my second trade with Matt from DocHoloday. It was quite the gigantic trade, and he sent me a ton of amazing pieces of cardboard. You can see what Matt received by following this here link.

This sweet addition to my Bison Collection is numbered out of a scant /25 (12/25, to be exact). It's the XFractor parallel out of 2007 Topps Finest.

Clayton! This new Kershaw is a mini black framed relic out of 2013 Gypsy Queen. It scanned crooked each time and I gave up after three attempts. But still. Kid K!

More adds to my Kemp/Kershaw PCs. 13 new Bisons takes my Kemp PC over the 350 unique card mark. 8 new Kershaws always makes for a swell collecting day and the Russell Martin is a sweet, sweet refractor of a great play at the plate.

My Long Beach State PC gets a boost with this sweet Troy Tulowitzki bat slice, numbered 272/399. Tier One is such a pretty set, but one I will only pick up cheap singles from because boxes are crazy expensive.

A fantastic dual relic featuring a pair of sweater swatches from Bobby Ryan and Cam Fowler. It's numbered 258/300 to boot.

A potpourri of fantastic cards is up next. There's a sweet Julio Urias RC right smack dab in the middle; a troika of awesome Hyun-Jin Ryu rookies; a miiiinnnniiii blue Joc Pederson /250; Puig and Seager, Bowman Platinum style; a tremendous die-cut of The Duke of Flatbush; and a brand new Ryan Getzlaf parallel that's serial-numbered 985/999.

Some pure random goodness. The Piazzas are tremendous, especially the Diamond Duos card (Hideo Nomo is on the reverse) and the Star Attractions die-cut. A page full of Piazza cards always makes for a good day. The Zack Greinke Heritage is easily one of the best cards of the year, and I had never seen that Pee Wee Reese card before (it's quite pretty). The red Nolasco is really a red Puig in my book, and I've always enjoyed the AJ Ellis card on the top left.

My first auto of future reliever -- if he remains in L.A. -- Matt Magill.

And finally, a true surprise as Matt included a custom sketch card of one Sterling Archer! Much like the custom Archer sketch Gavin sent me, this baby is headed straight for my Archer PC. Seriously, if anybody wants to ever sit down and sketch me a custom Archer sketch, I will more than happily add it to my collection. If you wanted to draw Krieger doing something exceptionally Krieger-ish, that would be totally cool as well. Not that I'm hinting or anything....

Thanks for a truly phenomenal trade Matt! It was well worth the wait!

Julio Urias Bowman Blue Wave REF RC

My first Julio Urias card was his Bowman Sterling RC Auto. I was recently able to secure another piece of Urias cardboard in the form of his Blue Wave Refractor RC out of 2014 Bowman. The card has tremendous pop when held up to the light, although that unfortunately didn't come across in the below scan.

This gorgeous card was snatched from the clutches of eBay for less than $5 shipped. I didn't expect to win it but thought that the card was sitting at too low of a high bid. I placed a bid and somehow it was the high mark and held up as the auction wound down and came to a close. I once met Julio, as recapped here.

Trade With Dodger Penguin: Kemp Auto, Kemp Quad Relic, Seager Mini Blue, and a Rising Joc.

I completed my first trade with Matthew from Dodger Penguin. We began this deal a year ago and traded in-person this May 3rd at the card show I recapped. The wait was worth it as we each picked up great stuff for our collections.

Matt surprised me with this 2008 SP Authentic Manufactured Letter Autograph of The Bison in exchange for a Julio Urias signed photo I was able to get at a Rancho Cucamonga Quakes' minor league game. I have legitimately been after one of these signed manu-letter patches for years but have never been able to secure one. This letter "M" is numbered 61/99 and is a most welcome addition, after all of these years, to my Mattycakes' Collection.

If this just isn't the perfect card. You have a great action shot of Corey Seager, my favorite prospect; he's got his pants rolled up to the knees, and I'm a sucker for old-timey throwbacks; it's a Blue Wave parallel; it's numbered 238/250; and it's a miiiiiiinnnnniiiiiii!

I had completely forgotten about this 2009 UD SPx Quad Relic teaming Kemp up with a troika of former Blue Crew members: Rafael Furcal, Takashi Saito, and Hong-Chih Kuo. When Matt and I re-booted our trade talks it was a nice surprise, and it's of course a welcome addition to my collection of Kemp hits.

Now that's a great shot of top prospect Joc Pederson. Joc is featured on a Rising Through The Ranks mini from 2013 Bowman Chrome and it's a swell addition as I have very little of Pederson in my Dodgers' PC.

I really dig these Cream of The Crop minis from '13 Bowman Chrome and I'm happy to add the base version along with the aforementioned Blue Wave parallel.

Finally, a nice refractor of Corey out of 2013 Bowman Chrome.

Thanks for the great trade Matthew! It was a pleasure meeting you and I look forward to many more deals in the future!

That One Julio Urias Auto That Everyone Was Posting Weeks and Weeks Ago....

Julio Urias' first official autograph as a Los Angeles Dodger is found in 2013 Bowman Sterling. Julio is sporting number 84 and most important of all is that his John Hancock is on-card. Pretty much every Dodger blogger seemingly acquired one and posted about it weeks and weeks ago.

I was trying to land one shortly after it came out but I had a set price in mind. I didn't want to go over and I just couldn't find one at that price. Then Spring Training happened -- I didn't expect Julio to see any action during the Spring -- and the card skyrocketed in price. It has since come down but I picked mine up during the rush, although I still got it for a steal compared to what some copies were going for at that time. It goes quite nicely with my in-person Urias haul from late last month.

My Rancho Cucamonga Quakes' In-Person Auto Haul: Urias, Seager, Anderson, Windle, Caughel.

I attended the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes' game on Thursday, April 24th in Adelanto against the High Desert Mavericks. My buddy was able to get free tickets and I couldn't pass up the chance to get some signatures from some of the Los Angeles Dodgers' best and brightest young prospects.

The main goal of the day was nabbing uber-prospect Julio Urias on the sweet-spot. I happened to only have a pair of Cal League balls on me that my buddy who used to work for High Desert was able to get me, and thankfully Julio was a great signer. I was able to get him to sign the sweet-spot right before he headed into the clubhouse, and he was nice enough to include his number with his John Hancock.

My other huge goal was one I was unable to achieve last season: getting Corey Seager, my favorite Blue Crew prospect, on the sweet-spot. I was able to stop Corey as he was heading down to the field, and asked if he wouldn't mind signing. He obliged and also honored my request that he sweet-spot. It almost certainly helped that Corey was working through an injury and didn't play as he's been on the DL. I intend on getting both Julio and Corey on ROMLB at some point in the hopefully not too distant future.

Here's where things get interesting, and not entirely in a good way. Before getting Julio to sign a baseball, I was able to get him to sign a photo as he walked down to the field. I was stoked obviously, and before retiring for some sleep after getting home I decided to look at my haul. To my dismay, the Urias photo had somehow been damaged by water in the top corner. I had no alternative but to cut off the damaged photo paper. I did have water in my backpack, but it was in an entirely different compartment; closed tightly; one had yet to even be opened; and the other one was almost empty. It's a mystery I have yet to solve.

Tom Windle was the club's 2nd-round pick out of Minnesota last year. He was actually the first player I was able to stop and he kindly signed a pair of pictures for me, including the above one featuring him in his Gophers' garb. Like the previous Urias, it too sustained water-damage and had to be worked on. I will be getting both of these damaged photos replaced the next time the opportunity presents itself.

One interesting project I wanted to complete in one trip was getting this photo signed by both Windle and the starter that night, Chris Anderson. Anderson was the club's 1st-round selection last year and I've always liked this shot of both of them visiting Dodger Stadium and wearing Dodger uniforms. Anderson pitched very well and was nice enough to sign a pair of photos for me post-game.

Here's the Action Anderson picture, complete with signature.

One of my favorite prospects that I feel does not get enough love is Lindsey Caughel. I had the opportunity to meet him last year at a Quakes' game and he was nice enough to toss me the last ball he used to warm-up pre-game. He then signed said baseball sweet-spot after his start. I wanted to get him on a photo from his time with the Ogden Raptors. I decided to switch pens prior to getting Caughel outside by the team bus, and I'm glad I did, because I found my new pen for autographed photos. Lindsey inscribed his current number, which is always cool.

Finally, I was able to secure a third autograph from the 17-year-old Urias -- I feel weird just typing that, and even older thinking about it -- on another photo and with my new blue sharpie. He inscribed his number once again, and that small pink smudge to the right of the "J" came from his hands and is on the actual picture. It's awesome, and I intend on getting this same photo signed once again. Why, you may ask? Because this one isn't staying with me. A good friend requested I try and snag him Urias' signature for our upcoming in-person trade, and Julio was nice enough to sign after leaving the clubhouse on his way to the bus.