Dalkowski110
12-18-2006, 01:00 PM
Hey fellow Bowman fans! Time to review the two newest Bowman baseball sets, 2006 Bowman Originals and 2006 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects. First, we'll go over Bowman Originals. The basic premise of this set is to include five short-printed cards (two veterans and three prospects) in a pack with two autographed, buy-back cards. I opened four packs as opposed to a box primarily because I'm not made of money. With packs going for $75 each, they're pretty hard on the wallet. On the other hand, just two of the autographs I got were duds (Carlos Silva and Mike Lamb). The others were Ervin Santana, Justin Upton, John Drennen, Russell Martin, Wade Townsend (should be back after missing the season due to shoulder surgery...still has upside), and Conor Jackson. Obviously, if TTM is not an option for you, and if you have money to spend, 2006 Bowman Originals is the set for you. The regular cards are also very well-done, and I've not gotten a single dud prospect. Best of all was Braves prospect shortstop Max Ramirez 09/99 black-border. Nick Adenhart, Cameron Maybin, Brad McCann, Alex Gordon, and other top prospects highlight the Prospects insert set. The veterans set consists of established stars, such as Albert Pujols, David Wright, David Ortiz, Vladimir Guerrero, etc. The rookies subset also contains probably the most valuable RC of Mike Pelfrey (it's a true RC, not simply an MLBPA RC...Pelfrey never had a prospects card), who has also appeared in 2006 Topps Turkey Red and 2006 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects (see below.). Pelfrey is set to appear in 2006 Bowman Heritage, which should be here by Christmas, as well. Overall, due to its wide variety of autographs and quality cards, but also its hefty (if not debilitating) pricetag, I give 2006 Bowman Originals 4 out of 5 stars.
2006 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects, aka 2006 Bowman Draft, had a lot of potential. But it could have been MUCH better. 2006 Bowman Draft goes something along the lines of 2006 Bowman in its set contruction...you get a mixture of regular and chrome cards in the 7-card packs, with the occassional refractor for the Chrome subsets or gold card for the regular subsets. Two of the 7 cards are of MLBPA rookies, who are headed up by Mets pitching phenom Mike Pelfrey in terms of value. The rest are draft picks from this year, or members of the 2006 All-Star Futures Game. Highlighting the draft-picks are such rising stars as Hank Conger, Nate Culp, and Kyle Drabek. Mets fans may be a bit disappointed to see that the only real prospect included was top-notch sidearming reliever Joe Smith, with John Holdzkom (a complete bust) also included, but highly-touted 2006 draft pick Kevin Mulvey being left out (I guess we have to wait till 2007...). Fernando Martinez, although not a draft pick, would have also been a nice inclusion (you can be sure he'll be seen in 2007).
The Futures Game subset is very good. Unlike the 2005 issue, first cards are also included, such as Carlos Carrasco, Nick Pereira, Edgar Martinez, and others. If you missed Nick Adenhart, Alex Gordon, Brad McCann, or Yung-Chi Chen from this year's Bowman set, here's your chance to get them, as they also have cards in the Futures Game subset. Rising stars, such as Jason Hirsh, Billy Butler, and Ryan Braun are also included in the set.
The problem with 2006 Bowman Draft is that you need to open thirty boxes to complete the set, minimum. Yes, THIRTY. The last thirty cards, including those of top-notch prospects Evan Longoria and Clayton Kershaw, are all autographed. Autographs are seeded at the abysmal rate of just one per box. This is NOT a set that set-builders would appreciate. However, odds of getting the game-used Futures Game Jerseys are much better (I've pulled ten so far...). The only two autographs I've pulled, Matt Antonelli and the high-dollar Clayton Kershaw, both came in excellent shape, and are on Chrome cards.
Due to the high rate of autographs in the set, but the poor seeding rate, I can't give this set any higher than a 2.5 out of 5 stars. You'll wind up with hundreds of dupes trying to complete your set. However, the existing prospects, along with the Futures Game Subset and the ease of finding the Game Used Futures Jerseys, save the set from a thumbds down rating.
2006 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects, aka 2006 Bowman Draft, had a lot of potential. But it could have been MUCH better. 2006 Bowman Draft goes something along the lines of 2006 Bowman in its set contruction...you get a mixture of regular and chrome cards in the 7-card packs, with the occassional refractor for the Chrome subsets or gold card for the regular subsets. Two of the 7 cards are of MLBPA rookies, who are headed up by Mets pitching phenom Mike Pelfrey in terms of value. The rest are draft picks from this year, or members of the 2006 All-Star Futures Game. Highlighting the draft-picks are such rising stars as Hank Conger, Nate Culp, and Kyle Drabek. Mets fans may be a bit disappointed to see that the only real prospect included was top-notch sidearming reliever Joe Smith, with John Holdzkom (a complete bust) also included, but highly-touted 2006 draft pick Kevin Mulvey being left out (I guess we have to wait till 2007...). Fernando Martinez, although not a draft pick, would have also been a nice inclusion (you can be sure he'll be seen in 2007).
The Futures Game subset is very good. Unlike the 2005 issue, first cards are also included, such as Carlos Carrasco, Nick Pereira, Edgar Martinez, and others. If you missed Nick Adenhart, Alex Gordon, Brad McCann, or Yung-Chi Chen from this year's Bowman set, here's your chance to get them, as they also have cards in the Futures Game subset. Rising stars, such as Jason Hirsh, Billy Butler, and Ryan Braun are also included in the set.
The problem with 2006 Bowman Draft is that you need to open thirty boxes to complete the set, minimum. Yes, THIRTY. The last thirty cards, including those of top-notch prospects Evan Longoria and Clayton Kershaw, are all autographed. Autographs are seeded at the abysmal rate of just one per box. This is NOT a set that set-builders would appreciate. However, odds of getting the game-used Futures Game Jerseys are much better (I've pulled ten so far...). The only two autographs I've pulled, Matt Antonelli and the high-dollar Clayton Kershaw, both came in excellent shape, and are on Chrome cards.
Due to the high rate of autographs in the set, but the poor seeding rate, I can't give this set any higher than a 2.5 out of 5 stars. You'll wind up with hundreds of dupes trying to complete your set. However, the existing prospects, along with the Futures Game Subset and the ease of finding the Game Used Futures Jerseys, save the set from a thumbds down rating.