True or False: Investing in pitchers is an inferior investment.
It is a mainstream opinion that investing in pitchers is a bad idea. Some investors will not even touch a Bowman Chrome autograph of a pitcher. This had me wanting to address this topic with hard evidence.
True or False: Investing in pitchers is an inferior investment.
To prove Dwight’s statement, I will provide hard evidence for the purchases and sales of my pitcher investments. Timetables will be provided as well, to show the length of time it takes to flip a pitcher.
All pitchers that have been bought or sold by me will be posted, regardless of gains/losses to provide complete transparency.
While I am a firm believer in pitcher investments, there will be evidence to show how you can lose money. However, like any investment, there is give and take.
The Players: Alec Hansen, Braxton Garrett, Brent Honeywell, Dane Dunning, Forrest Whitley, Freddy Peralta, Griffin Canning, Jack Flaherty, Josh Hader, Matt Manning, Michael Kopech, Nate Pearson, Riley Pint, Walker Buehler
Alec Hansen – White Sox
*no dates recorded
Purchases:
2x Base – $6.49 each
1x Base 9.5/10 Auto – $28
Sales:
2x Base – $8 each
1x Base 9.5/10 – $46
Total Profit: $21.02
Profit per card: $7.01
Notes: Even though I do not have the dates for purchases and sales, I remember these being flipped within one or two months of the purchases.
Braxton Garrett – Marlins
Purchases: 8/20/2017
1x Base – $6
2x Base 9.5/10 – $8, $8.38
1x Blue Ref. – $15
1x Blue Wave Ref. 9.5/10 – $33
Sales: 7/18/2018
1x Base – $5.69
2x Base 9.5/10 – $5.67 each
1x Blue Ref. – $10
1x Blue Wave Ref. 9.5/10 – $23.97
Total Profit: $(19.38)
Profit per card: $(3.88)
Notes: I bought in low on Braxton Garrett but did not have the patience to wait for him to return from TJ surgery, leading to losses taken and money invested elsewhere.
Brent Honeywell – Rays
*no dates recorded
Purchases:
3x Base – $35, $29.99, $30
1x Ref. – $44
2x Purple Ref. – $80, $63
Sales:
3x Base – $20 each
1x Ref. – $28
2x Purple Ref. – $40 each
Total Profit: $(113.99)
Profit per card: $(19.00)
Notes: This would be an argument against pitchers. When Brent Honeywell got hurt, I did not want to wait out his TJ surgery. I sold out and took a loss.
Dane Dunning – White Sox
*no dates recorded
Purchases:
1x Base – $6.50
1x Purple Ref. – $15.99
1x Ref. – $5.99
Sales:
1x Base – $5
1x Purple Ref. – $14
1x Ref. – $5
Total Profit: $(4.48)
Profit per card: $(1.49)
Forrest Whitley – Astros
Purchases: 7/16/2017
3x Base – $20, $20, $20
3x Purple Ref. – $40, $40, $40
2x Ref. – $25, $25
1x Blue Wave Ref. – $79, $72
1x Black Ref. – $85
1x Green Ref. 9.5/10 – $90
1x Purple Ref. 9.5/10 – $50
1x Gold Wave Ref. 9.5/10 – $198.50
1x Blue Wave Ref. PSA 10 – $70
1x Ref. 9.5/10 – $48
1x Orange Ref. PSA 10 – $199.50
Sales: 1/20/2019
3x Base – $47, $47, $47
3x Purple Ref. – $115, $115, $115,
2x Ref. – $80.83, $73.50
1x Blue Wave Ref. – $165, $125.83
1x Black Ref. – $225
1x Green Ref. 9.5/10 – $250
1x Purple Ref. 9.5/10 – $150
1x Gold Wave Ref. 9.5/10 – $500
1x Blue Wave Ref. PSA 10 – $205
1x Ref. 9.5/10 – $196.50
1x Orange Ref. PSA 10 – $1,100
Total Profit: $2,561.41
Profit per card: $134.81
Notes: Easily my biggest hit ever, all thanks to SlabStoxNate who suggested I invest in Whitley. The dates are from the first purchase date to the last sale date. Most of the sales happened in between, so it has been an ongoing process of selling off over the last 1.5 years. I still have around 45 Forrest Whitley autographs to unload this upcoming season. The profit I have made so far has almost covered the full investment
Freddy Peralta – Brewers
*no dates recorded
Purchases:
8x Base – $3.75, $3.33, $2.25, $1.99, $3, $2.98, $0, $1
2x Purple Ref. – $10.88, $7
5x Ref. – $4.75, $4.75, $2.13, $5, $5.25
2x Blue Ref. 9.5/10 – $32.50, $23.27
2x Purple Ref. 9.5/10 – $18, 19.47
1x Green Ref. 9.5/10 – $30.21
1x Gold Ref. 9.5/10 – $50
1x Orange 9.5/10 – $80
Sales:
8x Base – $6 each
2x Purple Ref. – $20 each
5x Ref. – 4x $10, 1x $4
2x Blue Ref. 9.5/10 – $40 each
2x Purple Ref. 9.5/10 – $30 each
1x Green Ref. 9.5/10 – $60 each
1x Gold Ref. 9.5/10 – $80
1x Orange 9.5/10 – $115
Total Profit: $215.49
Profit per card: $9.80
Notes: While this was a good hit, it was easily the biggest mistake in my investing history. I had a perfect, low cost investment in Freddy Peralta. If I were to estimate it, I owned all these cards for around 6 months. I was planning on holding them till he made the majors, but I saw a small window for a decent profit and took it, selling all 23 autographs to one person. Two months later, Freddy destroys Colorado, and I miss out on over $2,000 worth of profit. The key takeaway from this is to spread out your selling, it will minimize your risk and also give you a chance at big profits in the future.
Griffin Canning – Angels
Purchases: 4/29/2018
1x Gold Ref. – $36.13
2x Gold Ref. 9.5/10 – $46.75, $47.25
Sales: 6/26/2018
1x Gold Ref. – $90
2x Gold Ref. 9.5/10 – $127.50, $127.50
Total Profit: $214.88
Profit per card: $71.63
Notes: This was a split investment with SlabStoxNate. We stocked up on Canning, and in two months we saw great returns. The problem is his sale window was so small since the Angels kept him in AA for two weeks. Once he hit AAA, he struggled and prices crashed. The good news is the profits from these three cards covered the entire investment, so anything from here on out is straight profit.
Jack Flaherty – Cardinals
Purchases: 8/19/2018
1x Blue Ref. 9.5/10 – $120
Sales: sometime in September
1x Blue Ref. 9.5/10 – $193.50
Total Profit: $73.50
Profit per card: $73.50
Josh Hader – Brewers
Purchases: 7/30/2017
1x Base 9.5/10 – $21.50
Sales: 8/18/2018
1x Base 9.5/10 – $39.99
Total Profit: $18.49
Profit per card: $18.49
Matt Manning – Tigers
*no dates recorded
Purchases:
2x Base – $10, 7.50
1x Ref. $15
Sales:
2x Base – $10 each
1x Ref. – $15
Total Profit: $2.50
Profit per card: $.83
Michael Kopech – White Sox
*no dates recorded
Purchases:
3x Base – $37, $35, $37
2x Base 9.5/10 – $70 each
Sales:
3x Base – $35 each
2x Base 9.5/10 – $55 each
Total Profit: $(34.00)
Profit per card: $(6.80)
Nate Pearson – Blue Jays
Purchases: 4/27/2018
1x Gold Wave Ref. BGS 10/10 – $250
Sales: 12/8/2018
1x Gold Wave Ref. BGS 10/10 – $215
Total Profit: $(35.00)
Profit per card: $(35.00)
Notes: I have a substantial investment still in Nate Pearson, this one was sold solely to shift money.
Riley Pint – Rockies
*no dates recorded
Purchases:
1x Base – $8
1x Purple Ref. – $30
Sales:
1x Base – $5
1x Purple Ref. – $20
Total Profit: $(13.00)
Profit per card: $(6.50)
Walker Buehler – Dodgers
*no dates recorded
Purchases:
2x Base – $52.50
1xRef. 9.5/10 – $88
Sales:
2x Base – $32
1xRef. 9.5/10 – $155
Total Profit: $26.00
Profit per card: $8.67
Notes: So many regrets I do not even know where to start. If memory serves correctly, I only owned these for three months. I wish I still had these today!
Total profit between all pitchers: $2,913.44
When it is all said and done, it is up to you on which route you take when investing. As you can see, sometimes it takes time and effort to make money. I would suggest deducting your own opinions based on the makeup of the players I have made money on (age and price). While it is not easy, a little time and effort can lead to large gains with pitchers!
