Red Sox Romp Could Boost Numerous Players' Cards
The Colorado Rockies were the better story. The Boston Red Sox were the better team.
In the aftermath of Boston's second World Series victory in four years, it's only natural to think about how it might impact the hobby. Usually, a win by the underdogs has the most potential to shake things up. And since the Rockies had a pretty low profile in the world of baseball cards (with the exception of Troy Tulowitzki, who was red hot late in the season), there's no question they would have caught the attention of some collectors had they won.
In this case, though, I think the Red Sox win has even more promise. The winning squad in this year's Fall Classic had all kinds of contributors, from big game pitchers (Josh Beckett) to clutch hitters (David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez) to breakout performers (Kevin Youklis) to rookies and youngsters of all kinds (Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury). That's something for all kinds of collectors, and when you add in the fact that Boston is a big hobby market, you've got the recipe for a lot of cards changing hands.
If you're considering adding some cardboard of the champs to your collection, the following rookie checklists are a great place to start.