The Next Step in "Super Collecting"

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm not a fan of the term "super collector" as it pertains to my card collection. It's not that I disagree with putting more emphasis on one player collection over all the others, but I don't know if I'll ever become a "super collector" myself.

Anyone who's read parts of my blog knows that, as a card collector, I'm all over the place. I'm always sampling new products, buying a variety of cards at the show, and branching off in a ton of different directions.

I don't have any regrets about how I collect, nor do I wish to change my habits anytime soon. This does mean, however, that I'll never be able to zero in on 1 or 2 things like other collectors do, and I'm totally okay with that.

The closest thing I have to a super collection is my Craig Kimbrel PC which is odd given that he's #27 on the list of my largest player collections. I still put a lot of emphasis on The Kimbrel Collection, but for all the reasons listed above, I prefer not to call myself a Craig Kimbrel super collector.

Now, after a year and a half of having The Kimbrel Collection, I'm ready to add another player to the list, Padres rookie phenom Fernando Tatis Jr.

At only 20 years of age, Tatis Jr is already one of the most talented all-around young players in the game. Though a back injury shut him down for the year towards the end of the August, his .317 average, 22 homers, 53 RBI, and 16 stolen bases is an impressive stat line for anyone with only 334 at-bats, nevermind a rookie.

While I haven't had the privilege of watching Tatis Jr in person, I've watched highlights and a few Padres games on MLB. San Diego may not be coming to Boston next year, but I'm going to keep up with him as much as I can during his sophomore season.

Ultimately, it's my dream to pull some sort of Tatis Jr rookie auto over the final 4 months of the 2019 season. I'm lucky enough to have pulled a base rookie card of his from almost every product I've bought, ranging from Topps Chrome to Heritage High Number.

Given the modern-day craze surrounding anything that has to do with big-name rookies, I'm trying to track down as many Tatis rookies as possible from packs rather than paying a premium for them online.

Next year, when he's no longer a 1st-year player, Tatis' cards should be much less expensive, so I can start adding some numbered cards and relics to my collection.

I currently have around 8 cards in my Tatis Jr PC, though I won't be making this part of my collection official right away. I'd like to wait until the 2020 season when it'll be a lot easier to track down cards of the guy I hope wins NL ROY (he probably won't though because of Alonso).

While he's injured and his stock is lower than it's been, I might track down a 1st Bowman card and a couple of rookie parallels. I don't foresee myself buying a Tatis auto (I'm hoping to pull one), but you never know when a good deal could turn up.

I'm truly captivated by the way Tatis plays the game, both at the plate and at shortstop. Even before he and Vlad Jr made their debuts, I had faith that he could become the greatest rookie from this year's class simply because he's not as hyped up as Vlady or even Pete Alonso.

Tatis has all the tools to become the next superstar of Baseball, and that's why I decided to add him to my PC list with Craig Kimbrel. If he stays healthy, the sky's the limit for this young superstar.