THE hobby … what is it ???

[MegaMan]

Participants in “the hobby” (manufacturers/dealers/collectors/investors) could make any guy THE guy from a market value / collectibility perspective. So … what is it REALLY ??

Reading the player threads on this board, “fantasy stats” are easy to point to ...

Wander homers … PUMP
Adell/Kelenic are AAAA only … DUMP
Acuna steals a base … PUMP
Soto is hitting .140, so he’s not Teddy Ballgame, after all … DUMP

But it’s clearly more than just stats day to day, week to week, season to season. Production and longevity are obviously key (gotta be HOF-bound!) but there’s also the Julio Rodriguez factor of — “he smiles a lot, he loves the game” !!! (J-Rod being reminiscent of Griffey Jr in this regard)…

So … what is it ??

[majestik101]

You forgot Bobby Witt Jr. and Anthony Volpe are trash

[larry25]

Originally Posted by MegaMan

Participants in “the hobby” (manufacturers/dealers/collectors/investors) could make any guy THE guy from a market value / collectibility perspective. So … what is it REALLY ??

Reading the player threads on this board, “fantasy stats” are easy to point to ...

Wander homers … PUMP
Adell/Kelenic are AAAA only … DUMP
Acuna steals a base … PUMP
Soto is hitting .140, so he’s not Teddy Ballgame, after all … DUMP

But it’s clearly more than just stats day to day, week to week, season to season. Production and longevity are obviously key (gotta be HOF-bound!) but there’s also the Julio Rodriguez factor of — “he smiles a lot, he loves the game” !!! (J-Rod being reminiscent of Griffey Jr in this regard)…

So … what is it ??

Talent, proven by stats and wins in a big market, likeability, and deep pocketed collectors doing the buyers club thing.

[MegaMan]

Originally Posted by larry25

Talent, proven by stats and wins in a big market, likeability, and deep pocketed collectors doing the buyers club thing.

“Big market” is an interesting component bc it’s really more like “big collector’s/buyer’s club market” right ?? Obviously NY is an easy one, but was Seattle a “big market” prior to Junior? Would JRod be a lesser hobby guy today if there wasn’t Seattle precedent ??

[mikejones]

Originally Posted by majestik101

You forgot Bobby Witt Jr. and Anthony Volpe are trash

Lol...

[BigRedMachine80]

Originally Posted by MegaMan

“Big market” is an interesting component bc it’s really more like “big collector’s/buyer’s club market” right ?? Obviously NY is an easy one, but was Seattle a “big market” prior to Junior? Would JRod be a lesser hobby guy today if there wasn’t Seattle precedent ??

Wander's value wasn't hurt by being in Tampa. Trout & Ohtani collectibility doesn't appear to be effected by playing for the far less popular Angels.

[seanbros55]

Chicks dig the Long Ball

[hermanotarjeta]

It’s all about the collector/investor boi ego.

Your player does well, you bulge on a message board.

Your player sucks, you implode into a fit of anger.

[MegaMan]

Originally Posted by BigRedMachine80

Wander's value wasn't hurt by being in Tampa. Trout & Ohtani collectibility doesn't appear to be effected by playing for the far less popular Angels.

Wasn’t initially, but could be as he fades into veteran obscurity?

Personally I think “market” is overhyped early on (see Volpe/Dominguez) and fades with age/performance/relevance. But seems it shouldn’t be overlooked entirely …

[IronCladLou]

The hobby is breaks. Influencers. Big hitz.

Set collecting and single buyers are BUMS

[ThoseBackPages]

its the best!

[Neal]

It isn't all about stats. Otherwise, Frank Robinson, Musial, Bonds, and several others would be showered with hobby love.

Acuna, Ohtani, and Trout are likable. Julio is right there as well, so I buy those guys.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

[jduds]

Originally Posted by MegaMan

“Big market” is an interesting component bc it’s really more like “big collector’s/buyer’s club market” right ?? Obviously NY is an easy one, but was Seattle a “big market” prior to Junior? Would JRod be a lesser hobby guy today if there wasn’t Seattle precedent ??

I think you hit the nail on the head with the distinction between collector's markets versus what people traditionally think of (media markets). All the Dodgers' acquisitions of the past few years didn't see any bump from playing in the second-largest media market in the US. Atlanta, St. Louis, and Boston all have much bigger hobby markets than they do media markets while the Dodgers, Rangers, and Nats all have substantially bigger media markets than hobby markets.
The question with J.Rod and Junior is how much bigger stars would they be if they played for the Yankees or some other major hobby darling team. Seattle's a large enough media market, but I kind of view both as transcending their market and think they both could be even more popular nationally (a bit strange to say for Griffey) if they played/had played elsewhere.

[MegaMan]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

its the best!

Agreed and I know it’s a silly question I’ve asked, just curious about how people view what’s hot, what sells, why, etc

I’m a boring collector of cards of a retired player but I’m fascinated by what drives investing/collecting if you view it more like the stock market as opposed to a more sentimental vision of what team/player(s) you like/follow/collect.

[MegaMan]

This might seem irrelevant, but I don’t think it is … if, e.g., JRod was killed next week in a high profile natural disaster, crime spree, religious cult mass suicide, etc — would that be good or bad for his hobby profile?

[majestik101]

Juan Soto is trash too

DUMP

[BigRedMachine80]

Originally Posted by MegaMan

Wasn’t initially, but could be as he fades into veteran obscurity?

Personally I think “market” is overhyped early on (see Volpe/Dominguez) and fades with age/performance/relevance. But seems it shouldn’t be overlooked entirely …

That's fair, I mean, that pretty much happens to everyone excluding Trout right? Everyone loves the shiny new prospects.

[MoreToppsPlease]

Being that the “hobby” is mostly full of opportunists and not collectors, the “it” player(s) will be the players that…provide the greatest opportunity to profit at any given time regardless of skill or talent.

But the hypothetical idea of a monolithic, cohesive entity called “the hobby” is purely a marketing term as clearly not everyone who buys cards have the same interests or intent..

[BambinoShuffle]

The hobby is card stock, design, photography, set building, stat archiving, and nostalgia.

[fabiani12333]

Originally Posted by MoreToppsPlease

Being that the “hobby” is mostly full of opportunists and not collectors, the “it” player(s) will be the players that…provide the greatest opportunity to profit at any given time regardless of skill or talent.

But the hypothetical idea of a monolithic, cohesive entity called “the hobby” is purely a marketing term as clearly not everyone who buys cards have the same interests or intent..

MLB is marketed as a game, but it's clearly a business, first and foremost.

The hobby isn't free -- it's based around the manufacturing, marketing, commerce and trade of consumer goods. As a result, there are buyers and sellers participating in the hobby who naturally have differing motivations.

[fabiani12333]

Acuna, Julio and Wander are uniquely athletic and talented young players who generate interest and hype. They've been signed to long-term contracts at a very young age by their teams because they are viewed as franchise cornerstones.

[spuds1961]

The Hobby is the next big pull.

[Triple B]

The hobby is different things to different people. The hobby is to be enjoyed and just because I don't enjoy it the way you do, doesn't mean I'm doing it wrong and neither are you.

[Twalk1975]

Talent, hype, personal success, a marquee team and winning certainly help, charisma, and cool cards.

[Rage]

The hobby is how you spend your time with cards when you're not working