The Essential Baseball Card of "the Next Barry Bonds"
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When a prospect is hailed as "the next Barry Bonds," two things are true. The first is there's no way anyone could be the next Barry Bonds. Check the back of the man's baseball card or pull up the highlights on YouTube. The man was already one of the games greatest ever five-tool players before "advanced conditioning" led to numbers only thought possible in video games and comic books.
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So no, there will never be another Barry Bonds. That's one of the two truths, but what's the other? Simply this. If a prospect is even drawing Barry Bonds 2.0 comparisons, it might be a good time to track down his cards--or in this case, card.
San Francisco Giants prospect Bo Davidson is only 22, and the sky appears to be the limit on his future and his baseball potential. Of course, card collectors know as well as anyone that potential doesn't always pan out, as is evidenced by their once prized collections of Kevin Maas, Brien Taylor, and Todd Van Poppel cards now worth less than the Lucite screw-down holders that encase them.
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That said, whatever the lessons the past might offer, what are card collectors if not optimists? When there is upside, there is excitement. Plus, the guy's name is Bo.
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At the moment, Davidson has only a single card, courtesy of a 2024 San Jose Giants team set. Were it the 1990s collectors would have no trouble at all finding this card, given that its print run might well live somewhere north of a million. Instead, this Bo Davidson is an exceedingly tough get, distributed only as part of a 34-card set handed out to attendees at a July 2, 2024, San Jose Giants baseball game against the Stockton Ports.
Head to eBay right now and you won't find a single Bo Davidson card up for sale, though one clairvoyant buyer managed to nab one for only $6.99, pre-hype, back in March. About the only option today, aside from waiting around and hoping to get lucky, is to throw down for the entire team set, though that's not exactly cheap right now.
When it comes down to it, an awful lot of collectors are going to miss the boat on Bo's first card. On the bright side, they can take solace in the fact that--whatever the scouting reports--Davidson can't possibly be even half the player "peak Barry Bonds" was. Then again, there's a name for players who can put up even half the numbers of peak Barry Bonds: Hall of Famers!
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.