The Potential Genesis Of A New Player Collection

I'm a set collector. I'm a team collector. What I am not, at least in the traditional sense, is a player collector. There are plenty of guys out there who have spent the bulk of their careers playing for the Red Sox, so I can easily claim to be a collector of them. However, I don't go out of my way to chase every insert and parallel of any one particular player. 

 

Yet, I can see myself hopping on the player collection train in the near future.

This past Sunday was the MLB Draft. In the past, I've just been a casual observer, making note of who the Red Sox pick, then really forgetting about them until they make enough noise in the minor leagues to become worth following. I followed the draft closely for the first time 2 years ago, when the Red Sox had the 4th overall pick (and was ecstatic when the consensus #1 guy, Marcelo Mayer, fell into their lap.) This year I had interest in the first round, because a number of players set to get picked early had local connections. Wyatt Langford (#4 overall pick by Texas) and Rhett Lowder (#7 overall by Cincinnati) both played in the Shenandoah Valley Baseball League.  But the biggest and most pleasant surprise of the draft was when the Red Sox drafted a member of the University of Virginia Cavaliers as their first round pick.

 

2023 Panini USA Baseball
Stars & Stripes
#82 Kyle Teel

 

Kyle Teel was regarded as the best catcher in the draft, and most mock drafts had him picked to go within the Top 10.  Once that didn't happen, I began to wonder...there's no way he'll still be there when Boston comes up, right? He did, and thankfully the Red Sox didn't pass up on him! 

Teel becomes the first real guy with local connections that got drafted in the first round by the Red Sox, which in itself is pretty cool. Although I never saw Teel play at UVa (honestly haven't been to a game in years - after their College World Series win in 2015, they increased their prices and really started to cater to those with more disposable income than I.) Still, I follow them, and rooted for them in the playoffs this year. 

 

There are no guarantees in baseball, but I can still imagine Teel learning from former Red Sox Captain Jason Varitek (himself a #14 overall pick) and becoming a solid, maybe even All-Star level backstop for Boston. Now might be the time to get in on the ground floor, after all. As of today, Teel only has 69 cards (53 of which are serial numbered...ridiculous) and I'd only need 6 to be the top collector on the TCDB...I may have to consider this!  

Even if I don't start up a personal collection, I'll be watching his development with great interest, along with another UVa player they drafted (pitcher Connelly Early in the 5th round) and a Shenandoah Valley League alum (pitcher Ryan Ammons in the 10th round). Here's hoping this year's draft is a huge success for the team!