Lotto tickets from Japan
 

Should be fun to see how this guy fares in the majors and to what extent he actually plays two ways. Got these relatively cheap before the prices started rising on eBay. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...7ae326df17.jpg

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Boom or bust really. I remember when Daisuke cards were exploding. Now you'd be lucky to find a buyer.

It will be interesting to see how his future unfolds. Not that I believe this would happen, but if he can hold the type of numbers here I would love to see him be a relief pitcher with a regular fielding position so that you can effectively use a double switch in later inning games and not lose his bat.

Yep - hence the "lotto tickets" heading. :) I got these for $15 each right before sales started closing in the $75-$100 range for the cards on the left and right in my picture. Not much for speculation, so $15 seemed about right for me.

That would be cool - I imagine he'd want to play on the west coast, and I assumed he'd end up with an AL team like the Angels or Mariners, that could theoretically DH him four days a week and let him start the fifth day. What's interesting from what little I know is that his move to MLB is predicated on being allowed to play both ways. So it seems that, at least at first, he'll definitely play two ways. That'll certainly inject a little fun into the old ballgame if he does it and is successful.

Man, those are going for 75-100$ each now? I gotta go through my shoeboxes of BBM and Calbee cards for Ohtanis now!

Personally with that money I would just go for one of Ichiro's early Japanese cards, like his 1993 BBM rookie card or his Calbee cards from the early to mid 90s, which can all be had for that much or less. The cards are probably harder to find, plus Ichiro has already had a Hall of Fame career so no worries about him fizzling like Matsuzaka in a couple years.

Agreed - this is really just a speculation play at this point. The Ichiros available are expensive and I am content with my American rookie card for him, which seems to have taken off in the last year. But yeah, check out the sold listings on ebay those BBM Ohtanis - graded ones are going in the hundreds. You may be sitting on a gold mine! ;)