2002 is where you can find the official, hobby-recognized rookie cards of Curtis Granderson. Curtis was a 3rd round selection out of University of Illinois-Chicago in the 2002 draft and is one of many future stars featured in the aptly titled 2002 Bowman Draft. Fun fact time: This draft was the one featured in Moneyball and included such names as Prince Fielder, BJ Upton, Cole Hamels, Zach Grienke, Scott Kazmir and Matt Cain, among others.
Here is Curtis Granderson, fresh out of college, giving us his "All-Business" look in some sort of hip-retro Tigers batting practice zip-up and a hat that appears way too small for him.
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| 2002 Bowman Draft #BDP71 Curtis Granderson |
This set also features a rarer Gold Version, which has a Gold Foil signature instead of the regular black printed one. Speaking of which, notice the signatures here. First, he signs his name with a "Jr." and spells out his whole last name. Nowadays, you get the first name and then the "Gr" for his last name. Curtis actually explained his signature last month.
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| 2002 Bowman Draft #BDP71 Curtis Granderson Gold |
For every elite player, there is one particular rookie card (or one set) that is the must have. Bowman Draft is not that set. However, what it offers are reasonably priced Granderson rookie cards that use the same picture as their much-preferred Bowman Draft Chrome counterparts at a fraction of the cost. Surely, they are must haves for any Granderson collector, and a good pick up for anybody that wants a pre-stardom slice of Curtis.
