Tigers Checklist: 2009 Bowman (Chrome) Draft Picks & Prospects

In case you can't tell, I'm just plugging away at these sets the best I can so that I can be on the ball for the 2010 sets once they roll around. In the case of this set, I'm rushing through it because it may be the most irrelevant set of 2009. When I first started looking into Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects I was shocked and appalled that they released both regular and chrome versions of these cards. Imagine my relief when I learned that the Chrome cards were two-per-pack inserts in the regular set. Actually, I'm sincere about this. There is absolutely no reason to release these cards in regular and Chrome versions, so I commend Topps for their consolidation efforts.

Unfortunately, they didn't consolidate enough. On top of the regular cards, you have a bevy of parallel versions--exactly like regular Bowman. Then you have the Chrome cards. And all of the Chrome parallel versions. When all is said and done, you're looking at 14 (!) parallel versions of each card, plus printing plates, in this one release. That's nuts.

As for the cards themselves--this set gives us some fresh faced rookies, including legit prospect Alex Avila, former prospect Dusty Ryan, and the rookie du jour Ryan Perry. Fu-Te Ni is finally pictured in a Tigers uniform instead of the WBC one that he wore in the majority of releases. Speaking of which, for some reason there are more WBC cards in this set, including such "draft picks" and "prospects" as Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera. Whatever. I found some Gold refractor (#/50) versions of these so that you could at least feel a little excitement when looking at them. The regular cards, for what it's worth, are all pictured as Chrome Refractors, which are nice looking 100% of the time. There is one more card--"prospect" Jamie Johnson who, like so many Bowman prospect cards before him, is somebody that nobody has ever heard of and has a slim to nil chance of ever sniffing the major leagues. Prove me wrong, JJ, prove me wrong.

With that, a quick and easy seven-card Tigers set to kick off a Friday:

#BDP12 Dusty Ryan RC Ref.	#BDP13 Alex Avila RC Ref.	#BDP19 Ryan Perry RC Ref.
#BDP40 Fu-Te Ni RC Ref.	#BDPP20 Jamie Johnson	#BDPW26 Miguel Cabrera WBC Gold Ref. (#/50)
#BDPW27 Magglio Ordonez WBC Gold Ref. (#/50)

Ultimate Checklist: 2002 Bowman Draft

Grand Gallery: This is just a two card set, so no need for a thumbnail gallery here. Enjoy the original "Ultimate Checklist" post that I wrote instead.

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.

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.

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.