Giancarlo Stanton remains an enigma on field and with autographs

With Giancarlo Stanton‘s six homers in his last six games, he’s helped everybody re-focus on players who aren’t those two rookies with all those home runs and he only needs two homers in his next two names to tie a major-league record.

The Miami Marlins slugger has an MLB-leading 44 homers on the year — a pace that’s actually right with Roger Maris‘ pace in 1961 — and that’s a career-high as well as a Marlins franchise record with plenty of games still left to play. (Yet, ironically, Stanton reportedly just cleared waivers — so some of those games left could come in a different uniform.)

But that’s not the only enigma that is Stanton, and it’s something that you can see on his earliest cards like this one from 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition when you compare them to today. What is it?

Clint Frazier’s powerful debut for Yankees provides spark for his ink

It’s almost like Aaron Judge all over again.

The New York Yankees’ newest rookie outfielder, Clint Frazier, made his big-league debut on Saturday night in big fashion with a home run and a double as part of a 2-for-4 day in Houston.

And just like Judge, who homered in his first game but had the night off save for a pinch-hitting appearance late in the Yanks’ 7-6 loss last night, it’s back in 2013 where you’ll find the start of his certified autograph résumé.

Ian Happ’s big arrival for Cubs might be calm before storm on cards

The newest big-name Chicago Cubs prospect arrived on Saturday and made his presence felt immediately in his first game with a two-run homer.

So far, Ian Happ is hitting .429 in his first two games, further helping bolster a mostly home-grown lineup that is watched closely by collectors.

Happ is not a surprise for prospectors as the defending World Series champs took him with the ninth pick in the 2015 MLB Draft out of the University of Cincinnati– and he’s been watched on cardboard ever since — but sales of his cards, at least so far, are showing some room for growth.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (Dec. 7)

The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What’s Buzzing Today: New Topps Dynasty baseball cards and some bold Black Friday-inspired breaks from around the sports and non-sports world.

Auction clock ticking down on BlowoutTV’s 50-case break of 2015 Bowman Draft baseball cards

If you’re a veteran prospector you’ve probably ripped into a few Bowman Draft cases through the years, but the latest upcoming break from BlowoutTV is one that has to impress even the most-grizzled of hobby veterans.

It’s a 50-case break of 2015 Bowman Draft. Yep, 50 cases. That’s 600 boxes. That’s 14,400 packs. That’s a whole lot of potential.

The clock is winding down on the auction for this break (click here for the basics) but there are a few players who will grab the attention of prospectors now — and inevitably those and a few others will grab the attention of baseball fans later. (It’s Bowman Draft.)

The Bowman Critic examines 2015 Bowman Draft checklist

The Bowman Critic is one who spends countless hours examining checklists and box scores to see who should be emerging on collectors’ want lists soon. On days like today where the checklist for 2015 Bowman Draft arrived — click here to view it — there’s even more to say.

Keep reading for The Bowman Critic’s pros and cons about this release, which is set to arrive redemption-free on Dec. 9.