If you were paying attention about one year ago today, you would have been right in the midst of the onset of Strasburg mania. 2010 Bowman was about to be released, and things were about to explode. Although we all know how things eventually turned out, this year will have a similar situation, something that I think bears mentioning here on the site.

For 2010 Bowman, Strasburg had a base card, a base chrome and a base autograph for people to chase. All of these cards had all sorts of parallels, all the way up to the 1/1 Superfractor that gained national coverage for its sale. For 2011 Bowman, its not Strasburg, but it will be another Nationals player that will be driving the product, Bryce Harper. Because he has already graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and just about every prospect based reporting magazine, as well as being the number one overall pick, his cards should do a pretty good job carrying the price of the product. Unlike Strasburg, Harper has already had a Bowman Chrome card, oddly enough from last year’s Bowman. This may have a pretty substantial effect on the value of his upcoming BCP-1 card that will lead off the checklist this year.

Harper’s cards already sell for crazy prices considering that he hasnt ever had a major league plate appearance. Think about it, you could buy an RC autograph of multi-MVP Albert Pujols, or you can buy one of the Harpers out there. They are practically the same price these days. So, if Harper were to perform like Pujols has, is there any where these cards can improve? They are SO expensive that the answer isnt clear at this point.

Check out these astronomical prices:

Bryce Harper Upper Deck Patch Auto /99

Bryce Harper Aflac Auto – Bowman Draft

Bryce Harper Buyback Chrome RC Auto

Bryce Harper Upper Deck USA Patch Auto

The difference in the product released soon, will be that him being in a Nationals’ uniform should whet the appetite of all the prospectors out there. His previous card was USA team branded, and he has yet to have a Nationals branded card. Funny enough, its kind of interesting that a USA card has had as much value as it did, as his Superfractor sold for a similarly ridiculous price as the Strasburg did. This time, however, it will be just like every other prospect, and this time, I am wondering how the population will react. Last year, people were buying in on the penthouse floor instead of the ground floor, and it remains to be seen if they will learn from their lesson. Im going to guess the answer is no, and that Topps is actually counting on the answer being that way.