With Opening Week trucking along, there has been a lot of unexpected hot starts that have made some news. One hotter start that isn’t as unexpected is that of Jose Abreu, the most recent player to come over from Latin America and tear it up. Although no one really expects the White Sox to be all that good this year, there are HIGH expectations for his prospects in the league.

Check out his prices:

2013 Leaf Trinity Jose Abreu Auto Inscription /30

2013 Leaf Memories Jose Abreu Auto – On Card

2013 Panini Elite Extra Edition Jose Abreu Die Cut Status Auto /50

2013 Panini Prizm Jose Abreu Refractor Auto

Many collectors are not waiting to get in on the action with Abreu either, as the torrid start of Yasiel Puig in 2013 is still fresh in everyone’s mind. Abreu is a similarly coveted signing, as Puig was as well, and his first few games are living up to the hype. He is batting a cool .455 with 5 RBI in 3 games, including quite the game changing three run triple against my Twins.

Although I am not someone that really buys into much of the hype, I know I am in the minority. Collectors usually function on previous precedent, of which Abreu will no doubt benefit from. People don’t want to be on the outside looking in when they could have bought in cheap, and that drive speculation through the roof.

Think about it.

You could have bought a Mike Trout Bowman Chrome auto for 25 bucks back before the boom. At a 9.5, good luck getting those these days at even close to a reasonable price. Other rookies and young players have had similar situations, and that will forever ensure that players like Puig, Abreu and others will sell so far above the best players in the league. That’s what prospecting is all about, even though this really isn’t a good example of the true practice.

Most prospectors will buy rookies in huge bulk, reserving their buys for the lower tier guys rather than the high visibility players like this. Then, when they flame on or flame out, they either pump or dump. Trout was likely a player like that for many prospectors out there, but we have come to understand he is a generational talent that rarely comes around.

Now, we all know that Abreu’s first licensed autograph will be released in 2014 Bowman, which hits stores shortly. Its going to be crazy to see where his prices start to materialize, as this hot start should shoot them into the stratosphere. All that being said, I would be VERY careful dropping the cash unless you are a huge fan. Unless he blows up in a way like we saw with Puig, the prices will likely come down to a reasonable range.