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Joc Pederson's 1994 Buick Century could have been yours
As we told you in August, Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Joc Pederson was holding a raffle to give away his 1994 Buick Century — which he bought for $1,000 — to one lucky fan of the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. As we've now learned, ownership papers actually changed hands twice that evening. Before the raffle winner could even get out of the parking lot with their new possession, lifelong Albuquerque baseball fan Patrick Volpert tracked them down and made an offer, eventually buying it for $500.
As you can tell by the photo, the car is in about as good of shape as one could reasonably expect. Which is to say, it's not in good shape at all. But it is functional, inspite of its shortcomings, and according to MLB's Cut 4 Volpert seemed to be digging his purchase.
Though there's no air conditioning and only one working window, Volpert says that it drives "really, really smooth." He also said that he probably "wouldn't have done it with anybody else," adding that he remembers seeing Pederson taking time to sign plenty of autographs. "While some players would just walk on by kids, he would stay there for quite a bit. So that impressed me."
It impressed him alright, but apparently not enough to hold it long term. Less than three months after purchasing "Little Chunky," as the car has been dubbed, Volpert put it up for auction on Ebay, along with the original title Pederson signed, and one of his rookie cards. According to its listing page, the entire package ended up selling for $1200 on Saturday.
So we're clear, that's $1200 for Volpert, in addition to the 89 cents he recovered after checking under the seats. Still, one has to wonder if a better deal may have come along. Before the auction was complete, he had this to say.
Volpert isn't nervous if the car doesn't sell. Volpert said he will continue driving it despite the "odd looks" he gets at stoplights. And "maybe Joc Pederson will have a huge breakout year, maybe be Rookie of the Year next year and maybe [I'll] paint it Dodger blue."
If he had hoped for increased value, waiting out Pederson's rookie season may have been the best bet.
Pederson, 22, actually made his major-league debut on Sept. 1, just three days after the original raffle. In 18 games, he went 4 for 28 with no homers or RBIs, but nine walks. In five minor-league seasons, the Dodgers top three prospect is a .302/.405/.524 hitter with 84 homers and 271 RBIs. In 2014, he posted the first 30-homer, 30-steal season in Pacific Coast League history.
He's a good one with sky-is-the-limit potential, and that's part of the reason the revamped Dodgers front office might be willing to move more than one major-league outfielder this winter. If his time doesn't come in 2015, it won't be long after. So if anyone has any real designs on cashing in on that car, exercising some patience may be the key.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
