© David Frerker/Imagn
Veteran reliever Matt Strahm has become an integral part of the Philadelphia Phillies’ bullpen in recent years. Not only is Strahm one of the league’s best lefty setup men, but he’s also widely beloved by fans and teammates.
The 33-year-old is in his third season in Philadelphia, and in that time, he’s become as well known for his exploits on the mound as he is for his quotes off of it. Take, for instance, quitting fantasy football because he once missed out on a deer while hunting because he was setting his lineup.
Most recently, Strahm sat down with reporter Tyler Boronski to discuss his hobby of card collecting, which he’s trying to get superstar teammate Bryce Harper into.
Matt Strahm Collects Pokémon Cards Because Pokémon Don’t Get Injured
But Strahm isn’t just a baseball card collector. In fact, he tells new collectors that they should focus on Pokémon cards instead, and he has a good reason why!
“People always ask me when they’re getting into cards, for an investment, what would you invest in. I always tell them Pokémon is the safest investment,” Strahm told Boronski. “They look at me like I have a third eye, and I go, ‘Pikachu is not gonna tear his ACL and miss the whole season. Charizard is not gonna get a DUI driving home.'”
“That’s not gonna happen. Their market is kind of set, and that is what it is. But with players, you wake up one morning and the card that was worth $1,100 might not be worth the paper it’s printed on anymore. You’re dealing with the human element, and when you get Pokémon, that’s outta there. So that’s why I always tell them the safest bet is Pokémon.”
I mean, how can you argue with that logic? I’m sure someone once had a Matt Harvey rookie card and thought they were sitting on gold. Or perhaps a Wander Franco autographed card?
Let’s see how those have aged.
But like Strahm said, Snorlax ain’t getting Tommy John surgery. Gyrados didn’t get arrested for assault. Pokémon cards a stable investment!