Carding Baseball America's MLB Prospects Hot Sheet (Aug. 12)

Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Joe Ryan, RHP, Rays — High Class A Charlotte Knights
Baseball America’s highlight line: “The man with the unhittable fastball was at it again this week, when he flirted with a no-hitter in the first game of Charlotte’s doubleheader with Bradenton. He settled for a one-hit masterpiece that briefly put him on top of the minor league strikeout leaderboard. His 159 strikeouts are more than any Rays minor leaguer accumulated all of last season."

CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): Only MiLB team sets
First Chrome auto: None yet
One auto to consider: None yet
Buzz’s card take: That highlight line should say plenty ... and that should prime the interest for his first autos when they arrive. When? Well, ideally the sooner the better. This week's release, Bowman Sterling, does not include him. The team set you see above, 2019 Choice Bowling Green Hot Rods, should be plentiful and will likely be broken often as one of the other players in that set is Wander Franco.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

2. Jorge Guzman, RHP, Marlins — Double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
Baseball America’s highlight line: “He’s been masterful in his last two outings, when he’s gone a combined 13 innings and allowed one hit and no earned runs. He’s whiffed 20 against six walks in that time, and he has moved to fifth in the system with 112 strikeouts."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 140
First Chrome auto: 2018 Bowman Chrome
One auto to consider: 2018 Bowman High Tek
Buzz’s card take: He doesn't have a lot of certified autographs -- fewer than 40 for now -- and that should help the market if people opt to chase a Marlins pitching prospect. He's in just three prospect releases so far for autos -- the two above and 2018 Topps Pro Debut, which has seven cards. Chrome will be the go-to and Tek will be the alternate choice but the rarest of the three might be the MiLB stuff. In five seasons he's got a 17-30 record with a 3.77 ERA and 384 strikeouts in 379 innings so it's not bad -- but also not necessarily dominating. His strikeout numbers are pretty strong the last three seasons, though. 

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3. Nick Schnell, OF, Rays — Short-season Hudson Valley Renegades
Baseball America’s highlight line: “So far, Schnell’s pro career has been slowed by a number of somewhat minor injuries, which has helped the Rays decide to take it slow with his development. Schnell is offering solid reminders that slow doesn’t mean stalled. Schnell has four multi-hit games in his past six games."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 200
First Chrome auto: 2018 Bowman Draft 
One auto to consider: 2017 Leaf Perfect Game All-American cards (any)
Buzz’s card take: This guy is a cardboard freak with just over 200 of his 260 baseball cards having autographs. How does that happen? Three years of prospecting cardboard that include Leaf Perfect Game All-American cards as well as the typical prospecting stuff from Topps and Panini America. While his card stats for ink are crazy, his on-field numbers are not. In two seasons -- just 57 games -- he's hit .267 with six homers and 30 RBI. If you like to dabble on the cheap he might be a candidate ... as long as he stays cheap. There are plenty of people looking at Rays prospects with Franco in the mix. 

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4. Seth Corry, LHP, Giants — Low-A Augusta GreenJackets
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Corry dominated in his only start of the week, working around three baserunners while striking out a season-high 12 batters. The Giants’ No. 13 prospect works with a three-pitch arsenal and mixed it well against Rome, getting plenty of swings and misses late in counts. The lefthander needed 87 pitches to navigate his way through five frames, which he bookended with six straight strikeouts."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 170
First Chrome auto: 2017 Bowman Draft
One auto to consider: 2016 Leaf Perfect Game releases
Buzz’s card take: Nothing has changed here since we saw him last week other than the stats -- and they are still impressive. He's got enough cardboard to keep tabs on and dabble with here if you give pitchers a look.

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5. Bryson Stott, SS, Phillies — Short-season Williamsport Crosscutters
Baseball America’s highlight line: “The Phillies’ 2019 first-round pick has shown no trouble adjusting to life as a pro. After swatting four home runs in his junior season with Nevada-Las Vegas, Stott has equaled that total in 29 games as a professional. There are questions about whether he’ll remain at shortstop in the long term, but he’s likely to have a solid offensive profile wherever he plays."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 90
First Chrome auto: Still to come
One auto to consider: 2018 Elite Extra Edition (USA Baseball -- any)
Buzz’s card take: His cardboard presence so far is thanks to USA cards in EEE last year and in this year's Stars & Stripes release -- and that one has about three times as many autos as the EEE set. He was the 14th pick in this year's draft so he's a prime candidate to be found in prospect releases the rest of this year. He hit .340 with 15 homers and 97 RBI in 171 college games -- not overwhelming numbers but not awful ones, either, for UNLV.

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Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

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