Carding Baseball America's MLB Prospects Hot Sheet (June 25)

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. Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros — Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies
Season so far: Hitting .314 with 23 doubles, 10 homers, 57 RBI and 13 SBs in 69 games
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Tucker, the Astros’ No. 1 overall prospect, absolutely destroyed the Pacific Coast League this week and has done so all June long. In the season’s third month, Tucker, still just 21 years old, holds a .415 average and a 1.085 OPS. More than that, he’s also a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen bases."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 650
First Chrome auto: 2015 Bowman Chrome Draft 
One auto to consider: 2012 Elite Extra Edition (USA Baseball)
Buzz’s card take: He's got a ton of cards but he hit 25 homers last season and he's in the World Series champions organization, so there are a few reasons to chase and watch. If you can't land the Chrome, that really early USA option should have some decent appeal with a number of collectors. He's a Top 15 prospect per Baseball America and a Top 20 guy to MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus -- so you should know his name already if you dabble in prospects.

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

2. Brandon Lowe, 2B, Rays — Triple-A Durham Bulls
Season so far: Hitting .285 with 21 doubles, 13 homers, 51 RBI and 8 SBs in 68 games
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Lowe blitzed through Double-A Birmingham and joined Triple-A Durham two weeks ago, providing offensive reinforcement to a lineup that had just lost Willy Adames and Jake Bauers. Lowe has exceeded expectations since arriving, as he hit five home runs this week."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 70
First Chrome auto: Not yet
One auto to consider: 2015 Elite Extra Edition
Buzz’s card take: He doesn't have a lot of cardboard right now -- he's in just three 2015 Panini releases -- and nearly 50 of his cards are certified autographs. He's got National Treasures Collegiate auto-jerseys and 2015 Panini Contenders ink to chase, too, but the Elite is the best-looking card to me. 

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3. Lewis Thorpe, LHP, Twins — Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts
Season so far: 4-4 with 4.26 ERA and 86 strikeouts and 22 walks in 69 innings
Baseball America’s highlight line: “The hard-throwing Australian southpaw had been trending toward the big leagues after losing 2015 and 2016 to injury, but his progress appears to be accelerating ... in his past five appearances he has struck out 40 (against eight walks) in 27.2 innings while allowing opponents to hit just .225 with one home run."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 100
First Chrome auto: 2014 Bowman Chrome
One auto to consider: 2014 Bowman Platinum
Buzz’s card take: He's only got autos in a pair of 2014 Bowman releases (noted above) and they're not all that pricey so he could be a guy where bargains can be found once he arrives -- and if he arrives with an impact. His career record is 15-11 in four seasons with a 3.29 ERA and 321 strikeouts in 268 minor-league innings, so it's perhaps a situation where interest will be hottest once he arrives. 

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4. Oneil Cruz, SS, Pirates — Low-A West Virginia Power
Season so far: Hitting .313 with 13 doubles, 10 homers, 43 RBI and 6 SBs in 63 games
Baseball America’s highlight line: "...There’s a lot of discussion around where Cruz might play if and when he moves off of shortstop. For now, though, he’s just really fun to watch. He’s got electric raw power, a strong throwing arm and improving plate discipline, and his 10 homers are one off the system's lead."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 65
First Chrome auto: 2016 Bowman Chrome
One auto to consider: 2017 Elite Extra Edition
Buzz’s card take: He's the only repeat form last week's list, so here's what we thought then. ... He doesn’t have a lot of cardboard at all with just those two brands -- and just one with the correct spelling of his name. That’s a recipe for price movement when he picks up and gets attention. Long-term? He’s only 19 and in his third season in MiLB so he's one to watch.

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5. Yordan Alvarez, OF, Astros — Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks
Season so far: Hitting .324 with 10 doubles, 10 homers, 38 RBI and 5 SBs in 35 games
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Alvarez missed a month with a hand injury, but you wouldn’t know it based on his hot hitting in the Texas League. He homered in his June 17 return and launched three more during this Hot Sheet 'scoring period.'"
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 15
First Chrome auto: Not yet
One auto to consider: None yet
Buzz’s card take: His very first -- and only -- Bowman card appearances are in 2018 Bowman and its Top 100 and Talent Pipeline insert sets. He had 12 homers all of last season and his batting average is up this year, so it should be interesting to see how his numbers look when those first autos and standard cards arrive. Since Topps had him in that set, there's a good possibility there's plenty more on the way.

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