Carding Baseball America's MLB Prospects Hot Sheet (Sept. 3)

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. Joey Bart, C, Giants — Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels
Baseball America’s highlight line: “The Giants’ top prospect put an exclamation point on his season with an extremely strong finish to his brief tenure at Double-A Richmond. He produced an .868 OPS in August, which included four of his 16 homers in his first full season as a pro. He might not have any 80-grade tools on his card, but Bart has a plethora of pluses that should lead him to become the Giants’ long-term answer at catcher."

CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 450
First Chrome auto: 2019 Bowman
One auto to consider: 2018 Elite Extra Edition
Buzz’s card take: He's a top name, so you should know him and he's got more than 200 autographs to choose from, too. There's some promise to those words from BA -- sounds like they are sold -- but the second pick in last year's draft has decent numbers to justify it. He's hit .284 with 29 homers and 88 RBI in 130 MiLB games the last two years. Good for a catcher but perhaps not for a big-money guy on cardboard. Replacing Buster Posey would come with expectations if he makes it, so I'd be prudent with my looking in terms of prices paid.

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

2. Roansy Contreras, RHP, Yankees — Low-A Charleston RiverDogs
Baseball America’s highlight line: “The Yankees shuffled a great deal of pitching talent through low Class A Charleston this year, and Contreras put together a stellar season in his first extended taste of full-season ball. He shows poise and pitchability in a three-pitch mix, fronted by a low- to mid-90s fastball and backed by a pair of average or better offspeed pitches. He was particularly nasty in the second half, when he went 7-2, 2.21 with 63 strikeouts against 18 walks 69.1 innings."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): Only MiLB team sets
First Chrome auto: Still to come
One auto to consider: Still to come
Buzz’s card take: This season was a big one for the 19-year-old -- 12-5 with a 3.33 ERA and 113 strikeouts for the year -- and that stretch mentioned above is even more impressive. He's still deep in the minors but the Yankees have a number of guys who are worth a look. He should be one, too, after just his third MiLB season. 

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3. Tyler Nevin, 1B, Rockies — Double-A Hartford Yard Goats
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Nevin ended a trying season on a high note, homering in four straight games in the early portion of the week and going 2-for-5 in the season finale. Nevin’s surge pushed his final season line to .251/.345/.399. Most importantly, he avoided the injured list during the season for the first time in his career."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 150
First Chrome auto: 2015 Bowman Draft
One auto to consider: 2015 Elite Extra Edition
Buzz’s card take: This first-round pick back in 2015 doesn't have a lot of cardboard considering that timeframe but that's also perhaps a reflection that he's hit .286 with 36 homers and 183 RBI in 366 games. His 13 homers this year tied a career high but his .251 average is his worst for any stop with extensive playing time. There is hope since he's with the Rockies -- that would help the numbers -- but I'm not seeing much here to be that optimistic about other than he doesn't have a lot of ink to do around. (Roughly two-thirds of his cars are autos.)

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4. Bryan Mata, RHP, Red Sox — Double-A Portland Sea Dogs
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Mata allowed his only two runs of the week in his first start again Binghamton, and he followed that up with seven scoreless frames against New Hampshire. While his walks are concerning, Mata pitched with confidence. He attacked hitters with his fastball while working to his secondary offerings to draw some swings and misses along the way."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 200
First Chrome auto: Still to come
One auto to consider: 2017 Elite Extra Edition
Buzz’s card take: About a fourth of his cards are autographs but he's a bit of an oddity in that he's got a Bowman auto but no Chrome -- that's his Bowman High Tek auto. His three cards there were his only autos released in 2018, while everything else is in 2017 Panini and Leaf releases. In four seasons, he's 22-20 with a 3.40 ERA and had 307 strikeouts in 315 innings. This year's stats aren't wowing other than his K-per-innings and that's not insane.

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5. Zac Lowther, LHP, Orioles — Double-A Bowie Baysox
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Lowther’s deception and seemingly invisible fastball continue to work, level after level. He finishes the 2019 season with a career 2.26 ERA, and his Double-A line (2.55 ERA, 102 hits in 148 innings, 63 walks, 154 strikeouts) remains impressive. At some point Lowther’s lack of a true plus pitch may start to bite him, but he’s running out of challenges where that may prove true. He’s ready for Triple-A and could pitch in Baltimore in 2020."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 65
First Chrome auto: 2017 Bowman Draft 
One auto to consider: 2018 Topps Pro Debut
Buzz’s card take: More than a third of his cards are autos so that's good, but his total is ridiculously low. The two products above are the only places to find his autos. This second-round pick from Xavier looks really good this season though his three-year total is 23-13 with a 2.26 ERA and 380s strikeouts in 326 innings. The obvious question one must ask? When's the last time an Orioles pitcher was heavily chased on cardboard and delivered?

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