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 ...

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Aristides Aquino, Pop Century pulls, baseball and football breaks and ... what if Topps only made 10 MLB products?

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Aristides Aquino arrives, Yordan Alvarez impresses, Bo Bichette's hot start, NFL breaks, Antonio Brown and collecting Jalen Ramsey.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2019 Bowman Platinum Topps National Baseball Card Day hanger box
Where to buy: Initially only at Walmart; Click here (when available)

Packs per box: 3 (two 12-card Platinum jumbo packs, one four-card Topps Gallery NBCD preview pack)
Cards per pack: 28
Cards in this box: 28
Base set completion: 
10 of 100 (10 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards – Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Nolan Arenado, Chris Sale, Andrew McCutchen, Charlie Blackmon, Khris Davis, Eric Hosmer

Rookie Cards (3) – Pete Alonso (SP), Ryan Borucki, Austin Dean

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Big pulls, a big PSA return and plenty of other breaks to check out today.

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Have you seen the latest cool cards from a new release? With so many options for collectors of all kinds arriving every week it's possible you haven't. That's where Buzz comes in -- well at least on one brand you'll see here from time to time in what we're calling Buzz's Pick Six. Simply put, here are six cards from a new arrival that seemed interesting to this collector and we think they might interest you, too.

This week's release: 2019 Topps Heritage High Number
Checklist: Click here
First Buzz Preview: Click here

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LOADED WITH ROOKIES 
The Cards: Eloy Jimenez, Keston Hiura, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Pete Alonso & Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie Cards (and more)
The Prices: Will vary by player
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This year's revisiting of 1970 Topps was admittedly dry on the RC front but this series more than makes up for it and it takes that A+ grade I gave last year's edition with its rookies and gives it a nudge. This one is just as loaded and just as strong. There are more than 40 RCs on the standard checklist of just 200 cards for this one and then there are a few more (not the big names) among the 25 short-prints. The key names will be found often here and that's a recipe for strong breaks and plenty of heat if you're ripping at the case level. Heritage RCs and their autos have been some of the biggest movers (especially when slabbed) the last few years and this one will be just as strong. Now consider you'll also get parallels and variations (noted on checklist) ... oh, boy.

Keep reading for five more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Pondering the Billy Ripken 1989 Fleer variations, showing off Nolan Ryan cards, a huge pull from a mispriced oldschool wrestling box, Panini National packs and more in today's edition.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: MLB will head to Iowa in 2020, collectors react to Zion Williamson news, big pulls, post-National chatter and more in today's edition.

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Have you seen the latest cool cards from a new release? With so many options for collectors of all kinds arriving every week it's possible you haven't. That's where Buzz comes in. This week's list is not for those who are deep prospectors, rather it's for those who might look to dabble with young MLB players without the wait for them to arrive. My list, which should be an obvious one for most collectors, simply spotlights six rookies who are playing well. Their biggest cards are already priced big -- but that doesn't mean you can't find some nice underpriced stuff and build some gains as they play well this season.

The new six: No product this time -- just six MLB rookies Buzz is watching.

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SLIGHTLY OFF THE RADAR?
The Player: Keston Hiura, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers
The Stats: Hitting .307 with 13 HRs and 30 RBI in 52 games
Why he's Buzz-worthy: You won't necessarily see him atop the season's leaders for rookies since he's only played in 52 games this year, but he's already in The Show in just his third campaign as a pro. He hit .317 in 222 MiLB games and that might be the biggest key here in my mind -- he's not just a power guy unlike others you will see on this list. He did have 36 homers and 122 RBI in those MiLB games, too, but the production here just seems balanced and reliable with some pop. An example of that? In his first three at-bats on Wednesday night he had a homer, a double and another homer, upping his average to .309.
Total autos: 300-plus
First Chrome autos: 2017 Bowman Draft
Off-radar autos: 2016 Elite Extra Edition (USA Baseball)

Keep reading for five more interesting players in this week's roundup ...

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What: 2020 Topps Series 1 baseball cards
Arrives: Feb. 5
Box basics: One autograph or Relic per 24-pack hobby box (12 boxes per case); or one autograph and two Relics per 10-pack jumbo box (six boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here (live soon)

What's buzz-worthy: The first series of Topps' flagship 2020 set arrives with a new look and a number of new inclusions as well as nods to the past that collectors just might remember.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2019 Topps Chrome baseball cards (mega box)
Where to buy: Click here (a few formats)

Packs per box: 12 (10 packs plus two X-fractor packs)
Cards per pack: 4 per standard, 5 per X-fractor
Cards in this box: 50
Base set completion: 
32 of 204 (16 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Rhys Hoskins, Kris Bryant, Buster Posey, J.D. Martinez

Rookie Cards (10) – Ryan O'Hearn, Touki Toussaint, Dakota Hudson, Chance Adams, Cionel Perez, Taylor Ward, DJ Stewart, Josh James, Kevin Kramer, Corbin Burnes

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2019 Topps Allen & Ginter X baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 18
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 144
Base set completion: 
125 of 300 (42 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Boston Red Sox, Clayton Kershaw, Jose Canseco, Giancarlo Stanton, Buster Posey, Ozzie Albies, Christian Yelich, Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, Roger Clemens, Mookie Betts, Nolan Ryan, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Ichiro Suzuki, Jeff Bagwell, Carl Yastrzemski, David Ortiz, Eddie Murray, Carlton Fisk, Tony Gwynn, Juan Marichal, Rickey Henderson, Ozzie Smith, Ernie Banks, Steve Carlton, Whitey Ford, Ivan Rodriguez, Al Kaline, Tiger Mask, Post Malone, Brian Fallon, Mayumi Seto, Dan Rather, Gary Vaynerchuk, Vincent Stio, Tyler Kepner, Sister Mary Jo Sobieck

Rookie Cards (6) – Pete Alonso, Dakota Hudson, Corbin Burnes, Sean Reid-Foley, Kevin Newman, Cedric Mullins

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Is a signed Rookie Card buyback still a Rookie Card? One Target, 48 Bowman Mega Boxes? Those questions and more in today's edition.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2018 Panini Elite Extra Edition baseball cards (blaster box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby when available)

Buzz picked up three of these boxes in the bargain bin ... and the results dictated that they all be shown together.

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The clock is ticking down and the cardboard is ready.

Saturday is Topps National Baseball Card Day and whether you're a regular at your local card shop or you're somebody who ripped into packs just for the gum decades ago, some free stuff can be yours at participating shops.

New this year with this one is a retail component -- keep reading for those details -- as part of the annual event that Topps hopes will draw people into collecting with some new stuff to add to their stash.

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Post-National chatter, a look at breaks today and pondering whether a good photo makes a good card.

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It all started with a tweet and that led to another helping sparking a viral sensation of a baseball card.

And now it's inspired a new Topps Now autograph card with the appropriate inscription.

Cleveland Indians All-Star Shane Bieber pitched his third complete game of the season on Sunday. And today? Well, he's got a "Not Justin" autographed card to show for that and his memorable tweet.

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Group breaks have been a game-changer for the card industry for several years now and from time to time Buzz will jump into a BlowoutTV break of some type and break down the results of what he landed by picking up a team. There are near-daily breaks right here with Matt on Blowout TV during weekday working hours and even more from Houdini and others over on the forum in the evening.

Now, it's time for this post's break breakdown -- a spot in a 2019 Topps Allen & Ginter baseball card case.

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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. Ty France, 3B, Padres — Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas
Baseball America’s highlight line: “If the new Triple-A ball is going to lead to massively inflated offensive numbers, it’s fitting that there’s a player posting one of the best statistical seasons we’ve seen this century. France is now hitting .396/.473/.780 with 26 home runs. He could become the first full-season minor league hitter to top .400 since Erubiel Durazo hit .404 in 1999, and he may do it while hitting more than 30 home runs as well."

CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 25
First Chrome auto: None yet
One auto to consider: None yet
Buzz’s card take: He's putting up a year that has historic superlatives involved and he's got just one brand where you can find his baseball cards right now, 2019 Donruss Optic. He's got roughly 25 cards there but we're still left to wait on a certified autograph. He should get another MLB look soon, though the name-drop of Erubiel Durazo should tell you how much stock can be put into historic MiLB seasons in the long run when it comes to cardboard.

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

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Have you seen the latest cool or interesting items on eBay? If not, you just might see some of those here every week as we're launching a weekly version of our eBay Buzz pieces that pop up from time to time. We’ll spotlight some items that have a story or just wow us with how much interest it might have — and we’re not just talking baseball cards, either.

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ZION HITS PACKS ... AT THE NATIONAL
The Item: Zion Williamson 2019 Panini National Rainbow Spokes parallel (/50) BGS 9.5
The Price: $1,499.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The NBA's No. 1 draft pick has officially hit packs via the promos that Panini America made for the just-ended National Sports Collectors Convention and its Panini VIP Party on Saturday night. While we haven't seen any ink in wrappers just yet, these promo packs will be the only place to find him until the first 2019-20 draft picks and NBA sets arrive later this year. This is one of a few cards that was graded at the show -- and it won't be the last Williamson cardboard to end up slabbed. There will be many to come ... it's just a matter of when and where, especially when it comes to autographs.
Similar Pieces: Zion Williamson Panini cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for the promo packs section 

Keep reading for four more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

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The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are a few threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What's Buzzing Today: Bieber error leads to tweets and that leads to cash, big pulls, new breaks and news from The National that also includes the FBI.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around they're a little pricer than my normal pick-ups.

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I AM GROOT ... 
The Card: Groot 2018-19 Upper Deck Marvel Annual sketch card -- artist: Poognasty (1/1)
The Price: $21.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I did a double-take when I saw the detail of this sketch card in comparison to its price. While sketch cards can get super cheap these days -- even for full-color comic sets -- that's often due to quality of the work. This one seems like it was seriously underpriced. Groot is one of the more unique characters in the Marvel universe these days, though he's more of a merch machine in his child years vs. adult years seen here. Either way, this one was striking and I had little hesitation picking this one up. That's easily the most I've spent on a sketch card but it's by far my best one, too.
Grab a box right here: 2018-19 Upper Deck Marvel Annual (when available)

Keep reading for a dozen more interesting items ...

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The Panini America VIP Party has a Hall of Famer and a heavy hitter ready for its Saturday soiree.

Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman and500 Home Run Club member Rafael Palmeiro will be there, and that ups the roster to seven past stars from the sports world and beyond for the event made for high-rollers in the hobby this weekend in Chicago.

In 18 seasons for the Marlins, Padres and Brewers Hoffman recorded 601 saves, which is second only to the new Hall of Famer who passed him, Mariano Rivera. 

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If you have this card and are at The National, then at least $2,500 could be yours.

It's a 2019 Topps Allen & Ginter framed autograph card of Blowout Cards' Thomas Fish and while it's one of just 10 framed cards put into packs it's the only one with this special inscription.

This reward stands until 3 p.m. on Saturday at the show and the card must be presented at Booth 854 to claim.

Even better? If this tweet from the @BlowoutCards account gets retweeted more than 2,500 times then the price goes up -- the price will be the same as the number of RTs with a cap of $5,000.

With so many boxes of Ginter on the show floor at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, there's a good shot that it could be right there, right now ... waiting on you.

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

>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com.

Like many collectors, Buzz is a fan of grading and knows that there are many reasons that collectors choose to slab cards. Sometimes it's to enhance the appeal and protect them when selling. Other times it's to protect an investment for the long-term or to protect for sentimental reasons. Or, it might be just for fun or curiosity about a potential grade.

Here's this month's grading diary here on The Buzz ...

The Card: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2019 Topps Living Set #179 RC
The Reason Graded: While I own a few Topps Living Set cards the arrival of this second-generation MLB star in this weekly release sparked my first purchase from this popular brand that's clearly popular with flippers. I ponied up for 10 copies of the card --solely with potential grading in mind -- but didn't receive a single perfectly centered card in my batch, which was a bummer. After some grumbling, I picked out this one from the batch and sent it in.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: It graded as well as I thought it could -- maybe better -- so I wasn't unhappy with the grade and it appears that I'm perhaps on the luckier side with just two 10s out there better than it via BGS ... for now. This is a card that will likely be graded more and more often so those won't last but but it appears that this one is arriving between 8.5 and 9.5 more often than not. I have a second one I'll submit to PSA at some point with my sights set on a 10 there. We'll see sometime later this year.

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