Fast Five: MLB rookies I'd be watching this year

Fast Five is a quick list under a simple topic that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection. It's a basic list of five items that could be fun for a starting collector or a new way to add to a stash that might already seemingly include everything when it comes to cardboard. For some of you, it's probably common sense. For others of you out there, it's perhaps something to ponder.

This time? Five MLB rookies I'd be watching this year ... at least based on the results so far.

RED ALERT
Jonathan India -- 3B, Cincinnati Reds (click here for autographed cards on eBay)
This one is about the numbers for me -- 10-for-21 (.476) with a double, triple and 10 RBI in his first six games of his big-league career. He's a known commodity for prospectors since he was the fifth-overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and was a top-100 prospect at times since. However, in two MiLB seasons he hit just .254 with 17 homers and 67 RBI in 165 games (154 Ks) so there might not have been as much attention heading into this debut. He did hit .313 with three homers and seven RBI in 22 games this spring. Because he's been a high-profile player, he's already got a ton of cards -- more than 800 -- and nearly half of those are certified autos. His earliest ink is in 2014 Leaf Perfect Game releases and then his first MLB autos are in 2018 Bowman Draft. He's got ink from Panini America, too, in prospect releases and I'd be looking for bargain-priced ink here vs. the slabbed stuff with big prices attached. The 2014 autos are also somewhat appealing being so much earlier than the rest. Him having volume should give you more choices and more chances to find bargains compared to other guys on this list -- guys with scorching starts but fewer cards.

Keep reading for four more making up the list this time.

FROM OUTTA NOWHERE?
Akil Baddoo -- OF, Detroit Tigers (click here for autographed cards on eBay)
If you checked spring training stats this year, then seeing him here should be no surprise -- and he hasn't stopped in his first four official games as a big-leaguer, either. He's hitting .455 with a triple, two homers, a stolen base and seven RBI. In the spring he hit .325 with five homers and 11 RBI in 21 games -- not bad for a guy who hit only .249 in four MiLB seasons and had 124 strikeouts in 113 games -- his best power year where he had just 11 homers. He also had never played above advanced-A ball before this breakout year. Nearly half of Baddoo's cards are certified autos since his cardboard arrival in 2017 and he's found with ink in 2018 Bowman Chrome (above) as well as 2018 Elite Extra Edition and Panini Contenders and then 2019 Bowman Sterling. That's it other than his brand-new Topps Now cards. Will all of this last? Perhaps not, but if you got in on him on the low side then it doesn't matter. Buying high? Seems risky but we all know how Randy Arozarena's arrival looked on cardboard last year, though he had a lot out there to choose from.

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MERCEDES HAS A STICK
Yermin Mercedes -- DH, Chicago White Sox (click here for autographed cards on eBay)
What happens when a bit of a MiLB journeyman finally arrives after a decade down on the farm, has a hot start but only has one MLB card (an auto) in packs? Insanity might be one way to describe it -- and it probably won't last ... except the numbers so far are strong. This 28-year-old who had one at-bat last year has 13 hits in his first 23 this year -- a .565 average that leads the majors (as well as all rookies) and he's also got a homer and six RBI in five games. His only five in-pack MLB cards are in 2021 Topps Series 1 -- the auto you see above and its numbered parallels that total just 86 signed cards. (His Topps Now stuff has come and gone in the pre-order stage, too.) If you got in on the low side here then this will be fun. Buying high? Well, that depends on when you might be trying to sell.

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ALTERNATIVE WAY OF ARRIVING
Andrew Vaughn -- 1B, Chicago White Sox (click here for autographed cards on eBay)
His arrival didn't really come the natural way -- Eloy Jimenez is out for the year so he's here perhaps a bit early -- but he's an established big name before MLB and has the baseball cards to show for it both in volume and price. He was the third pick in the 2019 MLB Draft after he was the Golden Spikes Award winner as the best amateur player in the country after his sophomore season (see the past winners list here). Since he was a USA Baseball player as a teen-ager, he's got a lot of pre-MLB cards between that and prospect releases -- nearly 1,200 -- with more than 500 certified auto cards already. His earliest autos are in the 2013 USA Baseball set when he was on the 15U National Team and then he was on the Collegiate National Team in 2017 and 2018 releases. His MLB prospect cards arrived in 2019 and he's had plenty since. The earlier stuff might be for the bargain hunters compared to other stuff but, again, with volume there's a lot of options out there. His stats for his first week aren't huge like the other guys here but he'll get his time to play ... and he's been bouncing around a few positions which might help him play even more. He's worth the watch ... even if plenty of prospectors have been watching him for years.

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WATCHING ARMS IN ATLANTA
Ian Anderson -- SP, Atlanta Braves (click here for autographed cards on eBay)
His first start this year? Five innings, seven Ks and just one run allowed (on a HR) against the Phillies. He started six games last year, going 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 32 innings ... and that's what I like here along with him being on a young team with big potential. He was the third pick in the 2016 MLB Draft and had 451 strikeouts in 377 MiLB innings and a 2.91 ERA over four seasons ... so things feel established here. Throw in his USA Baseball time (2015 releases) and Perfect Game All-American time, and he's got more than 1,100 cards already with nearly 400 different autos ... so a lot to collect. His MLB prospect card arrivals are in 2016 Bowman Draft.

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What would you want to see in a future Fast Five? Let Buzz know on Twitter or email.

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