Update: Riley has been on fire since his arrival with seven homers and 20 RBI in his first 14 games, hitting .375 (21-for-56) for the second-place Braves.

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The newest Atlanta Braves rookie to watch is here -- and he homered in his big-league debut.

He's outfielder/third baseman Austin Riley and he went 1-for-3 with a home run in his first game last night, a solo shot in just his second at-bat during a 4-0 win over the Cardinals.

Baseball America ranked him as the No. 22 prospect in baseball entering this season and he had torn things up at Triple-A Gwinnett, hitting .299 with 10 doubles, 15 homers and 39 RBI in 37 games this season.

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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. Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros — Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies
Season so far: Hitting .327 with 25 doubles, 23 homers, 86 RBI and 20 SBs in 93 MiLB games (Hit .154 in 20 games in Houston.)
Baseball America’s highlight line: "Tucker has not hit as a big leaguer yet ... but every time the Astros send him back down, he goes right back to hitting. Tucker hit six home runs in a four-game stretch this week. His last on Saturday was his most dramatic, as the three-run home run in the ninth capped off a five-run, ninth-inning comeback that clinched the Pacific Coast League’s Northern Division title. Tucker now has 23 home runs and 20 steals in the PCL, giving him a 20-20 season despite the fact that he spent nearly a month in the majors."

CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 700
First Chrome auto: 2015 Bowman Draft
One auto to consider: 2012 Elite Extra Edition (and USA Baseball set)
Buzz’s card take: He's pushing 300 different certified autographs and his time in MLB this season might have softened the demand for the biggest ones a bit but he still figures to be a pricey player on those key cards. I'd look into his 2012 USA Baseball autos from when he was with the 15U team first (bargain hunting) before chasing the first Chromes.

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

Continue reading →

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. Luis Urias, 2B, Padres — Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas
Season so far: Hitting .290 with 28 doubles, 8 homers, 44 RBI and 2 SBs in 114 games
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Urias reeled off five consecutive multi-hit games, including four three-hit games, and raised his season batting average from .270 to .290 in a span of six games. He finished the week off in grand style, belting the game-tying RBI triple in the ninth and then scoring the winning run on Sunday."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 200
First Chrome auto: Still to come
One auto to consider: 2016 Elite Extra Edition
Buzz’s card take: He's barely cracked 20 certified autos so there's just two places to find him right now -- 2016 Elite Extra Edition and 2018 Onyx Platinum Elite where his easiest auto is limited to only 200 copies. After his un-numbered Elite auto, none of the parallels there is more than 100 copies. All of this should help values right now.

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

Continue reading →

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. Trevor Rogers, SP, Marlins — Low-A Greensboro Grasshoppers
Season so far: 1-4 with 5.13 ERA, 65 strikeouts and 20 walks in 54.1 innings (12 starts)
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Rogers has worked six or more innings in his last three starts, culminating with Sunday’s gem, where he struck out a career-best 12 batters and carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 300
First Chrome auto: 2017 Bowman Draft
One auto to consider: 2016 Leaf Metal Perfect Game
Buzz’s card take: His season numbers look a little LaLooshian but he was the 13th overall pick in last year's draft and he's on the Marlins so they'll take it -- and the potential. The recent games look relatively solid, so if you're sold on the potential of a Marlins pitcher then you might want to bite.

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

Continue reading →

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. Jo Adell, OF, Angels — High-A Inland Empire 66ers
Season so far: Hitting .318 with 14 doubles, 14 homers, 47 RBI and 11 SBs in 50 games
Baseball America’s highlight line: “At just 19 years old, Adell is quickly emerging as one of the top five-tool prospects in the minor leagues. He earned a promotion to the California League roughly a month ago and has taken the circuit by storm.”
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 400
First Chrome auto: 2017 Bowman Draft
One auto to consider: 2016 Leaf Metal
Buzz’s card take: He’s heavily hyped and was very pricey when his first Chrome ink arrived. A season like this won’t change that. Bargain-hunting could be tough here — but he’ll also likely keep appearing on prospect checklists.

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

Continue reading →