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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DOMINATING BAT, SOFT DEMAND?
The Item: Austin Riley 2015 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospect Autographs Cyan printing plate (1/1)
The Price: $1,800 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The Atlanta Braves have a rich history of homegrown players dominating on the big stage and a crop of young players on the team now who are seemingly capable of big things on the field and selling cardboard. The latest new arrival -- a guy who has already set a team home run record -- has had a scorching start in terms of the longball and yet he's seemingly a little soft price-wise when it comes to the high-grade first Chrome parallel auto front. (See that link below.) They aren't cheap, but the prices don't compare to other notables in recent years who have arrived and played well. This particular example isn't the cheapest but it is a unique one.
Similar Pieces: Austin Riley autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2015 Bowman Draft boxes 

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

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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 it's a super-sized edition to clear out some cardboard that's been waiting for its turn here.

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BATTING LEADOFF ... AGAIN
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Panini Chronicles Score Rookie Card (SGC 10)
The Price: $10.60
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Is it really a shocker to see this guy batting leadoff here once again? If you're a regular reader you'll know this is the third straight time I've picked one of my Acuña pick-ups to start things off here -- and this time it's a high-grade copy from an affordable (for now) release that's jam-packed with Rookie Cards. I haven't ever submitted anything to SGC for grading, but I have picked off a few cards in their slabs when the price is right and the card is noticeably clean. In this case it was an affordable one picked off in a top grade just before he started heating things up this season. Boxes of many 2018 releases have picked up steam and this one is among them, especially on the hobby side where they are jam-packed with good stuff. I couldn't find this card in the pop report, but the price was right for me.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Panini Chronicles baseball cards

Keep reading for many more interesting items ...

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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. Logan Gilbert, RHP, Seattle Mariners — High-A Modesto Nuts
Baseball America’s highlight line: “His professional debut this year was worth the wait. Gilbert overwhelmed low Class A hitters in four starts to begin the year and has been similarly dominant since his promotion to high Class A. His delivered 12 scoreless innings over two starts this week, capped by Sunday’s seven-inning, two-hit, 11-strikeout performance at Rancho Cucamonga. Overall Gilbert is 3-0, 1.75 with 53 strikeouts and nine walks in 36 innings, with opponents batting just .157 against him."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 200
First Chrome auto: 2018 Bowman Draft 
One auto to consider: 2018 Panini Contenders Draft Picks
Buzz’s card take: He seems to be an affordable Chromw auto -- for now -- so that's a good sign. What's also a good sign is that more than half of his cards are of the certified auto variety. He doesn't have a ton of cardboard for a guy who was the 14th pick in last year's MLB Draft. These all feel like winning variables right now given those stats. You can land him in his college colors with an on-card auto on the cheap in Contenders.

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

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What: 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 25
Box basics: One autograph and one Relic per 19-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Collectors can turn back the clock to 1970 for a final time this season with this trip down to the minor leagues where baseball's hopefuls get a big-league look on this popular line and one lucky collector will get a chance to suit up on a one-day contract.

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

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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 it's a super-sized edition.

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A CLASSIC YOU CAN FIND ... FOR NOW 
The Card: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Topps Heritage High Number RC (PSA 9)
The Price: $11.20
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This Atlanta Braves slugger had a strong start in April -- enough to get people looking at his Rookie Cards from last season once again and that's why I have him leading off here once again but with a different card. I didn't pick this one up since that hot start, but the PSA 10s and other high-grade cards out there have asking prices that are definitely getting more attention and pricier than when I nabbed this one. Raw copies are going for not a lot less than what I paid on the same site and ripping a box isn't going to guarantee you a well-centered copy. (All of mine pulled  last year were a tad off.) This one is off top-to-bottom but that worries me far less than left-right centering, so I grabbed it at the price.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Topps Heritage High Number

Keep reading for nine more interesting items ...

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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: 2018 Donruss Optic Red & Yellow #153 Baker Mayfield (RC parallel)
The Reason Graded: I found this one in a Mega Box and it was by far the best highlight of the bunch there so that's why you see it here. Mayfield has shown himself to be a spark plug among a good rookie crop since back when I pulled it, so that's another reason. A third? This brand is one that I like more than others. The color scheme of this card, a retail-exclusive, also looked good, so I figured I'd slab it up and see how it looked when it came back. These were very pricey when they first started arriving on eBay but I'm sure they have settled down by now -- still an impressive card to me either way and I'll be tucking this one away in my stash alongside my Bowman Chrome Tom Brady RC for the simple long-term appreciation. (Mine, not financial.)
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: At the point I submitted this one, there was at most one graded and I'm still surprised that there are so few slabbed. I also was surprised with the grade figuring I'd check in at a likely BGS 9 but I'll take it. I think high-grade copies of retail-only parallels found in certain formats could be tougher future finds than people might think.

Keep reading for the rest of this month's new grades and additions.

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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, 2B-3B-1B, Padres — Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas
Baseball America’s highlight line: "In a loaded Padres system, it was France who led the organization in total bases, runs and RBIs last year and tied for the lead in home runs. That performance got him put on the 40-man roster in the offseason, and he’s now on the verge of mashing his way to his major league debut. France extended his hit streak to 14 games during his incredible week, capped by hitting back-to-back homers twice with Josh Naylor on Sunday."
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: He's been in the minors since 2015 after he was a 34th-round pick, but hasn't appeared on anything more than minor-league team sets despite hitting 22 homers with 96 RBI in 137 games between Double-A San Antonio and Triple A El Paso last season. The 24-year-old is on pace for a career year with nine homers in 18 games this season and that should get him a cardboard look soon.

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

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Four homers, one game -- it's something that doesn't happen in baseball often, but a Cleveland Indians prospect pulled off the feat last night.

Lake County Captains outfielder Will Benson went 4-for-5 with four homers and eight RBI. He's the Indians' No. 25 prospect on MLB.com's Prospect Watch list and could be a candidate for some affordable collecting, too, though his stats aren't going to wow you beyond some power.

He was the first MiLB player to put up a four-homer game since 2014 and it's only happened 18 times in MLB history. Two players did it in the NL in 2017, Scooter Gennett and J.D. Martinez. 

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Making it to The Show takes a little bit of luck, a lot of talent, a lot of work and often help from others such as coaches and family members.

Photographer Bill Stephan with his son's dog, Wilson.

While New York Yankees prospect Trevor Stephan hasn't gotten there just yet, he does have a taste of big-league cardboard and he had some family help there, too. How? His dad, Bill, was the photographer for several of his baseball cards made so far showing him as a member of the Yankees organization.

"I knew there was a possibility that Topps would use one of my photographs as they contacted me through my son’s agent before spring training [last year]," said the 55-year-old manufacturing executive and father of two. "For a baseball dad, it’s a pretty cool thing to have one of your photographs used as a baseball card image. I wasn’t concerned about being paid."

The 23-year-old pitcher appears on more than 150 different cards in all from three 2017 prospect releases and five products from last year -- and his dad's photos can be found on cards in at least three of them, 2018 Bowman Chrome, 2018 Bowman Draft and 2018 Bowman Platinum along with all of their various parallel versions.

Those baseball cards show the 6-foot-5 225 right-hander and former University of Arkansas standout as a member of the Staten Island Yankees but were edited to reflect the uniform of the 27-time World Series champions. In two seasons of minor-league ball, the former third-round pick is 7-10 with a 3.18 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 158-plus innings. Early last season, Baseball America noted his quick path to Double-A ball and noted he "could be closer than expected to The Bronx."

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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: Nothing but baseball chatter and big pulls as Buzz is ready for a new baseball card season.

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What: 2019 Topps Pro Debut baseball cards
Arrives: May 22
Box basics: Two autographs and two Relics per 24-pack box (12 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Minor League Baseball's stars get the big-league treatment for another year with the 2019 Topps flagship design reflecting the colors and energy of the teams they play for before the big leagues.

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

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but a new year's resolution 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 all under $10.

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NOTHING BUT NET
The Card: Brendan McKay 2018 Topps Pro Debut Fragments of the Farm Relics
The Price: $3.85
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I've probably mentioned it before, but I'm a sucker for oddball memorabilia cards and this specimen was one i had to grab when I saw it. It's simple, a bit part of the ballpark experience and a safety feature that should have been seen a lot more often in cards if you ask me simply because they make for interesting cards. Inside this card is a piece of backstop netting from Dutchess Stadium in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., which is the home of the Hudson Valley Renegades. It didn't hurt that the card shows Brendan McKay, the fourth pick in last year's MLB Draft, but he's not the reason I grabbed this one at all. The Fragments of the Farm sets in Pro Debut the last few years are the home of some interesting cards that have items selected by the teams -- and they typically are found in every box.
Grab a box right here: 2018 Topps Pro Debut

Keep reading for five more interesting cards ...

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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: Nothing but big pulls and breaks in today's edition -- check 'em out here.

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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 Topps Heritage Minor League baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 19 (18 standard, one box-topper)
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 142
Base set completion: 
122 of 200 (61 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Tim Tebow, Fernando Tatis Jr., Hunter Greene, Royce Lewis, Brendan Rodgers, Estevan Florial, Bo Bichette, Kyle Tucker, Nick Senzel, Alex Faedo, MacKenzie Gore, Ke'Bryan Hayes, Alex Kirilloff, Joey Wentz, Monte Harrison, D.J. Peters

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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: Drew Brees' new record, no love for Adam Thielen, a random football-movie thread, showing off Michael Jordan and Tony Gwynn, and ripping into Panini Contenders Draft Picks.

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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: Nothing but big pulls in today's edition -- some highlights to get you ripping on Sunday.

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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 Topps Heritage Minor League baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 19 (18 standard, one box-topper)
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 142
Base set completion: 
122 of 200 (61 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Leody Taveras, Tim Tebow, Fernando Tatis Jr., Hunter Greene, Royce Lewis, Eloy Jimenez, Cristian Pache, MacKenzie Gore, Alex Kirilloff, Cavan Biggio, DJ Peters, Oneil Cruz, Kyle Lewis, Carter Kieboom, Michael Kopech, Brendan Rodgers, Colton Welker, Kyle Tucker, Bobby Bradley, Brian Mundell, Ronnie Dawson, Cedric Mullins, Isan Diaz, Estevan Florial, Jordan Humphreys, Adolis Garcia, Jorge Ona, Zack Collins, Michael Barash, Justin Williams, Khalil Lee, Gregory Soto, Johan Mieses, Daniel Johnson

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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 Kris Bryant's Hall of Fame chances, ripping into an old Pacific NFL box, big pulls and fixing a damaged 1/1 metal card?

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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: Christian Yelich MVP chatter and big breaks from around the collecting world in today's edition.

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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. DJ Peters, OF, Dodgers — Double-A Tulsa Drillers
Season so far: Hitting .236 with 23 doubles, 29 homers, 60 RBI and 1 SB in 131 games
Baseball America’s highlight line: "Peters remains the same balance of pluses and minuses that he was going into last year, but he’s a lot higher profile now thanks to 55 home runs in two seasons. Peters hit 27 home runs in the California League in 2017. Thanks to his furious finish, he finished with 28 home runs in the Texas League in 2018. ... The power is still some of the best in the minors, and there aren’t many center fielders anywhere in pro ball who can crank 25-plus home runs in a season."

CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 175
First Chrome auto: 2018 Bowman
One auto to consider: 2013 Leaf Perfect Game
Buzz’s card take: He's got fewer than 50 certified autos so that, along with his homers, could spark some competition from bidders. He's only got autos from this season and then his earliest ones from Leaf Perfect Game five years ago. He's also in 2018 Panini Chronicles where you can find some variety in ink.

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

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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 ...

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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. 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 ...

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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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BIGGEST THING IN BASEBALL RIGHT NOW
The Item: Ronald Acuña 2017 Bowman's Best Green Refractor auto /99 (BGS 10-10)
The Price: $290 after 44 bids (active auction)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The early autograph cards for this young slugger typically get graded and put on eBay with new-car pricing but this card -- one that came just a .5 away from a perfect BGS Black slab -- is up as an active auction that will close in five days. His home run binge is something that we've already talked about here this week and it will be interesting to see where this one lands. Bowman's Best cards are typically overlooked vs. Chromes but they can command some good cash at times -- and it should do pretty well in a scenario like this where he's red-hot on the field.
Similar Pieces: More Ronald Acuña cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for MLB boxes

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

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Roughly a year ago, St. Louis Cardinals prospect Daniel Poncedeleon was hit in the head by a line drive and collapsed on the pitcher's mound during a game in Des Moines, Iowa, never losing consciousness but wondering if his playing career (or life as he knew it) was over.

On Monday night in Cincinnati, he made his MLB debut for the Cardinals and was pulled from a game in the seventh inning despite having a no-hitter going and a 1-0 lead. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the 26-year-old is just the fifth pitcher have a no-hit bid through seven innings in his MLB debut since 1961. (The Cardinals bullpen blew it in the ninth so it went down as a no-decision.)

"I think that played a huge part into this, because without that, I'm pretty weak," Poncedeleon told MLB.com. "With God, I have a lot of faith and confidence. ... The journey was not drawn up by me. Obviously, there is something greater drawing up this plan or this story. ... I just wanted to win, to be honest."

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The Futures Game indicates things might be bright for the Cincinnati Reds in the future.

With the bat it was 20-year-old outfielder Taylor Trammell who took home MVP honors Sunday after a day that included a home run and a triple in his two at-bats, while last year's No. 2 overall draft pick Hunter Greene scorched from the mound with his first seven pitches of the All-Star event topping 101 mph and one hit 103.

Trammell, who ranked 48th on Baseball America's Top 100 entering this season, is hitting .295 with six homers and 29 RBI in 78 games this season for the Advanced-A Daytona Tortugas, while the 18-year-old Greene was 29th on that list but has a prominent spot with collectors appearing on boxes of Bowman products. He's 3-7 with a 4.69 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 63 innings this season for the Class-A Dayton Dragons.

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