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. Brailyn Marquez, LHP, Cubs — Low-A South Bend Cubs
Baseball America’s highlight line: “The unquestioned best pitching prospect in the Cubs’ system, Marquez put together his best start as a pro on July 25. The lefthander set a career-high with 14 strikeouts, doing so in part with a fastball that touched as high as 101 mph. The start continued a stellar July in which Marquez has whiffed 33 batters in 21.1 innings. He’s also allowed just one home run since May 1."

CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): Only MiLB team set cards
First Chrome auto: None yet
One auto to consider: None yet
Buzz’s card take: This 20-year-old is in his fourth season of MiLB ball and his total numbers aren't overwhelming -- 11-11 with a 3.45 ERA and 253 strikeouts in 224 innings. It's this season that has that Ks ratio up so that's a good sign but he's got nothing but MiLB team set cards to chase right now. He should be one to watch once he gets some prospect cardboard in packs but this feels like a long-term watch since he's still in A-ball.

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

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This year's National Sports Collectors Convention is nearly here -- it's set for July 31-Aug. 4 in Chicago with a strong roster of autograph guests ready to sign for collectors who get a ticket and get in line for their moment beyond the ballpark.

Some signers are free if you attend the VIP reception on opening day of the show or buy a VIP ticket package -- a bonus for taking the time to hit every day of the show -- but other signers will take some planning to land the ones you want.

It's tough to see everything at The National -- it's that big -- and the time it takes to work through autograph lines is valuable in that it impedes your shot at seeing it all. With that said, here are my picks -- one per day plus a bonus pick this year -- to grab off the autograph list. (Keep reading for the full signers list in a gallery ... and, remember, times are always subject to change.)

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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 there are a dozen weird, cheap or interesting cards.

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BEFORE THE NBA CAREER ... 
The Card: LeBron James 2003 Sports Illustrated For Kids #264 (BGS 9)
The Price: $11
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: There was a time when this was a popular card in the hobby -- maybe not Tiger Woods SI For Kids big, but popular. What is it? It's a card pulled from a perforated sheet in an issue of the kids' magazine, something it has done since the 1980s, showcasing countless big-name athletes and many others who don't have much -- or any -- cardboard. Everybody knows how much hype there was for James back then -- and his first cardboard from SAGE was huge -- but this one was one of only a few options until his NBA cardboard arrival on Rookie Cards (and plenty more) on 2003-04 releases. Ultimately all those early cards don't command as much interest as NBA stuff, but I liked the look and price on this one for a slab -- especially when you consider higher-graded cards can push $50-100 and 10s can be quite big at auction even today ... at least for a card found in a magazine.
Grab a box right here: No boxes for this one ... click here for NBA boxes

Keep reading for five more interesting items ...

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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 pack: 2019 Topps Now Future World Series baseball cards (one pack)
Where to buy: Click here (previously only offered via Topps.com)
Cards per pack: 3

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A new MLB season is officially here with the Opening Series in Japan and the star of the show is the focus of the first Topps Now cards reflecting that regular season offered this year.

A total of 14 cards -- including autographs and game-used memorabilia -- make up the first day's offerings and 11 of them are for future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.

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Baseball, football ... it doesn't matter -- Kyler Murray has a new team.

The Heisman Trophy-winning former Oklahoma Sooners star has signed an autograph deal with Panini America with the news formally announced on Monday. His first autos will arrive this month in 2019 Panini Prizm Draft Picks and 2019 Score will be the home of his first NFL cardboard.

“Kyler is one of the most dynamic playmakers to enter the NFL Draft and he has raised the level of excitement for this entire draft class since declaring,” said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop in a prepared statement. “We’re thrilled to be able to partner with him to deliver to fans and collectors his only officially licensed trading cards and autograph cards for the 2019 season.”

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The baseball world has lost a Hall of Famer.

Willie McCovey, an iconic slugger for the San Francisco Giants and a member of the 500 Home Run Club, died Wednesday at age 80.

"Willie was a beloved figure throughout his playing days and in retirement. He will be deeply missed by the many people he touched," Giants CEO Larry Baer said in a statement. "For more than six decades, he gave his heart and soul to the Giants -- as one of the greatest players of all time, as a quiet leader in the clubhouse, as a mentor to the Giants who followed in his footsteps, as an inspiration to our Junior Giants, and as a fan cheering on the team from his booth."

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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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THE POWER OF GRADING
The Item: 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson Rookie Card (PSA 10)
The Price: $17,300 after 33 bids with more than three days remaining
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is a card that's been slabbed by PSA more than 18,000 times but just 22 have gotten a PSA 10. Even PSA 9s are relatively rare compared to other grades (just 1,842 exist) while PSA 8s are the most-common grade with more than 8,500 cards in that grade. This is an iconic Rookie Card that has topped the $30,000 mark seven times since 2015, according to PSA, with a high of $38,400 via Heritage Auctions early last year. Many times cards like these get posted with hefty Buy-It-Now prices so it should be interesting to see where this piece of cardboard perfection ends.
Similar Pieces: Other 1980 Topps cards on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for MLB boxes

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

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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: 2015 Topps Strata baseball cards 
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 2

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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.

NOT A ROOKIE CARD ... BUT, WHOA, IS IT SELLING LIKE ONE
The Item: 2012 Topps Heritage #207 Mike Trout 
The Price: They're all pretty impressive -- both past and present
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Mike Trout doesn't have a Heritage Rookie Card but this one arrived a year later and it's selling like one both raw and graded. PSA 10 copies of this card have topped $300 while four-card raw lots have sold for as much as $250 recently. It's not short-printed but this collector never pulled one back then -- oddly -- when I pulled a few copies of pretty much everything else. You know what else is rare these days? Affordable 2012 Heritage hobby boxes and even retail boxes despite the rookie crop not being a strong one at all. (See the link below for a Hot Tip shot at some hobby packs to get in on this chase.) This card will be one to watch -- it's all over the place right now but selling way better than it should be -- as Heritage is the basic set for many of us retro-minded collectors to chase on an annual basis. The high-grade copies of this one aren't that easy -- centering and chipping can be an issue with this set -- so that's definitely driving some of the demand for this one but he's also a top player in MLB and this card does have a ton of natural appeal. Supply and demand has taken over here -- with a dash of crazy sauce, too -- but it tastes pretty good if you own a few of these. 
Similar Pieces: Other Mike Trout stuff on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2012 Topps Value boxes with two H packs in each one

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

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The annual All-Star snub hot takes are blazing after the MLB All-Star teams were announced on Sunday night and there's one guy who's having a break-out year and didn't make the cut.

But, don't worry, he's used to that on cardboard, too. His name? Max Muncy.

The 27-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder has hit 20 homers in 67 games so far this season, which is his third in the bigs. He's an unlikely slugger as he had five homers for his career entering this year. Last summer? He was in Oklahoma City all season after being released by the Oakland A's -- and even that time as a Dodger down in the Bible Belt didn't appear to be a given at one point.

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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: Fanatics Authentic Oakland A's game-used baseball mystery box
The cost: $29.95 (via JCPenney.com)

What's inside this box? Keep reading ...

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Do you have a single card or item in your collection that stands out from the rest?

It's often not easy to pick one when looking at a collection that you spent plenty of time (and likely money) building. Is picking just one favorite a challenge that you could take on? Tweet @blowoutbuzz on Twitter (or send an email at the address below) for more info on how you can have your favorite card or item highlighted here on The Buzz. We want to see what makes you tick.

Here is our latest collector to take this challenge. Check it out ...

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Name: Benjamin Wilson
Find him at: @ourtradingcards
Location: Galt, Calif.
Collects: Oakland A's

The favorite: 2013 Topps Five Star Silver Signatures 1/1 Yoenis Cespedes

Why this matters to me: I believe I have the largest collection of Oakland A's cards as well as Yoenis Cespedes (A's only). If I don't, I'd love to meet the individual that does. This card is the crown jewel of both my A's and Cespedes personal collection. I was collecting every Cespedes card I could get my hands on from 2012 to 2014. The Five Star Silver Signature Series was an amazing card (with parallels) and it was one of the first rainbows I attempted to complete. It's not my most expensive card, but it's definitely my favorite.

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Quick, can you name one of his Rookie Cards?

More people should be able to answer that soon after Oakland A's pitcher Sean Manaea threw the first no-hitter of this young season Saturday night in Oakland. He shut down the Boston Red Sox with 10 strikeouts and just two walks in his gem, which upped his career record to 21-21 as a big-league pitcher.

Now, about that cardboard?

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 12 in 12 -- a series of a dozen breaks of past wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour on the hour all day long today ... this is Hour 6.

The box: 2016 Fanatics Authentic Under Wraps Series 1 autographed baseballs
The cost: BlowoutCards.com

What's inside this one? Keep reading ...

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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: 2017 Topps Luminaries baseball cards
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 1
Base set completion: 
N/A

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He's had a long road to MLB but he's here -- and at the moment he's under the radar and hot.

He's Oakland A's rookie first baseman Matt Olson and he's got 11 home runs in his last 15 games -- 22 for the year. Olson, 23, was a first-round pick of the A's way back in 2012 and he's delivering so far with a .267 average and all those longballs in just 172 at-bats this season.

That long road? It's even longer when it comes to cardboard.

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One generation might know him as a bit of a slugger and the 1979 American League MVP, while another might know him as a manager and coach.

Either way, Don Baylor was a man who lived his life in baseball -- his career that spanned from the 1960s until 2015. He died on Monday at age 68 after a battle with multiple myeloma.

"Don Baylor: 14 teams as player, coach and manager. Countless lives influenced. There's a hole in the universe, its expanse without end," said J.G. Taylor Spink Award-winner Claire Smith on Twitter. "Deepest love and condolences to Becky Baylor and the Baylor family who are mourning a man whose heart was as big as all of Texas."

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Update: The jersey sold for $45,578.40 after eight bids.

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How priceless are the pinstripes of the hottest New York Yankee?

We'll find out soon as the game-used jersey worn during Aaron Judge's first career grand slam from May 28 is on the auction block.

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You probably know Aaron Judge by now. After all, he's tied for the MLB lead with 15 home runs, is the 6-foot-7 young face of the New York Yankees and on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

But in an alternate reality -- and an alternate reality with baseball cards -- none of this would have happened. He'd be playing somewhere else.

You probably didn't know -- this collector didn't -- that Judge was once a draft pick of the Oakland A's, the Moneyballing squad that ultimately sends all of its star players to the Yankees anyway and gets its playoff hopes dashed by Yankees stars and unlikely plays that will never, ever go away. (They even start off movies made about the A's.)

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It's got some rough edges, fuzzy corners, some light surface snow, and a curved-but-not-awful corner crease -- but it's got some character and it's mine.

And it's also signed by Rickey Henderson.

It's a copy of his 1980 Topps Rookie Card and it's also a recent pickup from a major autograph dealer. It's also a story that has a few pieces that this collector thought made it interesting enough to present right here.

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Sometimes there pieces of game-used baseball memorabilia that don't get stashed away as museum-caliber items in private collections or chopped up to make memorabilia cards for our packs of cards.

Poke around online and you can find plaques and other unusual -- but usable -- items that include game-used. Wallets and coasters, for example, have been made with gamer material as part of the mix, but just like cards those novelties that have recently gone high-end and the bat knob you see here is proof.

What is it?

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You should know the name, but you probably don't know the player.

At least this one.

His baseball name is Boog Powell, his real name is Herschel. He's not related to John Wesley Powell, aka Boog Powell, but they share the nickname because his dad was a fan of the Baltimore Orioles icon of the 1960s and the 1970 American League MVP.

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It's one of the weirdest baseball card ever made for a long-time player who's ultimately common-bin material, but it's the inspiration for a minor-league bobblehead giveaway coming this summer.

It's the 1984 Fleer Glenn Hubbard, No. 182 in the set, and it's been getting big-league attention among the Intentional Talk crowd and goofy pre-spring headlines.

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🤘 Sean Doolittle Metallica Gnome WITH SOUND 🤘 April 30. #2016Promotions @whatwouldDOOdo @Metallica pic.twitter.com/HCPMzRoy0r

— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) January 19, 2016

Sean Doolittle of the Oakland A's leads the league in rocking preseason promotion hype with an assist from Metalllica. The gnome in the video above was revealed by the team this week in advance of an April 30 date where 15,000 fans will know "For Whom The Bell Tolls."

On a scale of one to 10, this one goes to 11.

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

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