One of Major League Baseball's young stars is in the World Series -- and hitting .571 through two games -- and that means there should be even more people watching him and potentially thinking about buying some his baseball cards.

Where do you start when it comes to Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto? Well, that's what we're here for and it's not that simple -- though it is a tad simpler than when we revisited Ronald Acuña Jr.'s Rookie Cards earlier this year. The 21-year-old (as of tomorrow, the day of Game 3) appears on nearly 2,200 different baseball cards despite just arriving on cardboard in 2016 and on Rookie Cards last year -- in fact he appeared on basically 700 different cards in 2018 alone -- so that's where we'll start with the simple stuff, his RCs.

He's got around 20 Rookie Cards based on traditional definitions and set builds, but for simplicity we've punted anything that's got an autograph or memorabilia swatch as part of the package. We're looking at the simplest of those -- 15 cards of varying values and ease of finding. Some are challenges, some are not -- but now's the time to be paying more attention than ever to them.

Keep reading for a rundown of Juan Soto's Rookie Cards.

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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: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Topps Chrome Update #HMT25 Rookie Card
The Reason Graded: I only opened a couple of mega boxes for this brand but did land this guy -- and, man, do I wish this card had used the bat-down photo. (What could have been?) I recently revisited a few of my boxes holding the finds of my buys last year and this one struck me as a clean example worth a slab, especially with him having had an elite season coming up just short of being the youngest member of the elite 40-40 Club.
The Grade: BGS 9.5

Reality Check: Turns out I was right, though this is a card that's heavily graded with a growing pop report since I submitted this one. There was a 10 grade right after mine in the serial-numbering line and there have been plenty of 9.5s graded since -- and even the 10s aren't all that rare for this one. There's plenty here to feed the demand for a guy who should be on collector radars for years. You'll see more of Acuña here.

Keep reading for more of this month's new slabs for Buzz.

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You should know by now that Ronald Acuña Jr. is having a historic year with the 30-30 Club already set to appear on his 2020 baseball cards -- and there's a serious chance he could become the youngest member of the elite 40-40 Club before the season is over, too.

But it's The Atlanta Braves outfielder's 2018 Rookie Cards that you should be thinking about right now as there's been a serious uptick in interest -- and there's still a lot to choose from that's not priced out of many collectors' budgets.

Acuña appears on more than 3,500 unique baseball cards since he arrived in prospect and minor-league sets back in 2016 and that number has gotten there rather quickly. Amidst his arrival and National League Rookie of the Year award-winning season last year, for example, he appeared on more than 1,700 new cards and more than 1,000 of those were made by Topps just last year.

For simplicity's sake here, we have carved out all of his Topps Now and several other small-set cards sold as online releases as well as Panini America's meaty lineup of Acuña RCs (those could be their own future rundown ... and likely will be). We've also punted all autographs and Relic cards from last year to make this a starting point with the widest affordability net possible -- though ink and parallels in the sets where he has basic RCs will get mentions. That said, even with this starting point, there's still a good mix of high-end and low-end cardboard -- and even the low-end stuff can generate some good Acuña Cash when professionally graded.

Keep reading for a rundown of Ronald Acuña Jr. Rookie Cards.

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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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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 Topps Home Run Challenge Silver #HRCAJ Aaron Judge (/59)
The Reason Graded: Aaron Judge recently returned from injury for the first time since April and that prompted me to lead things off with this rare card I recently got slabbed. I only have this card because I managed to predict one of his homers not long after he returned from injury last year after missing more than a month and a half. Injuries have mounted for his popular slugger the last two years, but I figured this card, given its scarcity, was one worth a slab.
The Grade: BGS 10

Reality Check: The pop report is a little iffy on this one -- there could be others not slabbed* -- since the checklist isn't complete on their site for this set this is merely a guess. (Pop report and checklists typically sync up.) I have gotten very few 10s in the last few years, but I thought this would be a contender and it was. Other Judge cards from this set -- there are at least three before this one -- are a lot rarer. Meanwhile, this appears to be the only Judge (of any color) from this set that's been slabbed.

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

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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 Gypsy Queen baseball cards (mega box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby and blasters)

Packs per box: 12 (10 standard, two parallel packs)
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 72
Base set completion: 
55 of 300 (18 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Jose Altuve, Nolan Arenado, Buster Posey, Giancarlo Stanton, Kris Bryant, James Paxton, Walker Buehler, Trea Turner, Corey Seager, Ozzie Albies

Rookie Cards (8) – Trevor Richards, Heath Fillmyer, Jacob Nix, Steven Duggar, Ryan Borucki, Jake Bauers, Jalen Beeks, Dennis Santana

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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 Gypsy Queen baseball cards (mega box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby and blasters)

Packs per box: 12 (10 standard, two parallel packs)
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 72
Base set completion: 
57 of 300 (19 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto, David Price, Rhys Hoskins, Edwin Diaz, Paul Goldschmidt, Javier Baez, Byron Buxton, Joey Votto

Rookie Cards (10) – Daniel Poncedeleon, Kolby Allard, Kyle Wright, Michael Kopech, Kyle Tucker, Justus Sheffield, Josh Rogers, Aramis Garcia, Chris Shaw, Chance Adams

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Topps is wrapping up its second Industry Conference at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., today, and the company revealed some of its plans for releases to come throughout the rest of this year.

The company's MLB lineup is relatively similar to recent years save for the return of Bowman Sterling, which is planned for an August release in place of Bowman Tek. It will be back with one auto and five base cards per pack and five packs per box. MLB products for the second half of the year include Diamond Icons, Archives Signature Series (both versions), Tribute, Topps Chrome Luminaries, Heritage High Number, Archives, Five Star, Gold Label, Bowman Chrome, Triple Threads, Heritage MiLB, High Tek, Topps Update, Dynasty, Transcendent, Bowman Draft and Bowman's Best. (Details on all of these will arrive with their First Buzz previews throughout the year right here on The Buzz.)

Possible Transcendent guests for Topps include Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr., though nothing firm was announced yet. There are also plans for a Bowman Transcendent release beyond this year. Meanwhile, Topps National Baseball Card Day will return on Aug. 10 in participating hobby shops with teasers at baseball stadiums, MLB Network publicity and packs in shops. Holiday packs also will return late this year, while silver promo packs will continue through Topps Update.

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Do you like Buzz Breaks? Today's your day then as we launch 8 in 8 -- a series of a eight breaks of wax boxes and wax packs in as many hours today. We'll post one every hour ... this is Hour 1.

The box: 2019 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (hobby box)
The cost: Click here (several formats)

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

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We're just a week away from the hobby arrival of 2019 Topps Heritage baseball cards -- the newest look back at a Topps MLB set of the past -- and we've got one of the last steps in the process that, this year, takes us back to 1970.

What's that step? We've got the checklist.

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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 Series 1 baseball cards (three hanger boxes)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby and other formats)
Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 67
Cards in this lot: 201
Base set completion: 
153 of 350 (44 percent)
Duplicates: 30

Base cards of note – Mookie Betts, Brandon Nimmo, Kris Bryant (2), Clayton Kershaw, Shohei Ohtani (2), Christian Yelich (2), Dansby Swanson, Max Scherzer, Joey Votto, Corey Seager, J.D. Martinez, Carlos Correa, David Price, Francisco Lindor

Rookie Cards (15) – Kolby Allard, Kohl Stewart, Danny Jansen, Pablo Lopez, Francisco Arcia, Enel De Los Santos, Nick Burdi, Ryan O'Hearn, Brad Keller, Ranger Suarez, Luis Urias, Jake Bauers, Duane Underwood Jr, Brandon Lowe, Steven Duggar, Sean Reid-Foley

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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 Series 1 baseball cards 
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
Packs per box: 24 (plus one 1984 Chrome pack)
Cards per pack: 14 (four in Chrome)
Cards in this box: 336
Base set completion: 
305 of 350 (87 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards of note – Mookie Betts, Brandon Nimmo, Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Kris Bryant, Clayton Kershaw, Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Harrison Bader, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Dereck Rodriguez, Shane Bieber, Jack Flaherty, Christian Yelich, Jose Ramirez, Dansby Swanson, Trea Turner, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera, Buster Posey, Josh Donaldson, Corey Seager, J.D. Martinez, Carlos Correa, Kyle Schwarber

Rookie Cards (30) – Daniel Poncedeleon, Kyle Tucker, Kolby Allard, Kohl Stewart, Danny Jansen, Michael Kopech, Justus Sheffield, Adolis Garcia, Pablo Lopez, Francisco Arcia, Enel De Los Santos, Nick Burdi, Garrett Hampson, Heath Fillmyer, Ryan Borucki, Jonathan Loaisiga, Cedric Mullins, Ryan O'Hearn, Dennis Santana, Brad Keller, Ranger Suarez, Luis Urias, Corbin Burnes, Ray Black, Jacob Nix, Jake Bauers, Duane Underwood Jr., Ramon Laureano, Jeff McNeil, Chance Adams

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We're just a few weeks away from the arrival of the hobby's longest-running and most heavily collected release, the Topps flagship set, and we've got the first glimpse at some info related to that one that should get some collectors stirring.

It's the checklist for the 2019 Topps Series 1 silver promo packs that will arrive with boxes from selected dealers.

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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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ONE REASON TO RIP BOWMAN DRAFT ... 
The Item: Jarred Kelenic 2018 Bowman Draft Chrome Draft Picks Red Wave Autograph (/5)
The Price: $7,999.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The big prospect on a big card is a big draw for Bowman Draft every year and prospectors are shredding their boxes looking for Superfractors and more right now. One biggie already on eBay is this Jarred Kelenic Red Wave auto that has a hefty price tag attached. Is it too high? You never know, but a Kelenic Red (no Waving) allegedly already sold for $3,950 on eBay since this brand dropped.
Similar Pieces: Other 2018 Bowman Draft autos
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2018 Bowman Draft boxes

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

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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 wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is Hour 1.

The box: 2015 Topps Heritage High Number baseball cards (hobby box)
The cost: Click here

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

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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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ONE SUPER PULL
The Item: Ronald Acuña Jr. 2018 Topps Chrome Superfractor autograph
The Price: $3,050 after 19 bids (more than five days remaining)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This is one of the biggest cards possible in this year's Rookie Card parallel lineup without the name Ohtani attached -- and even with that this should be one of the bigs -- and this one is on the auction block as an auction via an eBay seller with a heavy buyer list and a huge presence. How big will this card go? We'll find out in a few days -- and it was big enough my plans to not have an eBay Buzz this week hit the bench in favor of this Friday-night edition.
Similar Pieces: Other Ronald Acuña Jr. autos on eBay
The BlowoutCards.com Hunt: Click here for 2018 MLB boxes

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

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What: 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen baseball cards
Arrives: March 27
Box basics: Two autographs per box (10 boxes per case)
Checklist: Click here
Order: Click here

What's buzz-worthy: Gypsy queen will return for another season with a colorful retro look, some surprising and soxy Relics and some new inclusions and "unannounced hidden gems."

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

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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, big pulls and big pulls in today's edition.

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What:

What's buzz-worthy: Welcome to a new decade. Collectors can turn back the clock to 1970 once again with the arrival of Heritage, which is a line that has taken us year by year through the past Topps designs -- but with new players -- leading to this set in its journey that began back in 2001.

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

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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 wax boxes and wax packs in a dozen hours. We'll post one every hour all day long ... this is our finale for today.

The box:2012 Topps Heritage baseball cards (24-pack retail)
Where to buy: Click here -- for Value Boxes with Heritage hobby packs

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

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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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Via @joeorlandoPSA ... This might be the coolest story of the #nsccshow so far. While live on the #GA_Collectibles show, Leighton Sheldon opened a PSA-certified 1955 Bowman baseball pack. Inside he found this beauty. It graded a PSA Mint 9. Incredible.

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: National post-show chatter, big pulls and more as Buzz recovers from the NSCC.

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The wrapper redemption programs at the National Sports Collectors Convention are a challenge, a pastime and a must-do for many attendees every year.

But there are drawbacks, too, hence that challenge part. There can be long waits -- depending on how long the lines are and, more importantly, how early you got in them -- and there's the possibility that your line could get cut off before land your treasures.

But the wait can be worth it with the surprises in your packs -- or your boxes you grab to get said packs -- and that's what Buzz opted to try a few times this year. First up? The Topps program.

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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: 2012 Topps Heritage baseball cards (24-pack retail)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for Value Boxes with two Heritage hobby packs)

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 9
Cards in this box: 215
Base set completion: 
194 of 425 (46 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo, Yadier Molina, Justin Verlander, Aroldis Chapman, Felix Hernandez, Stephen Strasburg, Jason Heyward, Dustin Pedroia, Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, Joe Mauer, Ryan Howard, Johan Santana, Todd Frazier, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Joe Maddon, Adrian Beltre, Matt Kemp, Tim Lincecum, Albert Pujols, Joey Votto

Rookie Cards (25) – Adron Chambers (SP), Brett Lawrie, Jesus Montero, Matt Moore, Devin Mesoraco, Austin Romine, Wilin Rosario, Addison Reed, Jared Hughes, Chris Schwinden, Tim Federowicz, Nick Hagadone, Tom Milone and a dozen multi-player cards with notables there including Dellin Betances and Devin Mesoraco.

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From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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 boxes: 2012 Topps baseball value boxes
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 8 (Two Topps Heritage hobby, five Topps retail, one Refractor/Golden Giveaway pack)
Cards per pack: 8 per Topps, 9 per Heritage, 1 in Refractor
Cards per box: 59

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