Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

MANNY BEING MANNY ... ADMITTEDLY BEFORE MILB
The Card: Manny Ramirez 1991 Little Sun High School Prospects
The Buzz On This: OK, OK ... this isn't MiLB cardboard but it's thisclose to it as this card comes from a small set of players who were quickly on their way to pro ball when this one arrived from a small card company that released a number of small yet interesting sets. In this case, Ramirez was fresh out of George Washington High School in New York where he hit .650 with 41 hits, 40 runs 15 homers and 40 RBI in just 22 games as a senior. His career stats there? A mere 35 homers, 28 doubles, 17 triples, in 67 games where he hit .630. Oh and he stole 76 bases out of 78 attempts. Sure, you can look up his MLB stats -- that's easy -- but this card is all that numbers-wise and more. (Too bad I forgot to take a pic of it when I found this set in a bulk lot of MiLB sets months ago.) There are a few other MLB players in the set but none come close to Manny Being Manny.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can find in MiLB.

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. Deivi Garcia, RHP, Yankees — Double-A Trenton Thunder
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Garcia continued one of the best seasons by a pitching prospect by spinning a masterpiece against Richmond. He struck out the first eight batters and was in complete control the rest of the way. The performance boosted his strikeouts per nine innings to 15.1, the best in the minors among qualified starters. It also tied the Trenton franchise record for strikeouts in a game, which was set by Adam Warren in 2010."

CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): Just MiLB team set cardboard 
First Chrome auto: Still to come
One auto to consider: Still to come
Buzz’s card take: You may remember seeing this guy here about a year ago and nothing has ultimately changed on the cardboard front. He's just 20 and rising in the minors so that cardboard should be coming at some point. He's 3-4 with a 3.02 ERA and a ridiculous 100 strikeouts in 59-plus innings pitched this season so there should be some serious demand once that first ink hits. His few MiLB team sets should be watched right now, too. (There's next to nothing on eBay right now for him.)

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

Continue reading →

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.

--

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 ...

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. 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 ...

Continue reading →