Hank Blalock, Texas Rangers - Blalock had the third base position all but locked up coming out of spring training last season. He had a terrible April and found himself back in the minors by May. If my memory serves me correctly at this time last year his 2001 Bowman Chrome rookie refractor was pushing $100 on eBay. The same card can now be had for $25 or so. If you believe that Blalock is the real deal, which I do, purchasing his cards may not be such a bad idea. If you are looking for a less expensive alternative, try his 2001 Topps Chrome Traded rookie card, which may cost you about $5.

Joe Thurston, Los Angeles Dodgers - The early front-runner for National League Rookie of the Year honors, Thurston performed well in a brief cup of coffee last September. He has the potential to hit .300, hit about 10-15 home runs and steal 20-25 bases (think Jimmy Rollins). Thurston has some real good rookie cards to choose from, including his 2001 Donruss Elite Extra Edition, Topps Reserve autograph and 2001 Bowman Chrome refractor. Any one of the aforementioned would be a good choice.

Jesse Foppert, San Francisco Giants - Foppert is the top pitching prospect in all of Major League baseball. Keeping that in mind, surprisingly Foppert appeared on very few cards in 2002. His best, far and away, is his Bowman Chrome rookie autograph along with the refractor, x-fractor and gold refractor parallels. If he lives up to expectations, these cards should prove to be hot commodities. Currently they are selling at "book" value, which is a good indicator of how highly he is looked upon in the hobby.

Brian Dopirak, Chicago Cubs - The best power-hitter in the 2002 amateur draft, Dopirak has been compared to a young Jose Canseco by some scouts. His best rookie card appears in the 2002 Bowman Chrome Draft set and has been selling over book price since being released last month. The Cubs are one of the few teams in "the show" that are good at promoting from within and may be poised to push Dopirak up the ladder quickly.

Rocco Baldelli, Tampa Bay Devil Rays - Baldelli is arguably the top prospect in all of baseball. New Rays manager Lou Pinella knows this and isn't afraid to start Baldelli in left field this upcoming season. Rocco has it all and hopefully will adjust to Major League pitching sooner rather than later, especially as far as Devil Rays fans are concerned. Luckily for him, the Rays are a team full of youngsters and should provide some exciting baseball in a year or two. Baldelli's best card is from the 2000 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks set, but his absolute toughest is the autographed insert card found randomly packed in 2000 Bowman Draft boxed sets.

Images Supplied by M. Eisner
February 2003