A.J. Burnett (2,500 @ $6.50)

This week eTopps is offering another young Marlins pitcher. Though not as exciting to watch as Dontrelle, Burnett is certainly a capable power pitcher as his 203 strikeouts in 2002 proved. He has been on the disabled list much of the year with an inflamed right elbow. This is a real bad time for eTopps to release this card. He hasn't played much at all, has no chance at his performance bonus and is currently on the 60-day DL. I can think of a hundred different cards I would rather write about today than this one. It is about time eTopps showed some flexibility and did not release cards of guys that have been hurt all year when they could have easily inserted the 4th-leading vote-getter in the pick 'em. They could have just postponed the Burnett release until next year. DO NOT BUY THIS JUNK!

Chin-Feng Chen (2,500 @ $4.00)

From what I have read and heard about Chen he could be a very good prospect to have in your port. He has good power and speed and will probably make the Dodgers' starting lineup next year. He can play both first base and left field so they should have no problem finding a spot for him. He was called up earlier this year but only had one at-bat. At $4, I think this 25-year old native of Taiwan who hit 26 home runs in AAA last year is a good pick-up.

Gil Meche (2,000 @ $6.50)

Meche is probably one of the top 10 young pitchers in MLB. I'll give eTopps credit where it is due. They did the right thing and gave him another chance to be voted in. This kid has good stuff and his eTopps card should perform well. This is also an aesthetically pleasing card which should help make it a good seller in-hand as well. After a great first half he has started to cool down, going 0-4 with a 6.75 ERA in his last 21 1/3 innings pitched. His performance bonus is attainable if he can slow down this downward spiral he has fallen into. He is on pace for 11 losses but can only afford 10 if he is going to make his PB. This card is definitely worth picking up at $6.50.

Marlon Byrd (3,000 @ $6.50)

Byrd has been on fire, hitting .421 in his last 19 at-bats at the time of this article. He has brought some life to the Phillies lineup while others have slumped. I would disagree with eTopps when they say "in many quarters, Byrd is the choice for 2003 NL Rookie of the Year." I don't think he deserves the ROY award but he will definitely be an all-star threat for many years to come. As far as his performance bonuses are concerned I don't think he will attain them considering he is lacking in home runs, stolen bases and RBI. I think this will be an easy pick-up below IPO on eBay. Be sure to buy some on the trading floor; you will be rewarded later.

Rafael Palmeiro (1,500 @ $6.50)

Palmeiro is probably one of the best-hitting first basemen to ever play the game. Earlier this season he hit his 500th homer. At age 38 he still has some quality playing years ahead of him and should work his way into the Hall of Fame. In my opinion, he has already done enough to get there. As far as the performance bonus is concerned he needs to raise his avg. 12 points and his OBP 18 points to have a chance at the PB. He is on pace for the other categories. I think that eTopps issued this card at 1,500 since his 500 homer eVent card sold 1,633 cards. I still think this is a good acquisition for the simple fact that the print run will be low and he is a Hall of Famer. The card looks good too! So pick one up at IPO.

Ty Wigginton (2,000 @ $4.00)

Ty is an average third basemen playing his first full season with the Mets. He is having, at best, a decent year but he has the potential to be better. His performance bonus is very attainable if he steps up his home run production a bit. He is currently hitting a respectable .271 but he doesn't have a lot of power (only on pace to hit 11 homers). He must have a good following since he was second in the final vote (don't ask me how). In my opinion there were much better candidates. Nonetheless, New York is a large market and it has a low print run, a $4 price tag, and is a first-year eTopps card. You can't go wrong with those three things.

The bottom line:
Strong Buys: Meche, Palmeiro
Buys: Wigginton, Chen
eBay: Byrd, Burnett