Well, the baseball IPO's are coming to a close as the season begins to kick it up a gear in preparation for the playoffs. With the last week I decided to spice up the IPO reviews with some new additions. For one I added pictures of the players so you can see their card that is available. I also added a box above my review with their performance bonus numbers. The bottom line is what their PB is set at by eTopps. The top line is what their projected stats are for each area. I have also colored it red or green based on whether they are projected to meet those numbers or not. Obviously green means "good to go", in that they are tracking to meet their bonus in that area; red means they are not on track to meet their projections. Finally, instead of a BUY or DON'T BUY for each card, I am using a scale of 1 - 10 for that player. This ranks each player on a scale of 1 to 10: 1 meaning I would not buy this card and 10 meaning this is a HOT card. Now let's check out our picks for the week. Remember, do not trust my advice but instead use it as a tool along with other tools to invest smarter. Do your homework and invest wisely.

3.85 14 11 1.130 179 ERA W L WHIP K 3.97 14 12 1.191 164

This is the third Ben Sheets card in the eTopps arena. He has a 2001 card (1,713 @ $7.79) and a 2002 card (3,842 @ $2.67). Ben's 2001 card is a rookie card and the better of the two cards. Ben is the young leader on the Brewers pitching Staff. He is on pace to have one of his finest years thus far. The last two years he has won 11 games each year. This year he has already won 10 and is on pace to win 14 (maybe more if he gets better run support from the Brewers). I like this kid and think he would be a great pitcher on a better team. The Brewers are a bit of a committed team, although they are not one of the teams to dominate the league. Now you cannot compare this card to his 2001 rookie card but it does have its attractive qualities. The low PR (1,500) and low price tag ($4) makes this card a very good pick-up economically speaking. Then you look at his PB numbers and he is on track to make his 2 point bonus -- so people are going to be buying this card up. No doubt it will sell out and no doubt it will climb 15 - 30% until the season ends and bonuses are given out. I give this card a strong 8.5 ranking on our BUY scale and will be buying some for myself.

2.43 10 5 1.090 160 ERA W L WHIP K 3.20 11 7 1.188 148

Webb, the first of two rookie pitchers coming out this week, made his debut a lot sooner than Harden due to injuries of Diamondbacks starters. Webb was the 5th-ranked prospect in the Diamondbacks organization (Overbay was ranked third, just FYI). Brandon came on and has won 7 of the 18 games he started. Brandon has secured a spot in the rotation with the Diamondbacks Staff and what a Staff it is! I am sure he will learn a lot now that Schilling and Johnson are back on the mound. This is his rookie card and should sell fairly well as a result, not to mention the fact he is doing extremely well for the D-Backs. This Kentucky native and former Wildcat pitcher has all the tools to excel in this league. Webb not only strikes out many batters but also boasts a dominating ERA. Right now he has 110 K's and a 2.43 ERA -- great numbers for a rookie, or any pitcher for that matter. Now on our BUY scale I am giving Brandon a 9.0. Watch for this kid in the future!

3.63 14 8 1.250 150 ERA W L WHIP K 3.97 14 10 1.300 142

Myers is one of two Phillies pitchers and five pitchers overall this week. Not that I am bashing pitcher cards -- it is just that we have a lot this week. Brett is actually a very good pitcher with a lot of talent. But based on pay he is not the ace of the club -- Millwood is. However, this is his first eTopps card so there is a bit of interest here. However, what if I told you he is on schedule to make his PB in every category and earn a nice two points for every Myers card in your port... your interest goes up. He is only in his second season and has plenty of time to pass Millwood up in star status. Last year he went 4-5 with 34 strikeouts and a 4.25 ERA. This year he has a nice low 3.63 ERA and is set to win almost 15 games while striking out 150 batters. Not a bad second year. This sophomore is a lot more dialed in than the other sophomores here, the hitters. This card should not sell out. I expect it to sell a little more than Crawford. As for return, watch this card jump like 10 - 25% until the season is over. One reason here - PB! So, with this in mind, on our BUY scale I am giving it a steady 8.0.

.275 2 51 50 .308 BA HR RBI SB OBP .270 5 53 43 .308

Carl is one of the cornerstones of an extremely young OF in Tampa. A true speedster on the base paths, he will surely see a lot more green lights with Sweet Lou at the helm. Don't expect him to light the offensive stats boards up but he will get on base. He just needs to improve his eye; he strikes out too much for his type. He needs to focus on getting on base either by single base hits or walks. He only has 20 walks this year. Don't expect this sophomore to earn his 2 points for the PB. He will most likely fall short in the HR and RBI areas. This card is his first eTopps IPO but not a very attractive one right now, comparatively speaking. He still has a lot of room to improve in order to convince the skeptics he is the real deal in Tampa. This card should not sell out, probably around 1,500 - 1,800 cards or so. You're better off finding this one buried in a late eBay sale. On our 10 point scale I am going to give this card a 5.5.

.251 14 44 4 .324 BA HR RBI SB OBP .248 17 53 5 .325

Now this is a bad card for one reason: the guy on the front. How can anyone think this kid will develop into the star he would have been in Texas or Oakland? He is being shuffled around like the queen of spades in Hearts. This is sad. I do like the price and print run of this card. However, it still is not enough to lure me in. He is batting .254 right now with 30 RBI. His power has not emerged like everyone thought it might. I still think he is about two or three years away from maturing into an average player. I don't think this card will sell out; it should sell about 1,100 cards. I also don't think this is a SP... .so simmer down. You're better off buying this card on the secondary market. So on our new buy scale I am giving this a rating of 2.5. In other words, YUK!

0.86 4 0 1.000 23 ERA W L WHIP K 4.14 5 4 1.484 59

Young Rich is the number one prospect in the A's organization after being signed in the 17th round of the 2000 draft. This is a good news story for the A's. The Mariners originally drafted Harden in the 36th round of the 1999 draft but Rich decided to head to a junior college to pitch. He has been quickly elevated in the minors following impressive performances at the high A and AA levels. Harden has two great pitches, a fastball that hits the mid-nineties and a deceptive change-up. His potential is limitless right now. The A's are a good team to pitch for, with Zito, Mulder and Hudson to tutor the young star. They also are able to put runs on the board. Now when you look at Harden's PB don't be deceived. He will most likely match all these numbers. He just won his third game and will continue to pitch every 5th game, as seen fit by the manager. His young arm should be able to handle the rest of the season fine. I would expect this IPO to sell out, especially with him winning his third game this week. I also expect it to follow suit with the Willis card and settle around $10.00. So on our scale of 1 to 10, I am going to give Harden's IPO a strong, strong buy with a 9.5 rating.

3.57 14 11 1.230 122 ERA W L WHIP K 3.80 15 12 1.265 130

In his fifth year in the pros, Vicente has settled down as a quality starter for the Phillies. He started with the Diamondbacks in 1999 and then was sent to the Phillies in 2000. He came into camp trying to earn a starting spot in the rotation in 2002 and eventually won the fifth starter position. He went on to win 14 games last year, his first year as a starter. So far this year he has a 10-8 won/loss record with 84 K's. He is not a big strikeout guy but he can get 100 - 120 a year if he continues this form. This is his first eTopps card but that does not make it particularly attractive. The PR seems to be achievable for him but the price is off. I don't think he is worth the $6.50 price tag he carries. This card will not sell out and will not meet its PB numbers. Save your dough and check out this card on eBay. On our BUY scale I rate this IPO a 5, only because it is his first IPO and has a 2K PR.