Some cheap-o material finds - the future stars

I think it would be fun to make keepers out of young players who are going to be the next decade stars guys in my binder - why always go on about picking up cards guys who played 5, 10, 15 or at least 20 years ago?

Maybe I got lucky and found cards picturing some of the 'here and now' guys for the next five years - maybe on a speculative pace, other collectors have been in on these guys, but in due time I anticipate the more casual collectors gushing over these players and making them their new favorites.

Bobby Witt Jr. - he played in 150 games as a rookie in 2022 and while he was up and down with the bat, showed potential as a second generation big leaguer where some of the hype entering the 2022 season was warranted.

I think at his age, he can be expected to be in a off-season lab / hitting cage somewhere - where he really works on pitch recognition so maybe he walks more, strikes out less and makes more contact.

Wander Franco, Logan Gilbert, Andres Gimenez - Franco seemed to be the most hyped young player coming into 2022 and frankly he was a bust where he didn't live to expectations due to various injuries that kept him off the field.

This isn't to say that he can't or won't bounce back where he is still a 21-year old 'kid,' but he certain disappointed - where maybe his cards ended up being fool's gold.

Gilbert may have been the Seattle Mariners' top pitching prospect for the last two or three years and he had a good run in his first full MLB season - where he has shown ace potential on the mound or at least a very good No. 2 starter.

Gimenez ended up having a fine season and started in the All-Star game at second base - maybe he's not quite a hobby star, but has the potential to be 'baseball good' for the next five years.

Jazz Chisholm, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Oneil Cruz and Jarren Duran - Chisholm is an electric player who may have put up bigger numbers this past year, if he wasn't injured.

Crow-Armstrong enjoyed a breakout year in the minors - who knows if he can build on that, but he's on the radar as a top prospect now.

Cruz has gotten to the big leagues and there might be hype with what he can do because he is such a large human playing a premium position - I kind of think he is a toolsy guy who is a work in progress, though I guess the potential is undeniable.

Duran has had some time in the big leagues and while he might be a decent player - maybe more of a semi-regular, fourth outfielder type or starter for a second division, non-contender.

Adley Rutschman, Spencer Strider, Spencer Torkelson and Anthony Volpe - as a catcher who can hit, Rutschman may have been as good as advertised in his 2022 MLB debut season, while Strider was a pitching star as a rookie and earned a $75 million contract with the Atlanta Braves.

Torkelson was hyped up as a slugger entering the 2022 season, but struggled for much of the year - where maybe his potential is a bit uncertain, depending on whether he can adjust to big league pitching in 2023.

Volpe is still in the minors and while he didn't match the great, breakout season he did in 2021 - he had a season where he is still on pace to reach the big leagues within the next couple of seasons.

Ke'Bryan Hayes, Riley Greene, Jonathan India and Julio Rodriguez - Hayes and India went through some sophomore slump issues this past year, Greene got his first taste of the big league this past season, while Rodriguez might MLB's next superstar.