Did you ever look at a product and think “Man, this just totally sucks”?

Yea, well that’s me when I see 2010 Bowman Platinum Baseball.  I won’t go into the reasons because I already touched on them all week, but I did find a lone silver lining.  Usually these sets have at least one player worthy of your money, so Bowman Platinum fit the bill.  The USA Collegiate autographs have one player who should be bought by all, after he was taken out of the Topps Chrome Auto set.

Meet Jason Esposito.

Bowman Platinum Refractor Auto #’d /749 (Only one listed!)

Some might call him one of the most frustrating prospects for the 2011 draft, but you cannot deny his talent.  A 5-tool, power hitting 3B, starting for one the top college programs in the country (Vanderbilt).  If one were to look up his collegiate statistics over the past 2 seasons, they would see some gaudy numbers, specifically his Sophomore season (2010). As one of my close sources put it, “When Jason is motivated, he’s just plain incredible”.

2010 –> .357 AVG, 94 Hits (38 for XBH), 12 HR, 64 RBI, 35:34 K:BB, 31 Stolen Bases (66 Games)

I’m sure you’re sitting there right now looking at those numbers in amazement, but then I can show you his Cape Cod League statistics over the past two summers.  They were with wood bats, not metal, which has raised some concerns from scouts and coaches alike.

2009 –> .198 Avg, 22 Hits (2 for XBH), 0 HR, 8 RBI, 30:4 K:BB, 6 SB, 4 CS, (32 Games)

2010 –> .246 Avg, 16 Hits (1 for XBH), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 13:5 K:BB, 8 SB, 6 CS (16 Games before being USA team addition for injured Anthony Rendon)

This coming season might be his most telling season, as he tries to elevate his draft status and show he can produce and be projectable.  The tools are there, the size is certainly there, but it all comes down to the mental aspect.  Can Esposito show up on a daily basis and show the desire of being the best.  The college game is very different from the pro game and continued statistics like the Cape Cod League will leave him eaten up by short-season competition.

Here are some thoughts from around the baseball community:

Esposito reminds of former Vanderbilt third baseman and 2008 first-round pick Pedro Alvarez. Like Alvarez, he matriculated to Nashville from the Northeast. He was drafted early out of high school — Alvarez went in the 14th round to the Boston Red Sox, Esposito went in the seventh to the Kansas City Royals — and he also turned down close to a million dollars to play for Vanderbilt.

But the similarities end there. Alvarez had a few solid tools, but his prodigious power was his ticket. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Esposito can beat you in many different ways. Listen to Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin’s laundry list:

“Does he have tremendous speed? No. But he has very usable speed, he stole [31] bases [last season]. And does he have tremendous power? No, but he has pretty good power. Can he hit? Yeah, he can hit. Can he throw? Yeah, he can throw. And can he field? He can field. There just aren’t a lot of players like him. He is kind of a … I don’t know, he’s an anomaly really.”

While Esposito made strides as a sophomore, he understands he needs to do more to vault himself to the next level. His talent is good enough to get him drafted in the top five rounds, but a good season can solidify him as a first-round pick.

The key with him is consistency. There were times when Esposito was dominant for Vanderbilt — he held an on-base streak of 17 at-bats — but there were also times when he struggled.

[ESPN / Josh Cooper]

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Jason Esposito, SS, Vanderbilt

Solid average to above average contact hitter, solid average power, average power production potential. Average runner to average minus runner, average defender, tall and rangy, might be better at third base, potential Casey Blake type. [Baseball Beginnings]

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Jason Esposito is a 2008 3B/SS/P with a 6’2”, 185 lb. frame from Bethany, CT who attends Amity HS. He has a live, well proportioned build with very good upper body strength and looks like a prototype third baseman. Esposito is a 5-tool/2-way type of prospect who really has no weak area on the field. He’s an advanced hitter with a balanced, aggressive swing and a line drive swing plane. His timing works and he has very good flow to and through the ball. The bat speed is there and the power will come and he’s right on the ball almost every swing now. Defensively, Esposito has plus arm strength, 91 mph during drills, and moves easily laterally. His hands are plenty soft enough. Esposito also pitches in the upper 80′s with a very sharp, big curveball. Esposito is just beginning to get recognition as a top prospect and he should just keep improving. Keep a very close eye on him! [Perfect Game, circa 2008]

Well, after many times posing the question to Topps, it seems Jason Esposito is NOT in 2010 Topps Chrome as a USA Autograph.  You can stop your eBay searches.  He was shown on the checklist as card #USA-6 but it seems he did not sign any cards.  A hobby friend also sent a text message to Jason and he personally confirmed that he did not sign any of these cards for Topps.

It seems that Jason Esposito will have sticker autographs in Bowman Chrome though, so you can get your Vanderbilt autograph fix there.  For now, the only autograph of him is pictured above, from the Falmouth Commodores.

Esposito was a replacement player for the 2010 USA Collegiate roster when Anthony Rendon went down with his ankle injury.

This season, the cape cod league was a mixed bag of results, with many players finally getting their stocker higher for the 2011 draft.  One of those rising stars is 2B Kolten Wong from University of Hawaii, who was also named the Cape Cod League MVP.  A former member of the 2009 USA Baseball Collegiate Team (hitting .215 w/ Team USA), Wong decided to stay on the Cape for the summer, rather than another stint with USA. It turned out to be the right choice and his results were exactly what he needed to put his name on the map.

Throughout the season, Wong maintained the top 5 in AVG, SB, Hits, and HR’s (lasted until the last few weeks). Mainly being the leadoff hitter, they are telling stats against some of the best college level talent.  Project Prospect broke down his overall numbers and value for the 2011 draft.

The league MVP award went to Orleans second baseman Kolton Wong. Wong ended the Cape season with a robust .341/.426/.452 line. He drew walks in 11.6% of his plate appearances while striking out only 8.4%. Wong has a short, quick stroke and good speed; he stole 22 bases in 38 games. His small stature limits his physical projection, though scouting the 5-foot-9 college star is one of the best gigs in baseball since Wong plays for the University of Hawai’i. Defensively, Wong has decent range at second and soft hands. He’s also spent time playing centerfield and catching. The lack of big-time tools and projection may keep him out of the 2011 first round, but Wong should provide excellent value to whichever team drafts him as one of college baseball best performers.

Cotuit Kettlers manager, Mike Roberts, stated that he believes Kolten is a more advanced hitter, base stealer, and defender at this point than his son Brian Roberts (two-time MLB all-star, Orioles).  Pretty lofty and amazing endorsement for an under-the-radar prospect from Hawaii.

An thumb injury ended Wong’s season at the last week,  but he should make a full recovery for the upcoming college season. Look for him to lead the rainbow warriors and solidify his draft status

His cards have been fairly popular in waves, with the rarer patches/autographs selling well.  As a local Hawaiin favorite and hero, his prices certainly get a boost when listed.

It’s extremely early to even try and project the first round of the 2011 MLB First Year Player draft, but the hype train has already started it’s engine. As the Minor League Season has come to a close, we can only ready ourselves for the Arizona Fall League and Bryce Harper Instructional League watch.  With seemingly every prospect product being pushed back a couple weeks, collectors & prospectors alike are trying to stock up.

The hobby market has taken notice of the top players projected for 2011, so it’s worth noting their popularity and prices.  Some might not have cards, but expect to see some action very soon, if Topps can actually stick to a release schedule.

1) Anthony Rendon, Rice, 3B

Arguably the top pick for 2011 and certainly the top position player on the board, he has ZERO cards available.  An ankle injury ended his season this summer (required surgery, pins, screws, the works) but that still doesn’t project him any lower.  Rendon should be making a full recovery and scouts all picture a smaller Evan Longoria type player at the hot corner.  Possibly a tiny bit less power, but the bat and defense is major league material.  He was supposed to be slated for the Topps USA autographs in BC/BDP, but was pulled at the last minute.  It’s quite possible he will have no cards going into draft day.

2) Gerrit Cole, UCLA, RHP

The flame thrower UCLA has arguably the most electrifying stuff in the draft class.  Capable of reaching the high 90′s with his FB and flashing some decent off-speed pitches, Cole has the ability to be a front line starter in the majors.  Worst case, he becomes a closer, but that would obviously be at a later date and due to different circumstances.  The tools are there, but his mechanics & polish need more work.  That’s something for the organization that drafts him, but it hasn’t made prospectors shy away from his cardboard.  Over the past few weeks, we have seen an uptick in his prices, which should only go higher as more press hype builds.

(Note: as a UCLA fan, a bitter one at that, he still cried like a baby in the dugout when they lost to South Carolina. He got shelled in game 1.  Yes, I will judge him.)

3) Matthew Purke, TCU, LHP

The top lefty in all of college baseball and a USA Baseball mainstay, Purke has been incredible at TCU.  He didn’t sign with the Texas Rangers in 2009 (14th overall) due to issues ultimately out of his control.  Going to school has paid off so far, as he was a perfect 16-0 this year with 142 K’s and posting a 3.02 ERA. He also pitched well into the College World Series tournament, carrying TCU through tourney play.  His cards have been seeing alot of action, when they are actually listed.  Good luck even finding the harder to find low-numbered autographs or patch autographs.

4) Sonny Gray, Vanderbilt, RHP

Almost an identical clone to Roy Oswalt, Gray has been on the USA radar for years.  He was an Aflac All-American in 2007 and pitched for multiple USA National teams.  He is an undersized righty with some elctric stuff, and leadership abilities beyond his years.  He constantly shows velocity late into games and proves the negative scouts wrong with concerns about his size.  He also was named the 2010 Summer College Player of the Year by Baseball America.  His cards have seen a small rise in attention, but the prices are not near what they should be.  He is in a storied Vanderbilt program that produced David Price and Mike Minor, so he looks to carry the torch and go early on draft day.

5) George Springer, UCONN, OF

No one has been talked about more this summer than George Springer out of the University of Connecticut.  Not only is he a legit 5-tool talent, but his play has put him in dark horse territory for the #1 overall pick.  He might not be the top hitter in the draft pool, but he is the best overall talent based on the sum of his tools and projection.  Not only would that be an interesting twist on the 2011 draft, but also create a frenzy for any cards that are released by Topps in 2010/2011.  As of right now, he has no cards on the market.  It’s also worth noting that he was ranked #1 overall by Perfect Game on the 2010 Cape Cod League Top 100 Prospects list.

And now for two unknown candidates that could (really, should) slip into the first round….

Kolten Wong, Hawaii, 2B

The amount of Hawaiian players in the Major Leagues are slim, with Shane Victorino as the poster child, but that doesn’t mean the islands of paradise don’t develop some awesome athletes.  Wong was on the 2009 USA Collegiate team and chose to stay on the Cape Cod League this summer.  His electric summer season earned him Cape Cod League MVP honors and showed everyone that he was a top 2B talent.  His stats were just great being the leadoff batter and he showed he had some serious pop and speed in that compact body. Brian Roberts’ father was his coach this summer and he stated he thought he was better than his own son,  On the hobby market, he has been a top seller when it comes to his patch autographs and harder to find cards.  Some parallels have sold lower, but his Hawaiian popularity also makes him a top seller.

Trevor Bauer, UCLA, RHP

Quite possibly my favorite USA Baseball prospect of all time, Bauer is in a class by himself.  He’s a quirky, undersized, and electric righty, that has dominated the college ranks.  His delivery is a spitting image of Tim Lincecum (his favorite player) and he believes in an extensive throwing program.  So far, it has worked for him as he carried UCLA on his back this year, taking the NCAA strikout title.  He has one more year to go and he should be in for his best season yet.  His prices have been pretty high since the middle of the collegiate season (he did not pitch this summer for USA or Cape Cod), so expect them to go higher.  People love quirky, unorthodox, star prospects.