2010 Bowman Sterling Team USA Game-Used Tony Wolters

Who is this? Cleveland Indians Prospect Tony Wolters.
What is this? An autograph card from 2010 Bowman Sterling Team USA Game-Used.
Where'd I get it? I got this card and several others signed by Tony during batting practice at the 2011 New York-Penn League All-Star game in Lowell, MA last August.
How much did it cost? I paid $2 for this card at a card show last summer.

Why is this so special? Tony Wolters was a member of the Team USA 18 & Under squad in 2009 and 2010 before being drafted and signed by the Cleveland Indians in the third-round of the 2010 MLB Draft. In order to secure Wolters, the Indians had to offer him a $1.35 million signing bonus, over three-time MLB's recommendation for a third-round pick.

Wolters, who currently plays shortstop, but is expected to move to second base after the Indians drafted SS Francisco Lindor in the first-round of the 2011 MLB Draft, was recently ranked as the Indians #3 prospect by John Sickels and played well in his first season of professional baseball, hitting .292 with 10 doubles, 3 triples, and 19 steals in 69 games for Mahoning Valley in 2011.

Wolters has a loopy and kind of sloppy signature that seems to be made of a T and W with some loops. He was nice enough to sign six cards for me when the American League All-Star Team was taking batting practice. Although he was only playing in Short-Season A ball, he seemed to have the swagger of a Major Leaguer and looked good at the plate and in the field.

2010 Topps Team USA Brian Ragira

Who is this? Stanford University and Team USA First Baseman and Outfielder Brian Ragira.
What is this? An autograph card from 2010 Topps USA.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by Brian last June before Team USA's game against the New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Stars at Fenway Park.
How much did it cost? I got this card when I bought two sets of 2010 Topps Team USA sets.

Why is this so special? Brian Ragira was recognized as a 2011 Freshman All-American by Baseball America, the 2011 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, and a 2011 Honorable Mention All-PAC-10 after his first year as a Cardinal. Playing First Base and the Outfield, Brian hit .329, slugged .465, led the team in RBIs, Triples, and Home Runs, and had a .993 fielding percentage.

Brian was also a member of the 2009 and 2010 Team USA 18U squads, batting .386, leading the team in RBIs and slugging .649, good for second best, in 2010. In the summer of 2011, Brian played in five games as an alternate for the Team USA Collegiate Team, where I saw him play at Fenway.

A raw and powerful athlete, Brian was also a top young soccer player, competing with the U.S. Development Program 12U team, before focusing on baseball full-time and is the son of Elijah and Abigael Ragira, both of whom were Kenyan Marathon runners. And, although he was born in Texas, Brian is actually a dual-citizen of both the United States and Kenya.

If he continues his development, Brian could become a top draft-pick in 2013 and an elite prospect. Brian was nice enough to sign six cards for me before the game, and was even nice enough to sign with his appropriate jersey number for each card. In fact, he signed with a smile and thanked me when he handed me back the clipboard and blue sharpie.