2010 Topps Team USA John Simms

Who is this? Rice Sophomore Pitcher John Simms
What is this? An autograph card from 2010 Topps Team USA Box set.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed by John before a Falmouth Commodore v. Wareham Gatemen Cape Cod Baseball League game last summer.
How much did it cost? I bought two 2010 Topps Team USA sets last year for about $15.00.

Why is this so special? John Simms has the potential to become a top prospect for the 2013 MLB Draft. In his first year at Rice, Simms earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team Honors and was named National Pitcher of the Week on April 19 after he struck out 11 batters in in 7.2 innings to lead Rice to a 2-0 victory over #5 Texas A&M on April 12 and then came out of the bullpen just five days later to pitch 1.2 scoreless innings to help Owls defeat Tulane on April 17.

That spectacular regular season might have been enough for most freshman, but not for Simms. After Rice's season ended, Simms headed east to pitch for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Most Cape League hitters would have preferred that Simms stayed at home, as he did not allow a single earned run all summer in 24.2 innings pitched!

Before attending Rice, Simms pitched for College Park High School in The Woodlands, California (a baseball prospect factory) and also pitched for the Team USA 18 and Under squad in the summer of 2010. He was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the Thirty-Ninth Round of the 2010 MLB Draft, but turned down the chance to go pro in favor of Rice.

Simms was nice enough to also sign this 2010 Bowman Chrome Team USA 18U card for me:

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.

2010 Topps Team USA Michael Lorenzen

Who is this? Michael Lorenzen, an outfielder with the 2011 Team USA Collegiate Team from Cal State Fulerton.
What is this? An autograph card from the 2010 Topps Team USA Box Set.
Where'd I get it? I got this card signed, along with two other Team USA cards, by Michael before yesterday's Team USA v. New England Collegiate All State game at Fenway Park in Boston.
How much did it cost? I got the card when I bought the Team USA box set for around $10.00.

Why is this so special? This card is special to me not only because Michael is a top prospect with an elite outfield arm and speed, but because he was so nice to all of the fans. I asked him if he could sign a few cards when he was coming out of the dugout and he told me that he would as soon as he finished outfield practice. After watching him throw a few lazers from deep center right to home plate, he came back and signed for me.

He wrote a different bible verse on each card and asked me if I was a "believer." When I told him that I was he said to "Preach the word to all nations." He signed three cards for me, inscribing Galations 2:20 ("I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."), John 14:6 ("Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."), and Romans 10:9 (" If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.").