As we briefly mentioned last week, the Atlanta Braves have cleared the way at first base for power hitting prospect, Freddie Freeman.  With a physique similar to that of Brandon Belt of the San Francisco Giants, the 6’5,” 225 pound Freeman is poised to make an impact in 2011, hitting in the middle of the Braves order alongside Jason Heyward.

Drafted by the Braves in the second round of the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft, Freeman was ranked by Baseball America as the 32^nd best prospect in all of baseball headed into the 2010 season.  And at just 20-years of age, in his first season at Triple-A Gwinnett, the left-handed hitting youngster demonstrated exactly why he was deserving of such a prominent ranking.

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Today on The Baseball Show, co-host Clint Evans of Diamond Hoggers and I went strong for a little over an hour. Topics for discussion included but weren’t limited to:

-Thoughts on the Justin Upton trade rumors
-We skim through the free agent class and the moves that have taken place thus far around baseball
-Thoughts on the NL Rookie of the Year
-Thoughts on Felix Hernandez winning the AL Cy Young Award
-Final thoughts on the AL/NL MVP awards

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Stan Musial Award (MVP)

National League:
First Place Vote – Joey Votto (Cincinnati)
Second Place Vote – Carlos Gonzalez (Colorado)
Third Place Vote – Albert Pujols (St. Louis)
Fourth Place Vote – Adrian Gonzalez (San Diego)
Fifth Place Vote – Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado)
Sixth Place Vote – Aubrey Huff (San Francisco)
Seventh Place Vote – Jason Heyward (Atlanta)
Eighth Place Vote – Roy Halladay (Philadelphia)
Ninth Place Vote – Jay Bruce (Cincinnati)
Tenth Place Vote – Ryan Zimmerman (Washington)

American League:
First Place Vote – Josh Hamilton (Texas)
Second Place Vote – Miguel Cabrera (Detroit)
Third Place Vote – Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay)
Fourth Place Vote – Paul Konerko (Chicago)
Fifth Place Vote – Robinson Cano (New York)
Sixth Place Vote – Delmon Young (Minnesota)
Seventh Place Vote – Carl Crawford (Tampa Bay)
Eighth Place Vote – Jose Bautista (Toronto)
Ninth Place Vote – Joe Mauer (Minnesota)
Tenth Place Vote – Adrian Beltre (Boston)

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Ok, so it’s not exactly $13,000; it’s actually $12,999.99.  You know, so it doesn’t feel like you are actually dropping $13K on a baseball card.  Whether it is actually worth that exact amount or not, there is no denying that the 2008 Bowman Chrome Jason Heyward Superfractor Auto RC is one of those cards that collectors will pay any price for.  It is the rarest rookie card – autographed nonetheless – of the Braves rookie outfielder, and it is the only one like it.  That’s right, it’s a 1 of 1.

You might remember the story about Stephen Strasburg’s 2010 Bowman Chrome Superfractor RC that took eBay by storm in May and ultimately sold for nearly $17,000.  What made that card so incredibly rare and valuable is the fact that pulling a Superfractor in a pack of 2010 Bowman Chrome is 1:47,000. A Superfractor can be any Bowman Chrome card, so considering that the Heyward one is also an autographed rookie, it makes it even more rare.

So if you are bored on this fine Saturday afternoon, and have a little extra spending cash after hitting all of your college football picks this morning, then why not place a bid on one of the hottest rookie cards of all-time.

Willie Mays Award (Rookie of the Year)

National League:
First Place Vote – Buster Posey (San Francisco)
Second Place Vote – Jason Heyward (Atlanta)
Third Place Vote – Daniel Hudson (Arizona)

American League:
First Place Vote – Neftali Feliz (Texas)
Second Place Vote – Austin Jackson (Detroit)
Third Place Vote – Danny Valencia (Minnesota)