High School Kids at Target

I have largely avoided the card aisle at Target during the past six months. There is just nothing there that has sparked my interest this year. Maybe I will buy a Topps set at the end of the year, but the 2024 products have done little to move me to make any purchases. That all changed at the end of last week when I spotted a few blaster boxes of Panini's USA Baseball product.  

I always enjoy taking in games at USA Baseball, which is five minutes from my house, so it's nice to find cards of some of the players who appear there.  I was mainly looking for a few NC State players on the checklist, but knew I would most likely run into a bunch of high school kids. It's how USA Baseball cards work.  

I ended up with a Dominic Fritton card, NC State player, but no autograph. 

I typically do not watch the high school teams at USA Baseball, but they are loaded with future high draft picks. Similar to buying a box of Bowman, I open the packs and just file the cards away for a few years and revisit. I have pulled some nice cards over the years.  

So, what came out of my blaster boxes?

Wake Forest, North Carolina High Schooler Cameron Small.  

When I saw the 13U on the bottom of the card, I thought I had pulled my first middle schooler. Not so, but I think Cameron is a freshman, so he is not committed to a college or even does not have a college list. Maybe he will end up at NC State.  

Next up, Jackson, Mississippi high schooler Konnor Griffin.  

Konnor was actually drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round, 9th pick, this summer. He would seem to have a bright future, so this card is a more immediate win than I am used to getting out of a USA Baseball pack.  

Last autograph.  

California high schooler Andrew Jimenez. He's a 15U player, so really young with no college commitment. 

I will file all three of these autographs away and see what becomes of these players in a few years.

Beyond the three autographs, I also got two relic cards of college players.  

First up, Rutgers pitcher Christian Coppola. Not sure what sort of pro prospects he has after college, but if he's pitching at USA Baseball, he has to be pretty good.  

Last card.  

TCU pitcher Ben Abeldt. Again, not sure about his professional prospects, but they have to be pretty good.  He looks like a high school kid.