12 Up-Arrow MLB Prospects With Baseball Cards Worth Hunting In 2025
Image credit: Colby Thomas (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
Today, I’m looking at players that may be potentially undervalued in the card market right now to highlight buying opportunities to take advantage of before Opening Day hits in another few weeks.
Every year there are players that are on my mind that I think will outperform where they sit on prospect lists. As everyone knows, prospect rankings are fluid.
Last year, I was tipped off on Kristian Campbell right around this time. I will admit that I was unwilling to pay the $74 for a Bowman First autograph gold numbered to 50, as I didn’t have the budget for it at the time. But if I could get in a time machine and take that bid to $76, I absolutely would.
Anyway, this article is dedicated to calling out some up-arrow names in different tiers of prospect status. If you’re a collector, it may be a wise play to get in now before the season gets going and the cats out of the bag. My small win last year was a Jarren Duran Bowman First auto for $15 off the scrap heap at a card show.
Bellow, you’ll find some tips on players that I like to improve their prospect status in some capacity during the 2025 season. Again, no promises here that you’re going to make a swimming pool of cash, buy a yacht and retire. Here we go.
Bryce Rainer, SS, Tigers
When the Tigers made Rainer the second prep player chosen in the 2024 MLB Draft with the 11th overall pick, they took a shortstop with a big arm, a big lefthanded bat and a track record of success in the SoCal high school circuit. There’s a lot to dream on with Rainer, and while Detroit used to feel a little bit like a black hole for position prospects, the quartet of Riley Greene, Colt Keith, Parker Meadows and Jace Jung are all homegrown and, the early returns on Max Clark and Kevin McGonigle have been exciting. The script is flipping, and I personally can’t wait for that first Lakeland box score. Konnor Griffin came off the board just two picks ahead of Rainer and his Bowman First Base Auto is currently trending at three to four times the price of Rainer’s. The talent discrepancy isn’t as large as that current gap.
Bowman First Base Auto Range: $50-$60
Garrett Mitchell, OF, Brewers
Ok, this next one is cheating a little bit, as Mitchell no longer has prospect status. But he has five-tool potential, and all he has done since being drafted in the first round out of UCLA in 2020 is hit. He’s got speed and a really good hit tool, and if he’s playing center field, he’s got a chance to be an all-star this year. Mitchell is a little bit of a post-hype breakout candidate similar to JJ Bleday but with louder tools. Oh, and the Brewers are a perennial playoff team, so that should keep him at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
Bowman First Base Auto Range: $30-$40
Robert Calaz, OF, Rockies
The Rockies have a knack for identifying talented bats, and Calaz is no exception. Known for loud exit velocities, the 18-year-old didn’t disappoint in 2024 when he torched the ACL and his first taste of A-ball to the tune of a whopping 1.079 OPS across 62 games. His .344 average across the two levels suggests there’s more to his game than just thump. This is a really exciting name to start compiling cardboard for. With the thin air of Coors Field beckoning, this could be a future 40-home run bat.
Bowman First Base Auto Range: $30-$40
Colby Thomas, OF, Athletics
If you know me, you know that I like a player who can provide defensive value. A look around the Athletics’ outfield shows a very talented Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday and one of the most exciting young players in baseball in Lawrence Butler. There’s no more room, right? Well, along comes Thomas, who performed in Triple-A last year with a truckload of extra-base hits, 49 home runs and 40 stolen bases over the course of two years in the minors—and he plays elite outfield defense.
I believe that elite defense gives a player more runway to be in the lineup and figure it out with the bat at the big-league level. Look at Brenton Doyle, who hit .203 in his rookie year with the Rockies and played gold glove-caliber defense. Doyle was in the lineup every game and then the bat came along a little bit, and he found himself in the middle of the lineup. I’m not saying that Thomas is Doyle—though, honestly, the bat might be better—but if Thomas was with a different club, he may be more of a household name. There’s a lot to like about him, and I think he’s going to arrive in a major way in 2025. Now might be a good time to go see what’s available.
Bowman First Base Auto Range: $20-$30
Tyson Lewis, SS, Reds
The Reds have been swimming in the pool of toolsy prep bats for the past couple of years, and Lewis fits the bill. A 6-foot-2, 200-pound shortstop, Lewis is a premium runner who has showcased intriguing lefthanded thump. The Reds gave him $3 million in round two of the 2024 MLB Draft, and his pro debut this season is worth keeping a close eye on. He’s a trendy name in dynasty FYPDs for the same reasons he’s in this write-up.
Bowman First Base Auto Range: $15-$25
Benny Montgomery, OF, Rockies
Montgomery was a top 10 pick in the draft not too long ago. After a slow first couple of years in pro ball, he began to find his way a little bit towards the back end of 2023 and had a really nice Arizona Fall League. After getting off to a hot start in Double-A in 2024, a shoulder injury put a quick end to his season. Montgomery is a tool shed that looked ready to take off last spring. He’s fallen through the cracks a bit in prospect circles, but make no mistake, if he stays healthy in 2025, this could be a loud breakout.
Bowman First Base Auto Range: $10-$15
JD Dix, SS, Diamondbacks
Ah, the joys of a toolsy prep who has yet to make his pro debut. As an underclassman in 2023, Dix caught the eye of many evaluators for his smooth lefthanded swing and track record of hitting. Fast forward a year, and the bat went quiet during his rising-senior summer. Come to find out, he was playing through a shoulder injury. The D-backs bet big that the injury was the cause of the performance gap when they selected him 35th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. Combine the hit tool he showed in 2023 with his high-end athleticism, and you have a recipe for what could be a really interesting pro debut in 2025. I’m intrigued.
Bowman First Base Auto Range: $10-$15
Cole Mathis, 1B, Cubs
People forget (or maybe don’t know?) that Mathis hit .318 with 11 home runs in 38 games in the Cape Cod League during the summer of 2023. If Travis Bazzana wasn’t in the process of taking the baseball world by storm then, maybe Mathis would’ve been more of a household name in prospect circles ahead of the 2024 draft. It remains to be seen what Mathis’ long-term position in pro ball will be, but there’s plenty of athlete here (and arm) to try the outfield. We’ll see what the Cubs do on that front. All of that to say, this guy can really hit, and he’s got an intriguing blend of tools that should translate into all the counting stats that prospectors know and love.
Bowman First Base Auto Range: $5-$10
More Names To Watch
- The market for Astros prospect Cam Smith is heating up, and we’ve already seen a small jump since spring training got underway. He may debut this summer, the bat looks that good and there’s 30-40 home run thump in there. As of early March, his Bowman First Base Auto is trending around $100-$120—which may still be a good price point.
- I mentioned Tyson Lewis above, and he follows 2023 second-round pick and fellow toolsy prep, Sammy Stafura. Stafura quietly had a strong full-season debut in 2024, and while he doesn’t have a Bowman First to collect, he’s got a real chance to climb this year.
- Also in the department of not having a Bowman First to collect, Blue Jays prospect Alan Roden has gotten off to a strong start this spring and likely isn’t long for Triple-A Buffalo. Your options here are limited, but he does have a good-looking, unlicensed Prizm auto on the market.
- In talking to Geoff Pontes, he made mention of another Blue Jays prospect in Arjun Nimmala as a name to watch climb prospect lists in 2025. He’s young, and after a slow start in 2024, he really turned it on in the second half of the summer, showcasing regular extra-base power to go along with what looks like promising shortstop defense. You can find a Bowman First Base Auto of Nimmala trending around $40.
