2024 Bowman’s Best Checklist: MLB Rookies, Prospect Cards We’re Hunting
As the year dwindles down, so do Bowman’s checklists. And Bowman’s Best, which now comes out on Jan. 15 (it was originally scheduled for Dec. 27) and is the final Bowman release produced in 2024, is about to end-cap a wild, Skenes-filled year with a checklist of just 100 players.
Annually, Bowman utilizes this hobby-exclusive release to showcase the best stars, rookies and prospects in the game. As of this morning, the wait is over, and the checklist is official (read on below for the full list).
For a player, it’s an honor to be included. For the hobbyist who is into collecting the game’s best players, Bowman’s Best is a great opportunity to collect autographs without running the risk of hitting one (or multiple) dollar bin-value players. Because, let’s face it, hobby boxes are expensive and everyone is into marquee players.
While the Paul Skenes, Jackson Chourio and Elly De La Cruz variations that you’ll find in Bowman’s Best won’t be in the same tier of collectability as their highly-sought-after Topps Chrome cousins, that works directly to the benefit of the traditional collector who swims in a sea full of investors and flippers. Not that there is anything wrong with trading baseball cards like stocks, but, there was a large population of collectors well before cards had enough value to be bought and sold in such a manner. For someone who wants to add a Jackson Merrill or Walker Jenkins autograph to the binder, this may be your most accessible price-point.
Here’s a deeper dive into the checklist, including some of the prospects, rookies and teams we’re looking at heading into release day later this month.
Insert Spotlight: Anime Checklist Gets Extended
The 1955 Bowman Anime insert set from 2024 Bowman was such a hit, they extended the checklist with five new players and included them in Bowman’s Best. The original checklist featured stars like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge and Ronald Acuña Jr., as well as key rookies like Jackson Chourio, Elly De La Cruz and Jackson Holliday. The extended checklist is headlined by Paul Skenes (because, of course), with Shota Imanaga, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Wyatt Langford, and Gunnar Henderson rounding out the list.
This insert will hit roughly one per case. While none of the Anime images from Bowman’s Best are available yet, Topps will likely start releasing the images as we approach the Jan. 15 release date.
Additional inserts include:
- Fabled Phenoms (1 per box)
- Impact Players (1 per box)
- Best Ballers (2 per box)
- Bowman Showpieces (roughly 1 in every 2 boxes)
- 2024 All-Star Futures Game (roughly 1 in every 3 boxes)
- Strokes of Gold (roughly 1 in every 2 cases)
The rarest of the inserts appears to be Strokes of Gold, which is a 25-card checklist featuring De La Cruz, the three Jacksons, Jasson Dominguez, Junior Caminero and a slew of big league stars. A handful of minor leaguers have also made their way into this checklist, including Travis Bazzana (Guardians), Leodalis De Vries and Ethan Salas (Padres), Walker Jenkins (Minnesota) and Max Clark (Detroit).
Auto Chases: Family Trees, Duals & Triples
The multi-autograph card checklist for Bowman’s Best is worth peeping. On first scan, the Family Tree multi-autographs stood out. While the odds of hitting one are 1 in hundreds of boxes, there are some unique cards in this set worth seeking out.
How about a Vladimir Guerrero, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Valdi Guerrero triple auto? Roger and Kody Clemens? Andruw and Druw Jones? Matt and Jackson Holliday? This is a really cool idea for a set, and there’s plenty of past, present and future star-power to scratch every itch.
Beyond the Family Tree sets, there are some awesome dual and triple autographs to hunt for. The triple checklist has a Gunnar Henderson/Adley Rutschman/Jackson Holliday feature, as well as one for Jackson Merrill/Ethan Salas/Leodalis De Vries.
The checklist for the duals is even more intriguing, with a Japanese pairing of Shota Imanaga/Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a Dylan Crews/Paul Skenes LSU connection, a Jack Leiter/Kumar Rocker Vandy tandem, a Walker Jenkins/Max Clark combo and a Kyle Teel/Roman Anthony duet for Red Sox fans.
What I’m Hunting
Roman Anthony. He’s all over this set, and he’s currently Baseball America’s No. 1 Prospect. The 20-year-old raked across 35 games in Triple-A to the tune of .344/.463/.519. He’s currently on track to be a major face of the next generation of competitive Red Sox teams and could break camp with the big league club this March.
Travis Bazzana is currently shouldering the 2024 Bowman Draft release, and while his autographs in that product are sky high, there’s a chance that his Best of 2024 or Ballers autographs in Bowman’s Best fly a little under the radar. If you’re into the Aussie and don’t want to break the bank, this may be your best bet at this moment in time.
You know I’m a sucker for a cool insert. I pulled a Jackson Chourio 1955 Bowman Anime out of a blaster back in June and, having had it in-hand, can tell you it’s one of the better-executed inserts I’ve seen in a long-time. The player for me doesn’t matter so much, but I’d love to add another to the collection.
Breaker Value
I’m trying to make it a habit to call out a few of the less-obvious teams to target if you’re into buying teams in group breaks. After scanning the checklist, here are a few teams that may be worth buying into:
- Orioles: I think Orioles fatigue may be setting in, but don’t be deterred by their lack of playoff success—these guys are still really young and exciting. Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad, Enrique Bradfield Jr., and Samuel Basallo all have autos in the checklist. Don’t shy away from scooping the Orioles in a break for a chance at that Henderson/Rutschman/Holliday triple. They may be on the more expensive end, but the value here is likely unmatched.
- Red Sox: Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu are the only two Red Sox big leaguers in the set. While the inclusion of Boston players in this product is thin, it may present an opportunity. This product is loaded with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel autographs, two players that have a chance to be foundational for the buzzing-future of the team. Braden Montgomery makes an appearance in the Best Ballers insert checklist, and Marcelo Mayer even sneaks a 2024 All-Star Futures Game Chrome Autograph Relic into the mix.
- Padres: The Merrill/Leo De Vries/Salas trio is too good not to mention here. Yes, there’s more risk with this club because De Vries and Salas are so young, but autographs of all three are abundant across the checklist. It’s those three and a tree-topper, a Robby Snelling 2024 All-Star Futures Game Chrome Autograph Relic inclusion, that carry the Padres in this product.
Checklist
You can find the full, official checklist here.
Where To Buy & Formats
Bowman’s Best fits into the same category as Bowman Sterling: a high-end, hobby-exclusive offering. Each box contains 12 packs with five card per pack and the stated guarantee of four chrome autographs.
In the presale a couple weeks back, boxes went for $299.99, and eight-box cases were $2,399.99. Topps is likely to make boxes available on their website again at that price on release day (Jan. 15), so act fact, as they are likely to sell out quickly.
On the resale market, boxes are trending around $450 online ahead of release.
