Bowman 2025: MLB Prospects, Inserts To Target & Teams We Like For Breaks

Top Players In The Set

Below is the list of players either featured in Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects and/or were a top 40 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and have a Bowman First—or, in the case of the first name on the list, a highly sought-after rookie card—in this set:

• Roki Sasaki [RC] (Dodgers, BA No. 1)
• Jesus Made (Brewers, BA No. 16)
• Kevin McGonigle (Tigers, BA No. 17)
• JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals, BA No. 24)
• Thomas White (Marlins, BA No. 32)
• Zyhir Hope [first Bowman autograph] (Dodgers, BA No. 47)
• Franklin Arias (Red Sox, BA No. 74)
• PJ Morlando (Marlins, Pick 16, 2024 MLB Draft)
• Walker Janek (Astros, Pick 28, 2024 MLB Draft)
• Slade Caldwell (Diamondbacks, Pick 29, 2024 MLB Draft)
• Malcolm Moore (Rangers, Pick 30, 2024 MLB Draft)
• Kyle DeBarge (Twins, Pick 33, 2024 MLB Draft)
• Caleb Lomavita (Nationals, Pick 39, 2024 MLB Draft)

Inserts To Target: More Anime, Etched In Glass & Retrofractors

Collectors of the NBA and NFL know that some of the most sought-after case hits in the most sought-after product of the year in those respective sports are manga-style inserts. You can go on eBay right now and find Panini Prizm manga inserts of the top rookies and stars for thousands of dollars at auction.

While the Bowman Anime series hasn’t quite reached that level, popularity is growing, and the cards from past years are holding their value. Paul Skenes‘ Anime rookie insert from 2024 Bowman’s Best is trending upwards of $300 ungraded on the secondary marketplace, but even beyond that, variations of young stars Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson are trending around $100 raw. 

The people love the unique, bright cartoon-y designs of their favorite players, and that very much leads to anticipation from the baseball crowd when a new Bowman checklist drops. As we previewed last month, for 2025 Bowman, Juan Soto gets his first look in the popular Japanese-inspired art form.

While Soto may be the preview-headliner, the checklist for the Anime insert set for 2025 Bowman is a banger. Be on the look out for big-time names like Witt, Judge, Harper, Betts, Ohtani, Jeter, Pujols, Tatis, Ichiro, Trout and even George Brett. Beyond the Hall of Fame and superstar layer, hot prospects like Travis Bazzana, JJ Wetherholt, Leo De Vries, Konnor Griffin and Max Clark get the action hero/cartoon treatment, as well. Look for the rookie card stamp on Coby Mayo, James Wood, Roki Sasaki and Dylan Crews.

Beyond that 30-card checklist, look for Kanji variations of Ichiro, Roki Sasaki, Hideki Matsui and Shohei Ohtani, presumably featuring Japanese characters as the type-font.

The Etched in Glass variation returns with a 20-card set this year, and a number of these cards will surely be highly sought after. James Wood and Roki Sasaki will both have stained-glass style rookie cards in this set.

The Bowman Firsts getting the mosaic, color-splashed treatment include Jesus Made, Slade Caldwell, JJ Wetherholt, Kevin McGonigle and Franklin Arias.

Retrofractors are back for 2025 Bowman, and while they don’t carry the weight of past inclusions like Tom Brady, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig or, most recently, John Elway (2024 Bowman Draft), two Hall of Famers are set to get their Bowman Firsts: Steve Carlton and Brooks Robinson.

Beyond the Anime, Etched in Glass and Retrofractors, 2025 Bowman will feature the return of inserts including: Scouts Top 100, Spotlights and Rookie of the Year Favorites. Replacing the AI, Rising Infernos, Prospect Power-Up, Origin of Greatness and Gladiators of the Diamond sets are Crystalized, Greatness Loading, Hobby Stars, Rockstar Rookies and Very Important Prospects. While we’ve seen the Rockstar Rookies design, not much is known on these other new sets. So, for all the insert-heads out there, keep your eyes peeled as they begin to surface in the coming weeks.

Who I’m Hunting

Jesus Made. We talk about him a lot because he looks like he’s going to be that good. He’s the top name in the set. Milwaukee has done a tremendous job at identifying international talent and Made may be the prize of all prizes when all is said and done.

I’m a big fan of Slade Caldwell. While he is smaller in stature, he plays above his size thanks to his plus speed and physical frame. He was one of the more polished ball players in last year’s high school crop, and he’s got some fun tools to match. With his combination of athleticism, hit tool and makeup, I could see him being an above-average big leaguer for a long time.

These days, the Red Sox seem to have an endless supply of toolsy positional prospects—Franklin Arias is no exception. He performed capably at the plate in his first taste of A-ball as an 18-year-old last summer in a tough hitters’ environment in Salem, and he’s also got a real shot to stick at shortstop. He may never reach 20 home runs, but he hits, runs, defends and walks plenty. That’s a lot of exciting boxes to check for a teenager who has made it off the complex already.

Earlier this spring, I called out Sammy Stafura as an up-arrow prospect for collectors. Needless to say, I was thrilled at his inclusion in this checklist. The Reds’ system is chock-full of talented, young position players, and Stafura has a chance to be as good as any of them.

Breaker Value & Teams To Target

I did a quick analysis on which teams may be most desirable for breakers. Here, I’m looking primarily at volume (of inserts, autographs, etc.) and quality of position players in the marquee sets. Bowman First autos, Anime, Retrofractors, Etched in Glass, and Rookie autographs are driving the bus here. I have teams broken into tiers with value score in brackets below.

Tier 1: Dodgers [493]

The Dodgers have the highest volume of names in the sets of value with 22. Beyond that, I have a whopping 12 chases in Dodger blue in these sets. Roki Sasaki has an Anime, Anime Kanji variation, and a rookie auto in the set. Ohtani, Betts and Hyeseong Kim have Anime cards in the set. Sasaki and Kim are in the Etched in Glass set. On the autograph front, but this will be Zyhir Hope’s first Bowman autographed card. Eduardo Quintero will also have a first prospect autograph in here. The Dodgers are loaded, and if you hit on the Ohtani Kanji, you can put a down payment on a house.

Tier 2: Yankees [220], Cardinals [200], Nationals [192]

The Yankees pack volume here with 13 total names in the sets of value. The prospect value is light, but a Judge, Jeter or Matsui Anime card is what pushes them way up my list. Matsui having the Kanji variation helps, as well.

Shocked to see the Cardinals here? Don’t be. JJ Wetherholt is the top prospect in their system, and he gets looks in all of the sets of value. Albert Pujols found his way into the Anime set, and Steve Carlton has the Retrofractor with an auto variation. Sneaky inclusion: Their top pitching prospect, Quinn Mathews, gets his first Bowman and autograph for any collectors of pitchers out there.

With the Nationals, you’re riding the James Wood and Dylan Crews train. There’s huge value to be had in grabbing the Nationals in pursuit of autographs, Anime and Etched in Glass variations of both Wood and Crews. I personally favor Wood as the top rookie to collect for 2025. 

Tier 3: Tigers [153], Mariners [149], Royals [125], Red Sox [112]

The Tigers are really fun at the big league level, and they suddenly have one of the most exciting farm systems in the game, too. You won’t want to miss Max Clark on the Anime or Jackson Jobe on the rookie auto and Etched in Glass rookie variation. Plus, there’s a steady diet of Kevin McGonigle firsts and Josue Briceno’s first Bowman auto. There’s depth here, and this may be the best value in the lot without big league superstars driving the value score on the Anime checklist.

If you’re going Seattle here, it’s because you’re putting all your chips on Ichiro. Beyond him in the Anime set, this is a thin team. But if you land the Ichiro Kanji variation, there are few cards in the entire product that can top that.

Three Anime inclusions anchor the top for the Royals with Bobby Witt Jr., George Brett and Jac Caglianone. Caglianone also has an auto and a dual with Bobby Witt Jr. in the set. This isn’t too dissimilar from the Seattle approach—you’re fishing at the high end on small odds.

The Red Sox represent a more balanced approach in their accumulation of value. Rafael Devers has an Anime inclusion, while Franklin Arias anchors the Bowman first charge and has an auto and an Etched in Glass variation. Conrad Cason and Jhostynxon Garcia provide some intriguing prospect depth with their first Bowman autographs, as well.

Avoid: Chicago White Sox [19], Chicago Cubs [18], San Francisco Giants [14]

At a glance, the most exciting card to chase if you land the White Sox is a Braden Montgomery prospect autograph. He already had his first autograph in 2024 Bowman Draft with Boston, so this particular card likely won’t carry much value moving forward.

If you have the Cubs, you can find a Kevin Alcantara rookie auto, but he isn’t an A-list rookie. If there’s a rookie auto of Alcantara to own, it’ll be his future inclusion in Topps Chrome. Jonathon Long is the lone prospect auto, and he’s an older and undersized bat-first first base prospect.

The Giants are really thin in this set. Jacob Bresnahan has good stuff and gets a prospect auto, but he’s an arm, so, it’ll take a spectacular jump in prospect status to get him out of the value boxes at card shows. Jhonny Level crushed the DSL last summer, and he gets his first prospect auto, but you’re likely better off hitting the secondary market and grabbing a few for $10 in a couple months.

Here is the full list of my rankings for teams in breaks:

rank	team	player count	high-Value Count	Total score
1	Dodgers	22	12	493
2	Yankees	13	4	220
3	Cardinals	14	7	200
4	Nationals	10	7	192
5	Tigers	15	8	153
6	Mariners	7	2	149
7	Royals	12	4	125
8	Red Sox	11	6	112
9	Guardians	19	3	103
10	Twins	16	5	101
11	Mets	7	5	101
12	Brewers	11	4	99
13	Orioles	8	4	98
14	Angels	14	3	96
15	Rangers	21	4	90
16	Pirates	7	3	82
17	Padres	10	3	79
18	Reds	12	4	69
19	Diamondbacks	11	3	69
20	Rockies	7	3	58
21	Marlins	8	3	56
22	Athletics	11	2	55
23	Phillies	7	1	54
24	Astros	8	3	53
25	Blue Jays	5	1	52
26	Rays	13	2	47
27	Braves	7	1	35
28	White Sox	6	1	19
29	Cubs	5	1	18
30	Giants	6	0	14

New For 2025: Bowman Red Rookie Redemption Program

It appears Fanatics is piggy-backing on the success of the Topps Chrome MVP Buyback program with a similar, but more intricate, Bowman Red Rookie Redemption program debuting in 2025 Bowman.

There are 30 rookie cards in the 2025 Bowman base set and each of the 30 will feature a refractor variation with a “red-colored” rookie card logo instead of the usual red, white and navy styling.

These variations will be randomly inserted across all buying formats of Bowman. So, what does it mean if you pull one?

There will be a tiered-rewards system tied to Fanatics Fancash associated with featured players hitting certain career milestones. Here’s an example: If you have a player’s red rookie variation and he wins Rookie of the Year, you’ll have a limited amount of time to be able to redeem it for $100 in Fanatics Fancash. Or, you can decide to hold it, and if he goes on to win an MVP or Cy Young, another redemption window will open up, this time for $300 in Fanatics Fancash.

Early Favorites For AL, NL Rookie Of The Year

A month into the season, here who is leading the race for Rookie of the Year honors in 2025.

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It escalates further from there if you continue to hold the card and the player continues to rack up major awards: $500 if the player wins a second MVP or Cy Young; $700 for three MVPs or Cy Youngs and $1,000 if they become a Hall of Famer. Now, it all starts with the player in question winning Rookie of the Year. It sounds like if you have the red rookie variation of a player who doesn’t win Rookie of the Year and then racks up multiple MVPs or Cy Youngs or even makes the Hall of Fame, the redemption isn’t valid—the player has to hit that first Rookie of the Year milestone.

INTRODUCING: The Bowman Red Rookie Redemption Program ‼️ pic.twitter.com/kr8L63PFdz

— Topps (@Topps) April 29, 2025

Fanatics Fancash can be used to purchase more unopened boxes of cards, singles, auctions and fan gear. Topps also says it can be used for live breaks, but as of now, their sister breaking platform, Fanatics Live, does not accept Fancash.

This is a fun new wrinkle for the flagship Bowman set and certainly raises the collectability of the rookie cards in the base set that are often overlooked in favor of the eventual Topps Chrome release later in any given calendar year. 

At this time, we don’t know the odds of pulling a red rookie variation, however, they are being marketed as “limited.”

Formats & Pricing

The prerelease featured three formats:

• Value boxes (blasters) cost $29.99 and feature six packs with 12 cards each.
• Jumbo boxes cost $499.99 and include three guaranteed autographs, plus 12 packs with 28 cards each.
• Hobby boxes cost $239.99 and include one guaranteed autographs, plus 24 packs with eight cards each.