From the first cards for can’t misses like Paul Skenes to the pleasant all-time surprises like Aaron Judge, nothing signals the lead-up to a new MLB season for baseball card collectors like Bowman Draft release day. With the 2025 edition hitting shelves Wednesday, it brings one of the hobby’s ultimate games of chance: collecting MLB prospects.

One of the most desirable cards for Major Leaguers is their 1st Bowman autographed card. Not every top prospect lands on a Bowman Draft checklist, but that’s where a heavy majority of them make their first card appearance in an MLB uniform.

But this set is different from any other sport because collectors chase players who’ve never played in an MLB game, and may never play in one. That doesn’t happen with NFL or NBA cards since those players’ first professional cards are their actual rookie cards.

This makes collecting players within Bowman Draft such a shot in the dark. Take, for example, last year’s class. Kansas City Royals first baseman Jac Caglianone and Cleveland Guardians infielder Travis Bazzana served as box coverboys for the 2024 set and were lauded as the top two players to chase starting release day.

How well did that hold up for those two players? Not as well as collectors might have hoped — even though Caglianone’s cards briefly reached Skenes status last summer.

Here’s a look at some of the biggest price decreases for the players’ 1st Bowman base autographed card with a Gem Mint PSA 10 grade, via Market Movers — an online card sales database. It includes major prospect names like Bazzana, Caglianone, Cam Smith and Christian Moore:

PlayerStarting priceLast salePrice change%

Braylon Payne

$167.00

$53.00

-68.2

Christian Moore

$280.00

$100.00

-64.3

Travis Bazzana

$438.00

$257.00

-41.3

Seaver King

$110.00

$67.10

-39

Cam Smith

$155.00

$99.00

-36.1

Jac Caglianone

$490.00

$354.00

-27.8

And then there are the players whose cards have shot up in value, including the likes of Nick Kurtz and Konnor Griffin:

PlayerStarting priceLast salePrice change%

Trey Yesavage

$85.00

$510.00

500

Payton Tolle

$55.00

$284.00

417

Ryan Sloan

$31.77

$162.00

410

Nick Kurtz

$180.00

$915.00

408

Konnor Griffin

$191.00

$820.00

330

Caleb Bonemer

$45.00

$160.00

256

This year’s Bowman Draft set will include eight of the top 10 picks from the 2025 MLB Draft, along with 20 of the top 26 selections.

The most recognizable name from the class won’t reside within the latest Bowman Draft set, though, with No. 4 pick Ethan Holliday absent from the checklist. It’s fair to expect the Colorado Rockies’ shortstop prospect to be the centerpiece of the 2026 Bowman flagship release later this year, however. Seventh pick Aiva Arquette joins Holliday on the bench with the Miami Marlins’ shortstop as the only other top 10 player not in this Bowman Draft set.

So which prospects should collectors target in 2025 Bowman Draft? Below are 10 to watch, with heavy guidance from The Athletic’s expert on the matter, Keith Law, who’s updated top 100 prospects will be out soon.

1. Liam Doyle, pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals 

The fifth pick in the draft ranked No. 23 in Law’s mid-summer prospect rankings, only three spots behind Holliday, who was the top 2025 draft pick in the mid-summer rankings.

“Doyle was the top pitcher on my pre-draft board, as he had the draft’s most unhittable fastball, up to 100 with life up in the zone that hitters struggled to pick up out of his hand,” Law wrote. “He has No. 2 starter upside and, at worst, looks like he’d be an animal out of the pen.”

2. Kade Anderson, pitcher, Seattle Mariners 

Anderson, the third pick in the draft, sat one slot below Doyle in the mid-summer rankings at No. 24. One of the two Bowman Draft box coverboys, along with the Washington Nationals’ Eli Willits (more on him shortly), Anderson is coming off a National Championship season with LSU in which he was named College World Series Most Outstanding Player (like another former LSU pitcher: Paul Skenes).

“His pitches grade out extremely well … he’s a tremendous competitor who led Division I in strikeouts and doesn’t give in to hitters at all,” Law wrote.

Hmm sounds familiar. But don’t take those comparisons too far, according to Law.

3. Ike Irish, outfielder/catcher, Baltimore Orioles 

Selected 19th in the draft, Irish may be a steal for the Orioles. He ranked fifth on Law’s predraft board and No. 41 in his mid-summer rankings.

“He was one of the best pure hitters in the class regardless of position,” Law wrote.

Plus with a name like “Ike Irish” it’s easy to see him becoming a hobby favorite if he shows just the slightest signs of future success.

4. Jamie Arnold, pitcher, Athletics 

Add another one to the As’ hobby pipeline like Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson? Maybe. Law said the 11th pick might not be too far from the Majors. The pitcher ranked No. 43 on the mid-summer prospect list, but expectations should be measured.

“There may not be huge upside here given where his stuff sat this spring, but he’s as close to big-league ready as any pitcher in this draft class,” Law wrote.

5. Gavin Kilen, shortstop, San Francisco Giants

Law’s second-best hitter entering the 2025 draft ended up going No. 13 to the Giants. The shortstop then came in at No. 45 on the mid-summer list.

“Even if he’s more of a 12-15 homer guy — and I think he’s better than that — he has such a strong feel to hit that he should be at least an above-average regular at second base,” Law wrote.

6. Eli Willits, shortstop, Washington Nationals 

This goes to show it’s no guarantee the No. 1 pick, who joins Anderson in the Bowman Draft box image, should be the No. 1 chase. The shortstop ranked No. 48 in the mid-summer rankings, only one slot lower than former Bowman Draft darling Travis Bazzana. Law wrote Willits projects to be more of a doubles and triples hitter rather than homers in his best years.

FIRST LOOK: Gold Ink Autographs limited to 15 copies in existence will appear in 2025 Bowman Draft. pic.twitter.com/KQdPtBVpsz

— Topps (@Topps) January 8, 2026

7. Kyson Witherspoon, pitcher, Boston Red Sox

The 15th pick slotted as Law’s top right-handed pitcher in the 2025 draft class. Ranking No. 54 on the mid-summer list, Witherspoon could be “at least a mid-rotation starter here, and his athleticism and easy velocity point to the potential for even more,” according to Law.

8. JoJo Parker, shortstop, Toronto Blue Jays

Law’s description of the No. 8 pick certainly sounds like someone card collectors should watch:

“Parker (No. 55 mid-summer) offered one of the best pure hit tools in the high school class, as he controls the zone well, has bat speed, and rarely misses, with the strength to hit for average or better power if he stops drifting out over his front side through contact.”

9. Seth Hernandez, pitcher, Pittsburgh Pirates

The sixth pick was considered the best high school pitcher in this class and one of the best in the past five years.

“There’s at least No. 2 starter upside here, but the risk of any high school arm is that they get hurt or don’t have the command and control to get to the majors,” Law wrote.

10. Tyler Bremner, pitcher, Los Angeles Angels

The Angels’ selection of Bremner at No. 2 stood as the surprise of the 2025 draft.

“Bremner came into the spring as a potential top-five pick, but his stuff wavered and his results weren’t great … There might be a mid-rotation starter here with some delivery help, and maybe the addition of a two-seamer,” Law wrote.

Wild card entry not on Law’s list: Dan Marino, shortstop/pitcher, Kansas City Royals

Similar to the past couple editions with Tom Brady and John Elway, this year’s Bowman Draft curveball card chase will be the Hall of Fame Miami Dolphins quarterback. The Kansas City Royals selected Marino in the fourth round of the 1979 draft as a high school two-way prospect in the fourth round. Could he have beaten Bo Jackson to two-sport stardom? Topps imagines a world in which he did…

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