Intro
Bowman Chrome regularly proves to be the riskiest of the Bowman Flagship releases every year with a checklist packed full of recent International Free Agents, and this year is no different. As part of our breakdowns of the product, we're adding a new feature where we give a synopsis of each team in the product. This can be a great resource for your team breaks needs.
Check out the 2025 Bowman Chrome Product Preview article and the 2025 Bowman Chrome TLDR article for our prospect-specific break downs.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Summary
The Dbacks are the most boring team in this entire release. There is only one total insert, and it’s a case hit. The prospect content does not have a strong name to anchor it. It's a fairly vacant (6) total base cards across the vet & prospect sets and (3) Prospect Autographs. A clear bottom-rung team.
The Prospects
The DBacks have three Prospects with base cards and autographs. The top of that bunch from a ceiling perspective is…probably?...Elian De La Cruz? He didn’t really play enough in the DSL this year to get a great gauge on him, but his corner-OF body type is one that portends great power. He has an International Refractor, as a little pot-sweetener. Pedro Catuy is next up in the pecking order, and he’s followed a frustrating physical development path that leaves him still nearly all projection at age 20. Spencer Giesting is a proximity lefty with a low ceiling who’s very likely to make 20 MLB starts in a season, maybe as soon as next year. The only insert the DBacks have…period…outside of parallel structures is Slade Caldwell in the Spotlight set.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
There’s nothing interesting here. Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte and Corbin Burnes all have base cards. As I said above, no inserts. - Max Arterburn
Athletics
Summary
There are (6) players total across vet and prospect CL’s, with (3) Prospect Autographs and (2) Rookie Autographs. Nick Kurtz reigns supreme and has a Red Rookie, which will surely be a winning redemption. Him alone makes this one of the top teams, but Tommy White is a solid prospect, Shorato Morii has a Kanji chase, and let’s not forget Jacob Wilson is still a really good rookie.
The Prospects
Tommy White and Shotaro Morii offer a good 1-2 punch here, with Ayden Johnson trailing further behind. Among these three there’s significant inclusion in all the partial parallels – (2) Etched In Glass, (2) International (both with autographs as well), and (2) Image Variations. Morii offers further interest – as Will outlined in Morii’s writeup in our player preview – he has at least one Kanji autograph within those International Refractors. That will be a huge single-item chase in this product. Morii also has a Prime Choice signature – there’s just really good representation across the entire product with these three players. As I said White and Morii are a nice duo and stand at somewhat opposite stages in their development to hedge against each other. White’s biggest obstacle is breaking through the upper minors at a position of some kind, though he seems fairly safe overall with a solid hit and a ton of sleeping power. Morii is just starting his development as a two-way prospect, and though he’s more intrigue than loud tools at present, there’s hope! Johnson, also, is just starting, but his path looks even longer than Morii’s.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Well, this is the single best team for this category. Nick Kurtz is the obvious AL ROY, and he has a Red RC. For those unaware, with Red Rookie Redemptions, the winner of the ROY award in both leagues is worth $100 in Fancash – full stop. But if you choose to hold instead and the player goes on to win MVP (or Cy Young) or Hall of Fame, the amounts increase way beyond that, up $1000. These Red Rookies are SP and there’s 40 players in the CL, but they’re not truly rare (or at least they weren’t in Bowman). If odds hold, hitting a Kurtz Red Rookie is basically an equal probability to hitting any single specific prospect autograph in the set, and more valuable than all but the top few names. But there’s more on Kurtz, whose cards are very, very much in demand at present due being the rookie sensation that he is. He’s in a ton of insert sets in this release – Adios (with autographs), Melt Mashers (with autographs), Bowman GPK (with autographs), Max Volume, Meteoric Rise, and It Came to the League. That’s not to mention base set RC’s and Rookie Autographs, which he also has. Jacob Wilson is also a RC of significance with Rookie Autographs and base, but we’ve seen him all year so there’s a little bit of card fatigue that’s set in. To combat that, he’s one of just 10 RC’s with a Color Run variation, 11 RC’s with an Etched in Glass variation, and 15 RC’s with an Image Variation. He also has Red RC (for the second time), Melt Mashers (with autographs), and a Chrome Autograph Relic. Lastly, we have Max Muncy RC’s (with a Red RC) and vet Lawrence Butler. Whew…that’s a lot of content! In late-breaking news, Shoeless Joe Jackson is n this product with Retrofractors, in a Philadelphia Athletics uniform. This is the first card that Topps has ever produced of him, and his first MLB-licensed card since 2004. - Max Arterburn
Atlanta Braves
Summary
Only (2) Prospect Autographs, but both prospects are solid and Drake Baldwin offers a little bit of Red RC redemption chase. Only because of lack of volume, they’re in the bottom half of the teams. There are (6) total vet & prospect base, and also (2) Rookie Autographs. All killer no filler is a good way to be for team collectors.
The Prospects
There’s only two prospects here (both base & auto), but they’re pretty nice hobby names. John Gil emerged this year with improved physicality that first helped him on the defensive side as a legit SS, then in the second half of the season with a breakout of above average power. With speed and hit already having been in the bag, he heads to High-A next year as a potential 5-tool candidate. Diego Tornes is a $2.5 MM IFA with loads of projection. Performance in the DSL was a mixed bag but showed that he does have a loud toolset to build on and present speed and ability to get on base. He’s in all the partial parallels – Image Variation, Etched in Glass, and International Refractor (with autograph) – in addition to having a Prime Choice Autograph.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
There’s two rookies of significance in the base set - Drake Baldwin and Spencer Schwellenbach. Both have Red RC, and Baldwin is close enough to Cade Horton in the NL ROY race that he’s a chase for the Redemption program. Baldwin is also featured all across this product, including a Rookie Autograph, Short Print Image Variation, and Etched in Glass partial parallels. For inserts, he’s in the Melt Mashers (with autographs), Chrome Autograph Relic, and Spotlight as well. Schwellenbach (who has no additional content) was a ROY candidate last year and was having a nice follow-up season, but went down to a fractured elbow in June. It’s a major bummer. With having been in everything this year as a secondary reason, his cards are at a nadir, but they will definitely rebound. Hurston Waldrep makes an appearance with a Rookie Autograph, but he’s also in the same boat in having been in everything this year. Matt Olson and Ronald Acuña are the vets in the base set, but only Acuña has additional content. He’s in Adios (with autographs), Bowman GPK, and a Chrome Autograph Relic. - Max Arterburn
Baltimore Orioles
Summary
A decent checklist at both the prospect and non-prospect groupings boosted by three different options in the GPK insert boosts the Orioles into the top 10 - 15 team range in the product.
The Prospects
A couple of nice options with a high floor center fielder (Nate George) and a raw, power hitting corner outfielder (Jordan Sanchez). A couple of 2025 Complex level disappointments with a speedy infielder out of the prep ranks in 2024 (Layton) and a power hitting third baseman from the 2024 International class (Garcia). It’s nice that the top two prospect chases for the team are both in the base and auto checklists. Even if neither offer top Tier outcomes, at least for now, the variety of a high floor option and high upside option is better than a lot of other teams. Unfortunately none of the four 1st Bowman prospects make it into any inserts or have any variations.
The only other prospect is a strong option with Samuel Basallo, who's been a top 10 prospect now for over a year and debuted in mid-August. He’s not had the best debut, but he’s still delivering in clutch situations and is showing his home run stroke on occasion. You can find him in the desirable Garbage Pail Kids (GPK) insert as well as in the Melt Mashers insert.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Coby Mayo is the lone rookie for the Orioles. Long a favorite of Prospects Live in his earlier prospect days, Mayo has struggled in his first pass in 2024 and now his second pass in 2025 at the MLB level. At least this year, with Baltimore not competing for the playoffs, they are letting Mayo take his lumps and learn on the job. Long term, Mayo still has a big time slugging first baseman as a potential outcome, and thus his cards can provide value with patience. He’s in the base set, has a Rookie Red RC logo parallel (not going to win Rookie of the Year though), a Chrome Rookie Autograph and Auto Relic, a base image variation and Chrome Rookie Auto image variation, and is in various other insert and insert autos including the GPK insert and even rarer GPK insert auto.
The vets, if you can call them that given their youth, include Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson, and Adley Rutschman. Holliday is only in the base set, while Adley is only getting the rare Chrome Auto Relic. Gunnar shows up in the base set, across various inserts and insert autos, and just like Mayo, gets into the GPK insert and GPK insert auto set. - Joe Lowry
Summary
A nice 1st Bowman chase, an even better non-1st Bowman prospect chase, some formerly desirable rookies that did not deliver in small sample MLB debuts, and a Red Sox legend getting a GPK insert and auto. Plenty to like, but more like a top 10 -15 team than being close to a top 5 team in the product.
The Prospects
Four 1st-Bowman prospects, but only one that’s worth your money. That is Harold Rivas, a speed and defense outfielder that has the potential to get to above average or better power in the future. As Max said, a top 15 1st Bowman prospect in this product. The rest of the group is a reliever, a DSL pitcher, and a lower minors outfielder who’s performed in that average to above average range throughout but never given us anything to be excited about. Both Rivas and the DSL pitcher, Sabdiel Delzine, get the International Refractor Parallels to spice up the Boston team checklist.
The main non-1st Bowman prospect is a big one in Roman Anthony, our top overall prospect until he graduated in late July after debuting in mid-June. He’s all over the checklist, starting with the base prospect checklist plus an image variation. He’s got a rare chrome autograph relic, is in most of the inserts and insert auto sets, and will be found in the Garbage Pail Kids (GPK) insert. He’s going to appear in every single Topps product in 2026 as a rookie, so anything you do hit of Anthony is probably best to sell before the 2026 products hit the market starting next February. A secondary, smaller chase is high floor, Tier 2 2025 Bowman chase Franklin Arias. He shows up in the Melt Mashers insert for both base and autos - a nice extra cherry on top, but in such small volume it doesn’t move the needle.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
The Kristian Campbell hype train went off the tracks barely two months into the MLB season, negatively impacting the value of his cards. This was right around the time his rookie cards were first being packed out, and now we get more of his rookie cards here - still a nice long term option in my opinion, but his cards here are a lot less exciting than Topps probably was hoping for. Marcelo Mayer is the other Red Sox rookie, and he’s had a lot less time at the MLB level than Campbell did. While Mayer performed similarly (not great), he was injured and underwent surgery, ending his season and not facing the same dreaded demotion like Campbell did. Both are still in that Tier 2 range for me long term, but short term I’d take advantage of any money you could squeeze out of them. They have base cards, all of the various base rookie variations including Red Rookie RC Logo parallels, Chrome Rookie Autos, inserts, insert autos, and are included in the GPK inserts.
The lone vet is Alex Bregman, and he’s only in the base checklist. Yay? The one ex-MLB player is Big Papi David Ortiz. He gets into the GPK base and GPK auto checklist, and that will be something Red Sox fans will likely be chasing. - Joe Lowry
Chicago Cubs
Summary
This is the most voluminous team in the product, with (13) total base cards across the vet and prospect sets. But they’re much more than that with Cade Horton being a likely Red RC Redemption winner and Wilfri De La Cruz as an anchor prospect as one of (7) Prospect Autographs and (3) Rookie Autographs. A top-tier team for certain.
The Prospects
Lots of content here. The seven Prospect Autographs are tied for the most of any team with a few others. Only the Giants have as many base 1st Bowman Chrome as their six though. There’s even a hero prospect as the main draw in their top 2025 IFA Wilfri De La Cruz, although his trade to the Orioles hurts him from a team perspective. He’ll take a little bit to develop true dynamism in his statline, but he looks very mature up there and is as projectable as they come to go with it. He may be a 5-tool player when all is said and done. I also like Ronny Cruz more than most. His surface level stats at the Complex look fine, but it’s everything underneath that makes him look like a guy who can get to some serious power. All he has to do is develop more of an approach. Juan Cabada is a very physical, shorter levered 2025 IFA who figures to have good power, but getting to it as he moves up the ladder will take developing more of a baseball acumen. Juan Tomas is a complete lotto ticket. He has a good raw toolkit but needs to develop more physically to escape the DSL. The Cubs’ final two players with both base and auto are less interesting. Yahil Melendez has really struggled to make contact for two years now at the Complex, and Brett Bateman has no power at all and is either a 5th OF or organizational filler. There’s also an auto-only subject in Angel Cepeda, which will be a non-1st Prospect Autograph since he was in 2023 Bowman Chrome. His profile has slipped notably this year in his first pass at Low-A. Cabada has a Prime Choice Autograph, and there will be International Refractors of Cabada, De La Cruz (with autographs), Melendez, and Tomas to chase as well. This is a very well-rounded team, just in its prospects.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
With Cade Horton’s late-season surge, his status as the NL ROY favorite makes him a major chase in this product. Not because of his base cards, but because he has Red RC’s. For those unaware, with Red Rookie Redemptions, the winner of the ROY award in both leagues is worth $100 in Fancash – full stop. But if you choose to hold instead and the player goes on to win MVP (or Cy Young) or Hall of Fame, the amounts increase way beyond that, up $1000. These Red Rookies are SP and there’s 40 players in the CL, but they’re not truly rare (or at least they weren’t in Bowman). Note Horton is NOT the runaway favorite – this one will come down to the votes with Drake Baldwin, but the majority of the hobby gamble should be with Horton. Funny how his presence with a Rookie Autograph as well is of far less significance – the Red RC’s are more valuable (assuming he wins), and more common! Matt Shaw hasn’t really had a good rookie year, but there’s only a slight downgrade on his long-term outlook. He is in absolutely everything in this product. He has Red RC’s and a Rookie Autograph as well, and also has an Image Variation, Short Print Image Variation, Color Run, and Etched in Glass partial parallels. For inserts, he is in Ascensions (with autograph), Max Volume (with autograph), Bowman GPK, Spotlights, Chrome Autograph Relic, It Came to the League, and Meteoric Rise. Sheesh. Moises Ballesteros has done very well for himself since being recalled in September, and see his first pack-issued RC’s in this product. He has base, a Rookie Autograph, and a Red RC. Kevin Alcantara also has those three things as a RC, in addition to Melt Mashers (with autograph) and Chrome Autograph Relic. He had a not-great AAA season this year and barely saw the majors, but just remember he’s still only 23. There are three other vet base cards – Shota Imanaga, Kyle Tucker, and Seiya Suzuki. Of those, only Imanaga has additional content with a Bowman GPK. More interestingly, Sammy Sosa has also a Bowman GPK, which should be a fun chase for all those Sosa collectors. - Max Arterburn
Cincinnati Reds
Summary
An interesting DSL bat with a bit more power than advertised and one of the two retrofractors in the product. GPK inserts with top pitching prospect Chase Burns and Elly De La Cruz round out the interest for the Reds with most everything else not bringing much value. A middling team in the product.
The Prospects
A pair of DSL catchers and Cincinnati’s big bonus International signing this season make up the trio of 1st Bowman prospects. Aponte, signed for just under $2M, is the headliner of the group and was expected to be a speed and defense first player at shortstop. He showed a decent amount of pop, which was a bit of a surprise given the signing reports, but overall he’s still a big work in progress. Of the two backstops, Morillo is much more interesting, but he was also a DSL repeater. Torres has the look of a defense first slappy hitter backup catcher. One last thing to mention is that Aponte does get included in the International Refractor parallel and auto version as a nice bit of bonus value.
We get one appearance of a non-1st Bowman prospect - Chase Burns in the Garbage Pail Kids (GPK) insert checklist. If one of the team's best prospects and one of the better pitching prospects in baseball gets an appearance in this product, the GPK set is a good place to have it.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Are the Reds even in a checklist if Elly De La Cruz isn’t included? He’s all over the checklist, starting with a base card, but as a second year player from a baseball card perspective, the juice on his cards is starting to run dry. He does get into the GPK set as well which will be the main chase for him in this product, along with a super tough Chrome Auto Relic card. The only Reds rookie card in the product is a Chrome Rookie Auto of Rece Hinds. Is he just a Quad-A crusher? Is he a future Jo-Adell post-hype bloomer? Hard to say.
One of two retrofractors can be found with the Reds in the form of Tony Pérez. The engine of the Big Red Machine and Hall of Famer, I would guess that Pérez is one of the weaker names we’ve seen so far in the retrofractor checklist over the past few years. He was a great player, but he’s just not a household name. He is still living, so he gets into the base and auto checklist for the retrofractor scenario. - Joe Lowry
Cleveland Guardians
Summary
Unless Travis Bazzana inserts are your thing, there’s really only one player across the whole Team Set that figures to have much hobby interest at present, and he’s not included in supplementary parallels. Despite OK volume with (5) total vet & prospect base, (3) Prospect Autograph, and (2) Rookie Autograph subjects in total, this is a bottom rung team in this release.
The Prospects
The Guardians have a clear player as their top Bowman 1st prospect in this set – Juneiker Caceras. He’s really just a hit tool guy, but it’s playing very well in-game already at age 18 in every way possible. It’s possible that because of that, he gets to enough power to have real hobby significance, if not quite a hero. The other two prospects in this set with Chome base and autographs are 2025 IFA’s Heins Brito and Hiverson Lopez. Brito is also hit tool-first, but as he was very physically immature this season I think we should ignore what he did in the DSL completely – his floor and ceiling are really still TBD. Lopez is a catcher who’s pretty much the opposite physically – he’s a brick. But he also was underwhelming in many ways in the DSL, and may be in for a repeat. Only Lopez has an International Refractor of these three. Travis Bazzana is all over the insert sets in this release – Adios (with autographs), Ascensions (with autographs), Bowman GPK, Max Volume (with autographs), and It Came to the League. He’s a nice ancillary piece to chase.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Angel Martinez is the Guards’ only Rookie in the base set (and has a Red RC and a Rookie Autograph). He’s not really a hobby name we have too much interest in at this juncture, but he has been a lineup mainstay this year in CF so if you’re here truly because you're a fan of the team, he’s interesting. Jhonkensy Noel also has a Rookie Autograph, but with his wildly free-swinging tendencies and failures to adjust, it’s fair to question whether he’ll ever get back to hobby relevance even though he’s only 24. Jose Ramirez also has base and is featured in the Adios insert set. - Max Arterburn
Colorado Rockies
Summary
A few interesting 1st Bowman prospects, a top draft pick non-1st Bowman prospect that’s shown some signs of life after a very disappointing start to his pro career, and some rookies that have had spotty at best debuts. Terrible ownership leading to fielding perennial losing teams has sunk team collectability to the lowest heights, compounding a weak checklist and making this a bottom tier team in the product.
The Prospects
A small group of 1st Bowman prospects highlighted by a DSL repeater that crushed his second pass at the league and a legacy bat that debuted in August. Cristian Arguelles performance would have led to some serious hype if it had been his first year in the DSL. Even so, a 198 wRC+ is hard to ignore, and Max had him at the top of Tier 3. There’s some reasonable logic to him being worth some bargain investments if they arise. Kyle Karros, the legacy bat, has had an underwhelming debut, but being an auto only 1st Bowman prospect leads to some potential demand outstripping supply. Alessander De La Cruz, the third of the three 1st Bowman prospects, can easily be ignored.
Charlie Condon is the lone non-1st Bowman prospect and he gets into the majority of the insert and insert auto sets. After a disastrous debut in 2024 post-draft, he’s been decent in 2025. I was highly pessimistic in my write-up of Condon for 2025 Bowman, ranking him in Tier 3. While he’s not completely changed my mind, you can argue that he’s done enough (14 home runs in 99 games and a 131 wRC+) to still have believers out there.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Chase Dollander is the highlight here - he was too good for the lower levels of the minors and the Rockies gave him an early season MLB debut. It has not gone well, even with his high octane stuff. Never invest in Colorado pitchers and you’ll be right almost every time. Zac Veen and Adael Amador round out the rookies and neither has looked good on the big league roster. Granted, Veen barely received any games (12 in April) before being sent back to Triple-A for the remainder of the season. Dollander and Veen both get the Red Rookie RC parallel. Dollander also has a base rookie image variation, a tough to pull Chrome Rookie Autograph plus a variation auto, and the even harder to pull Chrome Rookie Autograph Relic. Amador just shows up in the Melt Masher and Melt Masher autographs insert. The only vet is the glove-first Ezequiel Tovar, and he only is in the base set. Another disappointing season with the bat for Tovar leaves us with zero interest in his cards. - Joe Lowry
Detroit Tigers
Summary
A top-heavy team boasting Cris Rodriguez (a Tier One bat) and a couple flyers, the Tigers have appeal for Rodriguez and for some fun inserts with their older stud prospects and Miguel Cabrera (and, yes, more Jobe and Jung ink).
The Prospects
Cris Rodriguez is a Tier 1 bat and it is easy to see why. A 17 year old outfielder with a .904 OPS, 10 homers to go along with 10 steals, and a 6’ 3” frame, Rodriguez has a lot of room to dream on. If he gets pushed past the CPX level and into A ball next spring, his market could be a big one. A stint in the complex would probably slow the hype train a tiny bit, but that did not have any long term negative impact on Emil Morales last year, who spent the majority of the year at the CPX level then saw his profile blow up after an impressive run in A ball to close out the year. I like Rodriguez and many others will, too.
Justice Bigbie is 26. Should be up next year but, again, he is 26. That alone takes away any and all juice from the profile from a Hobby perspective.
Nestor Miranda has a solid track record in the DSL, but he will be 20 by the time he suits up in a CPX game next year, so it is likely that he won’t appear in full season ball until he is 21. This puts him pretty far behind the 8 ball for gaining any traction for real collector value, but I’d take that over Bigbie any day.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Trey Sweeney and Dillon Dingler appear with red rookie variations. Jace Jung and Max Clark have Chrome Autograph relics in the product- Clark also signs Prime Choice Signatures cards and pops up on basically every possible non auto insert, as to be expected. Jung has SP rookie auto image variations, and Miguel Cabrera has Garbage Pail Kids cards (maybe I’m too young for these and they’re not my cup of tea, but I can admit the Miggy ones are fun). Personal favorite Bryce Rainer appears in the “Spotlight” insert, and I’d love to get my hands on one of those. - Will Jarvis
Houston Astros
Summary
A long checklist of pretty much all relevant names for one reason or another (and to varying degrees), the Astros have the DSL stud in Alvarez, the pair of pitching prospects knocking on the door of the majors, and some fun stories. They also have a whole lot of Cam Smith cards, maybe in an effort to get some more product out with him in an Astros uniform. If you collect Astros, this will be a nice release for you after Bowman Draft 2024 and Bowman 2025 were so-so at best.
The Prospects
Kevin Alvarez is a complete monster at 6’ 4” already, months before his 18th birthday. The Cuba native posted an .874 OPS to go with 11 steals (but only 2 round trippers), in his DSL year. Alvarez checked all the boxes for me in terms of profile- more walks than strikeouts, some speed, and while the 2 homers is far from ideal, he had 12 doubles and 3 triples, so the guy was hitting the ball hard. With that frame, I will absolutely be buying his cards and expect serious power to follow as he fills out. Alvarez can also be found in insert sets, with ink for Prime Choice Signatures and International Variation Autographs. I promised myself I wouldn’t say “imagine Yordan Alvarez with speed” so this is not me saying that. But…
Miguel Ullola is a 23 year old pitcher who has seen solid results in AAA in 2025. 23 starts (and 5 appearances out of the pen) to the tune of a 3.88 ERA over 113.2 innings is nothing to dismiss, and 131 Ks is a pretty nice number if not something to salivate over. Unfortunately he walked 78 guys in those 113 innings. That is scary. He has posted ghastly walk rates through his career thus far, and it really hasn’t gotten any better with age. Not a guy to totally write off given the pretty good K rate and the fact that he kept the ERA under 4 while walking guys left and right is fairly impressive and speaks to his ability to limit quality contact. Just not a big hobby ceiling, but worth a stash or two.
Bryce Boettcher is playing linebacker at Oregon and went viral this weekend for his comments about his experience being recruited by rival Oregon State. This actually makes for a fun hobby watch, but he hasn’t posted an at bat as a professional baseball player and will be 24 next July. If you pull his card at release, run don’t walk to get it listed on eBay during football season.
Zach Cole has had a hot start to his pro career, homering on the first pitch he saw in the Bigs a couple weeks ago, but is 25 and probably not a starter long term. There isn’t a ton here to project, and he falls into the “sell now” category with Boettcher above.
Ethan Pecko is an auto-only pitcher who split his age 22 season between AA and AAA, with a 4.40 ERA in AA over 11 starts followed by a 3.09 in 7 starts at AAA. Not the most projectible profile at 6’ 2” 195, but I think he is worth keeping track of as he posted 95 K’s and walked 27 in 80 innings this year. Ullola has the slightly higher ceiling as far as stuff goes, but I think Pecko would probably be my pick if I had to choose one of the two to make 50 starts or more as a big leaguer someday.
Caden Powell turns 22 in October and had a .739 OPS (along with 32 steals) in A ball this year after coming out of JuCo in the 6th round in 2024. Just not a super long runway here given age vs level and solid but unspectacular performance thus far.
Anderson Brito sneaks in as a potential late replacement as an auto only Tier None pitcher that needs to cut the walk rate to avoid a future bullpen role.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
I like Cam Smith, and if you do too, then you’ll be happy with how much he appears in the checklist. Red Rookies, Etched in Glass, Image Variation Rookie Cards, et al. for Cam. Zach Dezenzo also signs Rookie Autographs. - Will Jarvis
Kansas City Royals
Summary
There are (7) total cards in the prospect and base sets, and also a very nice (7) Prospect Autographs. Some aren’t great names, there’s no surefire major-leaguers in the lot, but three of their top 2025 IFA are here. Jac Caglianone and Bobby Witt inserts feature strongly as well. An upper-middle team in this release.
The Prospects
There are a whopping seven prospects with 1st Prospect Autographs for the Royals. Four of them are auto-only with no base, and are coincidentally less interesting. Those subjects are Asbel Gonzalez, Blake Wolters, Corey Cousin, and Darison Garcia. All of these four are only in standard, full-parallel structures as well. Gonzalez and Wolters were in 2025 Bowman with base, and have both taken a downturn since that release. Wolters has mostly been hurt, and still stands with that huge injury risk as the biggest feature of his profile. Gonzalez splashed with a ton of speed, but he slowed down as the year wore on which made the warts in the rest of his offensive profile uglier. Their other two subjects that are auto only are also…not great. Corey Cousin hasn’t played yet because of injury, and Darison Garcia seems to have no power projection whatsoever. The remaining Bowman 1st’s with autos are all better, but how much better? IDK. They’re all 2025 IFA. Warren Cacaño only played 9 games, Moises Marchan is a catcher, and Ramcell Medina, while to me looks quite promising and a favorite of mine to buy into, is not in his final physical form. All three of these guys who have base cards are also in the International Refractor set, with Medina and Marchan having autographs. Jac Caglianone is still a prospect here since he debuted after Topps’ cutoff, and he’s all over the place. In addition to base and an Image Variation he’s got case hit-type inserts in Ascensions (with autographs) and Bowman GPK. He’s also in Adios (with autographs), Melt Mashers (with autographs), and It Came to the League.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Noah Cameron is the only RC (and has a Red RC), but he’s not significant. He’s joined by Salvador Perez, and more importantly Bobby Witt Jr, who’s a welcome addition to any set. Topps knows what they’re doing – he’s in many of the same insert sets as Caglianone – Ascensions (with autographs), Adios (with Autographs), and Bowman GPK. He’s also in Meteoric Rise, and even has an auto in the Chrome Autograph Relic set. - Max Arterburn
Los Angeles Angels
Summary
With only two 1st Bowman prospect autos in the product and a pretty scarce checklist otherwise, the Angels do not have a ton to chase in Bowman Chrome. Mike Trout has some ink on inserts, but those will be tough to find. I like Davalillo as a sleeper but this is definitely not a top tier team in the product.
The Prospects
Gabriel Davalillo posted a .926 OPS in the DSL this year, and turns 18 in November. The power output is nice, but Max did note that Davalillo doesn’t exactly have a projectible build in his write up. Shorter and stocky, Davalillo seems to be pretty close to physically maxed out for his age. I actually think he is pretty fun so will plan to grab an auto or two. Just not sure I would call him an “investment” by any means. But, we are talking Bowman Chrome here, so who really knows anyway. Davalillo has International Variation autos.
Anyelo Marquez is already playing Second Base and projected to repeat the DSL as a 20 year old next year. Next!
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Lots of Christian Moore inserts, and he signs for the “Melt Mashers” set as well as “Bowman Adios”. Mike Trout has ink for the Bowman Ascension set, chrome autograph relics, and Prime Choice signatures. Sam Aldegheri has chrome rookie autos. - Will Jarvis
Los Angeles Dodgers
Summary
Only one Bowman 1st Prospect, but it’s a good one. The Dodgers are still very much an upper echelon team in this release overall due to all the RC content with Roki and Hyeseong, as well as, of course, Mr. Ohtani. There are (9) total vet & prospect base, (2) Prospect Autographs, and (4) Rookie Autographs here.
The Prospects
There’s only one Bowman 1st in the set – Ching-Hsien Ko. He has both autographs and base, but nothing more. Ko is a big, projectable corner OF with considerable power-centric upside. His risk is mostly in not elevating enough to actually ever get to the power, but there’s a lot of time to figure it out, and with his levers, he should. Emil Morales also makes an appearance as an auto-only Non-1st Prospect Autograph. He had a great year split between the Complex and Low-A, and will soon be entering elite prospect territory, if he’s not already. Topps continued the awkward Zyhir Hope exposure by having him in the Spotlight insert set and nowhere else.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Whew. Lots of volume here. Let’s start with the vets, headlined by (who else in Topps products) Shohei Ohtani. Is there anyone better? The dude’s about to win his third consecutive MVP, and his card market is as robust as it’s ever been. Topps rightfully has him in several insert sets, but there’s not a lot of autograph content. He’s in Adios, Ascensions, Bowman GPK, Meteoric Rise, and Prime Choice Signatures. Other vets in the base set are Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Blake Snell, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. None of them have any other content and figure to just buoy interest for team collectors in PYT breaks. All three of their Rookies in the base set have both Red RC and Rookie Autographs – Roki Sasaki (who also has a Short Print auto), Dalton Rushing, and Hyeseong Kim. River Ryan also shows up with just a Rookie Autograph. Roki is clearly the biggest name, even though he’s been hurt most of the year and will retain rookie eligibility. Keep that in mind for Red RC’s, maybe? He’s included in a ton of inserts and partial parallels…deep breath…Etched in Glass, Image Variation, Short Print Image Variation, Color Run, Ascensions (with autograph), Bowman GPK, It Came to the League, Max Volume (with autographs), Chrome Autograph Relics, and Prime Choice Signatures. Very nice content for a player whose cards haven’t exactly cooled off despite his injury. Hyeseong Kim is also very much a featured player in the Dodgers’ content. The stats aren’t loud for him because he’s punching down to role player status on this Dodgers’ team, but there’s an excellent market for his cards. Topps fully knows this and included him in many of the same sets as Roki – Etched in Glass, Image Variation, Short Print Image Variation, Color Run, Ascensions (with autographs), Melt Mashers (with autographs), Chrome Autograph Relics, and Prime Choice Signatures. Dalton Rushing’s RC’s have only been in Topps Chrome Sapphire thus far, and only with an autograph. So he gets his first widespread content in this release. He’s also been “just a role player” for the Dodgers this season, spelling Will Smith as the backup catcher with an occasional start at 1B. It’s a very tough role for a rookie, especially one with major offensive potential and expectations. I’m putting a pin in those expectations for now though, and if it affords a buying opportunity, I’d absolutely go for it. Rushing is included in Chrome Autograph Relics and Melt Mashers (with autograph). - Max Arterburn
Miami Marlins
Summary
Beyond the two notable prospects, not much to see here. Agustin Ramirez unfortunately doesn’t sign in the product, and if you aren’t a big fan of Andrew Salas you aren’t going to love what the Marlins have to offer in Bowman Chrome. Salas is a solid young player and a popular name, and Defrank is a fun sleeper pitcher to approach as a long term boom or bust autograph to stash.
The Prospects
Andrew Salas is a Tier Two bat and a pretty big chase for this reason as well as for his lineage and family pedigree. I do fear that the Marlins are doing him no favors in the same manner the Padres rushed his older brother, Ethan. Andrew had an OK year in low A, especially for a 17 year old, but it was an aggressive placement and he really tailed off as the year went on. I don’t know why the Salas children are being rushed so heavily, and while it definitely speaks to their skill sets and perception from evaluators, it seems like the best way to create a bust from an enticing profile. I like Salas, but he will likely be priced as a Tier One guy, which he does not appear to be at this point in time, so I can’t see myself picking up his cards. I wouldn’t be bummed to pull one, though! (Would probably sell, but maybe not!). Salas appears in the Etched in Glass set, and has Image variations, International Refractor Autos, a Spotlight Card, and Prime Choice Signatures, so pretty much a clean sweep there.
Kevin Defrank is a fun DSL arm who stands at 6’ 5” and only turned 17 in August. He had just over a strikeout per inning this past year, and a 3.19 ERA. He also only posted 10 walks, which by DSL or CPX standards basically makes him Greg Maddux. I actually think he’s a fun sleeper in the product, however I would absolutely not buy his cards expecting to make any money, especially in the next couple years. Defrank has International Variations (not signed).
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Agustin Ramirez has Red RC variations, and Connor Norby has chrome rookie autos. Other than Sandy Alcantara and Ramirez base cards, that is literally the entire extent of the checklist for the Marlins in this portion. - Will Jarvis
Milwaukee Brewers
Summary
With (5) Prospect Autographs, and a very nice 10 total base cards (Vet & Prospect), there should be some volume in breaks – a good chance to hit something. No key Bowman 1st hurts their overall value, but all the Jesus Made content brings it back up a bit.
The Prospects
To me there’s not a clear 1st Bowman prospect headliner among their four, but there won’t be any shortage of cards – they all have base cards, and all have Chorme autos, as does (for some reason) Braylon Payne. Marco Dinges has some floor and a decent ceiling, but his path to being an everyday player really hinges on his playing the catcher position, which he’s not great at right now. Kicking it down the organizational ladder we have Jose Anderson, who was only 18 and was challenged at Low-A most of the year. His contact concerns really showed up there despite having good present strength and game power at previous levels. In the DSL were two 2025 IFA – Kenny Fenelon and Cristopher Acosta. They both had a rough go of the level this year, although Fenelon made it clear that he does have the loud tools that made him their top signing. Acosta may be in for a DSL repeat. Top 25 prospects Jesus Made and Luis Peña also make appearances in the prospect set, the second inclusion for each in Bowman after having their 1st’s back in May. All of Made, Fenelon (with autographs), and Acosta have International Refractors, with Made being the biggest chase of the three (after the Fenelon autograph). Made is all over the product in fact, with inclusion of an Image Variation, and in the insert sets It Came to the League, Meteoric Rise, Melt Mashers (with autograph), and Prime Choice Signatures. Lastly, defensive whiz (who struggled offensively at age 20 in AA) Cooper Pratt makes an appearance in two insert sets – Melt Mashers and Chrome Autographs Relic.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Logan Henderson is the Brewers’ best Rookie in the set, and Chad Patrick is also here. Both have Red RC’s, and offer just a little bit of hobby relevance. What’s more relevant is Jackson Chourio with a Bowman GPK insert. That should be a fun, rare card to chase if that’s your thing. He also has base, as does Christian Yelich. - Max Arterburn
Minnesota Twins
Summary
The (3) Chrome Prospect Autographs are complete lotto tickets, which is fun. Kick in Walker Jenkins and Luke Keaschall involvement, and we have a solid mid-tier team. There’s (6) base total across the vet and prospect sets, as well as a Rookie Autograph.
The Prospects
The three Bowman 1st’s carry throughout base, Prospect Autograph, and International Refractor. They’re all 2025 IFA prospects. To me Haritzon Castillo looks to have the easiest shot at hobby significance. He’s a hit-tool first guy, but his knack for finding barrels with a good launch angle is already superb. Should it continue, his game power could be better than his raw. There’s not a lot of dynamism to him otherwise though. Santiago Leon is super projectable and is a more patient (passive) hitter than his (lack of) physicality is allowing at present. He could just try to let his body catch up, but doing so offers no certainty. Nothing really does – it’s just a toolbox that shouldn’t be slept on. Unlike Leon, Teilon Serrano is physically mature in his 5’11” frame. However, we shouldn’t be too obsessed with the good things in his DSL performance because his being physically mature serves as a negative. There’s no guarantee he ever improves upon his mid-60’s contact%, for instance. No more base prospects, but Walker Jenkins is a widespread occurrence in insert sets. He’s in Adios (with autographs), Ascensions (with autographs), Max Volume (with autographs), Chrome Autograph Relics, Bowman GPK, and Meteoric Rise.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Start with the insignificant – Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis have vet base but nothing else. Moving on. Luke Keaschall has a rookie (with Red RC). His MLB career is off to a great start that’s only scratching the surface of his potential, and his limited RC inclusion will create some demand down the line. Thus far his rookies have only been in Finest, and it was a similar situation of being base-only. I would venture to guess that these do a little bit better than Finest in the long term, making him a good ancillary chase for the team. We’ve seen Brooks Lee all year with RC’s, and Topps thankfully minimizes further exposure with just a Rookie Autograph and Chrome Autograph Relic. - Max Arterburn
New York Mets
Summary
The first true “Bonus Baby” of the Stearns Era (one of our 5 “Tier One” players in the release), a Bronx-Born $10,000 IFA signing with a fascinating toolbox in the high minors, and an older, late round bat with Quad-A potential whose profile lost most of its shine in 2025.
The Prospects
Elian Pena is truly the guy for anyone chasing Mets in this release. Pena stands to be a top chase in the product, and I expect the true refractor variations of his 1st autograph to be at a premium from the jump. Pena also has an Etched in Glass variation, Image Variation, insert autos, and, my favorite, he appears in the International Refractor Autograph set featuring players' hometowns. There are many ways to chase Pena in the product, and I certainly will not be alone in doing so!
In our full preview article, Max had Chris Suero as a Tier None player. I think Suero is a perfect example of a guy where that is probably the correct objective valuation, however as a Mets fan my bias/homerism pushes him to be somewhat interesting as a second option behind Pena. Suero will likely have very little value aside from Mets fans, but a large collector base combined with a fun profile to make Suero a guy I wouldn’t be surprised to have prices initially exceeding perceived future value.
Lorusso is, respectfully, one of those autos in any release where you’re probably vocally unhappy to pull his card. Nothing to see here.
The Mets don’t have any other prospects on the checklist.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Luisangel Acuña is the sole rookie for the Mets in the product. After a year where Acuna has posted a .573 OPS in increasingly sparse playing time, punctuated by a few trips to Syracuse (more demotions than he has barrels at the MLB level this year). Acuna has a “red rookie” shield variation, as he did in this Fall’s iteration of Bowman. Also included are some inserts and an image variation, as well as an Etched in Glass. This does not mean that the Mets appeal ends with Acuña, however. Juan Soto signs in the “Adios Autographs”, “Bowman Ascensions”, and “Prime Choice Signatures” inserts. Pete Alonso also has chrome autograph relics in the set. While the Soto insert autos will likely be scarce, it certainly adds a good bit of appeal to the Mets spot. - Will Jarvis
New York Yankees
Summary
The Yankees boast a pitching heavy checklist - something that may have been a turn off in years past. But, Paul Skenes has seemingly changed how The Hobby views pitchers, as we saw with Chase Burns, Jonah Tong, Trey Yesavage, Peyton Tolle, etc. this season. Cam Schlitter is already in the Bigs, Carlos Lagrange has a very live arm (and as of today, has been promoted to AAA to make a start before the end of the season), Chase Hampton is older and injured but will have appeal once he is back on the radar some time next season, and then there are a few more lower end players.
The Prospects
Cam Schlitter has enjoyed some success already in Pinstripes, showcasing pretty nasty stuff and giving good reason to be excited about his future in the Bronx. I will note that the trend we have seen with higher end pitchers is that they spike in value at call up, and increase with every initial good start, but the market resets at a reasonable number after the first not so great outing. Schlitter has obviously already gone through this cycle, so his pricing and market should be more stable and less speculative than the traditional pitcher in the product.
Lagrange would be my pick for an “investment” player for the Yankees checklist. He has blown up this year, and I think he should get a good bit of hype so long as he comes into the Spring and continues his momentum. Unlikely he breaks camp with the team, but should be a mid-summer call up to some serious fanfare.
Hampton is already 24 and recovering from elbow surgery. The hope is that he is healthy and pitching in games by June of next year, but the combo of age and lack of any sort of track record makes him a tough sell. Being on the Yankees will help prop up his value a bit, and the stuff does have appeal long term.
Sabier Marte looks exciting at surface level, but he did not pitch in 2025 due to injury and is 21 already. He has a 3 year sample of success under his belt, but has not thrown a pitch above the CPX level as a pro. For me, not a guy I have interest in.
Mani Cedeno is a typical DSL lottery ticket. A shortstop who stands at 5’ 10”, Cedeno hit just .183 as a 17 year old (who only turned 17 in mid August), with 21 steals and a .676 OPS. The numbers are poor, but I do think he deserves a hair of leeway given the fact he was 16 for most of his season. Not a disaster to pull his auto, as long as you have some real patience with him. Cedeno has an International Refractor Auto and a Prime Choice Signature card, as well as an Etched in Glass.
Cade Smith is likely a reliever and an auto only guy in the product.
Stiven Marinez (not to be confused with Orioles farmhand Stiven Martinez) got a tough review from Max, who does some great work with video and I trust his opinions with the DSL guys. Marinez did post a .799 OPS (and turned 18 in August), but that came with 1 homer, 22 steals, and a whole lot of strikeouts. Honestly, I did a double take seeing 46 Ks and 41 BB’s in 160 ABs. I defer to Max on these DSL guys, and he noted that the “swing is a complete mess” and Martinez likely needs a DSL repeat next year. That is certainly not great, and keeps him off my radar for now. Marinez has an International Refractor Auto in the product to go with a Prime Choice Signatures card.
George Lombard Jr., not a 1st Bowman prospect, but does have a chrome card, however without any ink. Lombard does sign in the “Melt Mashers” insert series, which actually have a pretty cool look to them in my opinion.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Will Warren has a red rookie variation, Jasson Dominguez has a chrome auto relic, and Ben Rice has chrome rookie auto cards. Aaron Judge signs for “Bowman Ascension” cards, but these will be few and far between and I would not join a Yankees break with even the expectation of a 1% chance here. - Will Jarvis
Philadelphia Phillies
Summary
The Bowman 1st’s aren’t great names, and there’s no key rookies to bring this team up from the bottom five. There’s (6) total vet & prospect base and (3) Prospect Autographs.
The Prospects
There are only three total players to discuss here. First is Prospect auto-only subject – Mavis Graves. He’s a big 6’6” pitchability lefty without any plus offerings. If his command rebounds he does have high-K upside though because he’s good at knowing how to attack hitters. Alirio Ferrebus has both autos and base, as well as an International Refractor. He has a confusing profile that has some power and a high contact rate, but so much aggression that it all cancels out to a fringy prospect. He’s also a catcher, and not a great defender at present. Finally, we have Nieves Izaguirre. He’s a smaller-statured IFA infielder with a long, long way to go physically and doesn’t seem like he has a high ceiling. He does have an International Refractor, but he’s probably the worst one to get in the entire subset.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Bryce Harper is certainly a collectable player, but for him to be the highlight of a prospect release for a team’s content is never a good sign. He has base cards and is in Meteoric Rise, but his Bowman GPK is probably the best single-card chase for the entire team. Zack Wheeler and Trea Turner round out the vet content. Mick Abel has a Rookie (with Red RC), but he’s already on a different team. This will be his first pack issued non-autographed RC though. - Max Arterburn
Pittsburgh Pirates
Summary
The Pirates have a fun name in Johan De Los Santos, but his long term value is up for debate at this point. Lots of fun Skenes and Griffin inserts add value to the Pirates in the product.
The Prospects
Johan De Los Santos is a fun Tier Two bat. You see the .911 OPS, .353 average, 34 steals, and the fact he will not turn 18 until late July of next season and probably wonder why he doesn’t have more hype. The 0 home run column is to blame there. He actually posted a ridiculous 27:13 BB:K ratio in 139 ABs, showing a really mature approach, however guys with no serious power are not desirable in The Hobby. I think he’s worth stashing a few autographs and seeing if he can discover some pop. Likely a more valuable real world player than a big time hobby appeal guy. He also pops up in the International Variation Auto set.
Jhonny Severino posted a .636 OPS in A ball this year and turns 21 in November. That isn’t old by any means, but he would need to take a serious jump in his age 21 season next year to have any serious hobby appeal. He is a borderline avoid/buy one base auto and see if he becomes anything tier for me as a collector. Severino has an International Refractor auto.
Former Clemson Tiger Will Taylor posted some solid numbers in 29 games at the A ball level to start 2025, before settling in at High A and posting a fine .761 OPS with 10 homers and 15 steals in 64 games there. Pretty long history of injuries, a scary K rate, and the fact he will be 23 going into next season likely returning to A+ combine to keep him just off the radar for me.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Tsung-Che Chang has a Red RC, and to the surprise of nobody, Skenes and Griffin are all over the checklist (but nobody is complaining, either!). Bubba Chandler has a spotlight and chrome auto relic, while Griffin and Skenes appear in Ascensions Autographs, GPK, and Prime Choice Signatures. Skenes also has Chrome Auto Relics, while Griffin has a Spotlight card that I will 100% be chasing. - Will Jarvis
San Diego Padres
Summary
With how popular GPK is, despite them being rare, the Padres having three in the set pulls them well away from the bottom. But this isn’t a team I want to hit in a random. There’s solid other content with (9) prospect and vet base and (4) Prospect Autographs, but Leo De Vries is the only prospect I’m interested in, and he’ll have better content in other releases.
The Prospects
While we all know the Padres system is one of the worst, such status does not always apply to baseball card releases where it really only takes guys with upside to spike interest. Sadly in this case, it largely does apply to their 1st Bowman’s - these prospects are not very interesting. Deivid Coronil is the best of the bunch if you can call it that, but he’s just a highly projectable frame with no real baseball skill just yet. To make it worse, he’s base only – no autographs, although he does have an International Refractor. Jhoan De La Cruz was the Padres biggest 2025 IFA, and though he’s small, he has good projection, but he’s underdeveloped to the point of non-performance currently and what’s worse, the projection more for just his speed and defense. I don’t think he’ll ever be a strong hobby name, but he does have base, Prospect Autographs, and International Refractors (with autographs). First base prospect Kale Fountain has base and autographs, and though power is his best tool, he’s raw and working back through developing his hit tool at present, to mediocre results. He’s another complete lotto ticket. Kai Roberts is not a lotto ticket – we know what he is and it’s not positive. He was a senior sign draftee last year who has speed, but nothing else. He’ll have an awfully hard time proving he’s more than organizational filler. With both base and autographs, there’s more of him in this product than I’d like. Henry Baez is an auto-only subject. While no longer a Padre, he’s by far the safest name of their 1st Prospects. He’s likely to fit into either the back of the A’s rotation or serve as a long reliever sometime next year. So again, not a strong hobby name. The strongest of the Padres’ prospects (by a good margin) is actually a non-1st player who is also now an Athletic. Yes, you guessed it, Leo De Vries. He has base cards, as well as inclusion in four inserts – Bowman GPK, Melt Mashers (with autographs), Prime Signatures, and It Came to the League. Ethan Salas also makes an appearance with base cards and an International Refractor.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
No Rookies, but three vets – Fernando Tatis, Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill all have base. Tatis is in two insert sets – Adios and Bowman GPK. Merrill is also in Bowman GPK, and he has the added chase of an auto in that set. - Max Arterburn
Seattle Mariners
Summary
A pair of touted, high bonus International Free Agent 1st Bowman prospects should be enough to drive value. At the moment, the former MLB players with GPK inserts might be more attractive. If I was forced to pick one, I’d be chasing Yorger, but I wouldn’t pay top dollar for him or the Mariners spot in breaks.
The Prospects
The only team to sign two IFA’s for $2M or more in the 2025 signing period, and both of them get 1st Bowman cards! Surely at least one of them steamrolled the DSL, right? Right? Kendry Martínez got the higher bonus at $2.5M as a hit and defense shortstop, but failed to show any of that reported hit tool with a 48 wRC+. Yorger Bautista, signing for $2.1M as a power speed outfielder with a plus arm, did a fair bit better, but still failed to return at least average value in his first pro season with a 90 wRC+. At least he hit 7 home runs and stole 10 bases to at least tantalize us with his tool set. The rather large question remains to see if he can make enough contact as he moves up the levels. Both players get International Refractor Parallels, and Yorger gets the auto version of that parallel as well to hopefully give some added value to Seattle break spots.
No other prospects are on the checklist for Seattle.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
The only Mariners rookie card in the product is the rare Chrome Rookie Autograph for a player no longer on the team in Tyler Locklear as he was traded at the deadline as part of the package for Eugenio Suarez.
The vets are in the base checklist only - Logan Gilbert, Randy Arozarena, and Julio Rodriguez. Nothing to drive any interest. Ex-MLB players Ichiro and Ken Griffey Jr. make solo appearances in the Garbage Pail Kids (GPK) insert set, rightly in Mariners uniform. Those will be hard pulls, but having two Hall of Famers in a desirable insert is a nice fallback scenario. - Joe Lowry
San Francisco Giants
Summary
Strength at the top with their 1st Bowman prospects and a ton of volume to help prevent skunking in team breaks is all you could really ask for. This is a top 5 team in the product.
The Prospects
Seven prospects with a 1st Bowman card in the product, and a Tier 1 player in Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez as the headliner of that group. Gonzalez is one of the best names from the most recent International Free Agent crop and there’s a five tool player if everything comes together. Bo Davidson as a Tier 2 power hitter is an extremely nice consolation prize and someone I expect to be a buzzy name during list season over the next few months. Yulian Barreto and Djean Macares are Tier 3 players since we default most first year DSL players into that bucket, but they both need to show a lot more to stick there moving forward, especially Macares. The rest of the group is a huge bucket of Tier None players that are a grab bag of flawed players for all sorts of different reasons. Of that Tier 3 and Tier None group, I probably prefer Jakob Christian with his power potential. Josuar Gonzalez and Djean Macares get what is likely to be highly desirable International Refractor Parallels (base and autos). Josuar also gets variations, various inserts like the desirable Bowman Spotlights, and insert autos like Bowman Ascensions Autographs.
The only other prospect of note in the product for the Giants is Bryce Eldridge, a consensus top 25 prospect currently and arguably the top first base prospect in baseball. And just before release, he gets the MLB call-up, likely driving even more hype. He’s going to be included in some of the insert and insert auto subsets, most notably in the Bowman GPK (Garbage Pail Kids) insert.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
The only rookie the Giants have in the product is Hayden Birdsong. He started strong out of the bullpen, but flailed when moved to the rotation and is currently struggling to figure it out in Triple-A. He will have the Rookie Red RC logo variation, but you won’t be able to cash that in for any Rookie of the Year bonus since he’s not in the running. Rafael Devers is listed with a card in the Meteoric Rise insert - don’t quote me on this, but outside of Topps Now cards, this might end up being his first official packed out card in a Giants uniform. - Joe Lowry
St. Louis Cardinals
Summary
A stars and scrubs 1st Bowman group with a top 5 overall prospect in baseball as an added bonus and a sneaky ex-MLB great in a hard to hit insert make this arguably a top 5 team in the product.
The Prospects
A moderately deep group of prospects for St. Louis, but it’s the stars and scrubs scenario. One of the top five prospects in the product, and arguably the top prospect chase in Rainiel Rodriguez. A power and hit prospect that only real concerns are around his defense and long-term body composition. The scrubs are a fourth outfielder that recently made his MLB debut, a legacy power speed outfielder with swing and hit tool concerns, an off-season hyped prospect whose hoped-for power growth didn’t happen, and a backup catcher/utility player that already had his 1st Bowman base card earlier this year. If I was chasing any of them, it’s probably the hyped prospect that didn’t deliver in Yairo Padilla, but Royelny Strop, the power speed outfielder is just as likely a candidate if you're looking for the more high risk, high reward option. It’s probably best to avoid the whole group beyond Rainiel if possible. Rainiel also has the desirable International Refractor Parallel, along with Yairo Padilla.
Rather than focus on that group of scrubs, the main non-1st Bowman prospect in the product for the Cardinals is a good one - JJ Wetherholt. Our fourth overall prospect in the most recent rankings, Wetherholt has one of the highest floors of any prospect out there. A plus hit tool without any weaknesses in his game that would already be on an MLB roster in 20 or more orgs, Wetherholt gets a base card (assuming without a 1st Bowman logo since he had one earlier this year in 2025 Bowman) and various inserts. Some of those inserts will also include autographs. Finally, the popular Garbage Pail Kids (GPK) insert checklist also includes Wetherholt. Quinn Mathews gets included in the Max Volume insert, but he’s had an injury-marred season to forget and is essentially an afterthought here.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
There’s only two options in the checklist that fall in this section. Thomas Saggese, a hit-only infielder gets a Chrome Rookie Autograph. One of the harder autographs to pull, it’s always deflating when it’s not one of the top rookies in the checklist, and Saggese assuredly is not in that group. The other option is future Hall of Famer and Angels great Albert Pujols. I kid, I kid. Pujols only appears in the GPK insert checklist and will be wearing a Cardinals uniform (thank goodness). A nice little bonus that I’m going to assume should sell very well. - Joe Lowry
Tampa Bay Rays
Summary
A solid amount of Prospect Autograph volume (5), but it’s almost all high risk or low ceiling. Two highly-projectable IFA to chase with good hobby potential are a decent anchor, as well as Chandler Simpson. The club has (8) total cards across the base and prospect sets, plus (1) Rookie Autograph.
The Prospects
There are a solid number of (5) players with 1st Prospect Autographs, but two of them don’t have base. Those auto-only subjects, Matthew Etzel and Trevor Harrison, aren’t major draws even in the team context. Etzel is certainly low-risk – he’s going to reach the majors next year - but he also very clearly has a low ceiling. Harrison has some projectability as a SP, but he’s still a project with no certainties, and not likely to get above High-A next year. The other three 1st Bowman prospects have both base and autographs, and they’re all 2025 IFA’s. Maykel Coret is very much the most projectable of the bunch, but he faces common long-lever challenges. Warel Solano has a lower ceiling due to position & speed warts, but at the plate could be just as good as Coret, and has been more successful in-game to date. Raymer Medina is likely headed for a DSL repeat, as he was woefully inconsistent and has a messy swing. All three of these IFA’s have International Refractors as well, and Coret has International autographs. Carson Williams is here too in the base set, in addition to a few inserts – Adios (with autographs), Max Volume (with autographs), Chrome Autograph Relics, and Bowman GPK.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
We get two vets with no other content in Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz – at least low-numbered Caminero cards should have interest? There’s also two Rookies – Jake Mangum and Chandler Simpson (both with Red RC). Mangum gets his first pack-issued RC’s here, so…full writeup! He was called up on the second day of the season for his debut and hasn’t really looked back (except for a groin strain that cost him a month). He’s largely been a mainstay in CF and the middle of the Rays lineup, using his above average speed and an aggressive high-contact approach that’s had a lot of success. There – the flowers. Negatively, he’s also 29 years old and offers very little power. So he’s not really a guy to consider for the hobby unless you’re a team collector! Simpson, we know a lot more about. He’s a straight-up burner who makes a lot of contact but doesn’t impact the ball much and doesn’t have much defensive value. He’s always had hobby significance which has increased as he’s thrown up solid surface level stats in the high minors, and continues to do so now in the majors. Simpson also has Rookie Autograph. - Max Arterburn
Texas Rangers
Summary
There are a few good prospect names here, and that’s what pulls them from the bottom to the bottom of the middle third. It’s a total of (6) base total in the prospect and vet sets, and (4) Prospect Autographs.
The Prospects
The Prospect Autographs all have some level of hobby intrigue. David Ortiz Jr, who is auto-only, is only interesting because he’s Big Papi’s son. There’s not much else to see with him. Alejandro Rosario is also auto-only, and was just a fantastic emergent pitcher last year. But as he’s needed TJ since Spring Training and has not had it yet, he will be at least 25 by the time he next takes the mound in a professional game. Devin Fitz-Gerald has base and auto, and his profile is one that has some intrigue. There’s a 75th% outcome of an everyday utility bat with some pop, but he’s years away from that and will probably be older when he debuts. Elorky Rodriguez also has both auto and base. If you’re looking for an anchor prospect, it’s him. He had a great statistical season in the DSL. I don’t think he’s super-projectable, but I’ve been wrong on these things before – looking through the rosiest of glasses, there’s a shot for above average hit with average power. He also has an International Refractor. The only other prospect content is Sebastian Walcott in the It Came to the League set.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Kumar Rocker has rookies in the base set, and also has a Red RC, Short Print Image Variation, and a Chrome Autograph Relic. So if you’re still hopeful that he can stabilize himself into a rotation mainstay next year, there’s some content here. Jacob deGrom is in the base set, but with no other content. Other vets in the base set that have other content are Wyatt Langford (Adios, Chrome Autograph Relic) and Corey Seager (Bowman GPK). - Max Arterburn
Toronto Blue Jays
Summary
A couple of 1st Bowman prospects that won’t move the needle and very little else to hang your Canadian hat on pushes the Blue Jays into the bottom tier of teams in this product. Maybe there’s some short term playoff juice to take advantage of, but even that seems like a stretch.
The Prospects
A strong side platoon outfielder that has had a strong season in the upper minors and a big bonus DSL infielder that significantly underperformed are your only choices for 1st Bowman Blue Jays. Schreck’s top line results are enough to potentially drive some short term juice, especially if he sneaks on the MLB roster at some point, even possibly on the playoff roster, maybe as an injury replacement or something that can eat against right handed pitching. Polanco is a wait and see DSL prospect that did not do anything but disappoint in year one. You might be waiting quite a while here.
Arjun Nimmala is the only non-1st Bowman prospect and his presence is relatively minimal - in the base prospect set and the Melt Mashers insert, both the base and auto version. A potential future replacement for Bo Bichette at shortstop with 20/20 potential, Nimmala is still quite a ways away and has been very inconsistent. There is still international appeal here with his Indian heritage (the subcontinent version, not the native american version).
Rookies, Vets, etc.
Only one rookie appearance in the product for the Blue Jays, and he’s not even a member of the team any more. Will Wagner has the rare Chrome Rookie Autograph and nothing else in the product. He was traded to the Padres at the end of July for a backup catcher prospect (Brandon Valenzuela). The vets are the typical choices - Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Bichette only shows up in the base set while Vladdy Jr. makes an appearance in the base set as well as in various insert and insert autos scenarios. He also gets a vet auto relic that’s going to be very difficult to pull. - Joe Lowry
Washington Nationals
Summary
In an alternate universe, the Nationals would be a hot commodity in 2025 Bowman Chrome. Luke Dickerson tearing the cover off the ball, Dylan Crews healthy and hitting for a high average with a 20/20 season, and James Wood being an absolute menace in the box with over 40 home runs (the pace he was on after the first three full months of the season). The reality is a lot less exciting, leading to the Nationals being a bottom half team in the product, but perhaps worth a bit of speculation if the price is right.
The Prospects
A raw, prep toolsy infielder with speed for days and a potential for above average to plus pop that , a DSL hit and speed infielder with no pop, and a corner bat that may not make it to the big leagues. It’s a cross your fingers and hope group, and that’s a tough ask in any Bowman product. Dickerson was the big overslot signing for the Nats in the 2024 MLB draft but outside of stealing bases, none of his raw tools have yet translated to in-game results. Still, there’s a lot to dream about. Cortesia was Washington’s big IFA signing in 2025 and did everything but put the ball over the fence in his first season in the DSL. Tavares cemented his Tier None status after being ranked that way in 2025 Bowman for his base 1st Bowman - now getting his 1st Bowman auto but it’s too little too late with an absolute disappointment of his 2025 season. Cortesia gets an International Refractor parallel to give just a slight bit of extra juice to this less than stellar group.
Rookies, Vets, etc.
This is where the true value lies for the Nationals in this product. Dylan Crews and James Wood are used at every opportunity by Topps here, as they have been throughout the 2025 baseball card product cycle. Base rookie cards, Red Rookie Parallels (for the second time around), variations, chrome rookie autographs, inserts, insert autos, and the Garbage Pail Kid (GPK) insert with Crews also getting a GPK insert auto. Crews has underwhelmed this season and dealt with injury while Wood has scuffled the second half of the season and has struck out just a bit too much to come close to his potential ceiling as a top 25 hitter in the game. The only vet in the product for Washington is CJ Abrams, and it’s just in the base checklist - we can ignore his cards here. - Joe Lowry
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