MLB Prospect Cards, Chases Weâ€re Hunting
After a number of delays, Topps Pro Debut 2025 is set to release on Nov. 12. That’s good for Baseball America readers, as Iâ€m not sure thereâ€s a baseball card product on the calendar that captures the essence of BA like Topps Pro Debut.You donâ€t buy this set just for the big chases and speculative future value—you buy this set because youâ€re a prospect nut.This prospect-laden product features tomorrowâ€s stars in their minor league uniforms set against the styling of the 2025 Topps flagship design. And in recent years, when weâ€ve seen prices climb on flagship Bowman to a point where itâ€s almost unattainable for the average collector to get their prospect fix, Topps Pro Debut has quietly been one of the better-value products on the market for prospect autograph chasers.With autographed cards of Nick Kurtz, Konnor Griffin, Leo De Vries, Roman Anthony and a ton of Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects, this year is sure to be a good one. Letâ€s dive into the latest Topps Pro Debut offering with a complete breakdown of what to expect for 2025. The Most Famous Names In Topps Pro Debut 2025 At release, the 2025 Topps Pro Debut checklist features 82 of Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects, including all of the top 13. Here are the top names to look out for: You’ll also find a number of players on the Pro Debut checklist who have recently graduated from our Top 100. So, in addition to the players listed above, be on the lookout for some of your favorites from the 2025 rookie class like, Nick Kurtz, Cade Horton, Cam Smith, Chandler Simpson, Colson Montgomery, Jac Caglianone, Kristian Campbell, Kyle Teel, Luke Keaschall and Matt Shaw. Jumbo Autograph Relics & The Logoman Chase A few weeks back, BA’s own Seth Mates broke the story about the MiLB ‘Logo Man†chase cards featured in this set. This is a big chase for this product, and I am compelled to put the jumbo autograph relics set right alongside it! A warning: If you like texture with your patch cards, this may not be the set for you. Minor league uniforms and their design features are notoriously screen-printed. This doesn’t deter me from collecting these cards, but before you shell out the big bucks on a chase, keep this in mind. (Image courtesy of Blowout Cards) We know that there are 28 total cards in the Logoman Auto Relic set featuring 23 total players. There are some big names included in this set, including Marcelo Mayer, Walker Jenkins, Josue De Paula (x2), Colson Montgomery (x2) and Kyle Teel. The Jumbo Auto Relic set features 27 total cards across mostly the same players found in the Logoman set. MiLB teams are known for a variety of themed uniforms and mascots, so this set has a chance to announce itself in a loud way if the swatches come out looking as bright and fun as anticipated. New Insert Sets: Drafted, League Elites, Stars of MiLB & Ballpark Promos One of the fun new inserts for 2025 is Drafted, which depicts each player sketched on a notepad with colored pencils lying over the top. Itâ€s a 20-card set including both Konnor Griffin and JJ Wetherholt. Wetherholt also features in the six-card autograph subset that includes Nick Kurtz. League Elites is another new insert set with an autographed subset. Look for Tigers prospects Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark in the 22-card set, with Roman Anthony and Colson Montgomery featured in the 12-card autograph variation run. One can assume that the 24-card Stars of MiLB set mimics the well-known insert offering from Topps Flagship. Ballpark Promos, meanwhile, is a 16-card die-cut set designed to resemble a ticket stub. Samuel Basallo is your highest-rated prospect in that set. While the MiLB Legends insert set checklist is limited to 10 names, there are some fun inclusions to look out for, including Buster Posey, Cliff Lee and Chase Utley in both standard and autograph variations. Who We’re Hunting Or, rather, what we’re hunting, as I would bet there are going to be some nasty swatches in the Jumbo Auto Relic set. Iâ€ll have my eyes out for Kyle Teel (Portland Sea Dogs), Walker Jenkins (Fort Myers Mighty Mussels) and Carson Williams (Montgomery Biscuits). Sign me up for a game-used swatch of a biscuit with huge googly eyes. Seriously though, vibrant colors and unique mascots are what MiLB is all about. This set has a chance to produce some special cards. For the collector who doesnâ€t have the money to shell out for a Konnor Griffin Bowman First auto, the top tier of autos in this set still features Griffin, as well as Kevin McGonigle, Jesús Made, JJ Wetherholt and Leo De Vries. This makes Pro Debut a really cool opportunity to tap into the traditional Topps flagship refractor colors for top prospects at a fraction of the price. While the top of the crop is plentiful in this product, there are a number of players available who I think have a shot to make a leap up or into the Top 100 next year. Here are some players Iâ€ll be trying to take advantage of scoring some low-numbered chrome: Bryce Rainer (BA’s No. 24 prospect), Caleb Bonemer (No. 71), Slade Caldwell (No. 96), Chase Harlan, Cole Mathis, Dante Nori, Griffin Burkholder, Jack Penney, JD Dix, Ryan Waldschmidt and Tyson Lewis. Breaker Value & Teams To Target Topps Pro Debut 2025 is tricky for team breaking because players are featured in their MiLB uniforms. As such, I went through and deciphered every affiliation in the set as part of my pursuit of helping collectors find the best value in their breaks. Iâ€m looking at volume (of inserts, autographs, etc.) and mostly the quality of position players in the marquee sets. For this set, Autographs, Jumbo Autograph Relics and Logoman Auto Relics are my main considerations. Below, you can find notable teams broken into tiers with value scores: Tier 1: Dodgers [3830], White Sox [2904], Red Sox [2501], Tigers [2433] Surprise, surprise—the Dodgers have volume and quality. Josue De Paula and Thayron Liranzo (now a Tigers prospect but featured here with a Dodgers affiliate) each have two Logoman cards to chase. Throw in a Jeral Perez Logoman for good measure, and the Dodgers have five total. A smattering of De Paula (BA’s No. 18 prospect), Zyhir Hope (No. 21), Dalton Rushing (No. 17) and Eduardo Quintero (No. 56) add a really solid middle layer for Dodgers collectors. Autographs from Kellon Lindsey and Chase Harlan only further the intrigue, making the Dodgers the clear team to target. Staying at Camelback Ranch, the White Sox come in at number two with five Logoman chases of their own: Noah Schultz, Colson Montgomery (x2), Jacob Gonzalez and Samuel Zavala. A heavy dose of Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery and Caleb Bonemer stoke the collectible flames even higher for the White Sox. Schultz and Hagen Smith round out the excitement as a pair of hard-throwing lefties with top-of-the-rotation potential. For the Red Sox, Kyle Teel features in the Logoman set with the Portland Seadogs, and Marcelo Mayer joins him. Despite having only two Logoman chases, thereâ€s no shortage of Mayer, Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony autographs in this product. Franklin Arias also has a healthy offering of autographs as a lower-level prospect who comes in at No. 48 in Baseball Americaâ€s Top 100. Itâ€s impressive to see the Tigers in this top tier given they have no Logoman chases. They may, however, have the most impressive stash of prospect autographs in the whole set. If you land the Tigers in a break, expect plenty of chances at autographs for Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark, Bryce Rainer and Thayron Liranzo. Tier 2: Twins [1872], Mariners [1569] The Twins are buoyed by a strong helping of Walker Jenkins and Luke Keaschall—Jenkins being BA’s No. 11 prospect and Keaschall having hit .302 across 207 plate appearances in his debut MLB season. As if that pairing wasnâ€t enough to pique your interest, youâ€ll find a depth of autos in this set tied to Minnesota, including Kaelen Culpepper, who had a solid MiLB season this year by going 20-20 across two levels while hitting .289. Other Twins names of note who signed for this set include Charlee Soto, Billy Amick, Khadim Diaw and Kyle DeBarge. The Mariners may be the deepest group in the entire set thanks to a strong group of position players who signed for this checklist. Harry Ford features as the Logoman and Jumbo Auto Relic chase. Behind him, Colt Emerson found his way into the Future Cornerstones insert set (which we believe to be autographed) and onto a triple autograph card with fellow Mariners prospects Harry Ford and Felnin Celesten. Jonny Farmelo, Michael Arroyo and Lazaro Montes are all Top 100 Prospects who have signed across multiple sets in this product. Youâ€ll find Ryan Sloan (BA’s No. 64 prospect) in there, as well. Itâ€s not the lack of player quality or depth that finds the Mariners in Tier 2 instead of Tier 1, but rather, the lack of inclusion in the chase sets. Tier 3: Cubs [1260], Padres [1175] The Cubs are a little top-heavy in this product. The primary reason for inclusion in Tier 3 is the Matt Shaw Logoman and Jumbo Auto Relic chases. If Shaw isnâ€t your cup of tea, keep scrolling. Youâ€ll also find Shaw teamed with Baseball America’s No. 55 prospect Owen Caissie and NL Rookie of the Year contender Cade Horton in the Pro Debut Duals and Triples checklists. Beyond that, you can find some lower-level prospects like Ty Southisene and Cole Mathis. Jonathon Long, who hit .305 with 20 homers at Triple-A this year but is limited defensively to first base, rounds out the short list. Whatâ€s a prospect product without the Padres? Donâ€t overthink this one—this is all about Leo De Vries. And while he was traded midseason to the Athletics, he features in this product with Padres A-Ball Lake Elsinore affiliate. Though there isnâ€t a Logoman or Jumbo Auto Relic to chase, De Vries is across the autograph checklists from base to chrome to insert autograph variations to Pro Debut Duals (with Jesús Made) and Triples (with Joendry Vargas and Sebastian Walcott). If you’re targeting the Padres, confirm where De Vries sits in the eyes of your breaker (Aâ€s or Padres), as he should be a Padre for this product. Confirm how your breaker handles multi-autographed cards with multiple organizations represented. If itâ€s not De Vries, there isnâ€t much else behind him for the Padres in this product. Avoid: Yankees [136], Braves [88] Excluding the 2025 MLB Draft, thereâ€s not a whole lot cooking down on the farm for the Bronx Bombers right now, and that is reflected on this checklist (and, no, Cam Schlittler is not included). George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ top prospect and No. 22 prospect overall, has a base paper and chrome auto in this set. Ben Hess and Bryce Cunningham are two big, bruising pitching prospects who have autographs to accompany Lombard Jr., but overall, the checklist is weak on pinstripes. Whoever is organizing your break should randomize any Braves hits, as there are no Logoman or Jumbo Auto Relic chases for Atlanta. They have just 11 total cards across the entire 940-card checklist. The biggest card to look for is a Cam Caminiti chrome auto. If you are a Braves fan, skip the group break and go to eBay. Formats, Pricing & Where To Buy Topps Pro Debut is a hobby-only release, and while last year the product was available in both hobby and jumbo orientations, this year it appears that there will only be one format. Each hobby box is set to feature 144 cards (six packs with 24 cards per pack) and will have, on average, four autographs. Right now, presales for 2025 Topps Pro Debut hobby boxes are circulating on secondary markets in the ballpark of $150-$200 after initially being made available for $109.99 on Topps.com. It remains to be seen if that price will hold when the product officially drops (and goes up for sale once again) on the Topps website on Nov. 12. Source link