3 Bowman 1st cards to buy before Opening Day 2026

It's all about the Bowman 1st cards when it comes to baseball card collecting. Unlike other sports, the rookie card of a baseball player is usually secondary in desirability to their first prospect card. With Spring Training just a few weeks away, there are three Bowman first prospect cards collectors might want to grab before the first ball is thrown in 2026.

Jac Caglianone | 2024 Bowman Draft

A former top prospect, Jac Caglianone made his major league debut on June 3, 2025. He had lackluster results. He was hitting just under .150 when he injured himself in late July. He didn't do much better when he came back for the month of September, ultimately finishing his rookie year with a .157 batting average with seven home runs and 18 runs batted in.

Generally a player with that stat line turns their cards to toxic waste. However, Caglianone is still young, he's shown he can perform. In college he hit 75 home runs in 165 collegiate games with the Florida Gators. In 95 games in the minors he hit .308, with 22 home runs and 86 runs batted in.

While he didn't have a great rookie year, he still has potential and the stature to be a power hitting first basemen that could headline the Royals roster with Bobb Witt Jr.

Carson Benge | 2024 Bowman Chrome

Carson Benge has been a top five prospect with the Mets since he was drafted No. 19 overall by the Mets in 2024. Benge hit .281 with 17 home runs and 81 runs batted in across 131 games while working his way through three levels of minor league baseball.

Benge is on this list because of his chances of cracking the big league roster out of camp. With the trades of Jeff McNeil to the A's and Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers, there's an opening in left field. And many of the sports talking heads and reporters have speculated that Benge could hit at the bottom of the order to open the 2026 season. And speculation drives value when it comes to Bowman first prospect cards.

Benge's cards could be a short term hold, as his value is likely to jump early if he makes the team's Opening Day roster as their starting left fielder. All it take is his first big hit for his cards to spike.

Justin Crawford | 2023 Bowman

Son of former All-star Carl Crawford, Justin came into the league with the hype of a top prospect. But being drafted almost four years ago, Crawford has lost some of the hype as new players get drafted and promoted.

But he's quietly had a great minor league career. After hitting just .241 between rookie and A ball, he's continued to hit over .300 across the next three levels of the minor leagues. He spent all of 2025 in AAA with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs and hit .334 with seven home runs and 47 runs batted in.

Crawford has been invited to the Spring Training with the big league team, and at 22 years old, he has a real shot at making the opening day roster. And according to various reports, Castellanos is not likely to be back with the team, making an opening for the young outfielder to open the 2026 season in the major leagues.