The Top Prospects in Baseball and Their Product Debuts: Pitchers Edition
After a long winter in which free agents' signings dragged well past the winter meetings and into February, full squad workouts have begun for all MLB teams. It’s an exciting time for both baseball fans and collectors as both will get the chance to take a look at veterans with new teams and returning stars. Also we’ll get a look at some well hyped rookies and prospects who might break camp on MLB rosters. For that reason I wanted to take a look at some of the top prospects in baseball (based on MLB Pipeline rankings) and their debut in Topps products. This article will focus on pitchers and in another article I will discuss position players
1. Roki Sasaki Dodger, Rank 1, Product debut: TBD
The Roki Sasaki sweepstakes came to an end earlier this year when the Japanese ace signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. For many this felt like a forgone conclusion based on the Dodgers offseason and how the MLB offseason as a whole played out. Sasiki’s record in Japan speaks for itself, dominating the Nippon professional league with a 2.02 ERA and 524/91 strikeout to walk ratio. Of all the top pitching prospects on this list Sasiki has the best chance of capturing the same hype that Paul Skenes had during last season. At the time of this writing it’s still unclear when Sasiki will be in a Topps product (although he does Japanese cards on the market). There is a chance that he may make his debut in Bowman 2025 like his current teammate Yoshinobu Yammato did last year.
2. Jackson Jobe Tigers ,Rank 5, Product Debut: Bowman Draft 2021
Checking in at second in the pitcher rankings and as the fifth overall prospect in baseball Jackson Jobe got off to an inconsistent start to his pro career. Injuries played a significant part in his slow development (spinal inflammation, hamstring strain) but Jobe overcame those injuries to make an impactful MLB debut late in 2024 and even had two appearances out of the Tigers bullpen in the postseason. Like Sasaki, Jobe profiles as a top of the rotation starter that could easily form an impressie 1-2 punch with Tarik Skubal at the top of the Tigers rotation. Collectors and Tigers fans can find his first Bowman Chrome autos in Draft 2021. Recent sales of Jobe base autos have been in the respectable $100-110 range but those could rise if he takes a step forward in the Tigers rotation this year.
3. Andrew Painter Phillies, Rank 8, Product Debut: Bowman Draft 2021
Like Jackson Jobe, Andrew Painter’s career has gotten off to a mixed start due to injuries. Unlike Jackson Jobe, Painter has yet to shake off the injury label as he missed the past two seasons recovering from UCL surgery. The fact that Painter still ranks this high with this much uncertainty is a testament to his potential. Prior to his injury Painter was considered one of the best pitching prospects in the game if the best due to his superior fastball and tremendous control. On a brighter note, Painter did return to the Arizona Fall league and showed a return to his elite skills. For collectors though Painter represents a massive risk given the amount of time he’s missed and the already volatile nature of chasing pitchers. To add to matters, Painter was both a redemption and a super short print in his debut in Bowman Draft. To the best of my recollection, Painter only had autos that were gold to 50 and below. Sales data is also extremely limited with only one gold wave auto and one ray wave being sold for $1,800-$2000 in 2022.
