Top Five Rookie Debut Patch Chases for 2025 Topps Chrome Update
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The MLB rookie debut patch has become one of the most coveted cards in the hobby since it was created a few years ago. Inserting into the Topps Chrome Update product has rejuvenated the popularity of a sku that has been an afterthought when it comes to collectors.
But now the question begs, who are the top chases in 2025 Topps Chrome Update? Baseball America did a fantastic job of breaking down potential inclusions to this year's product. Their lists are based off of call-up dates of 2024 rookies and where it seemed like the cutoff dates might have been, compared to prospects who have already made their big league debut. Some on their list made their debut in 2024 but late in the season and missed whatever the cutoff was for Topps.
#5 - Kristian Campbell | Boston Red Sox
Debut: March 27, 2025
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Kristian Campbell was one of many of Boston's highly rated prospects. He had a good enough spring training this year to warrant a call to the bigs for Opening Day. The second baseman had a rocket start to his season, hitting .300 his first month of the season.
He's slowed down now, but it's to be expected as big league pitchers adjust to a young hitter. He's hitting a meager .228 right now but still has five homeruns to his stat line.
#4 - James Wood | Washington Nationals
Debut: July 1, 2024
James Wood was included in the famous Juan Soto deal that sent him to San Diego for Wood and five more players to Washington. At 6-foot-7, Wood is one of the bigger players in baseball, and his size is finally backing his power potential. After hitting just nine home runs in 79 games last year, he's already sitting at 16 in 59 games this year. His average is also up from .264 last year to .286 today, and in the last two weeks he's doing even better at .321.
#3 - Marcelo Mayer | Boston Red Sox
Debut: May 24, 2025
Marcelo Mayer, another one of Boston's highly touted prospects, made his debut less than a week ago. It's hard to gauge his MLB talent given the little sample size. But, he has done well as a prospect, averaging .273 with an .826 OPS over a span of just over four years, good enough to be ranked Boston's No. 2 prospect.
It seems like Mayer has been around for a long time. Drafted in 2021 No. 4 overall, he had his Bowman Chrome 1st in the 2021 Bowman Draft product. Given the estimated cutoff by Baseball America, his rookie debut patch should be included in 2025 Topps Chrome Update.
#2 - Dylan Crews | Washington Nationals
Debut: August 26, 2024
Drafted just after his LSU teammate Paul Skenes in 2023, Crews immediately rose through the ranks of top prospects in the Nationals' system. He hit well in two years in the minors. Hitting for a .275 average and 18 home runs in 135 career games in the minors, he's yet to find his stride in the majors. Although he has a ton of potential based on historical data, he is only hitting a career .206 with 10 home runs in 76 career major league games.
But it's that star potential that will have collectors clamoring for his rookie debut patch.
#1 - Roki Sasaki | Los Angeles Dodgers
Debut: March 19, 2025
The young fireballer from Japan was the talk of the offseason. While he had many suitors he ultimately chose to team up with fellow countryman Shohei Ohtani and joined the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers. In four seasons with the NBL, he had an insanely low 2.02 ERA with a ridiculous 505 strikeouts. He even pitched a perfect game.
He made his big league debut in the second game of the season on March 19th in front of his home country when the Chicago Cubs and the Dodgers played in Japan to open 2025. While he's on the injured list right now, he's still a hot commodity in the card world, and his rookie debut patch will the the top chase in 2025 Topps Chrome Update.
Honorable Mentions: Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Jackson Jobe, Jace Jung, Brooks Lee, Luisangel Acuna. (Jac Caglionone would be the top chase, however, based on Baseball America's timeline, he'll miss the cutoff as he was just called up this week.)
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz