Under the Radar Prospects and Their Product Debuts
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 with MLB teams. For that reason I wanted to take a look at some of the top prospects in baseball (per MLB Pipeline) and their debut in Topps products. Previous article I wrote focused on the top pitching and hitting prospects. This article will focus on some under the radar prospects who collectors may not be as familiar with that could make an impact this year.
2025 Topps Baseball Series 1: Introducing Jacob Wilson Rookie Card
Jesus Made Brewers, Rank 56, Product Debut: TBD
The Brewers may have found another gem in Jesus Made after having a resounding developmental success with Jackson Churio. Made came into pro ball very much under the radar having signed with the Brewers for under seven figures. Since then Made has been rocketing up prospect ranking lists since he crushed his debut in the Dominican Summer League last year currently settling in at 56 per MLB.com and as high as 17 per Baseball America’s Top 100 list. Currently Made does not have any autos or cards in Bowman products although he does have unlicensed Panini autos available. If he does have autos in Bowman 2025 I would expect him to become one of the top chases in that product.
Luke Keaschall Twins, Rank 61, Product Debut: Bowman 2024
Topps Series 1: Dylan Crews and James Wood Headline Early Rookie Card Sales
Luke Keaschall was drafted in the second round of the 2023 draft for the Twins and now looks like a steal for them. Keschall had a great 2024 season in which hit for both average and power. Making his season more impressive was that Keschall was playing with a torn UCL in his throwing arm that required Tommy John surgery. The one knock on him was that Keaschall didn’t have a defined position and would most likely end up at a non premium position for collectors at second base however, now that surgery corrected his arm issues he may be able to slide over to third or an outfield corner in the future. Keaschall is currently taking live at bats in spring training and is expected to start throwing again sometime in mid March. Collectors and Twins fans should still expect him to make his debut sometime in 2025. As for his card prices, base autos are still checking in at a modest but respectable $30-35 per 130 point with a blue auto selling for $100. He could represent a nice buy low option for collectors.
Arjun Nimmala Blue Jays, Rank 87, Product Debut: Bowman 2024
Arjun Nimmala made headlines as the youngest player and first Indian American player taken in the first round of the MLB draft when he was selected by the Blue Jays 20th overall. As is the case with most young players, Nimmala did have some swing and miss in his game but he did crush 17 home runs on the season playing as an 18 year old in Low A. Nimmala has plenty of room for growth and at this time is still projected to stay at shortstop even as he gets older. Obviously given his age and inexperience, collectors and fans shouldn’t expect Nimmala to make his debut this year or even next year however he could represent a good investment. Currently, his base autos are selling between $35-$45 per 130 point.
