Rookie of the Year favorites and their cards
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With the baseball season reaching the final stretch as September quickly approaches, the picture for possible award winners has become clearer by the day. According to oddsmakers, the Athletics' Nick Kurtz and Milwaukee Brewers' Isaac Collins are frontrunners for the American League and National League Rookie of the Year awards as the season reaches its final month.
Nick Kutz, A's 1B
Kurtz's ascension to stardom in Major League Baseball has been a fast moving path. After being drafted fourth overall in last summer's draft, Kurtz rose through the Minor Leagues quickly and has solidified himself as one of the best sluggers in all of baseball since his debut in late April. In 87 games this season, Kurtz has belted 26 home runs and sports an OPS over 1.000. He also matched MLB history with a four-homer game against the Astros earlier this season.
Kurtz's card market has always been on the higher end since being one of the top players to collect in 2024 Bowman Draft alongside players like Travis Bazzana and Jac Caglianone. Even while Kurtz has begun to have rookie cards in Topps products, his 1st Bowman autographs are still sought after. A 1st Bowman autograph of Kurtz from Bowman Draft Sapphire numbered to 199 sold for $800 on August 22.
Kurtz's presence in 2025 Topps Chrome is lighter than most rookies. He does not have any base cards or parallels within the checklist and his autographs are coming from redemptions only. While they are no pack-pulled cards from Kurtz, his autograph redemptions of his base autograph are selling in the range of $350-400.
Isaac Collins, Brewers OF
Unlike Kurtz, Collins was a 9th round pick by the Colorado Rockies in the 2019 draft and was never viewed as a top prospect in the game. After being selected in the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 draft back in 2022, Collins made his debut last season and hit just .118 in 18 games. Entering the 2025 season, Collins was known as a versatile player who would provide depth to Milwaukee.
What Collins has done instead is produce an over .900 OPS in the second half of the season while the Brewers surged to the top spot in the National League Central divison. For the season, Collins is hitting .277 with an .805 OPS through 104 games with 8 home runs, 43 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.
Collins' rookie card was featured in 2025 Topps products including the recently released Topps Chrome. In a lighter than normal rookie class this season in which James Wood and Jacob Wilson were the top chases, Collins' card market has risen quickly. As of late August, Collins base autograph cards from Topps Chrome ranged from $50-70 while his red refractor autograph numbered to five selling for $735 on August 21.
Dan Gardella is a Red Sox fan and collector growing up in Yankee territory in Connecticut. While only reviving his love for the hobby a few years ago, he provides knowledge into baseball cards from prospects to the big leagues.
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