Three top MLB sleeper card buys from hot starts
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Who's the next baseball star to buy? Topps is celebrating a historic anniversary, the MLB season is rolling, and there are a few undervalued standouts who are screaming for attention. Sure, everybody's long since clued in on Shohei Ohtani or Aaron Judge. But here is a rookie and a pair of veterans who could be off to historic 2026 campaigns, and can still be had as relative bargains. Jump now, or wish you did later.
Chase DeLauter, Guardians
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleDeLauter is a rookie who didn't exactly catch everybody sleeping on his climb to the big leagues. But DeLauter, who was Baseball America's #34 pre-season prospect, came off minor league seasons of hitting five, eight, and seven homers respectively... and almost topped it in the first week and a half of the MLB season. He's got five homers in nine games and if he can stay healthy and keep swinging with that kind of power, he's got to be an early AL Rookie of the Year Favorite.
2022 Bowman Draft Chrome Refactor (Approx. $20)
DeLauter's power spike hasn't gone unnoticed, but there are still plenty of bargains. His Bowman Draft refractor, above, just sold on Ebay for $21. Even more limited, numbered or autographed offerings abound. For the moment it appears that a solid DeLauter portfolio could end up being a savvy play.
Yordan Alvarez, Astros OF
This one feels a little too easy. We're not exactly breaking news in saying that a guy who had four straight 30+ home run seasons, from 2021 to 2024, is worth nabbing. But off an injury-shortened 2025 season, Alvarez feels a little underappreciated. He's hitting .400 with four homers and twice as many walks as strikeouts to open the 2026 season.
2020 Topps Chrome Sepia Refractor ($35)
How underappreicated is Alvarez? Enough that a fun variant of his 2020 Chrome rookie card is still deeply afforable, as shown by a recent $35 sale of a sepia refractor. The pink refractor was even cheaper. Alvarez might not be the flashiest of stars, but he's healthy and may be coming into his own.
Jo Adell, Angels OF
Adell has been something of a cautionary tale as a prospect. He broke into MLB as a rookie in 2020, but struggled to hit. But he hit 20 homers in 2024 and then ripped 37 last year. There are still issues-- he's a career .220 hitter who strikes out way too much. But in a recent game with Seattle, Adell robbed THREE home runs in a single game (a 1-0 win). Defense isn't typically recognized in the card world unless you're Ozzie Smith. But what Adell did signifies his highlight potential. If he can get the power game going again and he's out there making wall-climbing grabs every day, he's a bargain.
2017 Bowman Draft (Under $10 in PSA 10)
Many collectors are still on a "once bitten-twice shy" model with Adell. PSA 10 copies of his first bowman, pictured above, can be picked up for around $10. He could, at least, be an attractive short-term gamble.
Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.