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Last Updated On: March 31st, 2025
In the delightfully descriptive words of Creedence Clearwater Revival and the legendary musician John Fogerty, “the sun came out today, we’re born again, there’s new grass on the field.” With winter in the rearview, it’s time for peanuts and cracker jacks.
Is there a better feeling than Opening Day?
As the MLB kicked off its 149th season, it’s a fantastic opportunity to check in on the state of the league from a sports card perspective. Our 2025 MLB Card Buyer’s Guide will highlight players we’re monitoring closely this season. Some have shown exciting potential while others are intriguing buy-low candidates.
Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
The Riser
Bubba Chandler
No player had a better 2024 than Bubba Chandler — aside from perhaps Chandler’s Pirates teammate Paul Skenes (which we’ll discuss a bit later). A sublime athlete, Chandler entered the minors as a possible two-way player with the chops to suit up for the Clemson Tigers football team.
Think of Chandler like the NBA’s Amen Thompson: a freakish athlete who could use more polish before becoming a finalized product. In Thompson’s case, the wait was well worth it. Chandler will likely continue developing and honing his game until he forms a strong one-two punch with Skenes.
Last year, he shot up the MLB prospect rankings, jumping 78 spots from 93 to 15. Should he continue learning from the likes of Skenes, there’s no reason his growth will stop there.
Prospect Watch
Andrew Painter
Righty Andrew Painter has appeared in previous versions of our Buyer’s Guide, and for good reason. He exploded onto the scene as a high schooler in 2021, quickly rose through the Phillies farm system, and was named MLB Pipeline Pitching Prospect of the Year in 2022.
Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery kept him out of action in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Otherwise, there’s a good shot Painter would have a season or two under his belt already.
Heading into 2025, Painter finally appears healthy. For what it’s worth, scouts are still high on his potential, as Painter was slotted as the No. 8 prospect heading into this season and the third-highest pitching prospect. If everything goes to plan, he should get a call-up sometime this summer for a Phillies team loaded with World Series potential.
Jackson Jobe
About a decade ago, the Detroit Tigers boasted a lineup featuring two of the top pitchers in the game: Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, the latter of whom took home the AL Cy Young Award for the 2013 season.
Flash forward to 2025 and history may well be repeating itself. The Tigers are already stocked with reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and have Jackson Jobe – the best pitching prospect not named Roki Sasaki – waiting in the wings.
Jobe is a hard throwing righty with sky-high velocity. He still has a bit of a way to go building up strength and stamina to make it through a professional game, but with Skubal earning most of the attention, Jobe should develop smoothly into his role as the team’s No. 2.
Get in on the Outfield
Roman Anthony
Don’t look now, but the Boston Red Sox are teetering on the verge of a comeback. Buoyed by Alex Bregman and Triston Casas on the corners, stronger defensive play from outfield Jaren Duren, and the potential of Garrett Crochet, the Red Sox are putting together a competitive team in the uber-competitive AL East.
Roman Anthony should have no problem contributing to that mix. The league’s No. 2 prospect, Anthony has all the tools to become a dynamic offensive weapon who bats north of .300. It’s been quite awhile since the Red Sox had anything to cheer for; get in on his stock now before Beantown sends it flying.
Dylan Crews
While Roman Anthony’s stock is partially tied to the overall success of the Boston Red Sox, Dylan Crews will have to do much of the heavy lifting on his own. Part of the same Louisiana State University team that last year’s Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes suited up for, Crews’ pedigree is mouth-watering.
In a limited sample last season, Crews struggled with some of the same problems that plagued his time in the minors: chasing on pitches. Yet he also demonstrated a cerebral approach at the plate and remained calm, which is why, even when the pitcher is ahead in the count, his average remains decent (.270).
Fortunately, for Crews at least, the Nationals are in no race to contend. In a division with the Phillies, Mets, and Braves, Washington should provide ample time for Crews to develop into the fully-formed baseball player he’ll eventually become.
Speed Merchants
Jordan Lawlar
It wasn’t long ago that Arizona Diamondbacks fans eagerly awaited the arrival of Corbin Carrol. Carrol lived up to his end of the bargain, steering the D-Backs to a surprising World Series appearance just two years ago.
That year, shortstop Jordan Lawlar was called up for the World Series. Far from a complete player, Lawlar nonetheless got a small taste of the Big Leagues.
A few years later, Lawlar has established himself as one of the top shortstops in the minors. Despite a challenging 2024 season, during which injuries sidelined him for a significant stretch, he returned with his speed — making him a potential 30-SB threat in the majors — and his ability to make solid contact still intact.
Justin Crawford
Like Lawlar, Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford is most dangerous when he’s on base. In a few seasons of minor league ball, he’s shown a steady ability to do just that; between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Crawford is batting .316 with 89 stolen bases.
That said, Crawford is still far from a finished product. He’s finally looking the part of a consistent contact hitter, and should he continue making solid contact, he might advance up the pipeline quicker than expected.
Another note in his favor: the Phillies desperately need help in the outfield. Brandon Marsh is far from the long-term product, making Crawford the obvious heir apparent. In many cases, the path to a starting spot on competitive teams isn’t clear for minor leaguers. Crawford could be the rare exception.
Pitcher’s Delight
Paul Skenes
2024 marked a clear watershed moment for the league. As aging megastars like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Jacob DeGrom inch closer toward Cooperstown, they can rest assured that the league is well stocked with youngsters ready to follow in their footsteps.
And few appeared as poised as Paul Skenes. A killer fastball paired with nasty secondary pitches, Skenes was drafted in 2023 by the Pirates and was called up in May 2024. All he did was finish his rookie season with a 1.96 ERA and an 11-3 record en route to Rookie of the Year honors and a third-place finish in Cy Young voting.
He’s also generated positive headlines off the diamond, as well. A 1/1 autographed Skenes rookie card sold for over $1 million recently after a kid cracked open the pack of a lifetime. MLB fans better buckle up, for Skenes will be in our lives for a long time.
Tarik Skubal
Unlike Skenes, who exploded onto the scene in his first season in the pros, Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal spent several seasons honing his craft. He wasn’t a top pick; taken in the ninth round of the 2018 Draft, Skubal’s first season (2020) was one to forget.
But over the course of the next five seasons, Skubal steadily improved. He cut his ERA in half, from a rough 5.63 in 2020 to 2.80 in 2023. By the time 2024 came around, Skubal was undeniable, leading the league in wins (18) and strikeouts (228) on his way to Cy Young honors.
Even if this is Skubal’s ceiling, he should remain a reliable talent for some time. His trajectory reminds of Cleveland’s Shane Bieber, who took a few years before his own Cy Young breakthrough.
Arrow Up?
Spencer Torkelson
Will the real Spencer Torkelson please stand up? Once the No. 1 overall pick and top minor league prospect, Torkelson was the tip of the Detroit Tigers’ rebuilding spear.
Unfortunately, his time in The Show has been disappointing. A big-bodied first baseman, he slashed .219/.295/.374, hardly what you’d hope for a once-generational slugging prospect.
That said, he showed some serious pop this spring. He boosted his average up to .340 and his slugging reached .680 in 55 plate appearances. Granted, popping off on lower-end spring talent is a bit of a cry from the day-to-day grind of the majors. But perhaps Torkelson is simply a late bloomer, with the spring breakout a sign of better at-bats ahead.
Arrow Down?
Jordan Walker
Like Torkelson, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker was once one of the most dazzling prospects in the minors. He consistently made strong contact with the ball while in the Cards’ pipeline, enough to finally earn the call-up in 2023.
And, frankly, Walker’s first season went about as well as one could realistically hope. He batted .276, good enough for 51 RBIs and 16 homers. Heading into 2024, Walker looked poised to keep St. Louis competitive.
Instead, Walker found himself demoted to Triple-A by April thanks to a paltry .155 average. He was called back up later in the season but by then, the Cards were well out of playoff range. His spring ball hasn’t been much more compelling: a .161 average and a 37% strikeout rate.
Walker is an interesting buy-low candidate. Even still, fans might want to see how Walker begins the season before dedicating any serious capital toward the former Duke Blue Devil.
The International Game
Roki Sasaki
Over the last several seasons, a handful of thrilling international talents have made the leap from Korea and Japan to the MLB. The most notable name of the bunch is Shohei Ohtani, whose two-way excellence has left fans delighted. Roki Sasaki is poised to continue this recent trend.
Though not a two-way prospect, Sasaki more than makes up for his lack of offense on the mound. He threw 101 mph as a high schooler en route to a 194-pitch, 12-inning complete game, shattering Ohtani’s record. At age 20, he threw a 19-strikeout perfect game. His marquee pitch – a 90 mph splitter – already might be the best pitch in the majors.
His game is rife with x-factors: he plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is teammates with Ohtani, and if buzz were enough to get players into Cooperstown, he’d already be on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
2025 MLB Cards to Track on eBay
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Summary: 2025 MLB Card Buyer’s Guide
Baseball, perhaps more than any other sport, is a bit of a guessing game when it comes to how a minor leaguer will perform in the pros. Some, like Spencer Torkelson, show all of the tools but struggle putting it together on the final level. Others, like Tarik Skubal, toil out of the spotlight to improve their game.
In all likelihood, some of the prospects on this list will fall short of their fans’ greatest dreams. Yet that’s not unlike card collecting writ large. Perhaps that’s why collecting began with baseball cards – it’s as close to true stock-buying that fans can do with a player.
What stands out in this season’s MLB baseball card guide is the strong presence of pitchers in our top 12, with six selections. This wasn’t intentional, but could it signal a shift where baseball card collectors start valuing pitchers’ cards as much as those of power-hitting position players? The $1 million Skenes card sale might be the reason.
Think we missed a big-time contributor? Got your own eye on someone? Let us know in the comments below!