The MEGA 2024 Baseball Card Recap: 43 "HOT" Cards to Keep an Eye on for 2025

If nothing else, this list shows that it's not always the biggest and brightest names that can produce the best card-flipping opportunities.

Dec 26, 2024

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This is not buying or investment advice. I’m simply reporting the data I’m seeing. Please do your own research and make your own decisions. Just because cards have increased in value up to this point, it doesn’t mean they will continue to do so.

I’m getting all of this data from the Market Movers platform. It’s not my platform, I’m simply a user and affiliate. If you want to do your own research, you can grab a free trial to Market Movers with code BALLCARDGENIUS. You’d also get 20% off of your membership forever if you wanted to continue once your trial has been completed.

Jump to Market Movers

Market Movers isn’t perfect; no tool is. I’ve seen instances where a graded card was being included in the raw numbers, which might cause a huge spike in value. So trust, but verify.

Hope everyone is having the happiest of holiday seasons! As we near another turn of the calendar, it’s a great time to look at some of the biggest gaining baseball cards—how about 40+ of them?

Now, some ground rules.

This isn’t an exhaustive list by any means. And frankly, I’m cherry picking certain cards and players for the sake of being able to teach a lesson or pass along a tip.

I’m interested in the stories. The cards that blew up, going from zero to hero and sold a good amount because the masses were interested in them. I’m interested in why that happened and what we can learn from it.

While I love to see a 1987 Barry Bonds O-Pee-Chee PSA 10 go from $10K earlier in the year to $20K more recently, what am I going to do with that information? I’ll marvel, and that’s it.

Anyway, there are a LOT of examples here, so excuse my brevity when it comes to explanation. I tried to use ChatGPT for help, but either way, it takes a lot of time to dig everything up. I wanted to get this to you ASAP, so if you DO have questions and want more of an explanation, just leave a comment.

I’ll have to do a follow-up once I have some time to dive into the data more, make comparisons, check out card availability, but for now, enjoy!

Baseball cards see plenty of movement every season, and 2024 was no exception—driven by rising prospects, breakout stars, and veteran players regaining attention.

Such a market provides a chance to examine how player performance, trends, and other factors (team) influence demand. From emerging names capturing collectors’ interest to established players solidifying their place in the hobby, there’s a lot to learn.

Players Who Are Just Getting Started

Young prospects bring a buzz of excitement to the hobby, but it’s even a bigger ripple when they seemingly come from nowhere. Either way, top prospect or not, performances speak volumes, and their play fuels a ton of speculation among collectors.

These players below are some of the many to watch as they took big steps last season, offering collectors both potential and intrigue.

Kristian Campbell

Kristian Campbell had a breakout 2024 season. Well, he had THE breakout season, earning recognition as Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year.

Campbell dominated across three minor league levels, posting a .330/.439/.558 slash line with 20 home runs and 24 stolen bases. (Baseball America). The Red Sox have a ton of young talented pieces and have already made significant upgrades to their pitching staff this off-season.

Campbell’s hobby ascent was probably the prospect story of the year—look at what his 2023 Bowman Draft Chrome Auto was selling for during the early part of 2024!

Who has the potential this year to go from a few bucks to $100?

Bryce Eldridge

Bryce Eldridge, a massive asset in the Giants organization (in more ways than one) is 6-foot-7 first baseman and outfielder who climbed rapidly from Single-A to Triple-A.

He showcased his offensive prowess with a .291 batting average, 23 home runs, 92 RBIs, and an .890 OPS across multiple levels, highlighted by a dominant stint in High-A Eugene where he led in key offensive categories.

Eldridge was in the hobby spotlight much like Campbell, but his 2023 Bowman Draft Chrome auto started much, much higher. Of course, if I had the choice, I’d rather find someone like Campbell where there is far-less risk at low prices and the opportunity to buy in volume.

Javier Sanoja

Toning it down a notch on the $$$, Javier Sanoja’s 2023 Bowman Chrome auto last sold for under $6. I’m adding him here because he has been compared to Jose Altuve, and was a name I saw on the trending charts more than once last season (as showcased by the the many peaks and values below).

So, could be an exciting watch on a young Miami team that could produce a lot of hobby noise if they start playing better (see the A’s below).

Michael Arroyo

Breakouts will be a consistent theme here, as Michael Arroyo, the 20-year-old infielder in the Mariners organization, had a standout 2024 season.

Over 485 at-bats, he posted a .285 batting average with 23 home runs, 89 RBIs, and an impressive .909 OPS. His performance earned him recognition as Baseball America's No. 4 Mariners prospect, highlighting advanced plate discipline and burgeoning power. (Sports Illustrated)

I’d say his 2023 Bowman Chrome Prospect Auto is still chilling, with many ups and downs, but a nice jump in overall value when you look at the trendline.

Chandler Simpson

For some speed, Chandler Simpson led the minor leagues with 104 stolen bases across High-A and Double-A levels. Of course, you can’t steal that many bases if you don’t get on base. Simpson maintained a .355 BA with a .410 on-base percentage over 451 at-bats. (Minor League Baseball)

This card is in the same boat as Sanoja’s above, though a little further along. You can see where Simpson’s 2022 Bowman Draft Chrome auto peaked at $45 in September, but last sold a couple of weeks ago under $12.

Tre Morgan

Sticking with the Rays. Tre' Morgan, a 22-year-old first baseman and outfielder posted a .324 batting average, .408 on-base percentage, and .483 slugging percentage, along with 10 home runs and a 158 wRC+ over 451 plate appearances. (FanGraphs)

I’m not sure if this is a Market Movers thing or if Morgan has less cards out there, but the volume of his 2023 Bowman Draft Chrome Refractor sales appears to be relatively lower (as shown by the spaced out data points between June and now).

Either way, the card is quietly on the rise, last selling for nearly $80 while it was purchased by some for under $50 for the first half of the year.

Bubba Chandler

I don’t know about you, but seeing “Pirates pitcher” will now and probably forever produce a double take reaction from me. Of course I kid as Paul Skenes is special, but Bubba Chandler’s cards didn’t do too bad in 2024 either. His 2021 Bowman Draft Chrome Auto started around $30 and last sold for $84.

CJ Kayfus

Kayfus is a name I heard a lot of on the hobby front in the early part of summer, but then didn’t hear much more of the rest of the season. His 2023 Bowman Draft Chrome auto last sold for $12.99, but peaked in June around $32.

No idea what the future holds, but I’ll use this as a point to reiterate that it’s tough to buy a hot card at its newly-hot prices. This card took off, but if you bought in at $32, you didn’t see much more from it.

Deyvison De Los Santos

Back to the Marlins, as De Los Santos was traded into the Marlins organization after garnering headlines as a future Diamondback. Some pretty consistent $60-$80 values between May and July, but the card dropped back down to a last sale of $40 here in the offseason.

Travis Sykora

Travis Sykora, a right-handed pitcher in the Nationals organization, made 20 starts for a 5-3 record and a 2.33 ERA over 85 innings, striking out 129 batters and maintaining a 0.91 WHIP. (Minor League Baseball).

Sykora came on really strong in the hobby toward the end of the year, jumping from sales around $5 at the beginning of 2024 with his 2024 Bowman Chrome Prospect auto, surpassing $16 in late summer, and peaking close to $30 before falling back to a recent $20 sale.

Creed Willems

One of my favorites on the list thanks to the name, hair, and “out of nowhere” punch from within a pretty stacked organization.

In 2024, Creed Willems, a left-handed-hitting catcher in the Orioles organization, began the season with the High-A Aberdeen IronBirds, where he demonstrated notable improvements in plate discipline, increasing his walk rate from 8.4% to 10.7% and reducing his strikeout rate from 27.7% to 20.9% compared to the previous year. (MASN Sports)

His offensive development was further highlighted by a power surge, culminating in a late-season promotion to Double-A Bowie.

His 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospect Auto has a positive trend, nearly tripling from around $8 at the beginning of the year to a recent $21 sale.

Jackson Ferris

If this offseason has taught us anything, it’s that left-handed pitching is in demand. And not that the Dodgers need any more help on the mound, but Ferris could be a force.

The 20-year-old left-handed pitcher began the season with the Great Lakes Loons, where he posted a 3.45 ERA over 15 starts, striking out 87 batters in 75.2 innings. His performance earned him a promotion to Tulsa in August, where he continued to impress with a 2.54 ERA over seven starts, accumulating 58 strikeouts in 51 innings.

Ferris's combined 2024 season stats include a 5-7 record, 3.20 ERA, 145 strikeouts, and a 1.18 WHIP over 126.2 innings pitched, solidifying his status as a top left-handed pitching prospect within the Dodgers' farm system. (Minor League Baseball)

His 2023 Bowman Chrome Prospect Auto had peaks and valleys, jumping quickly to $24 and even surpassing it a few times before dipping between $6 and $12, give or take. It’s now back up, last selling for $23.

Jarlin Susana

I think I mentioned Jarlin Susana in one single hot card report, so this one is a bit of an unknown for me. He’s a 20-year-old right-handed pitcher in the Nationals organization, splitting his 2024 season between the Fredericksburg Nationals and the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

Over 24 starts, he compiled a 4-10 record with a 4.34 ERA, striking out 157 batters over 103.2 innings, resulting in an impressive 13.6 K/9 rate. However, he also issued 50 walks, leading to a 4.3 BB/9 rate, and allowed 1.2 home runs per nine innings, contributing to a 1.31 WHIP. (Minor League Baseball).

But, people seem to have some hope in this guy, as his 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospect auto moved from what looks like $7 give or take (all the way until late summer) to a few $30 sales, including his most recent.

Drake Baldwin

Big name alert, and one that is among the most talked about in the hobby thanks to his recent Arizona Fall League performance. The catching prospect for the Braves continued his impressive performance from the regular season—in over 13 games with the Peoria Javelinas, Baldwin posted a .377 batting average, .452 on-base percentage, and .491 slugging percentage, totaling a .943 OPS.

Defensively, Baldwin showcased his skills by throwing out multiple base stealers with pop times in the 1.9-second range, underscoring his readiness for a potential Major League debut in 2025. (Sources: House That Hank Built, Sports Talk ATL)

Baldwin’s 2022 Bowman Draft Chrome Auto is clearly on the rise, hitting a $50 mark after starting the year around $10.

Alex Freeland

Freeland is an intriguing name because his cards keep rising but I don’t hear a ton about him. That said, In 2024 the switch-hitting shortstop in the Dodgers organization began the season in High-A, earning a promotion to Double-A on May 7, and subsequently to Triple-A on October 26. (Minor League Baseball)

Over 136 games, Freeland posted a .260 batting average with 18 home runs, 74 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases, demonstrating a blend of power and speed. (Wikipedia)

His last 2022 Bowman Draft Chrome Auto last sold for $15.50.

Caleb Durbin

I’ve talked about Durbin ad nauseam, so I won’t bore you with more. The CliffsNotes version is Durbin had a great, stolen-base filled AFL and was considered to be the starting 2B for the Yankees in 2025, hence the ridiculous spike in card values to where his 2024 Bowman Chrome auto was bumping up around $80 or so.

Then, Durbin was traded to the Brewers where we wait to see where Milwaukee takes his card values. Last sold was $50.

Up and to the Right

While prospects are a big part of the hobby puzzle, there are other pieces to complete the story. These major leaguers had great years, some of which are still only in the first phase while others are rounding third.

Jackson Merrill

No introduction needed. Just an amazing year and hobby story for Merrill.

Well, I guess the one piece I’ll add is that the player pictured in this 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospect Auto isn’t even Merrill (it’s then teammate Isaac Frye.) I hate that for prospectors and Padres fans.

Doesn’t seem to have hurt the value, though?

Mark Vientos

A steady, positive trend as Vientos had a career year for a playoff team. His 2017 Bowman Draft Chrome auto was around $15 or so in March, and last sold for $90.

Xavier Edwards

Probably the least-known name on the list, but you can see where Xavier Edwards’ 2020 Bowman Chrome Auto had its time in the spotlight in July/August before injury cooled it off.

Still, this was a very cheap card for a long time, and last sold for $22.

Anthony Santander

I guess I’m surprised this card was selling for $15+ before the year, but Santander did have pop before 2024. While last season was a career-year, he pumped out 28 homers in 2023 and 28 in 2022.

Spencer Schwellenbach

It felt like every time I posted a video about hot baseball cards, somebody would ask me about Spencer Schwellenbach. And, from the looks of the chart below, those questions were warranted. His 2021 Bowman Draft Chrome auto was sub $20 at the beginning of the year, and last sold for $70.

Demetrio Crisantes

Crisantes is in the middle of a 57-game on-base streak, which he hopes to continue once the 2025 season begins. Not super high value here, but it’s nice to see the hobby recognize something besides power.

Brenton Doyle

It’s really hard to stand out in the hobby when you’re on a consistently bad team, and I’m allowed to say that as an A’s fan. But, Brenton Doyle found a way to do it.

His 1st Bowman Chrome auto last sold for $20, which is a cool down from the ~$40 end of the season value, but an increase from the $10-$15 where it was selling for the first part of the year.

Jose Ramirez

FINALLY. Ramirez is one of the game’s consistently best players, and it has always been a shame to see unproven prospects sell for so much more.

A really nice journey for his 2014 Topps Chrome Rookie auto, pretty much doubling+ in value from early $120 sales to recent $280.

Rece Hinds

(Couldn’t not include Hinds as a cautionary tale. Buy at yesterday’s prices - where the card was selling before the rocket took off) - and sell at astronomical, and seemingly unsustainable prices.

The A’s

Ok, yes, I’m an A’s fan, but there is something bigger here. While the team has been an embarrassment both on and off the field for different seasons here and there, when they win, it’s usually them succeeding expectations.

When a team exceeds expectations, it’s usually because they have a bunch of guys performing at higher levels than what was expected of them.

It’s a good scenario for someone looking to flip cards.

Lawrence Butler was one of the biggest card stories of the 2024 season, Mason Miller had a great run as well, and Jacob Wilson was such an anticipated debut as well, but there were more.

Brent Rooker

Did you realize Brent Rooker hit .293 with 39 homers and 112 RBI? It’s not a fluke, either. Rooker also had 30 homers in 2023, but with a much worse batting average. His 2017 Bowman Draft Chrome auto was tiptoeing around $40 at one point.

Jacob Wilson

I mentioned Wilson above, as his 2023 Bowman Chrome Draft auto was one of the hottest prospect cards for the first half of the season.

Unfortunately, Wilson got injured after his first MLB at-bat (where he got a hit) and didn’t do a ton the rest of the season. But, those who bought around $30 and hopefully sold around $90 were feeling good at the time.

Mason Miller

Miller was the most dominant closer in the game to start the season. He proved to be hittable later one, so again, as the chart shows, buy with caution on the way up, and sell when hot.

Colby Thomas

Ok so Thomas didn’t contribute at all to the major league club in 2024 but he made quite an impression in the minors as the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year:

The 23-year-old spent this season at Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas. Thomas hit .277/.342/.563 with 31 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 132 games. He was one of six minor league hitters to reach the 30-homer plateau.

What a run for Thomas’ 2023 Bowman Chrome Prospect auto, last selling for $40 after beginning the year under $10, pretty much.

Lawrence Butler

If electric was a ballplayer, it would be Lawrence Butler. Really hoping Butler is the real deal because he has been a ton of fun to watch, and has garnered a ton of media attention because of it.

His 2024 Topps Chrome Black was just a run of the mill release until summer, where the card began selling around $60.

Honorable mentions include JJ Bleday who can hit the double but not a ton of power, yet, and Shea Langeliers who can hit the long ball but needs to cut down on the Ks.

The Big Stage

It’s no secret that great performances on the national stage can elevate a player’s card value, and we saw a number of examples of that in 2024.

Freddie Freeman

Just one big LOL. Freeman was a machine, and thus I’m here for his 2011 Topps Traded Rookie PSA 10 to go to the moon and never look back. Unfortunately, while it took off like a rocket, it has since returned to earth.

Tommy Edman

This is the type of card I live for when it comes to flips, and I completely missed the boat. Undervalued player with only a few rookie autos has a breakout performance in the playoffs. Hopefully some of you cashed in when Edman’s 2020 Topps Chrome Update auto broke $100!

Walker Buehler

Not a great year for Buehler, but it ended on the highest of notes. So sure, while his 2015 Bowman Draft Chrome auto PSA 10 dipped from the beginning of the year, it certainly regained some value when all was said and done.

Francisco Lindor

Lindor worked his way into the 2024 MVP conversation, and much like Jose Ramirez, I’m totally OK with future Hall of Famers getting the card recognition they deserve.

This PSA 10 2011 Bowman Draft last sold for $650, which is over double where it was selling in June.

Jhonkensy Noel

An absolutely huge playoff homer for Big Christmas propelled the late-season growth in his 2022 Bowman Chrome auto as shown below.

Giancarlo Stanton

The theme of this section could have been “give the guy some credit” as Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor, and now Giancarlo Stanton have all proven themselves to be some of the best in the game.

I wonder if the spikes below correspond to Stanton’s homer streaks? Either way, could have been a fun ride for anyone with good timing.

On the Mound

Emmanuel Clase

I mentioned this 2020 Topps Chrome auto as being one of the sneakiest gainers of the year, moving from less than $20 in the beginning of the season to a peak sale of $75 and a recent sale of $45.

Garret Crochet

A gainer of the year candidate for pitchers has Crochet’s 2020 Bowman Draft Chrome auto was selling for as low as $25 in April, and last sold for $62. A move from White to Red Sox could prove to be a good one for the big lefty.

Tarik Skubal

Speaking of big lefties, Skubal absolutely filled the role many in the hobby have been expecting for a while.

Those with a really good sense of these things (and patience) could have capitalized on the $20 price tag his 2020 Bowman Chrome Prospect found itself with at the beginning the year, as the card last sold for $91.

Give Them a Chance

To end, let’s not forget that these players are human too, and just because they don’t show up to the major leagues as MVP-caliber players, they could still very much live up to the hype (if only for a portion of the season, at that).