The 2026 Prospect Card Boom: Spring Training’s Biggest Winners

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We’re about two weeks away from 2026 MLB Opening Day, and the market for top prospect cards is heating up fast.

In fact, the frenzy around rookie cards and Bowman Chrome autos is starting to feel a lot like the peak of the COVID-era card boom.

Since the start of spring training, a number of players have seen massive jumps in card values driven by early performances, prospect hype, and heavy media attention.

The World Baseball Classic (WBC) has also played a role. Strong performances on that stage have pushed several players’ cards even higher during spring training.

Personally, I think some of this prospecting is starting to get a little out of hand. Over the last couple of months, a number of these prospects have reached what look like all-time high prices.

So the question becomes: where is the real opportunity right now?

Let’s take a closer look at some of the trends I’m seeing this spring, highlight a few players worth targeting, and provide collectors with an idea where values might go from here.

Top Prospect Cards That Look Overheated

Konnor Griffin

The number one prospect in baseball, it has been no secret about Griffin since the summer of August 2025 when he was regarded as the top prospect in baseball. I even made a post suggesting to buy his 1st Bowman Chrome Auto in a PSA 10 example for $550–600 with a projected value of $850+.

I bought one of them in early November for $300 ungraded and sold it in late November for $350. Griffin’s card somehow went from $350 ungraded in January 2026 to $550 ungraded. Was this artificially driven up in value somehow? My reasoning would be that no games were being played, and his card just randomly started going up in value.

Fast forward to the start of spring training and Griffin’s card reached $800 ungraded, and now they are $1K+ ungraded and nearly $1,700–2,000 in a PSA 10 grade. The odds of Griffin’s card increasing much more at this value, in my opinion, are less than one percent. If you own any Griffin cards, I would probably hold and sell once he’s called up to the Pirates, or consider selling right now as well.

Kevin McGonigle

McGonigle is regarded as the number two prospect overall in MLB. He’s projected to make the Detroit Tigers’ Opening Day roster as their shortstop. McGonigle’s 1st Bowman Chrome Auto prospect card was selling for around $180–$220 in November of 2025 and is now valued at $350 ungraded and $650–700 in a PSA 10 grade.

McGonigle was also a player I posted about buying in December, and now his values are much higher. There is little to no upside to buying him right now in my opinion. I believe he’ll have a good rookie season, but his prices are just too high for me to buy his cards at this point. I don’t believe these prices are sustainable, especially when many projections only have him hitting around 20–25 home runs this season.

J.J. Wetherholt

Wetherholt is regarded as the number five overall prospect in the majors. He is projected to make the Opening Day roster with the St. Louis Cardinals and is one of the NL Rookie of the Year favorites.

Wetherholt’s cards are now $600+ for a first-year Bowman Chrome Auto graded PSA 10. You could make the case that this might be peak value for Wetherholt unless he has a huge rookie season. In my opinion, I would look to invest in other prospects if you’re trying to profit or resell in the short term.

WBC Risers

Junior Caminero

Junior Caminero has already hit two home runs in the WBC tournament for the Dominican Republic.

As a result, his Bowman Chrome Auto PSA 10 1st prospect card is now at an all-time high, reaching $700+ in value. This card was valued at only around $270 last year at this time.

Caminero had a 40+ home run season and has already performed well in the WBC. You could argue that this card is currently at peak value.

Lucas Ramirez

The son of former MLB star Manny Ramirez, Lucas Ramirez hit two home runs while playing for Brazil against Team USA. Ramirez’s 1st Bowman Chrome Auto went from $20 to as high as $120+ ungraded within a couple of hours.

A flurry of his Bowman Chrome Autos sold in the $20–35 range after his first home run, and then after his second, prices tripled. They have since dropped back down to around $75 each; however, that is still roughly a 3x increase in value.

Top 100 Prospects to Buy

One thing prospect collectors and buyers love to target are players on the “Top 100 Prospects” list, which is typically published on MLB.com or other prospect ranking sites. Targeting a first-year Bowman Chrome Auto is usually your best option, with the next alternative being a serial-numbered color parallel.

Let’s take a look at some Top 100 prospects to target.

#17 – Thomas White, Marlins

Thomas White is one of the top pitching prospects yet to debut in the majors. His first-year Bowman Chrome Auto (ungraded) is valued around the $50–65 range. This is a nice bulk-buy option, as White should debut in the majors this season and his card could easily reach $80–100 in value. I am a big buyer on these at around $60.

#32 – George Lombard Jr., Yankees

Lombard Jr. is the New York Yankees’ number one prospect, and his Bowman Chrome Auto could definitely increase further in value. Just look at the hype Anthony Volpe’s cards received when he was a top prospect. Lombard’s first-year Bowman Chrome Auto in a PSA 10 example can currently be bought for around $300. This card could easily reach $500+ in 2026.

#37 – Raniel Rodriguez, Cardinals

Rodriguez is arguably the top catching prospect yet to debut in the majors. He should continue to climb the rankings and could reach the majors by September of this year. His Bowman Chrome Auto sells for around $80 ungraded and should continue trending higher in the coming months. Rodriguez has tremendous upside.

#59 – Ryan Waldschmidt, Diamondbacks

Waldschmidt was just demoted back to the minors, but look for him to reach the majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks by mid-June.

His first-year Bowman Chrome Auto sells for around $60 on eBay (ungraded). These could drop back down to the $50 range, and I would consider buying at that price. I think Waldschmidt’s Bowman Chrome Auto could reach $80–100 within a couple of months. I purchased one of these for $32 about two months ago.

#82 – Elmer-Cruz Rodriguez, Yankees

Elmer-Cruz Rodriguez is regarded as one of the New York Yankees’ top pitching prospects. The card to target is his first Bowman Paper Auto. This one sells for around $35 (ungraded) on eBay. He already appeared in Triple-A last year, so we could see him reach the majors at some point this season with the Yankees. Look for this one to nearly double in value once Elmer-Cruz he catches on with the Yanks.

#84 – Kyson Witherspoon, Red Sox

Witherspoon is one of the Red Sox’s top pitching prospects. Based on the trend of other Red Sox pitchers like Early and Tolle increasing in value last year, we could see the same with Witherspoon.

His first-year Bowman Chrome Auto sells for around $35 on eBay. This one could easily double in value very soon as well.

#87 – Joshua Baez, Cardinals

Joshua Baez is no longer a sleeper Top 100 prospect after homering in three straight spring training games. His first-year Bowman Chrome Auto is already becoming much tougher to find.

You’ll have to pay a premium now to get Baez’s card, however he is definitely worth a look before he potentially gets a call-up to the majors mid-season. Baez’s Bowman Chrome Auto Refractor now sells for around $95 (ungraded) on eBay. I could see this card reaching $150+ very soon.

Sleeper Prospects to Buy

A quick list of some other sleeper prospects to buy in a first-year Bowman Chrome Auto before they trend higher in value:

Elian Pena, Eli Serrano, Mick Abel, Quinn Mathews, Chris Suero, Sam Antonacci, Bo Davidson, Kevin Alvarez.

The Next Number One Prospect?

Many collectors who like to forecast prospects are speculating that Jesus Made could be named the next number one overall prospect by mid-summer.

His Bowman Chrome Auto PSA 10 is valued around $525. This could definitely be worth the investment in both the short term and long term.

Made is only 19 years old and projects as a future superstar. A year ago around this time, Konnor Griffin in a similar card graded PSA 10 was only valued around $300–350, and now that card is valued at $2,000+.

Final Thoughts

Prospecting is definitely a huge risk; however, there are plenty of opportunities to cash in. Your best opportunity is usually buying top prospects between August and November, when values tend to level out as many collectors shift their focus to football cards during that time.

You also have some opportunity in December, but this year prospects started increasing much sooner, beginning in January, unlike most years when prices don’t begin rising until spring training in mid-February.

This is something to learn from heading into this summer and the start of the 2027 season.