Thrifty Thursday

Undervalued rookie and prospect cards

Finding great deals on Topps rookie cards and Bowman 1^st prospect cards are two of my favorite things.  My goal is to find players that are undervalued in 4 categories:  Newer rookies (2023-2024), older rookies, prospects about to get called up, and prospects that are a few years away.  Without further ado, here are my finds for this week.

Prospect Card (ready for call-up):

Deyvison De Los Santos, 21, 1B/3B at Triple-A for the Miami Marlins. He is currently ranked #7 in the Marlins organization after getting traded from the Diamondbacks at the trade deadline.  He is a stat-cast monster who hits for power with Oneil Cruz like exit velocities.  He has hit 31 HRs in 95 games this year, and already has 3 in his first 8 games with the Marlins organization.  He has a solid batting average, .325 on the season and his biggest weakness, strikeouts, seem to be improving this season.  If he can keep the strikeouts in check, he will be fun to watch at the next level. 

His 2023 Bowman Chrome 1^st refractors (BCP-116) can be found on eBay in the Lunar Glow parallel and the mojo refractor, both for around $7 or less. 

2023 Bowman Chrome 1st Deyvison De Los Santos Lunar Glow Refractor BCP-116

Prospect Card (a few years away):

Cooper Pratt, 19, SS at High-A for the Milwaukee Brewers.  He is the #93 prospect on MLB Pipeline and the #4 for the Brewers.  Pratt started the season in Low A and made quick work of it before being promoted to High A.  Moving up a level has had little impact on his number and his slugging has gone up.  On the season he is hitting .294 with 4 HRs, 38 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.  If he continues to hit and play well at High A, it will not be a surprise to see him finish 2025 at the Double-A level with a chance for the MLB in late 2026.

His 2024 Bowman Chrome 1^st refractors (BCP-137) can be found on eBay in the Lunar Glow parallel and the mojo refractor, both for around $4 or less. 

2024 Bowman Chrome 1st Copper Pratt Lunar Glow Refractor #BCP137

Rookie Card (2023-24 rookie):

Xavier Edwards, 24, SS for the Miami Marlins. Edwards was in the news recently for becoming the second Marlin in two season to hit for the cycle, quite a rare accomplishment.  That said, Edwards is not on this list for just one game, but what he has done in his two years of experience.  Though his sample size is small with just 30 games in 2023 and 33 so far in 2024, he gets on base at a high rate with a .350 career average and he has the speed to advance with 12 stolen bases already this year.  With Jazz moved on to the Yankees, Edwards is now the main attraction in Miami.

His 2023 Topps Update Series #US296 rookie card can be found for pretty cheap on eBay.  The Blue Foil /999, Purple Foil /799, and the Orange Foil /299 can all be found in the $4-5 range, so really you can get the one you like best. 

2023 Topps Update Series Xavier Edwards Blue Foil /999 Rookie Card #US296

Rookie Card (older rookie):

Freddie Freeman, 34, 1B for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Freeman started his career in Atlanta where he played from 2010-2021 before joining the Dodgers.  He is one of just 4 current players to be labeled as a sure-fire hall of famer by the Athletic website.  His career numbers back this up as he has batted over .300 with 337 HRs and 2,225 hits.  He still has an outside shot of getting to 3,000 career hits, especially with the DH position.

His 2011 Topps Series 1 rookie card #145 can be found on eBay for around $15 in excellent condition, a great price for a future hall of famer.

2011 Topps Series 1 Freddie Freeman rookie card #145

Best of luck to everyone finding the next steal of a deal for a top rookie or prospect card.