As the baseball season enters the final two months of regular season play, there have been plenty of surprises. When I wrote Most Collectible Baseball Cards 2025 (Preseason) back in February, I did my best to anticipate what players cards would soar in prices in 2025. While Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes, Bobby Witt Jr. and Elly De La Cruz have largely held steady, others have tapered off.
Baseball card investing isn’t always easy to predict. Down seasons, injuries and team performances can play a factor. If your strategy is to buy low and hope to rebound next season, you might look into buying someone like Gunnar Henderson. But if you’re looking to ride the wave this season and buy based on performance, here’s my Surprise Five to consider.
The Surprise Five
5. Kevin McGonigle (Tigers) – The 37th pick of the 2023 Draft didn’t have Bowman 1st card until this year. McGonigle has jumped ahead of Max Clark to claim the #6 overall prospect ranking according to MLB Pipeline’s Top 100. He was a hitting machine at West Michigan and has continued to rake in Erie. He’s hitting a combined .338 / 1.17 OPS. While there’s hardly been any sales of his graded cards, there’s a recent raw sale of his 2025 Bowman 1st Chrome Sapphire Green Auto /99 that sold for nearly $500.
4. Nick Kurtz (Athletics) – In just 67 games, the A’s slugger has already produced 23 home runs, 58 RBIs with a .309 BA / 1.063 OPS. He’s already made history slashing four home runs in a single game. Kurtz was the fourth overall pick of the 2024 Draft (Wake Forest), making a quick jump to the majors in late April. He’s currently favored to jump teammate Jacob Wilson for AL Rookie of the Year. Kurtz doesn’t even have a rookie card in Topps products yet this season. In recent days, his PSA 10 base Chrome 1st sold for as much as $324. Auto versions of his Chrome 1st (PSA 10) are up over $500. Numbered autos are shooting up over a grand.
3. Pete Crow-Armstrong (Cubs) – While PCA’s rookie season didn’t turn too many heads in 2025 campaign have him near the top of the NL MVP race. The starting center fielder in the 2025 All-Star Game has 27 home runs, 74 RBIs and 28 stolen bases already this season. He’s helping lead the way for upstart Chicago Cubs as they battle with the Brewers for the NL Central. PCA’s rookie cards would have been a steal in 2024, but have shot up significantly. His 2024 Topps Chrome Rookie Autos in a PSA 10 are selling for over $600. Even his Topps Chrome base (PSA 10) are selling for nearly $200.
A 421% gainer from last year’s Topps Chrome 👀
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 2024 Topps Chrome rookie auto PSA 10 has jumped from $115 to $600 over the past year 📈
Now that 2025 Topps Chrome Baseball is here, who do you think could be this year’s breakout card 🤨 pic.twitter.com/GSWLTatj9r
— Market Movers (@MarketMoversApp) July 24, 2025
2. Cal Raleigh (Mariners) – The Big Dumper won the Home Run Derby and leads the league with 40 home runs and AL in RBIs (86). While he’s shown power the past several seasons, this year he’s a potential front runner for AL MVP, with an OPS of .983. Making it even more impressive, he’s doing this from behind the plate. It’s no surprise his card prices have jumped as well. Topps 2022 Rookie Sapphires in PSA 10 condition are selling for over $200. Auto versions of his Topps Chrome rookies are going for around $450. There’s still room to grow for Raleigh’s card prices as he continues down the path of this historic season.
1. Konnor Griffin (Pirates) – The 19-year-old shortstop made an enormous jump in the Top 100 rankings. Starting 2025 at #41, he’s recently been named the #1 overall prospect in baseball. Drafted by Pittsburgh #9 overall in 2024, Griffin has a combined .331 BA / .931 OPS with 13 home runs, 45 RBIs and 45 stolen bases this season. At this rate he should start 2026 season in Double-A. Given the Pirates struggles offensively, seeing him in the big leagues next season is not farfetched. Griffin’s Bowman Chrome 1st in a PSA 10 has recently been selling for nearly $120 and his PSA 10 Chrome 1st Auto for over $500.
