Every new baseball season has the uncanny ability to turn unknown players into household names, just as surely as my certain incapacity to make a soufflé that doesn’t collapse. As the 2025 MLB season peers over the horizon, collectors and investors with a nose for undervalued baseball cards stand to gain some serious mileage out of otherwise overlooked players. Just as horses with unknown pedigree can cause a stir on the race track, these promising players are ready to stampede into the spotlight. Plus, buying their cards now could leave you grinning like a Cheshire Cat as their value experiences a euphoric surge. So, who are these shadowy stars in waiting?
Brandon Pfaadt of the Arizona Diamondbacks seems unassuming at first glance. To the untrained eye, his statistics are akin to discovering that your sourdough starter has molded—a touch disappointing. A career ERA parked at 5.06 might sound the alarms, but hold your horses! His 2024 data tells a story brimming with potential. A 4.71 ERA belies his more promising 3.78 xERA and 3.61 FIP, showing he’s more than just a throw-in in trades. A K/9 of 9.04 with a lean BB/9 of 2.2 indicates that he might just be a strikeout savant in disguise. The real icing on the cake? Expectations aren’t asphyxiating him, given his role in the rotation is graciously cushioned by Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, and Merrill Kelly. His rookie cards are pockets of potential waiting to burst like opportune champagne bottles, making them ripe for the picking and holding. Be sure to check out 2023 Topps Chrome Rookie Cards, as well as the 2020 Bowman Draft’s 1st Bowman Card.
Next up is Jared Jones from the Pittsburgh Pirates—he’s a player many might consider hidden amidst an intriguing young rotation. His name doesn’t exactly echo through halls alongside baseball legends just yet, but there’s an inkling of greatness developing beneath the surface. His 2024 stats might not eclipse the sun, sporting a tidy 4.14 ERA and an encouraging 4.05 xERA together with a 4.00 FIP. His arsenal, however, keeps expanding and could even rival Batman’s tool belt. He’s recently cultivated a two-seamer to caress his already formidable fastball and slider. With his Topps Chrome Rookie Auto /499 grazing just $30, you’re gazing at an investment opportunity begging for attention. Grab a 2024 Topps Chrome Rookie Card or go back in time to snag a 2020 Bowman Draft 1st Bowman Card for good measure.
Heston Kjerstad of the Baltimore Orioles is your typical band member who stands patiently and is always overlooked while talent gushes around him. Yet, his bat wields some impressive violin strings of its own. Despite scarce chances in the majors, he was a veritable powerhouse in the minors during 2024, posting a .303/.401/.584 batting line complete with 16 homers, 61 RBIs, and 51 alluring runs. Baltimore’s bench, stuffed to the brim with talent, has kept him from flourishing like the rose he’s capable of being. Still, if given a spot, he’d likely hit the ground running—so why hasn’t his card market caught fire? Perhaps it’s the 2024 Bowman Chrome Rookie Gold Refractor Auto /50 PSA 10, recently sold for $150, that we should cue triumphant music to, since that price is nothing short of a steal. You can’t go wrong looking for 2024 Topps Chrome and the 2020 Bowman Draft Canon.
Finally, we land on Kerry Carpenter of the Detroit Tigers who could best be described as Major League Baseball’s metaphorical unsung hero of long balls. He’s already swatted 44 home runs while gathering 131 RBIs over 236 MLB games—a feat that makes you wonder why his cards haven’t turned radioactive with investor attention yet. He struggled with back issues in 2024 yet still managed 18 home runs and 57 RBIs in a mere 87 games, all while enhancing his contact rate like an artisan perfects their craft. Now, with RBI opportunities burgeoning under the confident sun of his role in Detroit’s lineup, Carpenter’s rookie cards are an undervalued treasure chest begging open before history flings up the lid. Particular attention should be paid to 2023 Topps Chrome Purple Auto /250 and Aqua Wave Auto /199 PSA-graded cards.
If ever there were a time to seize upon underpriced potential, now would be it. These players form a robust quartet of opportunity: a symphony whose haunting refrain is the ticking clock of chance. Whether you stash these gems away or ready them for the market surge, a decision made today could be an investment heirloom tomorrow. Watch, like an overzealous hawk, as their career trajectories climb, giving your portfolio wings. With each passing game, baseball writes an epic of undercurrents and ambitions, and with it, the chance for collectors to transform foresight into fortune.