In the age-old hobby of baseball card collecting that harkens back to flannel-clad athletes and mustard-smeared hot dogs, injecting a bolt of fresh energy is akin to trying to slice through concrete with a plastic spork. Yet, let it be known that Fanatics is embracing the challenge with a gusto that suggests they really mean it. Through innovations like the MLB Debut Patch and Social Media Followback redemption, the company is nudging the ancient pastime into the realm of modernity.
Their latest brainchild is the Bowman Red Rookie setup, a bold move designed to dangle shiny allurements in front of card collectors. These 2025 rookies don’t just flash brilliant red RC logos for aesthetics; starting this November, they promise a steeped treasure hunt. The grand caveat, of course, is that your emboldened player must claim a prestigious title: Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, or MVP—or eventually tread the hallowed halls of Cooperstown.
It’s a roll of the dice, really, trying to latch onto that ethereal Hall of Fame moment that feels as probable as becoming the juicy CEO of Fanatics, particularly to one optimistic soul on X (formerly known as Twitter). Rookie of the Year seems the most attainable reward for most—and is pretty much the only reason you should bother hanging onto one.
Everyone’s buzzing about Roki Sasaki, as one might expect. Possessing the potential that has pundits nodding with a knowing glint, Sasaki stands tall in this race of hypothetical horses. However, hold your horses—Max Arterburn from Prospects Live undertook the arduous task of distilling the confusion, giving us a clearer shot towards the real McCoys of this bunch.
Out of the gate, eight players from the initial 30-player Bowman Red Rookie lineup receive an instant red card. These poor souls overstayed their welcome in the rookie circuit last year, stacking up at-bats or innings like a post-bachelor party room. Unfortunately, Connor Norby, Spencer Schwellenbach, Drew Thorpe, Jhonkensy Noel, David Festa, Ben Rice, James Wood, and Brooks Lee are essentially yesterday’s news.
So we have 22 sprightly aspirants remaining. Though the specter of injury looms large over this ambitious field. Rhett Lowder, Kumar Rocker, and River Ryan have already succumbed to that unfortunate fate. Even assuming Lowder and Rocker muster a Hollywood comeback worthy of recognition, it would require pitching marvels that seem borrowed from a comic book. River Ryan’s name echoes in the background, but health is not something we can negotiate just yet.
Subtract from that count another 12 starry-eyed rookies riding the pine in minors or awaiting their metaphorical major league glasses to drop. Adrian Del Castillo, Shay Whitcomb, Thomas Saggese, Hyesong Kim, Adael Amador, Hurston Waldrep, Tyler Locklear, Coby Mayo, Caden Dana, Kevin Alcantara, Orelvis Martinez, and Nick Yorke are thus names that, for now at least, remain thoroughly uninvolved in our grand search.
Oh, but we are down to seven final contenders. Enticing, right? Yet the road isn’t park stroll easy; Luisangel Acuña hasn’t precisely made a musical breakthrough, and Jace Jung, while hopeful, hasn’t provided fireworks worthy of July spectacle yet. Meanwhile, Tomoyuki Sugano’s strikeout rates raise eyebrows, but not in that awe-inspiring manner we yearn for.
Therein lies our destined quartet of Red Rookies bound to incite collector’s fervor: Jackson Jobe, Jacob Wilson, Roki Sasaki, and Dylan Crews. These promising prospects stand as the cream of the cotton candy, offering a tantalizing pathway (albeit with plenty of asterisks) towards the glorious Fanatics prize fund—that dripping $100 bounty that sweetens the pot.
True, any of them could one day find their visages immortalized in Cooperstown bronze statues, delivering a final-destination payoff that’s often the stuff of long-term card collector dreams. But if you’re angling for a quicker hit, banking on these young studs’ Rookie of the Year breakouts might just be your winning ticket—a smart play in the high-stakes game of modern baseball card collecting.