Some big changes to the mid-August update of my hobby rankings! First and foremost, two of the dynasty writers whose rankings are factored into the equation have updated their top 500’s and I’ve adjusted every player accordingly. Second, we will now have prospects selected in the 2025 MLB Draft last month in our rankings going forward. If you see that red number next to a prospect you love showing that they dropped some spots don’t worry, with the addition of 41 new draftees to my top 200 other guys are bound to drop. That doesn’t mean that nobody moved up, and it’s safe to say that any prospect whose movement is green is probably worth a look because it means the dynasty rankers are higher on them then they were in the past AND their upward movement was enough to keep them ahead of all of the new names. Let’s see where they fall.

Pretty straightforward. The three prospects in the group of 25 that have moved up the most spots since the previous rankings (min. 3 spots).

The prospect in each group whose cards I think have the best buying value based on their current prices and why.

All 2025 draftees making an appearance on the Hobby Rankings for the first time. Will include their playing position, draft position, signing bonus, and projected tools via MLB Pipeline. For the first few weeks every hitter from the 2025 Draft will be assigned the production score I give to players who have not made any professional appearances. While some have already started playing, their ranking in that section can often get weighed down heavily because of the lack of at-bats. Once they accumulate enough PA that we can get reliable data on them, I will replace their production score, but for now they will all receive the same score for that portion of the equation and be treated as if they have not played. Of course these players don’t have cards yet, but following their trends from now until 2025 Draft is released in December might help us decide whose singles we should be stashing when the time comes.

*Purple = 2025 MLB draft pick

*Orange = confirmed autograph in 2025 Bowman Chrome

Edward Florentino (PIT) +25 spots

Colt Emerson (SEA) +7 spots

Sal Stewart (CIN) +5 spots

Luis Pena (MIL) at $85 - I know it’s weird to see ‘value’ followed by a base autograph near $90, but given the fact that he’s ranked around guys whose autos are $150-200 I think this thing easily has room to double in price. Always tough to take a risk on young prospects who are already pricy but I think his ceiling as a top-5 prospect makes him worth the gamble. Peña is one of only 4 prospects currently playing in High-A at 18 along with teammate Jesus Made who is priced much higher than he is. Obviously Made has more power potential, but Peña’s .170 ISO for his age given the levels he’s played at is extremely impressive and he pairs that with a crazy low 14% K rate. The contact skills look great and he smacked his second High-A home run last night in just his 26th PA at the level. There are a number of “if he grows into more power he’ll be elite” prospects but Peña might be the best one.

Runner-Up: Josue Briceno (DET) at $41

N/A

Nate George (BAL) +29 spots

Carter Jensen (KC) +14 spots

Owen Caissie (CHC) +13 spots

Kaelen Culpepper (MIN) +13 spots

Caleb Bonemer (CHW) at $22 - Not many prep bats from the 2024 Draft have improved their stock this season more than Bonemer in my opinion. He had some of the best bat speed in the class which should translate to above average power potential, but the concern coming into the draft was how his contact might fare against professional pitching. He’s shown an impressive approach (16.4% BB, 21.3% K) and stronger than expected contact numbers (79%) so far in his debut season, hitting 8 HR and stealing 25 bases. I think more power will show up next year and if/when it does he really has a chance to shoot up prospect lists. I thought he might struggle early on in his pro career but his 143 wRC+ this year says otherwise. Quite a few up arrows here.

Runner-Up: Anyone in this group under $30. Probably my favorite part of the rankings to attack from a buying perspective.

#46. Eli Willits (WAS) SS - Pick #1 (Round 1)

#50. Steele Hall (CIN) SS - Pick #9 (Round 1)

Dylan Beavers (BAL) +42 spots

Spencer Jones (NYY) +12 spots

Juneiker Caceres (CLE) +7 spots

Jhonny Level (SF) +7 spots

Marco Dinges (MIL) +7 spots

Jhonny Level (SF) at $30 - Level probably has the best upside for the price point in this group in my opinion. I felt like he was surprisingly slept on when 2025 Bowman was released and all he’s done since then is hit. Despite posting a .242 ISO in the DSL I was skeptical about how much power would be present when he arrived stateside. He then went on to hit 9 homers, 10 doubles, and 4 triples in 261 PA at the CPX, good for a .205 ISO. The 18-year-old switch hitter was promoted to Single-A where he currently has a 115 wRC+ with more walks than strikeouts. The hobby concern here is that he’ll never have more than average power, but the results so far have been great. Across his first two levels since coming to the states he has a 78% contact rate, a BB/K of 0.87, his ISO sits a tick under .190, and he doesn’t turn 19 until next March. There’s a lot to like here.

Runner-Up: Jonny Farmelo (SEA) at $25, Jacob Reimer (NYM) at $21

#53. Jojo Parker (TOR) SS - Pick #8 (Round 1)

#60. Ethan Holliday (COL) SS - Pick #4 (Round 1)

#63. Gavin Fien (TEX) SS - Pick #12 (Round 1)

#66. Aiva Arquette (MIA) SS - Pick #7 (Round 1)

Chase Harlan (LAD) +53 spots

Joshua Baez (STL) +25 spots

Ralphy Velazquez (CLE) at $15 - These are creeping up more towards $20 now since the news of his promotion but even that feels crazy low considering he just turned 20, has plus raw power, and is already in Double-A. The average and OBP won’t blow you away and it’s probably what’s keeping his prices down, but there’s a ton to like under the hood here. For starters he’s got a .224 ISO but isn’t your normal big swing-and-miss, 30% K rate power hitter. There are only 5 prospects age 20 or younger with 300+ PA and an ISO over .220 this year: Samuel Basallo, Bryce Eldridge, Lazaro Montes, Josue Briceño, and Ralphy Velazquez. Not only is this a crazy good list of names to be included with, but Velazquez has the highest contact rate out of all 5 of them. I think he’s being slept on and I love the upside here.

Runner-Up: Joshua Baez (STL) at $12

#78. Ike Irish (BAL) C - Pick #19 (Round 1)

#80. Billy Carlson (CHW) SS - Pick #10 (Round 1)

#82. Ethan Conrad (CHC) OF - Pick #17 (Round 1)

#91. Andrew Fischer (MIL) 3B - Pick #20 (Round 1)

JD Dix (ARI) +18 spots

Roldy Brito (COL) +14 spots

Aidan Smith (TB) at $15 - As the conductor of the Aidan Smith hype train this offseason I’ll be the first to admit that this season has been a major letdown. He’s always had big hit tool concerns but I had a feeling the combination of his tools and the Rays development could be the perfect marriage. And it still may be, but it’s been a rocky start no denying that. His K rate is up, his contact rate is down, and he’s looked overmatched by High-A pitching. With that being said, this autograph is less than half the price that it was entering this season so if there’s ever been a buy-low opportunity, this feels like it could be it. There are only 3 Bowman prospects who are in their age 20 or younger season this year and have 10+ HR/30+ SB: Konnor Griffin, Eduardo Quintero, and Aidan Smith. It’s been a disappointing year no doubt, but you can’t teach size and speed.

Runner-Up: Brandon Winokur (MIN) at $8

#101. Josh Hammond (KC) SS - Pick #28 (Prospect Promotion Incentive Pick)

#102. Daniel Pierce (TB) SS - Pick #14 (Round 1)

#103. Kayson Cunningham (ARI) SS - Pick #18 (Round 1)

#104. Brendan Summerhill (TB) OF - Pick #42 (Competitive Balance A)

#105. Gavin Kilen (SF) SS - Pick #13 (Round 1)

#108. Devin Taylor (OAK) OF - Pick #48 (Round 2)

#109. Slater De Brun (BAL) OF - Pick #37 (Competitive Balance A)

#110. Brady Ebel (MIL) SS - Pick #32 (Compensation Pick)

#111. Charles Davalan (LAD) OF - Pick #41 (Competitive Balance A)

#112. Quentin Young (MIN) SS - Pick #54 (Round 2)

#113. Xavier Neyens (HOU) SS - Pick #21 (Round 1)

#116. Jace LaViolette (CLE) OF - Pick #27 (Round 1)

#123. Josh Owens (TEX) TWP - Pick #84 (Round 3)

Roc Riggio (COL) +21 spots

Sam Antonacci (CHW) +12 spots

Aron Estrada (BAL) at $13 - This group has a few cheap players that have impressed this year, including Sam Antonacci and the resurgence of Tommy Troy, but I’ve gotta go with Estrada here. This started as just a sneaky good season but it’s getting to the point where he deserves to get some love from someone. He was batting .284 with 5 HR and 30 SB in High-A when Baltimore decided to bump him up to the next level. It’s only been 11 games in Double-A but Estrada has already gone deep 3 times in 46 PA, and all of the sudden his season long stat line is looking legit. He has a 133 wRC+ across two levels this year, has reached AA, and is still 20 until the start of 2026. Scout the Statline’s Peak Projections have him all the way up to their 23rd ranked prospect in baseball based on his advanced hitting metrics. This is just too much production for this price.

Runner-Up: Sam Antonacci (CHW) at $12

#131. Dax Kilby (NYY) SS - Pick #39 (Round 1)

#134. Sean Gamble (KC) OF - Pick #23 (Round 1)

#142. Mitch Voit (NYM) 2B - Pick #38 (Round 1)

#146. Brandon Compton (MIA) OF - Pick #46 (Round 2)

Edgar Montero (OAK) +64 spots

Cristian Arguelles (COL) +17 spots

Elorky Rodriguez (TEX) +6 spots

Ramon Ramirez (KC) at $4 - I admit that I love Hayden Alvarez’s upside and it was really hard not to pick him, but as a strictly numbers game this price is bananas. The drop in Ramirez’s price probably has to do with the time he’s missed with injury, which included all of June and most of July, but he’s back now. While catchers are notoriously hated by the hobby this has gone too far. So far in Ramirez’s career he’s had a wRC+ of 171 in the DSL (2023), 114 in CPX (2024), and 135 this year in Single-A. He has a good approach, consistently posting walk rates around 13-14% with strikeout rates in the 20% range, and his ISO’s have hovered around .200 in each of his professional seasons. Not too shabby considering he just turned 20 in June. I get that his price is affected by his injury and position, but $4?! Not counting the DSL there are only 8 prospects in all of baseball this year who are 20 or younger with 200+ PA, an ISO over .200, and a BB/K over 0.60. Ramon Ramirez is one of them. Four dollars?!

Runner-Up: Hayden Alvarez (LAA) at $16

#151. Mason Neville (CIN) OF - Pick #114 (Round 4)

#160. Wehiwa Aloy (BAL) SS - Pick #31 (Compensation Pick)

#162. Nick Becker (SEA) SS - Pick #57 (Round 2)

#163. Marek Houston (MIN) SS - Pick #16 (Round 1)

#167. Alex Lodise (ATL) SS - Pick #60 (Round 2)

#168. Jaden Fauske (CHW) OF - Pick #44 (Round 2)

#169. Ryan Mitchell (STL) OF - Pick #55 (Round 2)

#171. Dean Curley (CLE) SS - Pick #64 (Round 2)

Arnaldo Lantigua (CIN) +25 spots

Johan De Los Santos (PIT) +9 spots

Jesus Rodriguez (SF) at $7 - I was surprised when the Yankees moved Rodriguez at the deadline as he was one of the more underrated bats in their system in my opinion. Between both organizations he’s batting .293 this year with an 85% contact rate and a 7.3% swinging strike %. The power hasn’t popped much this season but he’s shown some in the past with a .180 ISO last year, so there might be a little more in the tank. Even if the raw power is only average though, the hit tool will play, and the contact metrics have been really good his entire professional career. While a 23-year-old with a .100 ISO feels like the opposite of what the hobby goes for, there’s probably a solid chance he gets called up this year. That call-up alone could double the price of this autograph and if he were to come out hot it could multiply even more, something I don’t think is out of the realm of possibility given his advanced contact skills. As far as buying players to try and sell at their peak a month from now, Rodriguez doesn’t feel like a bad option.

Runner-Up: Nick Morabito (NYM) at $10, Axiel Plaz (PIT) at $5

#176. Tate Southisene (ATL) SS - Pick #22 (Round 1)

#178. Cam Cannarella (MIA) OF - Pick #43 (Competitive Balance A)

#180. Ethan Petry (WAS) OF - Pick #49 (Round 2)

#190. Aidan West (LAD) SS - Pick #135 (Round 4)

#196. Caden Bodine (BAL) C - Pick #30 (Compensation Pick)

#200. Taitn Gray (TB) C - Pick #86 (Round 3)

For those of you who don’t know, I’m someone who won’t go in on a player until I’ve seen at least a little bit of what they can do. I’m also a notorious hater of DSL statistics because the league is wildly unpredictable and the pitching is horrendous. If you see some prospects from 2025 Draft that you think should be higher just know that they will move pretty freely once they get a good sample of professional at-bats I can use. Same goes for many of the international guys that signed this past January who will be big chases on the upcoming Bowman Chrome checklist. I’ll go into it more of that process on my breakdown of the new product but due to being burned in the past I tend to be lower than most on DSL prospects. Happy Bowman season!