MLB’s Top 50 Players in the Sports Card Hobby
Who is hot in the hobby? Glad you asked, because this is my Top 50 Names in the Hobby (Baseball Edition)! Each year I like to look at the past season and rank the top 50 guys in the hobby. It’s not a list of the best players, but rather a list of their importance in the hobby. Ketel Marte is one of the best players in MLB, but he can’t crack this list.
One big caveat: Only players that have a Topps rookie card are eligible for this list. No Bowman darlings here.
Tiny caveat: This article is two parts and the top half of the list will be released next week. I’m betting you can guess the top spot though.
Dropouts (Last Year’s Rank in Parentheses)
Bo Bichette (15), Luis Robert (17), Trea Turner (35), Zack Greinke (40), Jordan Walker (44), Michael Harris (45), Triston Casas (47), Francisco Alvarez (49), Alex Bregman (50)
Nine players dropping out of the Top 50 is substantial. For most, their decline comes from either falling off the HOF path or not living up to the prospect hype. Greinke falls off due to not playing in 2024 and I’m just not counting him as an active player anymore, but he’s got hobby value as a strong HOF candidate. Casas and Alvarez though could easily bounce back into the top 50. The others must have career years (and it may take multiple seasons) to get back to hobby prominence.
41-50
50. J.T. Realmuto (46)- Either Realmuto or Perez could wind up in the HOF as the best catchers of this generation. Seasons like 2024 are making it more likely Perez will grab this spot next year.
49. Max Fried (39)- He’s great when healthy and a big contract should garner him some added hobby attention. Without that, Fried likely doesn’t make the cut.
48. Spencer Strider (20)- It’s not hard to envision pitchers being relevant in the hobby if Strider and Skenes can put on a show competing for strikeout titles. Along with Skenes, he’s one of only two pitchers with top 10 upside.
47. William Contreras (NR)- My personal rankings have him much higher, but he’s still somewhat of an afterthought in the hobby. He’s one of the few hard swingers in the league that also excels in making contact and the others are all household names. Contreras is starting to get some attention in the hobby and he’s one of only two veterans to debut on this list this year (besides an omission from last year).
46. Matt Olson (25)- He’s the player most likely to drop off this year next year says the sad Braves fan. With his stats and age, another down year and his hobby relevance is toast. Heck, he was good this year, but the hobby only rewards greatness.
45. Luis Arraez (43)- Batting titles are nice, but without Juan Pierre to kick around, Arraez would have had the least productive 200-hit season in MLB history. He needs a very gaudy batting average to get hobby attention.
44. Ozzie Albies (42)- Albies struggled in 2024 and he’ll need to rebound with at least an All-Star season to retain hobby attention. The Braves have a massive seven players who made this list or last year’s, but all of them are trending in the wrong direction except for Sale.
43. Anthony Volpe (31)- It’s a big drop from last year, but Volpe is a productive member of the Yankees and looks to be for some time keeping his floor very high.
42. Carlos Correa (38)- There are still question marks about his health long-term, but Correa can make a strong case for HOF membership with just 20 more points of WAR or so which seems doable.
41. Jasson Dominguez (NR)- The Martian is an odd one where Topps thinks much more highly of him than collectors do meaning he gets featured excessively in a lot of products. I’m betting he’s either in the top 10 next year or off this list completely. My guess is this is the most controversial ranking on the list but the amount of collectors solidly out on Dominguez justifies it I think. Just pour me my glass of haterade and lets be done with it.
31-40
40. Adley Rutschman (18)- Rutschman’s bat disappointed this year, but he’s still one of the best catchers in the game and part of the Orioles’ young core.
39. Riley Greene (48)- I’m betting he has the biggest jump on this list next year.
38. Corey Seager (34)- Seager had a stellar season, but he needs a couple of even better ones to stamp his ticket to the HOF. His cards are poised to rise if he can put together a big season.
37. Nolan Arenado (26)- He’s clearly on the decline and collectors should not expect big seasons from him any longer. He’s still the best defensive third baseman in my lifetime and on his way to the HOF so while he may drop a bit on this list, he’ll be on it as long as he is on a roster.
36. Paul Goldschmidt (24)- Another HOF player on his way out. He might be one of the more overlooked players of the last 25 years.
35. Manny Machado (41)- Machado could be in the top 20 with a friendlier public image. He’s controversial, but he can flat-out hit.
34. Wyatt Langford (NR)- I had a hard time placing him and wouldn’t argue with folks who put him either ten spots higher or lower.
33. Fernando Tatis Jr. (29)- PEDs limit his hobby potential. If Tatis has a 2025 to match 2024, it won’t matter and he won’t be on this list again.
32. Chis Sale (NR)- I was bummed when the Braves traded for him. I was stupid.
31. Gerrit Cole (32)- Cole had injury problems this year but looked good enough when healthy and playing for the Yankees helps his profile. After the Greinke, Kershaw, Scherzer, and Verlander HOF inductions, Cole and Sale look like the next most likely HOF candidates and there might be a long drought for HOF pitchers.
25-30
30. Jacob deGrom (NR)- deGrom should have been on this list last year and was an omission. He would have been ranked slightly higher last year. When healthy, there is no better pitcher on the planet. That’s a big if and he isn’t getting any younger. He likely still needs a couple of years of solid production to beef up his HOF chances.
29. Kyle Tucker (30)- Tucker always looks like he is about to become a clear top-five player. At some point though, he’ll have to actually do that to get more of a hobby following. He looks like an MVP waiting to happen but I’m worried I’ll be able to copy and paste this paragraph for the next five years.
28. Austin Riley (28)- Riley had a fairly forgettable season just like the Braves. He’ll need to bounce back next year or he’ll fall off this list quickly.
27. Jose Altuve (33)- Without the Astros scandal, Altuve would crack the top 25, but the fallout from that limits his overall hobby value and there’s no getting around that.
26. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (37)- Vladito had a great comeback season. Collectors still haven’t warmed up to him as his cards are still fairly cold.
Wrap Up
Next week find out who cracks the top 25!!! How high can Skenes climb? Find out next week! So many exclamation points!!! It’s exciting!!!!