Three Top Breakout Hitters and How it Impacts Their Card Market
As is always the case with baseball, prospecting has been a major part of the collecting scene in 2025. There's no better feeling than finding a prospect you love, investing in an array of their cards and watching them come up to The Bigs and tear the cover off of the ball.
We're only a few games into the 2025 MLB season, but it seems like this year has been ripe with young names that have started off hot.
Guys like Elly De La Cruz, Jackson Chourio and Julio Rodriguez came into the season with the most hype. As a result, collectors have scooped up tons of their rookie cards and 1st Bowmans. But you won't find any of those names on my list of the top three young breakout hitters of the 2025 season thus far.
2025 Top 3 Young Breakout Hitters
1. Kristian Campbell (BOS 2B/OF)
The Red Sox made a splash this March when they announced that not only had 22-year old Kristian Campbell made their opening day roster, but that he would be an everyday starter as well. The expectations for a young prospect that makes the team in Boston are sky high, but Campbell has lived up to them and then some.
in 10 games, Campbell is hitting .364 with two home runs, five RBI, 10 runs scored and a stolen base. His OBP currently sits sky high at .476 while he's slugging an insane .667. Campbell's .479 wOBA is good for seventh in the majors as he splits time between second base and the outfield.
This led to the Red Sox giving Campbell an eight-year, $60 million contract just days into his big league career.
As a result, we've seen Kristian Campbell cards fly sky high in price.
In the past month, Kristian Campbell's 1st Bowman auto (shown above), has risen in price by 86.34%.
On March 17, Kristian Campbell's 2023 Bowman Draft Chrome Auto graded as a PSA 10 sold for $310, according to the latest Card Ladder data. The last sale of that card, which occurred on Sunday, April 6, reportedly went for $569.50.
The combination of young size and speed, coupled with the fact that Campbell plays in a massive market in Boston has seen his card and collectible market reach new heights. If Campbell keeps up at his current pace on the diamond, things are only going up from here.
2. Jackson Merrill (SD OF)
Unlike the first name on this list, there was no preseason intrigue around Jackson Merrill and whether or not he would make the Padres' Opening Day roster. Instead, the questions surrounding Merrill were about if he could take the next step and build on a fantastic rookie season when 2025 started.
Just a few games into the season and Merrill has already shown that 2024 was no fluke.
Merrill, who hit an insane .292 as a rookie with 24 home runs, 90 RBI and 16 stolen bases while slugging .500 last season, has picked up right where he left off.
10 games into the 2025 MLB season, Merrill is slashing .378/.415/.676 and already has three home runs and 10 RBI. Merrill's walk rate is up from last season while his ISO is up from .208 to .297.
These insane hitting numbers from Merrill have led to his card market getting a nice boost. However, unlike Campbell, we have already seen Merrill with a full season in the majors. So, it's been a more modest value growth for Merrill's cards.
In the last two weeks, Merrill's Topps Chrome rookie card, graded at a PSA 10, has risen in price by 29%.
3. Logan O'Hoppe (LAA C)
The final name on this list is also the oldest name on this list. At the ancient age of 25 years old, Logan O'Hoppe is annihilating the ball in Los Angeles and is on his way to being the nest offensive catcher in baseball if he keeps it up.
O'Hoppe is in his second full season in the majors in 2025. O'Hoppe was traded to the Angels by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022 in exchange for outfielder Brandon Marsh. Injuries have held O'Hoppe back a bit, but when he's in the lineup; for the Angels he beats the cover off of the ball.
This season, O'Hoppe has been the best offensive catcher in the MLB through his first seven games. In just seven games, O'Hoppe has five home runs and is hitting .345. I wouldn't expect the average to stay that high with him walking just 3.3% of the time, but his .515 wOBA is fourth in the majors while .517 ISO is third, behind just Aaron Judge and Jose Ramirez.
Unlike Campbell and Merrill, there hasn't been a lot of hype around O'Hoppe in recent months. Since being traded to the Angels, some have forgot just how good of a prospect he was in Philly.
As a result, there are some very affordable Logan O'Hoppe rookie cards available right now. O'Hoppe's 2023 Topps Chrome base rookie, graded at a PSA 10, is listed on eBay for anywhere between $40 and $45 to "Buy it Now".
Brian has been covering sports and collecting cards for more than a decade. Following both the NFL and MLB draft has become a passion both professionally and personally, so expect lots of prospecting news coming your way. As a loyal Philadelphia sports fan, most of his collection is either athletes on his favorite teams or ones that grew up in the area.