By Sal Corso: April 17th, 2025

It’s never good to buy prospects off a quick 2-week hot streak. But sometimes, the hot streak isn’t just out of the blue. Some prospects saw the growth last year and were ready to take that next step in their development process in 2025. I’m going to give you a BUY or SELL rating on each of these 9 prospects who are off to a blazing start to 2025. This takes into account their current card price compared to potential increase in future value.

SELL

1. Zyhir Hope

I am more impressed by Zyhir every time I watch him. However, we all know the card collecting hobby, there’s only one big (priced) star on each team. Josue De Paula is the prospect to own for the Dodgers.

Zyhir Hope's first homer with the Loons was 111-mph off the bat 😳 pic.twitter.com/aaAiWUvBs3

— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) April 5, 2025

2. Tommy Troy

The 2023 1st-round pick is off to a blazing start. However, he’s had a tough time at this level for long-spurts in both ’23 and ’24. In a system that has its future Shortstop (named below), I’m not buying the hype as anything more than just that.

3. Cristian Hernandez

Hernandez has been around for some time. In a fairly weak 2021 Bowman Chrome set, Cristian was one bright spot. What followed was several years of sub-.230 AVG hitting across the lower levels for the Cubs. Now, a 50% hard-hit rate and 8pp increase in line-drive rates year over year make him an enticing value. But don’t jump in just yet, let’s see it for a bit longer, maybe even up in AA.

4. Gabriel Rincones Jr.

Rincones is the true definition of a power bat. However, the nearly 3.5-1 K to BB ratio is not great. And the low hard hit rate (30%) means outside of the homers, he’s not hitting the ball very hard. I like him as a potential 30 HR guy in the bigs, but more of a Joey Gallo or Triston Casas type (who couldn’t hit a basketball right now)

BUY

1. Sal Stewart (79) [MED]

A very developed hitter with unbelievable plate discipline. Buy in, the power upside is higher than many give him credit for. We’ve covered him plenty on this site.

2. Ryan Waldschmidt

I think this hot start is legit. Many said he was one of the more mature hitters in this past draft, and he’s proving it already. This is what the hobby is all about. You grabbed or pulled a card, he comes out of nowhere and then….his prices shoot up +100% in 2 weeks. However, these are still cheap compared to others in the class.

How could anyone not love prospecting? pic.twitter.com/uUNLpxdDA6

— BigBobsCards (@BigBobsCards) April 15, 2025

3. Dyan Jorge (73) [MED]

A sleeper from the 2023 Bowman set. The Cuban-born infielder may never bring much to the table in the power department, but he’s showing he can flat out hit. A very cheap prospect to invest in for one that will likely reach the bigs around 23 years old (Can get a Gold Auto for $80).

4. Jordan Lawlar (84) [MED]

This guy is going to hit 30 HR for the D-backs next year. He should finally get his redemption shot with the pro-squad this year, sometime in April.

5. Eduardo Tait (75) [MED]

He made out Top International Teen Prospects list this winter. Here’s why: