2 The Bigs

By Sal Corso: January 5th, 2025

It’s Bowman DRAFT season. For those who are new to the hobby, Bowman releases three major products (with 1^st Bowman autographs, the prime card for any prospect) throughout the year: Bowman Baseball, Bowman Chrome and Bowman Draft. Draft should be fairly obvious, but centers around a majority of the most-recent draft prospects. I say majority, because Topps will holdout a few big names to use for the following years’ Bowman release (2026 Bowman).

If you’ve done research, you’ve probably seen a lot of sites say that the 2025 draft was very pitcher heavy. And technically it was, but there is a ton of hitting value if you look deep enough. This list is hitter heavy, because that’s what most collectors care about. But let’s jump into it…

Here are our TOP-12 Chases from 2025 Bowman Chrome

12. Steele Hall, SS (CIN) [1^st, 9^th]

A high school prep kid who can flat out hit. But he’s raw and very young. I wonder what the 9^th overall high school shortstop draft pick from 2024 is doing today. Oh yeah, it’s MLB.com’s #1 prospect in baseball, Konnor Griffin.

11. Jordan Yost, SS (DET) [1^st, 24^th]

Another raw high-schooler. A kid who grew into his build last fall and impressed enough to shoot him up ranks. A nice lefty swing that could develop some pop if he continues to add weight.

10. Charles Davalan, OF (LAD) [CB, 41^st]

Davalan has a hard left-handed swing that led to a .346 AVG with an 8% K-rate in his last year at Arkansas. Though he’s got some nice pop for a 5’9” outfielder. I think he could develop into a bit more than the 15-20 HR estimates that scouts predict for him. Plus, the Dodgers have five of the best outfield prospects in baseball. That may sound like a bad thing for Charles, but clearly the scouting and development team knows how to find, and then grab the most potential out of these kids.

9. Devin Taylor, OF (ATH) [2^nd, 48^th]

This is a lefty outfielder who hits, all the time. There’s no worry about that part of his game (MLB.com 60 Hit & Power tool). Devin hit 18 HR in 55 games in his last season at Indiana. He added 66 RBI and a near .500 OBP. He started in A-ball last year and drew an .869 OPS across 28 games. His fielding is what led to his drop into the 2^nd round. He’s got a straight, near one-handed, lefty swing that allows him to spray the ball to all parts of the field. In those 28 games at A-ball he had an even 33% pull/center/opp rate.

8. JoJo Parker, SS (TOR) [1^st, 8^th]

JoJo is one of the two drafted Parker twins in this draft. He’s got the look: tall, blond flow out of his hat, and a big lefty swing. The difference is that his power swing, is also quick and compact. He’s a high-upside hit and power tool youngster.  

7. Sean Gamble, OF/2B (KC) [1^st, 23^rd]

Rotowire calls him “the prep-version of Charles Davalan (mentioned above)”. Makes sense that both are on this list, given they can both barrel the ball well. He’s a consistent lefty-hitter who has 20-20 upside.

6. Gavin Fien, SS (TEX) [1^st, 12^th]

Fien is a big 6’3” 200-pound “shortstop” out of high school. I quote the position because he’ll likely shift to a corner infield or outfield spot in the pros. He uses every bit of that build in his swing. He’s got a bit of a wind-up, and then a fast and hard follow-through. He’ll need to work on his approach a bit so don’t think he’ll have that Konnor Griffin jump up to the higher levels.

5. Ike Irish, C/OF (BAL) [1^st, 19^th]

There are a few teams that, if they draft a hitter, you usually think to yourself “yep, he clearly must be good”. The Dodgers, Brewers, a few others, and the Orioles. These teams always have a plethora of hitting talent in their system. That applies to Orioles first-round choice, Ike Irish. He’s a pure hitter, he just doesn’t have a defined position in the field. But he’s the type of draft pick that could move fast, and finish his first full season up at the AAA level.

4. Ryan Mitchell, OF/INF (STL) [2^nd, 55^th]

This is my big “sleeper” of the draft. He’s only a late 2^nd-rounder, but in terms of potential value, I consider him a sleeper. Mitchell is a tall, lefty shortstop turned outfielder. His power needs to develop, but he’s also a lean 18-year-old. He’s also way more mature of an at-bat then his age shows. The Gatorade High-School Player of the Year in Tennessee has five-tool potential upside with a high-floor hit tool.

3. Josh Hammond, 3B (KC) [1^st, 28^th]

A two-way player who will most likely give-up on pitching (even though he was kind-of filthy). But he’s one of the best high-school hitters in the entire draft, who has 30+ HR power-upside. He’ll likely end up at 3^rd Base, where many are comping him to Austin Riley.

2. Kade Anderson, LHP (SEA) [1^st, 3^rd]

Pitchers don’t hold much value in card collecting. Paul Skenes is trying to change that, but you’ll still see Tarik Skubal going for a quarter of the value of young players like Elly, Wood, and Chourio. Kade wants to keep driving that change. He’s at minimum, a good mid-rotation starter. At his peak, he’s the closest thing to a dominant lefty-throwing power pitcher like the aforementioned Skubal.

1. Dax Kilby, SS (NYY) [1^st, 39^th]

Dax Kilby was 18 when he was drafted by the Yankees. But he hits like a four-year collegiate graduate. Not too many prep kids jump right into A-level ball in their shortened first season. Kilby did, and in 18 games, all he did was hit. 24 hits, 19 runs, 9 RBI and only 11 strikeouts in 68 at-bats. He should be able to add some weight and pop to his game with ease. I am a Yankees fan who not ONCE in the last 25 years, has given credit to a Yankees hitting prospect. They may have finally found one. Kilby can move through the very shallow Yankees farm system quickly. The hit tool and swing were what scouts loved, and what could lead him to become a centerpiece on the next phase in New York.

For you PYT break fans, here are my picks:

Yankees

Athletics

Royals

Cardinals