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Big Bob’s top 10 players to chase in 2025 Bowman Chrome

The time has finally come. When I started my research for the new 2025 Bowman Chrome I expected it to only take a couple of days to narrow down my top 20. What I found once I started is that this is possibly my favorite Chrome release since I got into prospecting. Last year’s 2024 Bowman Chrome featured a total of 5 hitters on the 1st autograph checklist who were in my top 200 hobby rankings. This year’s checklist has 22! It’s one of the deeper Chrome checklists you’ll find and because there are so many chase-worthy names I had to expand my top 20 to a top 25, and that didn’t even include the countless sleepers and big money signings! I’m pumped for this release especially at its current price point. I’ve already seen some larger Pick Your Player breaks popping up so make sure you give this a read, compare my rankings to break pricing, and find some players you want to target who may be priced too cheap early on. This article will be for hitters only and next week I’ll put out a volume 2 breaking down the pitchers. Happy Bowman season!

This list is what I would consider the top 10 most hobby relevant prospects in the product. It doesn’t always mean the best, but when you consider age, tools, position, etc. this is my estimate at the order I think the hobby should be paying. For a full list of the top 25 visit my Substack.

*All projected scout grades are via FanGraphs

Rainiel Rodriguez (STL) C – 5’10” / 197 (Age: 18.6)

Signing Bonus: $300,000
Hobby Rank: 19
Hit: 50, Power: 55, Speed: 40

When this checklist first came out I thought “Rainiel Rodriguez is definitely my favorite hitter in this product but I’m not sure I can make him #1 because of his position”. It’s a tale as old as time. The hobby hates catchers. Blah blah blah. Well, since this checklist was made public a few weeks ago, Rodriguez has gone deep six times, including homers in three consecutive games last week. If you’ll remember I was way higher than the consensus on Nick Kurtz in 2024 Draft because even though the position wasn’t sexy I thought the bat was that much better than everyone else. That’s not to say Rodriguez will be Kurtz, but this is the same boat. Downgrade him for his defense and position all you want but his bat in my opinion is so much more advanced for his age than every other hitter in this class he has to be my top chase. Rainiel hit his 20th HR of the season on Sunday and it was his 13th in Single-A since his promotion in June. He’s now batting .275 with a 167 wRC+ and .296 ISO across two levels. Most prospects his age who are hitting for this much crazy power almost always come with some sort of approach concerns, but not here. Rodriguez has a 15.6% walk rate with just a 17.9% strikeout rate (0.87 BB/K) and his contact rate in Single-A thru 251 PA is 78.2%. Oh, and he was promoted to High-A last night and went 3-5 with 4 RBIs in his first game. And he doesn’t turn 19 until January. Scout the Statline’s Peak Projections are formulated using advanced analytics from hitting data to predict Major League success. Rainiel Rodriguez is now their #2 non-debuted hitting prospect after Konnor Griffin. Don’t be scared off by the defense (or lack thereof), he has the potential to be a guy, and if his bat is that good his position won’t matter.

2. Josuar Gonzalez (SF) SS – 6’0” / 167 (Age: 17.9)

Signing Bonus: $3 million
Hobby Rank: 104
Hit: 50, Power: 55, Speed: 60

Our first DSL player in my rankings and I’m starting with who else but the #1 ranked international prospect in this year’s class not named Roki Sasaki. In the 2024 class we had a guy named Leo De Vries (maybe you’ve heard of him) who was drawing Francisco Lindor comps early on. Well Gonzalez was the top guy in this year’s class and many of the comps he was given were similar. Gonzalez might not have some of the same high end power potential as other players in this signing class, but his overall tools and production this year make him my favorite. In 228 PA this season Gonzalez hit .288 with a .404 OBP, 4 HR, 33 SB, a .168 ISO, 16.2% BB, 15.8% K, and 129 wRC+. This is one of the more rock solid DSL lines you’ll find. There’s average, there’s OBP, there’s power, there’s stolen bases, there’s more walks than strikeouts, and there’s a 78.9% contact rate. Sure there will be guys with .200 ISO’s and 70 grade power, but Gonzalez’s entire package of offensive tools looks nearly flawless, of course taking DSL stats with a grain of salt. Last year in the DSL there was only 1 qualified hitter who had 30+ SB, a BB/K over 1.0, and an ISO over .150. That was Luis Pena of the Brewers who is now one of my top 5 hobby prospects. This year only two players have hit those same marks, Marconi German (WAS) who was left off this checklist and Josuar Gonzalez. I wouldn’t be surprised if other DSL prospects were more expensive than Gonzalez upon release, especially ones with more power potential, but when you look at the full offensive profiles, this one is at the top of my list.

3. Juneiker Caceres (CLE) OF – 5’10” / 168 (Age: 18)

Signing Bonus: $300,000
Hobby Rank: 37
Hit: 55, Power: 45, Speed: 45

I’ve been burned many times before by flashy DSL prospects so excuse me while I give some love to someone who is the same age as those guys but is already performing at a much higher level and that’s Juneiker Caceres, whose stats for his age are filthy. Between the Complex League and Single-A he’s batting .274 with a 123 wRC+, .145 ISO, 1.03 BB/K, and 83.6% contact rate. Pretty silly when you consider he turned 18 less than three weeks ago so he’s been playing in A ball in his age 17 season. Obviously the contact rate is crazy impressive for his age, as is the 12.2% strikeout rate which feels insane these days. He’s been at the top of my “prospects without Bowman cards” list for awhile now, so he’ll absolutely be a name I’m after. The hobby downside here is that he projects for below average power and speed. In 278 PA this year Caceres has 4 HR and 7 SB. I’m personally not worried about the HR total because 4 HR with a .145 ISO in your age 17 season, especially when you’re playing up a level or two, is still really good. My worry is that IF he doesn’t hit for power he’s not a guy who can remain flashy with stolen bases because he doesn’t do that either. So the risk here is that the hobby loves a power/speed combo and there’s chance neither of those tools are above average. With that being said I think the power is better than advertised and given his contact skills for his age I would argue that he offers the safest floor of any teenage prospect in this entire product. If his power ticks up next year and I mean AT ALL he’ll be a top 25 prospect almost instantly in my book. Sure he could be Sam Antonacci, but he also could be Kevin McGonigle, another prospect who projected for below average power and then exploded. The possibility alone of him getting to that power and being a future top 10 prospect makes Juneiker Caceres a top chase in my opinion.

4. Nate George (BAL) OF – 6’0” / 200 (Age: 19.2)

Signing Bonus: $455,000
Hobby Rank: 45
Hit: 45, Power: 55, Speed: 55

Not many prospects have come out of nowhere and flown up my rankings faster than Nate George. There have only been five hitting prospects drafted out of high school in 2024 to reach High-A already this season. Three of them were 1st round picks, one was a very early 2nd round pick, and then you have George who was a 16th (!) rounder. He got off to a hot start in the Complex League hitting .383 with 3 HR, a .173 ISO, and a 179 wRC+ in just under 100 PA before the Orioles decided he was ready for Single-A. At this point he was still on nobody’s radar. After the promotion he logged 186 PA in Single-A where he batted .337 with a 163 wRC+ in 186 PA. Now he did run an extremely high BABIP at both levels so there may have been some luck, but the BB and K rates were almost identical so he seems to be pretty consistent. What else is consistent is his ability to make contact. The bulk of George’s PA this year came in Single-A where he had a 80.7% contact rate. Though his HR output dropped from 3 homers in 92 PA in the CPX to 1 homer in 186 PA in A, the ISO still hovered over .150 due to his 8 doubles and 7 triples. There’s a chance he’ll need a tweak to generate more loft if he’s going to hit enough home runs to live up to this ranking but I believe the raw power is there based on the impressive number of doubles and triples he’s already hitting. Not many 16th round prep bats touch three levels in their debut season while hitting .334 with 50 stolen bases and a 159 wRC+. And by not many I mean none except for him. Nate George looks legit.

5. Kevin Alvarez (HOU) OF – 6’4” / 184 (Age: 17.6)

Signing Bonus: $2 million
Hobby Rank: 122
Hit: 45, Power: 60, Speed: 40

There was kind of like a Big 5 or 6 in this class that are jockeying for position but based on what I saw this year I’m taking Alvarez as my #2 from the DSL guys. When I said Josuar Gonzalez had my favorite DSL line of everyone on this checklist, it was only by a hair because Alvarez’s was pretty close to being better. In 192 PA this year Alvarez hit .301 with 2 HR, 11 SB, 12.0% BB, 9.9% K, .154 ISO, and 129 wRC+. If you were just watching tape from the DSL and saw all of these guys swing without their names shown you would look at Alvarez’s and be like yep, that’s a dude. He had more walks than strikeouts which you know I love, and his miniscule 9.9% strikeout rate came with a 82.8% contact rate and 8.2% swinging strike %. He doesn’t have near the speed Gonzalez does, and he hit for slightly less power, but standing at 6’4” Alvarez has a TON of projection. One international scout gave him a Kyle Tucker comp as far his swing and how he brings the barrel through the zone. When he matures his combination of contact and power could easily put him at the top of this list. Gonzalez was already the #1 ranked prospect in this class before the DSL season started but I don’t know that any international player improved their stock with me in their first season more than Alvarez. I mentioned how good Luis Pena’s debut season was. Alvarez had a better contact percentage and he’s 5 inches taller. This one could be fun.

6. Elian Pena (NYM) SS – 5’10” / 180 (Age: 17.8)

Signing Bonus: $5 million
Hobby Rank: 102
Hit: 50, Power: 55, Speed: 30

Now onto the biggest signing bonus in the entire product, Elian Pena the #3 ranked prospect in the class who signed for a whopping $5 million. As with the first two DSL guys, there’s a ton to like in this data. Pena slashed .292/.421/.528 in his debut season with 9 HR, 21 SB, 16.1% BB, 16.1% K, a .236 ISO and a 144 wRC+. I admit this stat line looks better than the first two. I mean as many walks as strikeouts with a .236 ISO? Pretty damn good. Pena has great zone awareness and tons of bat speed and I expect him to be a top 3 chase for most people, especially when you consider how well Mets prospects sell. Here’s my thing. Because I hate DSL stats there are things that make me scratch my head. For starters, Pena started his career 0-26. There’s two ways to look at that though. Is it a concern or does it make it even more impressive that he hit .404 in August to finish the year batting .292? He also had TWO 3-HR games which feels unheard of, but again, is 2/3 of his HR output coming in 2 of the 55 games he played good? He’s praised for his bat-to-ball skills but his contact rate was 10% lower than Kevin Alvarez’s. Part of me thinks I’m being annoying. His season long stat line was incredible, his final two months of the season were incredible, hitting 3 HR’s in a game twice is incredible. The ceiling here is great but the streakiness gave me juuust enough pause to go with Gonzalez and Alvarez first.

7. Ching-Hsien Ko (LAD) OF – 6’3” / 215 (Age: 19)

Signing Bonus: $650,000
Hobby Rank: 88
Hit: 40, Power: 60, Speed: 50

Taking a break from the run of DSL players let’s go with a different type of international prospect, Ching-Hsien Ko who signed with the Dodgers last June out of Taiwan. He had an interesting path as the Dodgers assigned him to the DSL after signing where he picked up 40 PA at age 17, going deep once in 9 games with a 27.5% walk rate, 17.5% strikeout rate and 149 wRC+. It was a small sample and he didn’t get on many radars until he appeared stateside in the Complex League this year where he hit .367 with 4 HR and a 171 wRC+ in 226 PA prior to being promoted to Single-A. Those are some numbers that will turn heads. Ko turned 19 a few weeks ago so is still considered to be in his age 18 season, putting him ahead of the curve for the level he’s at. He’s struggled a bit in Single-A, hitting .218 with just a 84 wRC+ in 119 PA but the good news is that despite those results he has a 81.9% contact rate, which is 10% higher than it’s been at any other level, and just a 7.7% swinging strike %. I won’t be surprised if I’m higher than most on Ko but there’s a ton to love from a hobby perspective in my opinion. Approach and contact look good, he projects for plus power, he’s young, has a great frame, and he’s in an organization with a great track record for developing hitters. Quite a few green up arrows here.

8. Cris Rodriguez (DET) OF – 6’3” / 203 (Age: 17.6)

Signing Bonus: $3.2 million
Hobby Rank: 253
Hit: 40, Power: 70, Speed: 40

Rodriguez was given the second largest signing bonus in the class after Elian Pena and if there’s anyone whose tools scream “hobby superstar” it’s him, so I suspect that he will be top 5 in price upon release, maybe even top 3. As far as his frame and power potential go he’s drawn comps to Eloy Jimenez who was a #1 international prospect form the same city as Rodriguez. When you watch him take BP the power is obvious, and every part of the swing including the setup and finish reminds me of Alex Rodriguez. In his DSL debut Rodriguez hit 10 HR in 188 PA which was the most for any 17-year-old, and his .256 ISO shows us where that 70 future power grade comes from. This sounds incredible and I’m sure you’re dying to know why I have him eighth. Let’s start at the 0.26 BB/K. Oof. Although his 22.3% strikeout rate isn’t high enough to make me worry yet, his 5.9% walk rate is terrifying. As a counterpoint, it’s not uncommon for very skilled hitters to post low walks rates in the DSL because the pitching is bad and they think they can hit everything. Except he doesn’t. While he did bat .308 his contact rate was under 70% and his swinging strike % was 18.1% which is in the 7th percentile for qualified DSL hitters. No doubt in my mind he will be a top chase in this product and it’s definitely warranted because the name of the game in the hobby is ceiling, however I’m someone who prefers to mitigate risk and there are probably 10+ prospects with higher floors. With that being said, I would argue that Cris Rodriguez probably has the highest ceiling in this entire product.

9. Diego Tornes (ATL) OF – 6’2” / 178 (Age: 17.1)

Signing Bonus: $2.5 million
Hobby Rank: 249
Hit: 50, Power: 60, Speed: 40

It’s not often that Atlanta has a top 10 chase in a Bowman product since they tend to use all of their draft picks on pitchers, but Braves fans have been waiting for this one. Out of every prospect on this checklist Diego Tornes is the one I’ve been most asked most frequently, “will he be in Chrome?”, over the past few months. There’s a lot to like here from a hobby perspective. FanGraphs gives Tornes future projections of 50 hit and 60 power while MLB Pipeline has him at 55 hit and 50 power. So between the two of them there are scouts out there who think the hit tool and the power could both be above average or better, and that would be huge. In his professional debut Tornes hit .279 with a 15.6% walk rate, 21.8% strikeout rate, and 117 wRC+. He went 24/28 on stolen base attempts and despite not hitting a HR was able to keep his ISO above .120 thanks to 5 triples in 147 PA. It all looks good but compared to the names above no single stat pops as being the one that makes him a top 10 chase, right? Well that’s because his best tool relative to his production is the hobby’s true favorite “tool”, his age. Diego played more than half of his first professional season at age 16, turning 17 this past July. While there may have been 123 qualified hitters with a higher wRC+ in the DSL this year, only 3 of them were younger than Tornes. Scouts have said he’s already ahead of most of his peers offensively despite his age. He’s extremely physical for how young he is and his elite bat speed from both sides of the plate have drawn Anthony Santander comparisons. Tools. Age. Production. Check. Great offensive ceiling here with Diego Tornes.

10. Yorger Bautista (SEA) OF – 6’1” / 176 (Age: 17.9)

Signing Bonus: $2.1 million
Hobby Rank: 199
Hit: 60, Power: 45, Speed: 60

Even though I tend to side with the players who have performed well over those with pedigree, there’s only so low I can drop Bautista considering how high many of the international scouts were on him. His professional debut didn’t get off to the best start as he hit .223 with 7 HR, 10 SB, 9.3% BB, 29.8% K, .181 ISO, and 90 wRC+. Not only was the production below average but the contact rate was 57.9% and his swinging strike % was 23.4%. Big yikes. Other than the power he basically showed nothing in the stat sheet to encourage me to move him into my top 10. But it’s tough to ignore it when there’s a consensus that a player looks special. Though FanGraphs lists him at 60 hit and 45 power, those seem like maybe they’re backwards because MLB Pipeline has the bat speed as being ELITE, with certain scouts reporting that it’s the best they’ve seen at that level in the past five years. He also clocks plus running times and has an absolute rifle for a throwing arm. This is all around the best package of tools in this signing class according to those who have gotten the closest live looks at him. There’s a legit chance that he ends up with 60 grade or better power, speed, arm, and fielding. The strikeout rate and approach looked scary but the hobby is notorious for ignoring poor contact because a player is electric and Bautista might just be electric. Both Chris Clegg of Dynasty Dugout and James Anderson of Rotowire have him in their top 300 prospects. The stat sheet doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence but the eye test suggests he may be one of the most talented hobby prospects on this list.

If this top 10 feels loaded, that’s the point—2025 Bowman Chrome is deeper than any Chrome checklist I’ve covered in recent memory. But the real edge is knowing where the tiers break and which names are mispriced on release night. I’ve got 15 more prospects (plus sleepers, “show-me-the-money” signee notes, and a few landmines to avoid) in the full rundown.

To see my complete Top 25, grab the extended list on my Substack: Big Bob’s Cards. I’ll follow up next week with the pitchers. In the meantime, tell me who you’re chasing—and why—over on Mantel.

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