With baseball being at the tail end of the ‘offseason’, it is time to take a look at the players we think you should snatch up during the next few weeks. It is no secret that the best time to buy is in the offseason…and BreakerCulture research has shown that mid-Jan to mid-Feb is a GREAT time to buy Baseball cards! I have 15 players for you to consider and have put them into three categories that we will roll out the next 3 weeks. Let’s dig into this!

The FIRST category is players that are well known but at a good price and have massive upside. The SECOND category is targeting those players in the early stages of their careers that have breakout potential. The THIRD & final category is dedicated to undervalued prospects. High priced players like Acuna, Soto, and Wander Franco you will not see here. I am focusing on players you can make gains on and hopefully……afford.  🙂

Before we dive into category #2…. be sure to check out the FIRST 5 Investment Ideas || RIGHT HERE | Popular Names with HUGE UPSIDE

CATEGORY #2 | ALL ABOUT POTENTIAL!

For Segment 2 of our end of off-season targets, I am going to focus on players who have the potential to break out. These players are geared towards 1st or 2nd-year players that have shown flashes or have a high prospect pedigree. This group doesn’t get the “massive” upside like the previous group, but these guys can make gains on your investment quickly as they begin to play. I wanted to stay with players who have current RC cards but I had to slide one player in that doesn’t have one yet. Similar to my last article we will use the PSA 10 RC out of Topps as a baseline for prices. Keep in mind, chrome, and heritage have good value for RC cards as well.

#1 Victor Robles – OF — Washington Nationals – 22 years old

It was JUST two years ago that Robles was the Nationals top prospect in their system. Signs pointed to Robles breaking with the club but an injury set him back. Then Juan Soto took the spot and never looked back. Robles has had the pedigree of a top prospect for most of his time in the Nationals farm system. He has plus speed and recently has started to develop some power. Before the 2019 season, he hadn’t hit over 10 HRs in a season, last year he hit 17 HR from the back of the order. The Nationals have a very nice line-up, even with Rendon leaving the club.

The key for Robles to reach his potential in terms of numbers will be if he move his way into the top of lineup. His OPB and K% are making it hard for the Nationals to trust him at the top. Robles has an elite arm and defensive grade, which can allow him some breathing room as he continues to develop as a hitter. His RC in 2018 Topps Series 1 PSA 10 is going for around $10. Remember it costs, around that with shipping to grade it. Robles has the makings to put together a 20 HR and 30 SB season for a winning baseball team. He is my top guy to expect a return on your investment.

Top 8 of his cards on eBay right now!

#2 Keston Hiura — 2B — Milwaukee Brewers — 23 Years Old

Hiura had such an impressive opening half of a season in the bigs. He stood out in key hitting categories such as wRC, wOBA, and OBP across the board. He registered a top 20 wRC in the time he was playing, wRC is weighted runs created. It is a score for how many runs created by a player to their team. His wOBA would have ranked in the top 15 at his pace. The wOBA calculation is for weighted on-base percentage, gives players with extra-base hits and other ways of reaching base more value. Lastly, he would have been around the top 30 for OBP.

These categories are very consistent with him being top 30 or better in all categories. He is projected in 2020 to have 30 HRs and 15SB. If he can get that close to 30-20, that would be a big year for him. All of the metrics point to him sustaining the pace he had, so I am a believer that his last half of the year wasn’t a fluke. He plays in a hitters park, on a team that can put up some runs. The one concern he does have is his K% is on the high end around 30%, but his BABIP suggests than when it is in play, he hits it hard. If he can lower that K% and have more opportunities to put the ball in play, we could see even more gain on his projections.

Hiura’s primary RC on the market is the 2019 Topps Update and is current running in the mid-$30’s. I still see room for growth for price point if he can put a complete season together in 2020, which I believe he will. When that happens you are looking at Gleyber Torres type value for Hiura which means his PSA 10 RC could double throughout 2020. I just bought some Hiura today, you should get yours!

Top 8 of his cards on eBay right now!

#3 Bo Bichette — SS — Toronto Blue Jays — 21 years old

Bichette is making this list prematurely, in the sense he doesn’t have an RC card out yet. He is likely to be found in the heavily anticipated 2020 Topps Series 1. Bichette took the league by storm when he was called up for the last ¼ of the season. He had a league record for most consecutive games with an extra-base hit to start his career. He showed power and scored very high in the previously mentioned stats of wRC,wOBA, and OBP output in his small sample. In other words, there is a LOT to like about Bichette. 

I see Bichette being an instant 2020 star. He has to tools for a 30HR-20SB type player. I also am intrigued by the Blue Jays as a whole, they are very young and seem to be a team on a rise. I believe that Bichette will play a bigger role than people think as everyone is waiting for Vlad to take off. When series 1 hits you will have retail options and hobby options. My advice is…  don’t sleep on the Blue Jays in breaks. They will be cheaper than the Astros with people going for Yordan, but I believe Bichette is a better player and investment. Bichette could easily be on my first segment list for high upside guys, but his small sample kept him here. Get him while you have the chance.

Top 8 of his cards on eBay right now!

#4 Shane Bieber — Pitcher — Cleveland Indians — 24 years old

Shhh…. don’t tell Ty…(he’s not a fan of Pitchers) …. but I am going to close out out top 5 out with a bit of a twist. I am adding two pitchers to my breakout watch list. Long-time ace pitchers can still yield you long term value. Max Scherzer’s 2008 Topps Update PSA 10 is going for $140. The growth potential is there, even if you look at Gerrit Cole who is commanding $65 for his PSA 10 RC. In the case of Bieber, the Indians have made it clear why they were comfortable moving on from Bauer and Kluber. Kluber mostly was age motivated but Bauer had a lot of time left, but Bieber came on in 2019 showing ace potential. He had a K% of almost 11, the highest of his career.

If there is any truth to the adjusted baseballs and MLB comes back to the way it was…Bieber will be a huge benefactor. His primary weakness of high HR rate and HR/FB rate will come down as well. The hobby is recognizing his talent and his PSA 10 RC from 2018 Topps Update is going around $20 per. Respectable, but affordable at the same time. If he can assert himself into a long-time ace role which I believe he will, he will see gains on the $20 for your investment. 

Top 8 of his cards on eBay right now!

#5 Jack Flaherty — Pitcher — STL Cardinals — 24 Years Old

Flaherty is very similar to the progression of Bieber. He also had a nearly 11 per 9 K rate, and an even better ERA with 2.75. What intrigues me about Flaherty is he has the pitches needed to punch out batters. His K rates were massive to finish out the year. If he can keep the ball in the ballpark and maintain a full year of his high K rate, I think we can see Top 3 Ace in the making.

I also like that the Cardinals kept his innings under 200, which can give him a chance to make a big improvement in 2020 with a bigger workload. With no recent sales on his 2018 Series 1 RC, I will use his 2018 Topps Holiday PSA 10 of $34 for reference. Higher than Bieber is why I ranked Bieber higher for more opportunity for gain. If you have been paying attention, go check your local retail stores and see if any 2018 Series 1 is still on the shelves, So far on the 10 guys I have listed in my article, you can find Devers, Robles, and Flaherty in those series 1 buys. 

Top 8 of his cards on eBay right now!

We will be back next week with our LAST 5 guys to watch out for in 2020. In the meantime, come find me in the Patreon Group (HERE) or the Free Discord Chat Group (HERE)!

Tyson