Hello BreakerCulture Baseball card hobby fans! We’re back with a new round of Bullitt’s Bullets that I’m coining the #21Rooks 1st Edition. Last time we talked we were immersed in an amazing 2020 postseason. It was a blast and we found several opportunities to take advantage of in the sports card hobby. Now that 2021 Topps Series One is right around the corner, it’s time to gear back up for another amazing season of baseball.
Join us all seasons as we take a look at all the top prospects who get their rookie cards in 2021. This should be an amazing rookie class as long as the MLB Players Association gives us the good stuff. This time around we are previewing prospects who made their MLB debut in 2020 and should have a better then good chance to receive their RC shield in 2021 Topps Series One.
When all these kids made their debut, they had a good amount of prospect hype. Some lived up to it and others faltered during the COVID calamity that was the 2020 season. One thing is for sure, Series One will look to shine hobby hype back on their potential. Don’t forget to garb some of their 1st Bowman’s before they jump too high. It looks like the Baseball market is jumping a few weeks earlier than normal in preparation for spring training and the new season.
Alec Bohm Age:24 Debut: 08-13-2020 GP: 43
Alec Bohm Age:24 Debut: 08-13-2020 GP: 43(Find his RC’s on eBay RIGHT HERE)
To say Bohm hit the ball well form the moment he was called up would be an understatement. In 2020 Bohm was paced the pack of young players we’re taking a look at here. Really, he did more then that, as he led the league, hitting for a .452 average with runners in scoring position during his time in the majors. In his 43 games he showed the ability to be selective and patient while flashing good gap power. As he continues to develop, we could see more and more balls clear the wall. The current knock is his defensive abilities at third base. This matters little to the hobby and his bat will play regardless of position. His 2018 1st Bowman sits in the reasonable range and like most of these kids there remains plenty of raw available on the market for the grade and flip game. His first flagship RC will be a hot one especially if we get a crack at it this February.
Jo Adell Age: 21 Debut: 09-01-2020 GP: 38
(Find his RC’s on eBay RIGHT HERE)
It’s always a good thing to see the player’s rookie card used as a preview image to promote the new release. Adell really struggled with pitch recognition in his debut season and it showed in his stats across the board. Was it the odd season or was he just up a year early? Consider Adell only played 27 game at Triple-A. He’s young and has all the talent to make the necessary adjustments. He has a chance of starting the 2021 season in the minors, but after playing 38 games in 2020 he wouldn’t be there for long. Keep a close eye on his progress and production this spring, as it won’t take much for his cards sky rocket. If it all clicks, we could see him on the highlight reels this summer. Just diel up the video of his 2020 110mph home run that flew 437 feet and you’ll see why he’s a ROY candidate. His 2015 1st Bowman’s are nice buy right now. I wouldn’t hessite to jump on this star prospect’s flagship rookie when in Series One.
Dylan Carlson Age: 21 Debut: 08-21-2020 GP: 35
(Find his RC’s on eBay RIGHT HERE)
The Redbirds young bat has plenty of hobby hype prior to his callup. Unfortunately, much like Adell he scuffled at first. Struggling to hit off speed stuff while appearing to press, they didn’t let him flounder. Carlson was sent back to the alternative training site to slow down and work on a few things. After only 10 days he was recalled and began to perform. This led to him starting in the playoffs and batting cleanup. Nothing has shown that this trend shouldn’t continue in 2021. He projects to be a middle of the order hitter, who will establish his contact while further developing his power. We haven’t seen a lot of movement on his 2016 1st Bowman cards which gives me the feeling that people are holding while playing wait-n-see game. With little to nothing in his way, the expectations are for Dylan to be on the opening day roster. With 35 games played in 2020 look for his Topps flagship RC sooner than later.
Ke’Bryan Hayes Age: 23 Debut: 09-01-2020 GP: 24
(Find his RC’s on eBay RIGHT HERE)
Hayes came in like a hurricane for the last month of 2020 hitting seven doubles, two triples, and five home runs. He pounded the ball showing more power than he ever did in the minors. This wasn’t an accident as he made several adjustments to his swing during quarantine after testing positive for COVID in summer camp. The really nice thing about this is he didn’t abandon his plate discipline and average to gain pop. Now we’re not saying he won’t regress in 2021. Keep in mind this was an extremely small sample size and pitchers didn’t get a chance to force him to adjust. This will happen and his numbers will dip. But even if they do, a dip will leave them in a good spot to produce in the Pirates’ lineup. His 2015 1st Bowman is still very affordable. The hobby loves a storyline like Hayes, so expect his 2021 flagship RC to be a hot one.
Nick Madrigal Age: 23 Debut: 07-21-2020 GP: 29
(Find his RC’s on eBay RIGHT HERE)
Nick played well in his 2020 debut. Unfortunately, he lost a lot of plate appearances due to a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery. While not a power hitter he’s viewed as a table setter with good speed on the bases. This should equate to some time in lime light scoring runs while batting in front of the White Sox’s young and talented lineup. Due to his lack of power, we’re looking at Madrigal less as a hobby favorite and more as White Sox fan favorite keeping this ceiling low. This doesn’t mean there’s not an opportunity here as his market entry point is low. Don’t forget while his injury hurt his hype, only playing in 29 games kept his rookie status intact for 2021. While waiting for this flagship rookie card you should check out his 2018 1st Bowman.
Evan White Age: 24 Debut: 07-24-2020 GP: 54
(Find his RC’s on eBay RIGHT HERE)
White was a guy we really liked. Maybe not as much as the Mariners did considering they gave him a huge contract prior to ever seeing an AB in the bigs. His K rate was through the roof at 41%. Don’t let that cause you to overlook the power he is capable of when contact occurs. Considering he is a prototypical first basemen and has gold glove ability the job is his to lose. If he makes the adjustments and shows more patience at the plate, we could see some serious improvement in his baseball and hobby numbers. While Mariners fans gravitated towards ROY Kyle Lewis in 2020 and are anxiously await Jarred Kelenic and Juilo Rodriguez in 2021, you might find some good arbitrage in White. Checking out White’s 2017 1st Bowman is probably not a horrible idea.
Ryan Mountcastle Age: 23 Debut: 08-21-2020 GP: 35
(Find his RC’s on eBay RIGHT HERE)
Mountcastle showed his patience while the Orioles played the control game with him in 2020. The good news is once he got the call Ryan transferred that patience to the plate and flashed some pop along with it. He posted 14 multi-hit games during his 35 games played. Excelling with runners in scoring position, he hit for a .343 average. That number raised to .417 with RISP and two outs. That’s not normal and should speak volumes about his approach. Now here’s the knock on him, he plays for the Orioles and that caps his hobby ceiling. We’re not a fan of this thought process, as his entry hobby price point is also low. He was one of best young hitters last year, has power, and hits to all fields. While they are the lowly Orioles Mountcastle is only one of the several young talented players getting ready to turn it around. Check out his 2015 1st Bowmans as plenty of raw are available and they seem to be undervalued compared to his talent. We’ll be running down as much of his Flagship RC as we can.
Bobby Dalbec Age: 25 Debut: 08-30-2020 GP: 23
(Find his RC’s on eBay RIGHT HERE)
We’ll call him Mr. Dalbec as he’s the elder states men of this group. While never hitting for average, he has always been known for his power to all fields. He crushed eight home runs in his 23 games and smacked 5 of them in consecutive games. These are things that pull at the hobby heartstrings. Why is he 25 and just getting the call up in 2020? Well, you might jump on 42% K rate last year. But we’d like to point out that number is almost double from his 25% in the minors. If he reigns this in and keeps rolling with his natural power Boston is onto something. Bobby might currently be feast or famine, but if he’s feasting in 2021 we’d like to join him. As 4th rounder you might be able to dig a few of his 2016 1st Bowman out of a box.
Joey Bart Age: 23 Debut: 08-20-2020 GP: 33
(Find his RC’s on eBay RIGHT HERE)
Bart has the name recognition you’re looking for and plays a position you don’t. At catcher he was probably called up a year early. Major league pitching exploited the holes in his swing he hasn’t closed yet. We look for Joey to open 2021 in the minors and make some adjustments to his swing. If he can catchup to the inside heat that was causing him trouble, it might slowdown pitchers from busting him on breaking balls. This is just the beginning for Bart who at this time is still more prospect, then he is budding star rook. However, given the 33 games he played in 2020 his 2021 Flagship RC isn’t far off. You don’t have to look far to find some good deals on his 2019 1st Bowman.
Cristian Pache Age: 21 Debut: 08-21-2020 GP: 14
(Find his RC’s on eBay RIGHT HERE)
With by far the smallest sample size of all the players we’ve talked about, Pache is by no means the least talented. While Atlanta only played him in two regular season games, they didn’t think twice running with him in centerfield for 12 games in the playoffs. Cristian responded we’ll chipping in one homerun and four RIB. Currently his defense is light years ahead of his bat as he shows gold glove ability. He looks to be an intelligent hitter at the plate but has been extremely pull heavy during his time in the minors. Pache’s limited playing time could leave his first Flagship rookie in limbo, but when it drops it’ll be time to go hunting. In the meantime, give his 2018 first Bowman a look.
As always thanks for the read! Please be sure to check back in. We will be having fun previewing, following, and tracking all the youngsters as they make their way through the 2021 season. We won’t leave you Wander-ing. 😉
Bullit~ (Follow me on Twitter)
