Intro

2026 Topps Series One is upon us as teams load up their equipment trucks departing to Florida and Arizona and sunset times slowly creep back to a more tolerable hour. I assume I am not alone, given the general hardcore nature of our reader base, in counting the days to Opening Day, and even though I know Paul Skenes will shut down my Mets on March 26th at Citi Field I am as excited as ever to get baseball back.

To make one thing clear off the jump - this is a great release, and a checklist more resembling the years prior to 2025 with exciting rookies galore after Nick Kurtz and James Wood basically had to carry 2025 products across the finish line. Series One is headlined by Roman Anthony, Jac Caglianone, Nolan McLean, Cam Schlittler, and Samuel Basallo. The “Second Tier” here is quite deep, with a plethora of names who would firmly push for Tier One status in an average release. Chase Burns, Jacob Misiorowski, Colson Montgomery, and Bubba Chandler all have a case to be included in Tier One, and below them within Tier Two the grouping of Jonah Tong, Payton Tolle, and Carson Williams all have an elite level tool or pitch despite having some flaws in their profile. I could go on, but I figure it’s not the best practice to lead off the article by listing every Tier in its entirety (there are a few more Tier Two guys I haven’t yet named, for at least a hint of mystery). Series One is a bit refreshing in that, unlike Topps Update Series, there isn’t a ton of complete fodder that makes up the majority of the checklist. There are still a decent number of older relievers and guys who got 8 at bats and have already signed to play in Korea or Japan in 2026, but generally speaking it’s a higher quality release both at the top as well as in terms of limiting hits that will make you swear off buying hobby boxes for good.

Our now former Hobby Editor, Joe Lowry, has stepped back from his role, so I am taking over these articles in their entirety for the time being as the rest of our team focuses on Bowman and a more data heavy article profile (which I cannot recommend enough, and urge you to check out). My goal here was to meet the article somewhere in the middle from prior years, where we had both a long form article in addition to a TLDR format article. This will be the sole publication on Series One, and while my initial goal was to essentially follow TLDR format for Tier None and some Tier Three guys and write more for the bigger names, I have realized my writing style is ridiculously verbose and writing a snippet isn’t my strong suit (I wish I could only write a sentence on some of these guys, trust me). I’m also adding in a note for each team to act as a general checklist overview and discuss the rookies for each team, who you’re chasing, and, simply put, if the product is worth buying based on who your favorite team has in the checklist.

Given the new format, and my still new-ish presence on the site, I want to urge everyone to feel free to leave feedback, whether it be in the comments here, via email, or to me directly on socials (@jabacards on X and Instagram). I want to do the best job possible for you all, and am always taking suggestions and feedback for what you, the readers, want in these articles. You’re probably stuck with me here, so it benefits everyone if I can make these articles in a way that covers whatever people prioritize and want most from them. Now, I’ll finally shut up (see what I mean about the verbose writing style? I think I’m still used to writing with an eye on maximizing word counts despite being nearly 5 years removed from College), and get to the meat and potatoes of this article!

Tier Ranks

Tier 1 - Cream of the crop. Combination of high-end Hit and Power tools that won’t end up as full-time designated hitters. Power/Speed combo players. Elite SP 1 pitchers (very rare). Potential for being perennial All-Stars and award winners.

Tier 2 - Bats that may lack in a certain area such as top-end power, three true outcomes players with huge power, great real life/fantasy players, but not hobby-elite, or tantalizing raw talents. High-end SP 2 pitchers with additional positive factors such as team, arsenal, pedigree, etc.

Tier 3 - May have some hobby interest due to a single factor such as prospect pedigree, team interest, general hobby hype, an interesting carrying tool, etc.

Tier None - The likelihood of widespread short-term hobby interest, and most likely long-term as well, is close to none. Plenty of pitchers, catchers, role players, hit-tool-only bats, Quad-A power bats, defense-first players, etc. to be found here. Hobby lottery tickets where the odds are stacked against you.

2026 Topps Series 1

Arizona Diamondbacks

Release Rundown : The D-Backs boast 3 relievers and a utility man in this release, and only one is actually in the organization as of this writing. If it makes D-Backs fans feel better, you’re not missing out on highly collectible players here.

Tier None

Brandyn Garcia (LHP, 25) The 25 year old New England native debuted for the Mariners in 2025 before being part of the package heading to Arizona for Josh Naylor. Not sure why Garcia gets a Diamondbacks RC while Juan Burgos, who was on the opposite end of the same trade, is also a Diamondback in this release. The big lefty wasn’t great in the Majors, posting a 5.65 ERA in 14 appearances (14.1 IP), but he was solid between AA and AAA, posting a 3.45 ERA with a 55:25 K:BB in 44.1 IP. He’s probably a bit better than his numbers suggest, but not close to relevant on the Hobby radar. - Will Jarvis

Kyle Backhus (LHP, 28) Backhus is a 28 year old lefty reliever who is now with the Phillies organization. He was passable enough for the Diamondbacks in 2025, posting a 4.62 ERA in 32 appearances (25.1 IP), with a 22:8 K:BB rate. He was actually phenomenal in AAA Reno (which I have to imagine is a launching pad), posting a 2.05 ERA in 26.1 IP with a much better K rate, so I don’t think he’s irrelevant for real life purposes. He was acquired by the Phillies in exchange for Avery Owusu-Asiedu, a 22 year old who posted a .752 OPS between A and A+ ball last year, so while not a deal you’d hear about unless you went looking for it, it seems like both names are worth knowing casually. Backhus could be a nice pen piece for the Phillies, or at the very least an optionable left handed arm with control (the likely outcome). Not worth knowing for the hobby, but could become a solid Major Leaguer. - Will Jarvis

Juan Burgos (RHP, 26) Debuted with the D-Backs in 2025 despite ending 2024 at High-A (where he was pretty good!) Burgos pitched well between AA and AAA and got the call to the bigs, where the results hit a wall. He posted a 6.08 ERA in 13 MLB appearances with 14:8 K: BB in 13.1 IP. He was traded to Seattle in the Eugenio Suarez deal. He’s 26 and a full time reliever, so not much to see here. - Will Jarvis

Tristin English (OF, 28) English was grabbed by the D-Backs in the 3rd round out of Georgia Tech back in 2019, and made his brief debut in 2025, going 2-22 with a double and 8 K’s. He seems to play all over the corner spots in the minors, both infield and outfield, and was a first baseman for the big club. He was recently signed by the Braves as a Minor League Free Agent, which is cool as he’s a Georgia native and Georgia Tech alum. He’s 28, so while you’d hope he can get another stint in the Majors, he’s not someone worth following at this point in time. - Will Jarvis

Athletics

Release Rundown : There’s quantity in the release, and while I wouldn’t say there’s a lack of quality, there aren’t any guys I’m super excited about from a card perspective. Jack Perkins has the stuff to be a good starter or a high leverage reliever if he can work through some command issues, Colby Thomas has serious raw power, Carlos Cortes is a fun super-utility guy, but none of these guys will ever make an All-Star game unless it all comes together for Perkins. Even Morales has good numbers, he just didn’t rack up strikeouts and an Athletics pitcher who doesn’t strike out a ton of guys will struggle to build appeal. It’s just a bunch of Tier Three/Tier None fringe guys who have some appeal but plenty of warts as well.

Tier 3

Jack Perkins (RHP, 26) Perkins is a former 5th rounder out of Indiana, apparently now an athletic blue blood, and made his debut out of the pen for the Athletics in 2025. As I stare at his Baseball Reference page on my other monitor, I can’t help but be distracted by his resemblance to former Twin, Glen Perkins. There is no connection to be found on Google, and they hail from different states, but check out that resemblance if you’re feeling crazy. Anyhow, Perkins posted a 2.86 ERA in 9 AAA starts in Vegas (even more impressive considering the hitting environment), posting 68 K’s in 44 IP, and he logged a 4.19 ERA in 12 appearances (4 starts, 38.2 IP) for the Athletics. He had a less eye popping K:BB rate of 37:18 there, but it does seem like there is something worth looking into with Perkins. It seems he hit the IL in August and was never seen again, with limited detail to be found online, however you’d imagine if it was Tommy John we’d know by now. If he’s healthy, I think Perkins is a sneaky value guy given his elite whiff rates and strong velo. He’s probably too wild and inefficient to start, but I think there’s a valuable pitcher in some capacity here. He’s Tier Three for me because he’s probably a reliever and on the Athletics, but I do think he’s worth keeping an eye on (aka don’t throw his cards away). - Will Jarvis

Luis Morales (RHP, 23) Morales was quite good in his debut in 2025, as the Cuban righty posted a 3.14 ERA over 48.2 Innings (9 Starts, 1 Relief). After striking guys out at a 10+ per nine clip in the minors, Morales didn’t really generate strikeouts at a great rate, with 43 punchouts in his 48.2 innings of work. He’s struggled with walks a bit throughout his pro career, and while his 18 walks in 48.2 IP aren’t necessarily bad, it’s just a pretty unexciting line outside of the ERA (which I worry is volatile in such a hitter friendly home environment). To back up a bit of this negativity, Morales had a pretty bad Savant profile, with 90th percentile fastball velocity (97.3 MPH), and everything else clocking in worse than 50th percentile. There’s a lot of room for regression, and the advanced data supports the idea that the really nice ERA might not be sustainable. He’s fine for now, but a worse line in 2026 is almost guaranteed here. I’d focus on Perkins if you really want to pick an arm from the A’s. - Will Jarvis

Tier None

Colby Thomas (OF, 25) Going into this article, I wrote up my list of names for every team and noted Thomas as my “likely pick to have any value for the A’s here”. Well, I didn’t realize Jack Perkins has real closer potential, and I didn’t realize that Thomas struck out 49 times in 132 Major League Plate appearances. Thomas was a fringe top-100 guy going into 2025, and he showed off pretty monstrous home run power once again, following up 31 homers in 2024 with an 18 homer line across 82 AAA contests. Thomas is a corner outfielder whose carrying tool is his power, so it isn’t shocking that strikeouts have been his Achilles heel at every level thus far. He’s been over a 25% K rate in every year since being drafted, and that pushed closer to 40% in his MLB debut (albeit a short-ish sample). He clubbed 6 homers, but a 49:7 K:BB line is pretty gruesome. Given the crowded nature of the Athletics lineup heading into 2026 (I can’t believe I’m writing that sentence), it’s almost impossible to see Thomas carving out a serious role outside of injuries popping up. I think he’s a perfectly passable bench bat given the raw power potential, however he might benefit most from working on the hit tool in AAA. He’s only 25, so there could be some tweaks to make more contact and really unlock the power. He’s a tweener, but given how bad the strikeout rate is, I have to place him in Tier None. But, he is worth watching. - Will Jarvis

Carlos Cortes (OF, 28) The ambidextrous fielding former Met farmhand (say that 5 times fast), debuted for the Athletics in 2025, and while the initial read was that Cortes profiled as a bench player who could plug in at basically any position, he fared really well in his debut, posting a .866 OPS with 4 homers and a .309 BA across 99 plate appearances. He had a ridiculous 1.017 OPS for AAA Vegas (launching pad, yes, but that’s beyond just hitter friendly results), popping 17 homers in 71 games. What’s crazy is that Cortes did this while standing at a pretty well built 5’7” 197 pound frame. He played both corner outfield spots in addition to third for the Athletics, and the positional versatility is something that should likely have him feeling comfortable with where he stands heading into Spring Training. His Savant page shows that the power outburst is likely not sustainable, however the limited results are pretty much average or better across the board, something that probably wasn’t expected to be part of his game heading into 2025. He’s a Tier None guy because again, I don’t see where every day reps come from in the lineup for him, but he’s a fun player and easy to root for as a smaller guy who battled through the minors since 2018. - Will Jarvis

Mason Barnett (RHP, 25) Barnett is a 25 year old depth arm who posted a 6.85 ERA in 22.1 IP for the Athletics. If you think this is a bit too harsh or blunt, I’d counter by pointing out that he posted a 6.13 ERA in 119 IP in AAA with 65 walks to 124 K’s. The former Auburn 3rd rounder came out hot in 2023 and posted a 3.30 ERA across 23 starts between A+ and AA, but regressed to a 4.20 in AA in 2024 before the tough 2025 campaign. Not worth looking too deep here.- Will Jarvis

Atlanta Braves

Release Rundown : A lonely release for Didier Fuentes and Braves fans- Fuentes is a promising young arm who was rushed and arrived as an undercooked product, but there is reason for optimism long term. Just not a super exciting or hit-filled release for the Braves this go around.

Tier 3

Didier Fuentes (RHP, 20) Fuentes was rushed- like, really, really rushed- to the Majors by the Braves last year (as they’ve done with frequency of late), and this one didn’t work out great. I think the Bowman market got a bit harsh on Fuentes, reacting as if his poor performance (13.85 ERA in 13 IP/4 starts) was that of a 23 or 24 year old rather than a guy who turned 20 in July. He was excellent in A-ball in 2024, and had passable results in a small sample (5 starts, 3.63 ERA) at AAA in 2025, but it was really a mess of a year. Fuentes is still well ahead of schedule and would benefit from a full year in AAA, or even AA, but should absolutely be judged on a generous curve for his results in the Majors. The profile, even at its peak, isn’t that of a front line starter, but unless the Braves mess up his development by having him pitch at various levels seemingly at random again, I think there's a good bet Fuentes is a solid Major League starter down the road. - Will Jarvis

Baltimore Orioles

Release Rundown : O’s fans have grown spoiled in recent years with exciting young talent debuting seemingly every other month, and this appears to be the last group from their initial rebuild wave. Basallo is a monster, regardless of where he spends his time defensively, Beavers is another fun outfielder, and even Jeremiah Jackson, who was basically a non-prospect at this time last year, broke out with the big club. It’s a good little checklist with a bit of everything.

Tier 1

Samuel Basallo****(C/1B, 21)

Even though he struggled in his debut and is likely not going to remain a catcher for long in the Majors, I am supremely confident in placing Basallo in Tier One for this product. He will be just 21 until August, and has routinely showcased ridiculous in-game power that doesn't require any sacrifice from his contact ability. Basallo is another guy who basically gave his organization no choice but to continue promoting him upon starting in the Minors- he pushed his way from A ball to kick off 2023 as an 18 year old to end the year at AA, with a .953 cumulative OPS and sub 20% K rate, and in 2024 things slowed down a bit, but he still posted a .790 OPS while working his way up to AAA. In 2025, Basallo returned to AAA ready to dominate. He posted a .966 OPS with 23 homers in 76 games as a 20 year old, just completely ridiculous stuff especially considering he was catching many of those games. The defense isn’t good and there is almost zero chance he is a primary catcher at any point in his career, but the bat is so good that even losing positional value moving to 1st base doesn’t give me any sort of pause. He’s a monster at 6’4” 180 lbs, so it seems very reasonable to think there’s a ton of room to put on 20-30 pounds. I can’t even imagine how that will boost his power- he hit 4 homers in the Pros, most notably a 433 foot walk off off of Dodgers closer Tanner Scott (left on left!), and another 420 foot no doubter off of Cam Schlittler. I think Basallo will be a monster for years to come, and compete with Nick Kurtz for the starting gig in many all star games. I’m very excited about him, and I think his cards should be in high demand. - Will Jarvis

Tier 3

Jeremiah Jackson****(SS, 26)

Jackson had a very surprising debut in 2025- he posted a .775 OPS with 5 homers in 48 games as a 25 year old rookie, and while he struck out too much the results firmly show he can handle a Major League role moving forward. I say “very surprising” because as a Mets fan, I followed Jackson in the minors and he was let loose after a 2024 campaign in AA where he finished with a .618 OPS and a ridiculous K rate. He joined the Orioles organization and clearly made major changes, slashing the K rate dramatically and going nuts in 40 AAA games with a 1.073 OPS, doing more than enough to earn a call up. It’s cool to see that he performed pretty well there too, even with some warts. I’m not sure he’s an every day starter at the big league level, but if you had asked me at this time last year I would’ve bet a good bit of dough that he’d never see an MLB at bat. I’m rooting for Jackson and placing him in Tier 3. The ceiling is low as an older guy, but as he showed this past season, you never know what a guy can tweak in order to break out. - Will Jarvis

Dylan Beavers****(OF, 24)

The 24 year old Beavers had a fun debut for the Orioles in 2025, posting a .775 OPS on the back of 4 homers in 35 games. He finds himself as a consensus top 100 prospect heading into 2026, and the outfielder should follow up a AAA campaign where he posted a .934 OPS in 94 games with a nice year in the Majors if given an every day role. He posted 18 homers and 23 steals in AAA last year, so there’s clear pop and speed, and his strikeout numbers were cut pretty dramatically year over year, while he walked a ton. Both metrics weren’t good in his debut, but he really improved his contact rates last year so I have faith that he will have a K rate closer to, or better than, average once things stabilize. The Orioles are in a weird spot where basically all the young guys are now up, and there isn’t a ton of extra playing time to go around. But, guys get hurt, underperform, etc. and Beavers will almost certainly get a larger stint of playing time for the O’s in 2026, if not immediately. He’s a high tier three guy right now- I’m scared off by the card market/performances of guys like Colton Cowser, so he’ll have to earn a spot higher this year, but he does have the makings of a valuable outfield piece for the Orioles. - Will Jarvis

Boston Red Sox

Release Rundown : The Yankees got “All Rise”, and now Sox fans are enjoying the early years of the “Roman Empire” at Fenway. Anthony has all the tools of a superstar, and the early results back that up. Tolle burst onto the scene with an electric debut before struggling a bit, but he’s got an elite fastball and if he can develop his secondaries, he will be a mid-rotation flamethrower at the absolute least. Garcia, AKA “The Password” was traded to Pittsburgh over the winter- he had great minor league numbers but struggled in his debut, and advanced data raises some questions even around his AAA production. Now a Pirate, he should get time to work things through, but he is trending down a bit. A great release for Red Sox fans!

Tier 1

Roman Anthony****(OF, 21)

Not really a bold statement here, but in a really good release for rookies, Roman Anthony is still far and away the best player in this product. He’s a former top overall prospect basically by consensus, and he showcased his ridiculous talent and high ceiling immediately upon debuting in 2025. Still just 21 years old, Anthony posted a 3.1 bWAR in 71 contests for the Red Sox, posting an .859 OPS (140 OPS+), hitting 8 homers, and showing a great command of the zone with an OBP of .396. The power came more by way of doubles for Anthony as a rookie, but there’s obvious home run power and those should pile up very soon. He is also more than serviceable in right field, and while the Sox outfield is a bit of a logjam, they can feel comfortable with him creating positive value in either corner spot. The minor league numbers were crazy- he exploded in 2023 as a 19 year old and his status only grew from there. He has all the makings of a future 6-8 WAR corner outfield franchise player, and as a Boston resident, I’m thankful he’s not a righty, because he could turn Lansdowne Street behind the Green Monster into a very dangerous area if he were. He’s almost a shoo-in to post at least 5 WAR this year, and this is the kind of guy who you collect as his age, early results, and advanced metrics put him firmly in the future superstar tier. - Will Jarvis

Tier 2

Payton Tolle****(LHP, 23)

The 2024 2nd rounder out of TCU debuted for the Sox in 2025, yet another pitcher absolutely forcing his way to a big league debut on the heels of making minor league hitters look foolish. Tolle isn’t quite in the top tier, and is reminiscent of Jonah Tong and Chase Burns where the primary stuff (ridiculous fastball) is elite, but the secondaries are raw and in need of refinement. He had a great debut start but started to get hit when it became clear his fastball was his sole weapon (quite the weapon, to be clear). The gigantic 23 year old lefty will likely head back to AAA Worcester to kick off the 2026 campaign, and I think a decent body of work down there messing around with secondary pitches and general command will do a lot of good for his future. He had a 6.06 ERA in 16.1 IP with 19 K’s and 8 walks, and the numbers took a hit by allowing 5 homers in that small sample, but the upside is obvious and he has an incredibly strong foundation with his heater. If he can develop his secondaries, he’s got top end potential. If not, he profiles as a back end guy or high leverage reliever. We will have a much better sense of who he is after the 2026 season. - Will Jarvis

Tier 3

Jhostynxon Garcia****(OF, 23)

The Password enjoyed a breakout rise in 2024 heading into 2025, and earned a call up to the Red Sox that was quite brief before being traded to the Pirates this winter. He went just 1-7 in his first shot at the Majors, but he just turned 23 and is primed to have more playing time ahead of him roaming the outfield grass at PNC. He has a pretty small frame, but makes the most out of it, and he popped 21 homers in the minors in 2025 after hitting 23 in 2024. He posted an .810 OPS last year, predominately at AAA Worcester, and stroked 18 homers in 81 games there. He did strike out quite a bit- right around 30% in AAA, which is scary, and he doesn’t really draw a ton of walks. All things considered, he’s the textbook top of Tier Three type guy. There’s real power, but the K rate is scary, he isn’t a big guy, and he now finds himself playing in Pittsburgh. I don’t really think the power will translate super well unless he starts making a lot more contact, but he could be a nice player down the road. Just not really my type of prospect profile. - Will Jarvis

Chicago Cubs

Release Rundown: Welp, the Cubs got a singular rookie in the product, and while he’s a good one, he is now in the Marlins organization after being sent to South Beach in the Edward Cabrera trade. If you’re a Cubs fan, you’re probably sleeping well at night not buying any team breaks in this one.

Tier 2

Owen Caissie (OF, 23)

Caissie spent the last two years in the 40-60 range on most major top prospect lists, and took part in back to back Futures Games for the NL. He was the headliner in the package that brought Edward Cabrera to the North Side, while Caissie heads for the 305. My first thought after looking at Caissie is that, much like myself, he is going to get very badly sunburned in Miami. Caissie was a top prospect for a reason, and the 23 year old corner outfielder popped 22 homers in just 99 AAA contests in 2025, posting an impressive .937 OPS. He struggled in his brief Cub debut, going 5-26 with a homer and 11 K’s, but a small enough sample that I’m comfortable writing it off. He did struggle with strikeouts in the minors, with a rate over 25% in AAA this past year after putting up similar numbers in AAA as a 21 year old in 2024, so there’s at least a bright yellow flag there. He draws his walks, so you’d imagine that it’s more of a swing issue than a pitch recognition one, which is generally more fixable (I’m a firm believer that you can’t really teach zone control- you got it or you don’t, shout out to my favorite Met Juan Soto). My concern here is that the Marlins just don’t develop bats at all outside of maybe Jakob Marsee (TBD, more on him later), and it’s obviously a pitchers park. He should have ample runway and be penciled in for a starting job this Spring, and I like the idea that he will probably have a long leash to work through any early adjustment period. The power is there, he just needs to make more contact, because when he does, results are there. He’s a Tier Two guy for me, and one of the guys I am most curious to follow in the product in 2026. - Will Jarvis

Chicago White Sox

Release Rundown : Colson Montgomery was the victim of a bit of prospect fatigue by the time he got the call up last year, but he went totally nuts and showcased crazy power while playing a phenomenal shortstop. Kyle Teel is likely at least half of the future catching battery on the South Side with Edgar Quero, and Teel is probably a bit more highly touted in that duo. Grant Taylor is fun as a future potential closer, and similar to Jack Perkins with the Athletics.

Tier 2

Colson Montgomery****(SS, 23)

Montgomery was the 22nd pick by the White Sox back in the 2021 Draft as a high school shortstop, and man did he make his presence known in his debut season. In 71 games, Montgomery posted a 3.3 bWAR, popped 21 homers, and posted an .840 OPS (130 OPS+). He did this while striking out over 25% of the time- not great. Perhaps even more notably, Montgomery had a 40 homer full season pace while playing elite defense at shortstop, coming in in the 92nd percentile on Savant for OAA (7). He isn’t particularly fast, which honestly makes the numbers even more impressive for a guy standing at 6’3” 230 lbs. The chase/whiff/k rates are all bad, the walk rate is average, and he hit the ball fairly hard fairly frequently but neither metric was off the chart. The spray chart tells the full story- Montgomery maximized his output by pulling a ton of balls in the air, the easiest way to maximize power output. I think a 40+ homer pace may be a bit difficult to replicate, but he feels like a lock for 30+ while playing elite defense at shortstop. That, folks, is getting into MVP vote territory. He needs to tidy up parts of his game to be clear, and he’s not going to do it overnight, but the ceiling is quite high and he’s a very underrated guy. He would’ve made Tier One in most products, but the K rate and the fact he’s on the White Sox pushed him to the top of Tier Two. Buy!- Will Jarvis

Kyle Teel****(C, 24)

Teel was one of the two big pieces shipped to the South Side when the Red Sox acquired Garrett Crochet last winter, and the former 1st rounder out of UVA showed why he was a serious piece of the deal almost immediately in 2025. Teel spent just about half the season in the Majors with the White Sox, and things went just about as well as you could reasonably expect. In 78 games, so call it half a season, Teel posted a .786 OPS (121 OPS+), stroked 8 homers, and spent the majority of games behind the dish. The bad news is the defense graded out pretty poorly- Teel posted a -4 Fielding Run Value per Savant, and average framing and pop times were dragged down by terrible blocking and stolen base rates. He’s 24 for 2026, so there is a ton of time to grow into a very difficult position. I must note, the Savant hitting page is a tad concerning. Teel showcased an elite walk rate, didn’t chase outside the zone, and his LA Sweet Spot % was one of the best in the league. The bad news is, he whiffed a lot, didn’t hit the ball hard too frequently, and the quality of contact just wasn’t particularly good. The fact Teel has 50th percentile sprint speed gives me hope there’s enough athleticism to grow into the defensive side of a starting catcher role, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see him move to first or even a corner OF spot. He’s at the bottom of Tier Two given the lack of a super exciting ceiling, but if he can hit well and stick at catcher, he will make a number of all star appearances. - Will Jarvis

Tier 3

Grant Taylor****(RHP, 23)

Taylor was a fairly useful reliever for the White Sox in 2025, pumping gas (98.7 MPH average) out of the pen to the tune of a 4.91 ERA with 54 K’s in 36.2 IP. Taylor really debuted in 2024 after getting Tommy John post 2022 MLB Draft, and posted a 1.01 ERA in 26.2 IP at AA in 2025 before getting the call directly to the Bigs. The fastball is a total weapon, he can rack up K’s, and 15 walks in 36.2 IP isn’t horrific. He also didn’t concede a single homer in the Majors. The Savant page is pretty good, and if he can just limit hard contact a bit more he has serious high leverage relief potential. He’s a Tier Three guy off that alone. - Will Jarvis

Tier None

Wikelman González****(RHP, 23)

Gonzalez debuted as a 23 year old reliever in 2025, and had a really nice final line- he posted a 2.66 ERA across 16 appearances (20.1 IP), in which he fanned 25 while walking 12 (ugh). He struggled in the Minors basically the entire way through the system, most recently posting a 4.73 ERA for the Red Sox AA club in 2024 before posting a 5.18 ERA in 22 AAA appearances for the White Sox in 2025 before his call up. Relievers are weird and you can’t fully rely on past performance to make projections, as you can’t really account for what changes are being made upon hitting the bigs (not to mention in the following offseason). With that being said, while the White Sox should be more respectable in 2026, I don’t think there will be a line of people chasing a White Sox reliever from this product- he’s the last option on what is actually a really nice release for White Sox fans. - Will Jarvis

Cincinnati Reds

Release Rundown : Chase Burns isn’t getting enough hobby love! Yes, I own a couple of his cards, but not enough to imply I’m doing a pump and dump here. Burns burst onto the scene with some electric starts for the Reds before quieting down a bit, and he was overshadowed by a ridiculous string of debuts from young pitchers like Jacob Misiorowski, Nolan McLean, Trey Yesavage, and even guys like Jonah Tong and Payton Tolle (and Connelly Early, etc etc). Other than his home park being probably the worst pitchers park in baseball, Burns is a stud and will be at the forefront of the rotation with Hunter Greene to form a more than formidable duo. He’s got the power pitcher style, will rack up K’s, and just be generally electric (which in turn should boost his market). You also get Will Banfield and Zach Maxwell in the release, but you’re here chasing Burns.

Tier 2

Chase Burns****(RHP, 23)

Another Tier Two guy who would be in Tier One in many other releases, Burns is a beast and I think he doesn’t get enough hobby love. The debut wasn’t the greatest, but man is he electric. The 2nd overall pick in what is already an all-time good 2024 draft class, the Wake Forest product posted a 4.57 ERA across 13 appearances (8 starts) good for 43.1 IP. He fanned a whopping 67 batters (please don’t say it) while walking 16. Obviously, the ERA isn’t great following a great debut start. But Burns posted a 1.77 ERA across 13 TOTAL minor league starts before getting the call, striking out 12.1 per 9 and walking just 1.8 per 9 before getting the call. He’s built like a front of the rotation guy, is still 23 years old, and man does it just feel like people are sleeping on him, likely due to the ridiculous amount of breakout arms last year. He is a two pitch pitcher right now, which is a serious problem and could force him to the pen at some point, so the concerns are not unwarranted there. You simply cannot get by as a MLB starter throwing fastball/slider 92% of the time. The fastball is insane, sitting at 98.7 MPH, and he still gets great chase rates (31.5% chase, 31.9% whiff) despite the lack of variety in his arsenal, but his third pitch is a change thrown only 6% of the time. Obviously, that needs to be developed or turned into a splitter or just something, because it does limit his ceiling pretty severely if he continues with this arsenal. I love the baseline right now, and he is similar to (albeit a bit better than) Jonah Tong in the sense where a few months in AAA developing a third pitch is almost a necessity in order for him to hit his long term ceiling. - Will Jarvis

Tier None

Will Banfield****(C, 26)

Banfield, a former 2nd rounder of the Marlins taken back in 2018, is probably just a depth catcher for now. He’s 26 and went 1-10 in his brief MLB debut, and posted just a .563 OPS in AAA in 2025 with two homers. He was light with the bat throughout his minor league career, and he doesn’t throw out base stealers at a great clip, so I think he’s firmly in Tier None as a guy who will be a third or fourth catcher for a while. - Will Jarvis

Zach Maxwell****(RHP, 25)

Maxwell is a big dude, coming in at 6’6” 275 lbs. Baseball Reference has his nickname listed as “Big Sugar”, and those two items are probably the biggest “plusses” to his Hobby profile. Unfortunately, he’s a 25 year old reliever for the Reds, so that almost immediately plops him into Tier None even with an awesome build/nickname combination. The Georgia Tech alum was solid in his MLB debut, posting a 4.50 ERA across 8 appearances (10 IP), with a 13:4 K:BB rate. He gave up 3 homers in his 10 IP which is a bit tough, but he showcased his ability to likely be a solid depth reliever in the minors, posting a 3.17 ERA in 2024 and a 4.17 ERA across 51 appearances in AAA in 2025. The strikeouts are solid but not great, he walks more guys than you’d like, and I struggle to see any sort of high leverage duty in his future, at least in the near term. - Will Jarvis

Cleveland Guardians

Release Rundown : The Guards boast a pair of sleepers in the product, as while CJ Kayfus and Parker Messick likely aren’t household names, it seems as though at least Messick is on track to see a boost in status in 2026. Neither is a young top prospect with a ton of hype, but there is some value here.

Tier 2

Parker Messick****(LHP, 24)

The 24 year old left handed Florida State alum had quite the debut with the Guardians in 2025, going 3-1 with a 2.72 ERA across 7 starts. He fanned 38 in 39.2 innings of work, and only walked 6. Messick certainly didn’t come out of nowhere, as the second rounder worked his way into earning real prospect status in the minors, posting a 2.83 ERA split between A+ and AA in 2024 before a 2025 campaign in AAA that saw him put up a 3.47 ERA with nearly 11 K/9 across 20 starts. Messick does quite well to limit walks, and while his fastball doesn’t stand out in terms of velocity (sitting at 92.8 MPH per Savant), he consistently throws 5 pitches and none seem to hurt him. He limits walks and hard contact quite well, and while the strikeouts will likely dwindle closer to 8 K/9 in the Majors due to an average chase and whiff rate, he should thrive if he continues to keep the quality of contact low and keeps the ball on the ground. He’s 25 already, but should be a core piece of the Guardians rotation for years to come. He’s a Tier Two name, and I came in thinking he was Tier Three but found myself pretty blown away with his profile. - Will Jarvis

Tier 3

C.J. Kayfus****(1B, 24)

The 24 year old first baseman and corner outfielder hailing from Florida by way of the University of Miami broke into the Majors in 2025 and was pretty solid, posting an unexciting .707 OPS in 44 games (138 PA). He only bopped 4 homers, but the numbers were fine enough all around to assume he breaks camp with the Guardians in 2026. He was quite good in AAA in 2025, posting a .930 OPS in 86 games split between AA and AAA, and has basically mashed at every minor league level thus far. I think there’s real potential for a solid player here with Kayfus, but the lack of massive power probably makes him a bit less important for the Hobby. He’s a Tier Three guy who should be an average or better regular in 2026, I just don’t think he has enough power right now to be a true chase in the product outside of within the Guardians fanbase. - Will Jarvis

Colorado Rockies

Release Rundown : Blegh. Sorry Rockies fans, you’ve already been through enough. If you’re chasing the Rockies here, you’re either a long suffering loyal fan, or maybe you grew up watching Eric Karros. It’s a no from me, dog.

Tier None

Kyle Karros****(3B, 23)

The 23 year old Karros, picked in the 5th round of the 2023 Draft out of UCLA, debuted in 2025 and posted a .585 OPS in 43 games. He only hit one homer, and really didn’t hit for much power even in college, where he posted just a .792 OPS in the PAC-12 in his draft year. Being on the Rockies is already tough for Hobby value, and the fact he doesn’t at least have a chance to blast homers at Coors makes it hard to find him relevant for this purpose as of now. He was solid in the minors last year, posting a .874 OPS in 75 games, but again he hit just 6 homers. For a corner infielder, if you’re not going to hit for power, you’re not going to have hobby value.- Will Jarvis

Yanquiel Fernández****(OF, 23)

Yanquiel is now with the Yankees! Really glad I got to say that, and I admittedly said it out loud a few times writing this. I knew something felt off, though, and after a few more clicks I realized I was right- he just got DFA’d by the Yankees, too. I’m not deleting the first sentence, and nobody can make me! Fernandez was pretty bad for the Rockies in 2025- he had a bWAR of -0.8 in 52 games, which is almost impressive. Fernandez posted a .613 OPS in 147 PA’s, striking nearly 30% of the time and stroking just 4 homers. He actually struck out more in those 147 MLB PA’s than he did in 271 PA’s at AAA last year. He was good in AAA, posting a .849 OPS in 64 games, and is still just 23. His fielding value per Savant wasn’t even that bad! The hitting metrics are scary, with bat speed being the sole non ghastly metric. He’s 23 and has been OK at AAA, so is quite similar to Bernabel in that sense. I’m just gonna go with the cop out here and say that if the Rockies passed on him, and now the Yankees did as well, there has to be a good reason why he’s not getting a chance somewhere. - Will Jarvis

Warming Bernabel****(3B, 23)

Bernabel was perfectly OK in his debut in 2025 with the Rockies, posting a .698 OPS in 40 games. He didn’t strike out much, walked even less, and didn’t hit for a ton of power (4 homers). I suppose this helps explain why the Rockies were comfortable losing Bernabel this Winter, and he is now a member of the Nationals organization. He’s only 23, but he just lacks any real exciting tools right now. I do think there’s something to be said for the fact that he made the bigs and was maybe a hair below average as a 23 year old, but he hasn't posted double digit homers since 2022, only has 19 steals since 2022, and just doesn’t really stand out in any way. He seems like a perfectly viable organizational depth guy where you hope you can unlock some tweaks that create power or something to increase his value, but for now he’s just a guy. - Will Jarvis

Detroit Tigers

Release Rundown : This release catches the Tigers a bit early. Save your money for Update or 2027 Series One when a combo of McGonigle, Briceño, and Clark come up with Bryce Rainer trailing a year or so behind. Those guys won’t be cheap, so start saving up now.

Tier None

Dylan Smith****(RHP, 25)

A third round pick back in 2021 out of Alabama, Smith had a breakout 2025 after being moved to the bullpen, posting a 2.27 ERA across 39.2 IP in the minors culminating in a late season cup of coffee with the Tigers, where he was fantastic. Smith posted a 1.38 ERA in his 7 appearances (13 IP), although he bizarrely posted more walks (5) than strikeouts (4) while doing so. He punched out 57 guys in 39.2 IP in the minors, so I think there has to be some regression coming for Smith in the best way. While the bullpen move is likely a blow that keeps Smith from having Hobby interest, it is worth noting that after a few years of posting bad ERA’s as a starter he found immediate success in a relief role. Smith should get a ton of run out of the Tigers pen in 2026, and while he is a Tier None guy for this purpose, he could prove to be a nice piece for the Tigers. - Will Jarvis

Troy MeltonRHP(RHP, 25)

Another pretty good young reliever, the 25 year old Melton was quite good for the Tigers in 2025, posting a 2.76 ERA in 16 appearances (4 starts, 45.2 IP) with a 36:15 K:BB rate. The K’s are low and he gave up 7 homers, but the numbers are hard to argue with. The lack of strikeouts and the reliever tag keep him in Tier None, but he should be a key piece of a Tigers bullpen that looks to get back to the Postseason in 2026. - Will Jarvis

Houston Astros

Release Rundown : Not a bad release, per se, as Jacob Melton is a toolsy player and Brice Matthews has potential. However, Melton is in the Rays organization now. And while promising, Matthews is in that tier of guys who performed well in the minors and got back-end top 100 status and was then just OK in his debut. So a bit more wait and see there – he’s not enough to carry a team checklist. Kenedy Corona got 2 at bats for the ‘Stros and is now in the Yankees organization with a clogged depth chart ahead of him.

Tier 3

Brice Matthews****(2B, 23)

Certainly the best Astros rookie in the checklist, the 23 year old Matthews had a solid cup of coffee run in the Majors in 2025, posting a .675 OPS helped out by 4 homers in 47 plate appearances. He struck out in 20 of those PA’s, but the pop is notable. He was quite good in AAA in 2025, posting an .830 OPS with 17 homers and 41 steals across 112 contests, and you’d have to imagine the Astros want to give him some extended run in 2025. The strikeouts were also a tick above a 26% K rate in AAA, but if he can knock off a few basis points and wreak havoc on the basepaths while providing real pop, he’ll likely have a solid career. He’s basically hit at every level in the minors as he posted an .865 OPS in 2024 after being drafted out of Nebraska late in the 1st round of the 2023 Draft, and he’s a bit of an undervalued name in the baseball world right now. He has potential to be a 20-20 guy or better, and I could see people scrambling to grab his cards if he can come out of the gates hot in 2026. He’s in Tier Three for now given the OK results in a small sample, but he could easily be in Tier Two by May.- Will Jarvis

Jacob Melton****(OF, 25)

Now with the Rays, Melton is the classic guy who gets traded and people spend the winter saying he has the raw tools to be a massive steal if things break right. The 25 year old went 11-70 in his debut stint in 2025, failing to hit a homer but swiping 7 bags in 32 contests on his way to a .419 OPS. While he did post a .945 OPS in 35 AAA games with 6 homers and 12 steals, I just don’t really get the hype on this one. He isn’t particularly young, and has played 67, 105, and 99 games in his 3 pro seasons. I get the whole “if he can stay healthy” thing, but unfortunately he hasn’t and he isn’t a spring chicken. He’s been good in the minors, I just worry about his ability to stay on the field enough to hit his developmental ceiling, or even come close to it. I’m putting him in Tier Three solely so I don’t look like an idiot if he stays healthy and breaks out in 2026, but I frankly think he’s a Tier None guy. I don’t know why this is such a sassy write up (I get hangry)- I hope he has a great career, truly!- Will Jarvis

Tier None

Kenedy Corona****(OF, 26)

Now in the Yankees organization, the nearly 26 year old Corona went 0-2 in a very brief debut in 2025. I gotta be honest, I don’t see it. Corona had a .603 OPS in 2024 and a .635 OPS in AAA in 121 games in 2025. He actually had 21 homers and 32 steals on the way to a .789 OPS in A ball back in 2023, but he hit 3 in 98 games in 2024 and 7 last year. The steals have also been on the decline year over year, and he strikes out too much for a guy who doesn’t project to have much power. I’m not quite sure how he wound up debuting in 2025, but I struggle to see a world where he gets any run with the Yankees in 2026. - Will Jarvis

Kansas City Royals

Release Rundown : It’s the Cags show, folks! I don’t want to ruin the meat and potatoes of my write up for Jac Caglianone, but the Royals pushing in the fences at Kaufman in 2026 pushed him from initially being the last guy out of Tier 1 back into the top level here. His debut was shaky, but the power is very real and he will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new dimensions. Plus, he’s got the hype and market already with his Bowman cards. Luinder Avila joins Cags on the checklist, and while he was actually lights out in a small-ish relief sample, he’s a reliever and you’re here for Cags.

Tier 1

Jac Caglianone****(OF, 23)

I’m going to be honest with you all. If not for the recent announcement that Kauffman Stadium is bringing the fences in 10 feet (pretty significant), I would’ve had Cags in Tier 2. He was pretty bad in his first shot at the Majors, but the pedigree, raw power, and now friendlier dimensions cannot be ignored- especially for a guy who is an established hobby darling. It felt wrong to put a guy who still has a very hot, if no longer white hot, Bowman market anywhere but Tier 1. He was one of the huge Bowman Draft 2024 chases, and prices went absolutely crazy again after he was called up in 2025. He has prodigious power and basically forced his way to an early call up to KC, but man did his debut go poorly. A -1.3 bWAR is pretty hard to post, as Cags posted a .532 OPS with 7 homers and 52 K’s in 232 PA’s. The strikeout numbers actually aren’t that bad, but he needs some tweaks to his swing to maximize his ability to pull the ball and do so in the air. He was unbelievably good in the Minors in 2025- he was pretty aggressively started in AA, where he posted a .947 OPS in 38 contests, then posted a ridiculous 1.132 OPS in 28 AAA games before earning the call to the big club. His Savant page shows that he has ridiculous bat speed, but there really isn’t much red elsewhere. He had a solid barrel rate at 12%, but he just wasn’t squaring balls up and was chasing a ton. While it didn’t result in a horrible K rate, it’s easy to make the connection that the chase led to a ton of bad contact and easy outs. It’s always tough when a guy is clearly too good for the Minors- it isn’t worth letting him sit in AAA hitting a homer every other night, but clearly there are adjustments that need to be made. The raw power is truly nuts, and the fences moving in would have seen him hit 5-6 more homers last year just looking at his spray chart (nearly doubling his output). Another piece of bad news is that he looked terrible in Right Field, playing a Juan Soto-esque level of defense that is pretty ugly. He’s an insane athlete and a former two-way player, but I think a move to first base may be necessary unless there’s a major turnaround soon. I think he’s fun, and while he is quite risky and volatile, the hobby is about fun so he’s going in Tier One. I feel like I must say that his prices will likely be ridiculous at release and you could probably make a lot of your $ back selling any of his stuff and buying it back in a month, but if he puts it all together the prices will continue skyward. - Will Jarvis

Tier None

Luinder Avila****(RHP, 23)

The 23 year old righty hailing from Caracas, Venezuela debuted for the Royals in 2025, and he was quite good, posting a 1.29 ERA over 14 IP (13 appearances), and striking out 16 while walking 6. It’s tough to evaluate players who come up as relievers, as it’s almost always an immediate death sentence for their Hobby value, but man was he great in a small sample. It’s worth noting Avila was a starter in the minors up until his debut, but he was consistently posting ERA’s in the high 4.00’s and low 5.00’s at every level. Maybe the Royals unlocked something by moving him to the pen, and I’ll be curious to see how he performs in a larger body of work in 2026. - Will Jarvis

Los Angeles Angels

Release Rundown : Christian Moore is a pretty polarizing player at this point in time, and that’s gonna be very apparent as you dig through my write up. He could turn into an All-Star level second baseman or post a negative WAR in 2026 and neither outcome would be surprising to me. Chad Stevens just adds empty calories to the checklist as an older Rookie who barely got at bats in 2025.

Tier 2

Christian Moore (2B, 23) Moore was a stud at Tennessee and went nuts in a 25 game sample in 2024 post draft between A ball and AA, posting a .984 OPS. As such, he was a pretty major chase in 2024 Bowman Draft. Moore followed it up by struggling to begin the year in AA (.665 OPS in 34 games), but earned a call up to AAA nonetheless, where results improved over 30 games with a .853 OPS. As the Angels tend to do, they got Moore up to the Majors so quickly that I’m starting to question if their front office thinks the Rule 5 Draft means if a guy doesn’t debut within 12 months of being drafted, you lose him. I hesitate to say that Moore was bad in his 53 game debut stint with the big club, with a .655 OPS covering up a scary .198 average and 33.6% K rate. He was actually pretty impactful in relation to those numbers, making the most of his positive results with 7 long balls (pacing to break 20 over a 162 game stretch as a 22 year old 2B is worth noting!). He tripled at Yankee Stadium (he grew up a Yankee fan) for his first career hit, plays with a lot of emotion and energy, and is an easy guy to root for. On the flip side, he strikes out a ton and the Angels recent player development track record is basically just Zach Neto, unless you want to expand the list to include 14 year vet Mike Trout (not forgetting Shohei, but I don’t think he played a game in the minors, and no, Jo Adell breaking out at 26 doesn’t count either). I initially had Moore in Tier 3 here, but felt it was an injustice to put him in a tier with some fringe hobby relevance guys. He’s a real player to some degree, and I can’t imagine he goes back to the minors save for injury rehab. I think, given the Angels standing, he’s just going to be a guy that gets plugged in and gets constant reps in a lower pressure sink or swim type deal. The Savant page isn’t great (it does show he walks at a solid clip and doesn’t chase a ton, which actually scares me more given the K rate, implying he just has serious bat to ball issues and not pitch recognition issues), and he didn’t field well at second base. With that being said, Second Base holds a low bar and Moore is likely more a “sum of all parts” player who scraps together 3ish WAR at his peak by hitting 25-30 homers with a dozen steals with a mid-low .200’s average and mid .700’s OPS at a weak offensive position, assuming he can become an average defender. I like him, but if you don’t I definitely get it. - Will Jarvis

Tier None

Chad Stevens (3B, 27) Stevens, now in the Rockies organization, got 13 at bats for the Halos in 2025, going 2-13 with a pair of singles and 7 K’s. His best year as a pro came in the Astros organization in 2023, where as a 24 year old in AA he posted a .730 OPS with 15 homers and 23 steals. The strikeouts are a serious issue, and even in his best year the K rate was pushing 35%. He’s an organizational depth guy who will likely struggle to break into the Majors in any capacity until the strikeout rate is cut pretty dramatically. He’s a Tier None guy. - Will Jarvis

Los Angeles Dodgers

Release Rundown : I’m glad this is a sparse release for the Dodgers. They don’t deserve a bountiful rookie class release (although they have plenty of firepower reaching the high minors in 2026), and I hope their fans can be self-aware and not complain about the checklist being a one man band with Alex Freeland. Freeland was pretty hyped pre call-up, checking in in the middle range on most top 100 lists pre-2025, but he only got 84 at bats with the Dodgers and didn’t really do much. He’s in a weird spot and it’s basically impossible to break into that lineup, so I’d imagine unless he goes completely nuts in the Spring, he becomes trade fodder? For what? Who knows. What do they even need at this point…

Tier 3

Alex Freeland (SS, 24) Similar to his teammate Dalton Rushing, Freeland had pretty serious prospect status heading into 2025, appearing on all the major publications in the 40-80 range, but couldn’t really get at bats on a stacked Dodgers squad. Freeland was somewhere between really good and great in the minors, posting a .829 OPS in 2024 working his way to AAA, and he posted an .834 OPs with 16 homers and 18 steals across 106 AAA contests in 2025. As I mentioned, he struggled to gain footing in the Dodgers lineup, and got 84 at-bats across 29 games. Freeland didn’t do a ton, posting a .601 OPS with a pair of homers and a good bit of strikeouts (35 in 97 PA), but it’s tough to be too hard on him given the situation. In most organizations, he’d be viewed as the shortstop of the future and have pretty consistent playing time, but this is the Dodgers we’re dealing with. The stock certainly took a hit even from limited action, and it’s difficult to see where Freeland fits in if he remains a Dodger. He’s still only 24, so it seems like a prime chance to use him in a trade package (please, God, no Skubal for the Dodgers). He’s in Tier Three for now, but it wouldn’t shock me to see him break out if he gets moved to a team where he can be handed a consistent every day role. Likewise, I feel that if he remains in the Dodgers organization, the stock will continue to fall unless someone gets injured long term and he has a chance to fill in. He’s worth keeping an eye on, but he’s really just blocked for now. - Will Jarvis

Miami Marlins

Release Rundown : It’s Marsee Mania on South Beach! I’d imagine if you asked 100 people walking the street in Miami if they knew who Jakob Marsee was, you’d get 97-99 “No” answers, but that is certainly not due to lack of great early results from Marsee. He’s a potential building block for the Fish, Acosta is a former (way, way, former) top prospect name, and Troy Johnston is out of the organization. They… might be building something fun in Little Havana, albeit slowly.

Tier Two

Jakob Marsee****(OF, 24)

The 24 year old Marsee was an electric late season call up for the Marlins, igniting their offense and posting a .842 OPS with 5 homers and 14 steals over 55 games (234 PA). He doesn’t have top end power, but he did smack 18 doubles and add another 3 triples, all while striking out just around 20% of the time, a perfectly good rate. The speedy outfielder, formerly in the Padres organization (he and Robby Snelling are quite the return for Tanner Scott), and posted a 1.9 bWar over 209 at bats. If you want to play the game of extending that over a full season, you’re looking at a 5-6 WAR guy. The bad news is that the Marlins lack collector appeal, the team isn’t particularly relevant nationally, and it’s a pitchers park. But, the large outfield dimensions may work in Marsee’s favor, as he could be smacking balls in the gap at Loan Depot Park for the foreseeable future. He’s a super exciting player who plays with a ton of energy and passion, and I look forward to seeing what he does in 2026. He’s the firmest of Tier Two names. The numbers are undeniable, but the lack of power and the weak Miami card market keep him out of Tier One. He’s a fantastic player whose real life value certainly clocks in above where his cards trade. - Will Jarvis

Tier None

Maximo Acosta****(SS, 23)

Dust off those half-decade old Bowman 1st cards, folks! The former Bowman darling in 2021 Bowman Chrome finally debuted (at 23 years old, I must add) in 2025, and he did pretty OK. He slashed his way to a .684 OPS in 61 PA’s, stroking 3 homers and striking out too much. He never really lived up to his hype in the minors, outside of a solid 2024 at AA where he posted a .777 OPS. He had a .680 OPS in 2025 at AAA for the Marlins, and while he went 13/33 (HR/SB), there’s just a lot of whiff in his game and a lack of carrying tools. He’s likely going to head back to AAA to kick off 2026, but he’s a guy worth knowing. - Will Jarvis

Troy Johnston****(1B, 28)

The 28 year old Johnston, now with the Rockies, debuted for the Marlins and was pretty solid, posting a .750 OPS in a 121 PA sample. He stroked 4 homers and showcased his ability to hang in the Majors- I’d expect him to be on the Rockies opening day roster. He posted a .773 OPS in AAA in 2025, and posted a .763 OPS at the same level in 2024. He’s likely just a bench outfielder, but he is likely a guy who should hang around the Major Leagues for a bit. - Will Jarvis

Milwaukee Brewers

Release Rundown : Misiorowski took the league by storm in a Rookie debut that featured All-Star Game controversy, a ton of K’s, and quite frankly a final line that isn’t very special or exciting. The walk rate is bloated, the K’s are high but lead to issues getting deep into games, and he really faded late. He’s an electric arm with a handful of yellow to red flags, and I think the hype here will be firmly above true value. Anthony Seigler is a backup catcher who went 12-62 with zero pop. It’s Mis or bust here, and I’d really advocate for selling into the hype there.

Tier 2

Jacob Misiorowski****(RHP, 23)

Maybe one of the biggest pitcher Bowman hype trains we have ever seen, Miz debuted for the Brewers in 2025 and while his 4.36 ERA over 14 starts (66 IP), may not be eye popping, it doesn’t fully tell the tale of his rookie campaign. Misiorowski struck out 87 and walked 31 in those 66 innings- you’d love to see the walk rate dialed back a bit, but the K rate is elite. Across his first 3 starts, Misiorowski went 3-0 and in 16 IP he allowed just 3 hits and 2 runs while fanning 19. He then got lit up by the Mets but posted a one more electric start before being named to the NL All Star team as an injury replacement. This was pretty controversial, and I lean to the side of it being a bit ridiculous, however he was truly the talk of baseball for a few weeks there and the timing couldn’t have lined up more perfectly for him. He hit a wall, pretty hard I may add, down the stretch, and the bloated ERA certainly shows that. He’s 6’7” (the first internet trend where I feel old) and just 197 pounds, and I worry about the lanky build holding up as he sits at 99.3 MPH with his heater, and throws it 55% of the time. There’s refinement to be done, but the fastball is as good as it gets, and he just needs to dial in the secondaries and the command like most young pitchers. He’ll be 24 for the 2026 season, so time is on his side and he has shown he can captivate any baseball audience with his work on the mound. - Will Jarvis

Tier None

Anthony Seigler****(2B, 26)

Seigler, traded to the Red Sox alongside Caleb Durbin just this week, is a former Yankees 1st rounder from way back in 2018. Obviously things haven’t worked out to that draft capital, but the utility infielder debuted in 2025 for the Brewers and notched 12 hits in 62 at bats as a rookie. A .501 OPS isn’t too exciting, although he did post a .892 OPS in 72 AAA games in 2025. Still, he doesn’t possess a ton of pop (8 homers in that AAA stint), and he has age working against him as he’ll be 27 in 2026. He’s likely org depth for the Red Sox, and ironically he’s stuck behind both other guys in the trade, Durbin and Andrew Monasterio, in the pecking order (not to mention guys already with the Sox). He’s a tier none guy who is a few breaks away from another shot at the Bigs.- Will Jarvis

Minnesota Twins

Release Rundown: A pair of older-debuting pitchers who posted pretty uninspiring results in their first go at the Majors. With respect to family and friends of both guys, I don’t think either player has any sort of card appeal or market.

Tier None

Pierson Ohl****(RHP, 26)

Ohl debuted for the Twins in 2025 and posted a 5.10 ERA across 30 IP (14 appearances, 3 starts). The K:BB returns were solid, standing at 27:7, but he just gave up a ton of hits en route to a 1.5 WHIP. He was quite good as a reliever in the minors in 2025, posting a 2.40 ERA splitting time between AA and AAA. He only walked 11 hitters over 71.1 IP while striking out 86, so the metrics there are fantastic. He’s not a particularly big guy, coming in at 6’1” 180 lbs, and he’s a bit of a soft tosser pumping in a fastball around 92 MPH, and the Savant page shows a ton of blue. Tier None guy, but impressive results in the minors nonetheless. - Will Jarvis

Travis Adams****(RHP, 26)

Adams is a 26 year old relief pitcher, which isn’t a hot start to any hobby related profile. He posted a 7.49 ERA across 33.2 IP (18 appearances), and I have to say I’m a little surprised he got so much run given the results. He posted a -0.9 bWar which is obviously quite atrocious, and I can’t even really pinpoint the exact reasons for his struggles given the K rate and BB rates were both mediocre but not terrible. He also didn’t give up a ton of homers, but the Savant page basically shows he was giving up a ton of contact in the air, generally hit pretty hard, and barreled up. Not a great combination. - Will Jarvis

New York Mets

Release Rundown : Yes, I am a Mets fan. Yes, I think this is probably the strongest checklist in terms of quality in the product. I’d say from where we stand now, the Mets or Red Sox are the winners of this release, and the Mets boast a duo of talented arms with no fodder here in Series One. McLean has essentially been anointed as a stud, which feels a hair premature and makes me nervous, but he was lights out in 2025 and is easily the Mets #2 behind Freddy Peralta heading into 2026. I’m such a big Jonah Tong fan that I should probably recuse myself from writing about him, but the basic rundown is that he had a historically good minor league season, had his card prices explode, then had up and down Major League starts. Although both of his primary pitches are great, with only those two having major-league quality, it's not sustainable as a starter. Easy to see some reliever risk in the profile, but with some tweaks to his mix he's also a potential second front-line starter RC in this checklist for the Mets.

Tier 1

Nolan McLean****(RHP, 24)

Cowboy Ohtani capped off a rapid ascension through the minors and top prospect lists in 2025 by going crazy in his Mets debut. The former third round pick, who was a two-way player out of Oklahoma State, only gave up hitting in 2024 upon reaching AA, and once he did, he basically blew up and went from a potential back end arm to a frontline one over the course of the following year. He posted an immaculate 2.06 ERA in 8 starts, and in 48 innings of work he struck out 57 while only walking 16. It’s pretty insane to log a 1.8 bWar, just shy of the benchmark for an average starting pitcher over a full season (so, assume 30-32 starts vs. McLean’s 8), and as a Mets fan I refuse to check where that ranked among Mets pitchers in 2025, as I fear he is likely in the top 3 at the very least. Yes, I have a bit of Met fan bias, but in watching all of McLeans starts, it was hard not to be blown away by the slidery/slurvey offspeed pitch, the cutter, and the fastball. The spin rates and movement are ridiculous, and he showed really strong command while also routinely working deep into games. He’s a bit older, turning 25 in July, and that’s probably the most negative note I can put on his profile. He’s on Team USA for the WBC, which is great, however after Edwin Diaz had his mishap in 2023, I will be holding my breath every time he pitches. Jonah Tong is my favorite Mets prospect in recent memory for a myriad of reasons, and even still it just isn’t a close competition between the two for who has the better status right now (and again, I love Jonah Tong). The Mets seemingly pulled an ace out of their sleeve in McLean, and I am genuinely so excited to follow him in the years ahead. He’s a top player in the release, and firmly entrenched in Tier One. - Will Jarvis

Tier 2

Jonah Tong****(RHP, 22)

When 2025 Bowman was released last April/May, I was pretty bummed that the Mets had a one man checklist with Tong being the sole representative. He was pretty good in the Minors in 2024 with a 3.03 ERA and 12.7 K/9, but reports of him having command issues, as well as only really throwing 4-5 innings per start, tempered the flames of excitement a bit. Well, he then came out in 2025 had a historic performance. The former 7th rounder out of High School pushed his way to the Majors by posting a 1.59 ERA in 20 AA starts with 162 K’s in 102 IP and then throwing 11.2 scoreless innings in two AAA starts, with 17 K’s in 11.2 IP. It was genuinely ridiculous to follow each and every Tong start, and his card market exploded in turn. The Major League debut was… not ideal. He actually had a couple perfectly good starts, but he got lit up a couple times and had a final line showing a 7.71 ERA in 5 starts (18.2 IP). He still managed to strike out 22 guys, but this is where we get to potential red flags. First- the fastball is ridiculous. The velocity isn’t top tier, but the IVB and advanced metrics are off the charts, and it’s already a dominant pitch. He has a (bad) change up, and a big looney-tune style curveball that is pretty solid, but his arsenal is entirely lacking in terms of east-west movement. He’s basically a two pitch pitcher right now with the fastball and curve, and while you can away with that in the minors, that’s not going to fly in the MLB. Tong needs to develop a slider or some sort of offspeed offering that moves laterally, and while this concern was pointed out through his season, he did clearly deserve a taste of the Majors. I think Tong will be best served spending at least the first half of his 2026 campaign in AAA Syracuse, developing his arsenal and refining his command. If he can even add an average slider to his repertoire, the reliever concerns will evaporate and it will just become a matter of how high his ceiling can be as a starter. He’s got an elite foundation and will be 23 years old all season, so time is on his side. The Mets just need to exercise patience in his development, and it appears that he will begin 2026 in AAA. He’s also just an unbelievably likable player with a contagious smile, and it would be pretty impossible not to root for him to succeed. Topps also posted that he learned Mandarin from his grandfather in order to sign his Foilfractor (the flagship version of a Superfractor) in Mandarin, which is pretty darn cool. He’s a stud, and I really hope the Mets can help him hit his sky high ceiling. There’s a lot of variance in potential outcomes, so he’s in Tier Two, but the ceiling is mouth watering. - Will Jarvis

New York Yankees

Release Rundown : It’s a one card checklist, but man is the one card a big one. Cam Schlittler burst onto the scene in 2025, and became a household name after some incredible playoff starts for the Yankees. He’s in my Tier One, ahead of Burns and Misiorowski, more because of the Yankee premium. I think Burns is better, but as far as value goes, Schlittler is going to blow those two out of the water. He’s a great arm and a good chase for Yankee fans.

Tier 1

Cam Schlittler****(RHP, 25)

The Boston raised Northeastern alum made huge waves in the Bronx in 2025, particularly in the postseason where he had an incredible run of starts for the Yankees. Those sterling starts might actually cloud the perception of Schlittler, and I’m not sure everyone realizes how elite he was in his regular season debut because of it. He posted a 2.96 ERA over 14 regular season starts, going 4-3 with 2.0 bWAR and 84 K’s. He’s a bit older, as he turned 25 a few days ago, but Schlittler has all the makings of a future front line starter. The walk rate of 3.8 BB/9 IP is slightly elevated, but I am nitpicking looking for things to point out that could work against him. He was great in the minors last year, posting a 2.82 ERA with a 3.1 BB/9 and 11.6 K/9 split between AA and AAA, and there is no reason to think Schlittler won’t be a great rotation option for the Yankees for years to come. He’s a bona-fide stud, and I expect his cards to be in high demand with exorbitant prices coming out of the gate at release. - Will Jarvis

Philadelphia Phillies

Release Rundown : A one man show featuring a mustachioed utility man. It’s the kind of thing Phillies fans seem to love. A guy with funny facial hair or long hair posting OK but flawed hitting numbers and a miniscule WAR automatically becomes a fan favorite (Bohm, Marsh, etc). Yeah, I’m a Mets fan and Otto Kemp was great in the minors, but he’s 26 years old and was average at best (92 OPS+) in his debut, so I don’t think this is a product for Phillies fans.

Tier None

Otto Kemp (3B, 26)

The 26 year old utility man debuted for the Phils in 2025 and posted a .709 OPS in 197 at bats with a -0.2 bWAR. It definitely helped that Kemp showcased real home run power, bopping 8 in 62 games, but the strikeouts are pretty ugly, hovering right around a 33% K rate which is not good. He was incredible at AAA Lehigh Valley last year, posting a .987 OPS in 74 contests with 16 homers, but the K rate still hovered around 25% so it’s a real issue with the profile. I think he could be a really good utility man and pinch hitter who offers pop off the bench, but the K rate will likely prevent him from seeing a full time role for the time being. - Will Jarvis

Pittsburgh Pirates

Release Rundown: Cam Devanney is already signed to play in Japan for 2026. So there goes half the Pirates' RC checklist. But I've buried the lede for a sentence here, because Bubba Chandler is the other and he's certainly a big name in this release. In a normal release (I feel as though this is a pretty excellent checklist), Chandler could easily be a Tier One name. You’re chasing the next big Pittsburgh arm here, and while I am a bit concerned that the Pirates market is so heavily concentrated in Skenes and Griffin that there’s no dollars left in the pot for Chandler (a la Jared Jones being underpriced, albeit coming off surgery). I think he’d be a great pull from this product and worth hanging on to- he’s got as much potential as any of the big arms coming up right now, and my only hesitation is regarding him playing third fiddle (at best) to Skenes and Griffin. It’s a guy worth chasing regardless, however.

Tier 2

Bubba Chandler****(RHP, 23)

Chandler is firmly in that tier of top level pitching prospects, and finds himself bumped to Tier 2 here solely because Nolan McLean and Cam Schlittler had unbelievable debuts while Chandler was just solid. He’d be Tier One in many releases – he’s just the victim of bad luck here. Chandler is a beast, standing at 6’3” 218 lbs, he’s got the build of an ace and even in his 2025 debut, the potential was visible as he posted a 4.02 ERA across 7 appearances (4 starts, 3 piggyback appearances) for 31.1 IP, where he struck out 31 and walked just 4. That’s an elite ratio, and while the walk rates were higher in the minors, they were never really at a concerning level either. He put up OK numbers in AAA in 2025, pitching to a 4.05 ERA over 24 starts, with 10.9 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9. The seemingly conventional thought here was that Chandler was a bit bored in AAA, understandable given the fact he posted a 1.83 ERA at the level over 7 starts as a 21 year old in 2024, so it’s pretty believable that he just felt a bit disgruntled at not getting the call sooner. I’d feel pretty confident writing off the average AAA line in 2025, especially since he dominated in many starts with a few complete blow ups making things look worse than reality. The fastball sits at 98.9, and he relies on a change up/slider combo with a curve sprinkled in infrequently. The Savant looks a bit better than his actual numbers, and I have no reason to think that Chandler isn’t primed for a huge 2026 campaign. He’s not quite a Nolan McLean level guy right now, but even as a Mets fan I have to concede that there’s a real chance Chandler becomes the better of the two (both great options). He’s in Tier Two, but I’d be all over this one as long as you like pitchers. - Will Jarvis

Tier None

Cam Devanney****(SS, 28)

Devanney now plays for the Hanshin Tigers of the NPB after debuting with the Pirates in 2025. The 28 year old went 5-36 without a homer in limited action with a whopping 21 strikeouts, so I’d imagine that that was unfortunately the only crack he will get at the MLB. Tier None. - Will Jarvis

San Diego Padres

Release Rundown : Like the Blue Jays, it’s a one card checklist with the sole representative being a reliever. Unlike the Jays, however, Rodriguez was actually phenomenal in a tiny sample. He’s a reliever who hasn’t started a game since he was 17, so the ceiling is quite low here for Hobby relevance, but he’s definitely a nice piece for the Pads!

Tier 3

Bradgley Rodriguez****(RHP, 22)

Rodriguez was a revelation in a small sample for the Pads in 2025, making 7 appearances out of the pen (7.2 IP) and posting a sterling 1.17 ERA with 9 K’s to 3 BB’s. Rodriguez had split time between AA and AAA in 2025 before his debut, and was quite good at both levels, posting a combined 3.19 ERA split pretty evenly between the two levels in 33 appearances (36.2 IP). He fanned 38 and walked 16 in those innings, so neither metric is something you’re super pumped about, but the man limits runs anyway. He also only turned 22 in November, so he’s quite young for where he has progressed to at this stage. Rodriguez throws complete gas- per Savant, Rodriguez throws a 4 seamer 40% of the time averaging 98.3 MPH, a sinker thrown 26% of the time coming in at 98.8 MPH, with a change and sparsely used cutter rounding out the arsenal. The scariest part is that while he has OK height at 6’1”, he weighs 160 pounds which is completely insane for that type of velocity. You have to dream on what could happen after a few years in a Major League weight room, as well as what could happen if he develops even an average slider/curve type breaking pitch. I’m usually quite anti-reliever in my write ups due to the lack of hobby interest for even top closers, but man does Rodriguez have future stud closer written all over him. It might take a few years, but the arm talent is ridiculous and I think there’s still a ton of room for growth in his profile. He’s going in Tier Three, and he might be my favorite sleeper reliever in this entire product. - Will Jarvis

Seattle Mariners

Release Rundown: This one man checklist would’ve been a lot more exciting before Cole Young debuted. He was a well regarded prospect, consensus top 100, and debuted at 21 with a strong minor league track record. He was not good in his fairly large debut sample, but he was great and consistent across the minors. I’m giving him Tier Three for his pedigree and minor league track record, but the profile has lost some shine and I can’t blame you if you keep scrolling. ****

Tier 3

Cole Young****(2B, 22)

Young spent a few years firmly entrenched in the consensus top 100 prospect lists, and he made his debut at a very young 21 in 2025. After posting a .853 OPS in 54 AAA contests, Young spent the rest of the year with the Mariners, where he posted just a .607 OPS with four homers. The K rate was under 20%, but there wasn’t a ton else to write home about outside of a solid walk rate that helped keep the OPS above .600. Young actually checked in with some dreadful defensive numbers, mostly manning second base, posting a -8 OAA per Savant, good for 4th percentile (and he basically played half the season). Young does well to limit chase, which in turn gives him good BB and K rates, but that’s about the end of the positives. He doesn’t impact the ball particularly well, and his 5’11” 180 pound frame doesn’t really inspire hope that there is more power to come. But, Young just turned 22 so there is a ton of development time left. He might benefit from a longer stint in AAA to iron out some swing issues allowing him to drive the ball more, and do so in the air. The zone knowledge is there, he just needs to do more when he actually makes contact. - Will Jarvis

San Francisco Giants

Release Rundown: A triad of depth guys make up the Giants checklist here, and Drew Gilbert likely has the best tier 3 potential of the bunch, closely followed by Carson Whisenhunt. Both are former back end top 100 prospects, so there’s some pedigree here, but both were long gone from those lists by the time they debuted. Gilbert is a college hero, lending some relevance to his cards, and Whisenhunt is a big lefty who really only saw success in 2023 and struggled everywhere else. It’s not exciting in any way to me, but you could do worse in the product. It’s just OK.

Tier 3

Carson Whisenhunt****(LHP, 24)

Of the two pitchers named Carson on the Giants' checklist, this is clearly the more exciting option of the two. Whisenhunt went crazy in 2023 at age 22, posting a 2.45 ERA over 16 starts split between A, A+, and AA, with a 12.7 K/9 up against a 3.5 BB/9. The wheels came off a bit in 2024, as he was aggressively pushed to AAA and struggled badly in 25 starts to the tune of a 5.17 ERA with bloated walk numbers. Whisenhunt righted the ship a bit in 2025 at AAA, posting a 4.43 ERA in 21 starts, and earned some run at the major league level. He made 5 starts for the Giants, posting a 5.01 ERA over 23.1 IP with 16:12 K:BB and allowed 6 homers. Those results obviously aren’t inspiring, and we’re getting a bit distanced from 2023. We know Whisenhunt has the talent and has shown it, but 2026 will be a big year for him to regain relevance both as a prospect and in the hobby. He’s in the back of Tier 3 for now, but only with deference to his appearances in the back-end of some top 100 prospect lists in the recent past. There are obvious adjustments to be made, and we will learn a ton about Whisenhunt in 2026.- Will Jarvis

Drew Gilbert****(OF, 25)

Gilbert is a former top prospect who was traded to the Mets for Justin Verlander before stalling out a bit at AAA, eventually being dealt to the Giants for Tyler Rogers at the 2025 deadline. He’s a college baseball hero hailing from Tennessee, and became a pretty viral meme for his ridiculous high energy in the dugout once he got the call up to the Giants this year, but the results just haven’t quite been there for Gilbert. It was always a bit of an uphill battle, as he stands at just 5’9”, and has essentially been a “heart and hustle” label guy from the get go. He manned CF in AAA for the Syracuse Mets in 2025, posting a solid .777 OPS across 82 contests with a surprising 12 homers. He lost a bit of shine in his first full year in the Mets org back in 2024, battling through an injury plagued campaign where he appeared in 56 AAA games and posted a .706 OPS. As an older college bat, it’s pretty tough to lose most of a year during your development period, and this was unfortunate for Gilbert. He likely profiles as a fourth outfielder long term, giving you solid defense and solid results with the stick, but not a ton more. He’s a super likable guy and has a lot of fans, so I’m going to place him in Tier Three, but he’s probably not going to be a super valuable piece long term. - Will Jarvis

Tier None

Carson Seymour****(RHP, 27)

The third Seymour I have written about today- none appear to be related- is a big right handed pitcher who profiles as a bullpen bulk inning guy. Seymour was a starter throughout his time in the minors, and saw some pretty solid results, culminating in a 3.86 ERA at AAA in 2025 in 15 starts, posting 90 K’s to 39 BB’s in 77 IP. He struggled a bit in the Majors, posting a 4.75 ERA in 16 appearances (3 starts) totaling 36 IP, where he only fanned 26 and walked 13. Most notably, Seymour allowed 9 homers, which is pretty unbelievable. You’d have to imagine it’s a bit of a fluke, but for reference (not necessarily a fair one), Jacob Degrom allowed 10 homers over 217 IP in his 2018 Cy Young winning campaign. That’s the big issue, along with lack of swing and miss, so we will see what 2026 has in store for Seymour. For now, though, we can leave him off the hobby radar. - Will Jarvis

St. Louis Cardinals

Release Rundown : Decent quantity, but don’t love any of the names here. Crooks is a good defender behind the dish, but wasn’t good in his debut. Nathan Church isn’t related to former random Met favorite of mine, Ryan Church, and Cesar Prieto is off the radar entirely. It’s not a good release for the Cardinals, but if you really want to buy someone, it has to be Crooks.

Tier 3

Jimmy Crooks (C, 24) Crooks is a glove first backstop, which immediately limits his real life hobby appeal. But, Cardinals fans love their catchers, and Crooks has an opportunity to grab the role and force Rainiel Rodriguez and/or Leonardo Bernal to move to first (although their bat first profiles will likely necessitate that regardless) in 2026. If Crooks can be a solid hitter, he will absolutely pile up WAR numbers. In his 15 game debut stint, he posted a .397 OPS but did stroke his first home run. He enjoyed a breakout campaign at 22 years old in 2024, where in AA he posted a .908 OPS with 11 homers and 19 doubles across 90 contests. He struggled a bit more in 98 AAA games in 2025, but still posted a respectable .778 OPS with 14 more homers, although the K rate spiked big time. It had been hovering around 20% in prior years, and pushed over 25% in AAA. As I mentioned, the glove is the carrying tool and should make him a big league regular, and the bar for hitting is pretty low. If he can even become a .750 OPS guy with great defense, you got a fringe all star type on your hands. - Will Jarvis

Tier None

César Prieto (2B, 26) Prieto went 1-6 with 5 K’s in his first Major League action in 2025. He had posted solid minor league numbers, particularly in 2025 in AAA, where he posted a .815 OPS, but he has minimal pop and went 12-26 on stolen base attempts there, so there really is no carrying tool at the next level. Furthermore, Prieto is already 26 and will be 27 in May, so he is presumably nearing the end of his developmental runway. The Cuban infielder will look to do better if he earns another crack at the bigs in 2026, but until then he’s firmly in Tier None. - Will Jarvis

Nathan Church (OF, 25) The 25 year old Church debuted in 2025, posting a .504 OPS with a singular homer in 56 at bats for the Cards. The former UC Irvine standout was quite good at AAA in 2025, posting a .921 OPS albeit in 53 games, with a ridiculously low K rate hovering just above 10%. He struck out 18 times in his 65 major league plate appearances, but I don’t want to be too harsh on a small sample. He’s a former 11th round pick, so he’s already beaten the odds soundly, and could profile as a 4th outfielder at the big league level if he can replicate the success he had in the minors this past year. For now, he remains off the hobby radar, but he isn’t a total throwaway, either. - Will Jarvis

Tampa Bay Rays

Release Rundown : This checklist is pretty similar to the Seattle one in terms of the top player, Carson Williams, being a guy who has dropped a bit in terms of status. Williams showcased great power in the minors but was saddled with a huge K rate, and after a slow start in AAA last year he got hot and earned a call to the bigs. As is tradition with this type of profile, he showcased pop and a ton of swing and miss. He was basically a consensus top 20 prospect heading into last year, so I am placing him in Tier Two thanks to that pedigree and exciting power, but there’s a ton of risk. Bob Seymour is signed in Japan, Ian Seymour is a solid but unexciting reliever, Joe Rock is an older, slightly more exciting reliever, and Tristan Peters went 0-12 in his debut season. You’re only chasing Williams, and he’s about as much of a boom or bust guy as anyone in the release.

Tier 2

Carson Williams (SS, 22) Williams has long been well regarded in the Rays system since being grabbed late in the 1st round in 2021. He quickly asserted his defensive value, winning a MiLB Gold Glove in 2022. It's an aspect of his game that continued throughout his development gave him cornerstone prospect status status throughout, despite warts in other aspects of his game. The 22 year old shortstop made his long awaited debut for the Rays in 2025. The results were not great, albeit in a small sample. Williams bopped 5 homers in 99 at bats, but it was also just a .573 OPS with a 44:6 K/BB line across 106 PA. The strikeouts are obviously jarring, and it goes without saying that if that doesn’t come down dramatically, Williams doesn’t have much of a future in baseball as a starter. But, the raw power was apparent even in an otherwise disastrous debut, with 5 long balls in 106 PA’s roughly extrapolating to a 30 homer pace over a full season despite hitting .172. Unfortunately, the strikeout issue is not new for Williams. He posted 154 in 451 AAA PA in 2025, and 144 in 505 PA in AA in 2024. The 2024 rate is the closest to palatable, and even that one (28.5%) is bad. But Williams posted 20 HR/33 SB and 23/22 lines the last two years respectively, so the raw talent is clear. The Savant page scares me- again, small sample, but it's a ton of blue outside of bat speed. I tend to shy away from the “raw power and tools over hit” profile as I feel like it has far and away the highest “bust” rate, and I will be avoiding Williams. I do have to acknowledge there is obvious appeal and there are things to like, so he’s going in Tier Two off prospect pedigree and power potential. He could be an All-Star or in AAA this year – and neither would surprise me. - Will Jarvis

Tier None

Tristan Peters (OF, 25) Peters has already been sent to the White Sox in exchange for everyone's favorite player, Cash Considerations. The soon to be 26 year old Peters played all 3 outfield spots, but went 0-12 in his Major League debut, striking out 7 times and failing to reach base once. He spent all of 2024 and the bulk of 2025 in AAA, where he posted a .746 and .784 OPS respectively, but the profile really just seems to be a depth outfielder who could get MLB at bats by way of hopping around waivers as an injury replacement 4th outfield type. Nothing special here. - Will Jarvis

Ian Seymour (LHP, 27) The Rays grabbed Seymour in the 2nd round back in 2020 out of Virginia Tech, and the lefty made his debut on the bump for the Rays in 2025. Seymour is essentially the prototypical Rays reliever, a guy who comes up and posts a 3.63 ERA over 57 innings (19 appearances, 5 starts), and he had a pretty nice 10.1 K/9 up against 3.0 BB/9. The numbers are solid, if not a notch above, and it’s a real sample size. The Savant paints the picture of a soft tossing lefty who can strike guys out and limit hard contact fairly well, but there really isn’t any upside for a high leverage role given his arsenal. Seymour is a perfect example of a guy who has definite real life value, but almost no appeal for the Hobby. As such, I’m going to place him in Tier None with the caveat that he is quite a good pitcher, just in a role with zero hobby appeal. - Will Jarvis

Joe Rock (LHP, 25) For Joe’s about to rock, we saluuuuuute you! Rock is another reliever, and he split time between the starting rotation and the bullpen in the minors, clearly shifting to more of a pen role as his development progressed. He debuted to a 2.35 ERA over 7.2 IP (3 relief appearances) in 2025, and he fanned 11 over those frames. The bad news is Rock never posted an ERA under 4.58 at any minor league level, but the Savant page does show that he’s quite crafty despite lacking high end velocity. It was a tiny and nearly meaningless sample, but in the Rays organization you always have to be careful writing off any pitcher. He’s a Tier None hobby name, but another guy who could be a really valuable bullpen piece for the Rays. - Will Jarvis

Bob Seymour (1B, 27) The other of the Seymour duo on the Rays checklist (they’re not related), Bob (I didn’t realize they still made Bob’s. As a 28 year old I know a few Bobby’s, but can’t say I encounter a ton of Bob’s) was a good first baseman at Wake Forest and debuted this year as a 27 year old for the Rays. He's headed to Japan for 2026, where the profile I'm about to lay out should translate well. The slugger posted a .881 OPS in 105 games in AAA Durham in 2025, popping 30 homers with a suboptimal but not ghastly K rate around 25%. The power didn’t translate in his 26 game cameo for the Rays, and in 83 plate appearances he notched just one homer and struck out 35% of the time. The .535 OPS is fairly ugly, but Seymour has some real power in his bat, and the hope is that we see-more (please clap) of this power in the major league level in 2026. He’s org depth for now given his age, but I do think he’s got potential to grow into a role and be an average first baseman. He was quite good at every minor league level, it just needs to come together in the Majors. He’s Tier None, but if he comes back from NPB in a few years with multiple 30 HR seasons in his bag, there could be some hobby interest. - Will Jarvis

Texas Rangers

Release Rundown : Another one man checklist, I actually think Freeman profiles as a good real-life piece, but he doesn’t check enough hobby boxes to be exciting here. He turned 25 in January and stands at 5’8”, and the Rangers market isn’t that hot (Langford prices feel really down). He was a total monster at AAA and struggled in his debut, but it’s not hard to squint and see at least a league-average bat here. Probably only chasing if you’re a Rangers fan, but I do think he’s a solid player.

Tier 3

Cody Freeman (3B, 25) Freeman was one of the more tricky guys to rank in this release, as the 25 year old third baseman, who stands at 5’8”, was the MVP for the AAA round Rock Express after leading all of the Minors with a .336 batting average and popping 19 homers in 97 games. The results didn’t translate early at the Major League level for Freeman, and he put up a .600 OPS with 3 homers in 114 at bats for the Rangers. It seems as though he has a real chance to play as the everyday third baseman or second baseman in 2026, and I do think the AAA numbers are hard to discount. I do worry about his size and the fact he’s a bit older, but there is clear potential with Freeman. He could turn into an above-average infielder who posts a mid-high .700’s OPS with 15 or so homers a year, and that’s a valuable real life piece. For the hobby, I don’t love the advanced age and the lack of immediate success generally takes all the shine off these fringy guys when it comes to their card values. He could break out in 2026, but it’s a bit of a wait and see on Freeman for now. - Will Jarvis

Toronto Blue Jays

Release Rundown : With respect to Lazaro Estrada, if your checklist clocks in with negative cumulative WAR, it’s not a good team release. Keep it movin’!

Tier None

Lazaro Estrada (RHP, 26) Estrada turns 27 in April, stands at just 5 '10”, and pitched to a 8.59 ERA in 2 mop up appearances (7.1 IP) in 2025. He struggled in AAA too, posting a 5.73 ERA in 26 appearances (20 starts), and while the strikeout and walk rates aren’t too bad, he gets hit pretty hard. He allowed a pair of homers in the Bigs, and 17 in 97.1 innings in AAA. That is…scary. Sorry Jays fans, I don’t have much more to say here. - Will Jarvis

Washington Nationals

Release Rundown : Meh. Nats fans got the benefit of 2025 products all having James Wood and Dylan Crews (to a lesser extent), and this isn’t a particularly exciting start to 2026. Go buy 2025 Bowman Draft if you’re a Nats fan, you’re not gonna find much excitement here unfortunately.

Tier 3

Brady House (3B, 22) House was grabbed by the Nats with the 11th overall pick out of high school back in 2021, and he hasn’t really lived up to this draft capital at any point. He did earn a call up at 22 years old, so it isn’t as if House is a total bust, but you have to take into account how thin the Nationals are when discussing his age at call up. House posted a .873 OPS in AAA last year, with pretty excellent numbers across the board outside of a >25% K rate, but he was pretty terrible for the Nats, posting a .574 OPS with just 4 homers across 274 plate appearances. He also drew just 8 walks, so there are red flags galore about his control of the strike zone and that makes me pretty concerned about his potential for tightening up the strikeouts moving forward. I guess I’ll put him into Tier Three due to the draft capital and the fact he likely has an incredibly long leash as the Nats embark on rebuild 2.0 here, but it’s not really a profile I believe in long term. - Will Jarvis

Tier None

Shinnosuke Ogasawara (LHP, 28) The Japanese lefty struggled deeply in his stateside debut in 2025, posting a 6.98 ERA across 23 appearances (2 starts, 38.2 IP). The WHIP stood at 1.55, he gave up a remarkable 9 homers in those 38.2 innings, and even while the ERA was more palatable in AAA action, he was only striking out 6.8 per 9 down there. The Savant page has more blue than the ocean, and I’d feel comfortable steering completely clear on this one. - Will Jarvis