MLB's Top Risers of 2026: Is Jordan Walker A Star?
Looking at Jordan Walker, Sal Stewart, and some of the early MLB breakout candidates.
Baseball is back!
With a few weeks of the season under our belts, we’re going to take a look at some of the biggest risers in card value so far, as well as assess which ones we’re targeting to buy and grade right now.
One more note, we're only looking at cards with at least 5 PSA 10 sales in the last 60 days. The logic is simple: we try to only research cards that are abundant enough to easily purchase.
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2022 Sal Stewart Bowman Chrome Auto Refractor
As a prospect, Sal Stewart checks a lot of boxes I like. He was a top 35 overall prospect going into 2026, plus he cracked the big leagues at just 22 years old. And he hasn’t disappointed since he got there, as he currently leads the league in slugging percentage while slashing .323/.434/.726.
Accordingly, Stewart’s cards are rising with his Bowman First Refractor PSA 10 Auto now reaching nearly $1,000. We are actively targeting Stewart cards to buy and grade now, although we haven’t bought any yet.
Available For Sale
2025 Kevin McGonigle Bowman Chrome Auto
This one is a bit different than the others, as Kevin McGonigle is a top 5 prospect in baseball and a guy we’ve been buying all offseason. Still, he’s started the season with a .313/.421/.484 slash line and a 1.2 bWAR in his first 18 games.
Tack on McGonigle’s recent 8 year $150M contract, and you can imagine why his market continues to surge, with his PSA 10 Bowman First Auto now over $1,000. I could see McGonigle being one of the top players to target if you’re buying and grading baseball cards this season, so keep an eye on his performance through the year.
Available For Sale
2022 Chase DeLauter Bowman Chrome Auto
Chase DeLauter, the Cleveland Guardians’ former #2 overall prospect, started his rookie season red hot, hitting 4 home runs in just three games, leading to the big spike you see in his chart above. He’s cooled off a bit since then, but he still boasts a .929 OPS in his first 17 career big league games, leading to his Bowman First Auto increasing 125% since mid-February.
DeLauter is definitely on our radar after his solid start, and we’ll look to buy both his base Bowman Chrome Auto and some of his refractors as well.
Available For Sale
2020 Jordan Walker Bowman Chrome Auto
Former bust turned superstar? Time will tell if this is the best way to describe Jordan Walker.
After slashing just a combined .240/.302/.378 in his first 3 big league seasons, Walker has started 2026 hot with a league-leading 8 home runs and a 1.083 OPS in his first 18 games.
That’s led to Walker’s PSA 10 Bowman First Auto rising to about $500, and firmly entering our radar as a card to look out for this season, especially if Walker’s hot start continues.
Available For Sale
2020 Andy Pages Bowman Chrome Auto Refractor
Andy Pages was already flirting with star status in 2025, as he accumulated 3.8 bWAR while manning all three outfield positions for the World Series-winning Dodgers. Notably though, Pages started the year hot to the tune of a .804 OPS in the first half of the season compared to a .727 OPS in the second half.
Now in 2026, Pages is again off to a hot start, with a league-leading .409 batting average and a 1.148 OPS. Pages has shown he can be a very solid player, and playing for the Dodgers is always good for card values. This is another guy who could emerge as a solid grading target if he can continue his hot start.
Available For Sale
2024 James Tibbs III Bowman Chrome Auto
This one is interesting to me, because Tibbs is not a top 100 prospect in baseball, although he is the Dodgers #10 overall prospect. With that said, he does have 8 home runs in his first 17 AAA games this season, and could find himself a part of the top team in baseball shortly.
With his Bowman Chrome First Auto just now reaching about $300 as a PSA 10, we’re not buying Tibbs yet, but that could change quickly when he gets called up this season.
Available For Sale