September 28, 2020 – Hot and Cold

The only thing that changed on this week’s hot list was the arrangement. The same five players that were hot last week continued to stay hot to close out the season. However, none of those five players will be playing in the postseason. That opens the door for some other young talent to make a splash on the national stage and potentially bump one or two guys next week.

On the other hand, there is only a single holdover from last week’s cold list. Corbin Carroll collectors still seem to be standing pat where they are. The real story of the cold list seems to be the lack of a minor league season though. Most of the cards that appear this week are of some highly rated players and I don’t think they would be on this list if they were playing baseball on the lower levels this season. Once the minor league starts up again in 2021, I think most of this week’s cold cards will fall off.

With that, I present the Hot and Cold list for the week of September 21 – 27.

HOT

2015 Bowman Draft Ke’Bryan Hayes

An eight game hit streak to end the season, including a 5-5 showing against the Indians, jumped Hayes up into the number one spot on this weeks hot list. During the week of September 21 – 27 the Bucs former number two prospect led all sales of raw base first Bowman Chrome autos with 18, up from 16 the week prior. The 2015 first round pick will be watching this years playoffs from at home but now that the Pirates have secured the first overall pick for the draft, that might become an uncommon occurrence for Pittsburgh’s young third baseman. In a season that marred by futility, Hayes’ emergence has given Pirates fans and collectors reason to think big heading into the offseason.

2016 Bowman Draft Bobby Dalbec

After leading all Bowman Chrome Prospects with 18 sales last week, Dalbec dropped to number two on the hot list for the week of September 21 – 27 by recording 13 sales. The 6’4″, 227 pound first baseman aided the Red Sox to a 4 – 2 record over their last six games by driving in five RBIs on five hits, one of which being a two run no doubt homer against the Braves on Saturday. The 25 year old power hitter has cooled off his opening home run but collectors don’t seem to mind. After a disappointing season for Boston, the extensive Boston Red Sox collecting fan base is hoping that Dalbec could promise to be the Sox next big star.

2018 Bowman Draft Alec Bohm

Despite the Phillies fading down the stretch, Bohm stayed true to form by recording at least one hit in six of the team’s last seven games. The consistency at the plate led to consistency in the card market as sales of Bohm’s first Bowman Chrome autograph from September 21 – 27 matched that of the previous week with 12. That numbers will most likely increase during the 2021 season after the Omaha native finished the 2020 season hitting .338/.400/.481 in 44 games. Surrounded by veteran hitters like Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and Andrew McCutchin, Philadelphia’s starting third baseman has a great opportunity to develop even more this offseason. Now that he’s proven he can hang on the big league level, collectors are certainly hoping to see him break out in a big way next year.

2015 Bowman Draft Ryan Mountcastle

By recording eight hits over the final week of the season, Mountcastle told collectors not to forget about him despite his team’s 25 – 35 fourth place finish. Collectors happily obliged. During the week of September 21 – 27 they sold the first Bowman Chrome autograph of the Birds’ designated hitter 11 times. Although down from the 16 sales the week before, the 23 year old still has plenty of upside. Playing in over the half the games of the 2020 season, Baltimore’s 2015 first round pick slashed .333/.386/.492. The O’s have struggled to stay competitive in recent years but with Mountcastle leading the way Marylanders and collectors both have reason to believe change is around the corner.

2016 Bowman Draft Kyle Lewis – 10 sales

Leading the hot list for the majority of the season, it would be unfortunate if the breakout star of 2020 did not finish as strong as he started. Collectors made sure that would not be the case by selling the first Bowman Chrome autograph of the Mariners’ star 10 time during the week of September 21 – 27. The presumptive Rookie of the Year finishes out the hot list of players who will be watching the postseason from at home though. It will be interesting to see what the market does in the offseason for 25 year old centerfielder after over 200 sales were made during the year. Lewis is already assumed to bring home the hardware but can’t add to his stats in the postseason now. The next week’s hot list might be due for it’s first shakeup.

COLD

2017 Bowman Draft Keston Hiura

Now at the end of his Rookie+1 status, collectors won’t be too upset to see Hiura drop off the prospect watchlist. The Brew Crew’s 24 year old second baseman played in 59 games of the 60 game season this year but only hit .212/.297/.410 while also leading the league with 85 strikeouts. Collectors were not impressed and as a result only made seven sales of Hiura’s first Bowman Chrome autograph card since May. Unless the former ninth overall pick is able to work some magic in the postseason, it would appear that collectors have moved on.

2017 Bowman Draft Heliot Ramos

Without a minor league season to gauge the development of this year’s prospects, many collectors seem to be in wait and see mode. This would appear to be the case for the Giants’ number three prospect. The 21 year old centerfielder is due to make his major league debut during the 2021 season. Collectors appear to be content to wait until then to sell, since there have only been three sales of Puerto Rican’s first Bowman Chrome auto since the begining of August. Despite the dry spell, card values are still staying consistent in the $40 – $60 range. Ramos’ sales may not heat up during the offseason but I wouldn’t expect to see him stay cold through spring training.

2017 Bowman Draft Jeter Down

The Red Sox number one prospect saw strong sales in the summer months but since the arrival of August the middle infielder has only seen two sales of his first Bowman Chrome autograph. With the Red Sox struggling mightily this season and the emergence of Bobby Dalbec, it’s possible that the Florida native may have simply faded into the background noise. Due to be called up to the bigs during the 2021 season, I wouldn’t expect him to stay on the cold list for long. Even though the BoSox missed the expanded playoff this season, Downs is just one talented player in a loaded pipeline for Boston. There is potential for some exciting games to be played when the Columbian native joins Bobby Dalbec at Fenway next season.

2019 Bowman Draft Bryson Stott

The 14th overall pick from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas may have been overshadowed by the breakout season of another Phillies prospect, Alec Bohm. Stott still has a ways to go before making his debut, projected to be in 2022, and collectors seem fine waiting. From May through August there were 15 recorded sales of short stops first Bowman Chrome Autograph card. Since the beginning of September, there has only been one. The 22 year old shows promise though, hitting .295/.391/.494 across 193 plate appearances in 2019. With his first Bowman Chrome autograph card averaging right around $40, collectors once again seem to be playing wait and see.

2019 Bowman Draft Corbin Carroll – 2 sales in Sept.

The only repeat on this week’s cold list, Carroll actually did record a sale on September 22. However, it was only the second sale of the month and the fifth since the beginning of August. The 20 year old Seattle native was recently drafted in 2019 and is not projected to reach the majors until 2023. The lack of a minor league season definitely hurt his card sales but once the 16th overall pick begins moving up the ranks hopefully collectors will begin to warm up to him.