Despite the end to the season, the top of the hot list still saw some familiar names this week. However, it didn’t take much to get onto the hot list now that so many teams are no longer playing. The steep drop off in sales allowed there to be some shakeup for the first time in three weeks after certain Wild Card performances kept some players in the spot light. The increased attention from the playoffs didn’t help other young stars though. Disappointing early exits and failure to perform at the plate contributed to a few spots on the cold list. See who helped and who hurt their card values during the week of September 28 – October 4 on this Monday’s Hot and Cold lists.

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Hot

2015 Bowman Draft Ke’Bryan Hayes

Hayes continues his reign at the top of the hot list this week. For the third straight week the Pirates late season call up finished in the top two of first Bowman Chrome autograph sales of qualifying prospects. During the week of September 28 – October 4 collectors sold his inaugural card 12 times. Since his call up on September 1, there have been 82 sales of his 2015 Bowman Draft card, which leads all prospect cards over that time period. His strong finish to the season gave collectors plenty of reasons to buy. The Texan is without a doubt the hottest card heading into the offseason.

2015 Bowman Draft Ryan Mountcastle

Mountcastle moves up into the second spot on the hot list this week despite finishing with less sales than the week before. During the week of September 28 – October 4 collectors made eight sales of this 2015 first Bowman Chrome auto, down from 11 the week before. All the sales seem to be collectors looking to unload the O’s top rookie though. After making an appearance on last week’s trending down list sales of the 23 year old infielder continued to slide this week. Despite his .333/.386/.492 slash line across 140 plate appearances in 35 games this season, collectors just don’t seem interested in Baltimore’s slugger and are trying to get rid of his cards fast.

2016 Bowman Draft Dylan Carlson

The Cardinals’ 2016 first round draft pick is the first player to shake up the hot and cold list since its inception three weeks ago. The 21 year old Californian made his presence felt during the opening Wild Card round of the playoffs, going 3 – 9 with two runs scored during the three game series. His efforts at the plate and in the field led to six sales of his first Bowman Chrome autograph during the week of September 28 – October 4. Those numbers were actually consistent with previous weeks. Collectors may have felt let down with the results of the Cardinals former number one prospect highly anticipated debut but with a strong bounce back to end the season there may still be value in the outfielder’s debut card.

2020 Bowman Miguel Vargas

The Dodgers strong postseason performance so far may have trickled down to the minor league system. Collectors are looking to the future in LA and like what the see in Baseball Prospectus’ #65 overall prospect. From the week of September 28 – October 4 the first Bowman Chrome autograph card of the 20 year old Cuban was sold five times, equalling his sales numbers from the previous week. The right handed corner infielder isn’t expect to make an appearance at the big league level until 2022 however. After the Dodgers’ 2 – 0 series sweep of the Brewers, it looks as if collectors are trying to position themselves early to lock in good value on Los Angeles potential breakout prospect.

2018 Bowman Draft Alec Bohm – 5 Sales

Sales of the Phillies’ top rookie took a dip but stayed high enough for Bohm to make his third straight appearance on the hot list. During the week of September 24 – October 4 collectors recorded five sales of the Wichita State product’s first Bowman Chrome autograph. That is down by more than half of the 12 sales made in each of the previous two weeks. With Philadelphia on the outside looking in on the playoffs though, it is still a strong indication of how the collecting world feels about 2018’s third overall draft pick. The 24 year old proved his worth during his 44 games in the majors. His numbers may lag into the offseason but once spring training rolls around I expect collectors dive right back in on the Phils’ young starting third baseman.

Cold

2017 Bowman Draft Nick Senzel

The Reds were unceremoniously ousted in a two game sweep during the first round of the playoffs and their early exit did not bode well for the first Bowman Chrome autograph of the team’s former number one prospect. Collectors were surely hoping for a stronger showing than the 2 – 7 stat line Cincinnati’s centerfielder recorded. As it stands now, the 25 year old Georgia native has only seen two sales since the end of July. He exceeded his rookie limit during the 2019 season as well which means with the end of the season his Rookie+1 status is up. The former MLB #6 overall prospect end his run on MJR Sportscards having only recorded only seven sales in his final season of eligibility.

2017 Bowman Draft Jeter Downs

Collectors appear to be standing pat on the Boston Red Sox number one overall prospect. Estimated to arrive in the big leagues during the 2021 season, those holding his first Bowman Chrome autograph card aren’t willing to let it go yet. The last recorded sale of the middle infielder was on September 8. Even before that, the Miami Gardens native only saw one sale during the month of August, on the eleventh. It would probably be a wise hold at this point. The BoSox struggled during the 2020 season but the emergence of Bobby Dalbec provided a glimpse into the future. With MLB’s #40 overall prospect joining the team soon, the future is bright for the Red Sox organization and future card values.

2015 Bowman Draft Austin Riley

The Braves swept yet another NL Central team out of the Wild Card round last week but the 41st overall pick of the 2015 draft did little to contribute to the effort at the plate. Atlanta’s starting third baseman only got one hit in eight at bats while also striking out five times in the two games. Collectors that were hoping for breakout performance were sorely disappointed. The slump kept the market for the Memphis native cold. No sales of his first Bowman Chrome autograph card have been made since September 7. The good news for collectors holding onto the hot corner’s card is that the Braves advanced, providing their once highly touted prospect more opportunities to breakout during the best of five series against the Marlins. Now at the end of his Rookie+1 status, Riley needs to come through in a big way to give any boost to his card values. Unfortunately, his .239/.301/.415 line on the season seems to suggest that is unlikely to happen.

2017 Bowman Chrome Jesus Sanchez

The Marlins’ number five overall prospect quietly made his MLB debut late in August and failed to impress the collecting community. During his ten game run at the top level the 22 year old outfielder got on base just five times in 29 plate appearances. The Dominican’s call up made little splash at the time and did not inspire confidence in collectors. The last sale of his first Bowman Chrome autograph card came on September 11 and was one of only two sales that month. Of course, Sanchez was only brought up due to the Fish’s COVID outbreak. It was a rushed call up that Miami would rather not have made so with some more time to develop in the minors next season should hopefully perform better next time we see him in the show.

2019 Bowman Julio Rodriguez

The Mariners are loaded with young talent in their outfield with more on the way in Rodriguez. Heading into the offseason now though, collectors seem to be taking their time to see how Seattle’s number two prospect will fit into the team’s outfield. No sales of the first Bowman Chrome autograph card of Baseball America’s #8 overall prospect have been made since September 17. That is not as long a drought as other cards but outfielder Jarred Kelenic is ahead of him in the pipeline and Rodriguez isn’t expected to arrive until 2022. For those reasons, I would expect those who already have the 19 year old Dominican’s card to hold onto it for the foreseeable future.