The Atlanta Braves are set to kick off the 2025 Major League Baseball season, and while the players are warming up, there’s another group getting ready for an entirely different kind of game. Baseball card collectors are stretching their arms, preparing for a sprint to the prospect section—where cardboard dreams await.
The opening day rosters are barely dry when enthusiasts dive into boxes or bid in electrifying wars on online platforms, seeking the first cards of potential future stars. For many collectors, this pursuit has transcended being a mere hobby; it’s transformed into a stark form of long-term investment, but with more cardboard and a healthy dose of excitement.
Enter Cards HQ, the self-proclaimed largest card shop on the planet, nestled comfortably in Atlanta. Here, the recent madness was a firsthand experience for manager Ryan Van Oost.
“We keep all of our Atlanta cards over here,” Van Oost says, waving towards a disturbingly sparsely populated section where Braves players once flourished. “As you can see, we had a crazy weekend.”
To call it merely crazy might be an understatement. In this feverish prospect market, even the most sizable shops find themselves scrambling to restock.
Van Oost shares an anecdote of his Saturday attempt at traversing the chaotic aisles. “I tried to walk around yesterday,” he admits. “I couldn’t even move. The store was packed.”
And here’s the plot twist—they’re not clamoring for Ronald Acuña Jr. cards. The actual action swirls around names that even the most dedicated of baseball fans might not recognize yet.
Take Nacho Alvarez, with his record of just 30 big-league at-bats but a card that commands a hefty $5,000 price tag at Cards HQ.
“This is the first card ever made of him,” Van Oost notes casually. “Collectors go nuts for that kind of thing.”
Yet, Alvarez’s moment in the spotlight appears to be upstaged by Drake Baldwin, a name currently absent from any MLB highlight reel. Despite never having played a game in the majors, the young catcher finds himself thrust into prominence due to injuries within the roster. It seems the mere mention of him potentially starting on Opening Day has launched a flurry of activity among collectors.
“Everyone is looking for the Baldwin kid,” Van Oost reveals. “He’s about to start behind the plate, and we sold out. There’s none left.”
Investing in the unknown, in the hopes they transform into a household name, seems a bit like rolling the dice. However, lately, such gambles have been proving quite lucrative.
Consider the case of Paul Skenes. A card bearing his image was recently sold for an eye-watering $1.11 million. The pitcher for the Pirates, despite having only 23 professional appearances to his CV, generated enough buzz to warrant a place in the auction stratosphere. The drama didn’t end there—apparently persuading the Pirates themselves to offer an eye-popping 30-year season ticket package to keep the card closer to home.
“Some kid hit it out in California,” Van Oost recalls, still incredulous. “Sold it for $1.1 million. Insane.”
But for every success, there lurks a myriad of swings and misses. Prospects can flame out just as dramatically as they burst onto the scene. Yet, for those collectors with a shrewd eye—or an exceptional stroke of luck—spotting talent early can result in a life-altering jackpot.
As for Van Oost, he’s all in. Armed with a laugh that suggests he’s well aware of his own high-stakes gamble, he quips, “I mean, I’m banking on it. Who needs a 401K when we’ve got sports cards?”
This new season brings with it a fresh batch of cardboard promises and whispers of untapped potential—a siren call to collectors ready to dive once more into the exciting world of baseball card prospecting. Whether they find gold or continue to seek the next big thing, remains the real game for collectors worldwide.
