5 Baseball Prospects to Target Before They’re Called Up in 2024
We’ve already seen several earlier-than-expected call-ups during the end of the 2023 MLB season, including most recently Junior Caminero, Jordan Lawlar and Jasson Dominguez. But with the MLB regular season drawing to a close, the majority of players that were sitting on the line of being promoted to the bigs have already been called up. This makes now a strong opportunity for collectors to round off their baseball portfolio as teams enter the playoffs/offseason with hopes of selling high during a call-up next spring/summer.
Below, you’ll find our current top five picks of minor league players to target as we await their call-up:
James Wood: 2022 Bowman Chrome 1st Prospect Sapphire Edition Raw
Towering at 6-foot-6 and weighing 240 pounds, James Wood kicks off our list with his impressive bat speed through the zone that has led to 26 home runs this year for the Washington Nationals Double-A affiliate. For those interested, Wood’s 2022 Bowman Chrome 1st Prospect Sapphire Edition is down a whopping 59% over the last 30 days for ungraded cards.
Wood sits as the 7th-best prospect available via MLB.com, and that includes players like former LSU stars Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews who haven’t had their Bowman Chrome 1st Prospect cards released. He’s anticipated to be called up in 2024, giving a short turnaround to use his pre-call up hype and the actual call-up as an easy way to make profits.
Jackson Chourio: 2022 Bowman Draft Chrome 1st Prospect Auto Raw
Jackson Chourio is the highest ranked prospect on our list, sitting at No. 2 on MLB.com. Chourio has proven to be extremely versatile, swiping 44 bags while hitting .284 with 22 home runs this season. While Chourio doesn’t have a lot of cards trading at heavy discounts over the last 30 days, the hype surrounding his call-up could lead to value spikes for his prints, meaning now is still an opportunistic time to add him to your portfolio.
A solid target is his 2022 Bowman Draft Chrome 1st Prospect Auto Raw. While this option has a bit of a steeper entry point for a raw card with it costing around $350, Chourio’s 1st Prospect Auto has already shown the ability to spike well over the $400 mark, climbing as high as $484 in February.
Roman Anthony: 2023 Bowman Chrome 1st Prospect Auto Raw
Sitting in the 3-hole on today’s list is 19-year-old outfielder Roman Anthony. Anthony was drafted by the Boston Red Sox as the 79th pick in the 2022 Draft, and has been quickly brought up to Double-A where he has slugged 14 home runs and posted a .869 OPS percentage.
Boston loves Anthony’s mature physical makeup as well as his impressive fielding, and while he may have a longer runway ahead of him to be called up to the majors in comparison to other players on this list, his Bowman Chrome 1st Prospect Auto Raw sits at a more affordable price point. Picking up his cards could be worth the wait as he draws closer to being promoted.
Coby Mayo: 2021 Bowman Chrome 1st Prospect Auto Refractor /499 Raw
Baltimore Orioles 1B/3B prospect Coby Mayo is expected to get the call during the 2024 season, and the Orioles’ emergence as a legitimate World Series contender should help produce an extra bump of hype around his card values.
His 2021 Bowman Chrome 1st Prospect Auto Refractor Raw is down an opportunistic 29% over the last 60 days and can now be purchased for less than $125, which could be a steal. Look to scoop up Mayo now and take advantage of the profit increases when he gets called up.
Colson Montgomery: 2022 Bowman Chrome 1st Prospect Auto PSA 10
With nearly 700 minor league at-bats to his name, shortstop prospect Colson Montgomery rounds off our list as a strong buy-now target. Drafted in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Montgomery landed with the Chicago White Sox and has quickly jumped to Double-A where he has provided both solid plate appearances and sure-fire fielding.
He’s tallied eight home runs and 37 RBIs this year while hitting for a .287 average. His 2022 Bowman Chrome 1st Prospect Auto PSA 10 is down 16% over the last 30 days, providing a discounted price for the 17th-ranked prospect according to MLB.com. With Montgomery expected to receive the call-up during the 2024 season, look to pick up his prints now and be ready to list at callup.
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Paul Hickey is a regular contributor to Sports Card Investor, the creator of the Sports Card Investment Report at NoOffseason.com, and the host of the Sports Card Strategy Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. He can be found on Instagram at @sportscardstrategy and on Twitter @nooffseasoncard.
