Best 2025 Topps Series 1 Rookie Cards: Ranking Top 15!

Collecting the best 2025 Topps Series 1 rookie cards is a great way to improve your baseball card collection for the coming years. Not only will you add to your ever-growing roster of hopeful superstars, but you’ll also be adding top prospects from recent years, with hopes of entering Cooperstown.

Happy Hobbyists love rookie cards, and the best 2025 Topps Series 1 rookie cards will be added to our always expanding list of the Best Baseball Rookie Cards of all-time, from every single season, dating back to the 1940s.

2025 Topps Series 1 Jumbo Boxes (with 1 autograph or relic card guaranteed)
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2025 Topps Series 1 Hobby Boxes (with 3 “Hits” guaranteed — 1 autograph and two other hits that could be autographs or relics guaranteed)
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Comparisons to Other Recent Years

View all the best baseball rookie cards from every year dating back to 1948 here. Let’s look at the big hits and the nice surprises from the recent past, to see what we’re hopeful of with the best 2025 Topps Series 1 rookie cards:

2023 Topps Series 1 — (View all the best rookie cards from every year here.):

• Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers
• Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox
• Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
• Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves
• Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles

2024 Topps Series 1:

• Jasson Dominguez, N.Y. Yankees
• Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
• Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles
• Evan Carter, Texas Rangers

We all might be a little spoiled after the recent breakout seasons of great rookies from2023 and 2024, but that doesn’t mean we still can’t get excited about this group.

We love to rank things here at Happy Hobby Sports Cards, and last year, we ranked the Top 5 Rookie Cards for 2024 Topps Series 1, the Top 11 Rookie Cards for 2024 Topps Series 2, and finally, we ranked the Top 15 Rookie Cards of a jampacked 2024 Topps Update Series!

Ranking the 15 Best 2025 Topps Series 1 Rookie Cards

As the weeks go by, we’ll add things like the card numbers, the images of the cards, and the links to eBay to purchase these cards and their parallels.

1. Dylan Crews, OF, Washington Nationals

Skenes was the top pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, and he went on to win the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year.

Crews was second overall, and the first hitter taken in that draft just before Wyatt Langford, and Crews has become a hot pick for 2025 NL Rookie of the Year!

One sticking point here, where some might prefer James Wood in this top spot, is that Crews’ defensive ability is ahead of his hitting, from a MLB standpoint. At LSU, Crews was one of the best hitters the college game has seen over the past 10 years. But his .218 batting average and .641 OPS has us all wanting a little more.

The good news: It’s a very small sample size, and he has great plate discipline and the ball jumps off his bat with good exit velocities.

The bad news: Crews hit just .098 against breaking balls, which he’ll likely be fed a steady diet of until he proves he can hit them.

More good news: In 40 MLB games in 2011, Mike Trout hit just .220, with a .672 OPS. Great things can come from super second-year freshmen, and the world has Crews as the odds-on NL ROY favorite.

2. James Wood, OF, Washington Nationals

While most people were excited about the midseason arrivals of Paul Skenes and Jackson Holliday, it was James Wood who quietly had a fantastic call-up with the Nationals. His arrival was one of the most anticipated by Nationals fans since Bryce Harper in 2012.

Wood, who came to Washington from San Diego in the Juan Soto deal a couple years ago, hits the ball hard, and he has a great batting eye. His .383 OBP from July 27 to the end of the year was third-best in the National League! His game is all about patience and power – and his card ranks first among the best 2025 Topps Series 1 rookie cards for a reason!

One of my only problems with Wood is something he can’t control – teammate Dylan Crews is getting a lot more hype. My hope is this turns into an Adley Rutschman/Gunnar Henderson situation, where both get their due hobby love.

3. Coby Mayo, 1B/3B, Baltimore Orioles

Please stop me if you’ve heard this before: The rookie cards for this young Orioles player will be in hot demand, since he’s a top-10 MLB prospect and a plus power hitter.  Unfortunately, you also heard this before: The hot Orioles prospect struggled at the plate mightily after his call-up in 2024.

Mayo’s 2024 struggles don’t dissuade our desire for his cards, though, as he should once again rejoin an Orioles lineup that’s going to score a ton of runs.

MLB ranks Mayo as their eighth-best prospect, and if card collectors have learned anything over the past couple years, it’s grab as many of their rookie cards as you can. Mayo’s RCs have a great chance to rank among the best 2025 Topps Series 1 rookie cards.

4. Connor Norby, 3B, Miami Marlins

Another 2B-turned-3B on this list, Norby already hits near the top of the Marlins’ lineup, after once sitting near the top of the Orioles’ prospect rankings. Norby set a Marlins record with six extra-base hits in his first six games, and baseball collectors have reason to be excited about him. He has been a top prospect for the past three years, with 30-HR potential, and now he has a regular every day job in Miami.

5. Jace Jung, 2B/3B, Detroit Tigers

Jung’s initial cardboard offerings rank among the best 2025 Topps Series 1 rookie cards for a few reasons. He was a power-hitting second-baseman, but the Tigers converted him to third base due to the ascension of Colt Keith (who is moving to first base) and the arrival of Gleyber Torres.

Josh Jung’s little brother was a first-round pick in 2022, and he should have a spot in the lineup locked up for 2025. He has good upside from both an MLB and a collectability perspective.

The Rest of the Best 2025 Topps Series 1 Rookie Cards

6. Jacob Wilson, SS, Oakland Athletics

Finally, after all these years, the A’s have some exciting young players whose rookie cards people want to collect! Lawrence Butler became one of the hottest names in the second half of last season, and now Wilson, their first-round pick from 2023, ranks as their top prospect.

Former Pirates SS Jack Wilson’s son makes great contact and fields like a veteran, which keeps his floor high, but he’ll need to add some power to get collectors more excited.

7. Brooks Lee, 2B, Minnesota Twins

After a back injury slowed his takeoff in 2024, Lee had quite the up-and-down season with the Twins, but he showed enough promise to have card collectors ready to make stacks of his cards. He’ll start the season in the back of the Twins’ lineup, but he has the potential to hit among the top three spots, which improves his collectability.

8. Rhett Lowder, SP, Cincinnati Reds

Lowder is the second-best prospect in the Reds’ system, and he was the second pitcher selected in the 2023 MLB Draft (7th overall) after Paul Skenes. While he posted a wonderful 1.17 ERA in 30 2/3 IP after his call-up last summer, his peripherals were rough (just 6.5 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9). A sub-4.00 ERA is likely where we’re headed, and the long locks make us think about young Noah Syndergaard, but he’s not quite the strikeout artist.

9. Spencer Schwellenbach, SP, Atlanta Braves

Collecting rookie cards of pitchers always feels like carrying water in a bucket that has holes in it. You just hope enough water remains by the time you get to pour it out, and with pitchers, you just hope the early hype and talent hangs on long enough to keep his rookie cards collectable. Pitchers often get figured out. Pitchers often get injured – for a year at a time. Pitchers often get forgotten.

Even so, Schwellenbach is already being named as a 2025 breakout candidate by MLB.com, and that’s enough to make me want to swipe right on some Schwellenbach!

10. Jhonkensy Noel, 1B/OF, Cleveland Guardians

One of my sleepers among the best 2025 Topps Series 1 rookie cards list, Noel has several things going in his favor.

1. Josh Naylor got traded to Arizona, opening up the first base job in Cleveland to Kyle Manzardo or Noel.
2. Noel flashed a great bat in 2024, with 14 home runs in 67 games in the majors, including the postseason.
3. Noel is 23 years old, and he could get at-bats at 1B, DH or the outfield, until a starting spot opens up.
4. His nickname is “Big Christmas,” which will endear him to card collectors.
5. The Dominican gives off right-handed Big Papi vibes.

11. Ben Rice, 1B, N.Y. Yankees

One rookie card people were clamoring for late last summer was Rice’s, for good reason! He was the first Yankees rookie to ever hit three home runs in a single game. The problem for collectors was – there were no cards of Rice to collect! Because he was a late pick from Dartmouth during the pandemic (12th-round pick in 2021), he got overlooked. No Bowman cards. No Topps Pro Debut cards. No Panini Prizm Draft Picks cards. Nothing.

While Rice did get a couple Topps Now cards (including this one for his 3-HR game), his 2025 card will be his first pack-pulled cards. Unfortunately, he’s still not a great prospect, he’ll start the season 26 years old, and the Yankees signed future Hall-of-Famer Paul Goldschmidt to play first base.

Even so, any self-respecting Yankees fan will want to load up on some Ben Rice cards.

12. Justyn-Henry Malloy, OF/3B, Detroit Tigers

In half-a-season in the majors, Malloy popped eight home runs among his 41 hits, which is impressive – although, he had 202 at-bats, giving him a .23 batting average. He’ll be 25 years old this spring, looking for a spot in the lineup (possibly at first base). Unless injuries happen ahead of him and he irons out his misses, he’s not a must-have for collectors.

13. Rece Hinds, OF, Cincinnati Reds

You didn’t need to use hindsight to see that Hinds might be collectable in 2025! The outfielder smacked five home runs in his first five games in the majors, flashing some serious raw power. Unfortunately, that big swing also generates a lot of wind, with a high strikeout rate. Even so, the Reds could be a fun team to watch in the coming years, and Hinds could knock in some runners if he can become more consistent.

14. Orelvis Martinez, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays

It’s tough to get excited about a middle-infield prospect who’s coming off a PED suspension (just ask Noelvi Marte collectors), but Martinez was the Jays’ top-hitting prospect last year. He got suspended after playing his first game in the majors, but he’ll need injuries ahead of him to guys like Bo Bichette or Andres Gimenez before he returns. He does have good pop, but we’ll see how he looks post-suspension.

15. Adrian Del Castillo, C, Arizona Diamondbacks

There’s not a lot running in favor of picking up A.D.C.’s cards, considering he’s 25 years old, a catcher and plays for Arizona. While he hit well in the minors and a short stint in the majors, he’s battling to be the backup catcher behind Gabriel Montero.

• 2025 Topps Series 1 Jumbo Boxes (with 1 autograph or relic card guaranteed) – View Prices on eBay!
• 2025 Topps Series 1 Hobby Boxes (with 3 “Hits” guaranteed — 1 autograph and two other hits that could be autographs or relics guaranteed) – View Prices on eBay!

While the best 2025 Topps Series 1 rookie cards have a long way to go before they get compared to the likes of previous superstar rookie cards of guys like Mickey Mantle, Johnny Bench, Nolan Ryan, Ken Griffey Jr., and Mike Trout, they’re still worth collecting!

Have some player names you think should be added to this list of the best 2025 Topps Series 1 rookie cards that I might have missed? Comment below and let me know!