15 Best 2025 Topps Update Rookie Cards To Target!

With an astounding 153 first-year cards, it’s important to know what the best 2025 Topps Update Rookie Cards are, so we can bolster our baseball card collections. Whether you buy their base cards, some parallels or you plan to track down some autographs, your collection will be better off for it!

At this website, we have a habit of tracking down the best baseball rookie cards – as we’ve already found the best rookie cards from every Topps release over the past 70-plus years!

In March every year, MLB Network posts their ranking of the Top 100 MLB Players Right Now, and we post the true rookie cards for each player. It’s an interesting exercise because you can see which of the Topps flagship releases performs the best when it comes to producing great rookie cards!

Among the Top 100 MLB Players at the start of 2024, 45 of those players’ rookie cards came from the Topps Update release! This past spring, 43 of the Top 100 MLB Players before the 2025 season had rookie cards from Topps Update, too!

Topps Update has produced 44% of the rookie cards for the best players in baseball over the past couple years!

Earlier this year, we ranked the best rookie cards from 2025 Topps Series 1 and for 2025 Topps Chrome. I also ranked the best 2025 Topps Series 2 rookie cards here.

We’ll see if any great players come from the 2025 Topps Update Rookie Cards – and in this article, we’re going to make our guess as to which players’ rookie cards we should be targeting!

2025 Topps Update — Released Nov. 10, 2025
(View hobby box pricing on eBay!)
(View JUMBO box pricing on eBay, with 1 guaranteed auto!)

Also, 2025 Topps Update is an exciting release every year because it not only has so many great rookie cards, but it also brings 40 Rookie Debut cards of the best rookies from the entire season. That means you can get first-year cards of players from Topps Series 1, like James Wood and Jacob Wilson, and Topps Series 2, like Roki Sasaki!

You also get a chance to pull two of the best 2025 Topps Update rookie cards for each player listed because they also get their Rookie Debut cards in this set.

Ranking the 15 Best 2025 Topps Update Rookie Cards!

Amazingly, there are 153 players with rookie cards in the 2025 Topps Update set, which must be some sort of record! But we’re only going to list the Top 13 Rookie Cards to collect.

1. Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics (22)

• Card No. US201 – View on eBay!

The fourth pick in the 2024 MLB Draft leads all rookies with a 5.4 WAR (by a long shot), easily winning the 2025 American League Rookie of the Year award. He brings power along with a great batting eye, which is music to collector’s ears.

Even more impressive is the fact that just two players (Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani) posted a higher OPS than Kurtz’s 1.002!

2. Marcelo Mayer, SS/3B, Boston Red Sox (22)

• Card No. US105 – View on eBay!

One of the best young hitters in the game, Mayer’s season was cut short by wrist surgery in June, but Boston’s hopes are pinned to his bat, along with Roman Anthony, for the next several years. The fourth overall pick in 2021, Mayer had just 10 RBI in 44 games in the majors in 2025. Unfortunately, the injury-shortened season has become a recurring trend in Mayer’s career, as he hasn’t played in over 100 games in a season yet. He’s young, he’s excellent defensively, and the Red Sox are likely going to get him a starting spot next season with both SS Trevor Story and 3B Alex Bregman possibly becoming free agents this offseason.

3. Drake Baldwin, C, Atlanta Braves (24)

• Card No. US87 – View on eBay!

The 2025 National League Rookie of the Year Award winner, Baldwin proved to be a plus for the Braves both offensively and defensively, as a catcher. While catchers aren’t super collectable, Baldwin also sees time at designated hitter – that’s how good his bat is. If the Braves move on from Sean Murphy, Baldwin is the reason why, and collectors should take note.

4. Cade Horton, SP, Chicago Cubs (24)

• Card No. US140 – View on eBay!

Horton finished with a 2.67 ERA in 23 games, but he posted an awesome 1.03 ERA to lead starting pitchers in the second half. He was the odds-on favorite to win the 2025 NL ROY award in August, in a season when many young National Leaguers were favorites at one point. A fractured rib kept him out of the start of the NL Playoffs, though.

5. Matt Shaw, 3B, Chicago Cubs (23)

• Card No. US200 – View on eBay!

One of the stars coming out of spring training, Shaw struggled initially in the majors, before being sent back to the minors. But something clicked in the second half of the season, and he hit 11 home runs and knocked in 29 RBI, with a .258 batting average. Good things are on the horizon for Shaw, which makes his 2025 Topps rookie card a nice pickup. (Don’t forget that he was also among those to get a Series 2 SP card, as well!)

6. Luke Keaschall, 2B, Minnesota Twins (23)

• Card No. US16 – View on eBay!

A broken arm sidelined Keaschall for three midseason months, and thumb surgery ended his 2025 season. When he played, though, he hit .302 with 14 steals and 18 extra-base hits in 49 games. The Twins are reloading, which means Keaschall will be leaned on heavily next year, making his rookie card a nice pull this year.

7. Cam Smith, OF, Houston Astros (22)

• Card No. US298 – View on eBay!

Smith was the big name to land in Houston in the Kyle Tucker trade with the Chicago Cubs. While Tucker had a great season in Wrigleyville, Smith struggled in his first full season in the majors. After a strong spring, the first-round pick in last year’s MLB Draft finished the year in a platoon situation. Let this serve as an opportunity for you to buy the slugger’s 2025 Topps Series 2 SP rookie card at a discount!

8. Chandler Simpson, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (24)

• Card No. US277 – View on eBay!

It’s tough to get excited about a player that has hit just one home run in his professional career, but Simpson is a get-you-excited kinda player. He’ll get a full season shot at stealing 100 bases next year, becoming the first baseball player to do that since Vince Coleman in 1987. Simpson stole 44 bags in 109 games with Tampa Bay this year, and he hit close to .300. His high-contact/high-speed ability serves as a great leadoff batter for the Rays in coming years.

9. Daylen Lile, OF, Washington Nationals (22)

• Card No. US172 – View on eBay!

This choice is a true high ceiling/low floor kinda pick! Lile was a second-round pick in 2021 who lost his first professional season due to Tommy John surgery, and when he returned, he was considered a low-pop/high-speed type of player, with serious defensive deficiencies. Plus, the Nats had like 19 young outfielders in their ranks to battle for three spots (two spots considered already owned by James Wood and Dylan Crews). Then Lile gets a shot! He exploded in the last month, hitting .391 with 6 HR, 7 triples and a 1.212 OPS, winning NL Rookie of the Month of September — AND NL Player of the Month! Even if he turns out to be the 2025 version of Lawrence Butler, who followed up a surprising 2024 with just an OK 2025, his rookie card is worth tracking.

10. Caleb Durbin, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers (25)

• Card No. 170 – View on eBay!

At 25, Durbin’s not considered a young pup, but he will be one of the Brewers’ featured players in 2026. The third baseman came in third place in 2025 National League Rookie of the Year voting behind Baldwin and Horton!

11. Agustín Ramírez, C, Miami Marlins (24)

• Card No. US11 – View on eBay!

Another great hitting backstop whose rookie card falls into our 2025 Topps Update laps, Ramirez is someone to watch. He is the first rookie catcher to hit at least 20 home runs and steal at least 10 bases! Hidden a bit down in South Florida, Ramirez is an interesting pickup for collectors, as his raw power, consistent bat and strong exit velocities portend a star for someone else’s team at some point!

12. Kristian Campbell, 2B, Boston Red Sox (Age 23)

• Card No. US1 – View on eBay!

Campbell was the AL Rookie of the Month in April, then fell off precipitously after that – leading to a midseason demotion back to the minors. The Red Sox have a great, young core, and while Campbell is a part of it, he won’t be the headliner, with Roman Anthony, Franklin Arias and Marcelo Mayer wearing red socks.

13. Dalton Rushing, C/1B, L.A. Dodgers (24)

• Card No. US38 – View on eBay!

Rushing didn’t do much in the regular season, but he raked in the minor leagues, and things are looking up for his future. Unfortunately, with Will Smith behind the plate and Freddie Freeman at first base, there’s not much room for Rushing in a Dodgers dugout. That could very well mean he gets traded to another team (Red Sox?) this offseason, which would instantly boost his rookie card value!

14. Robert Hassell III, OF, Washington Nationals (24)

• Card No. US109 – View on eBay!

A better prospect than a rookie, RH3 doesn’t have a big enough bat to warrant huge card investments, but he could end up getting traded away from Washington to start elsewhere. But even so, he’s a better on defense than offense.

15. Mick Abel, SP, Minnesota Twins (24)

• Card No. US127 – View on eBay!

The former first-rounder for Philly was part of the Jhoan Duran trade with Minnesota this summer. While his stats aren’t anything to get overly excited about, he did finish the year beating those Phillies with a 6-inning/9-K performance. Even so, the Twins aren’t expected to be great – and neither is Abel.

16. Max Muncy, 3B, Athletics (23)

• Card No. US250 – View on eBay!

Don’t get this Max Muncy confused with the Dodgers’ Max Muncy… despite the similar names, same birthdays and the fact the A’s drafted both. The rookie Muncy has some pop (9 HR in 63 games), but he doesn’t make enough contact, unfortunately.

17. Moisés Ballesteros, DH, Chicago Cubs (21)

• Card No. US262 – View on eBay!

This stocky backstop (what’s with all the young catchers on this list?) got to the majors because of his bat, which is a huge deal when it comes to catcher prospects. His first home run in the majors landed in the hands of Anthony Rizzo, who was in the bleachers on the day the Cubs were honoring him (Rizzo dropped the ball). The Venezuelan’s stock could rise even higher with some playoff production.

Find all the best baseball rookie cards from every season dating back to 1948 right here.

2025 Topps Update — Released Nov. 10, 2025
(View hobby box pricing on eBay!)
(View JUMBO box pricing on eBay, with 1 guaranteed auto!)

While this list of the best 2025 Topps Update rookie cards looks pretty loaded, we’re already looking forward to 2026 Topps Series 1, when we should see rookie cards of players like Roman Anthony, Jac Caglianone, Carson Williams and Jacob Misiorowski!