The 2021 Bowman Best baseball card set was highly anticipated by collectors after the tremendous success of Bowman Best in 2020. Bowman Best provides a special showcase for some of the best prospects in minor league baseball. It features photo variations and autographed rookie cards of players that collectors are eager to invest in early in their careers.
In 2021, Topps once again selected 30 top prospects across MLB’s minor league system to be featured in Bowman Best. Some of the headlining names included Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals, Jarred Kelenic of the Seattle Mariners, Spencer Torkelson of the Detroit Tigers, and Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners. With scouting reports projecting all of these players as future All-Stars and franchise cornerstones, their rookie cards were some of the most sought after on the secondary market.
Bowman Best cards have several distinct advantages that set them apart from a typical Bowman chrome rookie card issue. Firstly, the photo variations and rarer autograph cards make for greater collecting and breaking excitement. While Bowman chrome rookies can provide the earliest paper trail to a player’s career, Bowman Best focuses specifically on minor league stars poised to make an MLB impact soon. This more curated selection gives collectors a targeted product zooming in on just the cream of the prospect crop.
Secondly, Bowman Best cards are printed on a thicker, high-gloss stock that really makes the photos pop compared to standard Bowman cards. The coating and cardstock quality provides an upgrade in feel and appeal to collectors. Additionally, Topps only produces Bowman Best in cello packs as opposed to the traditional wax packs of Bowman Series 1 and Series 2. The cello packaging gives each card insert a nicer individual enclosure that is easier to safely remove and appreciate.
The 2021 release included several formidable young hurlers among the featured prospects. One was Boston Red Sox lefty Brayan Bello, a 22-year-old Dominican who posted a stellar 1.67 ERA over 101.2 minor league innings in 2021 while racking up 111 strikeouts. Bello’s control and three above-average pitches point to him developing into a mid-rotation starter, making his Bowman Best card a savvy buy.
Another pitching prospect to watch was Grayson Rodriguez of the Baltimore Orioles organization. The 6-foot-5 righty topped out at 100 MPH in 2021 and sported a microscopic 1.09 ERA over 103 innings between High-A and Double-A. Many scouts tabbed Rodriguez as the top pitching prospect in the minors, and his Bowman Best card price rose accordingly on the secondary market. His future ace potential coupled with orioles fandom demand provided collectors strong upside.
Among position players, Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani received his very own variation in the 2021 Bowman Best set separate from the main 30 prospects. This paid homage to Ohtani’s unprecedented abilities as both an elite pitcher and hitter at the MLB level. While older than a typical Bowman Best prospect, Ohtani’s dazzling dual talents made his inclusion a fun bonus for collectors. Meanwhile, Emery Miller of the Cincinnati Reds was considered one of the set’s top shortstop prospects after slashing .306/.415/.541 with 15 home runs in A-ball as an 18-year-old.
The 2021 Bowman Best release stayed true to providing an investment-quality mini-set highlighting some of the top farm system talents. While cards of superstar veterans may carry higher values, savvy collectors recognize that focusing on premium rookie cards of promising prospects offers potential for greater long-term upside. If players like Witt, Kelenic, Rodriguez or Torkelson ascend to the heights expected of them, their low-printed Bowman Best rookies could appreciate substantially in price over the coming years. For fans and investors seeking exposure to baseball’s next generation of stars, Bowman Best continued serving as a premier destination in 2021 pack-breaking and the secondary market.
