Our long nightmare is over, and 2026 Bowman Baseball has finally arrived. This year's Bowman release is pretty fascinating in that, in a product that is normally completely dominated by prospect hype, the rookies are getting a lot more attention with Roman Anthony, Kazuma Okamoto, Jacob Misiorowski, and especially Munetaka Murakami being particularly sought after. However, that does not mean, by any stretch, that there are not prospects worth looking out for and chasing.
There are essentially two types of prospects worth watching for in any initial Bowman release. First, you have the obvious cases where top names from the MLB Draft that were purposely held out of the previous year's Bowman Draft are put into the set to boost its prestige. Then, you have the prospects that have 1sts in the product who are breaking out at the start of this season. In 2026 Bowman, we have both such types.
Here are the prospects in 2026 Bowman Baseball that collectors should be chasing the most
Now, this is not a complete accounting of every prospect in Bowman that could end up being something. Such a list would be long and boring. What we have here instead are several of the top names, as well as a couple of names getting a lot of traction in the hobby among prospect diehards, but that the wider populace may not be aware of. Happy hunting!
Andrew Fischer
When in doubt, chasing after a first-round bat that was held out of 2025 Bowman Draft is a pretty good place to start. Fischer is one of the chase prospects in the product thanks to the Bowman 1st auto craze, and he also happens to be the top name in the product that has the greatest chance to get to the majors quickly. For those looking for a relatively short-term hold that has big upside, Fischer is your guy.
Ethan Holliday
If there is one name that most collectors know to look for already in 2026 Bowman, it is Ethan Holliday. He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, and Topps held him out of Draft so that they would have at least one high profile "face" of the product. The usual "Rockies don't usually become stars" warnings apply here, but Holliday does have a chance to be special albeit with a healthy amount of risk.
Aiva Arquette
It is a little odd that the No. 7 overall pick feels a bit underappreciated by many fans and collectors, but that is what happens when you play for the Marlins. Another Draft holdout, Arquette is also off to a really strong start since getting activated from the injured list at the end of April, so he could move through the minors quickly.
Edward Florentino
Now we are into the "highly regarded prospects that aren't household names yet" section of the list. Edward Florentino may not be overly well-known outside of Pittsburgh, but this guy can flat out mash and ranks as the No. 38 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. He hasn't gotten quite the buzz of some other names in Bowman this year, but that is probably going to change.
Justin Gonzales
If you are sensing a pattern here, Bowman can be a place where international signees that weren't in Bowman Chrome for one reason or another get placed, and Gonzales is in that camp. While Gonzales was not a guy who got a massive international bonus (he signed for just $250,000), he has quickly become a top 100 prospect and is now one of the biggest names in Bowman this year.
Eric Hartman
Eric Hartman is a bit of a dark horse, but it is clear that Braves fans are clamoring to collect this guy, and with good reason. Hartman was a relatively innocuous Day Three draft pick for Atlanta in the 2024 Draft, but he has broken out in a massive way this year and is already making some top 100 lists. In terms of a quick riser that came out of nowhere, Hartman is a classic example.
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