Snagging Bowman 1sts isn't for the weak - even if (especially if?) your picture is on the front of the card. Diamondbacks and Giants infield prospects Kayson Cunningham and Gavin Kilen have tried to get into the collecting game since joining the pro ranks, but have both encountered road blocks.
In other words, they might've had some idea of the insanity before they were drafted, but ... they really had no idea.
Cunningham and Kilen both spoke to Grading on the Curve ahead of Sunday's Futures Game showcase at Citizens Bank Park, and at least one of them - Kilen - has a collecting-related plea.
"Some people are ... easier to negotiate with in getting cards," Kilen told FanSided. "Some are a little difficult. Still in the works trying to get a lot of mine, but I'm hoping eventually I'll get a hold of mine - or at least the ones that I'd like to collect."
Gavin Kilen, Kayson Cunningham learned hard Bowman 1st truths after Bowman Draft release
Both Kilen and Cunningham appeared in 2025 Bowman Draft after being selected in the first round last summer (13th and 18th, respectively). Cunningham is Arizona's No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, while Kilen ranks fourth in the Giants' system - and will receive a deserved bump to Double-A when the second half begins.
That makes them both potentially desirable targets for collectors who may be unwilling to cut bait early and cut a deal with the player himself ahead of schedule. For now, both players are relative bargains, based on their talent level (shh, don't swarm at once, but you can get 1st autos for under $40).
Still, the upper echelon parallels? Those are nuts - and, from the sound of Kilen's answer, some of those are currently being hoarded by hardline negotiators.
"[Before I was drafted], I didn't know it was that insane," Cunningham told us before BP. "Some of my friends sent me a picture of how much it was."
Ideally, as both rise through their respective systems and prosper - and sign more and more cards - they'll be able to navigate both the complex market and their friends' aggressive texts. For Kilen especially, a childhood Red Sox fan who knows the power of a rabid fanbase, the conversation could get hectic as he breaks through.
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