Happy Hobby Sports Cards Podcast · David Gonos

🎙️ARCR! 2025 Topps Update Average Rookie Card Rankings - Ep. 2.50

·25 min·1 clip

Nick Kurtz ranked number one with 36 home runs, 26 doubles, and a .290 average.

David opens with the question every rookie-card collector is already asking: who should be number one in 2025 Topps Update? He treats the ARCR series as a regular tool for sports card collectors on a limited budget, meant to help them sort out which rookies are worth chasing when a new release drops. The method is straightforward, but the results still get interesting. He pulls rankings from several content creators, explains who they are, and averages those opinions into one number. That average becomes the Average Rookie Card Ranking, or ARCR. He compares it to ADP in fantasy sports, where the point is less one person's take and more the blended market view. From there, he moves into the 2025 Topps Update rookie pool and starts sorting the names. Marcelo Mayer lands near the top because several creators place him in that first tier. Drake Baldwin stays in the mix, but catcher value keeps him from climbing as high as some others. Matt Shaw and Cam Smith both slip a bit because Tops Ripped did not rank them among its top four players. Cade Horton gets a longer explanation because his case is split. He posted a solid 2.67 ERA across 118 innings and finished as the runner-up for the 2025 National League Rookie of the Year. Gannis points out that starting pitchers usually draw less collector interest than hitters. Even so, Horton lands sixth overall in the ARCR because the Cubs are a big market and the different rankings pull him in opposite directions. Gannis keeps coming back to how the tier systems shift a player up or down. Tops Ripped and his own list liked Horton more, while Scottie B. Cards and Cardlines were more cautious. That push and pull is the real shape of the episode. He is not just naming cards; he is showing how the rankings collide and where the average settles. Near the end, he pauses to remind listeners about the free Happy Hobby Collection Checklist, then closes by asking for comments or email reactions. He also teases the next ranking project: a full-year 2025 rookie-card list combining Series 1, Series 2, and Update.

As heard by us

A ranked rookie-card guide that compares creator lists to show which 2025 Topps Update cards to chase.

David Gannis's look at 2025 Topps Update stays practical: it walks through average rookie card rankings and uses several creator lists to show where the consensus sits, and where it does not.

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Why you'd press play

You want a budget-minded look at the 2025 Topps Update rookie rankings.

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