The 2023 Bowman baseball card set was among the most highly-anticipated of the past few years.
Inside the 100-card base set, you'll find a trove of big-name veterans and up-and-coming rookie stars.
Some of these rookies are already genuine superstars...
As expected, collectors can also find the typical range of parallels, inserts and autographed material to heighten the experience.
The look and feel of the set is crisp, featuring a modern yet not over-the-top design.
Given this set's crop of big-name rookies, it should hold up well over time.
And in this guide, we'll take a look at the 15 most valuable.
Let's jump right in!
2023 Bowman #15 Shohei Ohtani
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
Shohei Ohtani never had a chance to shine in October with the Los Angeles Angels.
But he did get a taste of high-stakes, winner-take-all baseball before the start of the 2023 MLB season.
Ohtani captained Japan to its third World Baseball Classic title, winning MVP honors with a .435/.606/.739 slash line while pitching to a 1.86 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 9.1 innings.
Before the team's 3-2 win over Mike Trout and the heavily favored USA squad, the 28-year-old sensation rallied his side with a short yet impassioned speech.
"We came here to surpass them, to reach the top," Ohtani said. "Let's throw away our admiration for them and just think about winning."
Japan did just that, and Ohtani piggybacked on his WBC success to yet another Most Valuable Player award.
Named the unanimous AL MVP for the second time in three years, Ohtani led the Majors in slugging percentage (.654), OPS (1.066), and OPS+ (185) while pacing the Junior Circuit in home runs (44), OBP (.412), and total bases (325).
He was just as impactful on the mound in his Anaheim farewell before an injured elbow ligament forced him into a hitting-only role.
2023 Bowman #65 Gunnar Henderson Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
Two bad months couldn't deter Gunnar Henderson on his path to the 2023 AL Rookie-of-the-Year award.
The 22-year-old Baltimore Orioles shortstop/third baseman hit under .200 for most of the season's first two months, a slump that compounded itself as the weeks went on.
It was "one of the hardest things" Henderson has been through, but it proved a blessing in disguise.
"I felt like just the internal drive I had from a very young age and then kind of vocalizing that I wanted to be a major league baseball player from the time I could start playing and always remembering that," Henderson said.
Once Henderson started having fun again, the team followed suit.
The Orioles won nearly two-thirds of their games over the final three months of the campaign (53-28) as their young phenom rounded into Silver Slugger form.
The former second-round pick ended his ROTY campaign with a .255/.325/.489 slash line, 28 home runs, 29 doubles, 9 triples, 10 stolen bases, 100 runs scored, and 82 RBIs in 150 games.
Baltimore finished no better than fourth in the AL East from 2017 through 2022.
With Henderson anchoring a dedicated youth movement, the O's topped 100 wins (101) and won their first division title since 2014.
2023 Bowman #20 Mookie Betts
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $20
If not for a rough September, Mookie Betts may have outrun eventual NL MVP winner Ronald Acuna Jr. for the postseason award.
The 30-year-old right fielder/middle infielder looked every part the favorite after one of the greatest Augusts of the modern era.
Betts slashed a daffy .455/.516/.839 on his way to Player of the Month honors with 11 home runs, 30 RBIs, and a Los Angeles-era record 35 runs scored.
As Betts kept slugging, the Dodgers kept winning.
Los Angeles finished 24-5 on the month to tie the 2002 Athletics for the most wins in August over the past 70 years.
Betts crashed in September, though, and Acuna's 70/40 blitzkrieg relegated him to his third runner-up MVP finish.
Still, his numbers were immaculate: a .307/.408/.579 slash with 39 home runs, 40 doubles, a triple, 14 stolen bases, 126 runs scored, and 107 RBIs in 152 games.
With their big-money star at his best, the Dodgers crossed the 100-win mark for the fourth consecutive season.
"This is really the first year (with the Dodgers) where I've played decent," Betts said. "I kept telling me, 'You signed this contract and you're just gonna blend in?'"
2023 Bowman #40 Adley Rutschman Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $20
Oftentimes, it takes a veteran catcher to bring a young, talented team to the next level.
In the case of the 2023 Baltimore Orioles, it took a second-year backstop with the confidence and production of someone well beyond his years.
Don’t buy the notion that Adley Rutschman’s 2023 season was a step back from his Rookie-of-the-Year runner-up in ‘22.
While the former number-one pick slumped in the early summer and had some hiccups behind the plate, he was still a no-doubt Silver Slugger, a top-ten MVP candidate, and the glue guy that held the inexperienced Orioles’ division title hopes in place.
A first-time All-Star, Rutschman slashed .277/.374/.435 with 20 home runs, 31 doubles, a triple, 84 runs scored, 92 walks, and 80 RBIs.
He did spend 46 games in the designated hitter role, but that was more due to load management than any faults of his own.
The Orioles fell apart in a three-game ALDS sweep at the hands of the Rangers, and Rutschman’s 1-for-12 with a walk and two strikeouts sure didn’t help.
Yet, one lousy series doesn’t undo all the good of Baltimore’s feel-good ‘23 campaign.
2023 Bowman #59 Aaron Judge
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $20
The 2023 New York Yankees were one team when Aaron Judge was in the lineup and a completely different beast when he wasn't.
The 2022 AL MVP was sidelined for 56 games with toe and hip injuries, ruining his opportunity at a potential repeat.
He still finished 15th in the award race thanks to his second straight season with an OPS above 1.000 (1.019), 37 home runs, and 75 RBIs.
New York was 57-49 with their generational right fielder in the lineup, a pace that would have put them in the thick of the AL playoff chase.
Without Judge on the card, the Yankees were just 25-31 and scored a paltry 3.73 runs per game, nearly 2/3 of a run less than when he suited up.
"We're not showing up," Judge said "That's what it comes down to. We're not showing up when we need to."
In short, the 2023 Yankees desperately needed Judge to maintain lineup balance, protect an otherwise shallow lineup, and generally tear the cover off the ball.
When he wasn't there, they weren't either.
2023 Bowman #73 Corbin Carroll Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $20
The Arizona Diamondbacks were the darlings of the 2023 baseball season, shocking everyone but themselves with their first World Series berth since 2001.
Arizona’s five-game Fall Classic loss to the Texas Rangers may sting for years.
Still, there were so many memories and accomplishments to soften the blow, including Corbin Carroll’s breakneck run to a unanimous 2023 NL Rookie of the Year victory.
The first Asian-American and first Diamondback to take home ROTY honors, Carroll became the only rookie to post 25 home runs and 50 steals (54).
The 23-year-old center fielder slashed .285/.362/.506 with 30 doubles, an MLB-best ten triples, 116 runs scored, and 76 RBIs in 155 games.
His first-year explosion drew parallels to the great Ichiro Suzuki, and for good reason: Carroll grew up idolizing and emulation Suzuki in his hometown of Seattle.
“I think growing up, watching a player like that,” Carroll said, “who is not the biggest guy out there and still able to impact the game in so many ways, with his speed, his arm, his defense, his ability to put the bat on the ball, that inspired me to want to play a similar brand of baseball.”
2023 Bowman #89 Mike Trout
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $20
With all the injuries that Mike Trout has fought through in the past few years, it was bound to catch up.
The Los Angeles Angels center fielder missed most of the 2021 season and nearly two months of the 2022 campaign with various cracks, bruises, and ailments.
And the troubling trend continued in 2023, with Trout missing half the season with a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist.
There’s bad luck and then there’s whatever Trout is going through.
And for the first time, his statistical output took the brunt in 2023.
The 32-year-old Hall-of-Famer-to-be was on pace for his worst full-season ever before he went down in July, including lows in batting average (.263), slugging percentage (.490), and OBP (.367).
He hit .197 against pitches 95 mph or faster, 43 points worse than the league average while posting a 76% contact rate after topping 80% every season through 2020.
Trout wasn’t willing to blame injuries for his decreased production, though.
He attributed the fall-off to “sliding” -- a mechanical error that drops the hips during a swing, lowering the point of contact.
“I know what I’m doing wrong,” Trout said. “I created a bad habit in the last year or two that I’m trying to get out of.”
2023 Bowman #24 Bryce Harper
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $15
Bryce Harper started his career with an NL East rival, but he's a Philadelphia guy, through and through.
"I have never seen an athlete in any sport who resonates more with the Philadelphia fan base more than Bryce," Phillies owner John Middleton said. "I'm talking about any athlete in Philadelphia history."
Harper's 2022 heroics carried the Phillies to within two wins of a World Series triumph.
In '23, Harper sought retribution for himself and his adoring Philadelphia fans.
The 30-year-old face of the franchise slashed .293/.401/.499 with 21 home runs, 29 doubles, a triple, 11 stolen bases, 84 runs scored, and 72 RBIs to earn down-ballot MVP consideration and a third Silver Slugger award.
Philadelphia grabbed a Wild Card spot for a second consecutive year, giving Harper the chance to make championship amends.
It didn't go as planned.
The Phils rolled through the Marlins and Braves before they were taken down in a jaw-dropping seven-game NLCS upset at the hands of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Harper singled himself out for the Game 7 defeat, citing a potential go-ahead three-run homer that went just foul.
Phillies fans loved Harper even more for shouldering the blame.
2023 Bowman #43 Josh Jung Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $15
During his rookie 2023 season, Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung emerged as a standout player who would prove critical to their World Series championship run.
Jung got off to a blistering start, earning AL Rookie of the Month honors in both April and May.
Even more impressive, not only did Jung earn All-Star honors, he became the AL's starting third baseman for the Midsummer Classic.
No other Texas Ranger rookie in franchise history had been named an All-Star starter before him.
In 122 games, the Texas native showcased his offensive prowess, posting a .266/.315/.467 slash line while belting 23 home runs with 70 RBIs and 75 runs scored.
Defensively, Jung was a reliable presence at the hot corner, exhibiting impressive range and a strong arm, which earned him recognition as one of the top up-and-coming defensive third basemen in the league.
Unfortunately, Jung's sophomore campaign was derailed by a fractured wrist that limited him to just 46 games during the 2024 MLB season.
But, if his rookie season was any indication, Jung looks primed for long-term success.
2023 Bowman #76 Michael Harris II Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $15
Don’t let Michael Harris II’s early-season slump cloud things.
By the end of the 2023 season, the Atlanta Braves center fielder was back on par with the best 22-and-younger performers of the last 25 years.
Harris crashed into the outfield wall at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium in April, briefly sending him onto the IL with a back injury.
When he returned, it took until early June for his timing to do the same. Harris concluded June 6th with a .163 batting average and .490 OPS.
He quickly reversed course from there, blazing to and through the finish line as Atlanta snagged its sixth division title in a row.
Harris ended the campaign slashing .293/.331/.477 with 18 homers, 33 doubles, three triples, 20 stolen bases, 76 runs scored, and 57 RBIs in 138 games.
“It’s crazy to think what this kid is capable of,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “That ball coming off his bat is something else. He is still maturing and developing. But what he is capable of is off the charts.”
Since 2000, only 14 other players aged 22 and younger have posted an OPS+ of 120 or better through the same number of plate appearances.
The list of Harris’ contemporaries includes MVP teammate Ronald Acuna Jr., Mike Trout, and Albert Pujols.
2023 Bowman #82 Freddie Freeman
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $15
Their season may have ended with a shocking sweep in the NLDS, but the 2023 Los Angeles Dodgers still had an embarrassment of riches.
Three Dodgers were named as finalists for BBWAA awards at the end of the 2023 campaign: James Outman for the NL Rookie of the Year award and Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman for the league MVP honor.
All three fell short, but that doesn't take away from just how significant their contributions were to the Dodgers' tenth NL West title in eleven years.
In Freddie Freeman's case, a historic barrage of extra-base hits pushed him into an award position.
The 33-year-old first baseman led the Majors with a team-record 59 doubles and set another Dodgers all-time mark with 90 extra-base hits.
He joined Alfonso Soriano (2002) and Chuck Klein (1932) as the only players in MLB history to record at least 200 hits (211), 25 home runs (29), 20 stolen bases (23), and 50 doubles in a single season.
Freeman ended up a distant third for MVP, but it was more a testament to the talents of Ronald Acuna Jr. and Mookie Betts than anything else.
2023 Bowman #96 Julio Rodriguez
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $15
You’d think a fourth-place MVP finish would be enough to satiate Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez.
You’d be wrong.
“There were a lot of moments that I feel like I should have done better, like I could have done better,” Rodríguez said of his second season. “I know my ability.”
It’s a fair assessment, considering Rodriguez’s limitless potential.
The 22-year-old wunderkind was mired in a textbook sophomore slump in the season’s first half (and change), posting a .251/.315/.423 slash line at the end of July.
August made things look a whole lot better.
J-Rod hit safely in 20 of 23 games, slashing a jaw-dropping .429/.474/.724 as the Mariners surged back into the postseason picture.
By the end of the month, the two-time All-Star had improved his overall batting average by 35 points and his OPS by 90.
Seattle swooned to an 11-17 mark in the season’s final month, falling one game short of the AL’s final Wild Card spot.
Rodriguez saw his OPS drop by over 400 points from August to September (.792), a vexing end to one of the most frustrating Silver Slugger campaigns in recent memory.
2023 Bowman #13 James Outman Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $10
2023 Bowman #49 Francisco Alvarez Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $10
2023 Bowman #75 Kodai Senga Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $10
2023 Bowman Baseball Cards In Review
As I mentioned in the opener, assuming some of these big-name rookies have the long-term success that we all anticipate, this set should hold attention for years to come.
There are no guarantees with any big-name rookie, but so far things are looking good.
The 150-card prospects set also featured some big-name youngsters, namely Druw Jones, who also look to have exciting careers ahead of them.
Beyond the base veterans and rookie cards, collectors can also chase many different parallels, including newcomers "Purple Patter" (#/199), "Pink Border" (#/175), and the "Black Border" (#/15).
Autographed cards and several different inserts are other elements of this set that keep things interesting.
Aesthetically, the design of this set does a great job of balancing a modern look and feel without being too aggressive.
Overall, the 2023 Bowman baseball card set delivers a solid collecting experience with plenty of opportunities to land some big-name youngsters at the onset of their careers.