Baseball Cards: 10 Players Worth Buying Ahead of the 2023 MLB Season
Let's say you're new to baseball card collecting and want to take a crack at buying some cards of players with value upside heading into the 2023 season.
A few things to consider about current hobby trends:
- No pitchers: Offensive players dominate the hobby space, especially when it comes to prospecting since there is such a high failure rate for pitching prospects. Unless a pitcher puts together a career like Clayton Kershaw or Max Scherzer, their cards generally have little value, so the focus here will be on hitters.
- Major market bias: A decent player suiting up for the New York Yankees or Chicago Cubs will generally have more value than a great player on a small market team, with the notable exception being an impactful rookie.
- 1st Bowman: A 1st Bowman card—specifically his 1st Bowman Chrome autograph—has become the most sought-after early card of most players. It generally represents their first card that was released, often coming years before their rookie cards. As such, much of the pricing referenced in this article will reflect 1st Bowman Chrome autographs.
- No high-profile rookies: Now is not the best time to buy the upcoming Rookie of the Year front-runners. The time for prospecting is over, with those guys and their markets having already exploded in anticipation of them being the next big thing. As such, you won't see the top-tier 2023 rookies mentioned here—Gunnar Henderson, Corbin Carroll, Francisco Álvarez, Miguel Vargas, Jordan Walker, Triston Casas, etc.
Ahead, we've highlighted 10 players with room to grow in the hobby space during the upcoming season. This is not meant to be get-rich-quick investing advice, but each of these players has the potential to see an uptick in their value in 2023.
Harrison Bader, New York Yankees
1 of 10
1st Bowman: 2016 Bowman Prospects
Harrison Bader joined the New York Yankees in a deadline deal that sent Jordan Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals, and while he was on the injured list at the time of the trade, he returned for the postseason and went 10-for-30 with five home runs in nine games.
The 28-year-old will be given every opportunity to be the everyday center fielder in 2023, and while he's coming off a down year overall in 2022, he's just a year removed from a 3.9-WAR season and a Gold Glove win.
If he can stay healthy, a 20/20 season offensively and more highlight-reel defense is within reach, and that would give his hobby stock a nice bump playing for a high-exposure team like the Yankees.
An ungraded refractor version numbered to 450 of his 1st Bowman Chrome auto recently sold on eBay for $29 to give you an idea of his market value.
Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays
2 of 10
1st Bowman: 2016 Bowman Draft
Bo Bichette is already well-established as a young MLB star, and he led the American League in hits (189) for the second straight year in 2022 when he slashed .290/.333/.469, in addition to hitting 43 doubles, 24 home runs and 93 RBI.
However, he has always been in the hobby shadow of teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and in general, he stands as a second-tier hobby option relative to many of his peers.
The most recent sale of a 1st Bowman Chrome auto for Guerrero Jr. was for $1,550 last month, and that card regularly sells for four figures. By comparison, Bichette had a PSA 10 copy of his 1st Bowman Chrome auto sell for just $410 on Feb. 11.
After he hit .406/.444/.662 with 11 doubles, seven home runs and 27 RBI in 32 games over the final month of the 2022 season, Bichette could be in for a big year in 2023 and a bigger slice of the hobby pie.
Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies
3 of 10
1st Bowman: 2018 Bowman Draft
After a disappointing 2021 season, Alec Bohm finally established himself as the everyday third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies last year, hitting .280/.315/.398 with 24 doubles, 13 home runs and 72 RBI in 152 games.
However, his track record suggests there is a lot more left in the tank offensively.
"With a large, 6'5", 240-pound frame, Bohm brings a vast amount of strength to the batter's box, which helps provide some of the best raw power in the country," wrote Baseball America before he was selected No. 3 overall in the 2018 draft.
So far, he has shown more of a contact-over-power approach, but that could change as he settles in as a big leaguer and feels more comfortable in the batter's box.
A 1st Bowman Chrome auto was sold for $91.77 on Jan. 29, and it's not hard to see that figure doubling if he enjoys a power surge in 2023.
Curtis Mead, Tampa Bay Rays
4 of 10
1st Bowman: 2022 Bowman Prospects
Ask for 2023 AL Rookie of the Year predictions and Gunnar Henderson, Oswald Peraza, Triston Casas, Hunter Brown and Masataka Yoshida will likely be among the first names mentioned. Everyone is sleeping on Curtis Mead.
The 22-year-old began his career playing professionally in Australia at the age of 16, and he has been one of the fastest-rising prospects in baseball since joining the Tampa Bay Rays organization in an under-the-radar deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.
He hit .298/.390/.532 with 27 doubles, 13 home runs and 50 RBI in 76 games in the upper levels of the minors last season, and he could be the everyday third baseman in Tampa Bay before the All-Star break.
Ungraded versions of his 1st Bowman Chrome auto are selling for less than $100, and he is more than capable of overtaking all over those bigger names to claim AL Rookie of the Year honors. Tampa Bay might be a small market, but that didn't stop Randy Arozarena from breaking through with hobby relevance when he first burst on to the scene.
Christopher Morel, Chicago Cubs
5 of 10
1st Bowman: 2021 Bowman Prospects
One of the few bright spots in a largely forgettable season for the Chicago Cubs was the promising debut of Christopher Morel.
The 23-year-old posted a 107 OPS+ with 19 doubles, 16 home runs, 47 RBI, 55 runs scored and 10 steals in 113 games, and he did it while starting double-digit games at second base, shortstop, third base and in center field.
He is now expected to settle in as the everyday third baseman in 2023, and he has 20/20 potential with the tools to be a table-setter atop the lineup if he can improve on a 31.9 percent strikeout rate.
The Cubs have made some nice additions this offseason that should aid in a push back toward relevance, and Morel has the potential to be the young up-and-coming star on a resurgent North Siders roster.
Ungraded versions of his 1st Bowman Chrome auto have been selling for $30-35, and even a PSA 10 copy sold for under $100 earlier in February.
Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals
6 of 10
1st Bowman: N/A
Vinnie Pasquantino was an 11th-round pick in the 2019 draft out of Old Dominion, where he posted a .979 OPS with 16 home runs in 57 games during his junior season.
He continued to rake after signing, hitting .294/.371/.592 with 14 home runs and 53 RBI in 57 games in rookie ball, and that stellar pro debut put him on the fast track to the big leagues.
The 25-year-old made his MLB debut on June 28 last season and he went on to post a 135 OPS+ with 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 26 RBI in 298 plate appearances while tallying more walks (35) than strikeouts (34).
Playing alongside hobby darling Bobby Witt Jr. could help him generate some hobby notoriety of his own. However, card options are limited for collectors heading into the 2023 season.
Pasquantino has not yet been featured in any Bowman sets, and his only Topps card was a Topps Now release, making his 2021 Panini Prizm Draft Picks cards perhaps his most attractive current option. Base versions of his auto from that set have been selling for $20-30 this offseason.
Spencer Steer, Cincinnati Reds
7 of 10
1st Bowman: 2019 Bowman Draft
Looking for a dark horse pick in the NL Rookie of the Year race?
Cincinnati Reds infielder Spencer Steer has as clear of a path to playing time as any prospect in baseball heading into the preseason, and the starting third base job will be his to lose this spring.
The 25-year-old was acquired from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Tyler Mahle at the trade deadline last year, and he hit .274/.364/.515 with 30 doubles, 23 home runs and 75 RBI in 106 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
He does not have an elite prospect pedigree and has gone under the radar as a result. His 1st Bowman Chrome autos are selling in the $30-40 range, but he has the potential to follow in the footsteps of teammate Jonathan India and bring some hobby attention to Cincinnati.
Andrew Vaughn, Chicago White Sox
8 of 10
1st Bowman: 2019 Bowman Draft
After attempting to play outfield on the fly the past two seasons, Andrew Vaughn is set to return to his natural position of first base following the departure of José Abreu in free agency. That could mean an offensive breakout now that he can focus his full attention on hitting.
The 24-year-old hit .271/.321/.429 for a 111 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 17 home runs and 76 RBI in 134 games last season, but he is still just scratching the surface of the offensive potential that made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
In 160 games over three seasons at University of California, he hit .374/.495/.688 with 50 home runs and 163 RBI, and with another step forward in his power production he could join Luis Robert and Eloy Jiménez to form one of the best young middle-of-the-order trios in baseball.
The last sale of an ungraded version of his 1st Bowman Chrome auto was for $80 on Feb. 7, and even high-grade copies have not been selling for much more than that. If he takes another step forward as hoped, that should provide plenty of room for value.
Juan Yepez, St. Louis Cardinals
9 of 10
1st Bowman: 2016 Bowman Prospects
Much of the hobby buzz for the St. Louis Cardinals has centered around top prospect Jordan Walker, and understandably so given his huge offensive upside. There is also still a strong market for Nolan Gorman, who could make a play for the starting second base job this spring.
However, fellow 2022 rookie standout Juan Yepez is largely overlooked.
The 24-year-old posted a 111 OPS+ with 13 doubles, 12 home runs and 30 RBI in 274 plate appearances last season, and he could see regular playing time in the designated hitter role vacated by the retirement of Albert Pujols.
Pictured as a member of the Atlanta Braves organization on his 1st Bowman cards, he was acquired early in the 2017 season in a deal that sent Matt Adams to Atlanta.
The last sale for one of his 1st Bowman Chrome autographs was a refractor version numbered to 499, and it still only sold for $42. If he plays his way into an everyday role, he could be a 25-homer player in 2023.
Adrián Beltré, Hall of Fame Candidate
10 of 10
1st Bowman: 1997 Bowman
The main focus of this article has been players with the potential to build value with a strong performance during the 2023 season, but we're going to close things out by pivoting to a retired player on the cusp of Cooperstown.
Adrián Beltré will be Hall of Fame eligible for the first time in 2024, and after seeing the uptick in value that Scott Rolen's cards experienced after he was announced as a member of the 2023 Hall of Fame class, collectors should be stocking up on Beltré cards now.
With 3,166 hits, 477 home runs, 1,707 RBI and 93.5 WAR over the course of his 21-year career, he should be a first-ballot selection, and he has far fewer early card options than today's players.
His only rookie cards are in the 1997 Bowman, 1997 Bowman Chrome and 1997 Bowman's Best sets, while his first certified autograph came the following year in the 1998 Bowman release. Expect his first Topps flagship card in the 1998 Topps base set to also receive a nice boost, along with its Topps Chrome counterpart.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference
