Baseball Cards: 2023 MLB MVP Front-Runners and Their Must-Own Cards
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt won MVP honors last season, and their baseball cards enjoyed a nice value spike in the process.
Who might see a similar surge in price this year?
Ahead we've highlighted the top five MVP candidates from both leagues, according to the preseason odds for each award at Vegas Insider, and three notable cards for each player.
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.
Along with identifying each player's 1st Bowman card, his Topps flagship rookie was also highlighted along with a bargain buy worth considering.
AL Candidate: Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
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1st Bowman: 2018 Bowman Chrome Prospects
Topps Rookie: 2020 Topps
Bargain Buy: 2020 Donruss Optic
Slugger Yordan Alvarez has done nothing but rake since bursting onto the scene to win AL Rookie of the Year honors during the 2019 season, and he was one of the most productive hitters in baseball last year.
The 25-year-old hit .306/.406/.613 for a 187 OPS+ with 37 home runs and 6.8 WAR to finish third in AL MVP voting behind Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani while also winning Silver Slugger honors. With one of the sweetest swings in baseball and a stacked lineup around him, expect more of the same in 2023.
The most recent sale of a PSA 10 copy of his 1st Bowman Chrome auto was for $1,500 on Tuesday, and his cards sell better than anyone else on the Houston Astros roster.
AL Candidate: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
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1st Bowman: 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft
Topps Rookie: 2017 Topps
Bargain Buy: 2015 Topps Pro Debut
Aaron Judge and his chase for the AL home run records was one of the biggest stories of the 2022 season, and he walked away with AL MVP honors while hitting .311/.425/.686 with 62 home runs, 131 RBI and 10.6 WAR.
The New York Yankees rewarded their star with a nine-year, $360 million deal after he tested the free-agency waters, and he was named team captain shortly after inking that contract to become the first Yankees player to wear the "C" since Derek Jeter retired.
His 1st Bowman card doesn't actually feature the "1st Bowman" logo, but it is still an in-demand card. With a PSA 10 population of just 178, his 1st Bowman Chrome auto is not commonly available, and the most recent sale was for $4,000 in late March.
AL Candidate: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
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1st Bowman: 2018 Bowman Chrome
Topps Rookie: 2018 Topps
Bargain Buy: 2018 Topps Big League
As long as he is healthy and contributing in a way no player before him ever has, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will be a perennial AL MVP candidate.
Last season, he posted a 144 OPS+ with 34 home runs and 95 RBI while also going 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings on the mound, tallying 9.6 WAR along the way to finish runner-up to Aaron Judge in AL balloting.
Ohtani does not have any pre-rookie card since he went straight from playing in Japan to the Los Angeles Angels big league roster, so his 1st Bowman card is also his rookie card. Non-autographed versions of his 2018 Bowman Chrome card in PSA 10 condition regularly sell for $500-600, and his early autos are among the most sought-after cards in the hobby right now.
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AL Candidate: Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners
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1st Bowman: 2019 Bowman Chrome Prospects
Topps Rookie: 2022 Topps Update
Bargain Buy: 2021 Bowman's Best
Julio Rodríguez had one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory last year, posting a 147 OPS+ with 28 home runs, 25 steals and 6.2 WAR while leading the Seattle Mariners to their first postseason trip in more than 20 years.
With a young core in place and more prospect talent on the way, the Mariners have the potential to be perennial contenders going forward, and Rodríguez is going to be at the center of it all.
He went from prospect to hobby superstar last year on his way to AL Rookie of the Year honors, and the latest sale of a PSA 10 copy of his 1st Bowman Chrome auto was for $1,825 on Monday. It feels like there is still room for that number to grow in the coming years.
AL Candidate: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
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1st Bowman: 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft
Topps Rookie: 2011 Topps Update
Bargain Buy: 2013 Topps (Rookie Cup)
Mike Trout already has three AL MVP awards in his trophy case, and he has finished in the top five in voting six other times over the course of his storied career.
The 31-year-old played only 119 games last season while battling a nagging back issue, but he still launched 40 home runs and tallied 6.3 WAR. Will this be the year the Angels finally get over the hump and he returns to the postseason for the first time since 2014?
There are only 39 graded copies of his 1st Bowman Chrome auto in PSA 10 condition, according to the PSA population report, and the next one to hit the open market is a safe bet to fetch five figures.
NL Candidate: Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves
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1st Bowman: 2017 Bowman Chrome Prospects
Topps Rookie: 2018 Topps Update
Bargain Buy: 2018 Topps Heritage
Ronald Acuña Jr. missed the first 19 games of the 2022 season recovering from a torn ACL, and he never quite looked like himself once he did return to the field, finishing the year with a 113 OPS+ and 15 home runs in 533 plate appearances.
With another full offseason of rest and recovery and a terrific start to the 2023 campaign, he looks poised to again make a serious run at a 40/40 season while setting the table for a stacked Atlanta lineup.
The last sale of a PSA 10 copy of his 1st Bowman Chrome auto was for $1,849 on Monday, and that could prove to be a great buy-low price if he continues to perform at pre-injury levels.
NL Candidate: Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
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1st Bowman: 2010 Bowman Prospects
Topps Rookie: 2013 Topps Update
Bargain Buy: 2013 Finest
Nolan Arenado has finished in the top 10 in AL MVP voting six times in his career, including a third-place finish last year when he hit .293/.358/.533 for a 155 OPS+ with 42 doubles, 30 home runs and 103 RBI.
That stellar performance proved he is capable of elite-level offensive production away from Coors Field, and with his defensive contributions and well-rounded offensive game, he remains one of the best players in baseball entering his age-32 campaign.
With only 21 PSA 10 copies of his 1st Bowman Chrome auto, there is no recent purchase data, but his Topps flagship rookie remains an absolute steal with PSA 10 sales under $80.
NL Candidate: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
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1st Bowman: 2014 Bowman Chrome Prospects
Topps Rookie: 2014 Topps Update
Bargain Buy: 2014 Topps Pro Debut
Hall of Famer Frank Robinson is the only player in MLB history to win the MVP award in both leagues during his career, and Mookie Betts will have a chance to join that exclusive list in the coming years.
He won AL MVP with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, and he has a pair of top-five finishes in the NL balloting since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was fifth in the balloting last year after posting a 137 OPS+ with 78 extra-base hits and 6.4 WAR.
The latest sales of his 1st Bowman Chrome auto in PSA 10 condition range from $1,200-1,400, and with his Hall of Fame trajectory, odds are high it will at least hold its value in the years to come.
NL Candidate: Juan Soto, San Diego Padres
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1st Bowman: 2016 Bowman Chrome Prospects
Topps Rookie: 2018 Topps Update
Bargain Buy: 2018 Topps Archives
The foursome of Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts all have MVP upside, it just happens to be Soto with the best odds to win the award entering the season.
Still only 24 years old, he logged a 149 OPS+ with 54 extra-base hits and 5.6 WAR last season in what was widely regarded as a down year, which speaks to just how much upside the young outfielder has offensively.
Soto is a hobby superstar, and a PSA 10 copy of his 1st Bowman Chrome auto recently sold for $3,480 just before Opening Day. Given his age, tools and upside, it's not surprising his cards are so in-demand.
NL Candidate: Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies
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1st Bowman: 2014 Bowman Chrome Draft
Topps Rookie: 2016 Topps
Bargain Buy: 2016 Topps Gold Label
The Philadelphia Phillies shelled out an 11-year, $300 million deal to add Trea Turner to an already stacked lineup, and his card market saw a nice bump before the 2023 season even started thanks to a stellar run with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Turner rarely received the national attention he deserved during his time with the Washington Nationals, but he has started to carve out a place in the hobby. The 29-year-old hit .298/.343/.466 with 39 doubles, 21 home runs, 100 RBI, 27 steals and 4.9 WAR last year, and he is off to a red-hot start this season.
His 1st Bowman Chrome card is a fun reminder that he started his career with the San Diego Padres, and relative to the others on this list, he is a major bargain. His 1st Bowman Chrome autos in PSA 10 condition were selling for $350-400 during the offseason.
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