Baseball cards: 10 players to buy before the 2023 MLB season

Baseball Cards: Top 10 Players to Buy for 2023 MLB Season

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Let’s say you’re new to baseball card collecting and want to try buying cards from some players who appreciate going into the 2023 season . Some notes on current hobby trends:

• No pitcher: Offensive players take up the hobby space, especially when it comes to prospecting because the failure rate for pitching prospects is so high. Unless it’s a pitcher like Clayton Kershaw or Max Scherzer, their cards usually have little value, so the focus here will be on the hitters.

Major market bias: Decent players who fit the New York Yankees or Chicago Cubs are usually more valuable than great players on a small-market team, save for one impact rookie. First archer: No. A Bowman card — specifically his first Bowman Chrome autograph — has become the most sought-after early card for most players. It usually represents the first card they’ve ever released, usually a few years before their rookie card. As such, most of the prices quoted in this article will reflect the first generation Bowman Chrome Autograph. No high-profile rookie: NOW Not the best time to buy an upcoming Rookie of the Year frontrunner. The days of prospecting are over, those people and their markets have exploded expecting them to be the next big thing. So you won’t see the top 2023 prospects mentioned here – Gunnar Henderson, Corbin Carroll, Francisco Álvarez, Miguel Vargas, Jordan Walker, Triston Casas, etc.

Ahead, we’ve highlighted 10 players who have room to grow in the hobby this upcoming season. This isn’t meant to be get-rich-quick investment advice, but each of these players could see their value rise in 2023.

Harrison Bader, New York Yankees

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First Bowman: 2016 Bowman Prospects

Harrison Bader joined the New York Yankees in sending Jordan Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals in a deadline trade, and while he was on the injured list at the time of the trade, he returned in the playoffs and Hit 5 homers on 10-for-30 shooting in nine games.

The 28-year-old will have a chance to be an everyday center fielder in 2023, although he won’t be in 2022 overall Underperformed, but just one year away from a 3.9-fight season and a Golden Glove award. If he stays healthy and a 20/20 season offence and better defense is around the corner, then Will give him the hob a nice breakout for a high-visibility team like the Yankees. Unrated refraction version number 450 His first Bowman Chrome car recently sold for $29 on eBay Sold at , giving you an idea of ​​its market value.

Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays

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First Archer: 2016 Bowman Draft Bo Bichette is well established as a young MLB star, he is in the 2022 led the American League in hits (189) for the second straight year when he hit . 290/. 333/. However, he has been in the shadow of his teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s hobby and, in general, with Compared to many of his peers, he is a second-tier hobby choice. RECENT SALE Guerrero Jr.’s first Bowman Chrome car sold for $1,550 last month, and The selling price of the card is usually four figures. By comparison, Bichette sold his first PSA 10 copy of the Bowman Chrome car on Feb. 11 for $410. hit .406/.444/.662 in 32 games in the final month of the 2022 season and After hitting 11 doubles, seven home runs and 27 RBIs, Bichette could be in for a big year in 2023 and is in love with the pie.

Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies

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First Archer: 2018 Bowman Draft After a disappointing 2021 season, Alec Bohm Finally established himself as the daily third baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies last year, hitting .280/.315/.398 with 24 doubles, 13 homers and 72 RBIs in 152 games. However, his track record suggests there is more room to run on offense. “6-foot-5,” 240-pound Bohm brings enormous power to hitter’s box , which helps provide some of the best raw power in the country,” wrote USA Baseball before he was selected with the 3rd overall pick in the 2018 draft. So far, he’s shown more touch than power, but that could change as he settles in as a major league player and feels more comfortable in the hitter’s box.

First Bowman Chrome car sold on Jan 29th for $91.77 if he likes 2023 Power Surge .

Curtis Meade, Tampa Bay Rays

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1st Bowman: 2022 Bowman Outlook

Ask for 2023 AL Rookie of the Year predictions, Gunnar Henderson, Oswald Peraza, Triston Casas, Hunter Brown and Masataka Yoshida were likely the first names mentioned. Everyone sleeps on Curtis Mead.

The 22-year-old started his career in Australia at the age of 16 and has since joined the He has been one of the fastest-growing recruits in baseball since the Tampa Bay Rays agreed to a low-key deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. He hit .298/.390/.532 in 76 games in the upper minor league last season, With 27 doubles, 13 homers and 50 RBIs, he could be an everyday third baseman in Tampa Bay before the All-Star break. For less than $100, he’s more than capable of outshine those big names for AL Rookie of the Year honors. Tampa Bay may be a small market, but that didn’t stop Randy Arozarena from breaking out with hobby relevance when he first burst onto the scene.




Christopher Morell, Chicago Cubs

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1st Bowman:

2021 Bowman Outlook in One of the few bright spots in a largely forgotten season for the Chicago Cubs was Christopher Morel’s promising debut.

The 23-year-old shot 107 OPS+ in 113 games, including 19 Doubles, 16 home runs, 47 RBIs, 55 runs scored and 10 steals, and he’s done it in double-digit starts at second base, shortstop, third base and center field. He’s now on track to be the 3rd daily baseman in 2023 if he can improve his strikeouts by 31.9% rate, he has 20/20 potential to be a part of the lineup.

The Cubs have made some nice additions this offseason, which should help push Returning to be relevant, and Morel could be the young up-and-coming star on the revived North Sides roster. Unrated version of his first Bowman Chrome car sold for $30-35, even at 2 Copies of the PSA 10 were selling for less than $100 at the beginning of the month.

Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals

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Ed Zurga/Getty Images 1st Bowman: N/A Vinnie Pasquantino, the 11th round pick of the Old Dominion’s 2019 draft, had a .979 OPS and 16 home runs in 57 games as a junior. He went on to draw after signing, hitting 14 homers and 53 in 57 games as a rookie. Hitting .294/.371/.592 with 1 RBI, that stellar pro debut put him on the fast track to the majors. The 25-year-old made his MLB debut on June 28 last season and played in 298 games. He hit 135 OPS+ with 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 26 RBIs while walking more (35) than striking out (34). Playing with hobbies Little Bobby Witt could help him develop some of his hobby notoriety. However, for collectors heading into the 2023 season, card options are limited. Pasquantino has yet to appear in any Bowman sets, and his only Topps card is the Topps Now version, which makes his The 2021 Panini Prizm Draft Picks card may be his most attractive option right now. The base version of his set of cars is selling for $20-$30 this offseason.

Spencer Steer, Cincinnati Reds

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1st Bowman: 2019 Bowman Draft

Looking for a dark horse pick in the NL Rookie of the Year race?

Cincinnati Reds infielder Spencer Steele vs. baseball rookies entering preseason All the same, there’s a clear path to playing time, and he’ll lose his starting third base job this spring.

The 25-year-old was traded from the Minnesota Twins for Tyler Mahler at last year’s trade deadline. In exchange, he hit .274/.364/.515 with 30 doubles, 23 homers and 75 RBIs in 106 games between Double-A and Triple-A. He has no pedigree as an elite prospect, and as a result. His first Bowman Chrome car is 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

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1st Bowman:
2019 Bowman Draft After trying to play in the outfield the past two seasons, Andrew Waugh En will return to his natural first base spot after Jose Abreu left in free agency. Now that he can focus his full attention on hitting the ball, that could mean an offensive breakout. The 24-year-old hit .271/.321/.429 in 134 games last season 111 OPS+ along with 28 doubles, 17 homers and 76 RBIs, but he’s still only scratching the surface of the offensive potential that would make him the No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft. In 160 games over three seasons at Cal, he hit .374/.495/ .688 with 50 homers and 163 RBIs and taking another step forward in his power production, he could join Luis Robert and Eloy Jiménez in one of the best young mid-field trios in baseball​​​​ . His first Bowman Chrome car unrated version was last sold on February 7th, Priced at $80, even premium copies didn’t fetch more than that. If he takes another step forward as hoped, there should be plenty of room for value.
Juan Yepez, St. Louis Cardinals Team
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1st Bowman: 2016 Bowman Prospect
Much of the St. Louis Cardinals’ love has focused on top pick Jordan Walker, which is understandable given his massive offensive upside. There’s also a strong market for Nolan Gorman, who could start at second base this spring.
• However, 2022 rookie Juan Yepez has been largely overlooked. The 24 year old hit 111 OPS+ in 274 appearances last season with 13 doubles, 12 nets With 30 bases and 30 RBIs, he could see regular minutes in the designated hitter role vacated by the retirement of Albert Pujols. On his first Bowman card, he was a member of the Atlanta Braves in 2017 Acquired by a trade early in the season that sent Matt Adams to Atlanta.
The last sale of one of his first Bowman Chrome autographs was a refracted version number 499, It still only sells for $42. If he finds his way into a day-to-day role, he could be a 25-homer player in 2023.
Adrián Beltré, celebrity Church Candidates
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1st Archer: 1997 Archer The main focus of this article is on players who have the potential to create value with great performances in the 2023 season, but we’ll end it all with tweaks To the retired player on the cusp of Cooperstown. Adrian Beltre will be eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time in 2024 after seeing Scott Collectors should now be stocking up on Beltré cards after Scott Rolen’s cards experienced an increase in value after being declared a 2023 Hall of Famer. 3,166 hits, 477 home runs, 1,707 RBIs in his 21-year career And 93.5 WAR, he should be a first-round ballot pick, and he has far fewer early card options than current players. His only rookie cards appeared in the 1997 Bowman, 1997 Bowman Chrome and 1997 Bowman’s Best sets, and he The first certified autograph of the book appeared in the following year’s 1998 Bowman release. Expect a nice boost from his first Topps flagship card in the 1998 Topps base set and its Topps Chrome counterpart as well.
All stats provided by Baseball Reference