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Last Updated On: March 20th, 2024
Depending on who you ask, this upcoming season will be either the 149th or 154th installment of Major League Baseball in the United States. Either way, March 28th — Opening Day — is the magical date when the boys in flatbills (and see-through pants?) will take the diamond and breathe life into America’s pastime.
With each new season comes new opportunities to purchase cards featuring a collector’s favorite players. And look no further than this 2024 baseball card investor guide to put together your buying (and selling!) strategy for some of the hottest baseball cards of the year.
This post will provide forecasts for just over a dozen players that we at Only Greats are monitoring ahead of this season. Much like our 2023-24 basketball preseason post, players are organized into groups based on various characteristics. We’ll also provide examples of cards worth targeting for each buy-now player, and popular card sets with release dates.
Let’s explore!
Editor note: keep in mind buying sports cards comes with risk of financial loss. Please do your own due diligence and do not consider our excitement around the players mentioned throughout this post as financial advice.
Table of Contents
2024 Baseball Card Investor Guide: Factors to Consider
Topps versus Bowman
Unlike basketball or football, baseball draft picks often don’t debut for many years. This makes speculating on a youngster’s value awfully tricky – the myriad prospects guides on the internet (a personal favorite is The Athletic’s Keith Law’s Top-100 List) provide a nice roadmap but players rise and fall with regularity.
Here’s why this matters for collectors: by the time a minor leaguer hits the pros, their first card — in major league uniform — has likely been in circulation well before their professional debut. This is because Bowman produces the first cards for draftees who hit the farm system before the pros. Bowman makes it easy to identify a player’s first Bowman card — they print a “1st” in the card’s corner (usually) to indicate the player’s first look on Bowman cardstock.
For instance, Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper debuted in 2012. His “rookie card” is a 2012 Topps Update, valued by Card Ladder at $100 in Gem Mint condition. But his first Bowman card was printed in the 2010 Bowman Chrome set, albeit it was in a USA baseball uniform. Hobbyists have gravitated towards his 2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects card instead, given Harper is pictured in a Nationals uniform for the first time. We told you it was tricky.
This is a handy pointer for anyone interested in purchasing baseball cards: when it comes to minor league prospects, Bowman Chrome tends to offer the highest value points.
But what about Topps, then? Here, it’s essential to know whether a rookie was a minor-league prospect or an international transfer. High-end international prospects rarely spend time in a team’s farm system, meaning their Topps card tends to be their first.
This doesn’t always mean that Topps cards are worth more than Bowman, but in these cases, it’s common for the price points to be closer than with minor-league prospects.
Other Factors
The rest of the factors worth considering are rather self-explanatory. Performance on the diamond is important, but so is speculative performance, especially for minor leaguers who won’t make the pros for some time.
This means that many of the names on this list are true investment pieces; whereas in basketball, one can get an idea fairly quickly if a rookie has “it” or not, a minor leaguer might not have the chance to show their true talent on the pro stage for years. Perhaps more so than any other sport, patience is key.
Team success is also a more minor consideration than with basketball cards. Consider baseball cards like you would a quarterback’s cards: individual performance is likely to insulate a player’s value from poor team performance. Shohei Ohtani, for instance, is arguably the most visible face of professional baseball and yet his former team never made the playoffs.
2024 Baseball Card Sets to Look For
Before we begin with our picks for baseball players — and individual cards — to watch in 2024, keep in mind the following release schedule for key baseball sets this season:
Baseball Card Release Calendar
- 2024 Topps Series 1 release date: 2/14/2024 (find on eBay)
- 2024 Bowman release date: 5/8/2024
- 2024 Topps Series 2 release date: 06/12/24
- 2024 Topps Chrome release date: 7/21/2024
- 2024 Stadium Club release date 07/24/24
- 2024 Topps Update release date: 10/02/24
- 2024 Topps Chrome Update release date: 11/13/24
As you can see, a large glut of cards will be released in the late spring and summer, including Topps Chrome and Topps Update, the latter of which includes minor leaguers called-up midseason.
Hall of Fame Hype
MLB Hall of Fame voters are notoriously picky (no one was elected in 2021, and the year before, Derek Jeter was robbed of a unanimous election). In January, voters elected players Joe Mauer, Todd Helton, and Adrián Beltré and manager Jim Leyland to the Hall, with an induction ceremony set for late July.
This means it’s a perfect time to get ahead of next year’s Hall of Fame vote. And barring some unforeseen calamity, the class should be loaded.
Among the potential inductees are some true legends of the game. Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Felix Hernandez, and Dustin Pedroia, all with remarkable careers, are set to make their first appearance on the ballot. Returning candidates like Billy Wagner and Andruw Jones have also left an indelible mark on the sport.
Ichiro is the obvious lock to make the hall. And I’d bet that, though there’s undoubtedly at least one Yankees hater among the voting committee (see: Jeter), Sabathia will also make it. If that’s the case, their cards might see a slight bump this time next year, making them potentially nice investment pieces now.
“InveSSt” Now
The first three names on this list share two things in common: position and ceiling. All three are extremely highly touted prospects (although one has already made his MLB debut) and, as the category name might suggest, all three play shortstop.
Jordan Lawler
Lawlar, a former Gatorade Texas Player of the Year in high school, made his pro debut with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season. Across 14 games, he batted .129 with 11 strikeouts. Yikes.
But Lawlar is a fast riser. Drafted in 2021, that he’s already tasted some professional baseball is a strong sign of future success. What’s more, the D-Backs are built to win now. With Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll and fellow youngster Druw Jones (more on him below) in tow, Arizona came breathtakingly close to a shocking World Series pennant last year. If Lawlar comes in and pushes them over the top, his value will likely soar.
Jordan Lawler Cards to Target:
- 2021 Bowman Chrome Draft #CDA-JLR Jordan Lawlar 1st Bowman
- 2021 Bowman Chrome Draft #BDC-194 Jordan Lawlar 1st Bowman Autograph
Marcelo Mayer
If there’s one thing Red Sox fans will tell you about shortstop prospect Marcelo Mayer, it’s that “his shouldah’s the only thing in his way to becoming a stah playah.” It’s true—Mayer has struggled with a shoulder injury for most of his time in the minors, cutting his 2023 season short.
But when healthy, Mayer is a power threat at a position not generally associated with long balls. He needs just a bit of time to hone his game and get healthy. Fortunately, the hapless Red Sox are headed nowhere and have nothing but time to give their highest prospect since Mookie Betts.
Marcelo Mayer Cards to Target:
- 2021 Bowman Draft #CDA-MM Marcelo Mayer 1st Bowman
- 2021 Bowman Draft #CDA-MM Marcelo Mayer 1st Bowman Autograph
Noelvi Marte
Honesty time: we’re sort of fudging this one with Marte. While he’s been slotted at shortstop for much of his career in the minors, his future is likely at third base. And fortunately for Marte, the Cincinnati Reds have an opening on the corner.
Marte is an excellent get-in-now investment. He’ll almost certainly make his pro debut with the Reds this year and, so long as his aggressiveness at the plate doesn’t hold him back, is a surefire Rookie of the Year candidate. His ultimate ceiling is a bit cloudier – it’s likely lower than Mayer and Lawler, but for a short-term play (that is, buy now and sell after he’s crowned NL Rookie of the Year), he’s tough to beat.
Noelvi Marte Cards to Target:
- 2019 Bowman Chrome #97 Noelvi Marte 1st Bowman
- 2019 Bowman Chrome #CPANMA Noelvi Marte 1st Bowman Autograph
Future Aces
Here’s an interesting paradox in baseball card collecting: though pitchers tend to be some of the most exciting talents in the sport, card values historically favor field players. Perhaps it’s a factor of field players playing more often or great fielders lasting longer than great pitchers.
That said, we can’t ignore our friends on the bump. On the off-chance that one of these players becomes the next CC Sabathia or Felix Hernandez, here are some ace prospects worth monitoring:
Paul Skenes
Paul Skenes, a 22-year-old rightie with the Pittsburgh Pirates, is almost unanimously the top pitching prospect in baseball. And for good reason: he was selected first overall in the 2023 draft after leading LSU to a national championship the same year.
With a fastball that tops out around 102 mph, Skenes is on track to join the Pirates as soon as this season. While Pittsburgh has a way to go before being the relevant club it was during the days of Andrew McCutcheon’s prime, Skenes, nonetheless, is a burgeoning ace, barring catastrophe.
Paul Skenes Cards to Target:
- 2023 Bowman Draft #BDC14 Paul Skenes 1st Bowman Chrome Refractor
- 2023 Bowman Draft #BDC14 Paul Skenes 1st Bowman Chrome Autograph
Grayson Rodriguez
Thus far, every player on this list has either seen limited action or none at all at the big league level. Grayson Rodriguez, a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, is an outlier in that respect. He was first called up by the O’s in late 2022 and bounced between Triple-A and the majors in 2023.
Rodriguez struggled mightily to start 2023, posting a 7.35 ERA before demotion. But the time away was just what he needed; after retooling, he returned to the majors and snagged a gnarly 2.58 ERA in the 13 remaining games last year. If he can carry this streak into the new season, it might be the last time to get in on his cards before they take off.
Grayson Rodriguez Cards to Target:
- 2023 Topps Chrome #RAGR Grayson Rodriguez RC Refractor
- 2018 Bowman Draft #BDC73 Grayson Rodriguez 1st Bowman Chrome
International Rookies
As we noted, the MLB draft is far from the only avenue teams have to acquire fresh talent. Thanks to baseball’s enormous popularity overseas, it’s common for stars in various foreign leagues to try their mits at the MLB.
And this year features some mouth-watering international talent.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
In case you missed it, Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the offseason target for a handful of teams willing to unload a treasure chest for his services. He landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, joining fellow Japanese standout Shohei Ohtani in the process. The Dodgers, for their part, are likely to have one of the best teams in baseball next season.
And where exactly does Yamamoto fit in? To begin with, he’s the favorite to win National League Rookie of the Year. And it’s easy to see why: in Japan’s Nippon Baseball League (NPB) last year, Yamamoto conceded an absurd .10 home runs per nine innings. By comparison, the best MLB season in that regard was Nolan Ryan’s .12 homers given up per nine innings in 1981.
Yamamoto is probably the most hyped international prospect since Ohtani. If he manages to provide half of the former’s excitement, he should be well worth the investment.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto Cards to Target:
- 2021 Topps NPB #128 Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- 2022 Bowman NPB #9 Yoshinobu Yamamoto Chrome Refractor
- Check future releases for Yamamoto MLB-uniform cards, including 2024 Topps Chrome and 2024 Topps Series 2
Jung Hoo Lee
Yamamoto is far from the only international prospect atop preseason Rookie of the Year leaderboards. Outfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who signed with the San Francisco Giants in the offseason, batted .340 in the Korean league, with a microscopic strikeout rate to boot.
He’s well positioned for primetime with the Giants, who will be locked in yet another yearly battle with the Dodgers (and I guess Padres?) for California supremacy. Duels between Lee and Yamamoto should be appointment viewing, which will only boost Lee’s status on the MLB stage.
Jung Hoo Lee Cards to Target:
- 2023 Topps Now #OS24 Jung Hoo Lee Offseason
- Check future releases for Lee cards, including 2024 Topps Chrome and 2024 Topps Series 2
Diamonds in the Dirt
One of our favorite aspects of the preseason buyer’s guide is highlighting potential steals. The following two players are united by their combined promise to light the league on fire before being beset by injuries.
Andrew Painter
There was a moment in 2022 when it looked like Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Andrew Painter was the second coming of Steve Carlton. He shot up the minors during his first year and was a fringe roster candidate for the Phils in 2023. Painter also exploded up prospect rankings, peaking at No. 11 last year.
So what gives? What’s Painter (great pitching name, by the way) doing in this category. One word: injuries. A Tommy John injury during last year’s Spring Training sidelined Painter for the entirety of the season. As a result, his star has fallen, with prognosticators cautiously couching their predicitons for his ceiling with terms like “pending his return” and “if he regains his old form.”
Fortunately, Tommy John surgery is far from the same death sentence for pitchers that it once was. By all indications, he (and the organization) has taken his recovery seriously. Buyers will likely have a short runway to get in on his rookie cards if his return shows glimpses of his pre-injury form.
Andrew Painter Cards to Target:
- 2021 Bowman Draft #BDC10 Andrew Painter 1st Bowman Chrome
Druw Jones
Similar to Painter, Druw Jones had all the makings of baseball’s next big thing. Catapulting through the minors and infused with the DNA of a borderline Hall of Fame player (his father), Jones was destined for greatness.
That is, until injury woes plagued the Arizona Diamondbacks stud. His outlook is thus similar to that of Painter: should his return offer the promise of pre-injury stardust, Jones’ stock should consequently rise.
Druw Jones Cards to Target:
- 2023 Bowman #25 Druw Jones 1st Bowman Chrome
- 2023 Bowman #BCP25 Druw Jones 1st Bowman Chrome Refractor
The Jackson 2
A category that titles itself, we’d be remiss not to discuss the consensus top two prospects in the minors right now, who both happen to share a first name. Honorable mention to Jackson Merrill, another top prospect who is generally in the late-teens or 20s among prospect rankings.
Jackson Holliday
Holliday is the latest top-end prospect to come out of the Baltimore Orioles’ farm system, one that’s included Grayson Rodriguez, and 2023 standouts Adley Rutschman and Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson. A shortstop drafted in 2023, Holliday played, wait for it, all four levels of minor league ball his first year in the system.
Here’s a snapshot from Keith Law’s analysis on Holliday, including a comp that should excite Orioles fans and interested buyers alike:
“He reminds me in several ways of Troy Tulowitzki. . . . I think he’ll hit .280-.300 with strong walk rates and 25+ homers a year to go with above-average defense at shortstop, and that’s a profile that can win an MVP award.”
Jackson Holliday Cards to Target:
- 2022 Bowman Draft #BD168 Jackson Holliday 1st Bowman
- 2022 Bowman Draft #CDAJH Jackson Holliday 1st Bowman Chrome Autograph
Jackson Chourio
Outfielder Jackson Chourio, part of the Milwaukee Brewers’ system, had an up-and-down 2023. But last season did culminate with a stretch in which he batted nearly .300 and slugged nearly .500.
As those numbers might suggest, Chourio is a power hitter. But Chourio somehow marries that power with exceptional speed and defense. Case in point: he finished fourth in Double-A for homers and fifth in stolen bases in 2023. He’s far from those sluggers of yore, the Ryan Howards and Dan Ugglas who could smack the cover off the ball and whose circling of the bases never exceeded a trot.
Jackson Chourio Cards to Target:
- 2022 Bowman Mega Box #79 Jackson Chourio 1st Bowman Chrome
- 2022 Bowman Chrome #BCP79 Jackson Chourio 1st Bowman Chrome Refractor
Bright Current Stars/MVP Favorites
Baseball is in a funny place right now. The mainstay stars are largely well-known commodities and household names. But those that have appeared on this list thus far have mostly been up-and-comers who represent the future of baseball.
But this category is reserved precisely for those oft-trod players whose stars could continue rising this season. That includes Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña, the reigning AL and NL MVPs who now share the National League. The race between the two should be exciting and inject some much-needed attention into the sport.
Additionally, the American League has a handful of high-end talent worth a shout. Forget playing in the same league – Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, two perennial MVP favorites, now share a bench with the New York Yankees.
Why do we highlight these MVP favorites? Because of Topps’ MVP Redemption program. When the league MVPs are announced at the end of the season, collectors can redeem those players’ cards for cash and credit. You can read more about the Redemption Program as covered in our 2023 Topps MVP Buyback guide.
What this means is that around June/July, when the MVP race begins to crystallize around a few players, the price points for those players’ cards naturally inflate. The difference isn’t always massive, but a few dollars here and there can certainly add up. And with a fairly well-entrenched stock of top performers, it’s easy to pick a few likely MVP candidates and invest now before the race heats up.
Personal Favorite – Wyatt Langford
With Spring Training in full swing, collectors are in a unique spot to ride the performances of hot players right now into the season. And few players are lighting up the stat sheet like Wyatt Langford.
Langford is currently an outfielder prospect in the Texas Rangers’ system. But that “prospect” label might be changing soon. Though he’s only played 44 minor league games after being drafted in 2023, Langford is turning heads in Spring Training thus far, culminating in a grand slam last week. The red-hot prospect could be critical to the Rangers’ World Series defense this season if he is indeed called up.
And collectors are starting to catch on. His PSA 10 1st Bowman Chrome Refractor card sold for around $150-$160 before Spring Training. Lately, that card has been selling closer to the $175-$200 mark.
Wyatt Langford Cards to Target:
- 2023 Bowman Draft #BDC106 Wyatt Langford 1st Bowman Chrome Refractor
- 2023 Bowman Draft #CDAWL Wyatt Langford 1st Bowman Chrome Auto
Dishonorable Mentions
Of course, no 2024 baseball investor’s guide would be complete without a category reserved for players who deserve serious consideration as sell-nows. Be it long-term injury concern or a failure to live up to the hype in the majors, these players are now firmly in prove-it mode.
Diego Cartaya
Diego Cartaya, a catching prospect with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has fallen even more precipitously than Espino (which we’ll cover next). Just a year ago, Cartaya was the No. 14 prospect in the MLB’s Pipeline rankings.
And entering 2023, he’s…completely fallen off the list. In 93 games of action last year in Double-A, Cartaya batted below the Mendoza Line (under .200), hardly an encouraging sign for the prototypically hard-hitting backstop.
Cartaya is still young and at 22, has time yet to right the ship. But the outlook is as gloomy as it’s ever been for the Venezuelan catcher.
Daniel Espino
For much of the 2010s, the Cleveland Guardians produced a near endless run of premier pitching talent. And in 2022, it looked like Daniel Espino was the latest incarnation of a mold that included Shane Bieber and Corey Kluber.
But 2022, when Espino peaked as a top-10 MLB prospect, was also the last time Espino took the mound. He missed all of 2023 with a handful of injury problems, including tendonitis and shoulder soreness. And he’s already slated to miss 2024 following shoulder and rotator cuff surgery. Espino, once a supernova, has fallen completely out of most prospect rankings altogether and is down to the No. 5 prospect in the Guardians’ system.
Anthony Volpe
Entering 2023, New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe was ranked the No. 12 overall prospect by CBS. CBS’s then-write-up on Volpe included a dismal note about the Yankees player’s 2022 stint in Triple-A: a 30% strikeout rate.
A call-up to the majors last year didn’t do much to assuage those concerns. He’s turned out to be a below-average defender and, with 15 Ks in 19 games, guaranteed fans nearly a strikeout per game.
He’s still a work in progress, though his ceiling is likely lower than it’s ever been before, making him a prime sell-now candidate for those holding his cards.
Final Thoughts
While football and basketball have stolen a bit of the spotlight away from baseball in terms of card collecting, it’s important to keep in mind that baseball cards have been steadily rising in value since January 1, 2024, per Card Ladder’s baseball index.
And given baseball’s unique minor league system, it can be challenging to know if you truly have a player’s rookie card. When it comes to Bowman, a player’s first card will typically be a Prospect card and contain “1st” in one of the upper corners. Their rookie card will follow once they officially debut on a Major League roster — often times years later.
Remember, the baseball season is long. Card values will rise and fall along with a player’s performance per usual, but might also wane with general interest in the sport. It’s perfectly reasonable to expect prices to dip a bit in the early-to-mid summer right before the playoffs send values spiking again.
Which brings us to our 2024 baseball card investor’s guide. Keep in mind that this is a snapshot of where things stand right now. Like with any forecasting or prognosticating opportunity, things are subject to change depending on injuries and player performance.
Be sure to check out our shop, which is stocked with cards from several different sports, including baseball. We’ve also got you covered with card sleeves and protectors, so that your Jackson Holliday rookie card survives the elements.
Are there other names you’re excited about this season? Let us know in the comments!