The 2021 Donruss Baseball set saw several rookie cards emerge as some of the most valuable and sought after cards on the modern sports card market. While juggernaut stars like Mike Trout and Fernando Tatis Jr continued commanding big money for their parallels and autographs, it was the crop of talented rookies that captured the imagination of collectors and drove a lot of interest in the new set.
Heading into the 2021 season, many viewed Rays shortstop Wander Franco as the consensus top prospect in all of baseball. After tearing it up in his 2020 cameo, collectors were anxious to get their hands on Franco’s rookie cards in the new Donruss release. His standard base card quickly became a $50-100 card in mint condition, with some colors and parallels moving even higher given his star hype and potential. It was his autographs and rare parallels that truly set value records. Franco’s dominant 2021 campaign at the MLB level only amplified collector demand for his prized rookie cards from Donruss. By late 2021, low-numbered parallels of his autograph were bringing $1,000s on the secondary market and rumors of five-figure sales of 1/1s began to surface. Expect Franco’s Donruss rookies to continue appreciating as he asserts himself as a possible generational talent.
Another big league standout whose cards sharply increased in value was Rays pitcher Shane Baz. After tearing up the minors in 2021 following his acquisition from the Pirates, Baz made a strong MLB debut and showed why he was considered a top pitching prospect. His Donruss base rookies moved up to $50-75 by season’s end while autographed and parallel versions sold for several hundred dollars or more. With his upside and potential frontline starter stuff, Baz mania is likely just getting started in the collecting community.
While Franco and Baz captured the spotlight among positional and pitching prospects respectively, Cardinals outfielder/first baseman Dylan Carlson saw his share of cards from Donruss gain steam as well. After a solid rookie campaign in 2020, Carlson took his game to another level in 2021 by slashing .267/.349/.432 with 16 home runs. The emergence of his five-tool abilities as a everyday big leaguer drove strong secondary market gains for his various Donruss cards throughout the season. Like many on this list, Carlson’s dual-eligibility and growing track record at such a young age bode well for sustained collector interest down the road.
Staying in the NL Central, Reds second baseman/outfielder Jonathan India became an overnight sensation by capturing NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2021. Loaded with savvy and skills beyond his years, India exceeded all expectations in his first season. Not surprisingly, collectors took notice of the newcomer and drove up prices on all aspects of his 2021 Donruss cards throughout the awards season. By year’s end, the India base rookie was a $20-30 card while colored parallels and especially autographed memorabilia cards climbed well above the $100-200 range. With an All-Star caliber bat and continued upside, India seems poised to continue captivating collectors with his Donruss cards.
On the coasts, a pair of coastal stars in Padres pitcher MacKenzie Gore and Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk developed fervent collector followings for their 2021 Donruss cards as well. Gore had long been deemed the elite pitching prospect in the loaded Padres system and delivered on that promise pre-MLB with Triple-A dominance in 2021. Meanwhile, Kirk became an instant folk hero in Toronto by mashing from day one at the big league level despite his 5’8″ stature. Both players saw starting prices for their Donruss rookies stabilize in the $15-30 range, which is impressive given the abundant printing of modern baseball sets. Their autographs and rare parallels that surfaced down the stretch popped well above $100 based on collectors falling in love with their respective debut seasons and future potential impact.
Rounding out the breakouts from 2021 Donruss Baseball is White Sox catcher/outfielder Andrew Vaughn. The third overall pick from 2019 had developed slowly in the minors before finding his power stroke in Triple-A and later the majors in 2021. Slashing .277/.352/.439 with 11 home runs over his 78 games, Vaughn showed 5-tool ability and the polish of a future star. Like many on this list, hisDonruss base card steadily traded in the $15-30 range through the year. But scarce autographed and memorabilia picks that surfaced late in the season caught bids pushing $100-200 as collectors bet on Vaughn staking his claim as the future at DH or in the outfield for the rising White Sox.
The 2021 Donruss Baseball release bore witness to the emergence of today’s newest stars and saw many of their rookie cards achieve substantial secondary market value increases as their talents shone through. While juggernauts still reign at the high-end, it’s these exciting rookies that have truly captivated today’s collector base and suggest continued strength in the sports card market lies with chronicling fresh talent through authenticated memorabilia and autographs each new season. Fanatics, Panini and others would be wise to take note that today’s collectors demand premier access to rookie cards from baseball’s next wave of household names, and Donruss delivered powerfully on that front in 2021.
