The 2021 baseball card season featured some of the most highly anticipated rookie cards in recent memory as well as exciting veteran stars changing teams. Whether you’re a collector looking to find the hottest rookie cards or want cards featuring your favorite players on their new squads, here are some of the best 2021 baseball cards to keep an eye out for on the market.
Perhaps the biggest rookie card story of 2021 was Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco. Considered a true five-tool talent and top prospect in all of baseball, Franco’s rookie cards were in high demand from the moment he was called up in June. Topps Chrome Sapphire Wander Franco rookie refractor /10 is one of the most sought-after cards on the secondary market, but even his base Topps Chrome and Topps Finest rookie cards are selling for hundreds or even over $1,000. Franco looks like a budding superstar and his cards are some of the safest long-term investments in the hobby right now.
Another highly coveted rookie is Seattle Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic. A former top-5 Mets prospect, Kelenic was a key piece of the Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz trade and made his MLB debut in May. His Topps Chrome Sapphire auto /10 and Topps Finest Sapphire auto /5 are near the top of want lists, but even base rookie cards are selling in the triple digits. With his five-tool ability and new home in Seattle, Kelenic seems poised for stardom and his cards could appreciate significantly.
Two other rookies with huge upside are Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Shane Baz and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Nate Pearson. Baz made his MLB debut in September and is considered Tampa’s next ace, while Pearson has electric stuff when healthy but struggled with injuries in 2021. Baz’s Topps Chrome Sapphire auto /10 and Topps Finest Sapphire auto /5 are already at $500-1000 raw, while Pearson’s top parallels have also cracked four figures. Both hurlers have ace potential and their cards could pay off in a big way down the road.
On the position player side, Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene and Boston Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer are two highly touted prospects who had their rookie cards released in 2021. Greene, considered a five-tool talent, made his MLB debut late in the year and his autos and parallels are sought after. Mayer, the 4th overall pick in 2021, has incredible polish for a prep shortstop and his Topps Chrome Sapphire auto /10 is already priced at $500+. Both Greene and Mayer have all the tools to be perennial All-Stars, making their cards smart long-term investments.
Of course, veterans can also have exciting new cards when changing teams. When the Washington Nationals traded Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline, collectors scrambled to find their Dodgers debut cards. Scherzer’s Topps Finest auto /5 as a Dodger already sells for over $1,000 while even his base Dodgers cards command three figures. Turner, still in his prime at 28, also saw huge demand for his Dodgers rookies and even his 2021 Topps Update base card as a Dodger sells for $50-100. Both are championship caliber players on a perennial contender, keeping their new Dodgers cards very desirable.
Another big trade was Anthony Rizzo going from the Chicago Cubs to the New York Yankees. Rizzo had developed a huge fanbase in Chicago but also gained many new fans on the Yankees. His 2021 Topps Finest auto /5 as a Yankee already sells for $500 while even his base Yankees cards from Topps Update change hands for $30-50, a significant premium over his Cubs cards from earlier in the year. As a beloved lefty slugger now on baseball’s most famous franchise, Rizzo’s Yankee cards will remain very collectible for years.
Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, and Anthony Rizzo were not the only stars switching teams either. Other notable veterans who saw increased card values thanks to new uniforms include Joey Gallo (NYY), Adam Frazier (SDP), Kris Bryant (SFG), Javier Baez (NYM), Craig Kimbrel (CHW), and Nelson Cruz (TB). Even role players like Danny Duffy (LAD) and Andrew Chafin (OAK/CHW) saw short prints of their new team cards jump in value due to playoff contenders. With free agency and trades constantly reshaping rosters, staying on top of uniform changes can lead collectors to the hottest new cards.
The 2021 season gave collectors an abundance of exciting new rookie cards to chase like Wander Franco, Jarred Kelenic and Shane Baz. It also featured many star veterans like Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and Anthony Rizzo who saw huge demand for their debut cards on new playoff contending teams. Whether targeting the next generation of stars or cards of proven big leaguers in new uniforms, 2021 had no shortage of collectibles that could retain or increase value for years to come. For building sets or investing, these provided many of the best baseball card options on the trading market.
