The 2019 baseball card season was one of the most exciting in recent memory. Rookie stars like Pete Alonso and Yordan Alvarez burst onto the scene, superstar veterans like Mike Trout and Christian Yelich had incredible seasons, and legendary players like Mariano Rivera were inducted into the Hall of Fame. With so many storylines and standout performances, it’s no surprise that some of the best baseball cards of the year featured these players. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the top cards from 2019.
Perhaps the most sought-after rookie card of the year was Pete Alonso’s Topps Chrome Yellow Refractor rookie card. Alonso smashed an MLB rookie record 53 home runs for the New York Mets and won NL Rookie of the Year. His dominance right out of the gate made his rookie cards extremely popular. The Yellow Refractor parallel captured the attention of collectors due to its flashy color and limited print run. Graded mint condition examples regularly sold for well over $1000. Alonso is poised to be the face of the Mets franchise for years to come, making this an iconic rookie card to own.
Another rookie who had collectors buzzing was Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez. After a mid-season call-up, Alvarez launched 27 home runs in just 87 games and helped lead Houston to the World Series. His Topps Chrome Yellow Refractor rookie, like Alonso’s, became one of the most expensive cards on the market in 2019. Alvarez’s hype and production as such a young player made this a must-have card for Astros fans and investors alike. With gold parallels selling for $500-$1000 graded, the Alvarez rookie emerged as one of the best long-term holdings from last year’s crop.
For National League MVP Christian Yelich, two of his top cards in 2019 were his Topps Finest Refractor and Topps Chrome Refractor. Yelich followed up his 2018 MVP season by slashing .329/.429/.671 with 44 home runs for the Brewers. The Finest Refractor captured Yelich’s skills in a colorful refracted design, while the Chrome carried prestige as one of Topps’ flagship products. Both parallels saw strong demand, with high-grade examples trading hands for $300-$500. As one of the game’s best all-around players, Yelich has become a star on and off the field – making any of his 2019 standout cards valuable keepsakes.
Mike Trout, widely considered the best player of this generation, continued to dominate in 2019. The 27 year old posted career-highs with 45 home runs and 104 RBIs while slashing .291/.438/.645. Two of his top cards were the Topps Finest Negative Refractor and Topps Chrome Negative Refractor. The negative refractors stand out for their one-of-a-kind black coloring, making them highly sought after parallels. With Trout’s greatness assured as one of the all-time Angels, any of his modern refractors hold value as a piece of baseball history from one of the games all-time elites.
One of the most iconic players to retire in 2019 was New York Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera. The legendary “Sandman” formally ended his Hall of Fame career after 19 seasons in pinstripes. Topps paid tribute to Rivera with a special “HOF-Bound” inscription on his 2019 Topps Series 2 card. This moving farewell issue became a highly collectible card commemorating Rivera’s surefire induction into Cooperstown. With Rivera’s legendary status and this marking his final card while still an active player, the Series 2 stood out as one of the year’s most memorable issues.
Rookies like Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Eloy Jimenez also had noteworthy rookie cards in 2019 Topps Chrome. Each showed promise of future stardom in their debut campaigns. Bichette’s smooth defense and bat at shortstop made his Blue Jays cards popular in Toronto. Guerrero collected hits at a torrid pace after a mid-season call-up for the Jays. And Jimenez launched 31 home runs as one of the game’s most exciting young power hitters with the White Sox. All three have the talent to be annual All-Stars, making their rookie cards solid long-term holdings.
Veteran superstars like Cody Bellinger, Christian Yelich, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Mookie Betts also had defining issue cards in 2019 Topps Series 2. Bellinger followed his Rookie of the Year with an MVP caliber season, Yelich repeated as NL MVP, Acuna established himself as one of baseball’s brightest young stars, and Betts continued his excellence as one of the best all-around players in the game. The colorful design on these base cards captured each player’s dominance and made for prized additions to any collection. With all four in their primes, these modern base cards hold value.
The 2019 season was packed with breakout performances, milestones, and Hall of Fame careers coming to an end. Topps captured it all on cardboard with a standout year of products. Rookie stars like Alonso and Alvarez, veterans continuing their greatness like Trout, special parallels, and tribute cards to legendary careers made 2019 one of the best years in recent memory for high-end baseball cards. With so many future stars and modern classics, there were plenty of worthwhile cardboard investments to be made.
