Jake Odorizzi is a Major League Baseball pitcher who has spent time with the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, and Minnesota Twins. As a result of his MLB career spanning from 2013 to present, Odorizzi has amassed a sizable collection of baseball cards. While he may not be one of the biggest star players in baseball, Odorizzi’s cards can still be of interest to collectors. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the notable Jake Odorizzi baseball cards that exist.
One of Odorizzi’s earliest card issues comes from 2013, his rookie season in the majors. That year, he appeared in 21 games with 9 starts for the Kansas City Royals, posting a 3.06 ERA. Various card manufacturers released Odorizzi’s rookie cards that year, including Topps, Topps Chrome, Bowman, Bowman Sterling, and Panini Prizm. Many consider the Topps base rookie card to be the most desirable, given Topps’ iconic status in the hobby. The refractors and parallels from Chrome, Bowman, and Prizm carry a premium due to their lower print runs. Prices for Odorizzi’s 2013 rookie cards range widely based on conditioning and parallels, but mint Topps versions can be acquired for under $10.
After being traded from Kansas City to Tampa Bay, Odorizzi had his breakout season in 2014. He made 31 starts and logged 159 innings, establishing himself as a solid mid-rotation starter with a 3.33 ERA. Naturally, his 2014 base cards saw increased demand and value compared to rookie issues. Topps, Topps Chrome, Bowman, and others all featured Odorizzi in ’14 sets. Refractor parallels remain the most expensive, but raw copies of the Topps base card can be found for $5-7. This was the season that really put Odorizzi on the map, performance-wise, which is reflected to some extent in secondary card market prices.
Odorizzi continued as a workhorse for the Rays over the next few seasons, making 30+ starts annually from 2015-2017. His stats fluctuated some from year to year – 3.35 ERA in ’15, 4.15 in ’16, and 3.89 in ’17. As a result, there wasn’t a definitive “breakout” season beyond 2014 that caused childhood memories or strong nostalgia for collectors. His base cards from those years usually sell in the $1-4 range depending on condition and parallels. Interestingly, Topps Chrome cards from this era seem to command a slight premium over base issues, indicating a lasting interest in the refractor parallels. While not trophy cards, they provide affordable options for Astros, Rays, or Odorizzi PC builders.
In late 2017, Odorizzi was traded from Tampa Bay to the Minnesota Twins. He responded with the best statistical season of his career to date in 2018, setting career highs in wins (13), strikeouts (150), and ERA+ (132). This career year resulted in renewed interest from card companies featuring him in flagship products. The 2018 Topps base card remains under $5, but refractor versions remain above $10-15 due to the increased demand from that breakout campaign in Minnesota. Bowman Chrome autographs or high-numbered parallels could fetch $30+ from collectors hoping to commemorate his All-Star worthy performance on paper.
Since 2018, Odorizzi has remained a steady mid-rotation starter for the Twins but hasn’t quite matched that career year statistically. Nevertheless, he continues to make yearly appearances in Topps, Bowman, Panini, and other mainstream releases. Recent base cards hover around the $1-3 mark, while parallel and autograph cards from 2019 to present can be acquired in the $5-20 range depending on exact parallel and condition. While he may no longer be in the prime of his career, Odorizzi has earned the respect of collectors as a reliable innings-eater in the AL for many seasons.
In summing up the current landscape of Jake Odorizzi’s baseball cards, it’s clear that the earliest rookie issues and breakout campaigns hold the most collectible value at this time. The 2014 Topps base card in particular stands out as a affordable option to commemorate his arrival on the MLB scene. Dedicated Odorizzi collectors or Twins PC builders would be prudent to scout out some of his more elusive parallels and serial-numbered cards from over the past decade as nice middleground PC pieces. While not an elite player, Odorizzi has proven to be a useful arm for contenders like the Rays and Twins for many years. His baseball cards serve as a permanent record of that dependable MLB tenure.
