Shortstop Trea Turner has quickly established himself as one of the elite players in Major League Baseball since making his debut with the Washington Nationals in 2015. Due to his athleticism, speed, and offensive production, Turner has become a fan favorite in both Washington and his current home of Los Angeles with the Dodgers. As a result, Turner’s rookie cards and other early baseball cards are highly sought after by collectors.
Turner was selected 13th overall by the Padres in the 2014 MLB Draft out of North Carolina State University. He began his professional career that season, playing in the Padres’ minor league system. While in the minors, Upper Deck, Leaf, and Panini all included Turner in sets as a prospect. His 2012 Bowman Draft Chrome auto refractor parallel /99 is among one of his earliest professionally licensed cards as an amateur. In 2015, Turner received cards in flagship sets like Topps, Bowman, Stadium Club, and Triple Threads as a top Padres prospect on the verge of the majors.
Many collectors targeted these early Turner prospect cards, predicting he had the skills to become an impact major leaguer. On June 18, 2015, the Padres called up Turner to make his MLB debut. Just over a month later, on July 31st, he was part of a blockbuster trade that sent him, Joe Ross, and a player to be named later (Felix Rodríguez) to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Craig Kimbrel. This deal sent Turner’s card values skyrocketing among Nationals fans excited about his potential as their new everyday shortstop.
In 2016, Turner fully established himself as the Nationals’ starting shortstop and received wider recognition from the baseball card industry. Upper Deck, Topps, and Bowman all featured prominent photos of Turner in their flagship releases. Some key early Turner Nationals cards include his 2016 Topps BASE RC, 2016 Topps Series 1 base card, and 2016 Topps Chrome rookie refractor parallel. This opened up more collectors chasing his rookie cards as he shined for a playoff contending Nationals squad that won the NL East division.
From 2017-2019, Turner continued increasing his production and profile, making the MLB All-Star team twice in that span. During this stretch, Panini, Leaf, Topps Chrome, Stadium Club, and Topps Transcendent captured Turner’s evolution into a true star. Some notable mid-career Turner Nationals cards include his 2017 Stadium Club Chrome auto refractor /99, 2019 Topps Transcendent #/50 printing plate auto, and 2019 Bowman Chrome Prospect Rainbow Foil Refractor. These showed that he had developed beyond just a prospect and rookie into one of baseball’s best all-around hitters and baserunners.
In the shortened 2020 season, Turner put it all together by hitting .335 with an .982 OPS to finish fourth overall in NL MVP voting. This breakout year was captured on cards across the industry, with Topps Project 70, Topps Chrome Reds, and Topps Transcendent parallels being some of the most valuable highlights. However, Turner’s time with the Nationals would come to an end after the season when he declined a qualifying offer and entered free agency. After weeks of rumors, on December 4, 2020 Turner signed a $300 million contract to join the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
With the move to a new franchise in Los Angeles, Turner kicked off the latest chapter of his baseball card collecting journey. Sets in 2021 featured Turner donning Dodger blue for the first time on cards like Topps Series 1, Topps Chrome Update, and Stadium Club. It remains to be seen if his Dodgers cards will continue to increase in value like those from his time in D.C., but early returns are promising given LA’s vast card collecting fanbase and endless winning ways. No matter the uniform, Trea Turner’s incredible speed, hitting, fielding skills and durability make him a superstar that collectors will want cards of for years to come. Whether chasing rookie pieces or tracking his latest accomplishments, Turner cards hold value as a top shortstop of his era.
In summary, Trea Turner has developed from a touted prospect to an MVP candidate thanks to his breakout success with the Nationals followed by a big money deal with the Dodgers. Along the way, fans and collectors followed Trea’s journey by acquiring his increasingly rare and valuable baseball cards issued by the major licensors like Topps, Panini, Upper Deck and more. As one of the game’s brightest offensive stars, Turner’s entire catalog of cards ranging from prospects to rookies to stars of today are sure to retain and increase their worth as must-have items for any savvy sports card investor or collector. His on-field production and popularity alone make Trea Turner cards a sound choice for any growing collection.