Jose Urena is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who has spent his entire career with the Miami Marlins. While still active, Urena has already made a name for himself and accumulated several baseball cards due to his MLB success at a young age. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the more prominent Jose Urena baseball cards that collectors can find.
One of Urena’s earliest cards is from 2015 Donruss baseball. This was Urena’s rookie card season in the majors and marked his debut in the world of collectible cards. The 2015 Donruss Jose Urena rookie card features a clean photo of him in a Marlins uniform on the front with standard stats and bio on the back. These rookie cards are highly sought after by collectors interested in Urena and 2015 rookies in general. Graded mint condition examples often sell for $50-100 due to the card’s rookie status.
In 2016, Urena’s success led to more prominent inclusion in flagship releasing sets. Topps issued a base card of Urena in their 2016 Topps Series 1 checklist. This served as Urena’s main Topps issue card for that season. While not overwhelmingly valuable on its own at around $5 mint, it was an important next step for Urena in the card-collecting hobby. He had proven himself as a big leaguer deserving of inclusion in the standard Topps baseball set.
Later in 2016, Urena’s pitching breakout landed him recognition in the ultra-premium Topps Chrome subset. The Rainbow Foil parallels and Refractors found in Topps Chrome are highly sought-after by collectors due to their shiny, refractive surfaces. Urena earned inclusion in this lineup, with his 2016 Topps Chrome base card trading around $10-15 fresh out of packs. Serial-numbered Parallels and Refractors of this issue have sold for over $100 to Urena and Marlins PC collectors.
By 2017, Urena had cemented himself as a key member of the Marlins pitching staff. This resulted in more significant card issues from release brands. Topps again included Urena in their flagship Series 1 checklist with a standard base card. He also earned prominent placements in specialized inserts. Urena’s 2017 Topps Archives 1967 Flashback Refractor Autograph card /50 captured collectors’ attention with its on-card autograph and retro design parallel, netting over $300 PSA Gem Mint.
Perhaps Urena’s most notable baseball card to date came in 2017 Topps Finest. This high-end Tiffany parallel product housed an Urena Negative Refractor Parallel /25 card. Donning a steely blue Refractor backdrop with negative printing, this issue highlighted Urena’s breakout status. Fewer than 25 examples exist, and graded mint copies have sold for upwards of $800 to Urena super collectors online. The extreme scarcity and “negative” parallel designation made this one of Urena’s true premier cards in the industry.
Beyond flagship printings, Urena’s success also granted him acknowledgement in regional release sets. In 2017, BBM of Japan inserted Urena into their respected WBC premium issue set focused on World Baseball Classic performers. While limited internationally, cards like this resonated among global Urena PC builders. Upper Deck also featured Urena in their 2017 Allen & Ginter base checklist, recognizing his major league play to a wider releasing audience.
Jumping to 2019, Urena continued his MLB tenure and associated card issues. Topps included standard base versions again across their Series 1, 2, Update sets. parallels of Urena also emerged, like the coveted 2019 Topps Update Green Prizm Parallel /99. Having established himself among collectors by now, such scarce parallels sell for $50-100 raw on auction platforms. Upper Deck also revisited Urena in 2019 with an Orange Ice Parallel card /99 found in their Black Diamond soccer/baseball crossover product.
Today, Jose Urena remains an active MLB pitcher looking to add to his career accolades. As a mainstay in the Marlins rotation since 2015, Urena’s body of baseball cards continues growing with each new release. Collectors can find everything from modern base issues to vintage parallels chronicling Urena’s playing tenure thus far. With any continued MLB success, rare Urena parallel cards from past flagship and high-end sets will remain highly valuable investments for savvy collectors in the long run.