Zack Wheeler baseball cards have taken on greater interest in recent years as the versatile right-handed pitcher has emerged as a key contributor for the Philadelphia Phillies. Drafted sixth overall by the San Francisco Giants in the 2009 MLB Draft out of East Lake High School in Georgia, Wheeler started his professional career with huge expectations that have mostly been met throughout his career.
While Wheeler showed promise in his minor league seasons in the Giants organization, he never pitched a game for San Francisco as he was traded in December 2009 to the New York Mets along with fellow prospect Bobby Parnell in exchange for Carlos Beltran. Wheeler made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2013 and stayed with them through the 2019 season before signing a 5-year, $118 million contract with the Phillies as a free agent.
Wheeler’s early career was hampered by injuries including Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons. When healthy he demonstrated elite skills with a mid to upper 90s fastball and a hard curveball. His first Topps card came in 2014 Topps Update Series as a rookie card with the Mets. The card shows promise but Wheeler had yet to really establish himself at the major league level. It can be purchased in near mint condition for around $3-5.
2015 and 2016 were lost developmental years for Wheeler on the mound due to injury rehabilitation. However, Topps still included him in their flagship release sets each of those years with updated card designs. The 2015 update card and 2016 base card are valuable more so as artifacts of his early career than significant cards in their own right and can usually be found for under $1.
Wheeler truly began to break out and establish himself in 2017 after finally returning to full health. He pitched to a 3.31 ERA over 30 starts and logged 185 innings, showcasing his full four-pitch arsenal. That season was highlighted by his 2017 Topps Series 2 base card, picturing Wheeler mid-windup. This is considered one of his top rookie cards from his early Mets career and in near mint condition brings $10-15 on the secondary market.
Through 2018 and 2019, Wheeler solidified himself as a durable workhorse in the Mets rotation. He made at least 30 starts and threw over 175 innings both years. Cards from those seasons, like his 2018 Topps Update Series and 2019 Topps Series 2 base cards, remain some of his most readily available during his Mets tenure and can be found for $3-5. While not considered superstar cards, they mark Wheeler entering his prime.
One of Wheeler’s best statistical seasons came in 2019 as he set new career highs with 11 wins and 195+ innings pitched to go with a 3.96 ERA. His showcase performance led to increased hobby card popularity heading into free agency. His 2019 Topps Series 1 & 2 rookie card parallel /499 sells for $30-40 showing heightened collector demand. Later 2019 products like MLB Showdown, Contenders, and Chrome also gained secondary value in the $10-20 range during Wheeler’s contract negotiations.
When Wheeler signed his large free agent deal with the Phillies prior to the 2020 season, it further spiked interest in his cards from his Mets days as a newly established frontline starter. The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the 2020 season and limited card production that year. As such, his 2020 Phillies debut cards from Topps Series 1 & 2 and Opening Day sell for $5-10, hampered by lack of product and low print runs.
The pandemic aside, Wheeler has proven worth his payday with the Phillies by anchoring their rotation over the past two seasons. He finally made his first All-Star team in 2021 while pitching to a stellar 2.78 ERA. As a result, his cards gained serious momentum. Prizm and Optic parallels from 2020/2021 now reach $50-100 showing his continued ascent to stardom. And autograph and memorabilia cards climbed into the $300-1000 range reflecting Wheeler’s new status.
Looking ahead, as Wheeler continues establishing himself as an ace for the playoff contending Phillies, collector demand for his cards from all stages of his career is projected to remain high. His debut rookie cards from 2014 could climb higher given Wheeler has proven to be the real deal Major Leaguer that teams hoped for when he was drafted. As long as Wheeler stays healthy, contributes to a winning Phillies team, and performs at an All-Star caliber going forward, the value of Zack Wheeler cards across brands and product lines should hold steady or potentially increase further still. At just 32, Wheeler seems poised to continue producing plenty more memorable cardboard for collectors in the years to come.