Fernando Tatis Jr. has quickly become one of the most electrifying players in Major League Baseball. Since making his debut in 2019, Tatis Jr. has dazzled fans with his combination of power, speed, arm strength and flair for the highlight play. He’s also emerged as a budding superstar on the San Diego Padres, bringing excitement and fans back to the franchise.
Not surprisingly, Tatis Jr.’s popularity and hype has translated to the baseball card collecting world. The Topps rookie cards from his debut season in 2019 have become highly sought after by collectors. It’s his 2020 Topps cards that have truly taken the hobby by storm. Fueled by Tatis Jr.’s breakout campaign and the Padres success, nearly all of his 2020 issue cards have skyrocketed in demand and value over the past year.
Let’s take a deeper look at some of Tatis Jr.’s most significant baseball cards from his first two seasons in the big leagues:
2019 Topps Baseball #213 – Tatis Jr.’s rookie card debuted in the flagship Topps series. While not overly rare from a print run standpoint, it was one of the earliest widely available cards featuring the budding young star. In near mint condition, these sold for around $10-15 immediately after release but have steadily increased to a current market value around $80-100 as Tatis Jr.’s hype has grown. The card captured Tatis Jr. in his distinctive batting stance during his inaugural MLB campaign. It was the first trading card to memorialize his arrival on the big league scene.
2019 Topps Chrome #88 – The prized parallel variation of Tatis Jr.’s rookie card, featuring his image on “chrome” foil stock instead of the standard paper stock. These parallel cards carry much more cache with collectors due to their rarity and foil treatment, which makes the image really “pop” in holders. In 2019, these parallels sold in the $30-50 range post release but now fetch $150-250+ if graded and preserved in mint condition by companies like PSA or BGS. The increased rarity and “blinged out” chromium design make these highly coveted by Tatis Jr. collectors.
2019 Topps Archives Signature #236 – One of Tatis Jr.’s earliest autographed cards. Topps’ Archives Signature set provides swatch or autographed versions of archived Topps designs from the 1970s/80s. In this case, Tatis Jr.’s image is fronted on a 1981 Topps card design. The autographs are serially numbered to 299 copies, adding significantly to its collectibility versus non-autographed variations. Last year, these sold in the $150-250 range but now consistently move for $500-1000+ in top condition. It was an early indicator of Tatis Jr.’s growing stature within the market.
2020 Topps Series 1 #157 – Tatis Jr.’s main base card from the 2020 Topps Series 1 release. This was the card that truly helped launch his status into the stratosphere, arriving during his breakout 39-homer season. In prestigious PSA Gem Mint 10 condition, these were selling for $50-75 early last year but now command $300-500 regularly. Even low-grade copies in a PSA/BGS 8 holder can be had for $100-200, showing amazing preservation of value. It’s one of the iconic Tatis Jr. cards from just before his superstardom fully emerged.
2020 Topps Chrome #194 – The prized parallel version of Tatis Jr.’s Series 1 card, on the highly desirable Topps Chrome stock. Like the 2019 equivalent, these carry far more cache than the base issue. At release, mint PSA 10 versions were selling in the $75-125 range but have since ballooned to consistently demand $1000+ due to extreme scarcity after the print run. Even a “mere” PSA 9 still sells for $500 once they surface on the secondary market. This marked Tatis Jr. cementing himself as a true star on one of the collecting community’s elite parallels.
2020 Topps Museum Collection #151 – One of several high-end, premium set cards released of Tatis Jr. during his 2020 breakout. Topps Museum Collection uses high quality photo stock and features popular players. Tatis Jr.’s card, depicting his famous bat flip home run, was serially numbered to just 50 copies. Unsurprisingly, this has become one of the true “crown jewel” cards for hardcore Tatis Jr. PC collectors. Extremely few have ever sold, but true gem PSA 10s have garnered bids as high as $4000+ once they surface in private auctions or on eBay. It represents the pinnacle of his 2020 cardboard output to date.
This covers just a handful of Tatis Jr’s most prominent cards from his early MLB tenure so far. As he continues ascending towards potential superstardom status, his entire rookie crop and flagship cards from future seasons will surely gain in demand as well for dedicated collectors. Fernando Tatis Jr. has rapidly emerged as one of the faces of MLB, and that popularity will undoubtedly translate to sustained strength in the baseball card market for years to come as well. His rookie issues have proven to be an superb long term investment for those who purchased them early, and future cards seem poised to also greatly appreciate over the coming decades.
