Zack Collins made his MLB debut in 2019 for the Chicago White Sox and though his career is still in its early stages, he has already garnered interest from baseball card collectors. Collins was a top prospect drafted with the 10th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of the University of Miami and made his way through the White Sox system quickly, debuting just three years later in 2019 at age 24.
As a highly touted prospect, Collins baseball cards started appearing in mainstream retail sets in 2017 even before his MLB debut. One of his first notable rookie cards was 2017 Bowman Chrome Superfractor Refractor #BCP-Z19, a 1/1 parallel printing which is the rarest possible printing for any card in that set. Due to Collins status as a top White Sox prospect at the time and the extreme rarity of a 1/1 parallel, this card commands a high price with recent sales over $500. Other notable early Collins rookie cards include 2017 Bowman Sterling #277, 2017 Bowman’s Best Prospect #BPP-Z11 and 2018 Topps Chrome Update Blue Refractor #323.
Topps gained exclusive rights to include MLB player photos in their baseball cards starting in 2020, driving a lot of interest towards 2020 Topps Series 1 for Collins’ true “base” rookie card. The standard retail version of the 2020 Topps Zack Collins rookie card #305 sells for around $10-15, while parallels like the Sepia #/175 parallel or Gold #/2021 parallel command higher values. The ultra-rare Topps #/2020 1st Edition Printing Plate #/2020 parallel is considered the top Collins rookie card, recently selling for over $1,000 due to its extreme scarcity.
Outside of his notable rookie cards, Collins continues to appear in many mainstream baseball card releases during his MLB career so far. Key cards later in his career include 2021 Topps Series 2 Red Foil Parallel #262, 2022 Topps Opening Day #286, 2022 Topps Allen & Ginter Mini #178 and 2022 Topps Holiday #HD-ZC. Even with his inconsistent playing time, Collins’ status as a former top prospect for a marquee MLB franchise keeps collector interest in new cards.
Collins cards displaying important career milestones and achievements also gain attention. His first career MLB home run was captured on the 2020 Topps Update Silver Pack Parallel #US266 card. Hits from 2021 where he batted .210 with 4 home runs in 49 games generated parallels like 2021 Bowman Sterling Silver #BCP-ZC. Cards representing his role as a backup catcher or showing defensive plays in the field also draw interest from collectors.
Autograph and memorabilia cards featuring Zack Collins further elevate interest and command higher prices. Due to his prospect pedigree, many early Collins cards were inserted with autographs. The 2017 Bowman Chrome Superfractor Auto #BA-Z19 1/1 parallel fetched over $800. Hot prospects regularly sign ton of autographs at conventions and for sets as well. Redemption cards for autographed memorabilia can pay off years later too once fulfilled. With increased playing time, special Topps Gallery of Heroes, Topps Tribute or Topps Chrome Refractors autos could gain huge attention if Collins breaks out offensively.
Zack Collins remains an interesting player for baseball card collectors to follow even if his MLB batting stats are middling. As a former high draft pick with plenty of prospect hype and Topps marketing push as one of their rookie standouts, there’s natural interest in his career progression and milestone achievements being captured in cards. Even if Collins never becomes an MLB star, the rarity and prospect pedigree behind some of his early issue cards continues keeping his collection relevant for White Sox and college completionists. With continued MLB experience, Collins still has upside to gain card value through signature or milestone parallels too if a breakout season happens.
While still early in his career, Zack Collins has developed notable cards from his prospect period that attracted attention from collectors. His official Topps rookie card and variations continue driving interest and any prospect redemptions achieved retain value. Autograph and memorabilia cards provide opportunities for higher end collectors too. Collins’ career path isn’t fully set, and more playing time or strong offensive production could unlock new collector opportunities down the road. For now, cards showing his prospect hype and MLB arrival continue representing an interesting collection for both White Sox and college baseball fans.
