Christian Yelich rookie cards might not always be the the first ones you see on the baseball hot list. That’s why he might be worth the investment.
Despite an MVP caliber 2018 season and a career arc that’s trending decidedly upward, Yelich rookie and prospect cards are generally available at a reasonable cost. They’ve ticked upward as he blossomed into a big-time star in 2018, but the majority of his cards remain pretty affordable.
The Yelich File
When MLB.com wrote a story about potential Hall of Famers for each team, Yelich was the name that surfaced for the Miami Marlins. He has since moved to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of a blockbuster trade that’s looking like a steal for Milwaukee despite the surrender of four prospects.
Yelich became an All-Star in his first year with the Brewers. He has already also won a Golden Glove (2014) and a Silver Slugger (2016) during his short MLB career and had played 643 career games by age 26. He’s rarely missed time with injuries.
While a veteran at this point in his career, he still has plenty of potential.
Averaging over 170 hits over his first five full seasons and making a run at a Triple Crown in 2018 would seem to make his rookie and prospect cards a pretty solid long-term investment.
Football Roots
“He has some good genes — football genes, not baseball genes, but athletic genes nonetheless,’’ says his mom Alecia. Just when it seemed like Yelich was a born football player, the Florida native chose differently. Yelich had an uncle who won two Rose Bowls as an offensive lineman with UCLA in the 80’s. His great-grandfather, as the story goes, was pro football player Fred Gehrke who actually created the Rams logo. So how did Yelich become such an outstanding baseball prospect?
Yelich was actually a baseball fanatic during his youth. “My favorite player growing up was actually Jeter,” Yelich told the Los Angeles Times. Yelich was still a Dodgers fan growing up in California despite his passion for the Yankees shortstop. He batted .371 as a freshman in high school and never looked back. He was heavily recruited by many colleges as his stock quickly grew. Yelich became one of the top 100 players in the nation. That was enough to get noticed by the bigs. He turned down a scholarship to play for the Miami Hurricanes in lieu of a pro baseball contract.
Untapped Potential
Yelich has dominated at every level. He was a highly scouted and highly recruited talent at Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks, California. The Marlins were so impressed they drafted him in the first round (23rd overall) in 2010.
Yelich didn’t disappoint.
He was the Minor League Player of the Year for Miami in 2011 and 2012. He was just 21 years old when the Marlins decided to bring him to the big club. The compliments since his arrival have been nothing less than extraordinary.
“He reminds me of a young Don Mattingly” one time Marlins’ manager Dan Jennings said of Yelich. “We’ve said it before: One day he’s going to be a batting champion.”
Yelich also has impressed with his stellar play in the outfield.
Christian Yelich Prospect Cards
Yelich first appeared on trading cards in the months following the 2010 draft. You’ll find his autographed cards in Bowman Chrome and Sterling as well as Elite Extra. While prices have ticked upward lately, even the lower serial numbered autographs remain relatively inexpensive. In fact, only a handful of Yelich’s 2010 prospect cards have ever sold for more than $500. Chrome Refractors numbered to 500 are still generally trading under $200. Sterling autographs are less than half that.
Unsigned 2010 Bowman and Bowman Chrome Yelich cards won’t set you back more than a couple of bucks and are often available in quantity.
Yelich Rookie Cards
After his 2010 debut, the number of Yelich cards waned for two years with only a small number of cards being issued but his arrival in the big leagues put him in the rookie class of 2013.
Among the cheapest cards is his standard Topps Update, an easy, inexpensive buy. Update may be considered “common” but retains a strong place in the minds of collectors (see Mike Trout).
Topps Chrome Rookie Autos and their various parallels would appear to be among the most popular Yelich rookies and as of this point the price is certainly right.
You’ll find relic autographs, too, in Topps Finest and Bowman Platinum.
Yelich’s Bowman Chrome Mini Superfractor sold in July for just $150–a steal for a 1/1 card of a player who at this point, appears to be on a path toward Cooperstown. One of his Chrome Atomic Refractor autos numbered to 10 sold for $400 earlier this week but only a small number of Yelich rookie cards–autographed or not–have crossed the $300 mark to date. That, it seems, will change before long.
You can view the most watched Christian Yelich baseball cards via the list below.
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