It hasn’t taken long for Elly De La Cruz baseball cards to climb to the top of online searches. The young Cincinnati Reds phenom has sparked life into a franchise yearning for a new face of the franchise. .
How hot has he been in the marketplace? On eBay alone, over $1.8 million worth of De La Cruz cards were sold in the 15 days after he was called up from the minor leagues–and he didn’t even have an official base Topps rookie card to buy.
His first card in a big league uniform, issued through Topps Now, sold 25,773 copies. The one that commemorated his first home run saw sales of 18,972.
His pre-rookie cards were already out there. More than 1,000 De Le Cruz cards are on the market with all of the different parallels and variations. His cardboard debut was in the 2021 Panini Elite Extra Edition and 2021 Panini Prizm Draft Picks products. Topps included him in their 2022 Bowman line, and he also appeared in Leaf, Donruss and other Panini-branded products that year.
To put a value on his graded cards from 2021 and 2022 is almost impossible. eBay sales are a moving target right now. There is also an influx of De La Cruz cards that are being submitted to grading companies, meaning that the population reports will be changing dramatically.
Who Is Elly De La Cruz?
At first glance, the 6’5″ shortstop from the Dominican Republic reminds you of O’Neil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He’s also a shortstop, towers over people at 6’7″ and also hails from the Dominican Republic. Alas, they are not related, but their games have some similarities. De La Cruz, in particular, seems to be a true 5-tool talent.
De La Cruz was drafted by the Reds as a teenager and his fairly rapid journey through the minors included some legendary feats witnessed by relatively few. For instance…On May 9 of this year, De La Cruz hit a 115-plus mph home run from each side of the plate in the same game. What? Yes. He hit a 116.6 mph home run batting left handed, and then a 117.1 home run right handed. No Major League Baseball players in the Statcast era have done that. Other than maybe Mickey Mantle, it’s doubtful anyone ever has.
His impact on the big league roster was immediate. A not-that-long-ago stagnant team drew an extra 10,000 fans on a Tuesday night to see his first game. The crowds and the interest have only grown from there and thanks to some other young talent, the Reds are once again relevant.
His first home run traveled 458 feet into the seats at Great American Ballpark–one row from the top. Since the Statcast era began in 2015, the only player who hit a harder first career home run the De La Cruz blast of 114.8 mph was Jake Berger’s 115.2 mph first home run in 2021.
On June 23, he became the youngest player to hit for the cycle since César Cedeño in 1972, accomplishing the feat in just six innings.
Being clocked at 31 feet per second sprinting, he may be the fastest player in Major League Baseball history.
Elly De La Cruz Cards: Top Picks
It sounds like his rookie cards won’t arrive until 2024 because he wasn’t called up during the first two months of the season, but here are some of Elly De La Cruz’s best and most sought after prospect cards, along with a few diamonds in the rough. Those early Bowman cards, especially the autographed versions, will stand as some of his most popular and valuable issues.
2022 Bowman Sapphire Base & Auto (#BCP50, #ED)
There may not be a more consistently beautiful card than Bowman Sapphire. Something about the blue cracked ice look appeals to most prospect collectors. If you’re able to snag either a base or autographed version of this card, then you’ve got a true centerpiece.
This set has also produced some of the most expensive De La Cruz card sales to date. Four different PSA or BGS graded Orange Sapphire autographed cards (numbered to 25) sold on eBay between late May and mid-June, all for between $6,000 and $6,699.
Whether you’re talking auto or non-auto, for pure aesthetics combined with low population, it doesn’t get much better than the Red Sapphire Refractor numbered to 5.
2022 Bowman Chrome Base & Auto (#BCP50, #CPAED)
If you can’t get your hands on the Sapphire, there certainly isn’t anything wrong with the regular version of 2022 Bowman Chrome. De La Cruz has been featured in Bowman products since then, but there’s nothing quite like a 1st Bowman in your collection. The autographed versions are obviously a lot pricier but it’s the one that also has the most potential.
There’s quite a rainbow to build with many parallels to choose from. But if you’re just looking to add some base cards or lowered numbered parallels to your collection, it’s often a cheaper price point than the Sapphire edition base.
That said, this version of Bowman Chrome has some even larger sales. In mid June, a BGS 9.5 (10 Auto) Red Refractor Auto /5 sold for $22,322–the highest price (so far) for any De La Cruz card sold on eBay.
2022 Bowman’s Best UFO (#UFO-5)
While looking through all of the Elly De La Cruz inserts in various releases within the last year or so, one in particular stuck out, the UFO insert from 2022 Bowman’s Best.
They are consistently selling well, but not for a completely outrageous price. The UFO insert suits De La Cruz perfectly. Watching him play may make you think he actually isn’t of this world. He has base cards and autographs in 2022 Bowman’s Best, but in terms of sheer beauty, this one takes the cake.
2022 Topps Pro Debut – Chrome (#PDC-189)
Topps Pro Debut is an every year favorite of mine. It’s a significantly cheaper way to collect some of the best prospects in the game, with future stars pictured in their minor league uniforms.
Chrome cards can be found in the Jumbo box version of 2022 Topps Pro Debut. In late May, the PSA 9 graded 1/1 SuperFractor sold for $2,500 but you can snare the regular version for less than 20 bucks in ungraded form.
2021 Elite Extra Edition – Base /999 & Pulse Insert (#163, #P-9)
Despite the lack of an MLB license, Panini baseball products offer another option. Much like with the aforementioned Topps Pro Debut, Panini baseball is a more inexpensive way to collect some of your favorite players.
2021 Elite Extra Edition, shortened by collectors to EEE, features one of De La Cruz’s first cards as a professional player and is quite inexpensive. The base version is numbered /999 with many lower numbered parallels to chase.
The strikingly designed Pulse insert is a case hit that’s very limited in number but not tremendously expensive.
Elly De La Cruz on eBay: The Most Watched Auctions
Below is a current look at the most watched auctions for Elly De La Cruz cards. To see all of his cards for sale and auction ending soon, click here.
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