Didi Gregorius faced one of the most daunting tasks in all of sports in 2015 when he succeeded the legendary Derek Jeter at shortstop for the New York Yankees. While he struggled in his first season under the spotlight in 2015, the next two seasons saw increases in his offensive stats and his development into a star and fan favorite.
Born in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam as Mariekson Gregorius he was signed by the Cincinnati Reds in 2007 while playing in an under-18 
league. He made his major league debut for the Reds in 2012 before a sting with Arizona Diamondbacks for 2013-’14 before settling in with his current role with the Yankees in 2015.
Here is a look at some of Didi Gregorius’ best rookie cards, prospect issues and other early career releases.
First Didi Gregorious Baseball Cards
In 2010 Gregorius was included in two regional minor league sets when he played shortstop for the Reds’ Single-A affiliate Dayton Dragons of the Midwest League: 2010 Dayton Dragons Choice and 2010 Midwest League Prospects Grandstand. Before the internet, regional minor league sets were sought after cards, but are now easily obtained online. While not considered “mainstream” issues, no Gregorius collection is considered complete without them.
2011 Prospect Cards
2011 saw the release of Gregorius’ first prospect cards while he split time between the Single-A+ Bakersfield Blaze of the California League and Double-A Carolina Mudcats of the Southern League.
Gregorius’ most desirable base card remains the card issued in 2011 Bowman Chrome where he is identified with his birth name and incorrectly spelled last name: Mariekson Gregorious.
Gregorius was also included in Panini’s 2011 Donruss Elite Extra Edition and 2011 Limited. Unfortunately his cards issued that year featured sticker autos rather than on card, but they are still sought after.
2013 Rookie Cards
Gregorius spent his rookie season with the Arizona Diamondbacks batting only .252 with not much power and did not factor into the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year debate.
Gregorius’ first Topps card arrived in 2013 Topps Baseball, but the set was produced prior to his trade and therefore identifies him as a member of the Cincinnati Reds. He was included in most of the year’s releases and had his first memorabilia cards released along with on card autographs. While it is impossible to list every 2013 set that included Gregorius, he had the most cards in 2013 Bowman Sterling, 2013 Finest, 2013 Topps Chrome, 2013 Topps Supreme, and 2013 Topps Triple Threads. The Topps Chrome autos and requisite parallel cards have been among the best and biggest selling Gregorious rookie cards to date.
