In the beginning of the 2018 season Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts became the first Red Sox player to hit three home runs in a game four times. breaking a tie with Ted Williams. While no one’s ready to anoint him as the equal of the Splendid Splinter, Betts’ offensive and defensive abilities have put him in the discussion about the best current all around players in the game.
The Nashville native was chosen by the Red Sox in the 2011 MLB draft and after spending parts of four seasons in the minor leagues he was called up in the middle of the 2014 season. Mookie Betts baseball cards have been among the hobby’s hottest. Over $250,000 was spent on his rookie year cards by eBay users in the first five weeks of the 2018 season.
Here is a brief roundup of some of his best prospect and rookie cards.
Early Releases
In 2012 Betts was playing Lowell Spinners NY-Penn League and was included in a regional release: 2012 Lowell Spinners Grandstand. In 2013 he was promoted to the Single-A Greenvillle Drive and earned inclusion in his first national release: 2013 Panini Prizm Perennial Draft Picks. This Panini set featured his first autograph cards, which remain popular with collectors.
Prospect Cards
By 2014 Betts was playing for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and was a highly touted prospect. 2014 also marked the release of what would prove to be his most anticipated card in 2014 Bowman Chrome. His Bowman Chrome cards have a number of color parallels and the autographed versions remain his most enduring cards. The Purple Refractor auto variation, numbered to 10 and graded BGS 9.5, recently sold for a best offer price of $6,000. Orange Refractors numbered to 25 have climbed over $3,000.
Rookie Cards
That year also marked his major league debut and with his growing popularity Betts’ rookie card was included in several other sets including 2014 Bowman, 2014 Bowman Sterling, 2014 Topps Five Star, 2014 Topps Stadium Club, 2014 Topps Heritage High Number factory sets and 2014 Topps Update. The Topps Update has a photo variation that pictures him in the dugout. His first auto relic in the big leagues is the Bowman Platinum Game-Used Memorabilia issue. Of course, the low numbered parallel cards and autographed versions of any of the rookie cards carry the highest values.
Below is a live list of all of Mookie Betts ‘most watched’ card auctions on eBay.
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