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You are here: Home / Around the Hobby / Hair We Go: Jacob deGrom Rookie Card Roundup and Hottest Auctions

Hair We Go: Jacob deGrom Rookie Card Roundup and Hottest Auctions

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He already has two Cy Young Awards and it’s almost a lock he’ll wind up with more than that before his career eventually comes to a close.  “Dominant” usually precedes his name in articles.  While pitchers aren’t always exceedingly popular with collectors, Jacob deGrom rookie cards are an exception.  

The New York Mets’ ace could wind up being one of the all-time great arms but at least for now, most of his rookie and prospect cards are still within reach.  

Strange Path to Stardom

If not for some level of divine intervention, we may never have known deGrom as one of the greatest pitchers of his generation. Initially, when he attended Stetson University he was a light hitting shortstop for the Hatters. It could be argued that he was known as much for his game on the basketball court as he was for his exploits on the diamond.

At the beginning of his junior year, the team put him in the bullpen as the default closer. By the end of the season, he was a starter and one of the team’s best hurlers. The rest, as they say, is history. He was drafted in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the New York Mets.

He spent a few seasons making his way through the minor league ranks and in May of 2014 he made his Major League debut. He pitched so well throughout the season that he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

Fast forward and deGrom sits as a perennial All-Star and Cy Young Award winner. With his league leading performances this year, including an obscenely low ERA and WHIP, its not out of the realm of possibility that deGrom picks up his third straight Cy Young Award when the baseball writers vote on the year end awards in a few short weeks. That would, without a doubt, put in him in elite, hall of fame worthy company.

With the following list, we break down Jacob deGrom rookie and prospect cards, giving you three tiers of value, importance and significance to choose from.

Cy Young Level

1. 2014 Panini National Treasures Jacob deGrom Jersey auto RC /99
 
 
This one stands as one of the best deGrom rookie cards. It’s horizontal design and eye catching, multi-colored jersey patch coupled with the ever premium carrying on-card autograph stand tall. The image of deGrom in mid-wind up expertly cuts out the top of his hat and covers his jersey stitching because of Panini’s MLBPA-only license.  With a population of 99, it’s always in demand and expect to pay at least several hundred dollars for a nice one.
 
2. 2014 Topps Finest Autographs Mystery Exchange Jacob deGrom /100
 
 
Although not a true rookie card, this hails from his rookie card season and, with being one of his few autographs from that year, it often carries a hefty price tag. It’s definitely one for the higher end Jacob deGrom collector.  You can usually find a a couple for sale on eBay but with only 100 in existence, they would appear to have excellent long-term staying power if deGrom stays healthy.
 
3. 2014 Topps Chrome Update Jacob deGrom RC
 
 
The Topps Chrome product has been an ever increasing go-to product for years now and in recent years, Chrome Update has become a go-to for collectors in search of noteworthy rookie cards of young stars. This card is no different as it lands in the bottom of the top tier of deGrom rookies.  Just two  Chrome Update packs were put inside retail “mega boxes” of 2014 Topps Update so pulling a deGrom wasn’t easy and there aren’t a ton of them out there. 
 
There are parallels and also a horizontally designed “Rookie Debut” card of deGrom in the set.

Middle Relief Level

1. 2014 Topps Update Jacob deGrom RC
 
As mentioned above, the Topps Update product has become a go-to for rookie card collectors. This product has been the home of many significant baseball rookie cards over the past decade and deGrom’s #US50 is a blue chip stock.  Not hard to come by, not complicated and a classic image of the young pitcher.  There’s a photo variation and some parallels but the regular base card is where most of the action is online.
 
2. 2014 Topps Heritage Jacob deGrom RC Auto
 
 
The Topps Heritage line has become a fan favorite as it always hearkens back to an earlier Topps card design. This is also a product that can see sharp increases in price when a player levels up and becomes a star or even a superstar, as some are more short printed than others. In 2014 they paid homage to the 1965 Topps design and deGrom’s issue features a posed picture of him with glove on hand holding a baseball with the famous long locks flowing. 
 
The autographed version carries an on-card signature.  It can vary quite a bit in price, depending on grade, but most haven’t shot too far out of sight just yet.  Just another solid, long-term play.

Light Hitting Shortstop Level

1. 2014 Bowman Sterling Jacob deGrom RC 
 
 
The Bowman Sterling deGrom is a lower end, and therefore affordable, rookie card of the two time Cy Young Award winner. It features a posed image of a young Jacob in an the early stage of his windup motion. The card design offers a black and silverish, otherworldly feel for the otherworldly pitcher featured on it.
 
2. 2014 Bowman Chrome Prospects Jacob deGrom
 
 
This is your pretty standard, straightforward Bowman Chrome prospect base card of a young deGrom, arm cocked back and ready to fire a pitch. It’s officially considered a prospect card and doesn’t have the “RC” designation, but it’s from his rookie season. 
 
There are  seemingly endless numbers of parallels to this card with multi colors and refractor levels available if you’re wanting something more limited but the base card can be yours–even slabbed in high grade form–for a reasonable price.
 
3. 2014 Donruss The Rookies Jacob deGrom
 
 
This is a lower end deGrom card from his rookie year with the well-known ‘The Rookies’ logo featured. It offers a picture of the fireballer ready to deliver. Plentiful and cheap, it’s a penny stock type of card. This product also offers an autograph version which is very appealing to collectors with deeper pockets.
 
You can see all Jacob deGrom rookie cards for sale and auction on eBay here and get a live look at the most watched auctions below.
2014 Panini Classics Jacob deGrom Significant Signatures RC Silver Auto #/299 2014 Panini Classics Jacob deGrom Significant Signatures RC Silver Auto #/299
13 bids - Price: $41.44 - Watchers: 5

About Tony Reid

From the time he was a little kid, Tony has been a huge sports fan. If he could play sports, watch sports and talk about sports it was a great day. From as early as he was drawn to sports, Tony was drawn to collecting sports cards. Not much has changed over the years. He collects RCs of star players in baseball, basketball and football. He also has a soft spot for first autographs of MMA stars. If you want to talk to Tony about the greatness of Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson or Ken Griffey, Jr. you can reach him at mranthonyreid@hotmail.com and @tonyreidwrites on social media.