Volpe’s Slow Start, Harris’ Injury Have Their Card Prices Slipping

While superstars like Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna Jr. have seen their card prices match strong starts on the field, some of the MLB’s rookies and second-year stars are struggling to see positive price growth.

In Atlanta, Michael Harris has seen his cards drop while rehabbing an injury. And over in New York, Anthony Volpe’s market has started to crash behind a slow start and the Spring Training hype wearing off.

Dive into the latest trending cards and players in this week’s MLB Market Movers update.

Cards listed below are PSA 10s with a minimum average of $30 and 10 sales over the last 30 days.

Price Percentage Risers

1. Michael Busch 2019 Bowman Draft Chrome Prospect Auto (1st) PSA 10 📈 232%

2. Yordan Alvarez 2019 Bowman Chrome Prospects PSA 10 📈 150%

3. Fernando Tatis Jr. 2019 Bowman Chrome Base PSA 10 📈148%

4. Geraldo Perdomo 2019 Bowman Chrome Prospects Auto (1st) PSA 10 📈 132%

5. Jarred Kelenic 2018 Bowman Draft Chrome – Refractor (1st) PSA 10 📈 127%

TATIS RETURNS: Fernando Tatis Jr. is one of the most exciting young players in Major League Baseball, and the hobby appears thrilled that he’s back on the field. Tatis Jr. recently made his 2023 debut after missing all of last season when he followed a wrist injury with an 80-game PED suspension.

Tatis Jr. has been pretty average since his return — he’s batting just .222 with one home run and four RBIs in 27 at-bats — but the Padres appear poised to compete for a title and he’ll certainly be a major reason why. His PSA 10s tracked by Market Movers are up about 7% collectively over the last 30 days, and his 2019 Bowman Chrome Base PSA 10 has been a major riser along with his 2019 Topps Chrome Base PSA 10 and 2019 Topps Base PSA 10 rookies.

Price Percentage Decliners

1. Jeremy Pena 2022 Bowman Chrome Sapphire Edition Base PSA 10 📉 59%

2. Juan Soto 2018 Bowman’s Best Base PSA 10 📉 57%

3. Oneil Cruz 2022 Topps Cosmic Chrome Base PSA 10 📉 56%

4. Anthony Volpe 2020 Bowman Chrome Prospect Auto (1st) PSA 10 📉 47%

5. Bobby Witt Jr. 2022 Topps Chrome Update Sapphire Edition Base PSA 10 📉 47%

STAR FALLOFF: As expected, several of 2022’s top rookies have fallen off in a major way to start 2023. Bobby Witt Jr. entered last season as a favorite for American League Rookie of the Year, and now his PSA 10s tracked by Market Movers are down 11% collectively across over 400 total sales.

Oneil Cruz is mostly the same after a strong rookie season that saw him slug 17 homers in just 87 games. A fractured ankle has completely changed his market, however, and suddenly his PSA 10s are down 17% over the last month.

Even postseason star Jeremy Pena has seen his market struggle to start 2023. Pena helped Houston to a World Series win, but that hasn’t been enough for hobbyists apparently. Pena’s PSA 10s are down a whopping 21% over the last 30 days after spending time as one of the most popular players in the hobby last year.

Dollar Amount Risers

1. Shohei Ohtani 2017 Bowman Mega Box Chrome Prospects PSA 10 📈 $390

2. Ronald Acuna Jr. 2018 Topps SP Variation (Bat Down) PSA 10 📈 $354

3. Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps Chrome 1983 Topps Base PSA 10 📈 $155

4. Shohei Ohtani 2018 Bowman’s Best Refractor PSA 10 📈 $154

5. Pete Alonso 2016 Bowman Draft Chrome DP Auto (1st) PSA 10 📈 $134

TOP HEAVY: Much like last week, Shohei Ohtani continues to dominate the sports card hobby. He could be the top card in our Top 5 Hottest Cards every week, but will be left out on occasion to highlight other strong risers. What’s especially impressive about Ohtani is the combination of price growth and volume that he’s seen across a variety of cards — there aren’t a lot of transactions on $1,000 cards, but he sees it often.

Overall, Ohtani’s PSA 10s tracked by Market Movers are up 5% collectively over the last 30 days, and key rookies like his 2017 Bowman Mega Box Chrome Prospects have been leading the way — that card has been especially popular recently with Ohtani pitching in the World Baseball Classic.

It’s worth noting that two of his biggest risers have a single sale pulling them up, so that’s something to monitor. The strength of Ohtani’s market recently doesn’t provide much reason for concern, though, so they’ve been included despite a small sample size.

Dollar Amount Decliners

1. Anthony Volpe 2020 Bowman Chrome Prospect Auto (1st) PSA 10 📉 $626

2. Ken Griffey Jr. 1989 Upper Deck Base PSA 10 📉 $205

3. Michael Harris II 2020 Bowman Chrome Prospect Auto (1st) PSA 10 📉 $182

4. Juan Soto 2018 Topps Update SP Variation (Hands on Hips) PSA 10 📉 $139

5. Bobby Witt Jr. 2022 Topps Chrome Update Sapphire Edition Base PSA 10 📉 $135

PROSPECT CRASH: Anthony Volpe’s attempt to make the Yankees Opening Day roster was one of the biggest storylines during Spring Training, and his market exploded when New York gave him a starting role. That hype has died down, and a slow start for Volpe has driven his card prices down over the first month of the season.

Volpe’s 2020 Bowman Chrome Prospect Auto has been a major decliner recently, but plenty of his other flagship cards are down, too. His 2020 Bowman Chrome Prospects and 2020 Bowman Paper Prospects are his two most transacted cards over the last 30 days, and both have taken a hit.

It’s worth pointing out that Volpe has been much better since moving to the leadoff spot in the order. He’s batting just .228 on the season with two home runs and seven RBIs, but has reached base multiple times in eight out of his last 12 games.

Sales Volume Leaders

1. Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps Chrome Base (Pitching) PSA 10 📈 236 sales

2. Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps Update Rookie Debut PSA 10 📈 200 sales

3. Shohei Ohtani 2018 Topps Update Base PSA 10 📈 195 sales

4. Julio Rodriguez 2022 Topps Update Base PSA 10 📈 181 sales

5. Shohei Ohtani 2018 Bowman Base PSA 10 📈 177 sales

Popular Sealed Wax (Hobby Boxes)

1. 2022 Stadium Club Baseball 📈 6%

2. 2022 Topps Gold Label Baseball 📈📉 0%

3. 2023 Topps Big League Baseball 📈 19%

4. 2022 Topps Chrome Sonic Baseball 📉 32%

5. 2023 Topps Series 1 Baseball 📈 5%

Market Pulse Indexes Over Last 30 Days

Baseball 2018-2020:  📉 1%

• KEY RISER: Fernando Tatis Jr. 2019 Bowman Chrome Base PSA 10 📈 148%
• KEY DECLINER: Spencer Torkelson 2020 Bowman Draft Chrome (1st) PSA 10 📉 69%

Baseball 2010-2017: 📉 2%

• KEY RISER: Shohei Ohtani 2017 Bowman Mega Box Chrome Prospects PSA 10 📈 30%
• KEY DECLINER: Mike Trout 2011 Bowman Draft Chrome PSA 10 📉 22%

Baseball 2000-2009: 📉 2%

• KEY RISER: Max Scherzer 2008 Topps Update Base PSA 10 📈 30%
• KEY DECLINER: Miguel Cabrera 2000 Topps Chrome Traded Base PSA 10 📉 18%

Baseball 1990-1999: 📈 2%

• KEY RISER: Derek Jeter 1993 Pinnacle Base PSA 10 📈 37%
• KEY DECLINER: Mariano Rivera 1992 Bowman Base PSA 10 📉 27%

Baseball 1980-1989: 📉 1%

• KEY RISER: Mark McGwire 1985 Topps (’84 USA Baseball Team) PSA 10 📈 20%
• KEY DECLINER: Ken Griffey Jr. 1989 Upper Deck Base PSA 10 📉 11%

Baseball 1960-1979: 📉 6%

• KEY RISER: Carl Yastrzemski 1960 Topps Base PSA 8 📈 27%
• KEY DECLINER: Nolan Ryan 1968 Topps Rookie Stars PSA 7 📉 22%

Baseball 1940-1959: 📈 1%

• KEY RISER: Sandy Koufax 1955 Topps Base PSA 7 📈 13%
• KEY DECLINER: Luis Aparicio 1956 Topps Base PSA 8 📉 31%

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