Affordable Cards of One NL Player to Buy for Each Team in the Playoffs

Major League Baseball always has a playoff hero. The postseason, and October, are when legends are made, and hobby stardom can follow.

Here is one player from each National League team whose card market could see a jump with a deep playoff run.

Philadelphia Phillies | Bryce Harper

Bryce Harper is already a star, probably an early (maybe not first) ballot Hall of Famer. And while he may be on the back end of his career, he still hit nearly 30 home runs this year with 87 runs batted in (RBI).

Harper makes this list based on past performance. People know who he is and what he can do. Recent memories are short, but deep memories remain long. All it would take is a few strong games for Harper's market to see a bump during a postseason run.

You can still get rookie cards of Harpers, in a PSA GEM MT 10, for under $100. His 2012 Topps Finest rookie card in a PSA 10 last sold for $74 on September 27, 2026, but as recently as September 10, 2026 sold for $110.

Harper also happens to be the only player on this list not on the same Major League team he made his debut with.

Atlanta Braves | Ronald Acuna Jr.

Ronald Acuna Jr. sits in the same boat as Bryce Harper. A potential Hall of Fame player whose career peaked a few years ago. But again, memories aren't always short, and collectors know what Acuna can do in the field and at the plate.

He's battled injuries since 2023, but did earn Comeback Player of the Year last year and hit 20 home runs and 55 RBI in just 107 games.

Acuna's rookie cards come out of 2018 products. And in 2018, the market was just on the cusp of the parallel explosion, so you have your pick of the litter when looking for a card of his to buy. His 2018 Topps Chrome rookie debut, pink refractor, was last sold for $20, according to Card Ladder.

Chicago Cubs | Pete Crow-Armstrong

The presumptive National League Most Valuable Player is Pete Crow-Armstrong. While speculative lists usually don't include players who've had career years, PCA makes it on because his market could really shoot for the moon with a strong playoff showing.

It's no secret that PCA's card market is strong right now, and that's putting it lightly. In fact, it's probably at its peak right now. But if you believe in him and his MVP status and the chances the Cubs will advance in the playoffs, there still could be room for his market to grow.

The last Topps Chrome rookie refractor of PCA sold for $40, according to Card Ladder.

San Diego Padres | Jackson Merrill

Jackson Merrill was a hobby darling when he hit the major leagues in 2024, posting a .292 average with 24 home runs and 90 RBI, and was named to the All-Star Game. He also won a Silver Slugger Award that year.

But injuries limited him to just 115 games in 2025, and while he hit almost 40 points less in batting average this year compared to his rookie season, Merrill did set a career high in home runs with 26 and nearly reached his career RBI mark this year when he hit 87.

Merrill has a high ceiling right now. His cards are low, and he's still just 23 years old. According to Card Ladder, a 2024 Topps Chrome rookie X-Fractor, graded SGC GM MT 10, sold for just $22 on September 30, 2026.

Milwaukee Brewers | Jackson Chourio

Jackson Chourio, a member of the illustrious rookie class of Jacksons that included himself, the above Jackson Merrill, and the O's infielder Jackson Holliday. Maybe it's because he plays in the smaller market of Milwaukee, but it seems like, for his stat card, he doesn't get much hobby attention right now.

He played in 127 games and hit a career high .291 and a career high 25 home runs for a Brewers team that set the franchise record for most wins in a season with 103.

You can find some cheap Chourio cards right now. His market has plenty of room to grow as a young player at just 22. According to Card Ladder, Chourio had a rookie debut Topps Update Aqua parallel, graded an SGC MT 9, for just $10.

Los Angeles Dodgers | Shohei Ohtani

This seems like an overshoot. With the way Ohtani's market has gone this season, does he really have room to grow? And should he be on this list?

He's on this list because of his injury. While his market may not have seen a dip, or at least a minimal dip, if he has a big showing and makes a deep run this postseason, that market will tick up, and maybe higher than it was before.

He's unlikely to pitch this postseason, but the collector crowd will forget about that the first time he puts a ball in the outfield bleachers.

The only hard part would be figuring out which one of his thousands of cards to buy. His rookies still bring a premium, and so do his numbered parallels. But his refractors are still reasonable at around $20. Given that it's pretty much locked up that he won't win MVP, the Chrome refractors aren't garnering that much.

According to Card Ladder, a Shohei Ohtani refractor from 2026 last sold for just under $20. For reference sake, the same card, according to Card Ladder, sold for $40.50 on August 13, 2026.

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