Are Shohei Ohtani Cards Still a Good Buy in 2025?
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No matter what he does from here on out, Shohei Ohtani has cemented his status as one of the game’s historical greats. Winner of three MVP Awards in his first seven seasons in the majors and odds-on favorite to capture a fourth this coming fall, the incomparable two-way giant from Japan has consistently been one of the hobby’s most desired to collect since before making his stateside debut in 2018.
Sho-time returned to the mound on a managed schedule in mid-June, a long-awaited event that followed 2023 elbow surgery. At the time of writing, he had made 10 appearances as a pitcher, allowing 14 earned runs over 27 1/3 innings, fanning 35. As the Dodgers play it cautiously with their prized star, Ohtani has remained among the league’s best with a bat in his hand, slashing .283/.392/.621 with 44 home runs and a major-league-leading 303 total bases.
A World Champion for the first time last year, the 31-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down, nor have his card prices for the most part. While he gradually ramps up on the pitching side with an eye on October, Ohtani’s production at the plate seems to be holding collectors’ interest with hopeful dreams of what could be to come.
This analysis features ten of the most popular Ohtani rookie year cards, based on the number of PSA-graded 10s, to get a feel for how the market is reacting to his progress in this current campaign.
Yes, many more expensive Ohtani cards could be used to help gauge the market—premium autos at the top end have ranged from $138,000 to $1,067,500 across Heritage, Goldin, and Fanatics Premier since late March—but the high-volume gem-mint editions above offer the clearest read on where his market may be headed. Many factors come into play when speculating whether Ohtani cards are still a good buy after all this time, some intangible and some easier to quantify.
What is clear, however, is that despite encountering some speed bumps in a potential return to his past dominance on the hill, Ohtani’s continued prowess at the plate appears to be enough to keep his sales charts trending in a positive direction. If proceeding as a two-way player isn’t sustainable long-term, the hobby may still treasure Shohei’s cards as keepsakes or intelligent investments.
As always, proceed with caution and make educated decisions when it comes to your card purchases, but scooping up Shoheis in the second half of 2025 still seems to be a solid play.
Scott Orgera is a sportswriter and statistician with more than three decades of experience. He has covered thousands of MLB and NFL games, along with most other major sports. A member of the BBWAA, his bylines appear in the Associated Press, Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, and Forbes, among others. He also co‑authored 976‑1313: How Sports Phone Launched Careers and Broke New Ground. Having worked card shows with his family in the 1980s, Scott has remained active in the hobby ever since and now owns a card and memorabilia shop just outside New York City.