Shohei Ohtani Has An Incredible Amount Of Baseball Cards
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22,126. That's how many different cards Shohei Ohtani has according to the popular collectors' site Trading Card Database, at least at the moment. Check back in a day and the number is bound to go up even more. For collectors who came of age in the 1970s or 1980s, such a number seems absolutely bonkers. After all, there was a time the game's top superstars might have only one or two cards a year.
Take San Francisco Giants legend Willie McCovey as an example. At the time of his retirement following the 1980 season, he had a total of 225 different cards. It would have by no means been easy, but it would have at least been possible for a Stretch super-fan to collect them all. Today, by the way, thanks to numerous cards issued since his retirement, McCovey now has more than 5,000 different cards!
But back to Shohei and his 22,126 cards for a second. Is that the most? And if not, who has even more? Get ready to see some absolutely mind-blowing numbers that would have seemed impossible just decades ago.
Long Ago Greats
Here are the current card counts for some of the greatest players in baseball history.
- Mickey Mantle: 17,976
- Babe Ruth: 16,312
- Ted Williams: 9,154
- Willie Mays: 8,328
- Hank Aaron: 7,688
- Jackie Robinson: 6,056
- Lou Gehrig: 5,552
- Ty Cobb: 4,750
While Mantle and Ruth are at least in the same ballpark as Shohei Ohtani, the Dodger two-way star has more cards than each of these legends.
Living Legends
Unlike most of the earlier names, this next batch includes players whose cards you may have pulled while they were still active. Expect some crazy numbers from this group.
- Ken Griffey, Jr.: 30,503
- Albert Pujols: 29,793
- Cal Ripken, Jr.: 28,940
- Alex Rodriguez: 26,573
- Derek Jeter: 25,903
- Nolan Ryan: 24,381
- Frank Thomas: 22,766
- Roger Clemens: 20,014
- Bo Jackson: 19,326
- Rickey Henderson: 15,404
- Reggie Jackson: 14,994
- Barry Bonds: 14,211
- George Brett: 12,106
Four of these players top Ohtani for the moment, but their leads may not last long. Though these players continue to get new cards each year, the numbers just don't compare to what the game's current superstars rack up on an almost weekly basis.
Today's Greats
Shohei Ohtani is clearly the biggest name in the sport, but it's not like he doesn't have competition. Here are some of today's top superstars along with their card counts.
- Mike Trout: 27,940
- Shohei Ohtani: 22,126
- Aaron Judge: 21,088
- Bryce Harper: 20,584
- Paul Skenes: 20,266
- Juan Soto: 16,268
- Fernando Tatis, Jr: 15,550
- Clayton Kershaw: 15,530
- Mookie Betts: 15,128
The leader of the pack is clearly Trout, but the craziest total on the list belongs to Pirates phenom Paul Skenes. He literally just made his major league debut 13 months ago and is already within striking distance of Shohei.
So yes, Shohei has an absolutely insane number of cards, but nope, he has nowhere near the most. Still, come back in a month and every single number in this article will have changed. And you thought baseball's "dog days of summer" were lacking in excitement!
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.