Five Slow Starting All-Stars And Their Cards
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Every year there is a crop of players who hit the ground running as soon as MLB's Opening Day comes around. Players that not only outperform their typical statistics but also do better than their spring training.
But there is also always a group of perennial All-stars that come out slow, and perform below their career averages would indicate. Here are five that have had a slow start to the 2025 season, and what cards collectors can grab.
Juan Soto, OF - New York Mets
Juan Soto signed a mega deal of 15 years worth $765 million this offseason with the New York Mets. Nestled in between Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso in the lineup, his .236 average may be the results of game planning on behalf of opposing pitchers. He has three home runs to go with 12 RBI. While there's something to be said about protection, Alonso is on his way to a career year and Lindor has a better-than-usual start to the season this year.
According to Card Ladder, Soto's cards are down 4.5 percent overall.
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One of the more modestly priced Juan Soto cards is his 2018 Bowman's Best Rookie Refractor in a PSA 10. According to Card Ladder, this is one of a few cards that has increased over the last month. But given Soto's penchant for All-star caliber performance, there's room for it to grow. The last recorded sale on Card Ladder was for $60.
Aaron Nola, RHP - Philadelphia Phillies
Normally a top of the rotation starting workhorse, Aaron Nola just hasn't got the results he's normally accustomed to, and that's putting it lightly. Putting it honestly, he's been atrocious. Currently he has a 6.43 ERA and has an 0-5 win/loss record. Last season he had eight losses total. He's averaged about 5 and a third innings each of his five starts.
Being the only pitcher on this list, Nola's cards are somewhat stagnant. His 1st Chrome autograph comes out of 2014 Bowman Draft, and according to eBay sold listings can be bought for around $50. Much of Nola's potential for a value increase hinges on how the Phillies perform overall. But cutting his ERA in half would help that too.
Julio Rodriguez, OF - Seattle Mariners
Slow starts are nothing new to Julio Rodriguez or his collectors. He currently sits with a .191 batting average and has just three home runs to go with only eight RBI. According to his player profile on MLB.com, his past seven, and 15 game splits show a decrease in production. And according to Card Ladder, J-rod's sales are down about 1 percent, pretty stagnant.
But if you look at his 2024 season on Baseball Reference, on April 15th he was hitting .190, and just a week later (exactly one year ago on April 23rd) he had boosted that up to .278 and hit his first home run of the year. He ended the season with a .273 average 20 home runs and 68 RBI. It could be reasoned that his traditional slow start is the reason his card sales have stayed about the same.
While his three-month rate of growth is only down about 1 percent, narrowing it down to just a month and you'll see a decrease of 5 percent. About a month ago, his PSA 10 2019 Chrome 1st autograph went for $1,050. That same card is valued at $100 less currently.
Adley Rutschman, C - Baltimore Orioles
Adley Rutschman is hitting right at the Mendoza Line with a .200 average. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, Rutschman has four home runs and seven RBI on the season. An All-star the last two seasons, it's still early for the catcher to rebound after a rough first month. But it is concerning, considering a exactly one year ago (April 23rd, 2024) he was hitting .323 according to his season breakdown by Baseball Reference.
As odd as it sounds, Card Ladder shows an increase of .83 percent over the last month, and an astounding 25.37 percent increase in the last two weeks. Perhaps collectors and buyers are anticipating a rebound in performance.
Rutschman's PSA 10 2019 Bowman Draft 1st Chrome autograph has been pretty stable over the last month. There hasn't been many sales, but one sale at the beginning of April was recorded at $450 on the 3rd, and another just two weeks later for $460.
Mike Trout, OF - Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout has already solidified himself as a bonafide star and most likely a first-ballot hall of famer. But he's on this list because he's hitting an abysmal .177. Though on the flip side he is tied for second in the league with eight home runs.
One would assume he won't bat under .200 for the year, and that eventually he will get going and hit closer to his career average of .297. If you think about it, Trout hasn't been on the field much over the last year. He was injured after just 29 games.
In the last month, according to Card Ladder, Trout has lost about 2.35 percent of growth rate.
Probably in the top 10 of most iconic rookie cards, the 2011 Update of Mike Trout has carried a premium for a long time. Given that in 2011 there was a fraction of the parallels there are in today's products, this base rookie card last sold for $877.75 on April 20th. About a month ago on March 24th, this same card went for $950.50
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz