Spencer Strider Cards as he Prepares to Return to The Show
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A dominant rehab performance for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers has Spencer Strider on the verge of making his return to the Atlanta Braves. Strider is attempting to come back following Tommy John surgery in 2024. His exact return date has yet to be announced, but he could start for the Braves as early as next week.
13 Ks for Spencer Strider!
— MLB (@MLB) April 10, 2025
The @Braves ace is nearing a return after his expected final rehab outing. pic.twitter.com/AgQXR9ZcCr
One of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball, Strider's stuff, when healthy, is nothing short of electric. Last time out, for the Braves' minor-league affiliate, Strider was dominant. The velocity was encouraging, as he routinely touched 95 MPH and maxed out at 97. Strider struck out 13 of the 21 batters he faced, on only 90 pitches.
A healthy Strider would give the Braves a fantastic top-of-rotation, with last year's NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale, and the emergence of Spencer Schewellenbach so far this season. Could Strider's cards be worth a look?
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The top sale of a Strider card, per Card Ladder comes in at $18,800 for his 2020 Bowman Chrome Baseball Draft Prospect Auto /5 1st Bowman. The sale came in April 2023, before Strider would go on to earn All-Star honors, to go along with a 20-win and 281 strikeout campaign. The year before, Strider had broken through with an 11-5 season, a 2.67 ERA and 202 K in 131.2 IP.
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His top rookie card sale came in August of 2023, $3,350 for his 2022 Topps Chrome Baseball Auto /5. His injury unsurprisingly slowed the card market for Strider, and while collectors can be wary of pitchers with injury issues, the Braves firethrower is still only 26 years old.
Since Strider's impressive rehab start on Thursday, Card Ladder has registered 121 sales, including a $255 sale of the PSA 9 1st Bowman Auto numbered to 250. Cards of the same grade sold for as high as $990 dollars in 2023. Since the beginning of 2023, the card has sold 10 times for betwen $170-$990. The card can be found on Ebay currently for $199.95 A PSA 10 /150 sold for $865 on April 9. A /499 auto of his 2022 Topps Chrome RC sold for $100 on April 11. Auto versions of the card can be found on Ebay currently for $18 and up.
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Could Strider get a Topps Now release when he does make his return? His 2022 Topps Now card, commemorating his 16-strikeout performance in September 2022. An auto version of the card numbered to five sold for $1,299 in April 2023.
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Spencer Strider cards can also be found in newer releases, including 2024 Heritage High Number and 2025 Topps Baseball Series 1. In the Heritage set, Strider has League Leaders variation cards, an oversized 1975 Topps Baseball as well as auto and relic offerings. In 2025 Series 1, Strider also has auto and relic cards available. He appears in the popular 1990 Topps Baseball commemorative insert. A /50 auto version of the card sold for $50 on April 12.
Strider has 495 career strikeouts in 329.2 IP. In his two full seasons, he record WAR numbers of 3.4 and 3.7. In 2023, Strider became the fastests pitcher to 100 strikeouts in a season, needing only 61.1 IP to do so. As fans and collectors hope for Strider's continued health, some may be encouraged by what they've seen recently down on the farm.
Michael Terry is a writer based in Brooklyn. He specializes in sports, culture, and collecting. His work has appeared at Topps RIPPED, ESPN, Grantland, Vice Sports, and more.
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