Red Sox Star Cedanne Rafaela’s Rising Hobby Market
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The MLB All Break has come and gone and the unofficial second half of the season is underway. The festivities produced many exciting moments including a thrilling home run derby won by Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh and the first ever swing off that decided the game for the National League. With that being said, I wanted to focus on a player and their hobby market who didn't get selected to the League All Star that many people thought should be there. That player is Red Sox centerfielder Cedanne Rafaela.
Rafaela was considered one of the top prospects in the Red Sox system before making his debut at the end of the 2023 season. Prior to the start of the 2024 season Rafaela signed a long term extension with the Sox and took time to adjust during his first full season of big league baseball. Now into his second year, Rafaella is starting to fulfill the offensive promise he showed in the minors to go along with his gold glove caliber defense in center. He’s even added a flair for the dramatics two walk off home runs this season including a massive one of Tampa closer Pete Fairbanks
As a result of his improved offensive showing, Rafaela’s hobby market has heated up as well. According to 130Point, Rafaela’s Bowman First chrome base autos have been selling in the $70-80 range. This represents a significant increase from mid June where base autos were selling the $30-35 range. Numbered autos have also seen an increase in sales price as well. For example, at the beginning of a season a green auto numbered auto graded by Sports Card Guarantee (SGC) gem mint 10 with a 10 grade auto sold for $220. More recently, a similar green auto graded gem mint 10 by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) jumped in price to $320.
If the offensive changes that Cedanne Rafaela has made are permanent (which they appear to be) he might be starting to scratch the surface of his potential both on the field and for his hobby market. Obviously the hope for collectors is that he continues his rise which seems a lot more realistic than it did just a few months ago.
