These Players Have the Most Overlooked Baseball Cards

Every collector has a player they believe the hobby overlooks. A significant number of elite players suffer from a gap between their on-field achievements and the low market value of their trading cards. In the baseball card hobby, respect and performance do not always translate into higher card prices.

To explore this gap, I asked collectors and influencers across the hobby a simple question: who is the most overlooked player in baseball card collecting, and why? Their answers reveal not just a name, but how the hobby itself assigns value.

Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Scottie B Cards (Scottie B Cards YouTube Channel, SpitBallin’ Cards Podcast): “Juan Soto feels like he’s currently flying under the radar. It could be fatigue from switching teams, it could be that his playing style rubs some people the wrong way, or maybe Mets fans simply want to see more before they fully buy in. Whatever the reason, Soto’s prices feel like they could be higher compared to his peers.

Another player whose value tends to be overlooked is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He has the name recognition, and he now has a massive contract to stay in Toronto. He proved during the postseason that he can step up when it matters. If he puts together one more big regular season as he enters his age-27 year, his cards could finally get the appreciation they deserve.”

Juan Soto’s Rookie Card: 2016 Bowman Chrome 1st Bowman Auto PSA 10 last sold for $2,110.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Signature Rookie Card: 2016 Bowman Chrome 1st Bowman Auto PSA 10 last sold for $799.

For Comparison: Bryce Harper's 2011 Bowman Chrome Bowman Auto PSA 10 last sold for $1,345. Bobby Witt's 2020 First Bowman Chrome Bowman Auto PSA 10 last sold for $1,500.

Aaron Judge’s Rookie 2013 Bowman Chrome Bowman Auto PSA 10 last sold for $7,200. Shohei Ohtani’s Rookie 2018 Bowman Chrome Bowman Auto PSA 10 last sold for $47,000.

Warren Spahn

Cam’s Cards & Collectables (CamsCardsCollectables.com): “My first reaction to this question is someone like Stan Musial or Yogi Berra. But while I think they are undervalued given their incredible careers and accomplishments, they get a good bit of love.

But staying in the same era I have always thought that Warren Spahn is often overlooked given his incredible career. He won 20+ games 13 times in his career, is the winningest southpaw of all time, and his career spanned more than two decades in which he excelled in the pre-integration era and after integration. He was so effective that he led the league in ERA and wins at various times in three different decades!”

Warren Spahn’s Rookie Card: 1948 Bowman PSA 6 last sold for $786

For Comparison: Sandy Koufax’s Rookie 1955 Topps PSA 6 last sold for $3,301

José Ramirez

Neo Cards & Comics (Neo Cards & Comics YouTube Channel): “José Ramírez has finished top 10 in AL MVP voting eight times in his career, including four top-3 finishes. He’s been one of baseball’s most elite players for nearly a decade, yet still doesn’t get a lot of hobby love.”

Jose Ramirez’s Rookie Card: 2014 Topps Chrome Auto #45 PSA 9 last sold for $340.

For Comparison: Francisco Lindor’s Rookie 2015 Topps Chrome Auto #AR-FL PSA 9 last sold for $394 (The card values are close, but Ramirez is clearly the better player.)

Pedro Martinez

John Guzman (associate at 5th Quarter Sports Cards in Evans, Georgia): “I’ve always thought Pedro Martinez was under-appreciated. He had a 219–100 career record and his peak was during the height of the steroid era. If we say his peak prime was 1997–2003, he had five seasons of sub-2.50 ERA during a time all-time offensive records were being set.

Today, you can find his rookie cards for around $5 because of early 90s overproduction, and you can find his Topps Certified autographs for around $100, which is very reasonable compared to other superstars.”

Pedro Martinez’s Rookie Card: 1992 Bowman #82 PSA 10 last sold for $115.

For Comparison: Justin Verlander’s 2005 Bowman 1st Rookie #174 PSA 10 last sold for $350. (The population count for the Bowman Verlander is much lower, but Verlander also has a lot more rookie cards to choose from than Pedro Martinez does.)

Who Collectors Repeatedly Pointed Out

Across collector groups, many Hall of Fame names were mentioned: Tris Speaker. Frank Robinson. Eddie Mathews. Harmon Killebrew. Bob Gibson. Frank Thomas. Jim Thome. Vlad Guerrero Sr. Vlad Guerrero Jr. A few arguments stuck out from the rest.

Carl Makowski (All-Star Contributor in the Sports Cards Nonsense Group): "Vlad Guerrero Jr. is a good example. Was a hot rookie that has since cooled off since he isn’t putting up nuclear numbers that today’s “investors” seem to like. He’s no longer the “shiny new object”, but is still putting up more than respectable and consistent numbers each year. He can actually hit too. He’s not just a power guy. If he remains healthy for the most part and maintains this career pace he should be a HOF player, (like his dad... who is also grossly underrated in this hobby.)

Adam Darvin (Vintage Baseball Cards Group Expert): “I’m going to say Tom Seaver as it compares to Nolan Ryan and the prices of his cards. Clearly Seaver was a much better pitcher, and every statistical category backs it up with the exception of no-hitters and career strikeouts. The early-year prices between the two guys show significant differences.”

Tom Seaver’s Rookie Card: 1967 Topps (with Bill Denehy) #581 PSA 9 last sold for $25,600.

For Comparison: Nolan Ryan’s 1968 Topps Rookie Card (with Jerry Kooseman) #177 PSA 9 last sold for $73,200.

John Znamirovski (Vintage Baseball Cards Top Contributor): “The fact that Eddie Murray (500+ home runs, 3,000+ hits, best switch hitter ever not named Mantle) hasn’t been mentioned after nearly 20 responses is proof that Steady Eddie himself and his cards don’t get the respect they deserve.”

Eddie Murray’s Rookie Card: 1978 Topps #36 PSA 9 last sold for $1,043.

For Comparison: Reggie Jackson’s 1969 Topps #260 Rookie Card PSA 9 last sold for $67,100.

Stan Musial

Mark Fahrenbacher (Admin in the Vintage Collector's Club): Mark Fahrenbacher pointed to Stan Musial as the most underappreciated player in the baseball card hobby, with one major reason standing above the rest. Musial did not have any Topps cards during the hobby’s most iconic postwar run. He was absent from Topps issues throughout the 1950s and did not appear in the set until 1958, and even then, his first Topps appearance was an All-Star card rather than a traditional base issue.

According to Fahrenbacher, missing the heart of the 1952–1957 Topps era hurt Musial’s long-term hobby positioning. While his career places him firmly among the greatest players in baseball history, the lack of flagship Topps cards during the hobby’s most nostalgic years prevented him from ever becoming a true centerpiece in mainstream collecting.

Stan Musial’s Rookie Card: 1948 Bowman #36 PSA 3 last sold for $998.

For Comparison: Mickey Mantle’s 1951 Bowman #260 Rookie Card PSA 3 last sold for $14,400.

Verdict: Stan Musial

Stan Musial RC — This PSA 3 Stan Musial Rookie Card was Sold for less than $1,000 | Card Ladder

Stan Musial is not under-appreciated in baseball history, but he is under-appreciated in the baseball card hobby. Chris Tanton from the Vintage Baseball Cards group describes him as a tier-one Hall of Famer, which is spot on. Statistically he is comparable to the very best players who ever lived.

Stan Musial’s production stacks up with the inner circle of baseball history. He finished his career with 3,630 hits (exactly 1,815 at home and 1,815 on the road). He posted a .331 career batting average, higher than Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Mickey Mantle, while also hitting 475 home runs and driving in 1,951 runs. He also won three MVP awards, appeared in 24 All-Star Games, and is 11th all-time in career WAR. But multiple factors have held his cards back.

Musial made his MLB debut in 1941 and played his first full season in 1942, but baseball cards stopped being produced during that time because of World War II. He missed out on cards from 1941 to 1947, and then his rookie cards did not come out until 1948.

His 1948 Bowman rookie card is very uninspiring, as it shows a simple black and white headshot of Musial. The lack of a creative or aesthetically pleasing design in 1948 Bowman also hurts the value of Yogi Berra and Warren Spahn rookie cards, which also seem very undervalued. Musial’s 1948 Leaf rookie is a little bit nicer to look at with some decent color, but the “1948” Leaf set actually came out in 1949, almost eight years after “Stan the Man’s” debut.

He then missed the core 1951–1957 Topps years. As Chris Tanton points out, he played his entire career in a smaller market that never carried the hobby gravity of New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago. The result is a disconnect between greatness and hobby positioning that still exists today.

Stan Musial’s career speaks for itself. Musial has the respect of baseball fans, historians, and collectors, but his card market has never caught up. That gap is what under-appreciation in the hobby actually looks like.