Top Rookie Card Sales of AL MVP Favorite Yordan Alvarez
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Ten years ago, Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez defected from Cuba and made his way to Major League Baseball. He's already won a Rookie of the Year award, earned four All-Star Game appearances, an ALCS MVP award, and a World Series ring. Now, he's on the verge of winning his first American League MVP.
Ironically, while he made his debut in 2019, his rookie cards come from 2020 products. Even though he played a meager two games due to a COVID-19 diagnosis and surgery. While the 2020 Topps products are slim for star rookies, Alvarez is probably the best of the year. Here is a look at the top three sales of his rookie cards documented on Card Ladder.
No. 3 | 2020 Stadium Club Chrome Shimmer Refractor Autograph
The third-highest Alvarez rookie card comes from the popular set Stadium Club Chrome, his autographed shimmer refractor. Stadium Club Chrome has long been a fan favorite for the photography. Using unique camera angles, Stadium Club and Stadium Club Chrome give an interesting view of gameplay.
This particular piece is a horizontally oriented card mid-swing with the ball in the shot. His blue-ink autograph is nestled between the bat and his front leg. This card sold for $8,500 via a best-offer sale on August 15, 2026. Currently, Card Ladder lists the value at $7,521.
No. 2 | 2020 Topps Chrome Update Sapphire Edition Red Refractor Autograph
The second-highest-selling Alvarez rookie card is numbered to just five. His 2020 Topps Chrome Sapphire Edition, red refractor autograph, graded a PSA GEM MT 10, is the second card on our list. The card is like his base chrome, except it has the crackle sapphire pattern and is tinted red, like most red refractors from Topps. Although it's a low-numbered card and graded a PSA GEM MT 10, it has the downside of being a sticker autograph.
This card sold almost four years ago, on October 24, 2022; it sold via auction for $8,700. Card Ladder lists the current value at $9,189.55.
No. 1 | 2020 Bowman Rookie Red Refractor Autograph, numbered 1-of-5
Another red on the list. The top-selling Yordan Alvarez card, according to Card Ladder, is his 2020 Bowman rookie red refractor autograph, out of five, graded a PSA GEM MT 10. The card shows Alvarez, from the waist up, after a swing at the plate. The blue-ink auto, in the white gradient near the bottom but above his name, appears to be an on-card autograph.
According to Card Ladder, this exact card has had three recorded sales. The most recent was August 9, 2025, and went for $4,500. What makes this the highest-selling rookie card of Yordan Alvarez is the first sale on June 3, 2023, when it went for $10,000.
2026 Season Is Almost Over
At the time of this writing, the Houston Astros have six games left and are just one game behind the Texas Rangers for the division lead and three games out of the Wild Card. Alvarez is the overwhelming favorite to win AL MVP; with the odds heavily in his favor, he is all but guaranteed to get the award.
While he was close to winning the Triple Crown (leading the league in average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI), he is still a near lock to win his first American League Most Valuable Player award. But it remains to be seen if Alvarez can carry his team to October baseball.
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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