Cardinals' Joshua Baez debut has collectors stunned by his card prices

When Joshua Baez hit the first pitch of his major-league career to deep center field, excitement rippled throughout Cardinal Nation. When his second long ball of the game landed in the left field bleachers at Wrigley Field, disbelief began festering amongst baseball fans. When he made Major League Baseball history by hitting a third home run in his first three career plate appearances, the ripple effects were felt far beyond the game itself.

St. Louis Cardinals rookie and top-100 prospect Joshua Baez announced his presence on the big stage in a big way. The power-hitting outfielder made MLB history in his debut game against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday afternoon, hitting three home runs in his first three career plate appearances. St. Louis Cardinals fans, players, coaches, and front office members were in awe at the spectacle.

“What you saw Saturday is what we saw in the summer,” said scouting director Randy Flores. “We call it real power. He went left field, center field, right field. Sometimes when high schoolers do have power, they sell out for pull-side power. But with Báez, his strength is so natural that he doesn’t have to go pull-side to get the ball over the fence. That stood out.”

Baez's power display was a launching pad for his stardom, and there was a surprising portion of baseball fans who took notice and took advantage of the situation.

Joshua Baez's baseball card sales prove that the St. Louis Cardinals are feared once again.

During Baez's historic game, listings of his baseball cards began popping up on the popular website eBay. Cards that were once selling in the hundreds of dollars range began popping in the tens of thousands. Two such card dealers took advantage of the situation.

Pumpkin Capital Cards, who often dabbles in Cardinals cards, was perhaps the biggest benefactor of the situation. He sold a Joshua Baez 2022 Bowman Chrome Superfractor which was graded by PSA at a 9. With this being the only card of its type, card enthusiasts flocked to the listing to nab it.

I spoke with Pumpkin Capital Cards, and he gave me details on this transaction. He said that he bought 15 of Baez's cards back in April for just under $10,000, and one of the cards was the Superfractor. He originally listed the card for $12,000, but bumped up the price to $17,000 once Baez hit his third home run, and the card sold within 30 minutes of the adjustment. Lucky for him, he turned down a $6,000 offer earlier in the day.

I asked the owner of this account if he had ever seen a run on cards as big as Baez's, and his answer was definitive.

"The one that comes to mind right away is Nick Kurtz from last summer," said Pumpkin Capital Cards. "He had that 4 (home run) game in Houston, and his cards went bananas for a few weeks afterwards.

"I certainly cannot think of a jump like this of any other Cardinals' player."

Pumpkin's Baez Superfractor wasn't the only massive transaction following the rookie's monster debut.

eBay user rp2k959 also listed a Joshua Baez card, this one being a 2022 Bowman Transcendent Superfractor with an autograph and a 9.5 grading through BGS, a card-grading group. This user had been holding onto the card for quite some time, as he bought it in November 2024 for just $117.17. His patience in trading this card paid off.

The card sold for $14,000, and the West Palm native got the card initially due to his son's affection for the Cardinals. He was able to net 100 times what he paid for the card thanks to Baez's crazy day at the plate.

It's been nearly four years since the Cardinals were the talk of the town throughout MLB. Albert Pujols chasing 700 home runs is probably the most impressive offensive feat for the Cardinals since 2022. Between Jordan Walker winning the Home Run Derby and Joshua Baez making MLB history, the Cardinals are back to relevancy in the Big Leagues.

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