New York Mets: Best five baseball cards to invest in right now

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 12: Andres Gimenez #60 and Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets slap gloves as they celebrate an 11-6 win against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on August 12, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 12: Andres Gimenez #60 and Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets slap gloves as they celebrate an 11-6 win against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on August 12, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
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Which New York Mets baseball cards are worth the investment? (Kris Connor/Getty Images)
Which New York Mets baseball cards are worth the investment? (Kris Connor/Getty Images) /

The baseball card and sportscard markets have been booming over the last year or so and it has been on fire since sports returned last month. There are some New York Mets players whose baseball cards are on the rise and will make good investments.

For those New York Mets fans who do not know there are two main brands of baseball cards. There is the Topps brand, which is for current major leaguers and there is the Bowman brand, which is mainly for prospects.

Both brands are licensed with Major League Baseball and are great products depending on what you are looking for. The top five Mets baseball cards to be discussed represent both Topps and Bowman.

Baseball cards seem to be offering a great return on investment lately and even more so since the end of July when the season started. Everyone is buying up cards at a rapid clip and the prices just keep going up.

When buying these cards there is a question you need to ask yourself. Do you want the card graded or ungraded? If it is a graded card you want to focus on the top three grading agencies PSA, BGS, and SGC.

The reason this is mentioned is because the graded cards look nicer and hold their value longer.

The five players that will be mentioned are all players that are either having good seasons this year, are high profile players, or young players with bright futures.

In no way is this article suggesting any money be spent, it is just to be a fun and informative piece about the baseball card market and how the Mets players fit into it. If you choose to spend money that is up to you.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 13: David Peterson #77 of the New York Mets pitches against the Washington Nationals in the first inning during their game at Citi Field on August 13, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 13: David Peterson #77 of the New York Mets pitches against the Washington Nationals in the first inning during their game at Citi Field on August 13, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

5) 2017 1st Bowman Chrome David Peterson Auto #CDADP

The number five card on the list is David Peterson’s 1st Bowman Chrome card. 1st Bowman represents the players’ first baseball card produced by a licensed brand, in this case, Bowman. Sometimes the cards come with autographs on them which adds to the value.

Peterson’s card is one of those that have an autograph on it and in fact, it is an on-card auto which increases its value even more.

The reason David Peterson is on this list is because he currently the second-best pitcher in the Mets rotation at 24 years old and continues to impress every fifth day. Through four starts with the Mets he is pitching to a 2.91 ERA over 21.2 innings with 17 strikeouts.

He is currently auditioning for a spot in the 2021 rotation and if he can continue to grow, he will position himself quite nicely to fill one of those open spots.

It is still exceedingly early for Peterson, but it never hurts getting in on the ground floor. He is a bright spot for this team that has been up and down so far this season and who knows what the future holds for him for this season as well as his career moving forward.

He could push for N.L. Rookie of the Year potentially depending on how the rest of the league and his teammate (more on that later) play the rest of the season.

In a season where there have been many injuries to the rotation and with Marcus Stroman’s opt-out the light will shine bright on Peterson and if he performs well his baseball card will only grow in value.

WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 05: Andres Gimenez #60 of the New York Mets plays shortstop against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 5, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 05: Andres Gimenez #60 of the New York Mets plays shortstop against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 5, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

4) 2018 1st Bowman Chrome Andres Gimenez Auto #AG

The number four card is Andres Gimenez’s 1st Bowman Chrome card. Like the David Peterson card this one has an autograph as well.

Andres Gimenez has been in the Mets system since he was signed out of Venezuela at the age of 16. He has been highly regarded from day 1 but the expectations of him have varied over the years.

Gimenez made the team with the rosters expanded to 30 players and with Robinson Cano going on the injured list and Amed Rosario slumping he has seen more playing time recently.

Since Cano went down, Gimenez has had a stranglehold on playing time, currently hitting a little below .300 and has been very impressive in all facets of the game, offense, defense, and with his speed.

It is still early in the season but with a shortened 60 game season Andres Gimenez could make a run at National League Rookie of the Year. He would be the second Met to win the award in as many years and it would skyrocket his baseball card value.

Since the start of the season, his card prices have gone up significantly.

Sometimes you do not have to be the flashiest or strongest player, you just have to be a solid above-average player.

With the ability Gimenez has to play all three infield positions at a high defensive level it would be safe to assume he will stick around when everyone is back healthy. Even if it is as a late-inning defensive replacement, he still has value because of his defense and speed.

WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 04: Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets bats against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 04: Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets bats against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 4, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

3) 2016 Topps Chrome Michael Conforto #52

The number three card is Michael Conforto’s 2016 Topps Chrome Rookie Card. Conforto looks like he is in mid-season form hitting .329/.436/.494/.930 as of Saturday 8/16. He is also mashing left-handed pitching with all three of his home runs coming off lefties.

This is the player we all thought Conforto would become over the last few years and now that he is fully healthy it looks like that is what is happening. He is a very underrated player around the league, but his numbers show he is an above-average hitter.

He will be a free agent after the 2021 season, and it is imperative that the Mets sign him to an extension. Conforto is one of the core guys on this team and he is a blue-chip player with a blue-chip rookie card available to invest in.

Conforto is an upward trending player for this Mets team and when looking at baseball cards to invest in you want to pick players with bright futures that also have an upward trend going forward.

Even if the Mets are unable to retain him post-2021 and he goes to another team he is still a great talent and will thrive wherever he goes if he stays healthy. This allows his rookie cards to still hold value.

The card’s value is affected by the play of the player more than the team he is on. So even if he leaves the Mets his card will still be a good investment because he will still be talented.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 09: Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets reacts after giving up a 2-run home run to Jesus Aguilar #24 of the Miami Marlins in the fifth inning at Citi Field on August 09, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 09: Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets reacts after giving up a 2-run home run to Jesus Aguilar #24 of the Miami Marlins in the fifth inning at Citi Field on August 09, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

2) 2014 Topps Update Jacob deGrom #US50

The number two card on the list is Jacob deGrom’s 2014 Topps Update Rookie Card. Typically pitchers do not have the same value that hitters do because everyone loves the home run and the power hitters possess.

However, there are certain pitchers that have value like hitters do. Pitchers that are all-time greats like Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, and Jacob deGrom.

Since deGrom cut his hair after the 2017 season he has been the best pitcher in baseball by far, winning back-to-back CY Young awards and could win a third consecutive in a shortened 2020 season.

deGrom for his career has a 2.62 ERA which is second among active pitchers behind only Kershaw.

The mind-blowing part about Jacob deGrom is that he is still so underrated throughout Major League Baseball by fans and the media. Too many times the question is posed, “Who is better deGrom or Cole?” and that is just a silly question.

The fact that deGrom with his numbers and body of work is compared to Gerrit Cole, who is still a good pitcher in his own right, is just silly.

deGrom being underrated is good for his rookie card because it means that the more he accomplishes throughout his career, the more people realize they are watching greatness just like with Kershaw, the more his card value will go up.

In addition, deGrom is a long hold because with the numbers and accolades he has amassed thus far through seven years in the major leagues he is on track to be a Hall of Famer if not a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

If deGrom were to be inducted into Cooperstown, the value of his rookie card would go up dramatically. It would be the top honor any baseball player can get, and it would cement his legacy and one of the best to ever do it.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 09: Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets in action against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on August 09, 2020 in New York City. New York Mets defeated the Miami Marlins 4-2. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 09: Pete Alonso #20 of the New York Mets in action against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field on August 09, 2020 in New York City. New York Mets defeated the Miami Marlins 4-2. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

1) 2019 Topps Chrome Pete Alonso #204

The number one card on this list is Pete Alonso’s 2019 Topps Chrome Rookie Card. Alonso is the number one card for two reasons.

First, he is the best hitter on the Mets after setting the rookie home run record in 2019 with 53 home runs.

Second, he has been struggling thus far in 2020 and his card value has dipped a little which makes it a good opportunity to get in.

Alonso set the world on fire in 2019 after passing Aaron Judge late in the year with his 53rd home run, which set the rookie record. However, in 2020 Alonso has been experiencing somewhat of a sophomore slump.

Through 84 at-bats in 2020 Alonso is hitting just .214/.327/.357/.684 with just three home runs. He has been hitting better over the last week or so but overall, it has been a struggle for Pete. He is swinging through more fastballs than he should be.

In 2019 Alonso had 18.4 runs above average on fastballs but in 2020 he has produced a measly -2.8 runs above average on the same pitch.

It just goes to show that he has work to do to get back to where he was last year and if he does his card prices will reflect it.

Another factor is the Youtube series Alonso has this season. Pete is going to be mic’d up the whole season and a Youtube series is going to be made from it.

As fans around baseball see inside Alonso’s personality and fall in love with him they will fall in love with his Rookie Card which will drive up his value.

Next. The most valuable Mets baseball card

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With all of that being said. He is number one for many reasons and even though he is a budding young star, 2020 so far has given fans an opportunity to get in on Pete Alonso before his value starts climbing back up the mountain because we all know it will soon enough.

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