The Race for National League Rookie of the Year and the Hobby Significance
As we head into the last two weeks of the Major League Baseball season, fans and
collectors alike really start honing in at not just the pennant races but also who are the favorites
to win season awards such as MVP, Cy Young, and of course Rookie of the Year.
Today we are zooming in on the National League rookie of the year race. It a two-man show
coming down to the wire. As we all know winning this award does not ensure future career or
hobby success. For every Ohtani, Judge or Jeter who has won the award, the hobby road is
littered with the likes of Michael Fulmer, Kyle Lewis, Jonathan India and others who couldn't
maintain their career or hobby relevance and wound up finding their way into many of a dealer’s
discount boxes. With that disclaimer being said let's look at the two frontrunners.
Talk about a story book start for the Pirate's Paul Skenes. The overall number one pick of 2023
fast-tracked his way through the minor leagues and single-handedly made the Pirates relevant
again. The amazingly became only the 5th rookie pitcher since 1933 to start an All-Star Game
and the first to do it in 33 years with the last being Hideo Nomo in 1995. He then proceeded in
pitching a hitless inning retiring the likes of Steven Kwan, Gunnar Henderson and some guy
named Aaron Judge. At the time of this writing he has a sub one whip, a 2.2 era and he’s
averaging 1.25 strikeouts per inning. His starts are must see baseball. He's created a hobby
buzz similar to what we saw when Ohtani hit the scene without also having a bat in his hand.
Hobby wise deals and deals will be hard to come by because being the number one overall
pick, he was already on many people's radars. His speedy ascension to the big leagues caused
his cards to break that initial high ceiling and skyrocket even more. His 1st Bowman Chrome will
set you back about $30 to $35 and if you are a true believer the PSA 10 auto version of that
card will cost you between 2 and 2.5 k. One more hobby disclaimer…and you probably heard it
before “be careful buying pitchers”.
Okay now back to our regularly scheduled writing. The other candidate is the Padre’s do
everything center fielder Jackson Merrill. While he took a couple more years getting to the show
he's actually a year younger than Skenes, since he was drafted out of high school. At the time of
this writing he's a few steals away from being a 20/20 guy, add in a chance at a hundred RBI
rookie season and a near .300 batting average. His 6 foot three frame also bodes well for continued and
future success. Comparatively speaking his cards are more affordable at least for now. A 2024
Topps Chrome X-Fractor rookie can be had for around $20. The auto version of his Chrome
rookie will cost around $225 to $250. Not bad for a young everyday player who looks the part. I
can't promise future success but man these guys are exciting to watch and collect!!
Has over 40 years of hobby experience as a collector, former LCS owner, and show dealer. He's the host of Sports Card Nation Podcast and has written for numerous hobby entities