It’s a story as old as baseball, but still is exciting every time. A long-suffering team and fan base has an exciting young player burst onto the scene, offering excitement and promise of a better future.
In this case, the long-suffering team and fan base are the Cincinnati Reds (last playoff appearance was 2013, one winning season since) and the player is their #1 prospect, Elly De La Cruz.
But who is De La Cruz? What are his best prospect cards of De La Cruz? And what about rookie cards?
Shop for Elly De La Cruz rookie and baseball cards on eBay
Since his signing as an international free agent by the Cincinnati Reds back in 2018, Elly De La Cruz has been one of the team’s top prospects, topping out at #1 in recent seasons. De La Cruz made his major league debut on June 6, 2023, and the much-anticipated prospect had one impressive first major league week.
After walking in his first major league plate appearance, he stroked a double in his second. In his second game, he had a triple and a 458-foot home run, which had an exit velocity of 114.8 MPH. While he hasn’t been able to keep quite the same clip up (who could?!), he’s proven he’s major-league-ready and an exciting player at only 21 years old.
The 6’5”, 200-pound infielder has thus far split time between third base and shortstop. His combination of size and speed is intriguing to collectors and fans alike.
Shop for Elly De La Cruz rookie and baseball cards on eBay
Despite just making his major league debut, De La Cruz has already appeared on over 1,000 cards, with many more to be released in 2023. Despite this high total, his official rookie cards have not yet been released as of this writing. Since De La Cruz just made his big league debut, his cards to date are considered prospect cards.
With so many cards to choose from, this list will be far from exhaustive. And these being ultra-modern cards, each of these has a rainbow of parallel versions available. In terms of these parallels, they offer a number of levels of scarcity and price points for the fan looking for a tougher card.
Shop for Elly De La Cruz rookie and baseball cards on eBay
The coveted 1st Bowman card is in the 2022 Bowman Prospects offering. The card is available in Paper, Chrome, and Autographed versions, plus a plethora of parallels. The autograph is the big prize here, with prices eclipsing $1,000 at the moment. The Chrome and Paper also are strong sellers in the $125-140 and $100 range, respectively.
De La Cruz also appears in another card in the Bowman Chrome Prospects set, and also in the Bowman Draft and Bowman Draft Chrome. The PSA population count on all three cards is shockingly low, which may offer an opportunity, although prices remain a hair behind the 1st Bowman cards.
In addition to these cards, you’ll also find De La Cruz cards in Bowman Heritage, Bowman Inception, Bowman Platinum, Bowman Sapphire Edition, Bowman Sterling, Transcendent Collection, and Bowman’s Best.
Shop for 2022 1st Bowman cards of Elly De La Cruz on eBay
| Card | Total PSA Pop | Recent Sale Pop | Recent Sale Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs Elly De La Cruz #CPA-ED | 232 | PSA 10 = 142 | PSA 10 = $725-1,000 |
| 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospects Elly De La Cruz #BCP-50 | 3,546 | PSA 10 = 2,751 | PSA 10 = $125-140 |
| 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospects Elly De La Cruz #BCP-224 | 16 | PSA 10 = 9 | PSA 10 = $50 |
| 2022 Bowman Prospects Elly De La Cruz #BP-50 | 558 | PSA 10 = 432 | PSA 10 = $100 |
| 2022 Bowman Draft Chrome Elly De La Cruz #BDC-80 | 9 | PSA 10 = 5 | PSA 10 = $100 |
| 2022 Bowman Draft Elly De La Cruz #BD-80 | 2 | PSA 10 = 1 | PSA 10 = NA |
Elly De La Cruz made his professional debut in 2019 in the Dominican League. The 2020 minor league season was canceled due to the pandemic. Because of this, De La Cruz did not make his first cardboard appearance until 2021.
These cards are produced by Panini, which means they are unlicensed and don’t feature team names or logos. This keeps values somewhat in check but may offer some nice alternatives for those collectors looking to add an early Del La Cruz card on a budget.
The 2021 Panini Elite Extra Edition card is serial numbered out of 999 copies. The 2021 Panini Prizm Draft Picks release has a number of autographed cards available.
Shop for 2021 Prospect cards of Elly De La Cruz on eBay
Elly De La Cruz appeared on a couple of Topps minor league prospect products in 2022. Both are really fun, low-cost products. I should know, I broke one of each of 2022 Topps Heritage Minors and 2022 Topps Pro Debut.
Both offer low PSA populations and fairly reasonable price tags. You can also find various versions of both cards for an even tougher chase.
In addition, for fans of unlicensed cards, De La Cruz appears on a variety of these cards in 2022 from Donruss, Leaf, Onyx, and Panini.
| Card | Total PSA Pop | Recent Sale Pop | Recent Sale Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Topps Heritage Minor League Elly De La Cruz #208 | 16 | PSA 9 = 10 | PSA 9 = $35 |
| 2022 Topps Pro Debut Elly De La Cruz #PD-189 | 47 | PSA 10 = 38 | PSA 10 = $75-90 |
Elly De La Cruz has appeared on more Bowman cards in 2023. Again, these aren’t “rookie cards,” and they aren’t 1st Bowman cards, so they’re likely to fall a bit under the radar screen. That being said, if you’re a fan of De La Cruz looking to add as many of his cards as possible, these should be reasonably priced, but with more limited upside.
De La Cruz also appears on several unlicensed Donruss products again in 2023.
Shop for 2023 Elly De La Cruz baseball cards on eBay
| Card | Total PSA Pop | Recent Sale Pop | Recent Sale Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Bowman Chrome Prospects Elly De La Cruz #BCP-65 | 6 | PSA 10 = 4 | PSA 10 = NA |
| 2023 Bowman Prospects Elly De La Cruz #BP-65 | NA | NA | NA |
Elly De La Cruz cards may be a great mid-to-long-term buy. He’s an exciting young player off to a great start. That being said, I would advise against buying at this moment. With his hot start to his big league career, the hype machine is kicking into overdrive and prices are soaring.
Waiting a little bit, even a few months, should see prices stabilize. That being said, if you’re excited for the young Reds sensation and your budget allows, go get your card. Just know that you’re buying high, and understand the risks.
Elly De La Cruz is one of the most exciting young players in the game and is off to a hot start to his big-league career. His card prices are already starting to soar a bit based on the hot start, so maybe this isn’t the time to buy.
But keep an eye on De La Cruz. If he continues to play well, his cards might become “must-have” cards sooner than later.
Shop for Elly De La Cruz rookie and baseball cards on eBay
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