The Top 10 Rookie Cards Of Freddie Freeman, Plus A Bonus 10 Early Career Cards

Mike D September 7, 2023

The Los Angeles Dodgers have two 2023 NL MVP candidates in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

Both were long-time stars for other teams before coming to Los Angeles. Both are making their mark in LA, however, and helping lead the Dodgers to new heights.

But who is Freddie Freeman? Is he a future Hall of Famer? And what are his best rookie cards? Does he have any other early career cards worth exploring? And do his cards have future upside?

Who is Freddie Freeman?

Freddie Freeman was drafted in the second round of the 2007 MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves. Freeman, a 1^st baseman, quickly rose through the minor leagues and made his big league debut in September of 2010. He’s been a big-league fixture ever since.

During his 14-year career, Freeman has been an All-Star 7 times, and has won 3 Silver Slugger awards. He won the 2020 NL MVP award and led the Atlanta Braves to a World Championship in 2021. Freeman then signed a free agent contract to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, and has actually brought his game to an even higher level since joining the Dodgers.

Freeman, who hits for average and power while playing a slick first base, is a key middle-of-the-lineup contributor and a star. To date, his career batting line is .301/.388/.515, good for an OPS of .903 and OPS+ of 142.

Freeman has smacked 316 home runs and 464 doubles during that time. He has 1,128 RBI and 1,195 runs scored during his career. Freeman has led his league in hits, doubles, and runs multiple times.

For this career, Freddie Freeman has been worth 55.1 WAR thus far in his career.

Freedie Freeman’s current Hall of Fame standing

Going into the final month of play in the 2023 season, on the cusp of turning 34, Freddie Freeman has been worth 55.1 WAR in his career. That currently ranks 28^th all-time among first baseman.

The average WAR of a 1^st baseman currently in the Hall of Fame is 65.0, a number that is skewed slightly northward by 100+ WAR totals from Lou Gehrig and Albert Pujols.

The two players above Freeman on the career WAR list among 1B are Hank Greenburg and David Ortiz, who are both already in the Hall of Fame. Below him are George Sisler, Tony Perez, and Fred McGriff, all also in the Hall of Fame. The only first basemen above Freeman on the career WAR list who are not already enshrined in the Hall of Fame fall into only three categories.

There are the active, not yet eligible, or currently on the ballot (Albert Pujols, Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera, Todd Helton, and Paul Goldschmidt), all of whom should eventually be enshrined.

There are those associated with PEDs (Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire), whose fate is still very much up in the air when it comes to the Hall.

Then there are a handful of late 1980’s stars who clustered in the 58-60 WAR range (Keith Hernandez, John Olerud, and Will Clark) who are borderline candidates who all have their backers for eventual induction.

Freddie Freeman’s future Hall of Fame Chances

So, it could be argued that if Freddie Freeman retired today, he’d be a borderline Hall of Fame candidate already. With over 2,000 hits, 300+ career home runs, and a batting average over .300, it’d be a solid argument. But Freeman is not hanging up his spikes any time soon.

He’s having one of his best seasons in 2023, and he’s signed for four more seasons, through the end of his age-37 season.

If he can contribute even 10 more WAR to his career total in those four seasons, he’ll become a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame. Considering that when the 2023 season ends he’ll likely have a 3-season average WAR north of 5.5 per season, this seems almost certain if he stays healthy.

A career WAR north of 70 would not be shocking once Freeman eventually hangs up his spikes. The fact that Freeman is still playing well as he’s moving through his 30s and is playing for the perennial playoff team in Los Angeles bodes very well for him getting more attention from fans and collectors.

The top Ten Freddie Freeman rookie cards

Following his cup of coffee in the big leagues in late 2010, Freeman appeared on his official rookie cards in 2011.

According to the Trading Card Database (TCDB.com), Freddie Freeman appeared on 289 cards that year. Obviously, any Top 10 list will be subjective and incomplete.

We’re sticking to base cards, but know that most of these come with parallels, variations, and the like for a tougher chase and higher price tags.

10. 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter

Allen & Ginter, with its retro design and unique checklists, isn’t for everyone. In the case of Freeman rookie cards, it offers the lowest cost option despite middle-of-the-road population numbers.

The vast majority of graded copies are in PSA 10 slabs, so you probably want to stick with that grade. They’ll only set you back $50-70 in that condition, which is pretty reasonable for a future Hall of Fame rookie card.

9. 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen

Another somewhat niche vintage-themed offering, the last PSA 10 sale of one of Freddie Freeman Topps Gypsy Queen rookie cards was for only $100. That’s notable because these have by far the lowest total PSA population of any card on our list.

A mere 25 copies have been graded by PSA, with only 14 PSA 10s. If you can locate one of these, there appears to be some potential here.

8. 2011 Topps Opening Day

The recent comps for the 2011 Topps Opening Day Freddie Freeman rookie card range from a low of $90 to a high of $200 or more for copies in PSA 10 slabs.

With a PSA population of just a hair over 175 total copies, these aren’t exactly rare but aren’t at risk of being overgraded anytime soon.

7. 2011 Topps Freddie Freeman

The flagship Topps rookie card of Freddie Freeman sells in a PSA 10 slab for between $115 and $135. And it sells a lot. PSA has graded over 4,100 copies of the card, with over 2,100 in PSA 10 slabs. While that price is certainly not unreasonable, those super-high PSA numbers should give you pause.

6. 2011 Topps Heritage

With a design that pays homage to the classic 1962 Topps design, the 2011 Topps Heritage is a nice-looking vintage-themed set.

While the card is one of the higher PSA populations of any of the Freeman rookie cards, it’s not overly high, and a fraction of the standard Topps offering.

5. 2011 Topps Finest

With a total PSA population just a hair over 200, with less than 60 PSA 10s, the 2011 Finest Freeman offers a lower population for a price that remains below $200 for a copy in a PSA 10 slab.

This might be a bit of a sweet spot between the higher price items above it on the list, and the lower cost items below.

4. 2011 Topps Chrome

The 2011 Topps Chrome Freeman rookie card has one of the highest total PSA populations on the list, with a population approaching 1,000. Roughly 1/3 of the total PSA population are in PSA 10 slabs.

In one of those PSA 10 slabs, one of these premium Chromium cards will set you back around $190.

3. 2011 Bowman Platinum

The 2011 Bowman Platinum Freddie Freeman rookie card is from a premium brand but one often overlooked in deference to the flagship Chrome offering.

With a fairly low total PSA population and a very reasonable percentage in PSA 10 slabs, this one may be worth a second look.

2. 2011 Bowman

The paper version of the flagship 1^st Bowman card has been graded fewer than 350 times by PSA, a bit low for a player of Freeman’s caliber.

Of those, barely 6% are in PSA 10 slabs. That explains why 10s sell well in the $250-300 range despite it being “only” a paper product.

1. 2011 Bowman Chrome

Not surprisingly, the 2011 Bowman Chrome offering comes out on top of our list. Bowman Chrome rookie cards are often very popular, and Freeman’s is no exception.

It’s a bit surprising that the card has only been graded 272 times by PSA, with just under 14% of those in PSA 10 slabs. While certainly not inexpensive in the $300-350 range, it’s the Freeman rookie to get if you’re only going to get one (and your budget allows).

Freddie Freeman rookie cards

The top 10 Freddie Freeman prospect, 1^st Bowman, and rookie autograph cards

Freddie Freeman made his first professional card appearances in 2007 Bowman products, in 2007, the year he was drafted. His rookie cards are in 2011.

In between (and even BEFORE) he appeared on a number of prospect and autograph cards that are well worth exploring, including his 1^st Bowman cards.

10. 2010 Topps Pro Debut

Released the year before his official rookie cards and the year he’d first crack the big leagues, the 2010 Topps Pro Debut card captures Freeman on the cusp of the big leagues.

PSA has only graded just north of 50 copies of this card, with about 60% of those in PSA 9 slabs. The card sells for a very reasonable $20-30 in that grade.

9. 2008 TriStar PROjections

The 2008 TriStar PROjections card has only been graded five times, with four of those PSA 10s, but comps for only around $65 in that grade. Freeman appeared again in TriStar PROjections in 2009.

8. 2006-07 USA Baseball Box Set

The 2006-07 USA Baseball Box offers a higher (but still pretty low) PSA population than some of the cards on this list, and a price for a 10 that’s not unreasonable.

7. 2006 Topps AFLAC All-American Classic

The 2006 Topps AFLAC All-American Classic card was produced while Freeman was still in high school. PSA has only graded four copies of the card, with four of those in PSA 10 slabs. The last sale was for $300, making it a hard-to-find and expensive option.

6. 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects

With a much smaller PSA population than other 1^st Bowman cards, the 2007 Bowman Sterling Prospects card is tougher to track down. There are only 61 PSA-graded copies.

Despite the rarity, PSA 9s can be had in the $50-70 range, when they come available. There are actually 33 PSA 10s, meaning there are more 10s than 9s. There have been no recent sales of a PSA 10 to report, however.

5. 2007 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects

The 2007 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects paper version has been graded fewer times by PSA, less than 700 total. It sells for slightly less (although not by a lot) than the Chrome version, in the $110-120 range.

4. 2011 Finest Rookie Autographs Refractors

This one is downright tough to find, especially graded. PSA has graded only 26 copies of this card, with only one PSA 10.

No recent comps are available for any graded copies. If you do come across one, it’s likely not to be cheap. It’s a worthy card to stretch for, however.

3. 2011 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs

The highest PSA population of a rookie card autographs on our list, but with who doesn’t love a rookie year Chrome autograph?

PSA has graded close to 150 copies, with just over 80 in PSA 9 slabs. In that condition, they sell for around $180.

2. 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Autographs

Another tough-to-find rookie-year autograph. This one has the distinctive vintage feel of Gypsy Queen. The Gypsy Queen card has similar a similar PSA population to the Finest auto, but a far higher percentage of PSA 10s.

There are no recent comps for these in graded condition, but there are a few listed on eBay, and recent raw sales have fallen in the $90-130 range.

1. 2007 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Chrome

The 2007 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Chrome card has the largest PSA population of the 1^st Bowman offerings, although at just north of 1,000 copies is far from overpopulated.

It still sells strongly for around $140 in a PSA 10 slab, the highest rate of the three Freeman base rookie cards.

Freddie Freeman Prospect, 1^st Bowman, and Rookie Autograph Cards

Final thoughts on the best Freddie Freeman Rookie & early career cards

Considering Freeman looks like a very likely future Hall of Famer, we can look at his rookie cards and see fairly steady and low-risk investments. Most players see at least something of a bump in card value when elected to the Hall of Fame, with some of that being temporary before things level out at a slightly increased level of value.

If a player surprises some people with their Hall of Fame election (which Freeman might do), this bump tends to be more profound. Regardless, Freeman’s cards appear to be solid adds to your want list.

What’s your favorite Freddie Freeman card? Do you think he’s the 2023 NL MVP? Expecting a deep playoff run for him and the Dodgers this year? Tell us about it at card_lines on Twitter.

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