It’s not often a player gets to their late 30s, and wins some significant hardware, but somehow remains a bit under-the-radar in the hobby. But Paul Goldschmidt is just such a player. Has the hobby been sleeping on Goldy?
But who is Paul Goldschmidt? What are his career highlights and Hall of Fame chances? And what are the best rookie and early career cards of Goldschmidt? And are these cards good investments?
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Paul Goldschmidt is the 36 year old first baseman of the St. Louis Cardinals. Now in his 6th season with St. Louis, Goldschmidt previously played 8 seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Goldschmidt has long been one of the best players in the league, although 2024 has started off as a down year for both Goldschmidt and the Cardinals.
Goldschmidt was the 2022 National League MVP award winner in a season in which he hit .317/.404/.578 with 35 home runs and 115 RBI. It was the first MVP win for Goldschmidt, who has been a regular at the top voting, with two prior 2nd place finishes and one third place finish.
For his illustrious career, Goldschmidt has hit .290/.385/.513, good for an OPS of .898 and OPS+ of 140. He is a 7-time All Star, 5-time Silver Slugger winner, and 4-time Gold Glove winner.
He sits on the cusp of 350 career home runs and 2,000 career hits, and should hit both numbers this season. His career WAR as of this writing sits at 61.8.
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So, as Goldschmidt approaches his 37th birthday, and milestones such as 350 career home runs and 2,000 career hits, what are Goldschmidt’s chances of Hall of Fame induction once he hangs up his spikes?
Goldschmidt’s 61.8 career WAR ranks 18th all-time among 1st baseman. The average career WAR for a Hall of Fame 1st baseman is 64.8, although that number is skewed upward by Lou Gehrig’s 113.7 total. The 61.8 WAR is the exact same total as recently elected Hall of Famer Todd Helton.
If Goldschmidt were to retire this year, his Hall of Fame case would be strong. His career WAR is already higher than that of Hall of Fame first baseman Harmon Killebrew, Hank Greenburg, and recent addition Fred McGriff.
But it’s likely that Goldschmidt will look to play a few more years. Any positive additions to his career WAR and counting stats will only help his case. The good news is that Goldschmidt is unlikely to see a long string of poor seasons with negative WAR as his career comes to and end.
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The fact that his contract is up after this season means Goldschmidt is likely only to earn additional contracts and playing time if he plays well. This may not be ideal for his earning potential, but should protect against his career WAR slipping significantly.
We’ve recently seen a bit of a golden era of future Hall of Fame first basement, with players like Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, and Joey Votto all peers of Goldschmidt’s.
While Goldschmidt hasn’t been as flashy or as big a hobby darling as the others, his numbers suggest he will join the other three in the Hall of Fame when his playing days are over.
According to the Trading Card Database at TCDB.com, Paul Goldschmidt has appeared on 12,623 total cards during his career.
His first cardboard appearance was in 2008, with his 1st Bowman cards appearing in 2011. In between, Goldschmidt appeared on a number of minor league and prospect cards.
We’ll highlight a number of cards of interest, but know that these all being ultra-modern era cards, there are a rainbow of parallels and other variations to chase. If your budget allows, parallels are often a better investment than base cards. Check population counts when making your purchase selection.
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Paul Goldschmidt has his 1st Bowman cards in 2011 Bowman Prospects. His rookie cards then followed in 2011 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects.
There is quite a bit of interest with Goldschmidt’s 2011 Bowman cards. One is the low total PSA population counts. Across the boards, the numbers are on the low side, with even the Bowman Chrome 1st only graded just a hair over 1,400 total times.
The 2011 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs card has been graded less than 300 times, yet in a PSA 9 sells for around $170. This strikes me as a very reasonable price for a 1st Bowman autograph of a probable future Hall of Famer.
Both the base paper and Chrome versions are both very reasonably priced for a player of Goldschmidt’s caliber.
The 2011 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects cards have even lower populations, and the black border means fewer PSA 10s. The prices seems pretty reasonable for a player who could be a Hall of Famer with those population counts.
Card | Total PSA Pop | Recent Sale Pop | Recent Sale Price |
---|---|---|---|
2011 Bowman Prospects Paul Goldschmidt #BP99 | 743 | PSA 10 = 366 | PSA 10 = $50 |
2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects Paul Goldschmidt #BCP99 | 1,401 | PSA 10 = 559 | PSA 10 = $60-85 |
2011 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs Paul Goldschmidt #BCP99 | 298 | PSA 9 = 138 PSA 10 = 112 | PSA 9 = $170 |
2011 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Paul Goldschmidt #108 | 243 | PSA 10 = 19 | PSA 10 = NA |
2011 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Chrome #108 Paul Goldschmidt | 541 | PSA 10 = 130 | PSA 10 = $75-85 |
Any of Goldschmidt’s 2011 Bowman cards are great cards and appear to be solid choices if you are looking to start a Goldschmidt collection. But what about early-career Goldschmidt cards beyond that? There are plenty of options that span several different themes.
The 2011 Topps Update card is a rookie-year Goldschmidt card that came out later in the year, and has a higher total PSA population than the Bowman offerings. That makes it perhaps not the best investment, but a very affordable option, even in a PSA 10 slab.
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Goldschmidt’s 2010 Bowman Platinum Prospect Autographs Refractors card offers a licensed brand, prospect autograph card that offers a low total PSA population but a reasonable price tag, if you can find one!
The 2009 Grandstand Missoula Osprey card offers the first minor league card of Goldschmidt and has a fairly low PSA population, but a high percentage of PSA 10’s. It is an interesting addition to any Goldschmidt collectible, and predates the 1st Bowman by two full years.
Even rarer is Goldschmidt’s very first cardboard appearance, in the 2008 Choice Anchorage Bucs set. The card features Goldschmidt as a member of the collegiate summer league team, and is tough to find. PSA has only graded 13 total copies, with just 5 PSA 10’s. It’s a Goldy-grail card.
Card | Total PSA Pop | Recent Sale Pop | Recent Sale Price |
---|---|---|---|
2011 Topps Update Paul Goldschmidt #US47 | 3,196 | PSA 10 = 1,756 | PSA 10 = $40-60 |
2010 Bowman Platinum Prospect Autographs Refractors Paul Goldschmidt #BPA-PG | 159 | PSA 9 = 87 PSA 10 = 23 | PSA 9 = $75 |
2009 Grandstand Missoula Osprey Paul Goldschmidt #NNO | 61 | PSA 10 = 50 | PSA 10 = $125-150 |
2008 Choice Anchorage Bucs Paul Goldschmidt #9 | 13 | PSA 10 = 5 | PSA 10 = NA |
It feels a bit weird to say that a former MVP, seven-time All-Star, and probable future Hall of Famer has been a bit under the radar, but that feels like the case with Goldschmidt.
With card values that remain reasonable and total PSA counts that are lower than one might expect, Goldschmidt feels like a solid investment choice.
What’s your take on Paul Goldschmidt and his cards? Do you agree he is a future Hall of Famer? What’s your favorite Paul Goldschmidt rookie or early career card? Let us know what’s on your mind at Card_Lines on Twitter.
Shop for Paul Goldschmidt rookie cards on eBay
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