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\t\tImage credit:
\n\tVladimir Guerrero Jr. (Photo by Ishika Samant\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
In general, success in the major leagues for a player will equate with popularity in the baseball card world.<\/p>\n
But, as in life, nothing is absolute. While there are certainly players\u2014such as Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes\u2014whose next-level success in the majors has made them darlings in the hobby, there are other players who, despite their consistency and stardom, have yet to reach the same heights for their cardboard.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not to say there\u2019s not value in these players\u2019 rookie cards, 1\/1s, low-numbered autos, etc. But whereas a player like Ohtani, Judge or Skenes might see consistent value across the board or a hot rookie such as Konnor Griffin<\/a> might be turning all of his cards into gold at the moment, there are a handful of players whose value across the hobby just doesn\u2019t seem to be at the level it should be.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n So, in no particular order, here\u2019s a look at eight active MLB players who have achieved no-doubt stardom in the baseball world but are still considered undervalued when it comes to their baseball cards.<\/p>\n Vladimir Guerrero Jr.<\/p>\n He\u2019s a former Baseball America No. 1 prospect<\/a>, the first prospect in BA history to earn an 80-grade in hitting and one of the biggest names in baseball. Yet, outside of his 1st Bowman cards and a handful of other big-time chases, Guerrero tends to fly under the radar in the hobby (except for a brief spike when the Blue Jays made last year\u2019s World Series).<\/p>\n One reason why? Guerrero plays north of the border, which has not traditionally been a market getting a lot of love in the hobby. Or maybe it\u2019s because he plays for a team in the AL East that\u2019s not the Yankees, Red Sox or even the recently-prospect-heavy Orioles.<\/p>\n Whatever the reason, collectors can get even low-numbered Vlad Jr. autos in the $100 range or even less, which is a downright bargain for one of the top bats in baseball.<\/p>\n Corbin Carroll<\/p>\n Speaking of the World Series, you would think a young player who recently helped take his team to the World Series in his Rookie of the Year-winning season would be an instant superstar in the hobby. But while Carroll\u2019s cards do well\u2014especially his rookie stuff and some of his big-time chases\u2014you can also find Carroll autos, including numbered ones, at very reasonable prices and some very good ones at $100 or less.<\/p>\n My theory on this one is that, as good as Carroll is, he broke onto the scene during a stretch when there has been an absolute glut of highly-touted rookie talent making their mark on MLB, such as Julio Rodriguez and Bobby Witt Jr. in 2022, Elly De La Cruz in 2023, Paul Skenes in 2024 and Nick Kurtz in 2025, among many others. Also, Carroll joined MLB just before the Debut Patch changed the entire hobby\u2019s approach to rookies<\/a>, so it\u2019s possible he got a bit lost in the shuffle once that phenomenon kicked off.<\/p>\n This Corbin Carroll autograph card has a SICK patch from the D-Backs\u2019 City Connect jerseys \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udc0d<\/p>\n Coming Soon in 2026 Series 1 Baseball. pic.twitter.com\/3CUJoJ4x8z<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Topps (@Topps) January 21, 2026<\/p>\n Jose Ramirez<\/p>\n Another big-time bat, another underwhelming baseball card market. Ramirez, who in the eyes of many is a future Hall of Famer, has consistently been one of the best players in MLB for a decade now. And even though he has one of the most recognizable and unique autos in the game<\/a>, his hits often seem secondary to collectors. <\/p>\n This could well be another case of the Cleveland market he plays in or the fact that he\u2019s a quiet star who stays under the radar a bit. Either way, Ramirez doesn\u2019t turn many heads in the collecting world.<\/p>\n Manny Machado<\/p>\n Like with Ramirez, Machado has done nothing but produce results for a decade now. But outside of a cup of coffee with the Dodgers, Machado has mostly performed in smaller markets. Plus, whispers on social media about Machado\u2019s supposed \u201cbad attitude\u201d have hurt his hobby fanbase. Perhaps collectors could see a spike in interest like with Guerrero were the Padres to finally break through in October, but for now, Machado doesn\u2019t get much buzz.<\/p>\n Jacob Wilson<\/p>\n Wilson was a hot ticket in the hobby as the sixth-overall pick of the 2023 draft, and his cards have been popular chases, especially after rankings among the league leaders in batting average early in his first full MLB season of 2025.<\/p>\n But then, in late April last year, another Athletics prospect named Nick Kurtz made his debut, stealing the bulk of the Athletics\u2019 rookie spotlight and taking the hobby by storm as a rookie who hit 36 home runs en route to being named BA\u2019s Rookie of the Year<\/a>. Somewhat lost in that shuffle was Wilson\u2019s very solid season (.295 with 13 homers), one that likely would have garnered far more love in the hobby were Kurtz not the primary Bay Area focus.<\/p>\n Yes, Kurtz is a prodigy, but when it comes to bat-to-ball skills, so is Wilson. His prices should only escalate as he continues to develop in his sophomore MLB season.<\/p>\n Pete Alonso<\/p>\n Alonso was the 2019 Rookie of the Year, a mega-star in New York City for years and even a multi-time home run derby champion. Yet, even with Orioles\u2019 new popularity in the card world, Baltimore\u2019s free-agent slugger doesn\u2019t seem to be in the same category as other contemporary power hitters\u2014especially ones in major markets.<\/p>\n Perhaps it\u2019s because he\u2019s had to share the New York market with Aaron Judge or maybe because the Mets\u2019 clubhouse offered plenty of hobby competition like Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor (both of whom could also easily get honorable mentions on this list). Or maybe it\u2019s because his rookie season and initial stardom overlapped with the start of the pandemic, which was a booming time for the hobby, but also before a lot of the more recent innovations and trendy products had emerged, including the Debut Patch and the rise of online breaking<\/a>.<\/p>\n It all adds up to a player in Alonso who, despite having almost 300 career home runs, still sees his autos and other chase cards often sell for relatively reasonable prices.<\/p>\n Tarik Skubal<\/p>\n Skubal\u2019s big-time cards sell for big money, and rightfully so. But in an era when truly marquee starting pitchers are few and far between, you would think that a back-to-back Cy Young Award-winner would be a bigger deal in the hobby than he currently is.<\/p>\n This could be a reflection of the larger trend in baseball<\/a> for many ace pitchers, such as Gerrit Cole, Jacob deGrom and even Ohtani, needing significant time away from the mound due to injuries. In general, the hobby is hesitant to hitch their wagons to any arm in this era outside of phenoms like Skenes.<\/p>\n Will Smith<\/p>\n Smith is a three-time World Series champion and one of the best power-hitting catchers in the game. Hobby darling and former Dodger Mike Piazza hit 167 home runs in his first five full seasons with the Dodgers. Smith hit 105, which is certainly less, but still a very, very healthy number in comparison to a Hall of Famer.<\/p>\n My guess as to why Smith\u2019s cards don\u2019t get more love is that\u2019s just a matter of spotlight. When you play on the Dodgers surrounded by Ohtani and Mookie Betts and Clayton Kershaw and Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki and Kyle Tucker and so many others, there\u2019s only so much attention to go around. Smith has quietly and consistently been absolutely imperative to the Dodgers\u2019 success, but that has not translated to his card market quite yet.<\/p>\n Do you agree with our list? Who do you think are the most underrated modern players in the baseball card world? Tell us in the comments below or email seth@baseballamerica.com<\/a> to tell us what you think.<\/p>\n \t\t\t