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“We feel Wander will have his ups and downs in 2021. In 2022 is when he becomes a superstar.”
We made the above statement over a year ago and yes we still stand by that statement. In fact Wander had a ton of ups in 2021 and very few downs.
Wander Franco was the top prospect in all of baseball before making his MLB Debut on 6/22/2021 with the Tampa Bay Rays, and oh boy, did he deliver, going 2 for 3 with a homer and 3 RBIs.
He signed with the Rays back in 2017 and was rated as the top international prospect (Dominican Republic) at the time in front of Daniel Flores (Red Sox) and Ronny Mauricio (Mets).
He didn’t disappoint in his debut and should be the favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2021 but we shall see.
Scouting grades: Hit: 70 | Power: 55 | Run: 60 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 65
How did we invest in Wander Franco? If you follow our blog here at Gold Card Auctions, you know we have been recommending buying his 2019 Bowman Chrome RC for over a year and a half. And that we did.
Our Top Picks
Budget or Test the Waters Pick: 2022 Topps Series 1 RC #215
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Top Overall Pick for ROI: 2019 Bowman Chrome RC #100
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Baller (Shot Caller) Pick: 1993 Upper Deck SP Foil RC #279
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However, we did not hold. We sold 80% of our holdings in the last 2 months leading up to his call-up just in case he came out of the gates cold or never lives up to his billing.
We made a juicy profit, and our ROI was super chunky.
2019 Wander Franco Bowman Chrome RC #100
Bowman Chrome Baseball cards dive deeper into the game’s best prospects more so than any other trading card company.
The 2019 Wander Franco Bowman Chrome RC will indeed be looked at as the most popular and possibly most valuable (depending on the version) of all of his rookie cards.
MLB.com has ranked Franco as the top prospect in the Rays organization for the past two years (2018 and 2019).
Wander Franco is rounding the bases after what we assume was a monster home run in this Bowman Chrome card.
The 2019 Wander Franco Bowman Chrome rookie card a must-have for any collector looking for a great return with low risk.
2022 Wander Franco Topps Series 1 RC #215
The Topps brand is always a few years behind the Bowman brand when it comes to releasing a super stars “rookie card”.
Why you ask?
Well Bowman releases the players “prospect card” while Topps only releases the “rookie card” once they have made their major league debut.
Or that seems to be the case. Fact-check us please!
Either way this is a baller card you should add to your collection ASAP.
Go for the SP version if you like rare cards.
2022 Wander Franco Topps Series 1 SP RC #215
Speaking of photo variations… BOOM!
2020 Wander Franco Optic Rated Prospect RC #RPS-WF
Here is one of our favorite Wander Franco cards released to date.
Not only is it available in a bunch of great-looking parallels but it can also be found with an auto.
Looking for a PSA 10 grade/auto can be challenging. If you would like help consider the Gold Card Auctions Consulting Service. Email consulting@goldcardauctions.com to learn more.
2019 Wander Franco Bowman Sterling Prospect RC #WF
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With the Wander Franco 2019 Bowman Sterling Prospects, you will get a nice high-end autograph card that should be around $1,000 (the Blue refractor auto will likely be above $1,000 but the Gold and Orange should be around $1,000… for now).
The card features Wander in mid-stance in what we can assume to be a home run ball… incoming!
The back of the card reads “CONGRATULATIONS, you have just received an autograph card from Wander Franco”. This guy is a better prospect than Vlad Jr. (yea we went there).
2019 Wander Franco Bowman Megabox Refractor RC Auto /25
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Only 25 of each color parallels were made so good luck getting your hot little hand son one. Numbered #WF the card features Wander casually tossing the ball back into the infield.
Not the best photo in the world but the card graphics make up for it… love the colors as well… the Orange and Gold are stunningly beautiful.
2019 Bowman Mega Box Chrome Baseball Insert Checklist CARD PARALLELS: Purple #/250 (1:63), Green #/99 (1:159), Gold #/50 (1:314), Orange #/25 (1:627), Black 1/1 (1:15,003).
2019 Wander Franco Panini Donruss Optic RC #RP-7
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Here is a Wander Franco RC that is extremely undervalued in our opinion… this Optic RC can be had at high grades for a ridiculously low amount of coin.
Will Wander follow in Tatis Jr. footsteps and be a Star or will he follow in the footsteps of Vlad Jr. and sputter out of the starting gates… your guess is as goods as the experts
Numbered #RP-7 the card shows Wander at the plate, leg cocked, locked in, and ready to launch!… an extremely cool looking photo with the “Rated Prospect” graphic (which we love)… the only problem is the card won’t come around that often on auctions.
2019 Wander Franco Bowman’s Best #B19WF
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The last card on our list is the Wander Franco Bowman’s Best rookie card… not the most popular but DAMN good-looking.
Numbered #B19WF the card shows Wander looking to nab a lazy fly ball out of the sky… cha ching-cha ching.
2019 Wander Franco Bowman Sterling Continuity (Auto) RC /99 #BSAWF
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A great-looking card in auto or no auto form.
We suggest investing in the auto as it will add additional ROI when it comes to sell.
2020 Wander Franco Bowman Chrome Scouts 100 #BTP1
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Finally the 2020 Bowman Chrome Scouts 100 card is ideal for those looking to obtain a high-grade Wander Franco rookie card at a relatively cheap price.
2019 Wander Franco Bowman Draft 30th Anniversary RC #WF
We feel the 2019 Bowman Draft Chrome 30th Wander Franco rookie card may be one of his more overlooked cards and has the potential for a boom in ROI if he lives up to his all-star billing.
In particular, we love the refractors with the auto to achieve maximum ROI (like the one in the above photo).
Most Valuable
The most expensive Wander Franco baseball cards sold to date are listed below.
- 2019 Bowman Chrome Mega Box Black Auto RC 1/1 #WF
- 2019 Bowman Chrome Gold Shimmer Refractor Auto RC /50 #CPAWF
- 2020 Bowman Transcendent Platinum Auto RC 1/1 #BTVA-WF
Franco rookie cards (like many prospects) can range greatly in value. Some Wander Franco cards can go for a few dollars while the 2019 Bowman Chrome Wander Franco Superfractor Autograph sold somewhere between $60,000 and $100,000, according to people close to the sale.
We wouldn’t go cheap on Wander cards but wouldn’t pay thousands. Investing in a few Wander Franco Bowman Superfactor or autos would be an intelligent play.
Checklist
- 2018 Leaf Metal Draft National Pride Black Wander Franco RC #NP-WF1
- 2018 Panini Elite Extra Edition Autographs Wander Franco RC #67
- 2018 Leaf Trinity Auto Platinum Wander Franco RC
- 2018 Panini Elite Extra Edition Triple Materials Gold Wander Franco RC #TM-WF
- 2019 Bowman Chrome Draft Wander Franco RC #BDC93
- 2019 Wander Franco Bowman Chrome Wander Franco RC #WF
- 2019 Bowman Platinum Wal-Mart Top Prospects Wander Franco RC #TOP-9
- 2019 Panini Elite Extra Edition Prospect Materials Black Wander Franco RC PM-WF
- 2019 Topps Pro Debut Gold Wander Franco RC #50
- 2019 Bowman Platinum Wal-Mart Prismatic Prodigies Purple Refractor Wander Franco RC #PPP-24
- 2019 Bowman Platinum Wal-Mart Platinum Presence Wander Franco RC #PP-7
- 2019 Bowman’s Best 1999 Franchise Favorites Atomic Refractor Wander Franco RC #99FF-WF
- 2019 Bowman’s Best Future Foundations Die Cuts Auto Wander Franco RC #FFA-WF
- 2019 Topps On Demand 1955 Bowman Online Exclusive [Base] Wander Franco RC #4
- 2019 Bowman Chrome Stat Tracker Atomic Refractor Wander Franco RC #ST-WF
- 2019 Bowman Platinum Wal-Mart Top Prospects Sky Blue Refractor Wander Franco RC
- 2019 Bowman 30th Anniversary Chrome Orange Refractor Wander Franco RC #B30-WF
- 2019 Bowman Sterling Rookie Card Wander Franco RC #BPR31
- 2019 Bowman Chrome Mega Box Wander Franco RC #100
- 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Edition Boxloader 1970 Topps Super Wander Franco RC SB-WF
- 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Edition Fantastic Feats Wander Franco RC #FF-2
- 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Edition 1970 Mint Relics Wander Franco RC #70MR-WF
- 2020 Panini Donruss Rated Prospects Wander Franco RC #RP-1
- 2019 Topps On Demand 1955 Bowman Wander Franco RC #4
- 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Edition Wander Franco RC #190
- 2019 Panini Donruss Rated Prospect Material Wander Franco RC #RPM-WF
- 2020 Bowman Spanning The Globe Chrome Mega Box Mojo Refractor Wander Franco RC #STG-WF
- 2020 Bowman 1st Edition Sky Blue Foil Wander Franco RC #BFE-1
- 2022 Topps Series 1 Wander Franco RC #215
Investment Outlook
If you took our advice, you would be up between 50% to 100% regarding Wander Franco RC’s investment return (assuming you bought in when this article was written initially or at some point).
Investment Rating: Buy (4.1 out of 5)
Best Wander Franco Rookie Card: 2019 Bowman Chrome Prospects RC #1090
Ownership Disclosure: 2019 Bowman Chrome PSA 10 x3
Update June 2021: Wander has arrived. If you had taken our advice at the time this article was initially written, you would be up between 50% to 100% regarding Wander Franco RC’s return on investments.
Now the question is can he join the likes of Juan Soto (Washington Nationals) and Ronald Acuna, Jr. (Atlanta Braves) as the next international prospect to make his Major League debut as a teenager?
We feel Wander will have his ups and downs in 2021. In 2022 is when he will become a superstar.
I have a 2022 Topps Wander Franco 2021s Greatest Hits Card #21GH5 -PSA GEM MT 10.
What is the value?