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Zack Greinke (10/21/83) is a versatile pitcher currently playing for the Houston Astros. He’s a six-time All-Star and earned six Golden Glove awards between 2014 and 2019.
Greinke is at the tail end of his career, having featured for the Royals, the Brewers, the Angels, the Dodgers, and the Diamondbacks, respectively, before switching to the Astros in 2019.
We’ve prepared a checklist with three of his most popular rookie cards and an investment guide as he begins to near retirement.
There aren’t many to choose from, but here are three of the most popular Greinke rookie cards recently sold at auction.
2002 Zack Greinke Rookie Bowman Draft Card #BDP6
The 2002 Bowman Draft is a basic option, with a Gold parallel. It has a large landscape image of Greinke clutching his mitt, with no other discernible features. The reverse reads;
“Resume: Considered one of the closest high school prospects to the majors in the 2002 draft… Completed his senior year with a 9-2 record and a 0.55 ERA… Walked just eight against 116 strikeouts.
Skills: Shows arm action and delivery that remind scouts of Roger Clemens… Fires fastballs into the mid-90s… Mixes in plus change-up and breaking ball to keep hitters guessing… Pounds the strike zone.
Up Close: Batted .440 with 10 HRs and 11 2Bs as a third baseman in 2001.”
2002 Zack Greinke Bowman Chrome Rookie Card Draft #6
As the name suggests, the Bowman Chrome is a slightly rarer version of the above card. A premium option, you’ll be able to tell the difference by looking at the background color.
Keeping with the premium theme, there is a trio of serial numbered parallels; Refractor (#/300), X-Fractor (#/150), and Gold Refractor (#/50).
It also contains an identical quote to the Bowman Draft on the reverse.
2002 Zack Greinke Upper Deck Prospect Premieres RC #93 AU XRC
His first-ever signed rookie card, the 2002 UD is more valuable than the brace of Bowman options listed above. This is largely due to the autograph, which is signed on a label embedded into the card.
The landscape layout has a large image of Greinke preparing to throw a baseball, while the reverse contains a simple guarantee for the signature. It’s typically the most popular option at auction, with a PSA 10 recently going for just over $200.
2003 Zack Grienke Bowman Heritage RC
This card features two images of Greinke, placed side by side on the card that is done in a landscape format compared to most cards which are portraits.
Greinke looks very young in both images and won’t crack a smile as he projects a tough aura.
The price for this card is not very high due to its high quantity and lack of unique features but investors who cannot find the higher-end Grienke cards could look at purchasing a bundle of these.
Checklist
- 2002 Bowman Draft #BDP6
- 2002 Bowman Draft Gold #BDP6
- 2002 Bowman Chrome Draft #6
- 2002 Bowman Chrome Draft Refractors #6
- 2002 Bowman Chrome Draft X-Fractors #6
- 2002 Bowman Chrome Draft Gold Refractors #6
- 2002 UD Minor League #232 DG
- 2002 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres #93 Zack Greinke AU XRC
- 2005 Upper Deck Update Draft Class Quad Autographs #2002 Upton – Greinke – Fielder – Kaz
Investment Guide
Greinke doesn’t have a wide array of rookie cards, so you’d think they would be more expensive considering what he’s achieved over the past few seasons.
However, he arguably wasted his early years after failing to settle with any one team, and only began to see a career resurgence halfway through his time with the Dodgers in 2014.
His Hall of Fame odds also took a slight hit after he was replaced in a controversial decision midway through Game 7 of the 2019 World Series, but he still has two years remaining on his contract, and he’s a 6-time Gold Glove pitcher.
Greinke has time to cement his legacy, and he still performs at a high level.