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There’s no question that Shohei Ohtani came to Major League Baseball as advertised – the Sho show is a must see in 2018 with both his above average pitching and batting ability, which is also doing wonders for the value of Shohei Ohtani rookie cards.
Also known as the “Japanese Babe Ruth,” Ohtani is considered one of the most unique and talented players in the big leagues today.
With his unique talent and success, Shohei Ohtani rookie cards have become highly sought after by collectors.
Here are some of Shohei Ohtani rookie cards we like best with links to buy them on eBay. Also check out some of his Kanji signed cards that are quite valuable.
1. 2018 Bowman Chrome autograph insert (#CRA-SO | pitching photo) AND 2018 Bowman Chrome autograph rookie card (#BCRA-SO | batting photo)
Okay, as to avoid some confusion, we chose both these cards and wanted to highlight them both together.
The first one (#CRA-SO) is an insert found in the 2018 Bowman Baseball packs with various refractors including the 1/1 superfractor that sold for six figures. It’s what caused a frenzy for baseball card collectors with many hoping to get one of the autograph cards.
And the second card (#BCRA-SO) is found within the 2018 Bowman Chrome hobby box, which features Ohtani batting. While not as valuable as the insert aforementioned, it still commands great value for the autograph card.
This is probably the first Shohei Ohtani rookie card you might want to add to your collection.
2. 2018 Topps Heritage Real Ones autograph card (#ROA-SO)
If Bowman Chrome prospect and rookie autograph cards are not your thing, the Topps Heritage is a very popular set many collectors look at next.
It’s especially true if the player in question has a Real Ones autograph in the set, which luckily for Ohtani fans, there are.
A subset of these cards are available signed by Ohtani in red ink for die-hard collectors too.
3. 2018 Topps Finest autograph card (#FA-SO)
On a nice shiny card stock, the 2018 Topps Finest autograph rookie card features Ohtani swinging a bat in his definitive stance.
There are also plenty of refractors available with the rarer ones fetching big bucks currently.
There’s also a superfractor version for this card too.
WANT MORE SHOHEI CARDS?
Here are some other Shohei Ohtani baseball cards worth collecting depending on your budget.
2018 Topps Chrome Rookie Card #150
2018 Topps Update Rookie Card #US1
MORE INFO ON SHOHEI OHTANI: In 2012, Ohtani was selected by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in the first round of the Nippon Professional Baseball draft.
He made his professional debut with the Fighters in 2013 and quickly established himself as one of the best pitchers in Japan. In five seasons, Ohtani had a 42-15 record with a 2.52 ERA and 624 strikeouts in 543 innings pitched.
In 2017, Ohtani announced his intention to sign with an MLB team and ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Angels, becoming just the second player in MLB history to sign as a two-way player (able to both pitch and hit).
In his rookie season in 2018, Ohtani made an immediate impact, winning the AL Rookie of the Year award. He became just the third player in MLB history to hit 15 or more home runs and record 50 or more strikeouts as a pitcher in the same season.
Ohtani also recorded a 15-5 record with a 3.49 ERA and 223 strikeouts in just 181.2 innings pitched. At the plate, he hit .288 with 56 home runs and 185 RBIs in just 470 career games.
Despite spending time on the injury list in 2019 and 2020, Ohtani came back in the following seasons with big time numbers and is poised to have a big year in 2023.
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