I have been following Wander Franco’s career since he debuted in the Appalachian League in 2017 while also analyzing Wander Franco Rookie Cards and Prospect Cards since “Wander-Mania” in 2019 when Franco’s 1st Bowman baseball cards were released.
I have already invested ~$600 between 2019 -2020 in Wander Franco 1st Bowman cards and believe there is a high probability that I will see a positive return on my investment. If only his cards became as valuable as Mike Trout rookie cards. Although Wander Franco rookie cards are not yet available, Franco’s 1st Bowman cards are.
Let me share with you what you need to know before you buy a Wander Franco Rookie Card or 1st Bowman card.
Wander Franco Player Profile
Wander Franco is a prospect in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization and as of January 2021 is playing in the Dominican Winter League. Franco is only 19 years old but is already ranked as the #1 baseball prospect according to MLB.com. He is expected to make is Major League debut in 2021.
Franco’s minor league performance has been strong, which has contributed to high prices for 1st Bowman cards and will likely translate to high prices for Wander Franco rookie cards. Franco has hit .331 with .405 OBP and .523 SLG over 3 seasons in the Minors and Foreign League baseball, according to baseball-reference.com.
Franco’s talent is real, and his performance supports that, but the past provides a reason to be cautious. Jurickson Profar (2013 #1 Prospect) and Byron Buxton (#2014 #1 Prospect) are recent reminders of talented baseball prospects who never lived up to the hype. Check out this article from Baseball America for more detail and discussion before buying Wander Franco rookie cards or 1st Bowman cards.
Below are the top 8 Wander Franco prospect cards to buy now.
1. 2019 Bowman Wander Franco 1st Bowman Card #BP100 (Buy on eBay)
The 2019 Bowman Wander Franco RC #BP100 and #BCP100 are the flagship Wander Franco prospect cards. I started with buying both the Paper and Chrome version of this card and I recommend this card to new Wander Franco Rookie Card collectors and investors.
This Wander Franco card is popular because it features the “1st Bowman” logo, indicating this is the first official Wander Franco baseball card from Topps / Bowman. The card features Franco in a Devil Rays’ jersey jogging the base path. The “1st Bowman” logo is on the top left of the card and the Bowman or Bowman Chrome logo is on the top right.
2. 2019 Bowman Wander Franco 1st Bowman Mega Box #BCP100 (Buy on eBay)
The 2019 Bowman Mega Box Wander Franco RC is almost the exact same card as the 2019 Bowman Wander Franco but features a slightly different “mojo” background. This card will also be among the most popular with collectors and investors and is another good Franco card to buy.
As of December 2020, both the Bowman Mega Box and Bowman Chrome 1st Bowman Wander Franco RCs cost ~$175 for a PSA 10 graded card.
3. 2019 Bowman Draft Wander Franco Rookie Card #BD93 (Buy on eBay)
The 2019 Bowman Draft Wander Franco RC will likely be among the more popular prospect cards. The card features Franco fielding in an all-grey Rays jersey. It is important to note that this card does not include the “1st Bowman” logo which explains the reason the card is less popular and valuable than the “flagship” cards.
As of December 2020, the card cost ~$55 for a PSA 10 graded card, about one-third the price of the Bowman Chrome “flagship” cards.
4. 2019 Bowman Sterling Wander Franco Rookie Card #BPR31 (Buy on eBay)
The 2019 Bowman Sterling Wander Franco RC is another Franco Bowman prospect card option. The card features Franco batting left-handed in a light blue Rays jersey with a sleek grey boarder.
As of November 2020, the card costs ~$55 for a PSA 10 graded card, about one-third the price of the Bowman Chrome “flagship” cards.
5. 2019 Bowman’s Best Wander Franco Rookie Card #TP1 (Buy on eBay)
The 2019 Bowman’s Best Wander Franco RC is yet another Franco Bowman prospect card option. The card features Franco batting right-handed (recall he is a switch hitter) in a light blue Rays jersey. I prefer the design of other Bowman cards, but that is personal preference.
The Bowman’s Best card is priced lower than others and I was not able to find a recent auction for a base version of the card. That said, an Atomic Refractor PSA 10 graded card sold for $56 in December 2020.
6. 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball Wander Franco Rookie Card #1 (Buy on eBay)
The 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Wander Franco RC is one of two Topps prospect cards featured in this article. The card follows the standard Topps Heritage design and features Wander Franco in his Bowling Green Hot Rods uniform (this team is an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays).
Thus far, this card has not been popular with collectors and investors and can likely be purchased for relatively cheap.
7. 2019 Topps Pro Debut Wander Franco Rookie Card #50 (Buy on eBay)
The 2019 Topps Pro Debut Wander Franco RC is the second of two Topps prospect cards features in this card. This card follows the same design as the 2019 Topps Series 1 baseball cards and includes a “pro debut” logo on the card. The base version of the card shows Franco in an all-grey Rays jersey and blue helmet, pointing up and smiling, presumably after getting a hit.
A PSA 10 graded version of this card sold for ~$65 in April 2020.
8. 2019 Donruss Optic Wander Franco Rookie Card #7 (Buy on eBay)
The 2019 Donruss Optic Wander Franco RC is the only card from Panini included in this list. The card features Franco in an all-white jersey batting left-handed preparing to swing at a pitch. Given Panini does not have an MLB license, the card does not include any MLB or affiliate logos.
As of November 2020, the card cost ~$55 for a PSA 10 graded card, about one-third the price of the Bowman Chrome “flagship” cards.
Wander Franco Rookie Card Value and Price
Wander Franco rookie card values and prices vary significantly depending on the type of card and grade. Rare parallels (e.g., SuperFractors), autographs, 1st Bowmans, and high grades from PSA or BGS all increase the value of a card. That said, let’s take a look at Wander Franco rookie card values for PSA 10 base version, meaning no autograph and no parallel, of cards we reviewed in this article.
*Prices as of January 2021 (or earlier depending on transaction volume)
Most Expensive Wander Franco Rookie Card
The most expensive Wander Franco rookie card sold on eBay is the 2019 Bowman Chrome Wander Franco Red Refractor 5/5 graded BGS 9.5 with autograph graded 10, which sold for ~$56,000 in April 2020.
The second most expensive Wander Franco card sold on eBay is the 2019 Bowman Sterling SuperFractor 1/1 graded PSA 10, which sold for ~$42,000 in June 2020 (though I’ve been told Fixed Price historical prices aren’t always accurate).
Several other Wander Franco cards have sold for more than $10,000 and are either 1/1 SuperFractors or rare parallels of Franco’s 2019 1st Bowman Autograph card.
Wander Franco Autographed Cards
Most of the Wander Franco rookie cards discussed in this article include at least one autograph variation. See below for a list of 21 Wander Franco autographed rookie cards.
| # | Card |
| 1 | 2019 Bowman Wander Franco #CPA-WF Autograph |
| 2 | 2019 Bowman Mega Box Wander Franco #BMA-WF Autograph |
| 3 | 2019 Bowman Draft Wander Franco #BDC-93 Autograph |
| 4 | 2019 Bowman Draft Wander Franco #B30A-WF Autograph |
| 5 | 2019 Bowman’s Best Wander Franco #B19-WF Autograph |
| 6 | 2019 Bowman’s Best Wander Franco #FFA-WF Autograph |
| 7 | 2019 Bowman’s Best Wander Franco #99FFA-WF Autograph |
| 8 | 2019 Bowman Sterling Wander Franco #BSPA-WF Autograph |
| 9 | 2019 Bowman Sterling Wander Franco #SDCA-WF Autograph |
| 10 | 2019 Bowman Sterling Wander Franco #DRA-FH Autograph |
| 11 | 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball Wander Franco #ROA-WF Autograph |
| 12 | 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball Wander Franco #72 Autograph |
| 13 | 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball Wander Franco #RODA-FL Autograph |
| 14 | 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball Wander Franco #FOSA-WF Autograph |
| 15 | 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball Wander Franco #BA-WF Autograph |
| 16 | 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball Wander Franco #SB-WF Autograph |
| 17 | 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball Wander Franco #MR-WF Autograph |
| 18 | 2019 Topps Pro Debut Wander Franco #50 Autograph |
| 19 | 2019 Topps Pro Debut Wander Franco #FCA-WF Autograph |
| 20 | 2019 Topps Pro Debut Wander Franco #LB-WF Autograph |
| 21 | 2019 Donruss Optic Wander Franco #7 Autograph |
