Like the player himself, Fernando Tatis Jr. rookie cards have only been around for a few years, but they’ve made a huge impact on the hobby in that time.

Not a surprising situation when you consider that Tatis signed as an amateur free agent at just 16 years of age (in 2015) and was in the majors within a few months after his 20th birthday.

And, not only did Tatis make The Show for good in 2019, he stepped in as the starting shortstop for the San Diego Padres on Opening Day and put together a fairly monstrous rookie season: .317, 22 home runs, 53 RBI, 16 SB, .969 OPS in just 84 games played.

That truncated showing was due to a back injury in August that ended his debut, but he was so good while he was in the lineup that he still finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting (behind Pete Alonso and Mike Soroka).

Collectors took notice and drove Tatis’ rookie cards toward the top of hobby hot lists. Of course, as with Aaron Judge and other recent stars, El Niño had already been the subject of a slew of prospect-type cards before his official RCs ever hit the market in 2019.

Those early cards, like his 2016 Bowman Chrome Prospects and his 2018 Leaf Draft issues, caught fire right along with the young slugger and sometimes even outpaced his rookie card in the market — even if some of them DO look funny because they show him with the White Sox (who traded him to the Pads in exchange for James Shields in 2016).

Since then, Tatis has continued to rake, mashing 59 homers in 2020 and 2021 combined, even though injuries and the pandemic teamed up to limit him to just 189 games played those two summers.

And so it is that Tatis enters his mid-20s with more homers and WAR than many players who have toiled in the majors for years or decades. It’s an exciting cocktail of talent and youth that bodes well for the future and keeps fans — and the hobby — clamoring for more.

For proof of the fervor with which collectors follow the journey of Fernando Tatis Jr. rookie cards, check out the list of the most watched of his RCs on eBay right now, below. At any given moment, it’s a snapshot of a young slugger’s hold on a captive market.

Also: Check out the rest of our series listing the Hottest Baseball Cards on eBay.

(NOTE: The section below contains affiliate links to eBay listings for the card shown.)

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2019 Topps Chrome ROOKIE AUTO SP Fernando Tatis Jr RC Card #RA-FT - PSA 10 Gem

Watchers: 34  
# of Bids: 10
Current Bid: $151.5
Auction Ends: 05-Jun-2023 01:06
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2019 Fernando Tatis Jr Buyback ON CARD AUTO /10 SSP RC PSA 10 PADRES POP 1

Watchers: 23  
# of Bids: 18
Current Bid: $93
Auction Ends: 02-Jun-2023 02:06
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2019 Topps Chrome Pink Refractor #203 Fernando Tatis Jr. PSA 10 Rookie Card RC

Watchers: 22  
# of Bids: 9
Current Bid: $127.5
Auction Ends: 31-May-2023 03:05
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2019 TOPPS HERITAGE FERNANDO TATIS JR. ROOKIE CARD ACTION PSA 10

Watchers: 13  
# of Bids: 7
Current Bid: $47
Auction Ends: 03-Jun-2023 05:06
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2019 Topps Heritage Fernando Tatis Jr Rookie Card RC #517 PSA 9 (28)

Watchers: 10  
# of Bids: 4
Current Bid: $8.5
Auction Ends: 31-May-2023 01:05
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2019 TOPPS ARCHIVES FERNANDO TATIS JR. ROOKIE CARD PSA-10 GEM MINT

Watchers: 9  
# of Bids: 4
Current Bid: $5.5
Auction Ends: 31-May-2023 03:05
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2019 Topps Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie Card RC #410 PSA 9 Padres

Watchers: 9  
# of Bids: 3
Current Bid: $9.5
Auction Ends: 31-May-2023 01:05
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2019 Topps Heritage Fernando Tatis Jr Rookie Card RC #517 PSA 9 (22)

Watchers: 8  
# of Bids: 5
Current Bid: $9.5
Auction Ends: 31-May-2023 01:05
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(2) Lot 2019 Bowman Chrome Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie Card RC #26 Padres

Watchers: 7  
# of Bids: 3
Current Bid: $3
Auction Ends: 31-May-2023 01:05
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2019 Topps Heritage Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie card 517 Superstar RC Padres

Watchers: 7  
# of Bids: 0
Current Bid: $0.99
Auction Ends: 05-Jun-2023 02:06
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FERNANDO TATIS JR RC 2019 TOPPS SERIES 2 #410 SAN DIEGO PADRES ROOKIE CARD

Watchers: 7  
# of Bids: 1
Current Bid: $2
Auction Ends: 04-Jun-2023 02:06
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Fernando Tatis Jr. 2019 Bowman Chrome Rookie Card RC #26 Sharp Clean PWE Ship

Watchers: 7  
# of Bids: 0
Current Bid: $0.99
Auction Ends: 03-Jun-2023 03:06
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2023 Topps Series 1 Commemorative Team Logo Patch Relic Cards Lot (9)

Watchers: 7  
# of Bids: 1
Current Bid: $0.99
Auction Ends: 01-Jun-2023 16:06
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2019 Topps Chrome Fernando Tatis Jr Rookie Card RC #203 PSA 10 Padres

Watchers: 6  
# of Bids: 7
Current Bid: $15.51
Auction Ends: 31-May-2023 13:05
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2019 TOPPS FERNANDO TATIS JR. ROOKIE RC #410 PSA 10 GEM MT E-863

Watchers: 6  
# of Bids: 2
Current Bid: $3.25
Auction Ends: 05-Jun-2023 01:06
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2019 Topps Heritage Fernando Tatis Jr Rookie Card RC #517 PSA 9 (21)

Watchers: 6  
# of Bids: 4
Current Bid: $9.5
Auction Ends: 31-May-2023 01:05
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Graded 2017 Bowman Draft Fernando Tatis Jr. #BDC71 Rookie RC Card PSA 10

Watchers: 5  
# of Bids: 4
Current Bid: $26
Auction Ends: 31-May-2023 11:05
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Fernando Tatis Jr. 2019 Topps Series 2 Flagship Rookie Card #410 RC 

Watchers: 5  
# of Bids: 1
Current Bid: $0.99
Auction Ends: 05-Jun-2023 01:06
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Fernando Tatis, Jr. 2019 Topps No. 410 Rookie Card

Watchers: 4  
# of Bids: 0
Current Bid: $0.99
Auction Ends: 05-Jun-2023 16:06
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2019 Topps Archives Fernando Tatis Jr PSA 10 GEM MT Rookie Card #75 RC Padres

Watchers: 4  
# of Bids: 1
Current Bid: $0.99
Auction Ends: 04-Jun-2023 23:06
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