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

FERNANDO TATIS JR RC 2019 TOPPS CHROME BASEBALL ROOKIE CARD #203 PADRES
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Watchers: 41 # of Bids: 3Current Bid: $4.25 Auction Ends: 01-Jul-2022 01:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019 Topps Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie Card RC #410 PSA 10 GEM MINT Padres M160
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Watchers: 37 # of Bids: 19Current Bid: $41 Auction Ends: 30-Jun-2022 02:06 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
FERNANDO TATIS JR - 2019 TOPPS CHROME - PSA 10 AUTO 10 POP15 RC Rookie Card
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Watchers: 37 # of Bids: 16Current Bid: $88 Auction Ends: 04-Jul-2022 02:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
315 Card Lot NFL NBA MLB- Refractors And Prizm: Trout, Burrow, Lebron, Steph PSA
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Watchers: 36 # of Bids: 15Current Bid: $50 Auction Ends: 01-Jul-2022 01:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019 Topps Chrome Fernando Tatis Jr Rookie Card RC #203 PSA 10 GEM Padres M90
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Watchers: 25 # of Bids: 15Current Bid: $103 Auction Ends: 30-Jun-2022 01:06 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019 Bowman Chrome #26 Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie Card RC PSA 10
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Watchers: 24 # of Bids: 14Current Bid: $50 Auction Ends: 01-Jul-2022 02:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
Topps Chrome 2021 Ben Baller Sports Trading Card Hobby Box
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Watchers: 23 # of Bids: 2Current Bid: $101 Auction Ends: 01-Jul-2022 00:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019 Topps Living Fernando Tatis Jr. #173 PSA 10 Gem Mint Mt RC Rookie Card
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Watchers: 22 # of Bids: 5Current Bid: $12.5 Auction Ends: 03-Jul-2022 00:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2 CARD LOT 2020 Topps Chrome Xfractor Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie Cup PSA 10
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Watchers: 21 # of Bids: 30Current Bid: $54 Auction Ends: 01-Jul-2022 01:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019 Topps Fernando Tatis Jr ROOKIE CARD PSA 10 / AUTOGRAPH ALSO A PSA 10 !!!!
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Watchers: 20 # of Bids: 28Current Bid: $164 Auction Ends: 04-Jul-2022 02:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019 Topps Fernando Tatis Jr #410 Rookie Card RC
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Watchers: 20 # of Bids: 10Current Bid: $15.5 Auction Ends: 30-Jun-2022 03:06 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
3 Sealed Bowman 2021 MLB Mega Box (50 Cards)
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Watchers: 20 # of Bids: 18Current Bid: $100 Auction Ends: 03-Jul-2022 01:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2 CARD LOT 2020 Topps Chrome Xfractor Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie Cup PSA 10
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Watchers: 20 # of Bids: 16Current Bid: $36 Auction Ends: 02-Jul-2022 01:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2 CARD LOT 2020 Topps Chrome Xfractor Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie Cup PSA 10
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Watchers: 20 # of Bids: 8Current Bid: $20.5 Auction Ends: 03-Jul-2022 01:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
FERNANDO TATIS JR. PSA 10 2019 TOPPS SERIES 2 BASEBALL #410 ROOKIE CARD RC 6937
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Watchers: 19 # of Bids: 4Current Bid: $6.5 Auction Ends: 03-Jul-2022 02:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2 CARD LOT 2020 Topps Chrome Xfractor Fernando Tatis Jr. Rookie Cup PSA 10
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Watchers: 19 # of Bids: 19Current Bid: $18.5 Auction Ends: 04-Jul-2022 01:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
Massive Bowman/Topps Baseball Card Collection - 405 Cards- Auto’s, #’d, 1sts, RC
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Watchers: 18 # of Bids: 7Current Bid: $51 Auction Ends: 02-Jul-2022 02:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019 Topps Fernando Tatis Jr Rookie Lot (2 cards) #410 & #US56 Update PSA 10 P5
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Watchers: 17 # of Bids: 13Current Bid: $8.5 Auction Ends: 03-Jul-2022 02:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2021 TOPPS BOWMAN MLB BASEBALL CARDS FACTORY SEALED RETAIL MEGA BOX
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Watchers: 17 # of Bids: 4Current Bid: $35 Auction Ends: 30-Jun-2022 02:06 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019 Topps Fernando Tatis Jr Rookie Lot (2 cards) #410 & #US56 Update PSA 10 P1
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Watchers: 16 # of Bids: 18Current Bid: $20.5 Auction Ends: 03-Jul-2022 01:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2019 Topps Fernando Tatis Jr. #T84U-34 Silver Pack Rookie Card RC Chrome Padres
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Watchers: 16 # of Bids: 2Current Bid: $15.5 Auction Ends: 04-Jul-2022 02:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
BOWMAN BASEBALL 2022 MLB BASEBALL NEW FACTORY SEALED BLASTER (72 CARD) BOX
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Watchers: 15 # of Bids: 10Current Bid: $22.5 Auction Ends: 03-Jul-2022 22:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
2022 Topps Bowman Baseball MLB Trading Card Mega Box Factory Sealed 🔥
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Watchers: 15 # of Bids: 8Current Bid: $42 Auction Ends: 01-Jul-2022 17:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
FERNANDO TATIS JR $150++ MINT PADRES ROOKIE CARD #BP17 1ST RC SP 2016 BOWMAN GEM
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Watchers: 14 # of Bids: 9Current Bid: $12.6 Auction Ends: 30-Jun-2022 02:06 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
Mike Trout 2022 Topps Heritage Rookie MLB Sports Card Lot ( 131 Total Cards )
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Watchers: 14 # of Bids: 13Current Bid: $20.5 Auction Ends: 02-Jul-2022 23:07 See full listing on eBay (affiliate link) |
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