10 Career-Defining Jose Bautista Baseball Cards – Instant PC
Few players in recent MLB history have better embodied the term “late-bloomer” than Jose Bautista who was a journeyman before exploding for a 54-homer season at the age of 29 in 2010. His peak was short, but “Joey Bats” stands as one of the most popular players in Blue Jays history and one of the most feared sluggers of the 2010s.
All told, there are more than 3,500 Jose Bautista cards, according to the Beckett database. So where does one begin putting together a Jose Bautista PC?
These 10 cards serve as an excellent representation of his playing career and footprint on the hobby, making them a great place to start.
2002 Topps Traded #T180 Jose Bautista RC
The Pirates selected Bautista in the 20th round of the 2000 MLB Draft out of JUCO powerhouse Chipola College, and he enjoyed a breakout season in the minors in 2002 when he hit .301/.402/.470 with 26 doubles, 14 home runs and 57 RBI in 129 games at Single-A.
His Rookie Cards came in 2002 products following his pro debut in 2001, and he has six total rookies in the 2002 Bowman, Bowman Chrome, Bowman Heritage, Bowman’s Best, Topps Traded and Topps Chrome Traded sets.
2005 Bowman Draft #145 Jose Bautista PROS
After seeing 64 games of MLB action with four different teams in 2004, Bautista returned to the minors in 2005 and hit .283/.364/.503 with 27 doubles, 23 home runs and 90 RBI in 117 games at Double-A back in the Pittsburgh farm system.
His first major release cards since 2002 were part of the 2005 Bowman Draft release, and the card also has Gold, White, Chrome, Refractor, Blue Refractor, Red Refractor, X-Fractor and Jersey Relic parallels, along with 11 different 1-of-1 parallels.
2009 Topps Gold Border #261 Jose Bautista
After a forgettable run in Pittsburgh as a utility man with some power, Bautista was traded to the Blue Jays on Aug. 21, 2008, in exchange for a player to be named that ended up being catcher Robinzon Diaz. He hit .214/.237/.411 with three home runs in 21 games in Toronto following the trade.
Bautista didn’t appear in any 2008 sets in a Blue Jays uniform, and his only 2009 major release card was in the Topps flagship set. The gold border parallel has a print run of 2,009 and is a great option for his first Toronto card.
2010 Topps Peak Performance Autographs #JB Jose Bautista
At 29-years old, Bautista put together an out-of-nowhere breakout season in 2010. After posting a 91 OPS+ in 2,038 plate appearances over the previous six seasons, he logged a 164 OPS+ with an AL-leading 54 home runs and 124 RBI to finish fourth in AL MVP balloting.
His first autographs in a Blue Jays uniform were in 2010 sets. His Peak Performance card in the Topps flagship set is a clean-looking design with a reasonable $20 book value.
2011 Topps Lineage Stand-Ups #TS1 Jose Bautista
Bautista had the best all-around season of his career in 2011, hitting .302/.447/.608 with 43 home runs, 103 RBI and 8.3 WAR to finish third in AL MVP voting. He was voted to start the All-Star Game for the first of four consecutive years, and also racked up an AL-leading 132 walks and a 182 OPS+ in 149 games.
The Stand-Ups inserts in 2011 Topps Lineage were found in 1:12 packs and the design is a throwback to 1964 Topps Stand Ups set.
2014 Topps Gypsy Queen Relics #GQRJB Jose Bautista
After averaging 105 games during injury-plagued seasons in 2012 and 2013, Bautista returned to stellar form in 2014 when he posted a 162 OPS+ with 35 home runs and 103 RBI while staying healthy enough to play 155 games. He also won his third and final Silver Slugger Award.
The relic cards in 2014 Topps Gypsy Queen were a 1:27 pack pull.
2015 Topps Chrome Gallery of Greats #GGR23 Jose Bautista
The 2015 season was the final elite-level season of Bautista’s career, as he hit .250/.377/.536 with 40 home runs and 114 RBI and earned his last of six straight All-Star selections. He also helped the Blue Jays reach the postseason for the first time since they won the World Series in 1993.
The sharp-looking Gallery of Greats inserts in 2015 Topps Chrome were found in 1:24 packs, and outside of the base version of the inserts there is also a Gold Refractor, Orange Refractor, Red Refractor and Superfractor parallel.
2016 Topps #96 Jose Bautista
Bautista’s bat flip in Game 6 of the 2015 ALDS is one of the most memorable moments in Toronto Blue Jays history. Topps wisely chose the instantly iconic image for Bautista’s flagship card the following year. In addition to the base version and its many parallels, it photo and layout were included in other 2016 products like Topps Chrome and Opening Day.
A testament to the card’s greatness, it still commands a premium today despite coming along towards the end of Joey Bats’ career.
2018 Topps Update #US221 Jose Bautista
The Blue Jays declined their end of an $18 million mutual option prior to the 2018 season, and after 10 years in Toronto, a 37-year-old Bautista became a free agent. He signed a minor league deal with the Braves in April and ended up seeing action with three different NL East teams over the course of his final season in the big leagues, playing 12 games with the Braves, 83 games with the Mets and 27 games with the Phillies.
His final Topps card is part of the 2018 Topps Update set and pictures him in a Mets uniform. He logged a 102 OPS+ with 13 doubles and nine home runs in 302 plate appearances during his time with the team.
2019 Panini Leather and Lumber Rivals Materials #3 Jose Bautista/Rougned Odor/199
One of the most memorable moments of Bautista’s career came during the Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS when he delivered one of the most iconic bat flips in MLB history after a clutch home run against the Rangers. When the two teams met again the following season, Bautista was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat, and later in the game he slid hard into second baseman Rougned Odor. The two shoved each other after the play and then Odor punched Bautista in the jaw, inciting a bench-clearing brawl.
The two were immortalized in the 2019 Panini Leather and Lumber Rivals insert set, which featured 15 different memorable rival duos with relics for both players.
