Beckett Sports Card Hot / Cold – June 23, 2023

Welcome to another Beckett Sports Card Hot/Cold where we take a quick and fun look at what’s hot and what’s not in the worlds of sports and sports cards.

And so it begins. The Victor Wembanyama Show has officially begun. The San Antonio Spurs surprised nobody taking the French center first overall in the NBA draft on Thursday. Another super prospect, the hype has been around for months but it has been building as Wemby-mania goes mainstream.

Until recently, there was very few Victor Wembanyama cards for collectors to chase. But that’s changing. Topps has included him in 2022-23 Bowman Chrome University, 2022-23 Bowman Inception University and 2022-23 Bowman’s Best University (out next week), not to mention some one-off Topps Now cards. None carry NBA marks or logos but those are on the way. Before long, collectors will have lots to choose from.

Shohei Ohtani currently sits atop the MLB leader board for home runs with 24. He also leads the league in Hits per 9 IP and is third in strikeouts. It’s hard to overstate how unique a talent he is, being dominant at the plate and on the mound. And let’s face it, it’s a blast to watch. His cards have been hot for a while now, but there’s no doubt that outside of rookies, Ohtani is driving the market for current players.

The Miami Marlins aren’t exactly a hotbed for hobby superstars. However, Luis Arráez is doing something special right now, flirting with a .400 batting average. It’s still early and should be considered a longshot for him to finish the season above the mark, but we’re also far enough along to start wondering “What if?”.