Next year might not be far off for Cubs fans. The team has a solid group of young bats with guys like Kris Bryant, Albert Almora and Javier Baez. And then there's Jorge Soler, the one who is making an impact for the team already. Not surprisingly, many are taking notice to Jorge Soler cards as well.
Soler signed with the Cubs in 2012 after defecting from Cuba. He showed good growth working his way up through the minor league ranks, improving his batting average and hitting for solid power. The outfielder is also solid on defense.
In 2014, Soler worked his way up from Double-A Tennessee to Triple-A Iowa. After good showings with both teams, he got called up to the bigs on August 25. Jorge Soler's major league debut came two days later against the Cincinnati Reds. It was dramatic with the Cuban hitting a home run off Mat Latos in his first at-bat. The excitement didn't end there. Through his first three games with the Cubs, Soler had three homers.
Jorge Soler rookie cards will likely be found in 2015 products. Because of his late call-up, it's unlikely he'll be in any 2014 major league base sets. However, Jorge Soler cards date back to 2012. He has several inserts and prospect cards including plenty of autographs. We've listed some key cards below worth considering to get your Jorge Soler collection started.
Key Jorge Soler Prospect Cards
Click on the links or images to shop for singles on eBay.
2012 Bowman Chrome Prospects Jorge Soler #BCP120
An insert from 2012 Bowman Chrome Baseball, this is the first MLB card of Soler as a member of the Cubs. With an autograph in the set, the base version is a very affordable alternative for those who might not have a big budget. The card also comes with several Refractor parallels.
2012 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs Jorge Soler #BCA-JSO
For the majority of collectors, this is the most important Jorge Soler card, at least for those that are widely available. It may not carry a rookie card tag in a traditional sense, but it's treated like one by many. It's the first autograph (on-card at that) of Soler in a Cubs uniform. While the base version carries a lot of clout, the lower-numbered Refractor parallels command, understandably, stronger prices.
If you're looking for one Soler card and price isn't the biggest factor, this should get strong consideration.
2012 Leaf Memories Originals Autographs Jorge Soler #AU-JS2 #/25
Done in the style of 1990 Leaf Baseball, this autograph isn't the most attractive Jorge Soler prospect card. First off, he's blinking, which is just unfortunate. The sticker autograph also takes away some of its appeal. But limited to 25 copies, it offers something rare that's still on the affordable end of things, at least when it comes to Jorge Soler autographs.
2012 Leaf Metal Draft Jorge Soler #BA-JS1 Autograph
If you're a fan of chromium but the Bowman Chrome autograph is out of your price range, the 2012 Leaf Metal Draft Jorge Soler is a solid alternative. Although it might not be licensed, it's cheaper and still has an on-card signature.
2012 Leaf Ultimate Draft Jorge Soler #BA-JS1 Autograph
With all of Soler's other 2012 on-card autographs coming on chromium, Leaf Ultimate Draft is an alternative that takes a more standard approach for those who might not like the shine. Like all of Leaf's offerings, the key is affordability when compared with Bowman Chrome.
2012 Leaf Valiant Draft Jorge Soler #VA-JS1 Autograph
Leaf Valiant revisits the Crusade look and feel from Donruss in the late-1990s (and the revived Crusade brand from Panini in the years since). It has a refractor-like finish, a regal design and several numbered color parallels.
2013 Bowman Platinum Dual Autographs Jorge Soler, Yasiel Puig #DA-SP #/25
Let's be honest. This card is more about the signature that accompanies Soler's, Yasiel Puig. The Dodgers outfielder dries the price of the card, which is numbered to 25 copies. Both autographs use stickers, which stand out against the foil card stock.
2013 Bowman Victory Autographs Jorge Soler #/10
You're not going to find any 2013 Bowman Victory Autographs in packs. Numbered to 10, the cards were given out as prizes for the Bowman Prospect Challenge, an online fantasy-style game played with pack-inserted codes. Done with a similar design as Bowman Black Autographs, the background has been switched to gold. Due to the nature of the contest and the very limited supply, most of these made their way into private collections very quickly.
2013 Topps Archives Chicago Cubs Jorge Soler, Albert Almora, Javier Baez #CUBS-81
For the 2013 baseball season, Topps teamed up with the Chicago Cubs for a series of four stadium giveaways involving exclusive Topps Archives cards. Among the final batch is a Future Stars card with the trio of Soler, Albert Almora and Javier Baez. Given the nature of its distribution, the set has been popular since they first released. However, this particular card has become especially hot, topping $50 on eBay on multiple occasions.
In addition to the regular version, there's a foil-stamped version that was given out to season ticket holders. The stamp, which is on the front of the card, has the Cubs logo and reads, "Season Ticket Holder." These are extremely rare and not many have surfaced on the secondary market.
 |
Related Topics: Baseball Cards: Prospecting
