Paul Skenes

The Best Arm in Baseball

Paul Skenes arrived in the majors in May 2024 with a 100+ mph fastball, a splinker that batters couldn’t square up, and the kind of poise that usually takes pitchers a decade to develop. He finished his rookie season with a sub-2.00 ERA, a unanimous NL Rookie of the Year award, and a third-place Cy Young finish. The Pirates had not had a player generate this kind of national attention since the early 2010s.

For collectors, Skenes is the rare pitcher whose card market holds real long-term weight. Pitchers typically discount relative to position players because of injury risk and usage patterns, but Skenes’s combination of elite stuff, a non-traditional path (Air Force Academy then LSU), and Pittsburgh’s underdog story has kept demand unusually high. His 2023 Bowman Chrome 1st Bowman Auto is already a benchmark card for his entire draft class.

Key Cards to Own

Skenes’s card catalog is young but already has a clear hierarchy.

2023 Bowman Chrome Draft 1st Bowman Auto #CDA-PS — the cornerstone

Released in November 2023, well before his MLB debut, this is Skenes’s first licensed baseball card and his only on-card 1st Bowman Auto. The base Refractor Auto has traded in the $400-$1,200 range depending on condition. The parallel ladder — Blue /150, Purple /250, Aqua /99, Gold /50, Orange /25, Red /5, Superfractor 1/1 — is where the serious market lives, with several Superfractors already selling in the six-figure range.

2024 Topps Chrome #220 — the flagship rookie

His first official Topps RC, printed during his rookie season. Raw base copies are affordable; PSA 10 Refractors have been rising steadily since his Rookie of the Year win. This is the card we recommend as the entry point for most Skenes collectors — it’s licensed, it’s graded-friendly, and it’s tied directly to his historic 2024 season.

2024 Topps Update — the debut-season commemorative

Topps Update captured moments from his rookie year including his All-Star Game start. These short prints and image variations are an underrated secondary market and make strong long-term holds.

2024 Bowman Chrome RC — the bridge card

The 2024 Bowman Chrome flagship rookie sits between his Bowman Chrome Draft prospect card and his 2024 Topps Chrome RC. Refractors and numbered parallels are the right target here — the base card overlaps too much with the other issues to be a meaningful standalone investment.

How to Buy Skenes Cards

We think the smartest entry is a PSA 10 of the 2024 Topps Chrome RC or a numbered Bowman Chrome parallel from the 2023 Bowman Draft set. The 1st Bowman Auto is the trophy card, but prices have already made the base Refractor Auto a meaningful commitment.

For collectors who want exposure without the premium, 2024 Bowman Chrome Hobby Boxes and 2024 Topps Chrome Hobby Boxes still pull Skenes inserts, refractors, and short prints. It’s the cheapest way to end up with multiple Skenes cards in hand.

Parallels & Variations to Know

The Bowman Chrome parallel structure is the same one that governs every elite prospect card:

• Refractor (unnumbered): the baseline chase
• Aqua /99, Purple /250, Blue /150: strong parallel territory
• Gold /50: four-figure territory for the Auto
• Orange /25: five figures
• Red /5: low to mid five figures
• Superfractor 1/1: six figures at auction for the 1st Bowman Auto

Watch for 2024 Topps Chrome Update variations and any Topps flagship image swap SSPs — pitchers rarely get SP photo variations, but elite rookies sometimes do.

Investment Outlook

Skenes’s ceiling is determined by two things: health and hardware. The pitcher injury curve is the main long-term risk on his cards. But if he stays healthy and wins a Cy Young in the next three years, his base 1st Bowman Auto prices will look cheap in retrospect.

The smartest flipper plays are around award announcements, no-hitter / perfect-game attempts, and postseason starts. Buy the dip when the Pirates are out of contention in August and sell around award season.

Where to Buy Skenes Cards Today

Sealed Bowman Chrome and Topps Chrome hobby boxes are the simplest ongoing exposure to Skenes inserts and parallels. Graded 2023 1st Bowman Autos and 2024 Topps Chrome RCs are primarily traded on eBay, though Amazon stocks sealed hobby and retail product along with select graded cards through approved sellers. Our shortlist is below.