Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor was named this year’s Roberto Clemente Award winner, Major League Baseball’s top off-field award. He becomes the fifth New York Mets player, behind Gary Carter, Al Leiter, Carlos Delgado, and Curtis Granderson.
Given to a player who’s shown outstanding character and philanthropy, the award is named after the late, great Roberto Clemente. What makes it even more special for Lindor is that, like Clemente, he is a native of Puerto Rico.
After being drafted by Cleveland in 2011, Lindor made his debut in 2015. He went on to make four All-Star teams and took his team to the 2016 <a href="https://comicvibe.com/watch-best-moments-from-brewers-world-series-rally/” title=”WATCH: Best moments from Brewers World Series rally”>World Series during his time in Cleveland before a 2021 trade (and subsequent extension) with the New York Mets.
Throughout his 12 year career, Lindor has had some great cards. Here are the top five.
No. 5 | 2011 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospect Red Refractor Auto #2/5
The first card on the list is Lindor’s red refractor autograph, numbered out of five, from 2011 Bowman Chrome. The card is graded a BGS GEM Mint 9.5, with an autograph grade of 10. It features the red border, indicating it’s numbered out of five, and has Lindor mid-throw. Oddly enough, the signature is not in the blue ink, which tends to be the more popular ink color. It also seems like his pen was running out of ink, as it is a bit streaky.
This card last sold on February 8, 2023, for a total of $12,000. Goldin carried the auction, and it garnered 32 bids
No. 4 | 2015 Topps Chrome Rookie Auto Superfractor
The fourth highest-selling card of Lindor is his rookie year 2015 Topps Chrome Superfractor Auto. Graded a BGS GEM Mint 9.5 with an auto grade of 10, this card shows a young Lindor after a swing, gazing up, presumably at a fly ball. It includes the famous vinyl swirls and has a blue ink auto.
This card was sold a few years ago, on September 26, 2024, through an auction with Goldin. The card garnered 64 bids and sold for a final amount of $14,030. Card Ladder has a current value for this card at $18,330.
No. 3 | 2011 Bowman Chrome Prospect Auto Orange Refractor #4/25
We head back to Bowman for Lindor’s third-highest-selling card. His 2011 Bowman Chrome 1st, orange refractor numbered to just 25, features him throwing, with the lower half of his body in the image cut off by white space and his blue-ink autograph. The card is graded a BGS GEM Mint 9.5 with an auto grade of 10.
This card was sold a few months after his trade to New York and a few days after Opening Day in 2021. On April 7, 2021, this card sold for $20,400has a current value of $7,986, an incredible drop-off from the last recorded sale
No. 2 | 2011 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospect Red Refractor Auto #4/5
The second-highest-selling Francisco Lindor card is another 2011 Bowman Red Refractor. No, you’re not seeing double. The above card was the second on print of the red refractors, serial-numbered to five. This one is fourth on print of the run of red refractors. It’s the exact same card, mostly. It’s odd that it has a clean, non-streaky, blue ink signature. On the above card, the two-out-of-five is black ink and seemed like the pen was running out of ink.
This card sold just before Opening Day of 2021, and shortly after his trade to the Mets. On March 21, 2021, this card sold for a whopping $73,200. Goldin carried the auction. Card Ladder currently values this piece at just $12,750, a monumental drop from almost six years ago.
No. 1 | 2011 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospect Autograph Superfractor
Lindor’s top sale is his 2011 Bowman Chrome 1st Superfractor Auto, graded a BGS GEM Mint 9.5, with an auto grade of 10.
This card has sold twice; the second sale, on April 21, 2023, went for $26,400, but on May 6, 2020, but at the start of the COVID boom, this card went for an astonishing $102,000.
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COLE BENZ
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast.
IG: coleryan411
X: @colebenz
