Where do you start collecting Juan Soto Rookie Cards?

One of Major League Baseball's young stars is in the World Series -- and hitting .571 through two games -- and that means there should be even more people watching him and potentially thinking about buying some his baseball cards.

Where do you start when it comes to Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto? Well, that's what we're here for and it's not that simple -- though it is a tad simpler than when we revisited Ronald Acuña Jr.'s Rookie Cards earlier this year. The 21-year-old (as of tomorrow, the day of Game 3) appears on nearly 2,200 different baseball cards despite just arriving on cardboard in 2016 and on Rookie Cards last year -- in fact he appeared on basically 700 different cards in 2018 alone -- so that's where we'll start with the simple stuff, his RCs.

He's got around 20 Rookie Cards based on traditional definitions and set builds, but for simplicity we've punted anything that's got an autograph or memorabilia swatch as part of the package. We're looking at the simplest of those -- 15 cards of varying values and ease of finding. Some are challenges, some are not -- but now's the time to be paying more attention than ever to them.

Keep reading for a rundown of Juan Soto's Rookie Cards.

For further simplicity, we've grouped these cards into three groups ...

THE FRONT-RUNNERS

This is the group of three Soto cards that arguably are getting bought the most -- readily available to a degree but also heavily graded and stockpiled for moments like the World Series run we are in. These are also from wax boxes that continue to shrink in unopened volume as people chase and hoard key cards of key players from a stacked rookie class that includes far more than this guy and has continued to pay off well for many the last couple of years.

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2018 Topps Update #US300
Soto's Rookie Card arrival came a little later in the year than Acuña last year, so his basic Topps flagship lineup is simpler. That's good but that means it's not as pricey since there's no super-SP card to chase -- though there are variations and parallels. It's arguable which of these front-runners is at the front of the pack as they all can cover various basic collectors' needs or types. This card is the starting point, though, among them and in Topps Update and he's got more than 60 different cards in Update as well as a Rookie Debut card. This one is the default go-to for many. Rare high-graded parallels of this card have sold for thousands ... and it's not alone.

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2018 Topps Heritage High Number #502
For the retro-minded collector who likes an oldschool touch and some sturdier cardboard, Heritage High Number is an annual go-to -- a veritable flagship set of its own for those needing a certain vibe from their baseball cards. There's a simplicity factor here with this release, which is a modern-day take on 1969 Topps, but the stock also can be funky and tougher when it comes to high-grade cards. There are 15 Sotos to chase in this one, including autographs and Chrome parallels but I think I like the rare Mini (/100) the most out of this one for him and others. Graded copies of the big stuff here are four-figure cards.

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2018 Topps Chrome Update #HMT55
This product was a Target-only release and it's one that takes the basic flagship cardboard up a notch with everything printed on plastic Chrome stock with the always-wanted Refractor options and autographs atop that. There's a small rainbow of parallels for each type and Superfractors for them both, too. This brand's limited release in terms of where you could find it (smaller print run) along with those modern touches make it a favorite of many with the prices paid for parallels and other rarities perhaps the highest of these first three. (Update has really picked up investor/flipper potential in recent years simply because it's more available than Chrome Update.) Rare graded parallels of this card have sold for thousands.

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THE SECONDARY PACK

The majority of the remaining Topps Rookie Cards for Juan Soto from last year are mostly relatively affordable and available, which means you might see more gains here as people who can't or won't chase the previously mentioned cards turn toward others out there that they like. But there are also two in this group that are also precisely not that -- they were online-only releases that some might not consider Rookie Cards because of that fact and they can be pricey.

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2018 Topps Archives #73
Just like we said for Ronald Acuña Jr. for this one, all those rookies from The Sandlot got a lot of the buzz when this one finally arrived last year, but the wax here is still readily available to a degree with Soto one of the driving forces. I believe this was his first RC to arrive last year and it uses the 1959 Topps design with six parallels -- a gray-back variation, a no-auto version and then Blue (/99), Gold foil (1/1), Purple (/175) and Silver (/75) parallels. That's as simple as it gets with his lineup being smaller than his Braves rival watching the Series at home. The variations of his card are tougher pulls and will pay for a box and some.

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2018 Topps Mini #US300
The card size here is intentionally shrunken to show you the difference between the Mini and the standard card -- that's ultimately about it. The price will be larger, though if you need to land one. The Mini set was 1,000 cards from Series 1, Series 1 and Topps Update but in smaller size with only 35 cards in a pack. That means it would take about 34 boxes assuming perfect collation to land this guy and there are inserts and autographs to look for, too. It's not a cheap format now but if you land Soto, Acuña or other young guy's it's worth it ... if you're up for the risk-reward scenario. Parallels are strong sellers in this release but the basic card isn't easy ... I like its movement potential more, though, especially in the long-term.

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2018 Topps 3D #86
Like the Minis, the 3D set was a Topps On Demand release where cards are reprinted on plastic to give them a three-dimensional feel. This one is simpler -- just 100 cards in the set -- but with only five base cards in an eight-card box. The cost (and probably hassle) of making these pales in comparison to standard cardboard or even Chrome, so there wasn't as much made. Simple as that ... and that affects the volume of cards available, too. A PSA-graded copy of this one topped the $500 mark yesterday and that's not the highest sale over on eBay. Asking prices are even stronger for graded copies still left on eBay.

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2018 Bowman's Best #29
If you want a Rookie Card with a Chrome feel from a hobby box that you can find a little more easily than the Update Chromes, it's in this box. Soto has about 40 cards in this product, including autographs, but this one is the starting point that's most affordable. There are parallels to chase, too, and its overall design does stand out from others here. The power of Chrome demand can be seen in the asking and sale prices of slabbed parallels and autos.

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2018 Topps Fire #181
This release also was only initially found at Target stores and it's got a design that may not mesh with a lot of collectors -- just like when we talked Acuña -- yet it could jive with a different group of collectors. The good news is that demand for Soto also just might bring those groups together ripping into these relatively affordable boxes. Soto has just 10 cards in this one -- the RC and its parallels, ranging from 299 copies down to one.

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2018 Topps Gallery #126
This release was only found at Walmart stores and it's got a pretty well-developed design around the artwork in the basic set, including some unique typography which is accented with smart foil use and some nice spot-gloss touches. The artwork may or may not work for some collectors, though, and that's pretty much the nature of art-based releases. Soto has about 20 different cards in this release with all of them a version of what you see above. He's got parallels, autographs and even the original artwork used for this card ended up in a box somewhere. Autos from this one are the top sellers but the RCs could pick up steam dramatically with added interest as they aren't that pricey.

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THE PRIDE OF PANINI CHRONICLES

If you want to chase even more Juan Soto Rookie Cards without breaking the bank -- but with plenty of parallels and autographs also in the mix -- then you simply need to pick up one brand and one brand only from Panini America's line of cards from last season. All of Soto's RCs from Panini arrived in boxes of 2018 Panini Chronicles. Literally all of them.

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2018 Panini Chronicles Donruss #280
There are just 11 cards that are on standard Donruss cardboard and carry the Rated Rookie logo made famous in the 1980s and this one is the super-affordable starting point. All but one of its parallels is limited to less than 99 copies and that will create serious challenges for those wanting to try the impossible and grab them all -- I say that because there are four printing plates and an Artist Proof limited to only 10. There's no ink or memorabilia for this one.

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2018 Panini Chronicles Donruss Optic #181
The photo is similar to Donruss, but Optic takes it all up a notch with the parallels and their shiny possibilities that can become more pricey as they become rarer. This card is the starting point for 10 Optic cards all also found in Chronicles packs. Three of the parallels here are numbered and in higher-volume while others are tougher finds. Of all these, this one might be my favorite.

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2018 Panini Chronicles Illusions #20
Illusions is a foilboard-focused brand within the Chronicles brand and it's one that includes three autographed versions to chase, too. All four of the parallels for this one are numbered -- Blue (/99), Red (/25), Gold (/10) and 1/1 Black. The basic version is obviously the only RC of the bunch by standard definitions (inserts and parallels are not RCs) and the cheapest. Graded autos of this one are bargains if you check eBay completeds so Chronicles in general might be a place to look if you just want to land some ink for Soto.

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2018 Panini Chronicles Prizm #14
Prizm inclusions in Chronicles include three signed cards with two of them being 10 copies or less so the most dollars go there, but there are 10 parallels atop the Rookie Card to chase here with these also being impressive at times depending on their colors and scarcity.

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2018 Panini Chronicles Spectra #87
These thick-stock cards might be the most-impressive standard cards in Chronicles though the design isn't all that complicated. It relies on a number of dazzling and varying colors and textures that you don't get on this basic un-numbered Rookie Card. All of its parallels are limited to less than 99 serial-numbered copies and "affordable" can apply across the board.

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2018 Panini Chronicles Select #15
The last of the Chronicles cards is one that also is on Optichrome stock and includes a decent-sized rainbow to chase  with some parallels un-numbered and others numbered as high as 299 copies. It's a tad more do-able if you want to chase them all and there are no autos for this one. The parallels can look pretty good with this design having added color.

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AND REMEMBER ... THERE'S MORE

These aren't even all of them for Soto's Rookie Cards -- we've punted autograph-only cards like 2018 Topps Dynasty, Five Star and National Treasures as well as the number of online-released single and small-set cards like Topps Now and the Topps Living Set. He had about 700 cards last year -- a chunk of those also prospect cards -- and has nearly double that this year (with there still being more to come) and then this previous prospect cards in 2016 and 2017. Plenty to choose from.

There's still some huge-money cardboard to chase there, too, but that's probably a project for another day -- especially if he's got a World Series ring coming his way as soon as this weekend.

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