Coveted Paul Skenes Card Pulled by 11-Year-Old Sells for $1.11 Million

After pulling a highly sought-after Paul Skenes baseball card on Christmas, an 11-year-old boy sold the card on Friday morning for $1.11 million. 

According to The Athletic, the anonymous California boy pulled the card from a pack in the 2024 Topps Chrome Update Series box that he asked his parents for Christmas. The card features an autograph from Skenes and contains the patch he wore on his jersey when he made his MLB debut on May 11, 2024, against the Chicago Cubs. 

Skenes stormed onto the MLB scene less than a year after he was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023. Over 23 starts, the big right-hander lived up to his pre-debut hype by posting a 1.96 ERA and a 5.9 bWAR while striking out 170, securing an All-Star appearance, and the National League Rookie of the Year award. Skenes is already considered one of the best pitchers in MLB and he hasn't shown signs of slowing down, striking out 19 in four Spring Training starts as he heads into his age 23 season. 

Skenes' rookie patch card was so coveted that the Pirates organization offered a bounty for it. The package included two season tickets behind home plate for the next 30 years, a softball game for 30 at PNC Park, coaching from former players, and a private Spring Training experience with the opportunity to meet Skenes and receive two autographed jerseys. 

But the offer wasn't enough for the boy, who is apparently a huge fan of Shohei Ohtani and likely a Los Angeles Dodgers fan. The auction sale will net the boy a reported $925,000, 50k more than Skenes' salary for the 2025 season.