When Victor Wembanyama threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium last summer, no one expected the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to make a baseball roster. But he’s done it, albeit in a non-traditional fashion.
Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) has created All-Star dream team rosters based on the most-graded and popular baseball cards for each position during the 2024 season so far. The rosters for the National League and American League dream teams are stacked with MLB stars you’d expect to see like Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge and Mike Trout, but there’s a surprising player on the AL squad: Wembanyama.
The 7-foot-4 superstar, who just finished his rookie NBA season with the San Antonio Spurs, made the roster as a pitcher. The Houston Astros’ Justin Verlander joins Wembanyama as the two AL pitchers, while the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Paul Skenes and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto were selected as the NL pitchers.
Players made the dream team rosters by being the most graded players at each position by league. PSA grades trading cards based on their condition, with the scale ranging from one (poor) to 10 (gem mint).
In June 2023, Topps unveiled a baseball card commemorating Wembanyama’s appearance at Yankee Stadium (2023 Topps Now #472). The card shows Wembanyama in a classic Yankees pinstripe jersey with the words “New York” across his chest as he juggles baseballs. The Frenchman showed off his juggling skills before his ceremonial first pitch, which landed in the dirt to the left of home plate.
(Photo courtesy of PSA)
Topps sold 48,654 copies of the 2023 Topps Now #472 card of Wembanyama’s first pitch, and it was the most popular pitcher card PSA graded so far this season.
PSA has graded 1,600 copies of that Wembanyama card, while MLB players have multiple cards for grading. The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani ranked first as the player with the most cards in total graded at 56,500, while the Cincinnati Reds’ Elly De La Cruz was second with 26,700 cards graded. Skenes marked the pitcher with the most cards graded at 9,000.
Last month, Topps released a Wembanyama autograph “First Pitch” card in the 2024 Topps Series 2.
PSA’s full All-Star dream team rosters are below:
American League
Pitchers: Victor Wembanyama, Justin Verlander (Astros)
Catcher: Adley Rutschman (Baltimore Orioles)
First base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto Blue Jays), Triston Casas (Boston Red Sox)
Second base: Jackson Holliday (Orioles), Jose Altuve (Astros)
Third base: Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays), Josh Jung (Texas Rangers)
Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson (Orioles), Bobby Witt Jr. (Kansas City Royals)
Outfielders: Julio Rodríguez (Seattle Mariners), Jasson Domínguez (New York Yankees), Wyatt Langford (Rangers), Juan Soto (Yankees), Aaron Judge (Yankees), Evan Carter (Rangers)
Designated hitters: Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels), Spencer Jones (New York Yankees)
National League
Pitchers: Paul Skenes (Pirates), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Dodgers)
Catcher: Francisco Alvarez (New York Mets)
First base: Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies), Freddie Freeman (Dodgers)
Second base: Nolan Gorman (St. Louis Cardinals), Bryson Stott (Phillies)
Third base: Christopher Morel (Chicago Cubs), Brett Baty (Mets)
Outfielders: Jackson Chourio (Milwaukee Brewers), Michael Harris II (Atlanta Braves), Ronald Acuña Jr. (Braves), Jordan Walker (Cardinals), Corbin Carroll (Arizona Diamondbacks), Mookie Betts (Dodgers)
Designated hitters: Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers), Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres)
