Kahlil Watson rookie cards have taken a hit after the player recently fell out of the top 100 MLB prospect rankings. We’ve taken the time to check out his best early rookie cards. 

A first round pick for the Miami Marlins in 2021, Kahlil Watson has struggled in recent months. He has struck out in nearly 40 percent of his plate appearances, while the Marlins were forced to suspend him for three weeks after gesturing at an umpire with his bat. 

However, the shortstop is still only 19, and has all of the necessary attributes to make an impact on the diamond. Here are five of his best 2022 prospect cards. 

The Best Kahlil Watson Rookie Cards

We’ve used a mix of values, branding, and design to come up with this list with five top prospect options from 2022 sets. 

5. 2022 Topps Pro Debut Future Cornerstones Khalil Watson RC #FC-KW (eBay)

As the name implies, the 2022 Topps Pro Debut Baseball collection focuses on the current crop of MiLB talent. The Future Cornerstones Autographs use a colorful design, and there’s only a handful of parallels to chase. It features a simple image of Watson in a battling pose, and the Florida Complex League Marlins are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Miami Marlins. It’s one of the cheaper options to make the list by a wide margin, despite the stickered signature.

• Parallels: Gold #/50, Orange #/25, Red #/10, Black 1/1

Check prices of 2022 Topps Pro Debut Future Cornerstones Khalil Watson RC on eBay

4. 2022 Topps National Convention Kahlil Watson RC #NSCCP-KW (eBay)

A rare collectible from the exclusive 2022 Topps NSCC Bowman Chrome National Convention set, there are signed and unsigned versions of this prospect card to collect. You’ll be able to spot an NSCC logo just above the nameplate. It has a simple shot of Watson in the process of throwing a baseball, and there are four parallels to look for. 

It was given away in four-card packs by Topps at the 2022 NSCC show, for anyone who bought applicable sealed products and took them to the Topps booth.

• Parallels: Gold #/50, Orange #/25, Red #/5, SuperFractor 1/1

Check prices of 2022 Topps National Convention Kahlil Watson RC on eBay

3. 2022 Bowman Sterling Kahlil Watson RC #PA-KW (eBay)

2022 Bowman Sterling Baseball is where you’ll find a crisp Kahlil Watson prospect auto. It features a simple action shot of the Marlins rookie with a bat in hand. There’s a decent selection of Refractor parallels, including an all-new Rose Gold Refractor limited to 15 copies. The set itself isn’t the most popular due to a weak checklist, but the Watson auto is a good hit. 

• Parallels: Refractor #/150, Wave #/125, Speckle #/99, Orange #/75, Gold #/50, Blue #/25, Rose Gold #/15, Black Atomic #/10, Red #/5, SuperFractor 1/1

Check prices of 2022 Bowman Sterling Kahlil Watson RC on eBay

2. 2022 Bowman Chrome Sapphire Khalil Watson RC #BCP3 (eBay)

The online-exclusive 2022 Bowman Sapphire Edition Baseball collection is a high-end set that originally retailed for $199.99 with one guaranteed prospect autograph. In most respects, it’s similar to the base 2022 Bowman Chrome Baseball set seen below, including the card design and the ‘1st Bowman’ logo. 

The Sapphire finish makes it easy to identify, and there’s a few serial numbered colored parallels. There are only two Khalil Watson prospect cards in the set, a signed and unsigned version, with the latter seen above. 

• Parallels: Aqua #/55, Orange #/50 , Purple #/25, Red #/10, Padparadscha 1/1 

Check prices of 2022 Bowman Chrome Sapphire Khalil Watson RC on eBay

1. 2022 Bowman Chrome Kahlil Watson RC #CPA-KW (eBay)

2022 Bowman Chrome Baseball is where you’ll find the card which takes the top spot on this list. It’s an easy decision given the high prices paid for his prospect options from the flagship set. This time, we’ve used the autograph version in the image above, with an example of the Speckle Refractor.

Whether it’s Bowman Chrome, or Bowman Chrome Sapphire, these are the most popular Watson prospect cards by a wide margin. 

• Parallels: Base Refractor #/499, Speckle #/299, Purple #/250, Blue #/150, Atomic #/100, Green #/99, Green Shimmer #/99, Yellow #/75, Gold #/50, Gold Shimmer #/50, Orange #/25, Orange Shimmer #/25, Red #/5, Red Lava #/5, SuperFractor 1/1, Printing Plates 1/1

Check prices of 2022 Bowman Chrome Kahlil Watson RC on eBay

Is Kahlil Watson Good Enough to Justify High Prices? 

Watson whiffed a number of attempts after an early hot streak in the minors, but he still has time to come good in MLB. Because of this, prices for the Bowman Chrome cards reflect that he is still one of the Marlins’ most promising young prospects. 

A safer bet would be a prospect like Curtis Mead, who has cards that are selling for a lot more. 

Kahlil Watson Rookie Cards: Final Thoughts 

Watson is a player who has a while to wait before he can legally have a drink in the United States. It’s far too early to say whether Watson will have an impact on the big leagues. He did have a few strikeout struggles while playing for the Marlins’ Single-A affiliate, but he’s still rated highly as an explosive athlete.