Nolan Schanuel keeps hitting -- on just Topps Now MLB cards

A quick and historic debut like this one should have collectors watching cardboard ... but right now that only means Topps Now. 

Nolan Schanuel made his MLB debut in August with the Los Angeles Angels just 42 days after he was drafted and since then he's done nothing but collect hits and get on base at a historic clip. According to MLB.com, Schanuel has now made it on base in 27 consecutive games to open his career and that's the fourth-longest streak since 1900. The record is 47 games by Alvin Davis in 1984, while the others ahead of him were back in 1938 (29 games for Hall of Famer Enos Slaughter) and 1918 (38 games for Truck Hannah).

Why does this matter? His only MLB cardboard is in 2023 Topps Now for now with his Rookie Cards not coming until next year's releases -- and he doesn't even yet appear on any MLB prospect cards in Bowman sets, either.

Schanuel was the 11th pick in this year's draft back on July 9 and he signed and played 21 games in Rookie/Single-A/Double-A ball before getting the call to the big team. That's not totally unheard of as nine players have actually skipped MiLB completely before their MLB debut since 1986 ... but that is still lightning-fast and, more importantly here, very few players these days make an MLB debut having so little cardboard. After all, we live in a world of, well, "Now" as well as prospect sets such as USA Baseball and Perfect Game that can have players on cards and in packs with certified autographs, memorabilia cards and more as young teenagers sometimes many years before they're anywhere near a pro contract.

The print run on this newest Topps Now card isn't yet known (to be revealed on later this week), but it will stand with its parallels -- Blue (/49), Purple (/25), Red (/10), Orange (/5) and 1/1 Gold randomly inserted into orders for those who grab a base card -- to join a small crop of other cards for the Angels' 21-year-old first baseman fresh out of Florida Atlantic where he hit .386 with 46 homers and 176 RBI in 172 games. His four previous Now cards have print runs between just 954 copies and 1,348 with his first debut card checking in at 9,785 -- so that's the biggie that's available with volume to meet demand as he figures to perform in a lineup that presently includes Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. After 102 big-league at-bats this season, he's hitting a respectable .284 with a homer, 18 runs and five RBI in just 27 games at age 21.

Schanuel's quick run through MiLB also limits his shots at appearing team sets -- they could still have happened but at least one card out there on eBay is not legit -- but beyond Topps Now he only has 25 other different cards found in just two past releases. He's got 20 cards in the 2019 Leaf Perfect Game National Showcase set as a prep star and then five cards in 2021 Onyx Vintage Extended thanks to an NIL deal. That's it. Of those, 19 are certified autograph cards -- 15 from Leaf and four from Onyx -- and those are almost all low-volume parallel cards. Everything save for one auto is under 50 copies -- most are dramatically below that mark -- and he only has two base cards, one in each set. Only his blue-ink Onyx auto is widely available at announced 400 copies made. That's it ... no other prospect cards, no USA Baseball ... no Bowman stuff at all -- yet -- as all this has been too fast for even those to happen. They could ... stay tuned.

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