What year is Tatsuya Imai's rookie card?

Tatsuya Imai's rookie season was 2026, so the rookie cards carry that year.

How many rookie cards does Tatsuya Imai have?

Our checklist lists 6 Tatsuya Imai rookie cards with card numbers, each from a cited source. It is not every parallel or color variation.

Does Tatsuya Imai have a licensed rookie autograph?

Yes. Our checklist lists 2: 2026 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #RA-IMA; 2026 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs #CRA-TI.

How much is a Tatsuya Imai rookie card worth?

Parlae does not print card values. Find the year, set, card number, parallel and grade on your card, then check eBay sold listings or eBay's price guide for that exact card.

Are collectors watching Tatsuya Imai right now?

Collector attention is cooling: Wikipedia lookups of Tatsuya Imai are down 43% this week. That is attention, not a price.

Tatsuya Imai rookie card: key RCs, checklist and collector interest

Tatsuya Imai's first licensed base rookie card is the 2026 Topps Series 2 #513. The first chromium rookie card is the 2026 Topps Chrome #242. Tatsuya Imai's rookie season was 2026.

Tatsuya ImaiHOU SP

Signed with the Houston Astros on January 2, 2026 after eight NPB seasons with the Saitama Seibu Lions.

Cooling

Tatsuya Imai card market

Collector attention: down 43% this week, down 7% over 30 days

Attention measures how much people are looking up this player, a leading indicator collectors watch. It is not a price. Source: Wikipedia pageviews through 2026-10-14.

Tatsuya Imai's key rookie cards, by our criteria

First licensed base RC: The licensed base rookie card from the earliest year in the player's checklist. Where an Upper Deck Young Guns card exists, that card.
First chromium RC: The licensed chromium (Chrome, Prizm, Optic and the like) rookie card from the earliest year in the player's checklist.
Scarcest licensed RC autograph: Among licensed rookie-card autographs in the player's checklist, the one with the lowest stated print run.
First prospect card: For a player whose rookie cards are not out yet, or a baseball player's Bowman 1st: the earliest prospect card in the player's checklist. Not a rookie card.

First licensed base RC
2026 Topps Series 2 #513
Topps, base. Sources [1][2]
First chromium RC
2026 Topps Chrome #242
Topps, chromium. Sources [1][2]

Which Tatsuya Imai card is the real rookie card

He joined MLB from Japan in 2026, so his RC-logo cards are 2026 Topps and Bowman issues: Topps Series 2 #513, Topps Chrome #242 and Bowman Chrome #28, each chrome set with a rookie autograph, plus a Topps Update Rookie Debut card. Topps and its Bowman brand hold the MLB license. As an established NPB pitcher he has no Bowman prospect card; his Japanese-league cards are not recorded here.

Sources [1][2][3][4]

Tatsuya Imai rookie card checklist with card numbers

6 rookie cards, each confirmed on the linked pages. Not every parallel is listed.

Tatsuya Imai card checklist
Card	Type	Print run	RC	Source
2026 Topps Series 2 #513	Base	Not numbered	Yes	[1][2]
2026 Topps Chrome #242	Chromium	Not numbered	Yes	[1][2]
2026 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #RA-IMA	Autograph	Not numbered	Yes	[1][2]
2026 Bowman Chrome #28	Chromium	Not numbered	Yes	[1][2]
2026 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs #CRA-TI	Autograph	Not numbered	Yes	[1][2]
2026 Topps Update Series #US19Rookie Debut subset (RD); the second checklist shows the RC tag on it	Base	Not numbered	Yes	[1][2]

Tatsuya Imai's career, in brief

Pitched for the Saitama Seibu Lions from 2018 to 2025 and is a three-time NPB All-Star.
Struck out 17 in one game in June 2025, a Lions club record.
In his first MLB season with Houston in 2026 he went 6-4 with a 4.93 ERA over 23 games, including six innings of a combined no-hitter on May 25.

Career facts: [1]

Grading Tatsuya Imai cards

A PSA 10 (Gem Mint) or BGS 9.5 is the top grade most collectors look for; it means sharp corners, clean edges, centered printing and an unmarked surface. A graded card and a raw one are different cards to look up.

How PSA, CGC and Beckett grade

PSA

Top grades:: Gem Mint 10, then Mint 9 and NM-MT 8.
Half grades:: 1.5 through 8.5 since February 2008; there is no PSA 9.5.

One overall grade on the label. Centering weighs heavily in it.

Source: Sports Collectors Digest on PSA's half grades

CGC

Top grades:: Pristine 10 (virtually flawless, 50/50 centering), then Gem Mint 10 and Mint+ 9.5.
Half grades:: Yes, from Fair 1.5 up to Mint+ 9.5.

Authentic (AU) for a genuine card that cannot take a number; Authentic Altered (AA) for one that was altered.

Source: CGC grading scale

Beckett (BGS)

Top grades:: Pristine 10; a Black Label Pristine 10 has a 10 in all four subgrades.
Half grades:: Yes, 1 to 10 in half points.

Four subgrades on the label: centering, corners, edges and surface.

Source: Beckett grading

Grading scales as each grader describes them, checked Oct 16, 2026.

Population by grade

A population report counts how many copies of a card a grader has graded at each grade. Search 2026 Topps Series 2 #513 on PSA Population Report or CGC Cards Population Report.

How to identify your Tatsuya Imai card and check what it sold for

Find the year and maker on the back of your Tatsuya Imai card, and the card number, usually top or bottom on the back.
Check the front and back for a serial number (for example 23/99) and for a colored or patterned finish: those mark a parallel, which is a different card from the base version.
Look for the RC logo or the word Rookie. A card from before the first pro season, such as a Bowman 1st or a college card, is a prospect card, not a rookie card.
Note any grade on the slab label (PSA, BGS, SGC, CGC). A raw card and a graded one are different listings.
Search sold listings for that exact year, set, number, parallel and grade. What a card sold for is a better guide than any asking price.

Check Tatsuya Imai rookie cards in eBay's sold listings or eBay's price guide for that exact card.

Tatsuya Imai cards for sale now

Tatsuya Imai card questions

What is Tatsuya Imai's rookie card?: Tatsuya Imai's first licensed base rookie card is the 2026 Topps Series 2 #513. The first chromium rookie card is the 2026 Topps Chrome #242. Tatsuya Imai's rookie season was 2026.
What year is Tatsuya Imai's rookie card?: Tatsuya Imai's rookie season was 2026, so the rookie cards carry that year.
How many rookie cards does Tatsuya Imai have?: Our checklist lists 6 Tatsuya Imai rookie cards with card numbers, each from a cited source. It is not every parallel or color variation.
Does Tatsuya Imai have a licensed rookie autograph?: Yes. Our checklist lists 2: 2026 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs #RA-IMA; 2026 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs #CRA-TI.
How much is a Tatsuya Imai rookie card worth?: Parlae does not print card values. Find the year, set, card number, parallel and grade on your card, then check eBay sold listings or eBay's price guide for that exact card.
Are collectors watching Tatsuya Imai right now?: Collector attention is cooling: Wikipedia lookups of Tatsuya Imai are down 43% this week. That is attention, not a price.

Card facts checked 2026-10-16. Parlae prints no card values. Set and brand names belong to their makers; Parlae is not affiliated with them.

By the Parlae deskCard data updated Oct 16, 2026 at 10:45 AM ETHow this is built Report a wrong number