"Pikachu's not going to tear his ACL" - Matt Strahm drops hilarious truth on why he’s all in on Pokémon cards over sports cards

When it comes to baseball players and card collections, no one is as big as Matt Strahm. The Philadelphia Phillies pitcher is known to have collected over a million cards in his lifetime. He's also the host of the first nationally aired program focused on the hobby, The Card Life.

Matt Strahm famously collects rookie cards of hitters who homer against him and later requests that they be signed. But certainly the million cards at his home aren't limited to just baseball stock, as the 33-year-old has a diverse range.

In an exclusive interview with YouTube reporter Tyler Boronski about his card collection, the Phillies pitcher opened up about why he felt that collecting Pokémon cards initially is better than collecting sports cards, as the human element makes it a risk factor.

"People always ask me like when they're getting into cards if for an investment, what would you invest in? And I always tell them, 'Pokemon's the safest investment.' And they look at me like I have a third eye, and I go, 'Well, Pikachu is not going to tear his ACL and miss the whole season.'

"So like not going to get a DUI driving home. Like that's not going to happen. So like their market's kind of set, it is what it is. But with like players, I mean, you wake up one morning and the card that was worth $1,100 might not be worth the paper it's printed on anymore.

"So you're dealing with the human element and when you get to Pokemon, that's out of there. So that's what I always tell everyone your safest bet is Pokemon," Strahm explained (1:57).

Strahm has gone public about wanting to help his Phillies teammate, Bryce Harper, with his own baseball card collection. He asked fans on X to come up with their Harper limited editions, which they could trade.

Matt Strahm gives advice to youngsters getting into card collecting

During the aforementioned interview, Matt Strahm was asked about his two cents to young fans starting off and what type of collectors they should look to be. As per the Phillies pitcher, one should buy whatever they love.

"Honestly, my favorite type of collectors it's like, you just need to collect what you love," Strahm said (3:54). "And like so my big thing, especially when it comes to expensive cards, if you love Wayne Gretzky it's going to cost you a pretty penny to get a Wayne Gretzky card. Or Mookie Betts, it doesn't matter.

"They're going to be expensive, but as long as you love the card, no matter what the value of that card does, at least you love the card. So, you got to kind of look at it like art, like when you're looking at the card. So, yeah, I would just tell them collect what you love."

On the field, Matt Strahm has made 51 appearances this season, holding a 1-3, 3.19 ERA record and has been an important member of the Phillies bullpen.

About the author

Nikhil Parshy is a baseball and ice hockey journalist at Sportskeeda, and after starting out as a cricket reporter, he has been an analyst with SK since November 2022. His interest in the sports were piqued a few years back after watching highlights on YouTube and he has followed the game ever since.

The Chicago Cubs breaking the 108-year curse in 2016 to lift the World Series remains Nikhil's favorite baseball moment. Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani has been his favorite player ever since he started following the game, while the LA Dodgers are his favorite team.

As a writer, Nikhil maintains a strong attention to detail and rigorously cross-checks information. He seeks to strike a balance in his writing such that the regular reader gains an insight into player profiles, while also keeping in mind that the non-regular reader is not put off by jargon and shallow analysis.

Nikhil is an avid public speaker, and when not writing about baseball, he regularly participates in debates and quizzes.

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Edited by Bhargav