The 2022 baseball season marked the return to normalcy for Major League Baseball after two years impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With fans back in the stands and a full 162-game schedule, it was a year baseball could begin moving past the challenges of 2020 and 2021. For collectors, 2022 also meant the release of the first “normal” baseball card sets since 2019.

While there were still pandemic-related shortages and production delays to deal with, the major card manufacturers all released their standard annual baseball sets in 2022. This included offerings from Topps, Panini, Leaf, Donruss and others. Collecting a complete set from one of these releases has long been a rite of passage for young baseball card fans. With rookies like Bobby Witt Jr. and Julio Rodriguez making their MLB debuts in 2022, this year’s sets had plenty of exciting rookie cards to chase.

Here’s a closer look at some of the major 2022 complete baseball card sets available and what collectors could find inside:

Topps Series 1 Baseball (Released in March): As the longest-running and most iconic baseball card brand, Topps Series 1 is always one of the year’s most anticipated releases. The 2022 version contained 386 total cards including base cards for every MLB player as well as inserts, parallels and rookie cards of the game’s top prospects. Key rookie cards included in the set were Bobby Witt Jr., Julio Rodriguez and Spencer Torkelson. The base design featured a clean and classic look showcasing each player’s photo on a solid color background.

Topps Series 2 Baseball (Released in June): The second series from Topps each year typically focuses more on action shots and team cards rather than traditional base cards. The 2022 Series 2 set included 387 total cards with base cards showing players in action poses. Top rookies like CJ Abrams, Hunter Greene and George Kirby made their Topps debuts in this release. Insert sets in Series 2 highlighted Topps Now Moments from the season as well as Topps Heritage parallels featuring a retro design.

Topps Chrome Baseball (Released in August): As one of the “high-end” flagship releases, Topps Chrome is highly sought after by collectors due to its use of “chrome” refractors and parallels. The 2022 Topps Chrome set included the same 386 base cards as Series 1 but added numerous chrome and paper parallels in various colors. Top rookies like Oneil Cruz, Adley Rutschman and Riley Greene received extra attention in this set due to the eye-catching refractors available. The base design also had a clean and modern look fitting of the “chrome” theme.

Panini Prizm Baseball (Released in May): As Topps’ chief competition, Panini has made Prizm one of its premier annual baseball sets. The 2022 Prizm release contained 382 total cards including base paper and multiple parallel variations. Notable rookies included in the set were Spencer Strider, MacKenzie Gore and Nick Gonzales. Panini’s trademark “prism” refractors added to the appeal for collectors chasing parallels of star players and top prospects. The base design incorporated team colors and logos prominently.

Donruss Baseball (Released in April): A longtime brand, Donruss returned to the baseball card market with its first release since 2013. The 2022 Donruss set contained 382 total cards headlined by the same group of top rookies as the other brands. In addition to the standard base paper cards, Donruss included “XRC” and “Diamond Kings” inserts highlighting superstar veterans and rookies. The base design took a more retro-inspired approach compared to the clean, modern looks of Topps and Panini.

Leaf Baseball (Released in May): As a smaller independent brand, Leaf offered collectors an alternative to the “Big 3” producers. Its 2022 release contained 382 total cards including base cards and parallels of all MLB players. Top rookies like Matt Brash, Christian Javier and Bryson Stott received Leaf rookie cards. Insert sets focused on auto and memorabilia cards of star veterans. The base design incorporated a colorful team-centric approach different than Topps and Panini.

While collecting a complete set from one of these major releases required sorting through hundreds of cards, it allowed new and veteran collectors alike to obtain every MLB player card from that year’s season in one organized collection. For those who finished a 2022 Topps Series 1, Topps Chrome or Panini Prizm set, it means owning a snapshot of that year’s rookie class and MLB landscape before players of Witt Jr., Rodriguez and others potentially emerge as future stars. With the COVID era now behind them, 2022 marked a return to the traditional baseball card experience many collectors had been waiting for.