The 2022 Donruss Optic baseball card set was released in late 2022 and features a modernized design with refractors and parallels of today’s top Major League Baseball stars. Donruss Optic has become one of the flagship baseball card products in recent years, known for its visually stunning refractors and appealing retro designs.
Some key things to know about the 2022 Donruss Optic set include the base card design, parallels and refractors included, rookie cards and autographs to hunt for, as well as the overall product popularity among today’s collectors. Let’s take a deeper dive into what makes this particular year’s set stand out.
Base Card Design
The base cards in the 2022 Donruss Optic set feature a clean and simple design paying homage to classic 1980s/1990s Donruss cards. Players are shown head-on with their team logo and colors prominently displayed behind them on a dark colored backdrop. Player names, positions and team names are listed cleanly below the photo.
What makes these designs really pop are the refractors that are included throughout the set. Refractors feature an eye-catching iridescent sheen depending on how the light hits the card. This gives the base cards a modern, premium feel compared to traditional cardboard.
Parallels and Refractors
In addition to the standard base refractors, Donruss Optic includes numerous parallel and refractor variations that collectors love to hunt. Some of the most notable include:
Pink Refractors /75
Orange Refractors /150
Green Refractors /399
Blue Refractors /599
Purple Refractors /999
Gold Refractors /10
Orange Wave Refractors /50
Green Wave Refractors /199
Aqua Wave Refractors /299
Purple Wave Refractors /499
This adds tremendous levels of complexity and rarity through the different parallel variations that can be pulled. The lower the number, the harder the card is to find making 1/1 autos and serial numbered parallels extremely coveted prizes.
Rookies and Key Young Stars
As with any modern baseball card release, the rookies and young stars are always highly sought after players to find. Some notable rookies/prospects featured in 2022 Donruss Optic include:
Adley Rutschman
Bobby Witt Jr.
Spencer Torkelson
Jeremy Peña
Julio Rodriguez
C.J. Abrams
Mackenzie Gore
Riley Greene
Veteran stars like Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto and Ronald Acuña Jr. also remain popular veterans to pull due to their current on-field production and commercial appeal off the field.
Autographs and Memorabilia Cards
While the base refractors and parallels make Donruss Optic a fun rip for any collector, the real big ticket items are the autograph and memorabilia cards that can be pulled. These include:
On-Card Autographs
Patch Autographs
Bat Knob Autographs
Patch Cards with swatches of jerseys/uniforms
Rare 1/1 Parallel Autographs
Landing aserialized /10 auto of a star rookie like Witt Jr. or Rutschman could yield a serious monetary return if resold or held long term. The exclusive 1/1 parallels make for true one-of-a-kind collector’s pieces.
Overall Popularity and Resell Market
In just a few short years, Donruss Optic has become one of the most popular and valuable modern baseball card releases each season. This is due to the high-end refractors, lucrative rookie class, and existence of low-numbered parallel autos that excite the chase.
Boxes of 2022 Donruss Optic sold out quickly upon release, showing the demand among today’s collectors. Individual cards, especially of stars and short-printed parallels, routinely sell in the hundreds or thousands of dollars on the collector market online.
Long-term, the set should age very well due to the classic Donruss design elements combined with modern technology like refractors. As today’s rookies like Witt Jr. and Rutschman potentially turn into star talents, their rookie cards from this set could potentially become quite valuable.
The 2022 Donruss Optic Baseball set proved another monster release that will stand the test of time for collectors. Between the dazzling refractors, coveted rookie class, and high-end parallels and autographs – it offers something for every type of baseball card investor and fan. This sets the brand up well to continue dominating the baseball card landscape for many years to come.
