The 2022 Topps Baseball set released in February/March featured the usual assortment of base cards, insert cards, parallels and more. As one of the flagship releases of the year from Topps, it contained a wide variety of cards that collectors eagerly sought after. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the standout cards and parallels from the 2022 Topps Baseball set that excited the hobby.
One of the most coveted rookie cards in the set was that of Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani. As a two-way player who is both an elite pitcher and hitter, Ohtani is one of the most unique talents in the game today. His base rookie card, along with colorful parallels like the rainbow foil, Santurce, and negative refractors gained huge interest from collectors. With his continued domination on the field, Ohtani’s rookie card holds strong value and looks to gain even more in the coming years.
Another rookie that collectors scrambled to obtain was Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez. Considered a future superstar, Rodriguez dazzled in his debut season in 2022. Like Ohtani, his base card and various parallels like the Santurce negative parallel to /99 were some of the set’s most sought after. With his hype and potential, Rodriguez looks poised to have one of the iconic rookie cards from this year’s release that could explode in price long term.
Veteran superstars also had compelling cards in the 2022 Topps set. A card that stood out was Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner’s base photo negative red parallel, limited to /50 copies. Turner has established himself as one of baseball’s best all-around players, and his low numbered parallel offered a rare and aesthetically pleasing version of one of the game’s greats that had strong demand.
New York Yankees star Aaron Judge also had several must-have cards following his record-breaking 62 home run season. Chief among them was his negative photo blue parallel, limited to /99 and showcasing his incredible 2022 campaign. Judge seemingly cemented his status as a future Hall of Famer this year, making any rare parallels like this one that much more collecting worthy for those who could track them down.
The ‘Hits’ section of the 2022 Topps set also boasted several spectacular cards. A true high-end treasure was the 1/1 Saint Patrick’s Day green parallel Mookie Betts autograph card. Featuring the star LA Dodger on the famed St. Patrick’sDay design background, this solo copy card was a true one-of-a-kind bonus hit that would excite even the most discerning collectors.
The prized ‘Photo variation’ insert cards were also a big chase for collectors this year. Featuring alternative posed photos of stars on very low numbered parallels, these inserts created a buzz. Cards like the Judge and Ohtani photo variations on gold parallels to /2021 especially grabbed attention.
Continuing the theme of rarities, the immense fanfare surrounding the super-shortprinted ‘Laboratory’ parallel cards cannot be overstated either. Pulled at an infinitesimal ratio estimated around 1:100,000 packs, hitting any of the colored Laboratory versions of stars was akin to uncovering buried gold. A Juan Soto lab card in any color would be the ultimate trophy centerpiece.
As usual, Topps also packed the 2022 release with its traditional beloved insert sets like ‘Heritage’, ‘Clear’, ‘Mothers Day’. These provided fun nostalgia-themed collecting opportunities outside the base checklist. Personal favorites were the Heritage design parallels and any Mothers Day cards pulled from the special Mothers Day boxes released on, fittingly, Mothers Day weekend.
The 2022 Topps Baseball release offered an incredible variety of cards across its entire checklist that gave collectors plenty to chase. While flagship releases like this are a yearly ritual, some individual cards from this particular year’s set are sure to take on added prominence and fascination with time, much like the vintage classics of decades past. For today’s collectors, obtaining any of these standout rookies, parallels, variations or hits from 2022 would pay lifelong dividends to their collections.
