The 2023 baseball season will mark the start of a new year of America’s pastime on the diamond. With opening day just around the corner, collectors and fans alike are eagerly anticipating the release of this year’s opening day baseball cards. These special issues commemorate the first game of the new season for each Major League Baseball club and are highly sought after by collectors both young and old.
As is tradition, the leading sports card manufacturers Topps, Panini, and Leaf will be releasing special card sets featuring players from all 30 MLB teams on opening day weekend. These limited print run sets are inserted randomly in packs and boxes of the companies’ main baseball card releases for the year. Landing an opening day card of your favorite player or team is always an exciting way to kick off the new baseball card year.
Some key things collectors can expect from the 2023 opening day baseball card releases include:
Special parallels and autograph/memorabilia cards of star players like Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and more inserted at ultra-low odds. These rare parallel and auto cards can fetch big money on the secondary market.
Rookie cards of up-and-coming young talents who could make their MLB debuts on opening day like Dodgers catcher Diego Cartaya, Rangers shortstop Justin Foscue and Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic. Landing one of these future stars in an opening day uniform makes for an iconic rookie card.
Team-specific inserts highlighting each club’s projected starting lineup and rotation with photos in their home or road uniforms. These provide a snapshot of where each franchise is at heading into the new season.
Special retro-style or artistic designs exclusive to the opening day releases paying homage to classic baseball card aesthetics of the past. Topps and Panini in particular excel at these unique commemorative card designs.
Authentic on-card signatures, game-worn memorabilia swatches or stadium dirt relic cards of franchise icons like Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera and Yadier Molina who are entering their final MLB seasons.
Rookies and prospects on the cusp of their first opening day roster spots after strong spring trainings like Cardinals outfielder Alec Burleson, Marlins starter Max Meyer and Blue Jays infielder Orelvis Martinez.
While the base opening day cards will feature standard photo and stats fronts with no special numbering, the true chase cards will be the limited parallels and hits that separate the men from the boys in terms of value. As with any high-end modern card release, collectors will need to crack a lot of wax to have a shot at the big ticket autographs and memorabilia cards.
Secondary market pricing on coveted rookie parallels and autographs from past opening day issues suggests the 2023 releases could yield some true gems as well. For example, Topps Chrome Refractors of Juan Soto and Wander Franco from their opening day rookie year still fetch thousands due to the cards’ ultra-low print runs and iconic debut significance.
Veteran stars in what could be their final opening day like Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols and Justin Verlander will also be heavily sought after by collectors paying tribute to living baseball legends. Nabbing a verified on-card auto of any future Hall of Famer in their possible swan song season would be a true coup.
While the base opening day cards may only hold nominal value in the long run, it’s the chase for the rare inserts that makes each year’s releases so exciting. With rookies like Oneil Cruz, Bobby Witt Jr. and others looking to make their mark on the big league scene in 2023, there could be some true gem cards emerging from this year’s opening day offerings.
For dedicated collectors, the 2023 opening day releases represent the ideal way to not only commemorate the start of the new baseball year but potentially gain access to cards that could gain substantial worth down the road. With packs and boxes already flying off the shelves in the lead up to opening weekend, it will be thrilling to see what potential stars and one-of-one hits emerge when the packs are finally cracked. Here’s to hoping this year’s releases produce cards that baseball and collector fans will be talking about for many opening days to come.
