The 2023 baseball season will see the United States men’s national baseball team compete in various international tournaments. As has become standard, hobby card manufacturers such as Topps, Leaf, and Panini will produce sets highlighting the top American players representing their country on the international stage. These Team USA baseball cards depicting the nation’s finest amateur talent provide an exciting look towards the future of baseball.
Topps is widely expected to continue their long run as the exclusive producer of Team USA cards in both flagship and high-end formats. In 2022, Topps released a 63-card base set highlighting the entire 24-man active roster from the Premier12 tournament in November. Paralleling their standard MLB release, Topps also offered retail blaster and hobby boxes of the Team USA set. For serious collectors, three parallel variations were inserted at different rarities including Gold (/50), Silver (/75), and Red (/25). Topp prospect Bobby Witt Jr. and MLB veterans Triston McKenzie and Shane Baz served as the three most prominent young stars featured.
With the next major international competition being the World Baseball Classic in March 2023, Topps will certainly chronicle the American squad set to defend their 2017 championship. While the official 28-man roster has yet to be announced, projections based on past participation see many of baseball’s hottest prospects representing the stars and stripes. Shortstops CJ Abrams of the Padres and Oneil Cruz of the Pirates are early favorites to be included in their rookie card seasons. Other potential first-time Team USA cards include catching phenom Gabriel Moreno (Blue Jays), outfield star Riley Greene (Tigers), and two-way force Jack Leiter (Rangers).
With high-profile talents lining up for inclusion, Topps will surely go all-out with inserts, parallels, and autographs of the 2023 Team USA set. Past WBC releases tended towards larger checklists of 50 or more cards. Along with the standard base roster, premium introductions like Top Prospects, Finest Foil, and Authentic Signatures parallels served collectors of all levels. Limited printing numbers on 1/1 Red Ink autographs of emerging stars like Bo Bichette and Alec Bohm in 2017 demonstrated Topps’ commitment to capturing the next great American players. Additional autographed memorabilia cards pairing swatches or bat pieces with on-card signatures would give superfans exclusive items for their collections.
Beyond Topps, other mainstream card companies are certain to showcase the U.S. hopefuls as well. While not partnered with MLB or the WBC, Panini America has produced amateur sets tied to the Premier12 tournament the past few cycles. Their 2022 Panini American Pride checklist of 50 cards highlighted over a dozen MLB rookie debuts like Bobby Witt Jr., Spencer Torkelson, and Jensen. With prestigious licensing from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Panini also keeps an eye towards top college stars who may represent the red, white and blue. Potential Panini inserts could preview stars of the future like Druw Jones (Vanderbilt), Daniel Susac (Arizona) and Jacob Berry (LSU).
For the high-end enthusiast, longtime producer Leaf is sure to craft an ultra-exclusive master set of the 2023 Team USA squad. Similar to their Leaf Metal Draft and International offerings, autographed and memorabilia cards of the games’ brightest young talents would be significantly limited. Think serial-numbered auto parallels to /10 copies or unique on-card memorabilia relics combining patches and signatures. While pricier due to production sizes under 100 total copies, the sought-after Leaf releases capturing stars on the cusp of World Series glory would be true collector treasures. Players like Emerson Hancock (Mariners), Mick Abel (Phillies) and Blaze Jordan (Red Sox) could provide premiere rookie cards for connoisseurs before taking MLB by storm.
All in all, the excitement of the United States facing international competition brings with it anticipation for the hottest young players to receive premium trading card treatment representing their country. From workhorse Topps to niche Panini and high-end Leaf, collectors will have multiple options across all levels to acquire rookie and sticker memorable diamonds in the rough before they emerge as future All-Stars. With a new crop of first-time prospects expected to don the red, white and blue in 2023, it sets the stage for yet another exciting team collector cycle to emerge from the coming international tournaments.
