The St. Louis Cardinals have a rich history in Major League Baseball dating back to the late 1800s. As one of the most iconic franchises in sports, Cardinals players have been prominently featured on baseball cards for generations of collectors. The 2022 season saw another talented roster take the field at Busch Stadium, with many stars appearing on various baseball cards released that year.
Some of the most notable Cardinals on 2022 cards included veteran stars like Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina, as well as blossoming young talent like Dylan Carlson and Nolan Gorman. Wainwright, the venerable 40-year old ace, continued pitching effectively in 2022 with a 3.71 ERA over 27 starts. He remained a highly sought after name for collectors, appearing in many premium card products from Topps, Bowman, and Panini. Molina also found himself on cards late into his legendary career, which just ended after 19 seasons with St. Louis behind the plate.
Paul Goldschmidt had a monster campaign in 2022 by batting .317 with 35 home runs and 115 RBI, topping many MVP ballot rankings. The first baseman lived up to his five-year, $130 million contract extension by producing at an elite level offensively. Goldschmidt’s outstanding numbers made him one of the top Cardinals highlights across all trading card inserts, parallels, autographs, and memorabilia pieces released during and after the season. Along with Wainwright and Molina, Goldschmidt was prominently featured on many high-end cards showcasing the team’s veteran stars.
On the younger end of the Cardinals roster, outfielder Dylan Carlson had a breakout sophomore season by hitting .267 with 20 homers and 82 RBI. The 23-year old established himself as a core piece of the batting order and was highly sought after by collectors. Carlson autographed rookies, refractors, and autographs were hot items on the secondary card market all year from sets like Topps Chrome, Topps Archives, and Topps Project 70. Third baseman Nolan Gorman also debuted in 2022 at age 22, batting .226 but showing prodigious power with 19 homers in just 80 games. Gorman rookies and prospects cards gained rapid value as he started to live up to his hype in the majors.
Pitchers like Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz, and Jordan Hicks also enjoyed strong seasons and appeared across many Cardinals team sets and parallels. Relievers like Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos were vital to the late-inning bullpen successes, featuring favorably on inserts highlighting the pitching staff. Veterans like Corey Dickerson and Lars Nootbaar provided quality depth off the bench and occasionally popped up on special edition cards. Even reserve catcher Ivan Herrera appeared on some rookie cards after making his MLB debut in September.
No Cardinals team collection would be complete without notable rookie cards of the franchise’s top prospects waiting for their chances in St. Louis. Second baseman/outfielder Jordan Walker and third baseman Jordan Walker dazzled in the minors and found themselves on many Bowman Chrome and Paper rookie cards as two of the club’s most prized talents. Outfielder Elijah Cabell and pitchers Michael McGreevy, Zach Thompson, and Andre Pallante had their early career cards released, primed to join the Cardinals roster in the coming years.
When it came to special sets beyond the standard Topps and Bowman releases, Panini provided some unique relic and autograph cards exclusively featuring Cardinals throughout 2022. Examples included rare Goldschmidt and Wainwright jersey pieces from Prizm and Donruss products. Allen & Ginter also issued interesting insertion cards containing unusual objects like a Paul Goldschmidt pine tar-stained bat knob or a Yadier Molina catcher’s mitt swatch.
Upper Deck created premium autograph cards of stars layered together in dramatic fashions, such as Molina’s ink paired with Jim Edmonds from The Cup release. Topps Archive Snapshots spotlighted memorable moments in Cardinals history through special photographic reproductions on cards. Topps also took to releasing special painted portrait cards of Wainwright and Molina to highlight their historic careers together in St. Louis.
In the exploding NFT sports card market, Topps released its MLB Candy Digital Skybox collection containing animated Cardinal highlights like Goldschmidt’s powerful swings. Dapper Labs debuted its highly anticipated MLB Topps NFT platform featuring current and legendary Cardinals in 2022 as well. As with physical cards, the vibrant secondary marketplace for virtual parallel and autograph editions got card collectors excited about unlocking new St. Louis content.
As one of the most cherished franchises in baseball, the St. Louis Cardinals will continue producing new generations of stars and memory-making seasons to be forever commemorated on collectible trading cards. The 2022 campaign upheld that tradition with a great roster providing incredibly fun and valuable cardboard across the entire sports card spectrum. With young talent emerging and franchise icons still adding to their legacies, Cardinals cards will undoubtedly remain a driving force in the hobby for many years ahead.
