The 2022 Bowman baseball release marked another exciting year for prospect chasing and chase cards. Bowman is considered the flagship product for rookie cards and prospecting in the baseball card world. Each year, Topps includes a set of highly sought after short printed and autographed cards that take on a life of their own in the hobby. These cards become the Holy Grail for collectors looking to land big rookie hits of future stars.
The 2022 Bowman set had several chase cards that generated a buzz leading up to the official release date of May 4th. As with every year, the big three chase parallels included the Black, Gold, and Rainbow Foil paper variations. The Black parallels check in around 1 per case, making them rarer than Golds which are estimated at 3-5 per case. Rainbow Foils fall somewhere in between. Each parallel is printed on thick stock and features vibrant colors that really pop on card. Nailing any of these short prints of a top prospect is a huge thrill for collectors.
Some early favorites on the Black parallel watch list included Dominican shortstop Robert Puason, considered one of the top international prospects from the 2021 J2 class. His $5.1 million signing bonus with the Boston Red Sox made him an instant name to know. Other Black parallel targets were catcher Elijah Green, the number one overall pick from the 2022 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks and high school shortstop Termarr Johnson from the Atlanta Braves system. Both Green and Johnson have plus hit tools that could translate to big league success if their development goes according to plan.
In addition to the parallels, Bowman is also known for housing some of the most coveted autographed rookie cards in the industry each year. The 2022 Bowman autograph checklist was headlined by shortstops Jackson Holliday from the Baltimore Orioles system and Druw Jones from the Atlanta Braves system. Holliday and Jones were taken first and second overall in the 2022 MLB Draft and both signed large seven figure bonuses. Their autographed rookie cards immediately jumped to the top of want lists.
Other notable 2022 Bowman autographed rookies included catcher Henry Davis from the Pittsburgh Pirates system, outfielder Elijah Cabell from the New York Mets system, and pitcher Brock Porter from the Texas Rangers system. All three were first round draft picks and considered future cornerstones for their respective organizations. Landing a gold ink auto of any of these big name prospects would be a true crowning achievement for any collector.
As release date approached, social media hype trains formed around certain chase cards. Instagram breakers and YouTube influencers would post “wish lists” of cards they were hunting. This helped drive additional collector interest and speculation. Prices in the pre-release market for raw or graded Black parallels and autographed rookies started to steadily rise on eBay and through group breakers selling spots. By the time live breaks started happening on release day, some chase cards had already climbed well above their normal print run value.
The official release of 2022 Bowman did not disappoint collectors. Early case breaks surfaced several major hits within the first 24 hours. Gold ink autographed cards of Jackson Holliday and Druw Jones started to circulate. A BGS 9.5 Black parallel of Termarr Johnson was pulled and immediately skyrocketed in value since it was the highest graded example. Several Gold parallels were landed of top prospects like Elijah Green and Robert Puason as well.
As more cases were broken down over the coming weeks, additional key chase cards emerged. A Black parallel of catcher Henry Davis was authenticated by Beckett Grading Services as the lone BGS 9.5 graded example. This further cemented it as the crown jewel Davis card from the set. Other major hits included a Gold parallel of pitcher Brock Porter and a Druw Jones Gold Ink auto that graded pristine Mint 9 by PSA. Each card found eager buyers looking to add premier rookie pieces to their collections.
Now several months removed from the initial release of 2022 Bowman, the chase card market has stabilized somewhat. While there is still plenty of room for prospect performances to impact card values up or down, the initial speculative fervor has cooled. Raw Black parallels and top autographed rookies still command strong premiums but have leveled off from the peak release hype prices. For collectors who missed out on chasing the set live, now represents a solid second chance to try and acquire some of these premier rookie cards at a more reasonable price point before the next prospect season begins. The 2022 Bowman chase cards proved once again why the release is such an anticipated yearly event and continues to produce some of the hobby’s most iconic rookie cards.
