The 2020 baseball season was unlike any other in the modern era due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The season was shortened to 60 games, games were played without fans in the stands, and several schedule adjustments had to be made along the way. One thing that remained the same was the release of new baseball cards featuring the stars of America’s pastime.
The 2020 baseball card season provided collectors a chance to obtain rookies or special parallels of players who emerged as new fan favorites over the unusual season. Top prospects like Luis Robert and Alec Bohm made their MLB debuts in 2020 and had nice rookie cards available. Veterans like Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Ronald Acuña Jr. further cemented their status as the future faces of baseball. Their cards remain some of the most sought after on the modern market.
Some of the flagship brands that released new sets in 2020 include Topps, Bowman, Panini, Leaf, and Stadium Club. Each brought their own stylistic twist while showcasing the biggest names in the game:
Topps Series 1 & 2 had the standard rookie cards collectors look for each year from the league’s official license holder. Parallels like negative refractors and green shimmer parallels added to the allure. Basic hobby boxes could be found for around $90-120.
Bowman Baseball focused highly on prospects as always. Robert, Bohm, and others received nice inserts. Hobby boxes for this set hovered around the $80-100 range most of 2020.
Panini Donruss featured stylized photography and various parallels like optic, crack ice and prizm. Hobby boxes weighed in around $80-120 for this popular modern brand.
Leaf Legends of Baseball paid homage to baseball history while including current stars. Parallel hits could include memorabilia cards. Hobby boxes averaged $125-150.
Stadium Club was known for its elegant photography and foil accenting. More premium than others, hobby boxes carried price tags of $150-200.
While the value ranges depending on specific hit cards within, all these sets created excitement for 2020 rookies and stars. Many found new homes in collectors’ PC collections or long term storage to appreciate. One unusual aspect of the 2020 season had other collectors intrigued – game worn memorabilia cards from the season itself.
Because no fans were permitted inside stadiums for much of the summer, a unique opportunity was created. Players had spare jerseys, caps and other memorabilia from actual 2020 regular season games that were never touches by fans. Panini and other memorabilia-focused brands capitalized by producing special low-numbered parallel cards with memorabilia pieces encased within. Popular players like Tatis Jr., Juan Soto or Mike Trout suddenly had ultra-rare 2020 gear cards listing on auction sites for thousands due to their unprecedented nature.
Of course, the season was unusual in other respects too. Some star players like Mookie Betts, Nolan Arenado and Trevor Bauer switched teams in the midst of the pandemic. Their cards took on new perceived value with collectors of their new franchises. Meanwhile, breakout first-year players like Kyle Lewis, Yuli Gurriel or Kyle Hendricks became hot ticket rookie cards as well after starring in the shortened campaign. Their upward trends in secondary pricing reflected newfound popularity.
Whether collecting base rookies, parallels, game worn relics or stars from contending teams, the 2020 season cards provided opportunities for both new and seasoned collectors. While the pandemic disrupted baseball, it created a special collecting year that will be remembered. Top mainstream sets can still be found on shelves or through online resellers. Meanwhile, the true gems continue climbing steadily on the secondary market as a unique chronicling of a bizarre year in our national pastime.
The 2020 baseball card season was unique due to the pandemic’s impacts on the schedule and stadium access. New releases from brands like Topps, Bowman and Panini provided the standard rookie cards and stars that collectors look for. Added bonus were unprecedented game memorabilia cards since no fans attended games. While the future remains uncertain, 2020 cards will stand as a peculiar timestamp marking a difficult time yet also the emergence of new fan-favorite players.Values have held solidly and certain parallels or short prints have even risen faster than normal. For those collecting during or after the season, 2020 baseball cards make for an interesting conversation piece and potential long term investment recalling this anomalous season.
