The 2016 MLB baseball season saw another year of exciting play on the field and memorable cards being released to commemorate the action. Each of the 30 Major League Baseball teams was represented in the annual baseball card sets from the major manufacturers like Topps, Panini, and Upper Deck. Rookies like Corey Seager of the Dodgers and Nomar Mazara of the Rangers burst onto the scene and had promising rookie cards to mark their debuts. Established stars like Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, and Bryce Harper continued to etch their legacies with strong performance and desirable serial-numbered parallels in the flagship sets.
Topps continued to be the MLB’s exclusive trading card license holder and released products like Series 1, 2, and Update tochronicle the entire 2016 season. Some of the big rookie hits in Topps Series 1 included Seager’s red parallel /299 and Mazara’s gold parallel /50. Veterans delivered strong serials as well, like Kris Bryant’s Printing Plate 1/1. Topps Update had a retro design paying homage to the 1990s and included rookie debuts of players who made their MLB debuts after the initial Series 1 and 2 releases. Rookies like Tyler Naquin, Gary Sanchez, and AJ Reed all had their first Topps cards in Update.
While Topps had exclusive MLB rights, Panini and Upper Deck were able to utilize player imagery and create innovative sets with NHL and NBA licensing. Panini Donruss Optic featured glossy parallels and included short prints of rookie standouts Seager and Whit Merrifield. The parallels could be serial numbered to /99, /75, or lower. Upper Deck Goodwin Champions incorporated an acetate “patch” on each card that paid tribute to iconic MLB uniforms and ballparks. Rookies in Champions like Seager, Merrifield, and Seung-Hwan Oh all had memorable rookie cards alongside established veterans like Kershaw, Trout, and David Ortiz.
Topps Chrome and Bowman were two of the flagship products that generated a lot of excitement amongst collectors. Topps Chrome employed their patented “chrome” reflective foil technology on each card, making for a very flashy and desirable set. Topps Chrome rookies of Seager, Matz, and Carlos Correa all commanded premium prices. Bowman was the company’s long-running prospect set and some of the biggest rookie cards in 2016 Bowman included former overall #1 draft picks like Andrew Benintendi, Dansby Swanson, and Alex Bregman. Their Bowman Chrome parallels could be serial numbered to /999 or lower and fetch big money on the secondary market.
International licenses allowed Panini and other manufacturers to target collectors outside of North America with creative releases. Donruss Optic International Spectra parallels provided a refractor-like effect and colour-blends on cards of Trout, Harper, and other MLB stars. Besides English, the wrappers and materials were printed in other languages like Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, and more. This expanded the potential audience and helped collectors abroad gain access to special parallels and memorabilia cards of their favorite teams and players.
Speaking of memorabilia cards, 2016 saw an increase in the use of authentic uniform swatches, signatures, and other rare player-worn materials in high-end sets. Topps Five Star had on-card signatures and material from the jersey numbers of huge stars like Clayton Kershaw and Mookie Betts. Limited prospects like Alex Bregman in Five Star garnered high prices due to the serial-numbered patches and autographs. Upper Deck had exclusive acquisition of rare Triple Crown material in The Goodwin Collection which featured swatches from Adrian Beltre’s 3,000th hit jersey, Adrian Gonzalez’s last Angels jersey,and David Ortiz’ final Red Sox jersey. These types of one-of-a-kind relic cards drove collector interest.
While the flagship releases from Topps, Upper Deck, and Panini led the 2016 season in sales, several niche sets carved out collector demand as well. Leaf Flashbacks incorporated stylized retro designs paying homage to the past while still highlighting 2016 rookie talent. Heritage Minors highlighted top prospects still playing in the lower minor leagues. Stadium Club Chrome featured a modern take on classic designs and chromium parallels. And Archives Signature Series captured on-card autographs on vintage-styled templates that collectors enjoyed chasing. Between the traditional and out-of-the-box options, there was no shortage of memorable cardboard to choose from for any MLB fan.
As the 2016 MLB season concluded with the Chicago Cubs’ memorable World Series win, collectors were left with a wide array of baseball cards from the year to remember the thrill of October and the rise of new stars from spring training to the Fall Classic. Corey Seager took home the Rookie of the Year award and saw his cards correspondingly gain value. Other rookie phenoms like Nomar Mazara, Gary Sanchez, and Tyler Naquin turned in performances that should yield stronger returns for their early serial-numbered cards as their careers progress. Meanwhile vintage stars like David Ortiz and Ichiro Suzuki had final baseball cards produced to commemorate legendary careers. With another offseason upon us, the MLB trading card companies and collectors alike look forward to reliving 2016 and anticipating what is in store for the diamond in 2017 and beyond.
