The 2022 Series 2 baseball card set was released by Topps on July 27, 2022, continuing their flagship baseball card product into the second half of the MLB season. Series 2 is a highly anticipated release each year by collectors both as an update to the original Series 1 cards from earlier in the year and for the rookie and prospect cards of players who made their MLB debuts after the first series.
The 2022 Series 2 set contains 375 total cards with designs and packaging similar to the original Series 1 release. Some of the key aspects that collectors look for in each Series 2 set include updated stats and performances for players from the first few months of the season, rookie cards for top prospects who got their first MLB callups, and insert cards highlighting various players and themes. With the midseason timeframe of the Series 2 release, it provides a snapshot in time of how the MLB season has progressed to that point.
For the 2022 Series 2 set, some of the top rookie cards included international signing Luis Matos, a prospect in the San Francisco Giants system from the Dominican Republic, Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez who has broken out as a star in his rookie campaign, and catcher Shea Langeliers from the Oakland A’s who was one of the top prospects traded at the deadline. Veterans like Xander Bogaerts, Jose Ramirez, and Shane McClanahan also received updated base cards after their strong first halves.
In addition to the standard base cards, Topps again included various insert sets highlighting different aspects of the game. “Top Prospects” insert cards featured some of the most exciting up-and-coming young players like Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals and Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco. The “Stars of the Topps Project” insert set paid tribute to players who were featured in Topps’ documentary series about their baseball card photo shoots. Veterans like Albert Pujols, Clayton Kershaw, and Aaron Judge received cards in this popular insert set.
Topps also released inserts honoring milestones from the 2022 season so far like Albert Pujols reaching 700 career home runs or Tony Gonsolin of the Dodgers breaking out as an All-Star. Rookie sensations like Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs and Reds pitcher Hunter Greene received “Rookie Phenoms” insert cards as well. The “Topps Now” insert set that began in 2017 continued with cards for big recent performances and events from the MLB season up to the Series 2 release date.
In terms of parallels and short prints, Topps included several variations of the base cards for collectors to hunt. The most common were the standard “Gold” parallels at 1:10 packs. Other parallels included “Black” at 1:24 packs, “Rainbow Foil” at 1:50 packs, and ultra-short print “Red” parallels available at 1:200 packs. The set also included “Green Shimmer” parallel rookie cards at an even rarer 1:400 packs pull rate. These scarcer parallels increase the chase, excitement and resell value for high-end collectors.
On the secondary market, the top rookie cards and most valuable cards from the 2022 Series 2 set have already begun appreciating in price. Julio Rodriguez tops the value as one of the best prospects in baseball and an early favorite for AL Rookie of the Year. His base rookie card sells for around $50-75 raw while a PSA 10 graded version has reached over $300. Bobby Witt Jr.’s rookie has also taken off with his strong debut and the Royals’ improved play, selling for $30-50 raw.
Veteran stars like Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Ronald Acuña Jr. continue to see strong demand for their updated base cards after great first half performances. Top prospects like Emerson Hancock, Spencer Steer, and Andrew Painter have also gained interest from investors. Insert cards like “Stars of the Topps Project” parallels and any of the scarce “Green Shimmer” parallel rookies hold significant collector value. The 2022 Series 2 release provided another fun midseason update for baseball card collectors and investors.
The 2022 Topps Series 2 baseball card set was another highly anticipated midseason release that collectors and investors enjoyed hunting. It contained the usual assortment of standard base cards, insert sets highlighting top performers and rookies, and short print parallel variations. The rookie cards of breakout prospects like Julio Rodriguez and Bobby Witt Jr. along with updated stars like Aaron Judge led the way in early secondary market demand and appreciation. Series 2 continues Topps’ tradition of delivering a fun product each summer that documents the progression of the MLB season for years to come.
