The 2020 baseball season was unique for numerous reasons due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. That did not stop major trading card manufacturers like Topps, Panini, and Leaf from releasing their usual yearly baseball card sets focusing on the upcoming season. While it remained uncertain if/how the baseball season would unfold, collectors could still enjoy completing sets from the newest releases.
One of the most popular annual releases is Topps Series 1, the flagship set that kicks off each new baseball year. The 2020 Topps Series 1 release included 330 total base cards focusing on players from all 30 MLB teams. The design had a clean traditional visual style in black and white with team logos above the player photos. Some of the key rookie cards included in the base set were Bo Bichette, Luis Robert, Gavin Lux, and Carter Kieboom. The set also featured several popular veterans as chase cards like Mike Trout, Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, and Ronald Acuña Jr.
In addition to the base cards, Topps Series 1 included several insert sets collectors enjoyed chasing. “Gold Label” parallel parallels featured foil elements on a small subset of cards. “Topps Now” cards highlighted recent notable MLB performances in a live-update format. Top rookies were highlighted again in the “Stars of MLB” insert set. Autograph and memorabilia versions of the base cards provided opportunities for autographed and memorabilia relic pulls in hobby boxes as well. Completing the full 330-card Topps Series 1 base set alone was a challenge for collectors.
Another popular annual release is Topps Chrome, known for its elite refractors and parallels. The 2020 Topps Chrome baseball set included the same 330 base cards as Series 1 but with photo variations and a reflective “chrome” design. The visual appeal of the cards was enhanced due to vibrant colors and refractors from the printing process. Popular rookie refractors and parallels of Robert, Bichette, Lux, and others were highly sought after centerpieces of the set. Topps Chrome also included multiple parallel variations like Gold /50, Black /5, Auto Black 1/1 and more to combine with the base refractors. Completing even the base 330-card Topps Chrome set presented a significant challenge.
Panini also released two major sets focused on the 2020 MLB season – Donruss Baseball and Contenders Baseball. The 360-card 2020 Donruss Baseball base set featured a classic retro visual style with team logo diamonds and player headshots on a colorful gradient background. Key rookies in the set included Robert, Bichette, Lux, and others to pair with star veterans. Completing the full 360-card base set presented a notable challenge. Donruss Baseball also included popular inserts like parallels, memorabilia cards, and “Sparkly Signature” autographs to supercharge hobby boxes.
Panini’s 2020 Contenders Baseball release shifted to a more modern design with emphasis on parallel variations. The 200-card base set highlighted the same rookie and veteran stars but with shinier refractors and parallels throughout. Popular insert sets included “On-Stage Performers”, “Panini Suits”, and more. Autographed and memorabilia parallel cards provided key chase cards for collectors. Completing the entire 11-level parallel rainbow of the 200-card Contenders base set presented an extremely difficult feat for even veteran collectors.
In addition to these major flagship releases, Leaf also launched its Memory Lane Insert sets focused on the 2020 MLB rookie class. Each young star received a 16-card signature insert set to commemorate their MLB arrivals. Key players featured included Robert, Bichette, Lux, Kieboom and others with parallel refractors throughout. Chasing a full 16-card insert rainbow for even one player would be a challenge, but collecting all the rookie signature sets would be a true marathon accomplishment for collectors.
While the shortened 2020 MLB season brought uncertainty about the future of baseball, trading card manufacturers still delivered quality flagship sets as usual focused on the anticipated season. Completing any full base set presented challenges, but chasing all the inserts, parallels, and rookie stars brought opportunities for long-term set collection goals. Even with the season adjusting in real-time, 2020 provided engaging new modern and vintage sets for baseball card collectors of various levels to enjoy and aim to finish over the long-term. The releases highlighted emerging young stars and familiar veteran talents to appreciate regardless of how the actual games unfolded.
