The 2023 Prizm baseball set is one of the most highly anticipated releases each year from Panini. Prizm has become the premier brand for modern sports card collectors, known for its flashy refractors and parallels that add excitement to the hobby. With the 2023 season on the horizon, let’s take an in-depth look at some of the top rookie and star player cards collectors will be chasing.
One of the biggest rookie class in years is headlined by Druw Jones, the #2 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. As the son of five-time All-Star Andruw Jones, Druw has all the tools to be a future superstar. His Prizm rookie cards are sure to be hot commodities. Look for his standard Prizm Silver Prizm and Black Prizm rookies to be at the top of want lists. Parallel versions like Orange /49, Green /99 and 1/1 White Ice Prizms will command huge premiums if Jones lives up to expectations in his pro debut season.
Another highly sought after rookie will be Elijah Green, selected 5th overall by the Cincinnati Reds in 2022. At 6-foot-4 with plus power potential, Green has tantalizing upside. Like Jones, collectors will be hunting his Silver, Black and parallel Prizm rookies. Green’s on-card autographs from Prizm’s autographed patches and rookie signatures inserts will be true chase cards in the set. Prices on these could explode if Green makes a quick impact in the Reds lineup in 2023.
2023 will also mark the rookie cards of high profile draft picks Jackson Holliday (2022 #1 pick by Orioles) and Druw’s teammate in Arizona, Spencer Steer. Holliday was the top player taken out of high school last summer and has five-tool talent that could make him a future All-Star. Steer had a breakout season as a senior at Clemson and gives the Diamondbacks another potential core piece. Their Prizm rookie offerings are worth adding to rookie collections.
For veteran stars, you can’t go wrong targeting Mike Trout, who remains the undisputed king of the modern baseball card hobby. His Prizm parallels, especially 1/1s, routinely shatter records in the secondary market. The same can be said for fellow superstars Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, who both have monster on-card autograph rookies from past Prizm sets that sell for well into the five figures. Their standard base and refractors from 2023 Prizm will be hot commodities as well for PC builders.
Rookie pitchers also hold plenty of appeal. Druw’s teammate and 2022’s 9th overall pick, Drew Thorpe, could be a breakout star on the mound for Arizona with his plus fastball and frame. 2023 may mark the MLB debuts of high-octane hurlers like Grayson Rodriguez (Orioles), George Kirby (Mariners) and Hunter Greene (Reds). Their Prizm rookie cards will be targets, especially for autographed memorabilia cards that could gain serious value with a strong first season.
Veteran hurlers like Jacob deGrom, Gerrit Cole and Shane McClanahan will remain must-haves as well for their on-field dominance. deGrom in particular holds a special place in the hobby given his injury history – collectors will be hoping for a healthy 2023 campaign to boost the value of his 2023 Prizm offerings even higher. McClanahan’s star continues to rise as one of baseball’s most electric arms, making his rookie cards from 2021 prized possessions as well.
Panini also tends to include prestigious collegiate stars in Prizm who were top picks from the most recent draft class. 2023 could feature the likes of Brooks Lee (2022 #8 pick by Twins), Chase Petty (2022 Mets pick) and other top prospects as they join their MLB organizations full-time. For diehard collectors, their Prizm rookie cards represent an opportunity to get in early before potential stardom.
Of course, no discussion of 2023 Prizm would be complete without mentioning the various parallels and inserts that add complexity to the chase. Refractors, Sapphires, Opals, Golds, Blacks and 1/1 White Ice versions of the top rookies and stars will excite collectors. Autograph and memorabilia cards from sets like Rookie Auto Patches, Signatures Rookies and Franchise Futures remain some of the most coveted modern parallels available.
With so much young talent and established stars to chase, the 2023 Prizm baseball release promises to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. For collectors, it will be all about targeting the key rookies before they emerge as household names and finding those scarce parallel hits that could gain six or even seven figures in value long term. The set is sure to create plenty of buzz leading up to its release next summer.
