Diamond Kings 2022 Baseball Card Release – What Fans Need to Know?
Diamond Kings is a premier baseball card company known for its high-quality photography and focus on current MLB stars. Each year, Diamond Kings releases a new baseball card set near the start of the season that is highly anticipated by collectors. Their 2022 release is shaping up to be one of their best yet, with new photoshoot styles, rookie cards of top prospects, and short printed parallels to chase. Here’s a deeper look at what collectors can expect from the upcoming Diamond Kings 2022 baseball card release.
New Players and Rookies
One of the biggest draws of Diamond Kings sets is the opportunity to get cards of the game’s rising stars very early in their careers. Their 2022 release is expected to include base rookie cards for many of the top prospects who made their MLB debuts in 2021 like Bobby Witt Jr., Spencer Torkelson, and Riley Greene. Breakout performers from last season like Jonathan India, Trevor Rogers, and Tyler Stephenson should receive prominent base cards in the set as well. With the constant influx of new talent, Diamond Kings does a great job of staying on top of which young players are poised to become the game’s next superstars.
Updated Photography
Card collectors always look forward to seeing the new photography concepts and styles that Diamond Kings comes up with each year. For 2022, early reports indicate the brand is experimenting with some unique new photoshoot themes. Some of the shots are said to have a bit more of a stylized, fashion-inspired vibe compared to past years. Players will be featured in more posed shots outside of the traditional on-field action photos. Additionally, Diamond Kings is trialing the use of selective focus techniques to draw the eye to specific parts of each image. How these tweaks to the photography style are received by fans remains to be seen, but Diamond Kings’ reputation for top-notch photos makes this a change worth keeping an eye on.
Parallels and Inserts
While the base Diamond Kings set is highly coveted on its own, collectors also look forward to chasing some of the insert and parallel card variations found in each year’s release. In 2022, some of the parallels that have been announced or are rumored include:
Gold Foil parallels (1/1)
Green Foil parallels (1/5)
Blue Wave parallels (1/10)
Red Wave parallels (1/25)
Black Wave parallels (1/50)
Popular insert sets are expected to return such as Diamond Kings Threads (uniform variations), Diamond Portraits (headshot close-ups), and Diamond Moments (key plays from the previous season). New this year may be a “Rookie Retrospective” insert set featuring the top prospects in vintage-style uniforms from defunct MLB franchises. As with past releases, finding and completing all the various parallel and insert sets will be a major challenge for dedicated Diamond Kings collectors.
Exclusive Autograph Cards
While it’s an expensive endeavor, going after the autograph cards in Diamond Kings releases is considered a true high-end hobby pursuit. Each year they produce a small number of 1/1 autograph cards that feature a player’s actual signature. These ultra-rare autographed cards of current stars like Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Ronald Acuña Jr. can fetch thousands of dollars once they hit the secondary market. For 2022, it’s expected the brand may start to experiment with on-card autograph parallels beyond the base 1/1 variation. Signs of life autographs or memorabilia card combos could be a new way for Diamond Kings to raise the bar on their autograph offerings.
Base Set Checklist and Design
Of course, at the core of any Diamond Kings release is the base card checklist and design themes that collectors look forward to seeing each spring. While the full 2022 base set list is still under wraps, early projections peg it at around 300 cards once again. Popular veterans, rising talents, and rookie debuts from the previous season are all locks to make appearances. As for the visual presentation, Diamond Kings often incorporates elements related to that year’s MLB events. Some have speculated a nod to last season’s thrilling playoff races and matchups could influence the 2022 design style. The brand usually likes to keep the overall look of their sets under wraps until the official unveiling.
Release Date and Product Availability
If past years are any indication, collectors can expect the new 2022 Diamond Kings baseball cards to arrive at hobby shops and online retailers in late February or early March. The brand usually does a major product PR push during spring training to help drum up excitement leading into Opening Day. In terms of how the release will be structured, look for the base Diamond Kings set to be available in both blaster/hanger box form for retail as well as in higher-end hobby jumbo boxes. These larger boxes often contain bonus hit cards, autographs, and short printed parallels to drive interest among serious collectors. Limited case-hit items like 1/1 patch cards may be exclusively available through select hobby dealers.
As one of the premier early-season baseball card sets, Diamond Kings 2022 is sure to be a highly anticipated release. With new photography, players, parallels and more in store, it has all the makings of another home run for the brand. Savvy collectors would be wise to start planning and budgeting now to ensure they can acquire the cards they want from what’s shaping up to be one of Diamond Kings’ best releases yet.
