The Houston Astros had another successful season in 2022, winning their second World Series title in franchise history. As a result, Astros players saw a lot of attention from the baseball card industry as collectors looked to commemorate the team’s championship run. Let’s take a closer look at some of the top Astros cards released in 2022.
Topps was the lead license holder for MLB cards in 2022 and they produced base cards, parallels, autographed versions, and more for the entire Astros roster. One of the most sought after rookies on the team was shortstop Jeremy Peña. After a breakout postseason that saw him win World Series MVP, Peña’s rookie cards skyrocketed in value. His Topps Chrome Refractor rookie auto /99 quickly became one of the hottest cards on the market from 2022. With his star potential and postseason performance fresh in collector’s minds, Pena’s cards were flying off the shelves.
Veteran slugger Yordan Alvarez also had a monster season, hitting 37 home runs in the regular season. He then continued mashing in the playoffs with two homers and six RBI in the World Series alone. Alvarez’s Topps Finest auto relic /25 became a highly sought after card for Astros PC collectors and Houston fans. The card paired an on-card auto with a nice swatch of jersey material, making it a true one-of-one unique piece for serious Alvarez collectors. With his dominance at the plate, Alvarez looks primed to be one of the faces of the franchise for years to come.
Of course, no Astros collection would be complete without inclusion of superstar pitcher Justin Verlander. The 39-year-old defied father time in 2022 by winning the AL Cy Young award and playing a pivotal role in the team’s championship run. One of the coolest Verlander cards released was a Topps Fire auto patch /10. The red-bordered parallel paired an on-card auto with a sizable swatch of his iconic jersey. With the Astros extending Verlander’s contract, he will likely continue producing memorable moments for collectors. His 2022 accomplishments made this one of the most iconic single player cards from the entire set.
Rookies Korey Lee and Hunter Brown also made their MLB debuts with the Astros in 2022. While they didn’t receive the same postseason accolades as Peña, their rookie cards still gained value as fans hoped they could develop into long-term contributors. Lee’s Topps Chrome Blue Refractor /499 and Brown’s Topps Fire auto /75 provided affordable options for collectors looking to add the young players to their PC’s before they potentially broke out. Even though they saw limited action in 2022, their rookie cards proved popular among the Houston fanbase.
In terms of parallels and serial numbered cards, Topps Finest and Topps Chrome Excel provided some of the most sought after limited Astros cards on the secondary market. The Finest parallels like /10, /5 and 1/1 drew big interest from collectors chasing the lowest serial numbers. Meanwhile, Excel Refractors like Yordan Alvarez (/99), Justin Verlander (/50), and Jose Altuve (/25) commanded top dollar due to their refracted design paired with limited print runs. These ultra-short printed parallel cards really appealed to high-end Astros collectors.
While Topps was the lead brand, other companies like Panini produced popular licensed Astros cards as well. The Prizm brand had nice rookie offerings of Peña, Lee, and Brown in both paper and optic formats. Additionally, Panini One Football provided a fun crossover by pairing current Astros players like Alvarez and Verlander with NFL jersey swatches. Overall, 2022 was a banner year for Astros cards thanks to the team’s championship success on the field. Roster stars, rookies, parallels and more saw heavy demand from collectors looking to commemorate Houston’s exciting season.
In summary, 2022 was a great year for Astros baseball cards with the team winning their second World Series title. Rookies like Jeremy Peña saw huge jumps in value after breakout postseasons. Stars Yordan Alvarez and Justin Verlander continued producing iconic cards for collectors as well. Limited parallels from Topps Finest and Chrome Excel also gained popularity. While Topps led the way, Panini and others offered alternative licensed products that expanded the card options. Overall, Houston’s championship season translated to high interest and heavy collecting of Astros cards across the hobby in 2022.
