The 2022 Topps baseball card set saw the rise of several young superstars who are poised to become the faces of MLB for the next decade. With vintage players like Mike Trout and Juan Soto still dominating on the field year after year, their rookie cards from past Topps issues remain hugely valuable for collectors. Some of the top rookies from the 2022 Topps series are already skyrocketing in secondary market value as they make their mark in The Show.

One of the most hotly anticipated rookie cards in the 2022 set was Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco. Still just 21 years old, Franco had a breakout season in 2021 that saw him hit .288 with 7 home runs and 39 RBI in just 70 games. Scouts had been drooling over his talents since he was a teenager coming up through the minors, and Topps recognized him as the can’t-miss rookie by featuring Franco prominently on the front of Series 1 pack wrappers.

Within months of the set being released, Franco’s base rookie card was selling for over $100 on auction sites like eBay. By the end of the 2022 season, as Franco continued building on his successes and helped lead the Rays back to the playoffs, PSA 10 gem mint copies of his Topps rookie were commanding bids well over $500. With Franco seen as a surefire superstar for years to come, this card is a near lock to eventually rival the prices paid for Trout and Soto rookie cards in the future.

Another massive breakout star from 2022 was Seattle Mariners rookie outfielder Julio Rodriguez. While not boasting the pedigree or prospect fame of Franco, Rodriguez exploded onto the scene by slashing .284/.345/.517 with 28 home runs and 75 RBI in his first full MLB season. He won the AL Rookie of the Year award in a landslide and immediately established himself as a cornerstone player for the emerging Mariners. Julio’s base Topps rookie card was flying off shelves for $50-75 throughout the summer before skyrocketing to around $200-250 once awards season began in the fall. With Seattle emerging as a playoff contender, excitement around Rodriguez is at an all-time high and his rookies could challenge $500+ in the years ahead.

While most of the 2022 Topps rookie stars were position players, one pitcher stands out as having achieved early success and value – Miami Marlins righty Sandy Alcantara. After several years of development, Alcantara broke out in 2022 by going 14-9 with a 2.28 ERA and 228 strikeouts in 228 innings pitched. The durable workhorse led all of MLB in innings and secured his first All-Star nod, cementing his arrival among the elite arms in the game today. Alcantara’s stock was perhaps lower than Franco or Rodriguez entering the season, but strong performances have his base rookie hovering around $75-100 already. With Cy Young caliber seasons still ahead, Alcantara rookie cards could easily eclipse the $200-300 range in the next 2-3 years.

While the aforementioned rookies have clearly become the headliners from 2022 Topps due to their immediate on-field impacts, there are also several prospects who have accrued value solely based on future potential. Texas Rangers shortstop prospect Justin Foscue entered 2022 ranked as one of the top 10 prospects in all of baseball according to scouting publications. As the 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Mississippi State, Foscue slashed .251/.336/.405 between High-A and Double-A in his first full pro season. The power/speed combo profile and pedigree has already pushed Foscue’s Topps Chrome Refractors over $100 on the secondary market. Other elite prospects like Twins outfielder Aaron Sabato, Giants righty Kyle Harrison and Royals catcher MJ Melendez have also seen significant jumps in rookie card prices based on their high-ceiling farm systems ascents this season.

While player performance and prospect status drive most of the speculative value in the 2022 Topps rookie class, certain parallels and premium inserts have also gained traction. The ultra-short printed Topps Chrome Blue Refractors (#/99 or less) of stars like Franco, Rodriguez and Alcantara are already reaching $500-1000 per card in high grades. Precious Metal Gems parallels numbered to just 10 copies each have also exploded – a PSA 10 Gold Julio Rodriguez Gems sold for nearly $3700 last month. And the much-discussed Topps Transcendent Baseball Cryptic insert set, which featured swatches or memorabilia fused with 3D crypto artwork, has become acollector holy grail – with the Trout card selling recently for over $100000.

While Mike Trout and Juan Soto will likely hold the top two spots on the all-time most valuable Topps rookie charts for the foreseeable future, the stars of 2022 like Franco, Rodriguez and Alcantara are wasting no time ascending those rankings themselves. Strong early careers on the field combined with short printed parallels and inserts are supercharging these modern rookies to prices that rivals cards from past decades. For savvy collectors, identifying 2022 standouts like these and acquiring their rookie cards now presents excellent long term investment potential as these young talents continue elevating their games and profiles in Major League Baseball.