The 2020 baseball card season kicked off in January with the release of Series 1 from the major manufacturers – Topps, Bowman, and Panini. While Series 1 is always highly anticipated as the first major release of the new year, collectors and investors look forward to Series 2 as another opportunity to find rookie cards of stars from the previous season as well favorites from the current campaign.
2020 Topps Series 2 was released on March 11th and contained several key rookie cards and parallels. Perhaps the most sought after rookie in the set is Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker. After a breakout 2019 season in which he hit .268 with 30 extra-base hits and an .847 OPS in just 80 games, Tucker entered 2020 as a top prospect and was expected to take on a regular role with the Astros. His base rookie card in Series 2 carries a reasonable price tag still in the $10-15 range while parallels and autographed versions can fetch upwards of $100-200.
Another top rookie to watch is Seattle Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic. The 6th overall pick in the 2018 draft, Kelenic blazed through the minors in 2019 by hitting .291 with 23 home runs and a .903 OPS between High-A and Double-A. While still just 21 years old, Kelenic entered 2020 ranked as one of the top 10 prospects in all of baseball. His Series 2 base rookie card sells in the $15-20 range with parallels and autographed variants reaching the $100+ price point.
Beyond rookies, collectors look to Series 2 to find star veterans and key performers from the previous season. One such card is that of 2019 NL MVP and Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger. While Bellinger has plenty of cards in Series 1 and the Update set from 2019, his Series 2 base card remains one of the more affordable options to add the young star to a collection. Other top veterans like Christian Yelich, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Mike Trout can also be found at reasonable prices in Series 2 compared to their Series 1 and flagship rookie cards.
Panini’s 2020 Donruss Series 2 baseball cards were also released in March, about a week after the Topps product. While Donruss lacks the MLB licensing of Topps and thus rookie cards do not feature players in team uniforms, the Donruss set still contains the top prospects and includes popular parallels. Kyle Tucker’s base card sells in the $5-8 range out of Donruss with parallels reaching $15-20. Jarred Kelenic also has an affordable base card around $5 while his colored parallels can be found for $10-15. Veterans like Trout, Bellinger and others have affordable base cards in the $3-5 range in Donruss Series 2 as well.
Bowman’s 2020 Series 2 was the last of the major March releases, coming out around March 20th. As the only MLB-licensed product from the Panini brand, Bowman Series 2 is the only set that features the key rookies in team uniforms along with team logos and designs. This gives Bowman’s rookie cards an edge in collectibility and investment potential long term. Kyle Tucker’s base Bowman Series 2 card trades hands in the $10-15 range with parallels reaching $25-35. Jarred Kelenic’s base sells for $8-12 with his parallels valued at $15-20 already. Bowman is also the only place to find paper rookies of drafted prospects from the previous year’s draft class like Bobby Witt Jr. and others.
While the pandemic ultimately shut down the 2020 MLB season in its early stages, the release of Series 2 products in March allowed collectors to continue enjoying the hobby with new cards to add to collections. With rookies like Tucker and Kelenic expected to breakout when play resumes, along with veterans continuing to produce, the cards from 2020 Series 2 look primed to retain value in the long run for savvy collectors. Whether it’s affordable base cards or colorful parallels, Series 2 offered baseball fans a fun escape during a difficult time and provided a solid investment opportunity across the Topps, Panini, and Bowman releases.
