The 2018 baseball season was one of transition for the Atlanta Braves franchise. After several years stuck in rebuilding mode, the Braves were emerging from their rebuild and looking to contend once again in the NL East division. Several promising young prospects had reached the majors in 2017 and were looking to establish themselves as core players for the future. The baseball card industry looked to capitalize on the excitement around this Braves team by releasing several premium card products featuring the emerging stars in Atlanta.
Topps was the exclusive licensee for MLB and produced the main baseball card releases of the year. Their flagship Topps Series 1 baseball cards were released in late March/early April and featured many of the Braves top players. Rookie cards of Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Kolby Allard generated a lot of buzz amongst collectors as these young players were expected to be key cogs for the Braves moving forward. Acuña’s rookie card in particular was highly sought after due to his incredible breakout season in 2017 that saw him hit .325 with 18 home runs in only 111 games. His potential five-tool superstar abilities had collectors excited to get their hands on his first Topps card.
In addition to their base rookie cards, Topps also included Acuña, Albies, and Allard in several prestigious parallels and short prints that added to the chase. Acuña was featured in the coveted Topps Chrome update parallel sets that are prized by collectors. Albies and Allard also received desirable parallels in Topps Chrome. Topps Tribute short prints that paid homage to past designs added another layer of rarity to the rookie class. The Topps Series 1 release established these three Braves rookies as some of the most sought after young player cards in the entire 2018 season.
While Series 1 served as the initial introduction of the rookies, Topps followed up throughout the year with more Braves releases to keep the excitement going. Their Topps Series 2 release in late May/early June again highlighted Acuña, Albies and Allard while also featuring new Braves additions like first round draft pick Kyle Wright. Topps Chrome and Bowman Chrome releases during the summer months provided parallel and short print chase variants of the rookies. Topps Finest and Topps Stadium Club in the fall included some of the best on-card autographs and memorabilia cards of Acuña, Albies and the other young Braves stars.
In addition to their base sets, Topps also produced several high-end hobby exclusive products focused on the Braves. Topps Inception and Topps Triple Threads inserted rare 1/1 autographs and memorabilia cards of Acuña, Albies and others throughout the year. These ultra-premium releases allowed collectors to chase one-of-a-kind pieces featuring the Braves stars. Topps Chrome Update Series and Topps Transcendent also offered pristine parallels and autographs in the fall that maintained collector interest late into the season.
While Topps dominated the Braves card market with their MLB license, other manufacturers still found ways to get involved. Panini produced non-MLB licensed sets like Donruss Optic and Prizm that inserted Braves rookies and parallels. Their One Football release even crossed over by including Acuña cards in special 1/1 color patch autograph formats. Leaf produced their high-end Leaf Metal Universe cards that featured Acuña and Albies. Independent manufacturers like Topps Allen & Ginter and Topps Archives created unique retro-style cards that paid homage to the franchise’s history.
As the 2018 MLB season progressed, the Braves young core began to emerge as the future of the franchise. Ronald Acuña’s electrifying play earned him the NL Rookie of the Year award and further cemented his status as a budding superstar. Ozzie Albies developed into an all-star caliber second baseman and Kolby Allard showed promise as a future starter. Their on-field success translated to strong collector demand for their rookie cards, parallels, and autographs throughout the year. By season’s end, Acuña, Albies and the Braves young stars had established themselves as major players in the baseball card and memorabilia marketplace for years to come.
The 2018 season represented a transitional period for the Atlanta Braves franchise both on and off the field. As their young core began to shine and lead the team back to contention, the baseball card industry capitalized on the excitement by showering Acuña, Albies, and others with premium cards, parallels and autographs. Led by Ronald Acuña’s breakout campaign, the Braves rookies established themselves as some of the most in-demand young stars in all of baseball cards. Their on-card rookie cards, autographs and rare parallels from 2018 set the stage for what would be continued prominence in the hobby for years to come.
