Kyle Lohse is a veteran Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 2000 to 2016. While he wasn’t a superstar player, Lohse had a long, successful career spanning 17 seasons. As a result, he has been featured on numerous baseball cards over the years.
Some of Lohse’s earliest cards come from his rookie season with the Minnesota Twins in 2000. That year, he was included in the standard Topps and Bowman baseball card sets as a rookie. In Topps, his rookie card is number 511 and shows him in a Twins uniform. Bowman also featured Lohse as a rookie that year with card number 413.
Both of those early cards are fairly common and inexpensive today, usually going for under $5 in near mint condition. They remain important as Lohse’s true rookie cards from his debut MLB season. Collectors who want a card from each of his first two years in the league can also find his 2001 Topps and Bowman cards without much trouble or expense.
In 2002, Lohse began to receive more prominent placement in sets as he transitioned into a regular member of the Twins’ starting rotation. That year, he was featured in the flagship Topps set as well as in higher end products like Topps Traded and Topps Chrome. His Traded and Chrome cards from 2002 often featureAction photos and have glossier finishes compared to the standard base card.
Between 2003-2006, Lohse continued to be regularly featured in the annual Topps Series 1 and 2 sets as well as in various insert sets as his career progressed with Minnesota. He typically received standard base card treatment during this time period without parallel or short-printed variants.
A notable exception came in 2005 when Lohse was included in the prestigious Topps 205 list, honoring the top players/rookies by uniform number. His 2005 Topps 205 card has a gold parallel variation that is much tougher to find than the standard issue version.Priced around $15-$20 in mint condition, it stands out as one of his more valuable early career chase cards.
In 2007, Lohse signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Reds and received solid inclusion once again across flagship products like Topps, Upper Deck, and Leaf. Parallels and serial numbered inserts began cropping up more for him as his status grew.For example, collectors could find Lohse featured in 2007 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions inserts with serial numbers down to just /99 copies.
After leaving Cincinnati, Lohse had brief stints pitching for the Phillies, Padres, and Brewers between 2008-2011. He continued to receive standard issues in the major brand sets during these seasons with occasional parallels and inserts mixed in.Collectors may find cards from his 2008 Topps Opening Day or 2011 Topps Heritage sets most aesthetically pleasing from this period.
Perhaps Lohse’s most prominent baseball cards come from his career renaissance with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2012-2013. During these seasons, he posted some of his best years statistically while helping the Cards to the National League Championship Series both times.Unsurprisingly, Lohse had heavy representation across 2013 Topps products like Series 1, 2, Transcendent, and Heritage.
Collectors can locate well-centered 2013 Topps Transcendent Lohse autographs and jersey cards priced around $50-$100 depending on parallel.His 2013 Topps Update base cards also stand out for featuring vivid action shots from the playoffs. Overall, 2013 is probably the best single year for finding high-quality Lohse chase cards as a result of his success and visibility with St. Louis.
For his contributions to the franchise, Lohse earned an honorary mention in the 2014 Topps Cardinals team set, even after moving on from the club. He spent his final seasons bouncing around between the Phillies, Brewers, and Giants from 2014-2016 before retiring.During this later stage of his career, Lohse continued to be included in base sets while parallels and autographs appeared less frequently.
In summary, Kyle Lohse developed into a reliable starting pitcher who pitched for many contending teams over 17 seasons in Major League Baseball. As a result, collectors will find he was regularly included across flagship issues from Topps, Upper Deck and more throughout his career.While not a true star of the sport, the longevity and consistency of Lohse’s career makes his full baseball card collection aunique cross-section of the 2000s-2010s era in the hobby.