The 2021 baseball season saw a return to normalcy for Major League Baseball after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. With fans back in ballparks and a full 162-game schedule, it was a year poised for new player accomplishments and milestones. As such, 2021 also marked a year of exciting new baseball card releases from the major card manufacturers, highlighting the best performances and standout rookies from the season.
Perhaps the biggest card release of 2021 came from Topps, who had their flagship Series 1 cards hit store shelves in late March/early April. As always, the 361-card base set featured every major and minor leaguer on opening day rosters. Some of the top rookies included in Series 1 were Adley Rutschman, Matt Brash, Bobby Witt Jr., and Steven Kwan. Veterans stars like Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Juan Soto also had premium parallels and insert cards. Topps Series 1 is THE set collectors look to build each year, laying the foundation for their entire 2021 collection.
Later in the season, Topps released Series 2 in June with another large base set spanning the entire league. This included call-ups and debuts from the first few months like Spencer Torkelson, C.J. Abrams, and Jarred Kelenic. Topps also produced Update and Highlights inserts, commemorating big plays and performances throughout the year up to that point. In August, Topps Finest hit shelves with its trademark high-end parallels and foil cards, giving collectors flashy versions of the best players.
Panini also had a busy 2021 release schedule across its various baseball properties. The flagship Donruss set arrived in April/May with rookies like Riley Greene, Jeremy Peña, and Hunter Greene. In July, Panini released Absolute, a luxe card set with serial-numbered parallels and autographed memorabilia cards of stars like Mike Trout, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Shohei Ohtani. Later in the summer, Panini Certified debuted premium on-card autos of top draftees from 2021 like Jackson Jobe and Termarr Johnson.
Upper Deck also joined the 2021 party with flagship products showcating the season’s top talents. The Artifacts baseball card set featured acetate parallels and serial-numbered refractors of Juan Soto, Wander Franco, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Bowman’s Best hit in June with prospects like Marcelo Mayer, Brady House, and Elijah Green. Moreover, Topps Chrome and Finest, Panini Prizm, and Bowman Chrome/Platinum all provided the hits fans desired in the form of refractors, rainbow foil, and on-card autos for modern PC collections.
Specific rookie classes from 2021 were highly sought after by collectors as well. Topps Top Prospects debuted talents like Julio Rodríguez, Bryson Stott, and Dustin Harris before their call-ups. Spencer Torkelson and Cade Cavalli headlined Bowman Draft picks from 2021. Meanwhile, prized prospects like Jackson Jobe, Termarr Johnson, and Harry Ford had their rookie cards across flagship Topps, Panini, and Upper Deck releases all year. As breakout talents established themselves in the majors, so too did interest in their earliest cardboard.
Perhaps the most defining player cards from 2021 commemorated Shohei Ohtani’s historic two-way MVP season with the Angels. Ohtani shattered records with his pitching and hitting prowess, making any card featuring him as a prominent subject extremely desirable. Topps Finest Santa suit short print became arguably the most sought after card of the year due to its rarity and Ohtani subject matter. Upper Deck also issued special parallels highlighting both of Ohtani’s talents on the same card through releases like Illusions. Similarly, Panini Flawless patches and autos drew attention for portraying Ohtani’s unique two-way accomplishments.
All in all, 2021 was a banner year for the baseball card industry and collectors alike following 2020’s lull. Fresh young stars and veterans alike had defining seasons chronicled across cardboard in the form of coveted rookie cards, parallels, autographs and more. Led by breakout talents like Ohtani and surprise rookies, the market responded positively. Looking ahead, 2022 shapes up to be another active year with large rookie classes and players no doubt building on last season’s success. The stage is set for more history-making baseball collecting.
