Topps 2022 Series 2 Baseball Cards are the second series of officially licensed Major League Baseball trading cards released by Topps for the 2022 season. Following their traditional mid-season release schedule, the 2022 Series 2 cards hit stores and retail shelves in late June and early July of 2022. Like previous Series 2 releases, this year’s set included an array of rookies, stars, and fan favorites from across MLB. The 2022 installment also incorporated some exciting new design elements and parallel inserts that captured the nostalgia of Topps past while also appealing to modern collectors.
At the core of the 2022 Series 2 set were the base cards. Following Topps’ typical design language, these featured clean and simple photography of players in action shots on the front, with vital stats and team logos on the back. For the first time since 2019, Topps used a vertical format for the base cards as opposed to the more common horizontal layout from recent years. This paid homage to classic vertical Topps designs of the 1970s and 1980s that are beloved by vintage collectors. In total, the 2022 Series 2 base set included 324 total cards split between Series 1 and 2.
A staple for Topps each year are the inserts spotlighting top rookies and prospects. For 2022 Series 2, a whopping 40 card Rookie Cup subset highlighted some of the biggest first-year talents, including Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals and Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez. Other promising young players like Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer and Braves stud Vaughn Grissom also received shiny blue parallel versions of their base cards in this insert. Additionally, Topps included gold parallel /50 variations of select top rookie cards that added another layer of rarity and excitement to chase.
Veteran star power was also on full display throughout the 2022 Series 2 set. Notable base parallels included pink foil /299 cards for superstars like Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Mookie Betts. Meanwhile, inserts like Topps’ long-running Stars of Baseball subset saluted established greats like Manny Machado, Jose Ramirez, and Willson Contreras. The retro-inspired Topps Heritage style parallels within the set additionally featured dazzling blue and orange parallel versions of MLB elite like Clayton Kershaw, Juan Soto, and Gerrit Cole.
Topps also injected the 2022 Series 2 release with lots of nostalgia through carefully crafted parallel inserts. The “Then and Now” cards overlaid a present-day photo of a player alongside an image from one of their early Topps baseball cards. Stars represented included Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and Nolan Arenado. A fun “Rainbow Foil” parallel highlighted cards from the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s in different foil colors like red, orange, green, and purple. Iconic players like Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken Jr., and Tony Gwynn received this retro parallel treatment.
Highly anticipated veteran parallels popping up throughout Series 2 pack breaks included “Fielding Greats” gold foil versions /50 for defenders like Andrelton Simmons and Adam Duvall as well as “Topps Now” instant recap cards for historic recent performances. The set also included SP variants, Team Traditions inserts highlighting beloved city-specific uniforms/logos, and various sponsor inserts from brands like Bowman, Topps T206, and Goudey. The spectacular refractors and negative refractors inserted randomly provided the ultimate parallel chase as well for collectors.
With exclusive license access to all current Major League players, coaches, and uniforms, Topps crafted their 2022 Series 2 baseball card release to appeal to both vintage and modern collectors. Clean vertical base designs paid homage to past Topps greats, while a barrage of parallel subsets creatively spotlighted current MLB standouts. Bursting with rookies, stars, nostalgia, and high-ends hits, the 2022 Topps Series 2 set certainly delivered for enthusiastic baseball card traders and investors. With it’s engaging blend of retro and contemporary elements, this mid-season release demonstrated once again why Topps remains the undisputed leader in official MLB trading cards year after year.
