Topps baseball cards are synonymous with America’s pastime. Since the first iteration was released in 1952, Topps has produced over seven decades of cards chronicling MLB players, teams, and history. The 2023 Series 3 release builds upon this tradition by showcasing some of the biggest names and rising stars from the current baseball season.
Series 3 is the third standard release of the year from Topps and features 330 total cards. The base set contains 200 common cards that provide an in-depth look at players across all 30 MLB franchises. Some key names included in the base set are Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Juan Soto, and newcomers like Julio Rodriguez and Michael Harris II. Top rookies continue to get plenty of shine and Series 3 highlights players like Oneil Cruz, Brennan Davis, and Bailey Ober who are making their MLB card debuts.
Beyond the base cards, Series 3 offers a variety of inserts and parallels to entice collectors. The Fire parallels consist of 70 red parallel cards that feature a fiery border around the image. These are inserted randomly throughout packs at a rate of around 1:4 packs. Top prospect cards also return with rookies like Gunnar Henderson, Emerson Hancock, and Caleb Kilian receiving special rookie picks cards highlighting their future potential. International talent scouting directors also get recognition with 10 “Scouting Director” insert cards highlighting top international signings like Ronaldo Hernandez.
Veteran stars who have had big offensive seasons continue to receive special treatment from Topps. The “Top Performers” insert set features 15 additional cards spotlighting sluggers like Jose Ramirez, Yordan Alvarez, and Anthony Rizzo who have kept up elite productivity at the plate. New York Mets aces Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom find themselves amongst 10 “Aces” insert highlighting some of the game’s top starting pitchers. Rookie sensation Julio Rodriguez receives an extra special “RC Variation” parallel card showing him in action along with a brief bio recognizing his early success.
Collectors series cards remain a highlight as well with inserts focused on 2023 All-Star Game festivities from Seattle. The “FanFavorites” set spotlights 10 additional cards voted on by fans online to highlight popular veterans, newcomers, and events from the Midsummer Classic. An “All-Star Captains” subset honors Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw and Mariners ace Luis Castillo who were named captains for the teams by the commissioner’s office. Fans in attendance at T-Mobile Park can also find special foil stamped “My All-Star Moment” inserts randomly in packs commemorating attending the game live.
On the chase card front, Series 3 offers several exciting short print parallels and one-of-one autographs. The coveted Black Gold parallel returns with 15 extra shiny cards that are almost impossible to pull at 1:450 packs on average. For the true high-end collector, 1-of-1 autograph cards are available randomly of rising talents like Bobby Witt Jr., Adley Rutschman, and Emerson Hancock. These one-of-a-kind prize cards could potentially reel in thousands of dollars on the resale market for patient collectors.
Overall, Topps 2023 Series 3 provides another high quality installment for collectors of America’s favorite pastime. Featuring the game’s greatest stars alongside promising rookies, exciting chase cards, and commemorations of this year’s Midsummer Classic, it captures the state of MLB at its mid-season point. Whether seeking to fill out a base set, land rare parallels, or chase one-of-ones, Series 3 once again delivers top-notch cardboard for enthusiasts of both sport and collecting. As the season enters its final stretch, Topps is sure to continue its unmatched documentation of the sport through future releases as well. Baseball card aficionados can look forward to unraveling even more of this year’s story with each new pack of Series 3 they add to their collections.
