There are many exciting baseball card options to consider collecting in 2022. The vintage rookie cards of players who are establishing themselves as stars are always in high demand. Some of the top rookies from recent years who have cards worth pursuing include Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., and Ronald Acuña Jr. Their rookie cards hold tremendous value and will likely continue increasing in the coming years if they live up to their potential.
Soto’s 2018 Topps Chrome RC and Tatis Jr.’s 2019 Topps Series 1 RC are alreadyfetching thousands of dollars in mint condition as they are establishing themselves as two of the faces of baseball. Guerrero Jr.’s 2019 Topps Series 1 RC and Acuña Jr.’s 2018 Topps Series 1 RC should also be on collectors’ radars. While these 2019-2021 rookie cards may be pricey, they are solid investments in the long run for players with superstar upside still ahead of them in their careers.
Vintage cards of current stars still in their primes are also wise targets, like Mike Trout’s 2009 Bowman Chrome RC, which has mint PSA 10 copies going for over $10,000. Trout remains the best player in baseball and should continue producing at an elite level through at least the rest of the decade. Other coveted modern star cards include cards from Mookie Betts’ 2014 Bowman Chrome rookie year, cards from Shohei Ohtani’s 2018 Topps Series 1 rookie set in his true MLB debut year with the Angels, and cards from 2019 rookies like Pete Alonso, who smashed an MLB rookie home run record in his debut season.
While veteran stars carry greater risk if they start declining, guys like Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Aaron Judge, and Yordan Alvarez are still young enough that flagship RCs of them are worthwhile long-term collectors’ items. For example, Harper’s 2010 Bowman Chrome Superfractor RC in a PSA 10 grade recently sold for over $350,000, showing the incredible return potential of top cards of active superstars. Harper is signed long-term with the Phillies and still producing at a superstar level in his late 20s.
Speaking of rookies to watch this season, the highest profile prospects expected to debut in 2022 include Julio Rodriguez, Bobby Witt Jr., Spencer Torkelson, CJ Abrams, Marcelo Mayer and Jack Leiter. Their flagship Topps RCs are sure to attract significant attention and demand from collectors. While risky as prospects sometimes don’t pan out, superstar potentials like Rodriguez, Witt and Torkelson in particular have cards that could appreciate tremendously if they reach their ceilings. Even cards from prospects that don’t stick as regulars can retain value as rare modern rookie issues.
For investors focused more on short-term gains, the top-selling rookie cards of call-ups from 2021 who exceeded expectations may cool off after their introductory seasons but could still hold value for a few years, like Jonathan India, Jeremy Peña, Bobby Dalbec, Shane Baz and Patrick Sandoval. In particular, India had such a strong debut that his 2021 Topps Series 1 RC remained one of the most coveted rookie cards throughout the year. His cards appear poised to hold value in 2022 barring major sophomore struggles.
Along with rookies and young stars, certain parallels and refractors of big name veterans have potential to command high prices years down the line. The most popular include Rainbow Foil parallels, which utilize different colors on the foil backdrop for each card in the parallel subset. Ultra-premium parallels like gold sparkle, gold wave, or 1/1 black parallels could hold long-term blue chip status as the rarest modern issues of legends like Albert Pujols, Clayton Kershaw or Justin Verlander.
Similarly, highly-refracted parallels like Topps Chrome, Bowman Chrome, and Topps Finest are sought after across a player’s career due to their flashy look on-card. Refractors of stars who’ve retired but hold Hall of Fame status could appreciate sharply in the years following their retirement, as recent examples have shown with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Chipper Jones cards.
When it comes to full sets, the most coveted in 2022 will likely be the Topps Flagship products like Topps Series 1 & 2, which feature the biggest stars, rookies and parallels in the base set. High-end products like Bowman, Topps Chrome and Allen & Ginter that provide the best rookie cards, autographs and patch options across multiple sports also have collector interest growing year after year. For low-risk/high-upside modern sets, heritage releases like Topps Heritage and Archives reproduce the vintage look on new cards and checklists and bring strong long-term demand.
On the vintage front, high-grade and iconic cards from the pre-war Tobaccos, early Bowmans, 1933 Goudeys, 1953/68 Topps sets, and vintage rookie cards remain blue-chip collectors’ items. Mantle, Mays, Clemente, Robinson and other legends have key vintage cards in these sets worth pursuing across varying price points. But beware of forgeries and condition issues from handling cards several decades old. Authenticated vintage rookie cards from Honus Wagner to Ted Williams can sell for hundreds of thousands depending on condition.
I hope this detailed overview has provided insight into some of the top baseball card options collectors may wish to pursue in 2022 across multiple categories from rookies to stars, modern inserts to vintage relics. The ever-growing collector market has made baseball cards a smart long-term investment for patience speculators, but it also remains an affordable hobby to enjoy through building sets or focusing collections. Proper storage and researching values online together with the wise chasing of the best young talents ensures collectors have accessible targets that stand to rise significantly with the players’ future successes.
