2022 Topps Baseball Rookie Cards Guide
Any modern flagship Topps Baseball set has a lot going on. Some collectors go for the base set. For others, it’s the inserts and parallels. You can’t underestimate the appeal of casually ripping open some packs and seeing what’s inside. And then there’s the rookies. The 2022 Topps Baseball Rookie Cards lineup includes almost 50 players in Series 1 alone. They range from high-profile prospects to some who might be making one of their only appearances in a big league release. Most are somewhere in between.
Among the notable names on the checklist are Jarren Duran and 2020 1st round pick Reid Detmers.
Of course, there’s the biggest name of all, Wander Franco who carries the RC badge but doesn’t qualify as a traditional Rookie Card due to the fact that he was in the 2021 Bowman’s Best base set. That’s not going to stop a lot of collectors from still looking at it as one. Whether you see him as a rookie or not, Franco is easily the biggest name people are chasing in the product.
Which 2022 Topps Baseball Rookie Cards Are Going to Be Good?
It’s hard to see which players are going to pan out and who are in the bigs for little more than a cup of coffee. But if you’re the speculating type, there are a few things to consider.
Age is an easy one. Someone in their early 20s has a lot more at bats ahead of them than those who are already pushing 27 or 28. Ultimately, the long game needs big career numbers. When you’re hitting the majors for the first time what are traditionally one’s prime years, the window is a lot smaller. Here, players born in 1993 or 1994 probably aren’t going to blossom into long-term hobby superstars.
From a collecting perspective, explosive hitters tend to get more hobby attention than pitchers. At the plate, a brief spurt of home runs can get someone on the collective radar. Pitchers are always a big risk, particularly when they’re young. Unfortunately, one injury can change someone’s entire trajectory on the mound.
While Topps Baseball has plenty of tradition and widespread appeal, with that comes a big print run. Except for extreme cases like Mike Trout or when it comes to premium grades, even modern superstars remain relatively affordable and available over time. For those looking for a chase element, all base cards have lots of parallels on the checklist. Several key names also have variation short prints.
Overall, while there’s a lot of quantity to the 2022 Topps Baseball Rookie Cards, it’s unlikely that many will even reach star status in the hobby. This is normal. If you look through most flagship sets, there are usually only one or two that stand out over the longterm.
2022 Topps Baseball Rookie Cards Breakdown
If you’re looking to learn more about the 2022 Topps Baseball Rookie Cards, there’s a full list and gallery below. Some basic player info as well as links to both their stats and full baseball card checklists are also included.
12 Gavin Sheets, Chicago White Sox
Position: 1B
MLB Profile
Born: April 23, 1996
Drafted: 2017, 2nd round
Gavin Sheets Baseball Card Checklist
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18 Emmanuel Rivera, Kansas City Royals
Position: 3B
MLB Profile
Born: June 29, 1996
Drafted: 2015, 19th round
Emmanuel Rivera Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
20 Jake Cousins, Milwaukee Brewers
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: July 14, 1994
Drafted: 2017, 20th round
Jake Cousins Baseball Card Checklist
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22 Bryan De La Cruz, Miami Marlins
Position: OF
MLB Profile
Born: December 16, 1996
Drafted: n/a
Bryan De La Cruz Baseball Card Checklist
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25 Vidal Brujan, Tampa Bay Rays
Position: OF
MLB Profile
Born: February 9, 1998
Drafted: n/a
Vidal Brujan Baseball Card Checklist
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30 Kyle Muller, Atlanta Braves
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: October 7, 1997
Drafted: 2016, 2nd round
Kyle Muller Baseball Card Checklist
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31 Matt Manning, Detroit Tigers
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: January 28, 1998
Drafted: 2016, 1st round (9th overall)
Matt Manning Baseball Card Checklist
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38 Mason Thompson, Washington Nationals
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: February 20, 1998
Drafted: 2016, 3rd round
Mason Thompson Baseball Card Checklist
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43 Josiah Gray, Washington Nationals
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: December 21, 1997
Drafted: 2018, CB-B Round
Josiah Gray Baseball Card Checklist
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58 Lars Nootbaar, St. Louis Cardinals
Position: OF
MLB Profile
Born: September 8, 1997
Drafted: 2018, 8th round
Lars Nootbaar Baseball Card Checklist
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61 Jakson Reetz, Washington Nationals
Position: C
MLB Profile
Born: January 3, 1996
Drafted: 2014, 3rd round
Jakson Reetz Baseball Card Checklist
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62 Luke Williams, Philadelphia Phillies
Position: 2B
MLB Profile
Born: August 9, 1996
Drafted: 2015, 3rd round
Luke Williams Baseball Card Checklist
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66 Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox
Position: C
MLB Profile
Born: May 19, 1996
Drafted: 2017, 3rd round
Connor Wong Baseball Card Checklist
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71 Ernie Clement, Cleveland Guardians
Position: C
MLB Profile
Born: March 22, 1996
Drafted: 2017, 4th round
Ernie Clement Baseball Card Checklist
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78 Aaron Ashby, Milwaukee Brewers
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: May 24, 1998
Drafted: 2018, 4th round
Aaron Ashby Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
85 Rodolfo Castro, Pittsburgh Pirates
Position: 3B
MLB Profile
Born: May 21, 1999
Drafted: n/a
Rodolfo Castro Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
97 Curtis Terry, Texas Rangers
Position: 1B
MLB Profile
Born: October 6, 1996
Drafted: 2015, 13th round
Curtis Terry Baseball Card Checklist
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108 Zach Pop, Miami Marlins
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: September 20, 1996
Drafted: 2017, 7th round
Zach Pop Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
111 Tony Santillan, Cincinnati Reds
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: April 15, 1997
Drafted: 2015, 2nd round
Tony Santillan Baseball Card Checklist
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118 Alex Wells, Baltimore Orioles
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: February 27, 1997
Drafted: n/a
Alex Wells Baseball Card Checklist
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130 Tyler Gilbert, Arizona Diamondbacks
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: December 22, 1993
Drafted: 2015, 6th round
Tyler Gilbert Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
131 Luis Gil, New York Yankees
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: June 3, 1998
Drafted: n/a
Luis Gil Baseball Card Checklist
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133 Zac Lowther, Baltimore Orioles
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: April 30, 1996
Drafted: 2017, CB-B Round
Zac Lowther Baseball Card Checklist
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134 Tylor Megill, New York Mets
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: July 28, 1995
Drafted: 2018, 8th round
Tyler Megill Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
135 Chas McCormick, Houston Astros
Position: OF
MLB Profile
Born: April 19, 1995
Drafted: 2017, 21st round
Chas McCormick Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
140 Ivan Castillo, San Diego Padres
Position: 2B
MLB Profile
Born: May 30, 1995
Drafted: 2017, 3rd round
Ivan Castillo Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
148 Zack Short, Detroit Tigers
Position: SS
MLB Profile
Born: May 29, 1995
Drafted: 2016, 17th round
Zack Short Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
158 Riley Adams, Washington Nationals
Position: C
MLB Profile
Born: June 26, 1996
Drafted: 2017, 3rd round
Riley Adams Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
160 Anthony Bender, Miami Marlins
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: February 3, 1995
Drafted: 2016, 20th round
Anthony Bender Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
163 Stuart Fairchild, Arizona Diamondbacks
Position: OF
MLB Profile
Born: March 17, 1996
Drafted: 2017, 2nd round
Stuart Fairchild Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
166 Patrick Mazeika, New York Mets
Position: C
MLB Profile
Born: October 14, 1993
Drafted: 2015, 8th round
Patrick Mazeika Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
184 Hoy Park, Pittsburgh Pirates
Position: 2B
MLB Profile
Born: April 7, 1996
Drafted: n/a
Hoy Park Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
186 Jake Burger, Chicago White Sox
Position: 3B
MLB Profile
Born: April 10, 1996
Drafted: 2017, 1st round (11th overall)
Jake Burger Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
187 Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox
Position: OF
MLB Profile
Born: September 5, 1996
Drafted: 2018, 7th round
Jarren Duran Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
201 Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: July 8, 1999
Drafted: 2020, 1st round (10th overall)
Reid Detmers Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
215 Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays (RC)
Rookie Card is in 2021 Bowman’s Best.
Position: SS
MLB Profile
Born: March 1, 2001
Drafted: n/a
Wander Franco Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
217 Eli Morgan, Cleveland Guardians
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: May 13, 1996
Drafted: 2017, 8th round
Eli Morgan Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
227 Zach Thompson, Miami Marlins
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: October 23, 1993
Drafted: 2014, 5th round
Zach Thompson Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
231 Ronnie Dawson, Houston Astros
Position: OF
MLB Profile
Born: May 19, 1995
Drafted: 2016, 2nd round
Ronnie Dawson Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
243 Brandon Marsh, Los Angeles Angels
Position: OF
MLB Profile
Born: December 18, 1997
Drafted: 2016, 2nd round
Brandon Marsh Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
258 Andre Jackson, Los Angeles Dodgers
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: May 1, 1996
Drafted: 2017, 12th round
Andre Jackson Baseball Card Checklist (coming soon)
Buy on:
263 Trey Amburgey, New York Yankees
Position: OF
MLB Profile
Born: October 24, 1994
Drafted: 2015, 13th round
Trey Amburgey Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
264 Jackson Kowar, Kansas City Royals
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: October 4, 1996
Drafted: 2018, 1C Round (33rd overall)
Jackson Kowar Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
277 Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
Position:
MLB Profile
Born:
Drafted:
Cal Raleigh Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
295 Jake Meyers, Houston Astros
Position: OF
MLB Profile
Born: June 18, 1996
Drafted: 2017, 13th round
Jake Meyers Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
298 Drew Ellis, Arizona Diamondbacks
Position: 3B
MLB Profile
Born: December 1, 1995
Drafted: 2017, 2nd round
Drew Ellis Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
308 Sammy Long, San Francisco Giants
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: July 8, 1995
Drafted: 2016, 18th round
Sammy Long Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
316 Matt Vierling, Philadelphia Phillies
Position: OF
MLB Profile
Born: September 16, 1996
Drafted: 2018, 5th round
Matt Vierling Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
325 Max Kranick, Pittsburgh Pirates
Position: P
MLB Profile
Born: July 21, 1997
Drafted: 2016, 11th round
Max Kranick Baseball Card Checklist
Buy on:
Any word yet on whether Topps is still planning to release 2021 Bowman Heritage as a mix of rookies, prospects and veterans. If they do that will create 2022 (RC)s for Jarren Duran, Vidal Brujan, Reid Detmers and Brandon Marsh.
@Jamie – We’ll update if/when there’s any additional info. I saw someone got an email from customer service that it was delayed due to production issues. I wouldn’t be be surprised if it’s to separate the numbering of the prospects.
Often not a big fan of Series 1 each year. It has most of the big stars. However, Series 2 and the Update Series has the big time rookie cards (most of the time now). Waiting for the lockout to be over with in order to see who will most likely be in those two separate Series.