Beckett Sports Card Hot / Cold – March 20, 2023
Welcome to another special Monday edition of Beckett Sports Card Hot/Cold where’s it’s time to take a quick and fun look at what’s hot and what’s not in the worlds of sports and sports cards over the last week or so.
If this list went out on Saturday as planned (life happened and it didn’t), Trea Turner probably wouldn’t have been on it. But life happened for him, too, at the World Baseball Classic. First, there was the dramatic grand slam on Saturday that helped propel Team USA over Venezuela and into the semifinals. The Phillies shortstop proceed to hit two more homers in a 14-2 rout over Cuba to get the American squad into the finals. It’s not as if Turner is an unknown in the hobby. Still, many would argue that he has been largely overlooked by collectors thus far. Between the WBC and his big offseason contract he signed with Philadelphia, Turner’s hobby profile could be picking up quickly.
While most of baseball’s biggest veteran stars have been taking part in the tournament, MLB Spring Training has carried on without them. As far as prospects go, Jordan Walker might find himself on the Cardinals’ Opening Day roster. And if not then, he’s certainly showing signs of being MLB-ready very soon. Thus far, his cards are led by his 2020 Bowman Chrome Draft autograph and its many Refractors.
This past week saw the release of 2022 Panini Prizm Football. Despite arriving later than usual, it remains one of the hobby’s biggest releases. In addition to the customary mix of parallels, inserts like Color Blast and Manga, which are even more imaginative this year, are also helping drive the product.
