2022 Topps Stadium Club Baseball Review

Wander Franco is the highest-ranked prospect of this generation, headlining the 2022 release of Topps Stadium Club Baseball. That is generating a good deal of excitement for the release.

Stadium Club theme cards have a minimalist design for the photography center stage. As of right now, Topps will release the 2022 Stadium Club set on July 6, 2022.

History of Topps Stadium Club Baseball

Topps Stadium Club Baseball made its debut in 1991. It sported a much different look than the traditional Topps cards. The Stadium Club series featured full-bleed photos, making the cards borderless. The simple design highlights the photography.

Topps’ 1991 Stadium Club release was a response to the newly formed Upper Deck Company.  The California-based company had commenced releasing premium-quality baseball cards in 1989. Upper Deck’s cards were more expensive. However, they were printed on higher-quality paper, featured sleeker designs with front and back photos, and included a small hologram meant to stop counterfeit cards.

The Stadium Club series was released annually from 1991 to 2003. By 2014, they revived the set and continue to put it out today. Additionally, Topps started releasing a Stadium Club Chrome line two years ago.

2022 Topps Stadium Club Baseball: What’s Hot

The biggest draw of the Stadium Club series is the photography. The action shots showcase pivotal plays’ celebrations and snapshots containing raw emotions.

The base cards have a glossy finish, sleek lines, and no borders. The text on the cards displays the player’s name, team name, position designation, and a simple team logo.

2022 Topps Stadium Club Baseball: What’s Not

The drawback of the 2021 Stadium Club release concerns investment. Past hobby box releases have held their value or increased marginally. If you’re looking to hold on to hobby boxes to flip at a future date, you’re more likely to turn a profit on releases that feature the most popular rookies — think 2019, not 2016. Therefore, many investors won’t bother with Topps Stadium Club, and that’s ok.

A first look at the 2022 Stadium Club design.

2022 Topps Stadium Club Review Of Formats

July 6, 2022, is the 2022 Topps Stadium Club release date. The date is subject to change, but it should be around that time. It usually is. We expect the 2022 Stadium Club release to include hobby and retail boxes like previous editions.

Hobby Box

• 8 cards per pack
• 2 autographs per box
• 24 packs per box
• Each box includes: 2 autographs, 1 base chrome parallel, 1 box loader, 1 Triumvirate
• Hobby-exclusive cards:
  • Black and White
  • Gold Rainbow Foil – 1/1
  • SuperFractor – 1/1
  • Chrome SuperFractor – 1/1
  • Various Gold Rainbow Autographs – 1/1
• Pre-sale price: $139.95

Blaster Box

Topps has not released details on the 2022 Stadium Club retail boxes yet, but the contents are likely similar to the 2021 release. We’ll update this when we hear more. For now, here’s an idea of what to expect.

• 5 cards per pack
• 8 packs per box
• Each box includes: 1 wrapped Master Photo Base Variation box-loader
• Blaster-exclusive cards:
  • Sepia
  • Orange Foil Autographs – /5
  • Master Photo Base Variation box-loader
• Retail price for the 2021 edition: $39.95

2022 Topps Stadium Club Review Of The Checklist

300 cards make up the base set for the 2022 release of Topps’ Stadium Club. In addition, there are several inserts, parallels, and autographs. Meanwhile, the image and design variations carry a print run of 200 cards each.

2022 Topps Stadium Club Baseball Parallels

Base Parallels:

• Red Foil
• Black Foil
• Black and White (Hobby only)
• Blue Foil – /50
• Rainbow Foilboard – /25
• First Day Issue (10 copies)
• Members Only (1 per case)
• Photographer’s Proof (1:2 cases)
• Gold Rainbow Foil – 1/1 (Hobby only)
• SuperFractor – 1/1 (Hobby only)

The 1/1 superfractors maintain strong value (look for them on eBay).

Chrome Parallels:

• Base Chrome (1 per box)
• Refractor (1:4 boxes)
• Orange – /99
• Pearl White – /30
• Gold Minted – (1 per case)
• SuperFractor – 1/1 (Hobby only)

Short Prints:

• Image Variations (200 copies)
• 1991 Design Variations (200 copies)
• 1992 Rookie Design Variations (92 copies)

2022 Topps Stadium Club Baseball Inserts

The 2022 release offers a few notable inserts. Beam Team and Instavision return in 2022, with both inserts appearing at a rate of one per case. Triumvirates, the puzzle-piece cards, are found in every hobby box. Additionally, the Power Zone set features the game’s best hitters. Two new inserts will feature throwback Stadium Club Basketball designs: 1994-95 Destiny and Dynasty and Team of the Future.

• Beam Team: biggest names in baseball
• Instavision: paper and chrome
• Triumvirates: die-cut cards, part of a 3-piece puzzle
• Power Zone: elite hitters
• 1994-95 Destiny and Dynasty: current and future stars with a shared bond
• 1994-95 Team of the Future: top players at each position

All inserts come with the following parallels:

• Red (one per case)
• Black /99
• Orange /50
• Gold Rainbow 1/1

Gold Rainbows are 1/1 (look for them on eBay).

The Beam Team set is the only exception, with a different configuration:

• Red (1:10 cases)
• Black /25
• Orange /10
• Gold Rainbow 1/1

Last but certainly not least, three sets of inserts feature a small number of autographed cards. If you’re feeling lucky, you may find an autograph on cards in the Beam Team, Power Zone, and Team of the Future sets.

2022 Topps Stadium Club Baseball Autographs

Autographs are always a favorite, and the 2022 Topps Stadium Club release has no shortage of on-card ink.

Base autographs will be the most common pulls. Various parallels exist for base autographs, with Rainbow Foil (/10) and Gold Rainbow (1/1) cards exclusive to hobby boxes.

Along with the aforementioned inserts, there are insert-specific autograph cards. Lone Star Signatures is a set that includes 25 or fewer base cards, a handful of Orange parallels, and one Gold Rainbow version that can only be found in hobby boxes. There are even fewer Co-Signers Autographs. Those come with two on-card signatures and have no more than ten copies. Like the other sets, hobby boxes offer the only opportunity to pull a 1/1 Gold Rainbow Co-Signers Autograph.

The list below shows all the details about the 2022 Topps Stadium Club Baseball autographs:

Base Autographs:

• Red Foil – /50
• Black Foil – /25
• Rainbow Foil – /10 (Hobby only)
• Gold Rainbow – 1/1 (Hobby only)

Base Chrome Autographs:

• Base – /10 or less
• SuperFractor – 1/1

Beam Team Autographs:

• Base – /25 or less
• Orange – /5
• Gold Rainbow – 1/1 (Hobby only)

Co-Signers Autographs:

• Base – /10 or less
• Gold Rainbow – 1/1 (Hobby only)

Lone Star Signatures:

• Base – /25 or less
• Orange – /5
• Gold Rainbow – 1/1 (Hobby only)

Power Zone Autographs:

• Base – /25 or less
• Orange – /5
• Gold Rainbow – 1/1 (Hobby only)

Team of the Future Autographs

• Base – /25 or less
• Orange – /5
• Gold Rainbow – 1/1 (Hobby only)

Will any of the autos in 2022 be worth as much as this Ohtani? (look for more of his autos on eBay).

2022 Topps Stadium Club Review Of The Top Rookies

Which rookies will be the most coveted among those appearing in the 2022 Topps Stadium Club release? We rank the top 5.

1. Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays SS

 Wander Franco is the rookie we have awaited. Scouts were enamored with his offensive profile in the minor leagues: lightning-quick bat speed makes hard contact, and has fantastic plate discipline.

Once called up, Franco did not disappoint. The switch-hitting shortstop put together a 43-game on-base streak in his rookie campaign. By the end of an impressive 70 games, the Rays inked Franco to an 11-year, $182 million deal. Although he exceeded rookie limits in 2021, Topps did not include Franco in their 2021 rookie class. As a result, Wander Franco’s official rookie card will come in 2022 and be one of the most in-demand cards.

2. Adley Rutschman, C in Baltimore Orioles organization

MLB Pipeline: #1 | FanGraphs: #1 prospect

Adley Rutschman, a great defensive catcher with pop from both the left and right side of the plate, was the first overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. He does everything well behind the plate and is a fantastic leader who works well with pitchers.

Scouts also describe Rutschman as a polished hitter who boasts advanced plate discipline. Adley is also noted for his ability to adjust from one at-bat to another. Lesser prospects who play for more popular teams may generate more excitement, but Rutschman has the potential to make an immediate impact and be a perennial all-star.

3. Bobby Witt Jr., SS in Kansas City Royals organization

MLB Pipeline: #3 | FanGraphs: #2 prospect

 Witt didn’t blow anyone away in rookie ball after being selected with the second overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. As a result, the 2020 minor league season was canceled, but the Royals had their top prospect develop at the alternate training site.

The strides Witt made from his first professional season to 2021 were monumental, earning him Baseball America’s 2021 Minor League Player of the Year. He showcased an impressive power-speed combination and a refined mental approach. Of course, being the son of a former big leaguer helps with the latter.

Although Witt has shown to be an above-average defender at shortstop, the Royals desperately need a third baseman. Indeed, the team believes his athleticism can lead him to play at third base, and he has a chance to win the starting hot corner job in spring training.

is Bobby Witt Jr. ready for “the show”? (Look for his Bowman 1sts on eBay).

4. Spencer Torkelson, 1B/3B in Detroit Tigers organization

MLB Pipeline: #4 | FanGraphs: #4 prospect

The Detroit Tigers were sneaky good in the second half of the 2021 season. For me, this helps raise the level of excitement surrounding Torkelson and outfielder Riley Greene.

Before becoming the first overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, Spencer was one of the best hitters in college baseball. His pitch selection was impressive in the minors, and he usually hit the ball hard (95+ mph). Scouts believe he will hit for average and transfer the raw power into games. There’s a good chance Detroit will have Miguel Cabrera pass the franchise’s first baseman’s torch to Torkelson in 2022.

5. Riley Greene, OF in Detroit Tigers organization

MLB Pipeline: #7 | FanGraphs: #7 prospect

When the 2021 prospect lists were updated, Riley Greene was second in the Tigers’ organization to Torkelson. However, with the release of Baseball America’s 2022 Tigers’ top prospect list, Greene has leapfrogged to the No. 1 spot.

The prep outfielder was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. Since then, scouts say Greene has gotten more robust and explosive. In addition, they love his smooth left-handed swing and advanced bat control.

Scouts are conflicted on Greene’s long-term potential in center field. However, he performed better in Triple-A than Torkelson did and will likely have a chance to win a starting job in 2022.

2022 Topps Stadium Club Review Of Value

Stadium Club is not renowned for retaining value. But is that reputation justified? We crunched the numbers.

Wax

Previous releases of the Topps Stadium Club hobby boxes have held their value, but there’s only profit to be made when there’s a strong rookie class. For example, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. headlined the 2019 release.

Meanwhile, the 2016 class has never generated as much excitement. Although Trea Turner and Corey Seager are two of the top players in baseball, there wasn’t as much hype around their debuts.

Because of its rookie class, the 2019 Stadium Club box has held the most value (get one on eBay).

Singles

Wander Franco will be the pull everyone is crossing their fingers to get. I’d put him with the 2019 rookie class from a popularity standpoint. Because they play the same position, here are the recent sale prices of Tatis’ rookie cards. They may be comparable. All cards listed are PSA-9s.

Bottomline Of The 2022 Topps Stadium Club Review

If you’re a collector who appreciates emotionally charged photography, you’re going to love the release. The card design is kept to a minimum and lets the photography do the talking.

Investors are usually wary of Topps’ Stadium Club releases, but the possibility of snagging a Wander Franco rookie card might make the 2022 release too hard to pass up. For this reason, holding onto wax long-term will probably be more profitable than flipping singles.