2022 Bowman Baseball Review

2022 Bowman baseball will be released on April 27^th. To most collectors, it represents the traditional venue for the most collected prospects out there. In addition, carrying the Bowman name connects it to close to 75 years of treasured collecting history. So, what does this year’s edition have to offer? Read our 2022 Bowman Baseball review to find out.

What Is Bowman Baseball?

Get a box of 2022 Bowman Baseball on eBay. 

Bowman was the first major baseball card manufacturer in the post-war era. The first Bowman set was released in 1948, and Bowman had a bit of a monopoly until the first Topps release in 1951. From 1951 to 1955, Topps and Bowman had a serious rivalry. It led to exclusive player contracts and pushed both manufacturers to new heights.

Topps purchased their rival before the 1956 Bowman set was produced (a few pre-production previews exist), and the Bowman brand faded into history for decades.

The 1948 Bowman Stan Musial is one of the indispensable vintage cards. Look for them on eBay. 

Bowman: The Rebirth (1989-1991)

In 1989, the height of the junk wax era, Topps brought back the Bowman brand. The cards paid homage to the Bowman sets of the 1950s, and the set contained a Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. However, there was one “deal-breaker” for most collectors. The 1989 Bowman cards were 2 1/2″ x 3 3/4″, similar to some key Bowman and Topps sets in the 1950s. However, these were larger than the standard card size of 2 1/2 “x 3 1/2 “. Unfortunately, the large size made these cards challenging to store, as they didn’t fit well into penny sleeves, top loaders, or 9-pocket pages.

In 1990 and 1991, Topps released Bowman sets in standard card sizes. The design again paid homage to the Bowman sets of yesteryear. While these sets were more popular with collectors, they didn’t really differentiate themselves from other sets at that time.

Bowman: The Home of the Rookie Card

Starting in 1992, Topps rebranded Bowman as a higher-end product. The Bowman brand grew to include Draft Picks & Prospects, Chrome, Heritage, and other offers.

The introduction of the Refractor line in 1997 was another critical milestone in products development. These cards immediately became, and remain to this day, collector favorites.

The brand now offers all the bells and whistles that modern collectors have come to expect (autographs, serial numbered parallels, Refractors, etc.), the Bowman rookie card remains at the heart of the product.

We love the Vlad Guerrero Jr. Bowman 1sts. See what they go for on eBay. 

The 2022 Bowman Baseball Review Of The Basics

2002 Bowman offers a 100 card base/paper set of veterans and rookie cards. There are then 150 Bowman Prospects paper sets featuring up-and-coming minor leaguers printed with the same design and stock as the base cards. The same 150 prospects are featured on Bowman Chrome Prospects, which come on premium Chrome stock.

Bowman is a licensed product that features players in their professional uniforms, unlike other prospect sets.

2022 Bowman Baseball Review Of Release Formats

2022 Bowman can be found in hobby, retail, and jumbo configurations.

Hobby Box

2022 Bowman Hobby Boxes contain 24 packs of 10 cards each. Each box contains one autograph. A case has 12 boxes.

As of this writing, pre-sales range from about $275 to $350 for a hobby box and $4,200 for a case.

Retail Box

2022 Bowman Retail Boxes contain 24 packs of 12 cards each. While there are retail-exclusive autographs, they are no guarantees that a box will contain one. A case contains 12 boxes.

The suggested retail price of a retail wax box is $179.95.

Additional retail configurations are expected to be announced soon, such as blaster boxes.

Jumbo Box

2022 Bowman Jumbo boxes contain 32 cards per pack. Each box contains 3 autographs. There are 8 jumbo boxes per case.

Pre-sale prices on a Jumbo Box are currently running around $650.

2022 Bowman Baseball Review Of The Parallels

The 2022 Bowman set offers an almost dizzying array of parallels for collectors to chase, as with recent Bowman releases.

Base Parallels

The base paper 100 card set of veterans and rookies features several parallels of a rainbow of colors.

Sky Blue Border – #/499
Neon Green Border – #/399
Fuscia Border – #/299
Purple Border – #/250
Blue Border – #/150
Green Border #/99 (Retail Only)
Yellow Border – #/75
Gold Border – #/50
Orange Border – #/25 (Hobby Only)
Red Border – #/5
Platinum Border  – 1/1
Printing Plates – 1/1

2022 Bowman Chrome Prospects Refractor Parallels

The 2022 Bowman Chrome Prospects feature an even more diverse and exciting group of parallels to make pack ripping an exciting adventure. In addition, the Fuchsia Lava Refractor and Red Lava Refractor are new to the product for 2022.

Base Refractor – #/499
Speckle Refractor – #/299
Purple Refractor – #/250
Fuchsia Refractor – #/199
Fuchsia Lava Refractor – #/199

Green Shimmer – #/99 (Retail Only)
Green Refractor Parallel
Blue Refractor – #/150
Blue Shimmer – #/150
Green Refractor – #/99 (Retail Only)
Green Refractor Parallel
Aqua Refractor – #/125
Aqua Shimmer – #/125
Green Mini-Diamond – #/99
Yellow Mini-Diamond – #/75
Yellow Refractor – #/75

Green Mini-Diamond Refractor – #/99
Gold Refractor – #/50
Gold Shimmer – #/50
Orange Refractor – #/25  (Hobby Only)
Orange Shimmer – #/25 (Hobby Only)
Red Refractor – #/5
Red Lava Refractor – #/5
SuperFractor – 1/1
Printing Plates – 1/1

Prospector’s Special Die-Cut Variation (#/49) cards are also available exclusively in Hobby boxes.

2022 Bowman Inserts

A number of inserts are available in 2022 Bowman. They include a few old favorites alongside brand new offerings.

Debut offerings include 2022 Bowman Invicta (1:24 packs) and Bowman in 3-D! (1:18 packs). Also new this year is Virtuosic Vibrations (1:8 packs), which has a distinct visual pattern.

Hi-Fi Futures (1:6 packs) is inspired by vintage album cover artwork.

Returning inserts include Bowman Scouts’ Top 100 (1:4 packs) and ROY Favorites (1:8 packs).

2022 Bowman Baseball Insert Refractor Parallels

The inserts also have their own parallel versions, limited to low print runs.

Atomic Refractor – #/150
Aqua Refractor – #/125
Gold Refractor – #/50
Orange Refractor – #/25 (Hobby Only)
Red Refractor – #/5
SuperFractor – 1/1

2022 Bowman Autographs

Autographs have long been a staple and one of the big draws in Bowman offerings, and 2022 is no exception.

The autographs are split into Chrome Prospect Autographs and Chrome Rookie Autographs. Unfortunately, checklists for these autograph offerings aren’t available now, but we know several parallel variations are available.

Do you believe in Jarren Duran? Look for his autos on eBay. 

2022 Bowman Autograph Refractors

The numerous refractor parallel versions of the autographed cards are added to the excitement of chasing autographs of the game’s hottest rookies and prospects.

2022 Bowman Baseball Chrome Insert Autograph Parallels

Several of the inserts from 2022 Bowman also feature autographed parallels. The limited nature of several of these parallels makes them an exciting pull.

Additional Autograph Offerings

Also found in packs are All-American Game Autographs and Bowman Buyback Autographs cards.

Another exciting offering is the 2022 Bowman Ultimate Autograph Book (#/10), which is quite literally a miniature book containing an autograph.

2022 Bowman Wax Value

The long-term value of unopened Bowman typically is directly influenced by the quality of the rookie cards in the set. A dud year will lose value in future years, while if you hit big on a popular rookie card, you can see value raise significantly.

2021 Bowman boxes are selling for slightly less than the pre-sale prices for 2022 Bowman. However, one thing to keep in mind is that because many players in Bowman sets are rookies or pre-rookie prospects, it can take a few years for this to shake out.

Like the prospects in 2021 Bowman Baseball? Pick up a box of Chrome on eBay. 

The Bottomline Of The 2022 Bowman Baseball Review

Like the start of each new season, the release of a new Bowman set is a much anticipated and hope-filled rite of passage of the new season. The rookie cards, parallels, inserts, autographed insert autographs, and all the other goodness provide collectors with the opportunity for exciting pulls.

Much like that new baseball season, however, time will tell what players have what it takes to provide long-term value. The one word that defines a new Bowman offering to me is “potential.”