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After being announced early in the the baseball card season, the much anticipated MLB Debut Patch cards will be inserted into select packs of 2023 Topps Chrome Update. As a reminder, every player who made their Major League Debut this season wore a special “MLB Debut” patch, after which, was removed from their jersey and put into a limited 1/1 print run baseball card (which will now be released).
@TheHobby247: “Elly De La Cruz made his much anticipated MLB Debut yesterday for the @Reds #MLB TheHobby will this be the biggest 1 of 1 MLB Debut patch for a while? #ATOBTTR”
Elly De La Cruz made his much anticipated MLB Debut yesterday for the @Reds #MLB #TheHobby will this be the biggest 1 of 1 MLB Debut patch for a while? #ATOBTTR pic.twitter.com/SrBoRd6cyD
— The Hobby 24/7 (@TheHobby247) June 7, 2023
In other words, while relic cards have become the norm in pretty much every product release, Topps is kicking things up a notch, and much like the treasured RC shield or 1st Bowman designation, are creating the ultimate chase card for any rookie collector.
Topps first tweeted out the unveiling all the way back on March 30th, stating “Starting today, every player making their @MLB debut will wear an “MLB Debut” patch on their uniform for their first game. That patch will then be used to create the ultimate 1/1 rookie card!”
Made for the moment. We've partnered to create the ultimate rookie card!
— Topps (@Topps) March 30, 2023
Starting today, every player making their @MLB debut will wear an "MLB Debut" patch on their uniform for their first game. That patch will then be used to create the ultimate 1/1 rookie card! pic.twitter.com/4Vwoynb4YX
Community & Expert Reaction
As a personal reaction, I would have actually liked for these cards to be on traditional card stock rather than a chromium finish. There is just something special about a player’s MLB debut, and it seems better unveiled and celebrated through a true “flagship” release instead of a “shiny card” that some still consider to be a gimmick. Either way, as noted below, I think these will be widly accepted.
That said, this announcement comes on the heels of Topps explaining the “First Stitch” cards that are popping up in the recently-released 2023 Topps Update. And, let’s just say they aren’t being welcomed with open arms.
@clevercubancards explains the issue below, but to sum things up, while the cards themselves look cool, the patches are being touted with a “first stitch” label, only to be pieces of the first mass produced jersey by Fanatics.
@clevercubancards This may be the worst “chase” that has been annouced in a long time… #baseballcards #sportscards #thehobby #greenscreen
♬ Funny – Gold-Tiger
I’m always one for innovation, and I can appreciate the attempt to bring together Topps and Fanatics in new and different ways, but I’d be surprised to see this one catching on.
For those who don’t collect relic cards, there are a few different tiers, with “game worn” being at the top and “player worn” being a frustrating substitute. These “first stitch” cards don’t appear to be neither.
MLB Debut Patch Values
In terms of value, I expect nothing but a warm reception (I mean, we have seen much weirder shoot to the moon, with the Tacofractor being the most recent example).
Question, though – as mentioned in the tweet below – beyond all of the other things that make a card valuable, what if the player’s debut was a dud? Does that matter? What if they got a hit in their first at bat?
Jordan Walker gets his 1st Career Hit while wearing the “MLB Debut” patch…
— The Collectibles Guru ? (@ericwhiteback) March 30, 2023
It’ll be interesting to see if getting a 1st hit, 1st HR, or other 1st will increase the prices of 1/1 MLB Debut patch cards! pic.twitter.com/QhtQziXiPm
Anyway, it’s tough to comp a card that has never been released before, let alone being a 1/1. That said, there have been rookie 1/1 patches before, and while they haven’t carried the significance of the debut patch, can at least give us an idea of what a floor might look like?
- Ryan Mountcastle 2021 Museum Collection Jumbo MLB Logoman 1/1 $578
- Kebryan Hayes 2021 Topps Definitive Logo Patch 1/1 $504
- Jazz Chisolm 2021 Topps Series 2 Rookie Logo Patch 1/1 $250
- Alex Kiriloff 2021 Topps Triple Threads Patch 1/1 $138.50
Card Design
While there have been plenty of mock-ups and design previews released to drum up hype for 2023 Chrome Update as a whole (not to mention we have already seen the best cards in 2023 Topps Series 1, Series 2, and now the most valuable cards in 2023 Topps Update), we have yet to see a debut patch card.
Revamped a bit and loaded up … also the home of the MLB Debut patch cards.
— BlowoutBuzz.com (@BlowoutBuzz) October 12, 2023
First Buzz: 2023 Topps Chrome Update baseball cards >> https://t.co/mW8Vw1SLGm#collect @topps #MLB pic.twitter.com/fRiPNFinyU
