June 9th Update: In a surprise move, Topps has in fact included short print rookie cards of Spencer Torkelson (#658), Julio Rodriguez (#659), and Bobby Witt Jr (#660). Here is a tweet from @LLSportsCards to confirm Spencer Torkelson:
Here is Bobby Witt on eBay (affiliate link):
2022 Topps Series 2 is ready to launch on Wednesday, June 8th, and with the release around the corner, checklist anticipation and chatter has been flooding social media and forums.
Unfortunately, the many who were hoping to see today’s young stars – Julio Rodriguez, Bobby Witt Jr., Jeremy Pena, and others – make their flagship rookie a reality, are now left disappointed, and already looking forward to Topps Update.
But with that said, always keep this in mind—was a Taylor Ward rookie card the talk of the town in 2019? And while that’s just the most recent example of a sneaky name stealing the RC headlines recently, there are countless examples over the years of players who had an under the radar flagship release, only to have their cards catch fire at some point, and even years after.
Not to mention that while Witt and Rodriguez don’t have base flagship rookies, they each have autos on the 1987 checklist, which look spectacular, and will surely be nice chase cards for anyone looking to get in on the ripping action.
Besides all of that, can I interest you in Juan Yepez or perhaps O’Neil Cruz? (Skip to the end for more rookies to keep an eye on. And if you want something in video form, here is a nice breakdown from Kyle at Let’s Talk Wax:)
So, again, while this list of 2022 Topps Series 2 Rookies isn’t met with the shining stars we all were hoping for, lets face it, many of us are still going to buy the product. And with your purchase, while it might be easy to cast aside most of the names below, don’t be so quick to give up on some of them proving to be valuable at some point down the line.
2022 Topps Series Two Rookies List
To check out the entire 2022 Series 2 checklist, head on over to Cardboard Connection or Beckett—both of which always do an outstanding job not only covering the cards that will be included, but also provide all the info you need on odds, variations, and more.
For now, here is the recent list of 2022 Topps Series 2 Rookies for the upcoming release. It’s a sortable table, so feel free to have fun with the team name, card numbers, and more.
| Card # | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 332 | Jhonathan Diaz | Los Angeles Angels |
| 333 | Nick Fortes | Miami Marlins |
| 338 | Luis Frias | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 339 | Connor Overton | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 345 | Seth Beer | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 360 | Joan Adon | Washington Nationals |
| 363 | Yonny Hernandez | Texas Rangers |
| 367 | Wander Franco | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 370 | Jake McCarthy | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 373 | Ryan Feltner | Colorado Rockies |
| 387 | Jovani Moran | Minnesota Twins |
| 390 | Joe Ryan | Minnesota Twins |
| 395 | Greg Deichmann | Chicago Cubs |
| 413 | Kervin Castro | San Francisco Giants |
| 418 | Jack Lopez | Boston Red Sox |
| 421 | Shane Baz | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 422 | Otto Lopez | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 425 | Brian Miller | Miami Marlins |
| 430 | Jon Heasley | Kansas City Royals |
| 437 | Glenn Otto | Texas Rangers |
| 455 | Henry Ramos | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 471 | Sean Guenther | Miami Marlins |
| 479 | Josh Lowe | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 480 | Colton Welker | Colorado Rockies |
| 495 | Austin Warren | Los Angeles Angels |
| 502 | Mike Baumann | Baltimore Orioles |
| 506 | Juan Yepez | St. Louis Cardinals |
| 509 | Spencer Strider | Atlanta Braves |
| 516 | Stephen Ridings | New York Yankees |
| 517 | Maos Diplan | Baltimore Orioles |
| 521 | Cooper Criswell | Los Angeles Angels |
| 524 | Connor Seabold | Boston Red Sox |
| 526 | Alfonso Rivas | Chicago Cubs |
| 536 | Mark Kolozsvary | Cincinnati Reds |
| 537 | Oneil Cruz | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 540 | Packy Naughton | Los Angeles Angels |
| 541 | Elvis Peguero | Los Angeles Angels |
| 543 | Roansy Contreras | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 546 | TJ Friedl | Cincinnati Reds |
| 547 | A.J. Alexy | Texas Rangers |
| 554 | Oliver Ortega | Los Angeles Angels |
| 559 | Angel Zerpa | Kansas City Royals |
| 561 | Matt Brash | Seattle Mariners |
| 566 | Edward Cabrera | Miami Marlins |
| 586 | Ryan Vilade | Colorado Rockies |
| 594 | Janson Junk | Los Angeles Angels |
| 595 | Romy Gonzalez | Chicago White Sox |
| 599 | Jose Siri | Houston Astros |
| 611 | Payton Henry | Miami Marlins |
| 619 | Reiver Sanmartin | Cincinnati Reds |
| 623 | Jacob Robson | Detroit Tigers |
| 636 | Kevin Smith | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 641 | Charlie Barnes | Minnesota Twins |
| 642 | Hans Crouse | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 645 | Kutter Crawford | Boston Red Sox |
| 649 | Yohel Pozo | Texas Rangers |
| 658 | Justin Bruihl | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 658 | Spencer Torkelson SP | Detroit Tigers |
| 659 | Julio Rodriguez SP | Seattle Mariners |
| 660 | Bobby Witt Jr. | Kansas City Royals |
Which Are the Best 2022 Series 2 Rookies?
So while we don’t have many of the big and anticipated names, which players might be good to pop into at least a penny sleeve?
Juan Yepez
Not only is his caliber of play make this an interesting card to hold, Yepez doesn’t have a ton of cards already out there like some of his peers. As a result, you’ve seen his Donruss rookies perform pretty well (I sold a Career Stat Line /274 RC for $18 after buying it – and thinking I overpaid for it at $7.50).
O’Neil Cruz
Cruz is also an interesting case, but for different reasons. One, he already has a large number of Bowman Chrome cards, including his 1st Bowman all the way back in 2016 (which famously misspelled his first name as O’Neal). Two, Cruz already had a RC in Topps Heritage. And three, going against what many thought to be the case coming into the season, Cruz hasn’t yet been called up to the Pirates.
Wander Franco
Wait, say what? Yes, while we all rushed to Series 1 to find a Wander Franco RC, the young star will also be included in Series 2. Of course, this isn’t a “flagship” or major rookie card release for Franco (considering he wasn’t only in the Series 1 base set, but a number of subset cards).
As Beckett Hobby Editor Ryan Cracknell pointed out on Twitter, this will be a combo card for Franco, and some other guy you might have heard of.
Other Mentions
In addition to those named above, here are a few others to keep an eye on:
- Joe Ryan
- Shane Baz
- Seth Beer
- Josh Lowe
- Jose Siri
So, as always, happy ripping! And, don’t be so quick to give up on a player. The question I always ask my self is, does it make sense to go through the trouble of selling a card for $1 or just hold on to in with the hopes that he catches fire some time in the future?
