2025 Topps Series 2 Baseball Cover Athlete is Shohei Ohtani!
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On May 12, 2025, it was announced by Topps that Shohei Ohtani would be the cover athlete for its 2025 Topps Series 2 Baseball set, marking a pretty important moment for both collectors and fans alike. This announcement comes on the heels of Topps' exclusive long-term global trading card agreement with Ohtani, which includes autographs, game-used memorabilia, and cards highlighting the key moments from his career and those super special moments that are still yet to come.
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IT’S OFFICIAL: Shohei Ohtani is your 2025 Series 2 cover athlete. pic.twitter.com/XUQMi0TF1L
— Topps (@Topps) May 12, 2025
Ohtani's selection as the cover athlete is based both on the unbelievable impact he has had on the sport of baseball and his presence as a global cultural icon. During the Dodgers 2024 campaign, for example, he not only crushed 50 home runs but stole an eye-opening 50 bases, earned his fourth MVP award and was the driving force behind the Dodgers 2024 World Series championship.
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Ohtani is also one of the most revered players to take the modern playing field given his dual-threat ability (as both a starting pitcher and a power hitter) to not only strike fear into his opponents on both sides of the ball but to also captivate baseball fans all watching him play from around the world.
When it comes to early anticipated demand 2025 Topps Series 2 products, especially for the cards and parallels (and possibly even inserts) that will feature Ohtani, collectors are certainly locked-in for the product to hit the open market on release day. Given his exclusive partnership with Topps, the set is expected to include unique inserts, autographed cards, and memorabilia pieces that celebrate both his MLB career as well as his legendary achievements.
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Topps' collaboration with Ohtani also reinforces the company’s strategic focus on the Japanese market, where not only Ohtani's popularity but the likes of Yamamoto, Sasaki, and Ichiro, have all significantly boosted the trading card industry from a global perspective.
There’s no doubt that his presence on the cover of 2025 Topps Series 2 Baseball will attract both seasoned collectors and newer hobby enthusiasts, but this is only the first of what is expected to be a number of ongoing announcements related to Shohei Ohtani by the team at Topps.
Passionate sports card collector and writer based in Queens, NY. Lifelong fan of the New York Mets, Jets, and Rangers. Covering sports cards and collectibles with deep industry knowledge and enthusiasm, while bringing a fresh perspective to the ever-evolving hobby world on http://SI.com/collectibles.
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