Baseball Players and Card Collectors
With the hobby growing in popularity rapidly in recent years, among some of the newest collectors to join are the same athletes that a common collector chases in product or just personally collect. While some are bigger fans of opening boxes or chasing a rainbow of themselves, they have joined the fraternity of collecting.
Bobby Witt Jr., Royals SS
The young Kansas City star whose 1st Bowman can be found in the 2020 edition of the product has burst onto the card scene with some lofty hopes for his own collection. Witt Jr. said in an interview with Topps that he is hoping to complete the rainbow of his Topps Chrome Update rookie card, which means collecting every version of the card including the 1/1 superfractor.
Witt Jr.'s love of cards began when he was a kid and now branches outside of baseball, adding players such as fellow Kansas City superstar Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, who has also begun to venture into sports cards.
Mike Trout, Angels OF
One of the darlings of the baseball card world, Trout has bought into (literally) his cards as well as expanded his personal collection. With some of his earliest cards selling for five and six figures, Trout said he began collecting a few years ago and collects anything ranging from his own cards, to his hometown Philadelphia Eagles, to the ever-popular "Kaboom!" inserts in Panini products.
Along with collecting, Trout has also partnered with popular card grading company PSA to create the "Trout Family Collection" pedigree collection. Within the collection, a 1st Bowman autograph, inscribed 2011 Topps Update rookie card are just a few of the extremely valuable cards.
Josh Jung, Rangers 3B
A first round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, Jung's love of cards came from his father who collects vintage cards of the Brooklyn Dodgers. While his father aimed for vintage, the infielder collected Alex Rodriguez and has since looked to collect some of his best cards in existence.
In an interview with Topps, Jung showed off some of the prized cards in his collection including his Topps Chrome rookie superfractor as well as discuss how he would doodle on cards that were later placed in products and open a case of every product Topps would release throughout the year
Matt Strahm, Phillies RP
While Strahm may not be a household name across baseball and baseball cards, Strahm has created a name for himself in the hobby. A 10-year MLB veteran, the left-hander has launched his own card show named "The Card Life" where he travels to all parts of the country telling stories about card shops, collectors, and companies within cards. The show has almost 3,500 subscribers on YouTube and airs on 14 regional networks.
Dan Gardella is a Red Sox fan and collector growing up in Yankee territory in Connecticut. While only reviving his love for the hobby a few years ago, he provides knowledge into baseball cards from prospects to the big leagues.
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