We’re talking about the best rookies from 2024 Topps Series 2 Baseball! While boxes become available on June 12, we finally got to see what the checklist looks like! I thought it would be a fun exercise to rank the 11 best rookies from this 2024 Topps Series 2 Baseball set!
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If you’re looking to pull some of the best rookies from 2024 Topps Series 2 Baseball yourself, you can buy these wax boxes on eBay:
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You might remember we did a similar rookie card ranking back, finding the top-five rookie cards from 2024 Topps Series 1 dropped earlier this year. We even tracked down other content creators to see where they ranked the rookie cards, and we wrote an Average Rookie Card Ranking video, which we’ll do again later this month for Series 2 rookies!
Which Rookie Cards Are in Topps Series 2?
Before we rank all the rookies, let’s first list all of the rookies whose cards made this set! The number next to their name is their card number.
Note that the final three cards in this 2024 Topps Series 2 checklist are short prints (SP), so they won’t really count as a player’s true rookie card. However, they are the first flagship cards with their professional big-league team’s jerseys. For reference, look at the same situation from 2022 Topps Series 2, when they gave Bobby Witt Jr., Julio Rodriguez and Spencer Torkelson short prints for their first cards.
Since these are short prints, we will not add them among our best rookie cards for 2024 Topps Series 2 baseball rankings!
Now that we know which rookie cards made the Series 2 checklist, we can make rank them in order of collectability! Remember that rookie cards are different from 1st Bowman cards, so we’ll also link to where you can find a player’s prospect cards, too. (Here’s our list of 1st Bowman Cards For the Top 100 MLB Prospects.)
1. Junior Caminero, 2B/3B, Tampa Bay Rays (20 years old) – Card No. 628 – View on eBay!
Caminero might be left as the top prospect in baseball when all is said and done in a couple weeks, if Holliday returns to the majors and Skenes sticks in Pittsburgh. Then again, Caminero might beat Holliday to the majors, considering he’s begun to play some second base at Triple-A Durham, while Rays 2B Brandon Lowe (oblique strain) rests.
Caminero is a raw power monster (eight of his 20 HR in the minors went to the opposite field), and after he got a taste of the majors last season, we can expect a much better sequel.
2. Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals (22 years old) – Card No. 480 – View on eBay!
This second-round pick of the 2020 MLB Draft has developed into a great defensive shortstop with a cannon for an arm in St. Louis – which is a great spot to be appreciated as a good shortstop! He leads all rookies with .295 batting average (min. 138 at-bats), and his ability to make contact and motor around the bases sets him apart from his peers.
3. Shota Imanaga, SP, Chicago Cubs (30 years old) – Card No. 442 – View on eBay!
While, Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed a 12-year deal for $325 million with the Dodgers, his Japanese counterpart, Imanaga, signed a four-year deal with the Cubs for just $53 million. That’s turning into a fantastic bargain for Imanaga, who is currently the odds-on favorite for National League Rookie of the Year, ahead of both Skenes and Yamamoto. Imanaga is also second to just Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler in NL Cy Young odds! Imanaga ranks among the best in the majors in most pitching categories, including pitching WAR.
That sounds like a must-collect player in the vein of Fernando Valenzuela! Imanaga’s nicknamed “The Throwing Philosopher,” which makes me beg Topps to make a card celebrating that name.
Unfortunately, Imanaga is a 30-year-old rookie (he turns 31 in about three months), and he’s a pitcher. The oldest players to win a Rookie of the Year Award in the past 50 years were Kazuhiro Sasaki (32-year-old closer with Seattle in 2000), Ichiro Suzuki (27-year-old outfielder with Seattle in 2001) and Jose Abreu (27-year-old first baseman with the White Sox in 2014).
Imanaga rocks the north side of Chicago, and collectors are going to be hot on him early on, especially if he brings home one or both awards. But his shelf life in the majors can’t be too long, and he’s a pitcher, which means collectors jump off their bandwagons quicker than anyone else (see Shane Bieber, Jacob deGrom, Gerrit Cole and Chris Sale).
4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP, L.A. Dodgers (25 years old) – Card No. 553 – View on eBay!
Ever since the Japanese import signed with the Dodgers, joining fellow countryman Shohei Ohtani, the collecting world has been excited about Yamamoto’s rookie card. He has lived up to his billing, going 5-1 in 10 starts, with a 3.17 ERA and 10.2 K/9 innings. Vegas oddsmakers have Yamamoto second behind Imanaga for 2024 NL Rookie of the Year. He hasn’t lost a game since his sole start in the Seoul Series to start the season.
5. Jordan Lawlar, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks (21 years old) – Card No. 451 – View on eBay!
Much like Jasson Dominguez (elbow), we’ll have to wait a bit on Lawlar’s 2024 debut because of surgery. In Lawlar’s case, his broken thumb was surgically repaired, costing him a couple months. He’ll probably get up to speed at Triple A, which means he’s going to have an abbreviated 2024 season.
Once again, much like The Martian, Lawlar’s injury can become a good thing, considering the sixth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft will have depressed prices while collectors target healthy players’ rookie cards.
Lawlar hit just .129 in 14 games in the majors last year, and prospectors might have already moved on. But he has a plus-bat for both average and power, and he’s the D-Backs’ top prospect, ready to follow Corbin Carroll’s 2023 footsteps.
You can find Lawlar’s 2024 Topps Heritage autographed rookie card for less than $35 on eBay!
These players are still worth picking up, but you should be able to get their parallels a little cheaper than the rookie cards mentioned above.
6. Wilyer Abreu, OF, Boston Red Sox (24 years old) – Card No. 672 – View on eBay!
The Venezuelan outfielder has raked against right-handers, and the Red Sox have leaned on his hitting early in the season. Abreu fills the stat sheet, which is a great thing for collectors, because he can hit for power, average and he has speed on the basepaths. His 12 doubles also lead all rookies in 2024.
From a collectability standpoint, Abreu was formerly the 30th-ranked prospect in the Astros farm system, before being traded to the Red Sox in 2022. He entered this season ranked sixth in Boston’s farm system, and now he’s a major-league baller worth picking up from 2024 Topps Series 2.
Good Red Sox hitters are similar to Yankees prospects in that they have a little more collectability than others.
7. Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Chicago Cubs (22 years old) – Card No. 407 – View on eBay!
Finally up in the majors after some injury-riddled time in the minors for the Mets before being traded to Chicago for Javier Baez, PCA is still young, still talented and still has hobby appeal on a Cubs team that shows life this year. Crow-Armstrong was the MiLB Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, which makes him a player that has a great chance to stick now that he’s back in the majors. Once his bat comes around, so will the hobby love.
8. Heston Kjerstad, OF, Baltimore Orioles (22 years old) – Card No. 394 – View on eBay!
The second overall pick in 2020 out of Arkansas (hey, Scott H!), Kjerstad is the one Orioles prospect that hasn’t just turned water into wine in hsi major-league development. With that said, he has 14 HR and 50 RBI in 140 at-bats with Triple-A Norfolk (a lineup that also boasts Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo!). Kjerstad is a Quadruple-A All-Star right now, and card collectors hope he can return to the majors with this same batting eye.
9. Noelvi Marte, SS/3B, Cincinnati Reds (22 years old) – Card No. 548 – View on eBay!
Tough to love a prospect that got nailed with an 80-game suspension for PEDs, but he’s expected to take over the hot corner in Cincinnati alongside fellow youngster Elly De La Cruz. The hobby isn’t a fan of PED suspensions, but Marte is young enough (and dynamic enough at the plate) that he could overcome hobby indifference. He hit .316 last season in the majors and he should show enough power and speed to get people excited about him again — unless it was all a PED-mirage, of course.
10. Kyle Harrison, SP, San Francisco Giants (22 years old) – Card No. 667 – View on eBay!
Another pitcher? Harrison has potential, but he’s been pretty inconsistent so far this year. Hopes rise as he dominates in one start, then they fade again the next week when he gets shelled. He’s a young starting pitcher — give him time before making a decision.
11. Jung Hoo-Lee, OF, San Francisco Giants (25 years old) – Card No. 691 – View on eBay!
Lee would have ranked higher, but the Korean import underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum earlier this month — and he’s now out for the season. Plus, he’s a little old for our prospecting-likes!
Considering the three rookies below were all short prints in 2024 Topps Series 2 Baseball, it stands to reason they will highlight the 2024 Topps Update Series later this year!
1. Jackson Chourio, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (20 years old) – Card No. 698 SP – View on eBay!
One of the most impressive minor leaguers of 2023, raising hopes of collectors and Brewers fans alike, Chourio has struggled in his first season, batting around .210 for the first two months of 2024. Even so, his bat speed and raw strength is impressive, so if he can lay off the breaking balls off the plate, he’ll be OK. Chourio recently graduated from MLB’s Top 100 Prospects list, but don’t forget he ranked top-five there for a couple years.
2. Wyatt Langford, OF, Texas Rangers (20 years old) – Card No. 700 SP – View on eBay!
After earning a spot in the Opening Day lineup for the defending World Series champions, Langford started strong. But the former Florida Gators outfielder has struggled since then, much like his rookie brethren Evan Carter. Both are batting well under .225, and Langford hasn’t shown the power we’d hoped for. A hamstring injury literally hamstrung him for the month of May. With that said, the only two position players to play more games before being named to an MLB Opening Day lineup was John Olerud and Pete Incaviglia, so we can cut Langford some slack.
3. Jackson Merrill, OF, Padres (21 years old) – Card No. 699 SP – View on eBay!
Merrill is a former shortstop-turned-centerfielder with the Padres – and he’s playing his new position incredibly well! He’s one of the youngest players in the majors, and the former 2021 first-round pick is batting over .280 this year, leading all rookies with 46 base hits.
While the following players were called up early enough to be among the best rookies from 2024 Topps Series 2 Baseball set, there’s a chance they make 2024 Topps Update! Or they’ll be held out to headline the 2025 Topps Series 1 sets!
Jackson Holliday, SS, Baltimore Orioles (20 years old) (MLB Debut April 10, 2024)
We all know the numbers – 18 strikeouts in 34 at-bats, in just 10 games in the majors before being sent back to the minors. Smart collectors don’t have “Holliday anxiety,” though, since they remember what happened with other Orioles stud prospects: OF Colton Cowser and SP Grayson Rodriguez. Both were called up with much fanfare before going back to the minors after disappointing MLB stints.
Rodriguez is 4-1 with a 3.15 ERA in seven starts this year, and Cowser’s 850+ OPS, which ranks among the top-25 hitters in the majors, and he has the second-best odds of being named the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year.
If anything, Holliday’s demotion is a good thing for collectors looking to get a dented can discount.
Paul Skenes, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates (20 years old) (MLB Debut May 11, 2024)
Skenes has been everything that was advertised, coming into the pros as the most highly touted college pitcher since Stephen Strasburg. That’s a scary name to be associated with from a collectability standpoint, but the 6-foot-6 fireballer has looked dominant at times.
Our Patrick Imhoff did a great writeup in the Happy Hobby Sports Cards Newsletter, detailing whether one should consider buying Skenes’ rookie cards considering the hype.
Jared Jones, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates (22 years old) (MLB Debut March 30, 2024)
Originally considered to be a closer in waiting, Jones has turned into a top-shelf starter for the surprising Pirates in 2024. He ranks among the MLB leaders in quality starts and now he can continue to work in anonymity while Skenes takes the spotlight. Jones gives up as many home runs (10) as he does walks, which is high for one, but very low for the other. Just three pitchers have given up more homers, but his control is stellar.
We hope you pull some of the best rookies from 2024 Topps Series 2 Baseball yourself – maybe it can be a low-numbered parallel, or a great autograph card!
Also, if you are in the mood for rookie cards, don’t forget to look at our articles that list all the best rookie cards from every single year in all four major sports.
Collecting the best rookies from 2024 Topps Series 2 Baseball is a great addition for anyone’s sports cards collection!
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