Knowing the best Topps baseball cards from each set, each year, is important for card collectors! A common question from sports card collectors, new and old, is what are the best rookie cards to get in each Topps Baseball set? That’s what everyone wants, right? The top rookie cards from each Topps flagship set, whether it’s Series 1, Series 2 or Topps Update.
- UPDATE: We just posted our article on Who Are the Best Basketball Rookie Cards From Each NBA Season?
Over the past couple years, I’ve started to dive deeper into my sports card collection, and something that dawned on me is that I’ve never seen a full page with all the best Topps rookie cards from each year. So I said to myself, “Self, get to writing!”
Here’s the thing – I need you to help me out with this. This is obviously subjective because some people might value some rookie cards more than other rookie cards, and I might consider one player worthy of notation, while others think I omitted some great names.
Please comment which rookie cards I’m missing from these sets – but I’ve gone to great lengths to try to get the top Topps rookie cards for each set/series.
I’ve used both CardConnection.com and DACardWorld.com to track down many of the most attractive rookie cards for each series, but there could certainly be some errors.
(One of the reasons I wrote this article is because I’m kind of obsessed with making up for lost time, and I’m backfilling my sports card collection with the top rookies over the past couple decades from which I wasn’t collecting. One of the ways I’m doing that, other than just outright buying the singles on eBay, is buying old boxes and packs to rip from sites like DACardWorld.com, BlowoutCards.com and BBCExchange.com. Do you rip old packs or boxes? Let me know!)
While this article is currently only covering the best baseball rookie cards over the past 10 years, I do plan on going all the way back through the 71 years of Topps baseball card series – probably 10 years at a time. So bookmark this article and come back often!
Best Rookie Cards From Each Topps Baseball Set – Dating Back to 1952
This article will be updated throughout the years as some player’s ascend in value and some decline. The most recent seasons will have a higher number of rookies to collect because we’re still waiting to see if they will fulfill their promise. As the seasons wear on, I’ll remove the rookies that have fallen by the wayside.
This is only including Topps flagship set, not Topps Chrome, not Topps Archives, not Topps Heritage, or any other series. So don’t make those comments.
Most card images provided by BuySportsCards.com.
Best 1952 Topps Rookies Cards
- Mickey Mantle
- Billy Martin
- Minnie Minoso
- Ralph Houk
- Hoyt Wilhelm
- Dick Williams
- Eddie Matthews
Best 1953 Topps Rookies Cards
- Johnny Podres – 263
Best 1954 Topps Rookies Cards
- Ernie Banks
- Hank Aaron
- Tommy LaSorda
- Al Kaline
- Bill Skowron

Best 1955 Topps Rookies Cards
- Don Zimmer –
- Harmon Killebrew –
- Sandy Koufax –
- Roberto Clemente –
Best 1956 Topps Rookies Cards
- Luis Aparicio – 292
Best 1957 Topps Rookies Cards
- Don Drysdale
- Bill Mazeroski
- Whitey Herzog
- Frank Robinson
- Clete Boyer
- Rocky Colavito
- Bobby Richardson
- Tony Kubel
- Brooks Robinson
- Jim Bunning – 338
Best 1958 Topps Rookies Cards
- Johnny Roseboro
- Roger Maris
- Orlando Cepeda
- Vada Pinson
Best 1959 Topps Rookies Cards
- Sparky Anderson –
- Norm Cash –
- Bob Gibson –
Best 1960 Topps Rookies Cards
Here’s my piece on the Top 10 Best Baseball Cards From 1960 Topps Baseball to collect!
- Carl Yastrzemski –
- Willie McCovey –

Best 1961 Topps Rookies Cards
- Ron Santo
- Billy Williams
- Juan Marichal
Best 1962 Topps Rookies Cards
- Boog Powell
- Tim McCarver
- Gaylord Perry
- Jim Fregosi
- Joe Torre
- Lou Brock
- Jim Bouton (multi-RC)
- Bob Uecker
- Joe Pepitone
Best 1963 Topps Rookies Cards
- Tony Oliva
- Pete Rose (multi-RC) – 537
- Rusty Staub
- Willie Stargell (multi-RC) – 553
Best 1964 Topps Rookies Cards
- Tommy John (dual RC)
- Lou Piniella
- Richie Allen
- Tony La Russa
- Tony Conigliaro
- Phil Niekro (dual RC) No. 541
Best 1965 Topps Rookies Cards
- Joe Morgan
- Denny McClain
- Steve Carlton
- Jim “Catfish” Hunter
- Tony Perez
Best 1966 Topps Rookies Cards
- Jim Palmer
- Fergie Jenkins
- Don Sutton
Best 1967 Topps Rookies Cards
- Rod Carew
- Tom Seaver (dual RC)
Best 1968 Topps Rookies Cards
- Nolan Ryan (dual RC)
- Johnny Bench (dual RC)
Best 1969 Topps Rookies Cards
- Reggie Jackson
- Rollie Fingers
- Bobby Bonds

Best 1970 Topps Rookies Cards
- Thurman Munson (dual RC)
- Vida Blue
- Bill Buckner
- Bill Russell
- Larry Bowa (dual RC)
Best 1971 Topps Rookies Cards
- Dave Concepcion
- Bert Blyleven
- Ted Simmons
- George Foster
- Steve Garvey
- Greg Luzinski
- Bill Buckner
- Dusty Baker
Best 1972 Topps Rookies Cards
- Carlton Fisk (dual RC)
- Ron Cey (dual RC)
Best 1973 Topps Rookies Cards
- Rich “Goose” Gossage No. 174
- Oscar Gamble
- Hal McCrae
- Mike Schmidt No. 615 (multi-RC)
Best 1974 Topps Rookies Cards
- Mike Schmidt (first solo card)
- Dave Winfield
- Ken Griffey
- Bucky Dent
- Dave Parker
Best 1975 Topps Rookies Cards
- George Brett
- Robin Yount
- Jim Rice
- Gary Carter
- Fred Lynn
- Keith Hernandez
Best 1976 Topps Rookies Cards
- Dennis Eckersley
- Willie Randolph
- Ron Guidry
Best 1977 Topps Rookies Cards
- Bruce Sutter
- Mark Fydrich
- Andre Dawson
- Dale Murphy
- Dennis Martinez
Best 1978 Topps Rookies Cards
- Eddie Murray
- Jack Morris (multi-RC)
- Lou Whitaker (multi-RC)
- Paul Molitor / Alan Trammell (multi-RC)

Best 1979 Topps Rookies Cards
- Ozzie Smith
Best 1980 Topps Rookies Cards
- Rickey Henderson
Best 1981 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Joe Charbonneau
- Mike Scoscia / Fernando Valenzuela (multi-RC)
- Kirk Gibson
- Harold Baines
- Tim Raines
Traded:
- Danny Ainge
- Tim Raines (solo rookie card)
- Fernando Valenzuela (solo rookie card)
Best 1982 Topps Rookies Cards
- Cal Ripken Jr. (multi-RC)
- Jorge Bell
- Lee Smith
Traded:
- Cal Ripken Jr. (solo rookie card)
- Kent Hrbek
- Steve Sax
Best 1983 Topps Rookies Cards
- Ryne Sandberg
- Tony Gwynn
- Wade Boggs
Traded:
- Darryl Strawberry

Best 1984 Topps Rookies Cards
- Don Mattingly
- Darryl Strawberry
Traded:
- Dwight Gooden
Best 1985 Topps Rookies Cards
- Dwight Gooden Record Breaker
- Dwight Gooden
- Roger Clemens
- Orel Hershiser
- Kirby Puckett
- Mark McGwire (Team USA)
- Eric Davis
Best 1986 Topps Rookies Cards
- Len Dykstra
- Cecil Fielder
Traded:
- Barry Bonds
- Bo Jackson
- Jose Canseco
- Will Clark
Best 1987 Topps Rookies Cards
- Barry Bonds
- Bo Jackson Future Stars
- Mark McGwire (first in A’s uniform)
Traded:
- Greg Maddux
- Fred McGriff
Best 1988 Topps Rookies Cards
- Tom Glavine
Traded:
- Roberto Alomar
- Tino Martinez
Best 1989 Topps Rookies Cards
- Craig Biggio
- John Smoltz
- Randy Johnson
Traded:
- Ken Griffey Jr.
- Randy Johnson
Best 1990 Topps Rookies Cards
- Ken Griffey Jr.
- Frank Thomas
- Sammy Sosa
- Larry Walker
- Bernie Williams
Best 1991 Topps Rookies Cards
- Chipper Jones
Traded:
- Ivan Rodriguez
- Jeff Bagwell
- Jason Giambi
- Luis Gonzalez
Best 1992 Topps Rookies Cards
- Manny Ramirez – 156
- Shawn Green – 276
- Kenny Lofton
- Mike Mussina
- Ivan Rodriguez Rookie Cup
- Jim Thome – 768
Traded:
- Nomar Garciaparra
- Jason Varitek
Best 1993 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Derek Jeter
- Jason Kendall
Series 2:
- Jim Edmonds
- Mike Piazza/Carlos Delgado (multi-rookie)
Traded:
- Todd Helton

Best 1994 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Derek Jeter (multi-RC)
Traded:
- Paul Konerko
Best 1995 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
Series 2:
Traded:
- Carlos Beltran UER
- Mariano Rivera (dual RC)
Best 1996 Topps Rookies Cards
- Mariano Rivera (solo RC)
Best 1997 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Lance Berkman (dual RC) – 246
- David Ortiz (multi-RC) – 257
Series 2:
Best 1998 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Adrian Beltre / Aaron Boone (multi-RC) – 254
- Kerry Wood (multi-RC) – 256
- Roy Halladay (multi-RC) – 264
Series 2:
- Alex Rodriguez – 504 (first Topps card! – shout-out to viewer Edward Williams for sharing this!)
Best 1999 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Kerry Wood (first solo RC) – 20
- Miguel Tejada – 352
Series 2:
- John Rocker (multi-RC) – 429
- Vernon Wells (multi-RC) – 436
- Matt Holliday (multi-RC) – 442
Best 2000 Topps Rookie Cards
Series 1:
Series 2:
- Josh Hamilton (dual RC) – 449
- Barry Zito / Ben Sheets (dual RC) – 451
Traded:
- Brandon Phillips – T3
- Alex Gordon – T21
- Juan Pierre – T34
- Francisco Rodriguez – T38
- Miguel Cabrera – T40
- Michael Young – T46
- Adrian Gonzalez – T81
Best 2001 Topps Rookie Cards
Series 1:
- Travis Hafner – 371
Series 2:
- Ichiro Suzuki – 726
- Jake Peavy – 728
- Edwin Encarnacion – 746
Traded:
- Ichiro Suzuki / Albert Pujols (dual RC) – T99
- Justin Morneau – T235
- Jose Reyes – T242
- Albert Pujols – T247

Best 2002 Topps Rookie Cards
Series 1:
- Jason Bay – 326
Series 2:
- Joe Mauer – 622
Traded:
- Mark Teixeira – T169
- Jose Bautista – T180
- Mark Prior – T231
- Dontrelle Willis – T262
Best 2003 Topps Rookie Cards
Series 1:
- Cliff Lee – 304
- Alex Rios – 307
- Kevin Youkilis – 311
- Carl Crawford – 325
Series 2:
- Cole Hamels – 671
- Chase Utley – 682
Traded:
- Adam Wainwright – T159
- Hanley Ramirez – T181
- Robinson Cano – T200
Best 2004 Topps Rookie Cards
Series 1:
- Yadier Molina – 324
- Zack Greinke – 330
Series 2:
Traded:
- Felix Hernandez – T144
Best 2005 Topps Rookie Cards
Series 1:
- Ian Kinsler – 302
- David Wright (dual RC) – 330
Series 2:
- Billy Butler – 668
- Justin Verlander – 677
- Ryan Howard (dual RC) – 689
Updates and Highlights:
- Nelson Cruz – UH206
- Russell Martin – UH234
- Matt Kemp – UH284
- Carlos Gonzalez – UH298
- Ryan Braun – UH313
- Jacoby Ellsbury – UH317
- Ryan Zimmerman – UH323
- Andrew McCutchen – UH329
Best 2006 Topps Rookie Cards
Series 1:
Series 2:
Updates and Highlights:
- Jon Lester – UH149
Best 2007 Topps Rookie Cards
Series 1:
Series 2:
- Daisuke Matsuzaka – 630
Updates and Highlights:
- Carlos Gomez – UH155
- Tim Lincecum – UH158
- Justin Upton – UH327
Best 2008 Topps Rookie Cards
Series 1:
- Joey Votto – 319
Series 2:
- Johnny Cueto – 476
Traded:
- Evan Longoria – UH10
- Jay Bruce – UH100
- Chris Davis – UH231
- Clayton Kershaw – UH240
- Max Scherzer – UH280
Best 2009 Topps Rookie Cards
Series 1:
- David Price – 35
Series 2:
- Elvis Andrus – 591
Updates and Highlights:
Best 2010 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Buster Posey – 1
- Madison Bumgarner – 105
- Michael Brantley – 270
Series 2:
- Jason Heyward – 353
Update:
- Mike Stanton (Giancarlo Stanton) – US-50
- Kenley Jansen – US-114
- Josh Donaldson – US-172
- Carlos Santana – US-330
Best 2011 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Mark Trumbo – 57
- Chris Sale – 65
- Aroldis Chapman – 110
- Freddie Freeman – 145
Series 2:
- Michael Pineda – 595
- Brandon Belt – 605
Update:
- Paul Goldschmidt – US47
- Anthony Rizzo – US55
- Michael Pineda – US118
- Jose Altuve – US132
- Eric Hosmer – US155
- Mike Trout – US175
- J.D. Martinez – US186
- Mike Moustakas – US192
- D.J. LeMahieu – US205
- Charlie Blackmon – US231
- Brandon Crawford – US234
- Kyle Seager – US308
- Dee Gordon – US329

Best 2012 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
Series 2:
- Yoenis Cespedes – 396
- Yu Darvish – 660
- Bryce Harper – 661 (short print)
Update:
- Patrick Corbin – US-16
- Matt Harvey – US-23
- Yasmani Grandal – US-104
- Starling Marte – US-109
- Bryce Harper – US-183 (true RC)
- Dallas Keuchel – US-188
Best 2013 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Manny Machado – 270
Series 2:
- Jose Fernandez – 589
Update:
- Anthony Rendon – US-8
- Gerritt Cole – US-150
- Yasiel Puig – US-250
- Nolan Arenado – US-259
- Marcell Ozuna – US-270
- Christian Yelich – US-290
Best 2014 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Xander Bogaerts – 133
- Nick Castellanos – 195
Series 2:
- Jose Ramirez – 424
- Marcus Semien – 429
- Jose Abreu – 496
- Masahiro Tanaka – 661
Update:
- George Springer – US-10
- Mookie Betts – US-26
- Jacob deGrom – US-50
- Eugenio Suarez – US-96
- Marcus Stroman – US-197
Best 2015 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Jorge Soler
- Joc Pederson
- Maikel Franco
- Javier Baez
Series 2:
- Kris Bryant
Update:
- Carlos Correa
- Noah Syndergaard
- Byron Buxton
- Francisco Lindor
- Carlos Rodon
- Joey Gallo
Best 2016 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Miguel Sano
- Corey Seager
- Kyle Schwarber
- Michael Conforto
- Trea Turner
- Ketel Marte
Series 2:
- Gary Sanchez
Update:
- Tim Anderson
- Mike Clevinger
- Trevor Story
- Jose Berrios
- Lucas Giolito
Best 2017 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Dansby Swanson
- Yoan Moncada
- Aaron Judge
- Alex Bregman
- Tyler Glasnow
Series 2:
- Trey Mancini
- Matt Olson
Update:
- Matt Chapman
- Cody Bellinger
- Luke Voit
Best 2018 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Rafael Devers
- Rhys Hoskins
- Ozzie Albies
- Alex Verdugo
- Victor Robles
- Walker Buehler
Series 2:
- Sandy Alcantara – 594
- Ronald Acuna Jr. – 698 SP
- Gleyber Torres – 699 SP
- Shohei Ohtani – 700
Update:
- Austin Meadows – US34
- Juan Soto – US300
- Gleyber Torres – US200 (true RC)
- Ronald Acuna Jr. – US250 (true RC)
Best 2019 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Kyle Tucker
- Jeff McNeil
- Brandon Lowe
- Adolis Garcia
- Corbin Burnes
- Cedric Mullins
Series 2:
- Fernando Tatis Jr.
- Pete Alonso
- Patrick Wisdom
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (No # short print)
Update:
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
- Luis Arraez
- Bryan Reynolds
- Jared Walsh
- Austin Riley No. US100
- Will Smith
- Mike Yastrzemski
Best 2020 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Trent Grisham – 9
- Nico Hoerner – 70
- Bo Bichette – 78
- Zac Gallen – 207
- Randy Arozarena – 229
- Yordan Alvarez – 276
- Dylan Cease – 326
Series 2:
- Emmanuel Clase – 390
- Luis Robert – 392
Update:
- Devin Williams – U113
Best 2021 Topps Rookies Cards
Series 1:
- Jo Adell
- Alec Bohm
- Joey Bart
- Dylan Carlson
- Ryan Mountcastle
- Cristian Pache
Series 2:
- Ke’Bryan Hayes
- Alex Kiriloff
- Jazz Chisholm
Update:
- Jarred Kelenic
- Ian Anderson
- Andrew Vaughn
- Jonathan India
- Alek Manaoh
Best 2022 Topps Rookies Cards
2022 Topps Series 1:
- Wander Franco – 215
- Gavin Sheets
- Brandon Marsh
- Bryan De La Cruz
- Reid Detmers
2022 Topps Series 2:
- Joe Ryan – 390
- Juan Yepez
- Josh Lowe – 479
- Spencer Strider – 509
- Oneil Cruz – 537
- Spencer Torkelson – 658 SP
- Julio Rodriguez – 659 SP
- Bobby Witt Jr. – 660 SP
2022 Topps Update:
- Spencer Torkelson – US20
- C.J. Abrams – US34
- Julio Rodriguez – US44
- MacKenzie Gore – US81
- Bobby Witt Jr. – US100
- Royce Lewis – US105
- Hunter Greene – US160
- George Kirby – US207
- Alek Thomas #US212
- Bryson Stott – US224
- Jeremy Pena – US253
- Seiya Suzuki – US250
- Steven Kwan – US261
- Nick Lodolo – US298

Best 2023 Topps Rookies Cards
2023 Topps Series 1:
- Nolan Gorman – 21
- Riley Greene – 31
- Brett Baty – 89
- Triston Casas – 92
- Oswald Peraza – 94
- Hunter Brown – 111
- Miguel Vargas – 163
- Gabriel Moreno – 169
- Gunnar Henderson – 206
- Michael Harris II – 226
- Adley Rutschman – 250
- Vaughn Grissom – 275
- Vinnie Pasquantino – 302
- Christopher Morel – 308
2023 Topps Series 2:
- Jordan Walker – 344
- Kodai Senga – 362
- Logan O’Hoppe – 363
- Max Meyer – 388
- James Outman – 396
- Corbin Carroll – 401
- Anthony Volpe – 460
- Masataka Yoshida – 471
- Josh Jung – 529
- Oscar Colas – 545
- Ezekiel Tovar – 651
- Francisco Alvarez – 644
We also recently posted our article on Who Are the Best Basketball Rookie Cards From Each NBA Season?
As I mentioned at the start of this article, this is going to be an often updated page. Some rookie cards will be removed as players decline in value to their baseball team, and some rookie cards will be added as they bloom later than we expected. Either way, feel free to comment below and share some of the players you think are the best rookies from each Topps baseball set.
