2023 Topps Big League Baseball sees the fun-friendly brand return after taking a season off (following the delay of nearly a year for the 2021 release to finally arrive). It has also been repositioned to take the slow on the release calendar formerly occupied by Topps Opening Day, which has been put on the shelf for the time being.
For those looking for a more affordable break or content for younger collectors, that’s Big League’s wheelhouse. Don’t expect guaranteed hits, though. They on the checklist, but they’re not in every hobby box.
2023 Topps Big League Baseball Checklist Overview
The base set has 310 total cards. But it’s not quite as straightforward as that. Taking a page from trading card games like Pokémon or Magic: The Gathering (or Topps Finest Baseball sets from the mid 1990s), it takes a tiered approach.
The first 200 cards are the most plentiful or “common.” The next 50, Uncommon Foil, are one per pack. This is where things get considerably tougher:
- Rare Blue Foil (#251-275) – 1:18 packs
- Super Rare Red Foil (#276-300) – 1:90 packs
- Legendary Gold Foil (#301-310) – 1:360 packs.
All 310 cards also have Black Foil (/25) and Foilfractor (1/1) parallels.
Inserts
The 2023 Topps Big League Baseball checklist has a solid assortment of insert sets. Some are quite easy to find while others are scarce.
Topps Big Leaguers may have a sense of familiarity to them for long-time collectors. Finding their roots in illustrations by Drake Cereal, these are loosely inspired by 1992 Topps Kids Baseball.
Old-school video games lay the groundwork for 8-bit Ballers.
Players in their City Connect uniforms are the basis of City Slickers.
CES, one of the Topps Project70 artists, contributes the artwork for Roll Call – Wildstyle Edition.
All four of these have 1:4 pack odds.
Mascots, a Topps Opening Day staple for years, make the jump over to Big League. They’re showcased in a couple of spots. First is a standard set of Mascots (1:9 packs). Much more limited are Mascots Mania Foil Variations. Falling 1:4 cases, these take the ballpark denizens out of the stadium and cast them in what might be their natural habitat.
Game Day Drip Gold Foil and Let’s Go! are two more tough insert sets on the checklist.
Autographs
Most of the signatures in 2023 Topps Big League Baseball come from two sets, Big League Blue Foil Autographs and Opening Act Blue Foil Autographs. Both have Gold Foil (/50), Orange Foil (/25), Red Foil (/5) and Foilfractor (1/1) parallels.
8-bit Ballers, City Slickers and Roll Call also have autograph versions for select cards that are numbered to 25.
Contests
There are a couple of contest connections in 2023 Big League.
Every hobby box has a “Become a Big Leaguer” scratch-off card. The eventual winner here will have their own card in 2024 Topps Big League Baseball.
Social Media Follow Back Redemptions are something a little different. Rather than getting a traditional prize, collectors who pull one of these will gain a follower on their Instagram account, a big league ball player.
2023 Topps Big League Baseball cards at a glance:
Cards per pack: Hobby – 8
Packs per box: Hobby – 18
Boxes per case: Hobby – 20
Set size: 310 cards
Release date (subject to change): March 29, 2023
What to expect in a hobby box:
- 8-Bit Ballers – 4
- Become a Big Leaguer Scratch Offs – 1
- City Slickers – 4
- Mascots – 2
- Roll Call – Wildstyle Edition – 4
- Topps Big Leaguers – 4
- Uncommon Foil – 18
- Rare Blue Foil – 1
Recent Topps Big League Baseball releases:
The full 2023 Topps Big League Baseball checklist and team set lists will be up as soon as they’re available, likely shortly before the set’s release.