The 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball collection is a highly anticipated release for enthusiasts of MLB draft picks and rising stars. This year’s collection introduces an exciting addition: Tom Brady, the legendary NFL figure, is featured as an insert and autograph card. This unique blend of baseball and football icons makes the collection even more compelling.
Scheduled to be released in mid-December, the 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball collection follows the success of the 2023 Bowman Baseball and Bowman Chrome collections. It showcases notable prospects like Wyatt Langford, Paul Skenes, and Ethan Salas, giving collectors a glimpse into the future of Major League Baseball. The collection offers both Hobby Jumbo and Super Jumbo boxes, providing a variety of cards, autographs, and parallels for fans to discover.
The base set of 200 cards highlights top draft picks and MLB prospects, with special “1st Bowman” notations and image variations for 10 players. In addition to the exciting prospects, the collection also features two legendary Hall of Famers: Josh Gibson and Carl Yastrzemski. These two players are showcased as short-printed RetroFractor cards, while Yastrzemski also has an autographed version available.
One of the highlights of the collection is the wide range of parallels available in both paper and chrome formats. Collectors can search for new parallels such as Aqua/Pink and Red/Green Gradient Borders, as well as hobby box exclusive Orange Borders. The chrome cards introduce several new refractors, including Lunar Glow and Fuchsia Lunar, among others, adding more variety and excitement to the collection.
In addition to the base set and parallels, the 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball collection features a variety of inserts paying homage to the iconic 1954 Bowman baseball design. The Bowman 1954 Flag Variation inserts showcase young players against their home flags, while the Bowman Draft Glass and Chrome Prospector’s Special Die-Cut inserts offer a unique visual experience. This year, two new inserts make their debut: Transformative Talents and Draft Picks & Prospects, adding to the overall excitement of the collection.
Tom Brady’s presence in the 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball collection as a “Dream Draft Pick” is especially intriguing. While no preview images of his card are available, collectors can anticipate limited Refractor parallels. The collection also includes a diverse selection of autographs, such as Chrome Prospect Autographs, Mood Ring Red Autographs, and Bowman ’54 Flag Variation Red Refractor autographs, making it a treat for both baseball and football fans alike.
The collection showcases dual signatures in the Franchise Futures Dual Autographs, highlighting the synergy between two players on the field. Additionally, the Class of 2023 Autographs spotlights this year’s notable MLB draft choices, solidifying their place in the collection. The set also offers special autographed booklets and Under Armour Game Autographed cards, providing collectors with highly sought-after items to add to their collections.
For collectors seeking rare and unique cards, the 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball collection presents several opportunities to find valuable autographs. The Class of 2023 Autographs section features the most prominent MLB draft picks of the year, with new Green Refractor parallels. Collectors can also discover Gold, Red, and SuperFractor parallels, further enhancing the depth and appeal of the autograph selection.
Tom Brady’s “Dream Draft Pick” card is a standout feature of the collection, with Gold Refractor parallels limited to just 50 cards. Other Refractor parallels for Brady’s card include Orange, Red, and the extremely rare SuperFractor, providing collectors with unique and highly coveted collectibles.
The collection also includes Base Set Gold Retrofractor Autographs, limited to 50 cards, following the same parallel configuration as the Brady autographs. These autographs add an additional layer of rarity and value to the collection, making them highly desirable for collectors.
Furthermore, the Draft Glass Autographs, numbered to 99, offer another exclusive aspect to the set. These autographs come with Lava, Gold Mini-Diamond, hobby-exclusive Orange, Red, and SuperFractor parallels, providing collectors with a range of options to enhance their collections.
The inclusion of Image Variation Autograph parallel cards, numbered to 99, adds an element of surprise and diversity to the collection. These cards offer a different visual perspective on some of the players included in the set, adding a sense of uniqueness to the overall collection.
The autographed booklets in this year’s set are particularly special and highly sought-after. The “Positioned for Excellence” booklet, limited to 10 copies, and the “Picked for Excellence” Autographed booklet, limited to just 5 copies, are exceptionally rare. Each of these booklets has a Red Refractor parallel (limited to 5) and a SuperFractor (1/1), making them some of the most coveted items in the entire collection.
Lastly, the inclusion of Under Armour Game Autographed cards provides collectors with an opportunity to obtain autographs from some of the most promising young talents in baseball. With various serial numbers, these cards offer a wide range of autograph opportunities, making them highly sought-after by collectors.
Overall, the 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball collection is a comprehensive and exciting release that combines an array of new prospects, established stars, and the unique inclusion of Tom Brady. With its variety of cards, parallels, and autographs, this collection is a must-have for collectors and fans of the sport.
