In a world where pop culture often finds new ways to intersect and surprise us, a bewitching blend of America’s favorite pastime and an iconic Pokémon creature has emerged to set the diehard collecting world aflame. Yes, you heard that right—a baseball card featuring a Pokémon is causing quite the stir, and what better Pokémon to light that fire than the ever-fierce Charizard?
Evan Longoria, the seasoned MLB player who’s signed more baseball paraphernalia than he’s probably hit home runs, recently shook things up with what can only be described as the ultimate collector crossover. Headed for the 2025 Topps Tier One Baseball set, this particular card doesn’t just emerge from the usual deck. It features something special—a game-used bat knob embedded into the card, adorned with a vibrant Charizard blazing across the wood.
Such an unexpected collaboration between the world of Pokémon, a treasured trading card game (TCG), and Major League Baseball (MLB) instantly ignited a frenzy, much akin to throwing gasoline on a wildfire. To say that both communities erupted with excitement might be an understatement of gargantuan proportions.
Alan Narz, the mastermind behind Big League Cards in Casselberry, Florida, took one look at this innovative card and immediately knew it was a must-have. Setting the collecting circuits abuzz, Narz put a whopping $100,000 bounty on the card.
“We’re obsessed with bringing both sports and Pokémon enthusiasts through our doors,” Narz happily professed, probably while imagining the card occupying a prime spot in his store. “And suddenly, here comes a card that’s the perfect marriage of both worlds? We absolutely need it.”
A veteran in the often cutthroat world of card collecting, Narz maintains that this may well be the first MLB-licensed card boasting a Pokémon character. Topps has certainly flirted with the Pokémon brand in past endeavors, but nothing quite like this mélange has ever graced the hobby.
Bat knob cards inherently ooze intrigue and collector appeal, given that they feature the very edge of a player’s bat, meticulously snipped and embedded into a large format relic card. A diverse roster, ranging from Babe Ruth to today’s baseball stars, have showcased their bat knobs. However, toss a Charizard into that mix, emblazoned across the card? Well, that takes the concept to a veritable inferno of collector desirability.
“When Topps works their magic on a card, it hits different,” Narz acknowledged, alluding to a certain card-savvy alchemy that only seasoned collectors truly understand.
Alan Narz isn’t the sole collector who has been charmed by the card’s unique allure. Doug Caskey, co-founder of the influential Mojobreak, caught the trail as well and decided to snag a piece of the action—quite literally. Upon spotting a Longoria game-used bat, replete with the distinctive Charizard sticker on the knob, listed for sale on eBay for under a thousand dollars, he wasted no time acquiring it for a clean $700.
Caskey, riding the waves of both sports and Pokémon fandoms, saw a clear opportunity, commenting, “We’ve got a big Pokémon following and being from the Bay Area, where Longoria played for years, it felt right.”
The backdrop of Caskey’s enthusiasm is his longstanding connection to Evan Longoria’s cards, reminiscent of his company’s early pursuits. When Caskey and his partners started Mojobreak in 2010, Longoria’s elusive 2006 Bowman Chrome Superfractor became their Holy Grail. To this day, this particular card still hasn’t surfaced in public forums, leaving lingering echoes in hobbyist folklore.
“We were always chasing that Longoria Superfractor,” Caskey reflected with a nostalgic smile. “And it still hasn’t shown up. It became a thing with us.”
As for the soon-to-be-released Charizard bat knob card on Topps Tier One? Caskey’s enthusiasm hasn’t waned a bit. “It’s the thrill of the chase,” he mused. “This card—it’s something else. Hunting it down? That’s what makes this hobby so exhilarating.”
Even as this charismatic card continues to elude eager collectors, it’s clear that it’s more than just a slab of cardboard with intriguing art and cherished autographs. It signifies a transcendent cultural moment uniting two diverse fandoms in shared excitement. Whether its ultimate home will be behind a display counter in Florida or showcased with pride in the Bay Area, it’s safe to say this card is already legendary. The Pokémon-infused bat knob card isn’t just capturing attention for its Pokémon appeal but for the opening it provides into unprecedented realms of collectible artistry, marking yet another chapter in the ever-evolving story of fandom collisions.
