In the sun-soaked town of Glendale, Arizona, the tale of Cam Booser stands as a testament to resilience and family bonds. Booser, who journeyed from his native Seattle—including working as a carpenter and battling significant arm and back injuries—has realized his dream of making it to the major leagues. To celebrate his significant debut, Booser longed for a unique keepsake: a specialized baseball card that featured a patch from the jersey he wore during that memorable first game. Helping him achieve this goal was his elder sister, Kelsey, who, in cahoots with the Neighborhood Card Shop in California, devised a plan over several weeks to present her brother with the cherished card as a surprise Christmas gift.
Breathing life into their player debuts, Topps has designed unique debut patch cards that are personally autographed and adorned with fabric pieces from players’ first jerseys. These cards, which have caught the fancy of various young players and seasoned collectors alike, are also incorporated into MLB The Show’s video game experience. Following its unveiling in November, there was considerable buzz surrounding Paul Skenes’ card, leading several players like Dominic Canzone and Chandler Seagle to secure their own cards through family efforts. Joey Loperfido even offered to host Thanksgiving for whoever could return his card, a gesture that paid off.
Cam Booser, now with the White Sox following a move from the Red Sox, remarked, “It’s a visible token of a lifetime’s work right in front of you.”
These debut patch cards have been added to the Topps Chrome Update offering, with Fanatics—Topps’ parent company—taking steps to protect and preserve the cards’ integrity. Many cards are distributed using redemption codes, ensuring the cards reach recipients in pristine condition. In its first year, 2023, Topps issued 91 cards, expanding to 251 the subsequent year. Certain cards like those of Jackson Merrill and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are currently intriguing collectors as their existence remains unconfirmed.
Clay Luraschi, heading product development at Topps, explained, “We wanted an innovative twist on the conventional relic card by collaborating with Major League Baseball to design something exclusively for trading cards.”
Major league outfits receive these patches before the season’s start; they are affixed to a player’s sleeve at debut, removed post-game, authenticated, and returned to Topps.
Despite not considering himself a collector, Skenes acknowledged the appeal: “Kids connect in a unique way through these cards, finding hope and a relationship with the majors, reflecting where we all began.”
Fanatics Collect will showcase debut patch cards for Skenes, who clinched the NL Rookie of the Year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Jackson Holliday this month. In December, Junior Caminero’s card fetched $66,000 in auction. Amidst fervent interest, an 11-year-old from Southern California discovered the Skenes card on Christmas morning. Although the Pirates offered an enticing deal including long-term season tickets, the family pursued auctioning the card.
Despite some contention over Topps’ delayed announcement regarding the card’s redemption, attributed partly to holiday schedules and circumstances like local wildfires, the process culminated with a formal announcement and promotional efforts on social media. Meanwhile, Loperfido’s card journeyed from Massachusetts to New Jersey through an enthusiastic fan who, in return, received sporting memorabilia and game passes from Loperfido. The outfielder, planning to raffle his card for charity, emphasized the card’s significance in commemorating players’ foundational big-league experiences.
“These cards capture an unparalleled moment in a player’s career, their inaugural big-league game,” said Loperfido, acknowledging the rising value for burgeoning talents like Paul Skenes.
