The 2012 Topps baseball card set is greatest described by one phrase: gold.
Or higher but, maybe it is best described by one identify: Bryce Harper.
After utilizing a diamond-themed format for its 2011 launch, Topps included Golden Moments, Gold Requirements, Gold Futures and Golden Greats inserts, in addition to Golden Giveaway redemptions in its 2012 flagship set.
Some collectors would possibly recall these issues, however that is not often what involves thoughts when most collectors consider this set…
No, the headline attraction for 2012 Topps is the Bryce Harper rookie card.
As a late addition quick print in Sequence 2, its relative shortage in excessive grade forces any would-be collector to pay a tall price ticket.
It is simply the important thing card within the set, however there’s loads extra to get pleasure from all through the 661-card guidelines.
And on this information, we’ll check out the 15 most precious.
Let’s leap proper in!
2012 Topps #661 Bryce Harper Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $2,500
It will be simple to select aside Bryce Harper’s rookie season for holes.
In any case, the Washington Nationals outfielder slumped one thing fierce within the canine days of summer season and struck out in 120 of his 597 plate appearances (for a strikeout fee of over 20%).
Nevertheless, context is vital.
Harper was simply nineteen for each sport of the 2012 marketing campaign, each common season and postseason.
And no 19-year-old in MLB historical past has ever put collectively an all-around season as potent and productive as Harper.
Harper’s 5.0 WAR for the 2012 season outstripped Corridor-of-Fame luminaries like Mel Ott (3.7), Ken Griffey Jr. (2.9), Ty Cobb (2.3), and Mickey Mantle (1.3).
After a short April stint in Triple-A, Harper debuted with the Nationals because the calendar turned to Might.
From there, Harper flashed each software within the ebook, hammering 22 residence runs, scoring 98 runs, swiping 18 luggage, and gunning down 8 baserunners for outfield assists.
Altogether, the Las Vegas teen was a ready-made sensation from day one, making him a straightforward decide for an All-Star spot and earned him a detailed victory within the NL Rookie of the Yr race.
Topps later added this card to the top of the Sequence 2 print run, deciding to print far fewer copies than the opposite 330 base playing cards.
So not solely does it get its worth from being Harper’s rookie card, but it surely additionally will get an added increase from being a brief print.
2012 Topps #30 Derek Jeter
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $25
On the heels of an injury-plagued 2011 season by which Jeter notched his 3,000th profession hit, the 38-year-old shortstop turned again the clock one final time in 2012.
Jeter was as sturdy as ever in 2012, main the Majors in plate appearances (740) and at-bats (683).
He was very productive in that sizeable pattern measurement, main the Majors in hits (216) whereas ending fifth within the AL in batting common (.316).
Now a 13-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger, Jeter completed seventh in a star-studded AL MVP area.
And buoyed by The Captain’s improbable 12 months, the 95-win Yankees sidestepped previous the Orioles and Blue Jays for a well-earned AL East championship.
Now within the seventeenth postseason of his 18-year Yankee profession, Jeter was determined to complete the story with a sixth World Sequence ring.
It began properly sufficient.
Jeter got here up large in a five-game ALDS win over the Orioles, hitting .364 with a team-leading eight hittings.
Nevertheless, it was all downhill from there.
Within the prime of the twelfth of an exciting, back-and-forth ALCS Sport 1 in opposition to Detroit, Jeter shattered his ankle on a fruitless dive for a Jhonny Peralta base hit.
His season was executed, and the Yankees had been too, dropping the sport and the collection in a clear 4-0 sweep.
2012 Topps #187 Jose Altuve
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $25
After a mid-season call-up in July of 2011, a younger Jose Altuve started to indicate flashes of future greatness for the Houston Astros.
And through his sophomore marketing campaign in 2012, the 22-year-old second baseman solidified his place as among the finest gamers on the roster.
Over 147 video games, Altuve led the membership in hits (167) and batting common (.290), hitting 34 doubles and seven residence runs to go together with 37 RBIs and 80 runs scored.
He additionally shortly made himself one of many sport’s prime speedsters, ending seventh within the Nationwide League with 33 stolen bases.
Whereas there have been no considerations on the offensive facet of the ball, Altuve was nonetheless just a little tough across the edges with the glove.
His .984 fielding proportion wasn’t an enormous trigger for concern, but it surely wasn’t among the many Nationwide League’s elite.
Since then, Altuve has led the league in fielding proportion twice and picked up a Gold Glove, erasing what few worries there might have been about his defensive abilities.
2012 Topps #200 Miguel Cabrera
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $25
It is wild to assume that Miguel Cabrera’s historic 2012 Triple Crown season may need been his worst all-around hitting marketing campaign of the last decade’s first 4 years.
The legendary Detroit Tigers third baseman simply missed the 1.000 OPS plateau in 2012.
In 2010, 2011, and 2013, Cabrera posted an OPS no worse than 1.033.
As well as, Cabrera’s 164 OPS+ was a full fourteen factors lower than the next-closest marketing campaign (2010).
This is not a knock on Cabrera’s mind-blowing 2012 marketing campaign.
It is extra of a testomony to how epic he was at his athletic peak.
The particulars of Cabrera’s Triple Crown feat are jaw-dropping.
The primary participant to win a Triple Crown in both league in 45 years (Carl Yastrzemski), Cabrera was the primary to perform the Crown within the 30-team period.
A cushty decide for AL MVP over Mike Trout (regardless of Trout’s superior defensive influence), Cabrera led the AL in batting common (.330) and slugging proportion (.606) and paced all of baseball in residence runs (44), RBIs (139), and OPS (.999).
The final participant to win a Triple Crown and one among simply 14 gamers to take action because the institution of the NL in 1876, Cabrera was as near statistical perfection as one can get in 2012.
2012 Topps #331 Albert Pujols
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $25
In 2012, the St. Louis Cardinals misplaced a generational celebrity to a textual content message.
After hitting free company following the 2011 MLB marketing campaign, Albert Pujols was courted by the Cardinals, Marlins, and Cubs amongst others.
And, why not?
The 32-year-old first baseman had already secured a future bust in Cooperstown, topping the all-time charts for residence runs by a participant of their first eleven seasons (445).
To additional clarify the Dominican Republic native’s seismic influence from 2001-11, Pujols trailed solely Willie Mays (87.4) for the very best WAR complete by a participant of their first decade-plus-one.
So, when the Angels swooped in and signed Pujols away from the favourite Cardinals, it was an earth-shaking second.
Inking the slugger to a ten-year, $254 million pact, the Halos had been knowledgeable of Pujols’ free company choice by a brief, skilled textual content.
Just a few phrases had been all it took.
Pujols had a high-quality 12 months, albeit a subdued one by his requirements, hitting .285 with a .859 0PS, 30 residence runs, 50 doubles, 85 runs scored, and 105 RBIs in 670 at-bats.
Regardless of the down-ballot MVP finisher’s greatest efforts, the Angels could not recover from the hump in a deep AL West.
That might be a going theme for Pujols throughout his time in Southern California.
2012 Topps #498 Joey Votto
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $25
In 2008, rookies Geovany Soto and Joey Votto delivered improbable and eerily comparable numbers.
Votto had a slight edge in a number of classes, however each completed with a 3.3 WAR.
Nevertheless, the Chicago Cubs’ Soto ran away with the NL Rookie-of-the-Yr award.
Was Votto robbed?
Some assume so.
However most everybody might agree the vote ought to’ve a minimum of been a lot nearer.
Regardless, their careers could not have been extra totally different from that time on.
Soto by no means returned to All-Star type.
Votto grew to become a six-time All-Star and MVP in 2010, with two different top-five MVP finishes, whereas constructing a legacy as some of the constant and productive hitters of his period.
Had his 2012 season not been shortened to 111 video games due to knee surgical procedure, it might have been his greatest season.
It was actually headed that manner.
Regardless of lowered motion, Votto belted a career-high 44 doubles whereas additionally setting private bests in batting common (.337) and OBP (.474).
It is unimaginable to assume that Votto was getting on base almost half the time.
And the NL’s next-best hitter, Brady Posey, was extremely far behind him with a .408 OBP.
2012 Topps #305 Chipper Jones
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $20
Chipper Jones’ farewell tour in 2012 was equal elements candy and bitter.
Let’s get the bitter out of the way in which.
The 40-year-old third baseman missed Opening Day with a meniscus tear suffered throughout a crew stretching session.
A tough ending bookended his unhealthy begin, a 1-for-5 outing full with an important error within the Atlanta Braves’ NL Wild Card Sport loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
All the things in between all this, although, was chic.
Showered with items and adoration in each city the Braves visited, Jones performed his greatest baseball in almost a half-decade.
Posting his highest common (.287) since profitable the NL batting title in 2008, Jones cracked 14 residence runs in simply 387 at-bats.
He additionally tallied 23 doubles, 58 runs scored, and 62 RBIs in 112 video games.
Ending his storied profession along with his eighth All-Star nod and a smattering of down-ballot MVP help, Jones stays on the very shortest of lists for one of the best switch-hitters of all time.
The one switch-swinger with greater than 1,000 plate appearances to hit .300 or higher from each side, Jones ended his journey to Cooperstown with 468 residence runs and an on-base proportion simply north of 40% (.401).
2012 Topps #446 Mike Trout
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $20
Whereas Bryce Harper took residence the NL Rookie of the Yr award in a tightly-contested race, Los Angeles Angels middle fielder Mike Trout torched AL pitching to win the Junior Circuit’s first-year honor.
In arguably the best rookie 12 months within the annals of baseball, Trout grew to become the primary participant in Main League historical past to hit 30 residence runs (30), rating 125 runs (an MLB-best 129), and steal 45 bases (an MLB-best 49) in the identical season.
Moreover, he is the one participant to put up a .320 common (.326) with 45 stolen bases and 30 bombs in the identical marketing campaign.
The Angels could not reward the first-time All-Star with a playoff berth, sliding into third in a stacked AL West with an 89-73 file.
Nevertheless, that does not uninteresting the sheer blunt-force influence of Trout’s historic rookie 12 months.
The primary-time Silver Slugger completed second within the league’s MVP race solely due to Miguel Cabrera’s gorgeous Triple Crown season.
He completed within the AL’s prime 5 in almost each vital offensive class, and have become the primary participant to win Baseball America’s Participant of the Yr and Rookie of the Yr awards in the identical season.
It was a press release of intent by some of the spectacular pure skills to ever grace a big-league area.
2012 Topps #535 Joe Mauer
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $20
Joe Mauer did regardless of the Minnesota Twins wanted him to do in 2012.
Over 147 video games performed, Mauer spent 74 video games at catcher, 30 video games at first base and 43 as their DH.
The previous MVP and three-time batting champion remained a mannequin of consistency and self-discipline on the plate, pacing the AL with a .416 on-base proportion.
Mauer completed fourth amongst AL hitters with a .319 batting common whereas racking up 174 hits, 81 runs scored and 85 RBIs, all amongst his profession highs.
Regardless of transferring round a lot, Mauer’s elite offensive manufacturing went unaffected.
And his total play earned him a fifth All-Star nod with down-ballot MVP votes besides.
Sadly, Mauer’s efforts could not assist the sinking ship that was the Minnesota Twins in 2012.
At 66-96, Minnesota completed with the worst file within the American League and 22 video games behind the Detroit Tigers within the AL Central.
The long run Corridor-of-Famer would have another All-Star season in him in 2013 earlier than retiring after the 2018 season.
2012 Topps #600 Clayton Kershaw
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $20
The encore to Clayton Kershaw’s unreal 2011 Cy Younger season was only a shade much less momentous however otherworldly nonetheless.
After securing a two-year, $19 million deal within the offseason (which purchased out two years of arbitration), the Los Angeles Dodgers southpaw picked up the place he left off.
Named to his second consecutive All-Star sport, Kershaw grew to become the primary pitcher since Arizona’s Randy Johnson (2001-02) to guide the league in ERA (2.53) for back-to-back seasons.
He additionally grew to become simply the fifth Dodger hurler to notch three consecutive 200-Ok seasons (229) and the primary pitcher since Randy Johnson (1999-2002) to put up 4 straight sub-3.00 ERA seasons.
To place it mildly, Kershaw was rattling close to unhittable in 2012.
In an NL-best 33 begins for the 86-win Dodgers, Kershaw topped the Senior Circuit in WHIP (1.023) and ERA+ (150) and led the Majors in hits-per-nine (6.7).
It took an unbelievable streak-laden effort from New York Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey to disclaim Kershaw back-to-back Cy Younger wins. He’d get proper again at it in 2013 and 2014.
2012 Topps #174 Yadier Molina
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $15
In a profession stuffed with so many nice seasons, Yadier Molina was arguably at his highest in 2012.
Mixing offensive and defensive brilliance, Molina was a key anchor within the St. Louis Cardinals’ march to an eventual gut-wrenching 4-3 NLCS loss to the eventual world-champion San Francisco Giants.
Molina’s .373 on-base proportion, .501 slugging proportion, and 22 residence runs had been all private bests.
His .315 batting common, 65 runs scored, and 76 RBIs had been all simply behind his profession marks in these classes.
To place it bluntly, Molina was a monster with the bat.
And he remained as deadly behind the plate as ever.
Successful his fifth Gold Glove in a row, Molina tied a private mark with a 2.9 defensive WAR, tied for second-best within the Nationwide League.
Molina’s fourth-place end within the MVP race made it the second time in his profession he would end within the prime 5.
While you add all of it up, Molina might have peaked in 2012.
However his “decline” was extraordinarily regular thereafter.
The no-doubt future Corridor-of-Famer nonetheless had six extra All-Star seasons left in him.
2012 Topps #396 Yoenis Cespedes Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $15
After eight years of star-quality play in Cuba’s nationwide baseball league, Serie Nacional, 26-year-old outfielder Yoenis Cespedes made waves in 2012 by signing a four-year, $32 million cope with the Oakland A’s.
The Athletics swooped out of seemingly nowhere, plucking Cespedes away from the presumable favourite Marlins.
And it was one heck of a get, contemplating the righty slugger’s five-tool arsenal and the truth that he hit .300 for all however one season in Cuba.
Instantly, Cespedes grew to become a centerpiece of one among baseball’s most thrilling success tales.
Mired in a half-decade of mediocrity after their 2006 ALCS look, the A’s put collectively a ragtag combination of underappreciated veterans and younger skills for the 2012 marketing campaign.
It labored.
The white-knuckle A’s had a knack for drama, pacing baseball with 15 walkoff-wins.
Clawing their technique to an unbelievable one-game AL West title with a season-ending sweep of the second-place Texas Rangers, Oakland was social gathering central in 2012.
And Cespedes was a fantastic host.
Ending second within the AL’s Rookie-of-the-Yr race to Mike Trout and tenth within the AL MVP balloting, Cespedes slashed .292/.356/.505 with 23 residence runs, 25 doubles, 5 triples, 16 stolen bases, 70 runs scored, and 82 RBIs in 487 at-bats.
2012 Topps #506 David Ortiz
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $15
In a savvy enterprise transfer, the Boston Crimson Sox averted wage arbitration and inked David Ortiz to a low-risk one-year, $14.575 million deal.
The 36-year-old slugger sought a two-year pact, however Boston’s administration determined a wait-and-see strategy was higher.
In any case, Ortiz’s total manufacturing tapered off in 2008-2010 earlier than a powerful bounce-back in 2011.
In the long run, Ortiz ultimately acquired his two-year bag because of an excellent three-plus month efficiency to open 2012.
With the Crimson Sox mucking across the .500 mark, Ortiz did his greatest to maintain the sinking ship afloat.
He hit .318 in 90 video games with a beefy 1.026 OPS, 23 homers, 26 doubles, 65 runs scored, and 60 RBIs.
Who is aware of what these numbers might have appeared like if Huge Papi had stayed wholesome?
Nevertheless, a badly strained proper Achilles tendon successfully ended his season by July sixteenth.
With Ortiz sidelined, the Crimson Sox nosedived, dropping 49 of their final 72 video games for one-and-done supervisor Bobby Valentine.
One 12 months later, a wholesome Ortiz would raise the Crimson Sox out of the last-place muck and into the championship penthouse as soon as extra.
2012 Topps #537 Ichiro Suzuki
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $15
In 2011, Ichiro lastly appeared human.
After a decade of .300-plus seasons to open his Corridor-of-Fame profession, the Seattle Mariners megastar noticed his common drop to .272.
By the All-Star break in 2012, it was clear this was much less an outlier and extra a pattern.
The 38-year-old proper fielder struggled to a .261 common within the season’s first half, and his .645 OPS was on tempo to be his lowest by over 100 factors.
With Suzuki’s inventory on the wane and the Mariners mired in yet one more mediocre marketing campaign, Seattle shipped him to the New York Yankees for relievers Danny Farquhar and D.J. Mitchell.
Maybe pushed by the transfer and a refreshing change of surroundings, Suzuki recaptured a few of his former glory within the last two-plus months of the common season.
Because the Yankees streaked to a 20-11 end from September 1st on, operating down the sector to seize the AL East by two video games, Suzuki was on one other stage.
He hit .362 within the season’s last 31 video games, notching 38 essential hits for a crew in desperation mode.
Altogether, Ichiro slashed .283/.307/.390 with 9 homers, 28 doubles, six triples, 29 stolen bases,77 runs scored, and 55 RBIs in 162 video games between the M’s and Yankees.
2012 Topps #660 Yu Darvish Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $15
2012 Topps Baseball Playing cards In Evaluation
In case you like a simple, conservative, and conventional design, then you definitely in all probability just like the aesthetics of 2012 baseball.
Aside from the barely flashy nameplate, the appear and feel of those playing cards is pretty commonplace.
Nevertheless, lots of the inserts and parallels do supply extra vibrant design components for these collectors in search of one thing extra eye-catching.
The images on the playing cards is improbable and captures a few of the greatest stars and future Corridor-of-Famers of the day in a tremendous gentle.
There have been additionally a number of totally different subsets within the guidelines, together with:
- Leaders
- All-Star Rookies
- Award Winners
- Group Checklists
However, let’s be trustworthy, anybody ripping packs of those playing cards as of late is almost definitely solely considering pulling a Bryce Harper rookie card.
At one time, collectors had been additionally pumped on the probability of pulling a Yu Darvish rookie, although they hype surrounding him has since pale.
It is the Bryce Harper rookie everybody needs.
With a profession trajectory that actually appears on tempo for a future end result in Cooperstown, it ought to stay the guts and soul of this set for years to come back.
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