Topps released two of its most highly anticipated products a day apart in mid-December to varying levels of excitement.
Collectors eagerly await the yearly release of Bowman Draft and Topps Heritage High Number every December. Bowman Draft is known for featuring top prospects and newly drafted prospects, while Topps Heritage High Number serves as the update series to Topps Heritage.
Unfortunately, both products hit differently. Hindered by an earlier cutoff date, Topps Heritage High Number lacks some of the rookies that debuted after June. Added to that, all of the free agents that the Mets signed last offseason only to trade in the days leading up to the trade deadline all appear for the teams they were traded to, leaving only two Mets cards in the base set, Kodai Senga and David Peterson, although both Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer appear as Mets in the Clubhouse Collection relics insert sets.
Senga, along with Brett Baty and Francisco Álvarez, are featured in some of the product’s insert sets. However, Senga’s inclusion in the Real Ones Autographs insert set is the jewel here for Mets fans.
Then, there is Bowman Draft. If there are any products worth spending your money, this is the product. Bowman Draft, which also comes in a Chrome variation, features top prospects and recent high school and college players taken in the 2023 MLB Draft. And the 2023 Bowman Draft product is a dream for Mets prospect aficionados.
The Bowman Draft product includes a whopping 16 Mets prospects and draft picks. You can see the first Mets cards of trade deadline acquisitions Luisangel Acuña, Ryan Clifford, and Drew Gilbert, top prospects Kevin Parada and Jett Williams, and recent draft picks Colin Houck, Nolan McLean, Kade Morris, and many more.
Top draft pick Colin Houck has three autographed cards in Bowman Draft, and you will also find autographs of other top picks from the 2023 draft.
Of course, the biggest draw for 2023 Bowman Draft belongs to an autographed card of a high school catcher who was drafted in 1995 by the Montreal Expos that chose to spurn baseball to attend the University of Michigan on a football scholarship instead. Signed cards of this unsigned draft picks feature him in an Expos uniform on the classic 1995 Bowman design.
Topps even released a “What If?” commercial featuring Hall of Famers Vladimir Guerrero, Larry Walker, and Pedro Martinez singing the praises of their “teammate” despite still losing to the Giants twice.
Below you will find a full checklist of the Mets cards included in both the 2023 Topps Heritage High Number and the 2023 Bowman Draft.
Topps Heritage High Number
Base
546 David Peterson
622 Kodai Senga (rookie card)
1974 Topps Baseball Deckle Edge Boxloaders
DB-4 Justin Verlander
DB-17 Francisco Álvarez
DB-18 Kodai Senga
DB-24 Francisco Lindor
1974 Topps Baseball Deckle Edge Boxloaders Autographs
DB-17 Francisco Álvarez
DB-18 Kodai Senga
1974 Topps Baseball Deckle Edge Minis
DE-34 Brett Baty
1974 Topps Baseball Stamps
74S-13 Kodai Senga
74S-14 Francisco Álvarez
74S-15 Brett Baty
74S-16 Mark Vientos
1974 Topps Puzzle Boxloaders
74PB-26 Justin Verlander
Award Winners
AW-7 Buck Showalter
Black & White Variations
546 David Peterson
Chrome
622 Kodai Senga
Clubhouse Collection Dual Relics (serial numbered to 73)
CCD-SV Justin Verlander/Max Scherzer
Clubhouse Collection Quad Relics (serial numbered to 10)
CCQ-LAAB Brett Baty/Francisco Lindor/Francisco Álvarez/Pete Alonso
Clubhouse Collection Relics
CCR-BN Brandon Nimmo
CCR-FA Francisco Álvarez
CCR_JV Justin Verlander
CCR-KS Kodai Senga
CCR-MS Max Scherzer
Clubhouse Collection Triple Relics (serial numbered to 25)
CCT-LAA Francisco Lindor/Pete Alonso/Francisco Álvarez
Now & Then
NT-4 Starling Marte
NT-12 Edwin Diaz
Oversized 1974 Topps Baseball Boxloaders
OB-BN Brandon Nimmo
OB-FA Francisco Álvarez
OB-JV Justin Verlander
OB-KS Kodai Senga
Player Name Position Swap Variations
622 Kodai Senga
Real One Autographs
ROA-KS Kodai Senga
ROA-SM Starling Marte
2023 Bowman Draft
Base
BD-17 Alex Ramirez
BD-32 Kevin Parada
BD-41 Drew Gilbert
BD-68 Jack Wenninger
BD-86 Kade Morris
BD-89 Jett Williams
BD-96 Nolan McLean
BD-108 Jesus Baez
BD-127 Daiverson Gutierrez
BD-142 Ryan Clifford
BD-147 Wyatt Hudepohl
BD-152 AJ Ewing
BD-175 Colin Houck
BD-176 Austin Troesser
BD-187 Zach Thornton
BD-193 Luisangel Acuña
Chrome
BDC-17 Alex Ramirez
BDC-32 Kevin Parada
BDC-41 Drew Gilbert
BDC-68 Jack Wenninger
BDC-86 Kade Morris
BDC-89 Jett Williams
BDC-96 Nolan McLean
BDC-108 Jesus Baez
BDC-127 Daiverson Gutierrez
BDC-142 Ryan Clifford
BDC-147 Wyatt Hudepohl
BDC-152 AJ Ewing
BDC-175 Colin Houck
BDC-176 Austin Troesser
BDC-187 Zach Thornton
BDC-193 Luisangel Acuña
Bowman ’54 Flag Variations
54FAV-CH Colin Houck
Bowman ’54 Flag Variations Autographs
54FAV-CH Colin Houck
Chrome Prospect Autographs
CDA-AE AJ Ewing
CDA-ATR Austin Troesser
CDA-CH Colin Houck
CDA-NM Nolan McLean
CDA-ZT Zach Thornton
Class of 2023 Autographs
23A-CH Colin Houck
Transformative Talent
TT-14 Colin Houck
