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Dan Hajducky, ESPN Staff WriterOct 11, 2024, 11:00 AM ET
- Dan Hajducky is a staff writer for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities.
Fanatics Collectibles and Topps have announced that Baltimore Orioles rookie Jackson Holliday is the cover star of the 2024 Topps Chrome Update.
The set includes MLB Debut Patches for NL Rookie of the Year front-runners pitcher Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and center fielder Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres. Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio, Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford, Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga and others are featured as well.
“When Topps told me, ‘It’s the set with the debut patches,’ I thought that was pretty cool,” Holliday told ESPN. “I remember my first game earlier this year, wearing that patch, and it looked amazing in the card when I signed it a few weeks ago. I think Adley [Rutschman] was on the cover of a set last year [2023 Topps Chrome Baseball] and it’s great to see our team continue to be represented on the box.”
Jackson Holliday is the latest cover athlete for the 2024 Topps Chrome Update. Topps
The MLB Debut Patches were announced in early 2023, a collaboration with Major League Baseball to take uniform patches from players’ MLB debuts and insert them into serial numbered 1-of-1 autographed rookie cards.
“For a player, there is no bigger moment than the first time they step onto a field for their major league debut,” MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said at the time. “The Debut Patch is one way to capture the timeless nature of this moment.”
All MLB Debut Patch cards are redemptions, with the exception of Breaker Boxes. There are more than 150 Rookie Debut Patch autographs for rookies and second-year players who debuted between June 1, 2023, and May 24, 2024 — which includes players like Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The 24-pack boxes (four cards per pack) retail at $149.99 and officially release on October 16. For the 20-year-old cover star, it’s the culmination of so much in a short amount of time.
“Being in the majors in two years was always my goal, I even said it in my first press conference,” Holliday said. “I grew up playing in big league parks, but the experience getting here was pretty surreal.”
Holliday struggled in his rookie season and was demoted on April 26 after going 2-for-34 in 10 games. After returning on July 31, he finished the regular season 34-for-156 (.218) with five home runs and 22 RBIs.
Holliday’s father, Matt, a 7-time All-Star and 2011 World Series champion with the St. Louis Cardinals, was a constant in Jackson’s ear.
“[My father] has a saying: ‘There are players who are humble and those who are about to be,'” Holliday said. “When it’s not going well, he says to just focus on the basics, take a couple steps back, make adjustments, and step in. It’s the same when things are going well; take a step back and take it all in, see that all the hard work has paid off.”
