In the high-stakes world of sports memorabilia, a certain piece of cardboard is making collectors’ hearts race at the speed of a 100 mph fastball. This is no ordinary baseball card, mind you—it’s an irresistible blend of two pop culture behemoths: Major League Baseball and the Pokémon universe. The frenzy around Evan Longoria’s latest card, an item destined for the 2025 Topps Tier One Baseball set, is lighting up the collecting community like never before.
The card is no simple keepsake. It features a unique fusion of interests by embedding a game-used bat knob in the card, with none other than Charizard, the fiery Pokémon icon, emblazoned across the lumber’s end. This is a crossover that has collectors from both sports and trading card game (TCG) arenas reaching for their wallets with a wild glint in their eyes.
The timing of this creative card release couldn’t be more serendipitous. Pokémon cards are still a mania-inducing sensation, while baseball enthusiasts eagerly anticipate a robust new season. By bringing together these two worlds, the card has catapulted itself to the top of many collectors’ wish lists.
One such enthusiastic collector, Alan Narz, the purveyor of Big League Cards in Casselberry, Florida, swiftly made a bold move. He didn’t merely admire this innovative card from afar; he put up a staggering $100,000 offer to acquire it. For Narz, who prides his establishment on being a top destination for both sports and Pokémon collectibles, the card represents the pinnacle of collector’s heaven—a blend that is as if the stars themselves aligned.
“We’re all about being the top spot for sports and Pokémon,” Narz declared with genuine enthusiasm. “Now this card shows up that’s basically the perfect blend of both? We need it.”
Narz, a seasoned player in the collectible cards world, argues this might be the first official MLB card to host a Pokémon character—a crossover move that has caught the eye of collectors far and wide. Although Topps has flirted with the Pokémon brand previously, never before has there been a harmonious mashup of this magnitude.
Bat knob cards themselves are hot comodities, offering a tangible piece of the game—literally the sawn-off, bottom stub of a bat from iconic players, mounted proudly within a thick relic card. Legends from Babe Ruth to present-day stars have been commemorated in this way. Adding a Charizard graphic entwines a narrative that reaches into the hearts of millions who’ve charmed their way through the Pokémon universe.
“When Topps works their magic on a card, it hits different,” Narz eloquently remarked.
And indeed, Narz was not alone in his admiration.
Shortly after Longoria’s amalgamated creation hit the digital waves, observant collectors identified a game-used Longoria bat, complete with the Charizard sticker on the knob, going for a mere $1,000 on eBay. Enter Doug Caskey, co-founder of the Mojo-breaking titan Mojobreak. His astute reflexes led to snapping up the bat for just $700—a deal garnering much traction as fans took notice.
“We’ve got a big Pokémon following and being from the Bay Area, where Longoria played for years, it felt like the right move,” Caskey noted, bridging his strategic acquisition to regional pride and a shared community love for the player.
Caskey and Longoria share a history of sorts. When Mojobreak premiered in 2010, the elusive 2006 Bowman Chrome Superfractor featuring Longoria was the chase card that captured everyone’s imaginations. Despite numerous searches, it’s never been unearthed in a public setting, adding a tinge of legendary mystique to Caskey’s pursuit.
“We were always chasing that Longoria Superfractor,” Caskey admitted. “And it still hasn’t shown up. It became a thing with us.”
Hopes remain high for Longoria’s Charizard bat knob card when Topps Tier One makes its grand debut. The all-consuming thrill that collectors live for—hunting down prized cards like this—is evident in Caskey’s own words: “It’s the thrill of the chase. This card—it’s something else. Hunting that down? That’s what the hobby is all about.”
As for where the card will ultimately find a permanent home, that remains a tantalizing mystery cloaked in whispers of anticipation. Whether it graces the gleaming glass counters of Big League Cards in Florida or snuggles into a revered display in the Bay Area, it transcends being a mere collectible. This card stands proudly as a contemporary artifact reflecting the cultural tapestry of both fan fictions and fantasies intertwined, celebrated, and archived for ages to come.