Topps quietly announced their preorder date of 2026 Series 2 on Tuesday, when they added May 11 to their new (and very overdue) release calendar. Delays are becoming more and more common with Topps these days, but if they stay firm on this date, we should probably expect an official release in mid-June.
And this year is absolutely jam-packed with rookies that Topps wouldn't have been able to predict for pre-season Series 1. That set still included some winners — Roman Anthony as the headliner, Samuel Basallo, Nolan McLean — but Series 2 should pack a wallop.
Although we should remember that some of these players' true rookies might be pushed to Update and fans will have to settle for short-printed inserts for the time being, we expect that these nine players will have fans either running or shying away from this release.
6 rookies gaining steam ahead of Topps Series 2 checklist release
Konnor Griffin
Griffin hasn't exactly been a lightning rod since the Pirates called him up on April 3 and finalized a nine-year, $140 million extension — he's batting .213 with a .573 OPS in 23 games — but that won't stop anyone from chasing as soon as he has a true rookie. He hit his first major league homer on April 24, his 20th birthday, and by all accounts has only up to go from here.
Kevin McGonigle
Right now, McGonigle is the American League's Rookie of the Year-apparent (though someone else further down this list might give him a run for his money at some point). He's not only the Tigers' best hitter by almost every conceivable metric already; he's one of the best offensive players in the league, and he's showing no signs of slowing down.
JJ Wetherholt
After a torrid start for the Cardinals, Wetherholt has slowly come back down to earth — but not by too much. Entering play on Tuesday, he's on a three-game home run streak, and his latest was a game-tying shot against his hometown Pirates. He's already looking like the better all-around player than either Griffin or McGonigle; he just needs the extension to match.
Sal Stewart
If Griffin doesn't catch fire this season, Stewart might end up being McGonigle's National League counterpart at the BBWAA gala this year. He has an MLB-leading 29 RBI just 28 games into in his major league career with a nearly 1.000 OPS. He's technically had a card in a flagship Topps product — a Baseball Stars auto in 2026 Series 1 — but we should expect his bonafide rookie in Series 2.
Munetaka Murakami
Murakami is the aforementioned endangerer of McGonigle's AL RoY crown. His 12 home runs lead MLB (even though he also leads the AL in strikeouts), and he could bamboozle voters with an impressive counting stat if he keeps hitting like this. He's been, by far, the best NPB-to-MLB product to come out of the offseason.
Chase DeLauter
It's never been harder to be an AL/NL Central collector, which is something we don't get to claim very often. DeLauter is about to have his thunder stolen by No. 1 Guardians prospect Travis Bazzana, who made his major league debut on Tuesday (though we shouldn't expect the Aussie's rookie until Update), but he's putting together a nice rookie season: .245/.822 with five homers and more walks than strikeouts so far.
3 rookies losing momentum ahead of Topps Series 2 checklist release
Carson Benge
A lot is wrong with the Mets right now, but one of their many mistakes might've been falling for Carson Benge's stellar spring training numbers and giving him a spot on the Opening Day roster. He hit his first major league home run in his first game, but it's basically been downhill from there. Benge still has a lot of promise, but his .179 average and .529 OPS (as well as the Mets' entire deal right now) doesn't make him look like a sound investment.
Justin Crawford
More tragedy in the NL East: Crawford looks a little better but not good by any means for the struggling Phillies. He only put up decent numbers in spring, but the Phillies needed a center fielder, so Crawford got the call after putting up some solid numbers in Triple-A last year. Philadelphia's outfield depth ... isn't ideal, but we wouldn't be shocked if he gets demoted at some point this year.
Tatsuya Imai
Imai appears to have some version of the yips. He put up a 7.27 ERA in three starts before going onto the IL and admitting that he hasn't handled the transition to the United States well (though that claim has since been disputed as a translation mixup). His contract with the Astros already looks ugly, and given that there's arguably as risky a gamble with NPB players as there is prospects, it doesn't seem like Imai will be particularly in demand.
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