Evan Longoria, the stalwart baseball player with an impressive career and many a signed card under his belt, has just unveiled something that has thrown the sports and collectibles community into a tizzy. Sure, baseball cards are nothing new to Longoria—he has literally over a thousand out there, each carrying a piece of his legacy. But the latest card to join the ranks, set for release in the 2025 Topps Tier One Baseball set, is a showstopper in ways no one quite saw coming. It’s not just a card; it’s a cacophony of culture, featuring a game-used bat knob that’s jazzed up with none other than Charizard from Pokémon. That’s right—baseball meets Pokémon, and the world is here for it.
Just when you thought that the intersection of sports and pop culture couldn’t get more frenzied, this card makes its entrance, and it does so with all the subtlety of a home run. Pokémon cards are still sizzling on the market, with everyone from kids to adults reliving the glory days of elementary school swaps. Meanwhile, baseball card collectors are in the throes of gearing up for another home-run season. It’s as if the universe decided, “Let’s give everyone something to talk about!” Collectors within both realms are buzzing, and this card has effectively managed to build a bridge between the two.
Alan Narz, the founder of Big League Cards nestled in Casselberry, Florida, makes the first significant move by placing a staggering $100,000 bounty on this charming card. But why such extravagance? Well, to put it simply, the card is a collector’s blend of ingenious chemistry—it merges the fanaticism of baseball card authenticity with the fire of Pokémon nostalgia.
“We’ve positioned ourselves as a premier destination for both sports and Pokémon memorabilia, and now this card shows up to validate that effort. It’s a masterpiece,” Narz declared with unbridled enthusiasm. As a seasoned player in the game, Narz knows a rare catch when he sees one, marking this as the first-ever MLB card with a licensed Pokémon character splashed across it. Although Topps has danced around the edges of Pokémon branding before, this crossover card steps boldly into uncharted territory.
For those not entirely versed in the collector’s lingo, let’s break down why a bat knob card is such a whirlwind in its right. Imagine slicing off the end of a game-used bat, encasing it elegantly into a heavy card, and voila, you have a relic! It’s a chunk of history you can hold. Now, plaster a Charizard on that gem? You’ve sparked a fire that rivals the rarest of Pokémon’s fiery attacks. And as everyone in the hobby circles knows, when Topps creates, it truly sets new benchmarks.
The ripples of excitement swell beyond Narz’s shop. On entering the fray is Doug Caskey, co-founder of the famed Mojobreak, a juggernaut in the breaking scene. Caskey spots the actual Longoria bat, Charizard sticker and all, on eBay priced just below $1,000—certainly a steal considering the card’s future potential value. With a swift click, the bat is his for $700—a strategic move with roots that run deeper than your typical strategic investment.
“If there’s one thing we Marchers know from the Bay Area, it’s to strike when the iron is hot—or the bat in this case,” Caskey laughs. Longoria’s legacy is familiar turf for Mojobreak. Back in 2010, it was his elusive 2006 Bowman Chrome Superfractor card that had everyone at Mojobreak caught in a frenzied hunt. “It became almost a rite of passage for us,” Caskey nostalgically admits. Tracks of Longoria’s Superfractor grew into hobby folklore when it vanished without a trace, leading to aspiring treasure hunts.
Fast forward to the present, and it’s history repeating itself with the Charizard-infused bat knob card. Inspired by the sheer unpredictable joy of collecting, Caskey confesses, “To chase this card—it’s exactly why we love this hobby.”
Whether this legend-in-the-making card eventually graces Alan Narz’s Big League display in Floridian fervor or becomes a pivotal piece in Doug Caskey’s Bay area archive, this cultural token is living history already. It signifies eras colliding and geeky love converging into high stakes. Don’t just see it as cardboard cradling a story—consider it an emblem of passion making its indelible mark on the leagues it represents.
