In the modern alchemy of sports memorabilia, where nostalgia mingles with a dash of novelty, Evan Longoria has thrown a curveball that no one saw coming. Picture this: a card headed for the 2025 Topps Tier One Baseball set that doesn’t just carry a piece of Major League Baseball history, but also a famous face (or snout, rather) from the world of Pokémon. Yes, indeed. Embedded within this card is a game-used bat knob from Longoria’s bat adorned with none other than the fiery Pokémon, Charizard, emblazoned across it. The simple tease of this card earlier this week was enough to ignite a firestorm across the collecting communities.
The buzz around this card has not only straddled the realms of sports and trading card games but has also generated a frenzy reminiscent of the ’90s baseball card fever, now fused with the ever-present Pokémon card mania. This unique crossover couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment, as both the Pokémon cards and baseball memorabilia markets are experiencing phenomenal attention and growth. It’s the kind of hype that has collectors scrambling to their checkbooks and bustling with strategic acquisitions even before the card physically exists in collector’s binders.
Enter Alan Narz, a name synonymous with the zenith of card collecting, and the man behind Big League Cards in Casselberry, Florida. As if keeping a beady eye on the shifting trends of the hobby wasn’t enough, Narz decided to make waves by putting up a $100,000 bounty specifically to get his hands on this charmingly bizarre creation. For Narz, this isn’t just a card; it’s a landmark, one that seamlessly stitches together the love for sports with the passion for Pokémon. “We’re all about being the top spot for sports and Pokémon,” Narz declared, with the kind of conviction that makes wallets quiver.
While Narz is fully committed financially, he isn’t wrong to sense this as a landmark event—the first official crossover of this kind between Major League Baseball and the Pokémon universe. Although Topps has ventured into the Pokémon brand’s territory before, this specific concoction seemed wholly unintentional yet perfectly timed.
The concept of bat knob cards, known for their collector allure, is a sacred niche within the hobby. They often feature remnants from sports greats, sliced from the battery of baseball history and embedded onto cards that are thicker and richer in history. Babe Ruth to Mike Trout, the trail of historical crumbs seamlessly flows over epochs. But as baseball meets Pokémon here, with Charizard brandishing his ferocious visage on Longoria’s bat, things get a tad bit spicier.
On the heels of the initial reveal, another astute player in the world of collectibles, Doug Caskey of Mojobreak fame, seized the opportunity to make a notable addition to his collection. Recognizing the same Charizard-stickered bat on sale for under $1,000 on eBay, he snatched it up for a sleek $700. It was not just a financially shrewd move; it was a strategic alignment with affiliations, past endeavors, and personal connections. “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 explained.
This isn’t Caskey’s first run-in with Longoria-themed quests; he has pursued the elusive 2006 Bowman Chrome Superfractor of Longoria since the brand’s nascent days. While that chase has remained tantalizingly out of reach, the thrill chases at the core of the hobby persist. “It’s the thrill of the chase,” Caskey expressed, contemplating the impending release of Tier One and the chances of tracking down the coveted Charizard bat knob card. “Hunting that down? That’s what the hobby is all about.”
Regardless of who the final sender fittingly finds for this collector’s dream, this card extends beyond mere cardstock and ink—it is an embodiment of a particular cultural moment. Finding its way to a showcase behind a Florida counter or being enshrined in prosperity across the Bay Area is only the beginning of a legend being woven, one overlap at a time. As collectors brace for the launch, the chase for this peculiar piece of memorabilia underscoring two passions perpetually arcs towards the horizon, blurring lines, and blending generations’ love and nostalgia. The thrill of that pursuit fuels the very culture that makes card collecting not just an activity, but a vibrant, breathing community in and of its own.
