Innovation is hard to come by in the sports card space. There’s only so much you can do with a 2.5-by-3.5-inch piece of cardboard.
Yet, Fanatics found a way to grab attention by using its access to teams and athletes to bring something to baseball cards that had never been done before.
When it debuted the MLB Rookie Debut Patch cards in 2023, sports fans and collectors loved the idea. A patch depicting a player’s first game is placed on a jersey. After the game, the patch is removed and sent to the facility where cards are created.