Washington Nationals Star Rookies Featured in Rare Trading Card Set
The Washington Nationals have a lot of talented young players who are going to be the core of their team moving forward, however, outfielder James Wood stands out among them for more than one reason.
His intimidating size is a good place to start, as he is listed at 6-foot-7 and 234 pounds. He quite literally stands out amongst his teammates as one of the biggest players in the sport.
On the field, he has certainly lived up to expectations in the early going.
One of the main pieces in the return package from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto blockbuster trade, Wood made his Major League debut on July 1.
He has quickly cemented his place among the top five in the batting order.
In 61 games, all starts in left field, he has made 260 plate appearances. A .273/.365/.414 slash line has been produced with five home runs, 11 doubles, three triples and 12 stolen bases with 34 runs scored and 33 RBI.
He has been incredibly productive for Dave Martinez already, as the future is bright for the IMG Academy product who shares the outfield with fellow youngsters Jacob Young and Dylan Crews.
However, there is one thing Wood has that only one other of his teammates also has; a special 2024 Bowman Chrome Garbage Pail Kids baseball card.
2024 Bowman Chrome Baseball Garbage Pail Kids Insert Cards (see poll below) pic.twitter.com/HFPCB8Y5MX
— BreakComp (@BreakCompCards) September 6, 2024
Created in 1985 as a parody of Cabbage Patch Kids, the stickers and trading cards quickly became popular on their own.
This is the first crossover into a set of cards featuring major sports athletes.
For years, Topps has created standalone sets of Garbage Pail Kids featuring Major League Players, but the 2024 Bowman Chrome “includes a first-ever GPK insert set in a wider, more traditional product,” wrote Brooks Peck of The Athletic.
The Nationals star rookie is one of the players featured by Bowman Chrome.
“Chopped” James Wood, as the card is called, features him as a tree trump cutting himself down with an axe.
Crews also has a Garbage Pail Kids card, as the Washington duo are among the 23 players lucky enough to be featured.
Being able to find one will not be easy, according to Peck.
“At just one in every 200 Bowman Chrome packs, the GPK cards will be a tough pull, and will likely command significant prices as a result. In addition to the base versions, there are also Orange Mojo parallels (/25), Red Mojo (/5) and Black Mojo (1/1) all in Mega Boxes, plus Red Refractors (/5) and Superfractors (1/1),” he said.
KENNETH TEAPE