Before he was ever a seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback, the founder of TB12 or a broadcaster in waiting at Fox, Tom Brady was a highly touted baseball prospect at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California.
How good was Brady on the diamond? Good enough that the Montreal Expos selected the left-handed hitting catcher in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft — despite it being common knowledge that Brady would likely be ending his baseball career to play quarterback at Michigan.
That’s exactly what he did and the rest, as they say, is history. But with Brady’s legendary NFL career now in the past and the need for nostalgia at an all time high, Topps is celebrating his professional baseball career that never was with the first-ever Brady baseball rookie card.
The Fanatics-owned card manufacturer made the announcement on Tom Brady Day — 12/12, get it? — with a commercial imagining what it might have been like in Montreal had Brady stuck with baseball and found the same success he did on the gridiron in New England and Tampa Bay.
The Brady Expos card will be featured in the 2023 Bowman Draft Baseball set, which was released on Tuesday. In addition to the base Brady card, Topps is producing rarer versions of the card, including 81 numbered, autographed cards and a a 1-of-1 “Superfractor” card.
“It’s going to be a huge chase card for the product,” Topps Brand Manager Coby Kerr said in a release. “It’s going to be truly unique. There’s never going to be another Bowman Brady card. So, like any 1st Bowman card, this is Tom Brady’s 1st Bowman. Just like Ohtani’s, just like Trout’s 1st Bowman — this is how Brady’s card is going to be treated, and it will have a major impact.”
In addition to the Brady card, retro apparel manufacturer Mitchell & Ness — another Fanatics property — is producing a throwback Brady Expos jersey featuring his signature No. 12. The authentic jersey is available on the retailer’s website for $300.
It’s interesting to see Fanatics lean into Brady’s loose baseball connection as a source of content (and revenue). Like Michael Jordan’s short-lived baseball career and LeBron James’ fantasies of playing football, there’s something appealing about imagining an all-time great playing another sport, and in this instance, it helps that Brady’s connection is to a unique historical team like the Expos.
As for the execution, the commercial — which features actual Expos legends Pedro Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero and Larry Walker — was especially well done. As Brady continues to gain distance from his playing days, it will be interest to see what other aspects of his life and legacy his partners are able to mine for future products.
[Topps]
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.