In 2023, Topps began making "MLB Debut" patches that affix to rookies' jerseys for their first games in The Show.
After the game, the patch is removed by MLB authenticators and shipped back to Topps, where it is put on a card and later autographed by the player.
In the one and a half years of the program, every player who has been called up and plays for the first time – 406 players and counting -- has gotten the patch treatment for his debut.
On Monday, cllct traveled to Washington to give collectors a blow-by-blow account of the life of MLB Debut Patch No. 406: James Wood, the 6-foot-7 outfielder, who is considered to be the No. 3 prospect by Baseball America.
Not only is Woods' a highly touted prospect, having blown through the minor leagues since being drafted as the 62nd overall pick in the second round by the San Diego Padres in 2021, but he is a hometown hero. He grew up in Olney, Maryland, just 40 miles from Nationals park.
2:10 p.m.: We arrive at Nationals Park and are immediately ushered into the clubhouse with equipment manager Dan Wallin. Less than five hours before game time, we are there to see Wallin affix an "MLB Debut" patch on the left sleeve under the Nationals logo.
The patch is roughly the size of a quarter, meant to be small so it can perfectly fit on a baseball card. Like special patches, it is a sticker. Wallin peels off the adhesive protection and firmly puts it in its spot.
Wallin is used to this, as this is the 15th patch he has done, which is slightly more than average. Equipment managers of the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants are the leaders, having seen 23 debuts each so far under the program.
2:55 p.m.: The No. 50 jersey is put in Wood's locker in the Nationals clubhouse.
3:05 p.m.: Wood conducts interviews with the media. The throng is larger than normal for the Nationals. Since winning their first title in 2019, the Nationals haven't made the playoffs, and things don't look good again in 2024. Nearing the All-Star break, the Nats are 15 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East.
3:07 p.m.: Woods admits he's nervous, but he's ready to go. He says he has more than 50 people in the crowd to watch him, including his father, Kenny, who was a standout basketball player at Richmond and led the 15th-seeded Spiders to a first-round win over No. 2 Syracuse in the 1991 NCAA Tournament.
Wood tells cllct that he's not collector, so the actual patch on his sleeve isn't something he is fawning over — unlike catcher Drew Millas, who is a hard-core collector.
5:30 p.m.: The gates open at Nationals Park. The first 10,000 people get James Wood T-shirts. The Nationals are also allowing fans to get physical tickets with a donation to team charities. Tickets are listed on eBay by the first inning.
6:45 p.m.: Wood runs out to his spot in left field for the first time.
7:12 p.m.: Wood hits an opposite-field single in his first at-bat. The exit velocity on the ball is the second-hardest for a first hit in Nationals history: 106.7 miles per hour, according to MLB.com. The only player who hit it harder? The man Wood was traded for in Washington's August 2022 mega-deal with San Diego: Juan Soto.
7:47 p.m.: Reality strikes. Woods is struck out on three pitches by Mets pitcher David Peterson.
8:49 p.m.: Wood grounds out.
9:20 p.m.: With the score knotted up at 3-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Wood reaches on a two-base error. With two outs, Jacob Young hits a shot to right field. Could Wood poetically score the winning run? No! Tyrone Taylor extends himself and makes a leaping grab. To extra innings we go.
9:57 p.m.: After the Mets blow game open in the top of the 10th with six runs, Wood is up again with the score, 9-6. He walks.
10:02 p.m.: The Nats narrow the lead to two, but the game ends with Wood stuck on second.
10:10 p.m.: The jersey, soiled from Wood's slide at second base in the ninth, is put on a table in the laundry room. There we watch an MLB authenticator, who is not authorized to talk with the media, easily pull the MLB Debut patch from the jersey, affixes a hologram to the back and place it into an already-labeled plastic bag.
10:25 p.m.: The long day isn't over for Wood as his friends and family come down onto the field to take some pictures to remember the day.
Sometime later this year, Wood will sign the card, which will have the patch on it. When a collector gets a patch card, it comes as a redemption so as not to harm the card.
The most valuable patch so far belongs to Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe's patch, who has had a $150,000 bounty placed on his patch card by collectors. Most of the others that have been plucked and sold sell in the $1,000 to $3,000 range, with some anomalies, including Mets pitcher Kodai Senga ($17,080) and Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida ($9,000).
There's a good chance Wood's patch could be one of the most valuable.
Since Wood is not one of the 99 players whose debut came before the May 31 cut-off, the card won't be available in packs until next year.
Which gives collectors a perfect amount of time to figure out exactly how much they should pay when it finally hits the market.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.