Random Topps Team Set of the Week: 2012 Topps Washington Nationals

Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Team Set of the Week:

• Team: 2012 Washington Nationals
• Record: 98-64, first place, NL East Division.
• Manager: Davey Johnson
• Card on the Top: Stephen Strasburg

The checklist consists of the following players:

• WAS1 Stephen Strasburg
• WAS2 Ian Desmond
• WAS3 Jayson Werth
• WAS4 John Lannan
• WAS5 Wilson Ramos
• WAS6 Gio Gonzalez
• WAS7 Ryan Zimmerman
• WAS8 Michael Morse
• WAS9 Steve Lombardozzi
• WAS10 Jordan Zimmermann
• WAS11 Chien-Ming Wang
• WAS12 Danny Espinosa
• WAS13 Adam LaRoche
• WAS14 Roger Bernadina
• WAS15 Drew Storen
• WAS16 Tyler Clippard
• WAS17 Nationals Park

The cards in order from the set (the checklist at the end was cut from the back of the package. What, you don't do that?):

Key differences between the team set and 2012 Topps eponymous set:

• Steve Lombardozzi was "Stephen Lombardozzi" on his base card, and yes, the picture is different:
  
  

• Would you consider it a variation if the foil Topps logo appears on the other side of the card than on the eponymous one? Case in point - Jordan Zimmermann:
  
  

• Hey, where did the Rookie Cup on Danny Espinosa's card go??? His base card uses the same picture, but the retail one used a closeup:
  
  

• We get to see more of Adam LaRoche in his base card:
  
  

• Roger Bernadina's base card uses the same picture, but was horizontally oriented:
  
  

So of the 16 players included in this set, there is one card that features a different picture in the retail set that was used in 2012 Topps set, the other three are closeups of their base cards, and one that I'm just throwing out there. It might not necessarily be a variation, but it brings up a good topic of discussion as to whether the placement of the Topps logo, foil or not, if placed in a different spot would count as a variation.

Next week's featured set will be the 2007 Cincinnati Reds. Hope you'll be here when we compare the cards from the retail set to their counterparts found in Topps and Topps Updates and Highlights.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama