Top Ten 2006-2009 Topps Team Sets Cards

To satisfy the promise I made to bring in more baseball card related posts...

I finally finished going through all 30 team sets for 2009. I can't wait to put them in sheets and into a binder. The cards look terrific, even the ones of the players who changed teams and now have the uniforms of said new teams photoshopped onto them (although the Matt Holliday Athletics card shows a bit too much green...) With that in mind, today on this humble little blog, I present to you my top ten (or Topps Ten...get it...) cards that could only be found in the 14-card team sets. Now they're not necessarily the best cards because of aesthetics, or because of the picture used. They are on the list for various reasons, and I will explain why on each.

So without further ado...

"From the home office in Chicago, IL. The category is the Top Ten Cards from the 2006 to 2009 14-Card Sets. Here we go:

10. 2006 Topps Devil Rays Team Card #TDR9


Now the D-Rays of 2005 (the team depicted here) finished 67-95 and finished 5th in the AL East. If the team was this bad, why include it in the set. Wasn't there another player good enough to make the cut? Were there only 13 good players and the rest not? Well, the only reason why Topps put this card in the set is because they were not able to put a card of their original choice, Bossman Junior, aka B. J. Upton, in the set.

9. 2009 Topps Yankees Mickey Mantle #NYY15


Dear Mr. Anama:

You said that the Mickey Mantle #7 card in 2009 Topps was NOT A SHORTPRINT OR AN ERROR CARD...then What Card is This???

Anonymous

Well, it does have Mantle's position as an outfielder. But alas, this card is from the Yankees' Team set. The bonus card no less. I'm pretty sure that this card was printed in lesser quantities than the card in the eponymous Topps set. And boy does the Mick look really happy to sign whatever is being literally in his face. I just hope that the three guys didn't fall into the dugout.

8. 2007 Topps Yankees Derek Jeter #NYY1


When this came out, people on eBay started hawking it as the "corrected" version of Jeter's infamous #40 card (the one with Mantle in the dugout and Bush waving in the crowd). Uh, no. Although Topps did include the card without the photoshop work in their factory sets, this was not, or should never be, considered the corrected card. Funny thing is that Topps used the same photo on this card for their 55-card Yankees gift set.

7. 2009 Topps Rays Evan Longoria #TBR1


Looks just like the original card in series 1. It looks like he is trying to make it to third (my guess anyway) by trying to beat the tag by extending his arms in front. I don't know if he made it in safely or not. The defending AL Rookie of the Year, he was named to the 2008 Topps All-Star Rookie Team. But you probably wouldn't know that if you saw this card. You see, all the other nine guys who made the team (Votto, Ramirez, Aviles, Bruce, Span, Murphy, Soto, Ziegler, and Lannan) are all on their respective teams 14-card set and each of them have the Rookie Cup trophy printed on them. This is the only card that doesn't have it. And it's a glaring error. (WHAT??!)

6. 2009 Topps Red Mr. Redlegs (with Rosie Red) #CIN15


A nice touch this year was including the mascots of some of the teams into the sets as the bonus card. And unfortunately for the girls at Dinged Corners, Topps didn't include the Mets baseball-headed superstar as the bonus card for the Mets set (opting to go with Citi Field instead). So that leaves Mr. Redlegs (and the pictured yet unmentioned Rosie Red) as the only mascots with baseballs for heads to have a card in the products. Where did the Gapper go???

5. 2007 Topps Mariners Jose Guillen #SEA10


A previous "What Card is This?" subject, this the only card with the 2007 Topps design that actually depicts Guillen. All other cards are of Yuniesky Betancourt.

4. 2008 Topps Mets Johan Santana #NYM1


Forget card #661, and although he was included as card #330 in the U & H set, this was truly Santana's first Topps card as a New York Met.

3. 2009 Topps Dodgers Joe Torre #LAD14


Another issue of "didn't the Dodgers have a player good enough that he couldn't have been included here???" Joe Torre just left the Bronx for Hollywood and he was somehow added to the Dodgers Team checklist. He had to have bumped out somebody...only problem is there was never an announcement. He is the only manager to appear in the 2008 sets.

In 2009, Torre and a few other managers (Cox, Gaston, Scioscia) are added as the bonuses. Ozzie Guillen, the manager of the White Sox, was added to the "14 man roster." I guess that's all right, especially since the bonus card in all White Sox packaging is of the President of the United States.

2. 2009 Topps Mariners Ken Griffey, Jr. #SEA8


Previously discussed here. Again, it just looks like all is right in the world now that Junior is now back with the M's. He recently hit his 400th HR as a Mariner.

And the number one card from the 2006 to 2009 14-card team sets:

1. 2006 Topps Mariners Kenji Johjima #SEA14


Previously discussed here. He is the reason why the insanity started.

These are really nice sets to own, and if you are a team collector, they are must haves. If you're a set collector however, and want all 30 sets to add to your collections, I suggest therapy. Then go for it.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama