Random Topps Team Set of the Week: 2012 Topps Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

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

• Team: 2012 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
• Record: 89-73, third place, AL West Division.
• Manager: Mike Scioscia
• Card on the Top: Albert Pujols

The checklist consists of the following players:

• ANG1 Albert Pujols
• ANG2 Peter Bourjos
• ANG3 Vernon Wells
• ANG4 Mark Trumbo
• ANG5 Alberto Callaspo
• ANG6 Ervin Santana
• ANG7 Mike Trout
• ANG8 Bobby Abreu
• ANG9 Howie Kendrick
• ANG10 Dan Haren
• ANG11 Jered Weaver
• ANG12 Torii Hunter
• ANG13 C.J. Wilson
• ANG14 Chris Iannetta
• ANG15 Erick Aybar
• ANG16 Jordan Walden
• ANG17 Angel Stadium of Anaheim

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:

• We know all the stories about Albert Pujols' Topps cards. The regular base card uses the same picture in the retail set, but I would be remiss if I didn't include pictures of the SP and SSP cards:
  
  

• Mark Trumbo, along with most of the 2011 All-Star Rookie Team members had two cards. The card used in the retail set is the same as the one card that didn't have the Rookie Cup. So, here is the card WITH the Cup:
  
  

• Chris Iannetta was with the Rockies the year before, and Topps photoshopped the Angels jersey onto the picture. Next to his base card is the card found in Update Series:
  
  

So of the 16 players included in this set, only two feature pictures of players that you will only find in the retail set. The 2012 retail sets contained a lot of variations between the eponymous base and traded sets and the retail ones, which is great if you're a fan of team sets and want a bit more variation to your regular cards. But I guess in the case of the Angels, most of the retail set cards of even the new players were used in the regular set (C. J. Wilson prime example of this).  Speaking of 2012 Los Angeles teams...

Next week's featured set will be the 2012 Los Angeles Dodgers. Hope you'll be here when we compare the cards from the retail set to their counterparts found in Topps and Topps Update Series.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

P.S.  hiflew:  To save time, I was looking up Dan Haren on the BCCM.  He didn't show up, so I assumed that he didn't have a card.  It turns out that the BCCM misspelled his name as Dan HEREN. jba