Random Topps Team Set of the Week: 2010 Detroit Tigers

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

• Team: 2010 Detroit Tigers
• Record: 81-81, third place, AL Central Division.
• Manager: Jim Leyland
• Card on the Top: Miguel Cabrera

The checklist consists of the following players:

• DET1 Miguel Cabrera
• DET2 Jarrod Washburn
• DET3 Clete Thomas
• DET4 Rick Porcello
• DET5 Brandon Inge
• DET6 Nate Robertson
• DET7 Magglio Ordonez
• DET8 Jeremy Bonderman
• DET9 Marcus Thames
• DET10 Wilkin Ramirez
• DET11 Phil Coke
• DET12 Justin Verlander
• DET13 Joel Zumaya
• DET14 Robinzon Diaz
• DET15 Carlos Guillen
• DET16 Max Scherzer
• DET17 Daniel Schlereth

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 2010 Topps eponymous set:

• Marcus Thames did play for the Tigers in 2009, but was released by the team at the end of the season. He did sign with, and play for, the Yankees in 2010. Robinzon Diaz (that's right, with a Z, not an S as it is spelled on the front - the back of the card has the correct spelling), did not get to play with the Tigers in 2010, spending the entire season with the AAA Toledo Mud Hens. Daniel Schlereth was a mid-season callup for the Detroit. The thing these three guys have in common is that none of them have cards in either the Topps or the Update Series. You'll only find their cards, using the 2010 Topps design, in the retail set:
  

• While his retail card shows him at full stride, Miguel Cabrera's regular Topps card features an up-close shot of the future Triple Crown winner at bat:
  
  

• You can barely see Clete Thomas' face on his base card::
  
  

• You get an up-close and personal look at Jeremy Bonderman as he makes his pitch:
  
  

• The picture used for both of Phil Coke's regular and retail cards are the same, but the regular card is cropped a bit to make the image appear larger than it was on the retail card:
  
  

• A better shot of the Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander was used here on the base card (in my opinion):
  
  

• And here was the Tigers' lights-out reliever, Joel Zumaya, and a different image entirely on his base card:
  
  

• Carlos Guillen's regular card is vertically-oriented...compared to his retail card:
  
  

• Max Scherzer pitched for the Diamondbacks in 2009, joining the Tigers the following season. While his series 1 card features him as a D-Back, his Update Series card showcases him with Detroit:
  
  

Of the 17 players included in this set, 8 players have different pictures on the retail set compared to the base set, with one being of the same-photo-different-cropping variety, and three players whose cards can only be found in the retail set. This set was definitely a must for the die-hard Tigers' fan.

Next week's featured set will be the 2007 Houston Astros. 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 sets.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama