It's the End of 2017, and What Have I Done??! Well...

Other than blow off Pack Break Week and then almost forget I have a baseball card blog? Not much.

A few days into the new job, I was asked if I wanted to take home a computer. As long as I can get it working, it was mine, no strings attached. Guess what I was able to do?

So after months of spending time at the local library, I have a new-ish computer. It's from at least 2013, but it is fully loaded. I just had to get rid of a lot of stuff (you know, because it was from the office, and there were things on here that I don't need to see). I had to add a lot of stuff (like Windows Office, because I need my spreadsheets). I bought new stuff, like a printer/scanner (because my scanner, my baby, wasn't compatible with the new Windows suite) and a wi-fi expander (because my modem is in the basement and we've needed one for quite some time). I also am now responsible for making sure I have a working firewall and anti-virus software.

So now, as promised, when I have time (and there is not a lot of it honestly), I will be back posting on this humble little blog.

My 2017 Topps binder is now complete. I did wind up buying a six-inch binder to hold all of the cards within it. It's crammed to the gills with cards from the following sets:

• 700 cards from Topps Series 1 and 2
• 300 cards from Topps Update Series
• 5 micellaneous advertisement cards
• 5 Topps Rookie Variation cards (from the factory set)
• 5 Rediscover Topps cards (buybacks)
• 40 First Pitch cards
• 29 MLB Network cards
• 20 Bowman Then and Now cards
• 50 Five Tool cards
• 20 Major League Milestones cards
• 50 Memorable Moments cards
• 150 1987 Topps tribute cards from all three series
• 10 ad cards that had reprints of rookie cards on the front
• 150 Topps Salute cards
• 30 Topps Salute Jackie Robinson cards
• 30 Topps Salute Independence Day cards
• 14 2016 MLB Award Winners cards
• 18 2016 Silver Slugger Award Winner cards
• 18 2016 Gold Glove Award Winner cards
• 21 Home Run Derby Champs cards
• 25 MLB All-Star Game MVP cards
• 50 All-Time All-Stars cards
• 21 2017 Topps Archives Derek Jeter reprint cards (20 from set plus 1 red-back 2007 card)
• 30 National Baseball Card Day cards
• 30 Untouchables cards
• 50 All-Rookie Cup reprint cards
• 30 MVP Award Winner cards
• 25 Postseason Celebration cards
• 25 Storied World Series cards
• 25 Heroes of Autumn cards

That's a whopping 1,976 cards.

Think about that for a minute.

One thousand, nine hundred, seventy-six cards.

Not counting the Jeter set, the Baseball Card Day, and the Ad and buybacks, that's 915 insert cards that Topps inserted in packs and blasters in 2017.

Boy, that's a lot of cards.

I'll be honest, I'm hoping Topps tones down on the number of insert cards in 2018. When there are almost as many insert cards than base cards in a product, it might be time to re-think what goes into the eponymous set. Don't get me wrong. Some of the insert sets were great. I liked the Bowman card set, the Salute series, and Memorable Moments. I wasn't a big fan of the Five Tool set only because it was too busy of a design trying to incorporate both the Topps Fire concept and five large images of a player onto the front of the card. I like the Retail-exclusive and Walmart/Target-exclusive insert sets as well. But did we really need parallel cards of insert cards? I'm not sure it was necessary as it made it harder to build a set. Now, of course some would say that I could have just kept the parallel cards and just included them with the base set, but my collecting OCD would have had a major problem with that.

But before I get ready for work (yes, I am working New Year's Eve tonight), I'd like to get something out of the way once and for all.

Remember during National Baseball Card Day, not only did I get free packs of the Trading Card day cards, I bought random packs of 2017 Topps products. Among them were a couple of packs of 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter's. Inside the pack that I had opened (saving the other for pack break week which I promise I will continue soon...with some surprises) was this card:

I had asked around, and people said to go ahead and open the card. So, as the calendar changes from 2017 to 2018, let's find out what was in the Noah Syndergaard Rip Card:

After months of waiting, here is what was inside the 2017 @topps Allen & Ginter's Noah Syndergaard Rip Card. #TheHobby pic.twitter.com/qNyAfEJE0y

— James B. Anama (@bdj610) December 31, 2017

Okay, so it wasn't a Judge Auto. But it's a mini parallel of Red Sox legend Ted Williams. Judge what you will about the tone of my voice on the video once I opened the card, but I am happy. First for even getting a Rip Card in a pack, and then pulling a parallel card of a HOF legend.

So I have to get going soon. Let's get to it:

Goodbye 2017!!!

Hello 2018!!!

Goodbye 2017 Topps Design!!!

Hello 2018 Topps Design!!!

May all your collections grow to new heights. Let's hope Topps makes it a bit easier on us insane set collectors. Thank you for letting me into your computers this past year. I hope to be able to share more of my collection with you in 2018!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Pack Break Week: 2017 Topps Stadium Club

Last night saw the return of Pack Break Week with the opening of a Series 1 pack. Today's pack is fron 2017 Topps Stadium Club.

With an incredible focus on photography and a great checklist that mixes current and legendary players, Stadium Club has been a great success among Topps' catalog of products. It's also one of Topps older premium brands, dating back to 1991. Now, I have no plans on going to try and complete this set, but I do have respect for it and am curious as to what was in this pack that I bought on National Baseball Card Day.

Don't forget later this week, I will be ripping open the Noah Syndergaard Rip Card from A&G.

So what's in this pack of 2017 Topps Stadium Club?

Opening pack now...

Here are the eight cards that were contained inside the above pack:

• #135 Jameson Taillon, P, Pirates
• #193 Jackie Robinson, 2B, Dodgers
• #203 Hernan Perez, 3B, Brewers
• #110 Michael Conforto, OF, Mets
• #216 Odubel Herrera, OF, Phillies
• #SS-CS Chris Sale, P, Red Sox, Scoreless Streak insert
• #297 Curtis Granderson, OF, Mets
• #259 Adrian Beltre, 3B, Rangers

Thoughts: No Cubs, not even a White Sox player (and no, Sale doesn't count) to speak of here. All-Stars? Sure...with Conforto, Herrera, Granderson, and Beltre. The Jackie Robinson card is nice, and the picture selection doesn't disappoint. My only concern new is that with Topps' eponymous designs no longer including borders, and focusing more on photos with minimal but unique design elements, is there even a need for this kind of a set?

Tomorrow's pack will be from 2017 Topps Archives. While I am not expecting much out of Heritage Lite, maybe something good will come from it. Maybe.

Watch this space.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Pack Break Week: 2017 Topps Series 1

It's the return of Pack Break Week here on this humble, little blog. The idea is to celebrate the past baseball card season while looking forward to next season. And what better way to do this then my opening packs of this year's product.

As you probably recall, I went to three different card shops during National Baseball Card Day. Along with getting my free packs of NBC cards, I also bought some random packs of Series 1 & 2 of the eponymous product, plus some packs of this year's editions of Allen & Ginter's, Archives, and Stadium Club. Along the way, 1 pack of A&G included a rip card of Noah Syndergaard. I'm going to open that card on Friday and reveal what was hidden inside of it.

In the meantime, let's open the series 1 pack and find out what was inside of it.

Opening pack now...

Here are the ten cards that were contained inside the above pack:

• #268 Anthony Gose, OF, Tigers
• #330 Doug Fister, P, Astros
• #28 Rick Porcello, P, Red Sox, AL Wins Leader
• #119 Francisco Lindor, SS, Indians
• #S-69 Ozzie Smith, SS, Cardinals, Topps Salutes Legends insert
  
• #272 Pat Neshek, P, Astros
• #332 Huston Street, P, Angels
• #92 Derek Norris, C, Padres
• #259 Jose DeLeon, P, Dodgers
• #294 Kole Calhoun, OF, Angels

Thoughts: a typical 10-card pack. Not much to write home about in terms of a wow factor (at least for the Chicagoan). Lots of West Coast teams represented in this pack, plus an insert of Ozzie Smith, as well as a card of fellow card collector Pat Neshek.

Tomorrow's pack will be from 2017 Topps Stadium Club. Will there be a special auto, relic, or short-print inside?

Stay tuned.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

A New Beginning

For those of you who still happen to read this humble, little blog, you know that the reason for my recent activity was because I was no longer employed. Realistically, I have been working, but not making enough money to pay major bills. I was able to get back to blogging on a semi-regular basis, and I've enjoyed re-connecting with the Hobby, the blogs, and most importantly, the cards in my collection.

Starting Monday, December 4, I return to the specialty foods industry, but with a food broker instead of a distributor. And I'll be returning to an office environment instead of working from home. Meaning no more Maury...no more MLB Network...no more playing games on the tablet during the day. It's going to be a new experience, and I am grateful to those of you who have reached out to me and given me encouragement, moral support, prayers, and, most importantly, job leads. I will be forever grateful for your kindness and taking time out of your busy days to check in on me.

Now, the blog...

still goes on.

Well, let me explain.

I have a tablet. It helps because I can get online and do get onto the blog and catch up on other sites. The only trouble I have is that it's hard to write using it. Yes, the touchscreen is great, and I could certainly use the voice-to-text thing, but it's an inconvenience at best, and time consuming at worst. I certainly can't go back and forth with my research on a tablet (try copying and pasting spreadsheet data on a tablet...having fun yet??!)

So, until I get a computer that I can use at home (and I vowed not to use my kids' laptops from school), the only time I'll get to sit down in front of a computer will be at the local library.

Onto the baseball card portion of the program.

I am working on my 2017 Topps Update Series set. I have the base set done, but now am working on inserts. Money is obviously at a premium, so trades would be welcome for any cards you're willing to part with. You can email me at bdj610@hotmail.com with what cards you have and what cards you need (your want lists don't necessarily have to be from this set...)

I am definitely looking forward to 2018 Topps. I wish I could see cards in hand, but I'm not that well connected with The Company to have that kind of access.

Regarding, the Sports Card Blogroll, 8 blogs will be removed for reaching past six months of inactivity. They are:

• Mets Baseball Cards Like They Ought To Be!
• My Life In The Sports Card Hobby
• Starting Nine.
• Scott Crawford On Cards!
• Nolan's Dugout
• Dawgbones, a Phillies Phan!
• addiction as therapy
• timeless teams

That brings us down to 217 active blogs on the big Blogroll. As always, if you, or someone you know, writes a blog about the Hobby of Sports Card Collecting, and it's not on my list, please drop me a line at bdj610@hotmail.com. If you've recently decided to bring your inactive blog back to relevance, let me know as well.

One thing I will definitely have time for is the return of Pack Break Week. Starting next week, using the magic of the tablet, I'm going to open the packs that I bought back during National Baseball Trading Card Day and see what each holds. And after a lot of agony over making this decision, I will also reveal what was inside that 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter's Noah Syndergaard Rip Card that I found in the one pack of A&G that I did open a few months back. That should be entertaining.

Finally, after going over the entries that I received for the Guess the 2017 Topps All-Star Rookie Team contest that was held last month, nobody out-predicted me in the contest. I had seven, as you recall, and of all the entries, the only person who matched the number of names was Jason Carter of The Writer's Journey.

Just like me, he had the names, but the positions ran all over the place. He had Paul DeJong at 2B (Ian Happ was this year's second baseman), Cody Bellinger (the 1B), Andrew Benintendi, and Aaron Judge in the outfield (the third outfielder was Trey Mancini), Manny Pina was the only rookie catcher it seemed, and both German Marquez and Jordan Montgomery as the pitchers. The rest of his squad included Josh Bell at 1B (the aforementioned Bellinger), Yuli Gurriel at third (Rafael Devers was the winner), Pat Valaika at shortstop (DeJong won this one), and Robert Stephenson as the relief pitcher (which went to Josh Hader). For coming the closest, Jason, I think I still have your address (unless it's changed), a Hobby pack of 2017 Topps Update Series is on its way to you. The 2005 Topps Rookie Cup base set remains with me.

Thank you all for sticking around. Once I get that home computer, the posts should increase a bit more.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Introducing the 2017 Topps All-Star Rookie Team

The 2017 Topps All-Star Rookie Team. Image from MLB Network.

The 2017 Topps All-Star Rookie Team was announced this morning on MLB Network's Hot Stove program. And there are number of surprises, at least for me.

Congratulations are in order for the 11 players who make up Topps' 58th ASRT. If the player's name is in bold, it means I predicted that they would make the team yesterday).

• 1B: Cody Bellinger, LAD (132 G, 0.267, 39 HR, 97 RBI, 0.933 OPS, 10 SB)
• 2B: Ian Happ, CHC (115 G, 0.253, 24 HR, 68 RBI, 0.842 OPS, 8 SB)
• 3B: Rafael Devers, BOS (58 G, 0.284, 10 HR, 30 RBI, 0.819 OPS, 3 SB)
• SS: Paul DeJong, STL (108 G, 0.285, 26 HR, 65 RBI, 0.857 OPS, 1 SB)
• OF: Andrew Benintendi, BOS (151 G, 0.271, 20 HR, 90 RBI, 0.776 OPS, 20 SB)
• OF: Aaron Judge, NYY (155 G, 0.284, 52 HR, 114 RBI, 1.049 OPS, 9 SB)
• OF: Trey Mancini, BAL (147 G, 0.293, 24 HR, 78 RBI, 0.826 OPS, 1 SB)
• C: Manny Pina, MIL (107 G, 0.279, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 0.751 OPS, 2 SB)
• RHSP: German Marquez, COL (29 GS, 11-7, 4.39 ERA, 147 SO, 1.376 WHIP)
• LHSP: Jordan Montgomery, NYY (29 GS, 9-7, 3.88 ERA, 144 SO, 1.229 WHIP)
• RP: Josh Hader, MIL (35 G, 2-3, 2.08 ERA, 68 SO, 0.986 WHIP, 0 SV)

So I guessed 7 out of now 11 spots correctly, even if I had Bellinger in the outfield and DeJong at second. I had Josh Bell at first, Matt Davidson at third, Dansby Swanson at short, and Wandy Peralta as the reliever. This was a poor showing on my end.

Now my comments.

• Three teams have 2 representatives on the team (Brewers, Red Sox, and Yankees).
• I am happy (pun intended) that the Cubs have some representation this time around with Happ. I had DeJong as my 2B, but Happ could have taken this spot had I thought I could use DeJong at short.
• Topps is showing some consistency with naming three pitchers to the team (two starters, 1 reliever).
• Even though I'm not a White Sox fan, I'm really disappointed that Devers was picked over Davidson. Granted Davidson had a low .222 batting average, but he played a full season. It just shows once again the White Sox don't get much Hobby love.
• Had I thought of putting Bellinger in as my 1B, I would have put Mancini in as the third outfielder.

So congratulations to all. Each player will now get the illustrious rookie cup trophy added to their 2018 Topps cards. I will be going over the results shortly and will announce the winners, if any, soon.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Who Will Be Named to Topps 2017 All-Star Rookie Team?

I know I promised to post this last week, but between interviews and personal commitments, this got stalled. But since I ran the contest this year, I thought I'd get this on now before the official announcement from Topps.

The contest deadline has past and I am no longer taking any entries for the big All-Star Rookie Team contest. I thank everyone who took time to participate. There were a lot of interesting choices amongst the field of participants, so I am wishing myself the best. This could get mighty expensive if I make enough mistakes.

By now, the Topps Company should have already decided who is going to be part of the 2017 Topps All-Star Rookie Team, and will get that lovely gold trophy added to their 2018 Topps baseball cards. So without further ado, here are my picks for the 2017 Topps All-Star Rookie team. If you out-guessed me, participants who have already sent their entries to my e-mail address could win a complete 150-card set of 2005 Topps Rookie Cup (contest rules here):

• 1B: Josh Bell, PIT (159 G, 0.255, 26 HR, 90 RBI, 0.800 OPS, 2 SB)
• 2B: Paul DeJong, STL (108 G, 0.285, 26 HR, 65 RBI, 0.857 OPS, 1 SB)
• 3B: Matt Davidson, CWS (118 G, 0.220, 26 HR, 68 RBI, 0.711 OPS, 0 SB)
• SS: Dansby Swanson, ATL (144 G, 0.232, 6 HR, 51 RBI, 0.636 OPS, 3 SB)
• OF: Cody Bellinger, LAD (132 G, 0.267, 39 HR, 97 RBI, 0.933 OPS, 10 SB)
• OF: Andrew Benintendi, BOS (151 G, 0.271, 20 HR, 90 RBI, 0.776 OPS, 20 SB)
• OF: Aaron Judge, NYY (155 G, 0.284, 52 HR, 114 RBI, 1.049 OPS, 9 SB)
• C: Manny Pina, MIL (107 G, 0.279, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 0.751 OPS, 2 SB)
• RHSP: German Marquez, COL (29 GS, 11-7, 4.39 ERA, 147 SO, 1.376 WHIP)
• LHSP: Jordan Montgomery, NYY (29 GS, 9-7, 3.88 ERA, 144 SO, 1.229 WHIP)
• RP: Wandy Peralta, CIN (67 G, 3-4, 3.76 ERA, 57 SO, 1.190 WHIP, 0 SV)

For sure there will be players like Ian Happ of the Cubs, Rhys Hoskins of the Phillies, Trey Mancini of the Orioles, Matt Olsen of the Athletics who will warrant consideration, as well as Rockies rookie pitchers Anthony Senzatela, and Kyle Freeland, as well as Keynan Middleton of the Angels and Jharel Cotton of the Athletics.

Let the debates begin!!! And good luck to everybody. Now...we wait.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

As Today is November 2, 2017

November 2 is traditionally All Souls Day. It is the day where we celebrate the lives of family and friends who have passed away. Many will go to cemeteries and pray, some may even picnic on the grounds. It is not really a day of mourning, but a day of reflection. Remembering those who we strongly miss.

Personally, I would like to honor my grandparents, Felix Anama, Leonor Filoteo Anama, Gloria Y. Nichols, Ruben S. Menguito, Sgt. Clinton H. Nichols. As well as countless great aunts and uncles too numerous to list.

Today I want to remember the seven souls who died on January 8, 1993, at the Brown's Chicken in Palatine, Illinois: Michael C. Castro, Rico Solis, Thomas Mennes, Marcus Nellsen, Guadalupe Maldonado, Richard Ehlenfeldt, and Lynn Ehlenfeldt.

I would like to remember the people I've met over the years who left us too soon: Lynn Swoboda, Shannon McNamara, Linda Beyer, Gail Leff, Lois Winesburgh, Mary Jo Scanlan, Nancy Huber, Joseph Nasca, Antoinette Nasca, Dan Doles, Chris Stufflestreet, Thomas Scanlon, Darrin Steffey, Katie (Olin) Wood, Erin (Ryals) Semerad, Leonard "LJ" Marek, Rob Swanson, Steve Hanson.

On behalf of my wife, I would like to honor her grandparents, uncles, and especially, her mother (since I have not asked for my wife's permission to do so, I am not adding their names here).

Finally, I would like to take a moment to remember the families, the loved ones who were left behind.

Now that the personal side of the blog has been taken care of, I would also like to take time to remember 86 more people. Between 11/02/2016 and 11/01/2017, 84 people who can lay claim to playing major league baseball, 5 of whom had the honor of being a manager of a major league franchise (even for one game), passed away. Many lived long productive lives, even after their careers ended. Others, tragically, either passed away before their potential could be fully reached or before they could enjoy the fruits of their retirement.

Today, I take time out of my humble little baseball card blog to remember (please note that I had missed two names last year, players who died between 10/04/2016-11/01/2016, and am including them within the list below).

Joe Kirrene
10/19/2016
John Orsino
11/1/2016
Vern Handrahan
11/2/2016
Eddie Carnett
11/4/2016
Marlan Coughtry
11/8/2016
Russ Nixon
11/9/2016
Bob Addis
11/15/2016
Ralph Branca
11/23/2016
Dave Ferriss
11/24/2016
Bill Endicott
11/26/2016
Stu Locklin
12/4/2016
Putsy Caballero
12/8/2016
Phil Gagliano
12/20/2016
Jim Lehew
12/23/2016
John Barfield
12/24/2016
Johnny Rutherford
12/25/2016
Chris Cannizzaro
12/29/2016
Daryl Spencer
1/2/2017
Bob Sadowski
1/6/2017
Greg Jelks
1/6/2017
Bill Champion
1/7/2017
Jackie Brown
1/8/2017
Red Adams
1/18/2017
Dick Starr
1/18/2017
Walt Streuli
1/19/2017
Ken Wright
1/21/2017
Andy Marte
1/22/2017
Yordano Ventura
1/22/2017
Morris Nettles
1/24/2017
Bob Bowman
1/27/2017
Mark Brownson
2/1/2017
Harry Macpherson
2/19/2017
Ned Garver
2/26/2017
Bill Hands
3/9/2017
Bob Bruce
3/14/2017
Jose Zardon
3/21/2017
Dallas Green
3/22/2017
Mark Higgins
3/22/2017
Jack Faszholz
3/25/2017
Todd Frohwirth
3/26/2017
Ruben Amaro
3/31/2017
Roy Sievers
4/3/2017
Bob Cerv
4/6/2017
Vic Barnhart
4/13/2017
Vic Albury
4/18/2017
Luis Olmo
4/28/2017
Sam Mele
5/1/2017
Bob Kuzava
5/15/2017
Ed Mierkowicz
5/19/2017
Dave McDonald
5/19/2017
Steve Waterbury
5/19/2017
Jim Bunning
5/26/2017
Herm Starrette
6/2/2017
Jimmy Piersall
6/3/2017
Hector Wagner
6/5/2017
Bob Zick
6/12/2017
Anthony Young
6/27/2017
Bob Perry
7/2/2017
Gene Conley
7/4/2017
Dom Zanni
7/6/2017
John Rheinecker
7/18/2017
Lee May
7/29/2017
Darren Daulton
8/6/2017
Don Baylor
8/7/2017
Danny Walton
8/9/2017
Don Gross
8/10/2017
Paul Casanova
8/12/2017
Stan Swanson
9/1/2017
Paul Schaal
9/1/2017
Tom Wright
9/5/2017
Gene Michael
9/7/2017
Jim Donohue
9/9/2017
Dave Hilton
9/17/2017
Garry Hill
9/20/2017
Ed Phillips
9/20/2017
Mickey Harrington
9/20/2017
Solly Hemus
10/2/2017
John Herrnstein
10/3/2017
Jim Landis
10/7/2017
Don Lock
10/8/2017
Roy Hawes
10/9/2017
Mike McQueen
10/9/2017
Daniel Webb
10/14/2017
Ed Barnowski
10/17/2017
Chuck Churn
10/21/2017
Ross Powell
10/25/2017

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Celebrating 2017 Topps Update Series Yet??? Save Some For Me, Please!!!

It's almost here. The end of the 2017 Baseball Card Season.

The 2017 Topps edition of the end-of-the-year Update Series went live on October 18, 2017, and it means that the hunt will be on for cards and sets from the product. This year's Update Series consists of a 300-card base set, with at least 294 insert cards from 9 different insert sets. At this point, I've already made plans to buy a second 3 inch binder just to hold the insert cards. Why? Because while I know six-inch binders exist, to hold all the base and insert cards form Series 1 and 2 plus the US, I'm going to need a 7-inch one...and those don't exist (and if they do, can someone send me one???)

But who made the checklist?

If it's to be believed on the interwebs, there will be lots of Cody Bellinger. Lots of Aaron Judge. And no Pat Neshek All-Star relic cards (if you caught the Twitter feed last week, you'll know what I'm talking about).

The "final" checklist was posted yesterday. And while the Cubs fan in me is kind of disappointed (only 11 base cards, seven of which are a player's regular card), the rest of the set looks really good. Now for those who have seen these long checklist posts before, I only post the sets I actually care about. What you will see are just the base and basic insert sets. So there won't be any autograph sets, relic sets, autograph/relic sets, etc, listed below. Now, while most are going to be found in the Hobby product, as we have seen in the last few years, there will be a couple of retail-exclusive insert sets, and there will be Walmart-exclusive and Target-exclusive insert sets as well.

One last thing. There are a ton, once again, of short-printed (and super-short-printed) variation cards. A good mix of current and legendary players. I'll be honest, I've seen the legends list. I'd love to collect them, but not if they're SSP'd. Bring back the old days (of almost ten years ago) when CMG legends and recently retired players were sprinkled into the regular set without the limited quantities some of the SSP cards seem to have.

BASE:

US1 Aaron Judge New York Yankees MLB HR Derby
US2 Domingo German New York Yankees Rookie
US3 Paul Sewald/Tyler Pill New York Mets Rookie Combo
US4 Matt Chapman Oakland Athletics Rookie
US5 Casey Fien Philadelphia Phillies
US6 Ramon Torres Kansas City Royals Rookie
US7 Willy Garcia/Adam Engel Chicago White Sox Rookie Combo
US8 Yulieski Gurriel Houston Astros Rookie Debut
US9 George Springer Houston Astros MLB All-Stars
US10 Ian Happ Chicago Cubs Rookie
US11 Gary Sanchez New York Yankees MLB HR Derby
US12 Lisalverto Bonilla Cincinnati Reds
US13 Brian McCann Houston Astros
US14 BLAST OFF! Houston Astros
US15 Kyle Higashioka New York Yankees Rookie
US16 Rafael Bautista Washington Nationals Rookie
US17 Chris Archer Tampa Bay Rays MLB All-Stars
US18 Mookie Betts Boston Red Sox MLB All-Stars
US19 Eric Skoglund Kansas City Royals Rookie
US20 Jason Vargas Kansas City Royals MLB All-Stars
US21 Christian Arroyo San Francisco Giants Rookie Debut
US22 Hunter Renfroe San Diego Padres Rookie Debut
US23 Derek Holland Chicago White Sox
US24 Joe Smith Toronto Blue Jays
US25 Christian Arroyo San Francisco Giants Rookie
US26 Steve Pearce Toronto Blue Jays
US27 Nolan Arenado Colorado Rockies MLB All-Stars
US28 Drew Robinson Texas Rangers Rookie
US29 Drew Steckenrider Miami Marlins Rookie
US30 Danny Ortiz Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie
US31 Danny Santana Atlanta Braves
US32 Luis Torrens San Diego Padres Rookie
US33 Salvador Perez Kansas City Royals MLB All-Stars
US34 Nelson Cruz Seattle Mariners MLB All-Stars
US35 Dinelson Lamet San Diego Padres Rookie
US36 Adam Lind Washington Nationals
US37 Ian Happ Chicago Cubs Rookie Debut
US38 Cody Bellinger Los Angeles Dodgers MLB All-Stars
US39 Charlie Morton Houston Astros
US40 Pat Neshek Philadelphia Phillies
US41 Mitch Haniger Arizona Diamondbacks Rookie Debut
US42 Seth Smith Baltimore Orioles
US43 Joey Votto Cincinnati Reds MLB All-Stars
US44 Chicago Cubs Chicago Cubs
US45 Johan Camargo Atlanta Braves Rookie
US46 Dylan Covey Chicago White Sox Rookie
US47 Yadier Molina St. Louis Cardinals MLB All-Stars
US48 Ariel Hernandez Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US49 Austin Bibens-Dirkx Texas Rangers Rookie
US50 Cody Bellinger Los Angeles Dodgers Rookie
US51 Jorge Bonifacio Kansas City Royals Rookie
US52 Michael Fulmer Detroit Tigers MLB All-Stars
US53 Barrett Astin Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US54 Ronald Torreyes New York Yankees
US55 Luis Severino New York Yankees MLB All-Stars
US56 Jake Junis Kansas City Royals Rookie
US57 CHARGED-UP BATTERY Toronto Blue Jays
US58 Ervin Santana Minnesota Twins
US59 Matt Joyce Oakland Athletics
US60 Kyle Freeland Colorado Rockies Rookie
US61 Matt Szczur San Diego Padres
US62 Travis Wood Kansas City Royals
US63 Andrew Cashner Texas Rangers
US64 Corey Kluber Cleveland Indians MLB All-Stars
US65 Giancarlo Stanton Miami Marlins MLB HR Derby
US66 Jose Osuna Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie
US67 Avisail Garcia Chicago White Sox MLB All-Stars
US68 Jered Weaver San Diego Padres
US69 Alex Avila Detroit Tigers
US70 Josh Reddick Houston Astros
US71 Junichi Tazawa Miami Marlins
US72 Joaquin Benoit Philadelphia Phillies
US73 Jason Grilli Texas Rangers
US74 Ryne Stanek Tampa Bay Rays Rookie
US75 Jake Buchanan Cincinnati Reds
US76 Miguel Montero Toronto Blue Jays
US77 Mike Moustakas Kansas City Royals MLB All-Stars
US78 Jarlin Garcia Miami Marlins Rookie
US79 Nick Goody Cleveland Indians
US80 Ichiro Miami Marlins
US81 Clay Buchholz Philadelphia Phillies
US82 Matt Boyd Detroit Tigers
US83 Carlos Ruiz Seattle Mariners
US84 Michael Brantley Cleveland Indians MLB All-Stars
US85 Tommy Milone New York Mets
US86 Clayton Richard San Diego Padres
US87 Chris Sale Boston Red Sox MLB All-Stars
US88 Jorge Soler Kansas City Royals
US89 Casey Lawrence Seattle Mariners Rookie
US90 Derek Fisher Houston Astros Rookie
US91 Jordan Montgomery New York Yankees Rookie
US92 Anthony Alford Toronto Blue Jays Rookie
US93 Jesse Chavez Los Angeles Angels
US94 Justin Upton Detroit Tigers MLB All-Stars
US95 Stephen Strasburg Washington Nationals MLB All-Stars
US96 Brett Phillips Milwaukee Brewers Rookie
US97 Alexi Amarista Colorado Rockies
US98 Andrew Moore Seattle Mariners Rookie
US99 Aaron Judge New York Yankees Rookie Debut
US100 Chris Sale Boston Red Sox
US101 Magneuris Sierra St. Louis Cardinals Rookie
US102 Dovydas Neverauskas/Gift Ngoepe Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie Combo
US103 Matt Adams Atlanta Braves
US104 Sam Gaviglio Seattle Mariners Rookie
US105 John Brebbia St. Louis Cardinals Rookie
US106 Kendrys Morales Toronto Blue Jays
US107 Andrew Bailey Los Angeles Angels
US108 Wilson Ramos Tampa Bay Rays
US109 Ben Revere Los Angeles Angels
US110 Corey Seager Los Angeles Dodgers MLB All-Stars
US111 “MEAT” OF THE METS New York Mets
US112 Ryan Zimmerman Washington Nationals MLB All-Stars
US113 Franklin Barreto Oakland Athletics Rookie Debut
US114 Pat Neshek Philadelphia Phillies MLB All-Stars
US115 “M” IS FOR “MASHING” American League
US116 Tyler Glasnow Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie Debut
US117 Neftali Feliz Kansas City Royals
US118 Bradley Zimmer Cleveland Indians Rookie Debut
US119 Greg Holland Colorado Rockies
US120 Carlos Beltran Houston Astros
US121 Daniel Murphy Washington Nationals MLB All-Stars
US122 COMING TO AMERICA American League
US123 Colby Rasmus Tampa Bay Rays
US124 Nick Hundley San Francisco Giants
US125 Yoan Moncada Boston Red Sox Rookie Debut
US126 Austin Slater San Francisco Giants Rookie
US127 Antonio Senzatela Colorado Rockies Rookie
US128 Ervin Santana Minnesota Twins MLB All-Stars
US129 Brooks Pounders Los Angeles Angels
US130 Zack Greinke Arizona Diamondbacks MLB All-Stars
US131 Doug Fister Boston Red Sox
US132 Dallas Keuchel Houston Astros MLB All-Stars
US133 Keynan Middleton Los Angeles Angels Rookie
US134 Justin Bour Miami Marlins MLB HR Derby
US135 Chase De Jong Seattle Mariners Rookie
US136 Josh Harrison Pittsburgh Pirates MLB All-Stars
US137 Daniel Hudson Pittsburgh Pirates
US138 Logan Verrett Baltimore Orioles
US139 Luis Castillo Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US140 Sal Romano Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US141 Bryce Harper Washington Nationals MLB All-Stars
US142 Tzu-Wei Lin Boston Red Sox Rookie
US143 Trevor Cahill San Diego Padres
US144 Charlie Blackmon Colorado Rockies MLB All-Stars
US145 Dillon Overton San Diego Padres
US146 David Dahl Colorado Rockies Rookie Debut
US147 Jose Alvarado/Austin Pruitt Tampa Bay Rays Rookie Combo
US148 THE NEXT DYNASTY New York Yankees
US149 James Pazos Seattle Mariners
US150 Alex Bregman Houston Astros Rookie Debut
US151 Yandy Diaz Cleveland Indians Rookie
US152 Robinson Cano Seattle Mariners MLB All-Stars
US153 Robbie Ray Arizona Diamondbacks MLB All-Stars
US154 Franklin Gutierrez Los Angeles Dodgers
US155 RUN AND HIT Cincinnati Reds
US156 Yu Darvish Texas Rangers MLB All-Stars
US157 Corey Dickerson Tampa Bay Rays MLB All-Stars
US158 Phillip Ervin Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US159 JT Riddle Miami Marlins Rookie
US160 Ben Lively/Andrew Knapp Philadelphia Phillies Rookie Combo
US161 Justin Haley Minnesota Twins Rookie
US162 Sean Newcomb Atlanta Braves Rookie
US163 Edinson Volquez Miami Marlins
US164 Carlos Martinez St. Louis Cardinals MLB All-Stars
US165 Boone Logan Cleveland Indians
US166 Aaron Judge New York Yankees Rookie MLB All-Stars
US167 Drew Smyly Seattle Mariners
US168 Michael Conforto New York Mets MLB All-Stars
US169 A.J. Ellis Miami Marlins
US170 Cameron Maybin Los Angeles Angels
US171 Brock Stassi Philadelphia Phillies Rookie
US172 Jason Hammel Kansas City Royals
US173 Chris Coghlan Toronto Blue Jays
US174 Brandon Moss Kansas City Royals
US175 Jose Altuve Houston Astros MLB All-Stars
US176 HISTORY MAKERS Chicago Cubs
US177 Jake Lamb Arizona Diamondbacks MLB All-Stars
US178 Stuart Turner Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US179 Pierce Johnson Chicago Cubs Rookie
US180 Mike Moustakas Kansas City Royals MLB HR Derby
US181 Emilio Pagan Seattle Mariners Rookie
US182 Jaime Garcia Atlanta Braves
US183 Taylor Motter Seattle Mariners
US184 Jean Segura Seattle Mariners
US185 BIRDS IN THE GARDEN St. Louis Cardinals
US186 Jose De Leon Tampa Bay Rays Rookie
US187 Jaycob Brugman Oakland Athletics Rookie
US188 Trevor Plouffe Tampa Bay Rays
US189 Chad Bell Detroit Tigers Rookie
US190 Brad Goldberg Chicago White Sox Rookie
US191 Corey Knebel Milwaukee Brewers MLB All-Stars
US192 Jacob May Chicago White Sox Rookie
US193 Orlando Arcia Milwaukee Brewers Rookie Debut
US194 Derek Fisher Houston Astros Rookie Debut
US195 Fernando Rodney Arizona Diamondbacks
US196 Brad Hand San Diego Padres MLB All-Stars
US197 Dellin Betances New York Yankees MLB All-Stars
US198 Chih-Wei Hu Tampa Bay Rays Rookie
US199 Brett Cecil St. Louis Cardinals
US200 Yoan Moncada Chicago White Sox Rookie
US201 Nolan Fontana Los Angeles Angels Rookie
US202 Kenley Jansen Los Angeles Dodgers MLB All-Stars
US203 Joe Blanton Washington Nationals
US204 Chris Heston Minnesota Twins
US205 Zack Cozart Cincinnati Reds MLB All-Stars
US206 PARTNERS IN POP Milwaukee Brewers
US207 Kurt Suzuki Atlanta Braves
US208 Randy Rosario Minnesota Twins Rookie
US209 Josh Hader Milwaukee Brewers Rookie
US210 Sammy Solis Washington Nationals
US211 Rookie Davis Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US212 Jose Quintana Chicago Cubs
US213 Yovani Gallardo Seattle Mariners
US214 Cody Bellinger Los Angeles Dodgers Rookie Debut
US215 Joe Jimenez Detroit Tigers Rookie
US216 J.P. Howell Toronto Blue Jays
US217 Howie Kendrick Philadelphia Phillies
US218 Greg Holland Colorado Rockies MLB All-Stars
US219 Paul DeJong St. Louis Cardinals Rookie
US220 Jeff Locke Miami Marlins
US221 Mark Zagunis Chicago Cubs Rookie
US222 Jose Ramirez Cleveland Indians MLB All-Stars
US223 Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers MLB All-Stars
US224 Wade Davis Chicago Cubs MLB All-Stars
US225 Andrew Benintendi Boston Red Sox Rookie Debut
US226 Lewis Brinson Milwaukee Brewers Rookie
US227 Trey Mancini Baltimore Orioles Rookie Debut
US228 Wade Davis Chicago Cubs
US229 Tyson Ross Texas Rangers
US230 DJ LeMahieu Colorado Rockies MLB All-Stars
US231 Reynaldo Lopez Chicago White Sox Rookie
US232 Marcell Ozuna Miami Marlins MLB All-Stars
US233 Taijuan Walker Arizona Diamondbacks
US234 Francisco Lindor Cleveland Indians MLB All-Stars
US235 Nick Pivetta/Ricardo Pinto Philadelphia Phillies Rookie Combo
US236 Starlin Castro New York Yankees MLB All-Stars
US237 Buster Posey San Francisco Giants MLB All-Stars
US238 Chris Bostick Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie
US239 Neil Ramirez New York Mets
US240 Jacob Faria Tampa Bay Rays Rookie
US241 Ryon Healy Oakland Athletics Rookie Debut
US242 Mike Hauschild Texas Rangers Rookie
US243 Hector Velazquez Boston Red Sox Rookie
US244 Justin Turner Los Angeles Dodgers MLB All-Stars
US245 Yonder Alonso Oakland Athletics MLB All-Stars
US246 Marc Rzepczynski Seattle Mariners
US247 Dansby Swanson Atlanta Braves Rookie Debut
US248 Ender Inciarte Atlanta Braves MLB All-Stars
US249 Alex Reyes St. Louis Cardinals Rookie Debut
US250 Daniel Robertson Tampa Bay Rays Rookie
US251 Daniel Descalso Arizona Diamondbacks
US252 Mike Dunn Colorado Rockies
US253 Matt Belisle Minnesota Twins
US254 Amir Garrett Cincinnati Reds Rookie Debut
US255 Stefan Crichton Baltimore Orioles Rookie
US256 Mike Ohlman Toronto Blue Jays Rookie
US257 Alex Wood Los Angeles Dodgers MLB All-Stars
US258 Francis Martes Houston Astros Rookie
US259 Tyler Austin New York Yankees Rookie Debut
US260 Carlos Correa Houston Astros MLB All-Stars
US261 Max Scherzer Washington Nationals MLB All-Stars
US262 Fernando Salas New York Mets
US263 Brian Duensing Chicago Cubs
US264 Boog Powell Seattle Mariners Rookie
US265 Eric Young Jr. Los Angeles Angels
US266 Jett Bandy Milwaukee Brewers
US267 Jhoulys Chacin San Diego Padres
US268 Miguel Sano Minnesota Twins MLB HR Derby
US269 Craig Kimbrel Boston Red Sox MLB All-Stars
US270 Gary Sanchez New York Yankees MLB All-Stars
US271 Jesse Winker Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US272 Justin Smoak Toronto Blue Jays MLB All-Stars
US273 Dwight Smith Toronto Blue Jays Rookie
US274 Mitch Moreland Boston Red Sox
US275 Bradley Zimmer Cleveland Indians Rookie
US276 Allen Cordoba/Franchy Cordero San Diego Padres Rookie Combo
US277 Paul Goldschmidt Arizona Diamondbacks MLB All-Stars
US278 Rajai Davis Oakland Athletics
US279 Franklin Barreto Oakland Athletics Rookie
US280 Brett Anderson Chicago Cubs
US281 Luke Voit St. Louis Cardinals Rookie
US282 Michael Martinez Cleveland Indians
US283 Adam Eaton Washington Nationals
US284 Peter Bourjos Tampa Bay Rays
US285 Scott Feldman Cincinnati Reds
US286 Jeff Hoffman Colorado Rockies Rookie Debut
US287 Mark Leiter Jr. Philadelphia Phillies Rookie
US288 Miguel Sano Minnesota Twins MLB All-Stars
US289 Sam Travis Boston Red Sox Rookie
US290 Anthony Rendon Washington Nationals
US291 Andrew Miller Cleveland Indians MLB All-Stars
US292 Jonathan Schoop Baltimore Orioles MLB All-Stars
US293 Tuffy Gosewisch Seattle Mariners
US294 Bobby Wahl Oakland Athletics Rookie
US295 Ben Taylor Boston Red Sox Rookie
US296 Giancarlo Stanton Miami Marlins MLB All-Stars
US297 Reymin Guduan/Jordan Jankowski Houston Astros Rookie Combo
US298 Brett Eibner Los Angeles Dodgers
US299 Charlie Blackmon Colorado Rockies MLB HR Derby
US300 Cody Bellinger Los Angeles Dodgers MLB HR Derby

A few quick notes:

• There are 88 cards on the above list that have the word Rookie listed at the end. Of the 88 Rookie cards, there are 8 rookie combo cards that brings rookie teammates together from the Mets, White Sox, Pirates, Rays, Phillies twice, Padres, and Astros.
• There are 23 cards in the Rookie Debut subset. Many of these players already have cards in either Series 1 or 2 of the eponymous set (Judge, Bregman, Moncada, Swanson for example). Topps could have...no...SHOULD HAVE..excluded these guys. But hey, just another way to sneak them onto another card and leave someone off...right??!
• Of the 71 players that were named All-Stars back in July, 5 did not have Topps cards in either Series 1 or 2 (Chris Devensky, Brandon Kintzler, Cody Bellinger, Brad Hand, and Greg Holland). Three players had cards with their previous teams (Chris Sale, Wade Davis, Pat Neshek). There are base cards for Bellinger and Holland in the Update Series.
• Speaking of All-Stars, there are 66 All-Star cards sprinkled among the 300-card checklist. All 33 National League All-Stars have cards in this year's set, including Brad Hand who doesn't have a base card in the set. Dallas Keuchel, Corey Kluber, and Yu Darvish were named to the AL team. But because of the Sunday starter rule, all three had to be replaced on the final roster. While all three pitchers do have All-Star cards in the set, the pitchers who replaced them and were part of the 32-man active roster (Devensky, Kintzler, and Roberto Osuna respectively), do not. Lance McCullers Jr, a manager's selection who was on the active roster, does not have an All-Star card as well. The fifth AL All-Star without a card? That would be Mike Trout.

Some of the insert sets from series 1 and 2 continue here in Update Series (Salute, MLB Network, the 1987 tribute). There are some new themes as well, and another round of reprint cards, this time, honoring players who were part of the All-Star Rookie Team (sound familiar??? Cough...ROOKIE CUP...cough). There are also the usual sets dedicated to the postseason and awards that have been the norm in recent Update Series products. And as usual, there are the retail exclusive insert sets and the Walmart and Target exclusive insert sets to chase too.

INSERT
TOPPS SALUTE
USS-1 Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels
USS-2 Jose Altuve Houston Astros
USS-3 Nelson Cruz Seattle Mariners
USS-4 Francisco Lindor Cleveland Indians
USS-5 Koda Glover Washington Nationals Rookie
USS-6 Manny Machado Baltimore Orioles
USS-7 Ichiro Miami Marlins
USS-8 Jesse Winker Cincinnati Reds Rookie
USS-9 Ian Happ Chicago Cubs Rookie
USS-10 Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers
USS-11 Mitch Haniger Seattle Mariners Rookie
USS-12 Mitch Haniger Seattle Mariners Rookie
USS-13 Tim Anderson Chicago White Sox
USS-14 Franklin Barreto Oakland Athletics Rookie
USS-15 Jeff Hoffman Colorado Rockies Rookie
USS-16 Alex Bregman Houston Astros
USS-17 George Springer Houston Astros
USS-18 Antonio Senzatela Colorado Rockies Rookie
USS-19 Lewis Brinson Milwaukee Brewers Rookie
USS-20 Chris Sale Boston Red Sox
USS-21 Sean Newcomb Atlanta Braves Rookie
USS-22 Manny Margot San Diego Padres Rookie
USS-23 Bradley Zimmer Cleveland Indians Rookie
USS-24 Javier Baez Chicago Cubs
USS-25 Masahiro Tanaka New York Yankees
USS-26 Gerrit Cole Pittsburgh Pirates
USS-27 Kendrys Morales Toronto Blue Jays
USS-28 Max Scherzer Washington Nationals
USS-29 Andrew Benintendi Boston Red Sox Rookie
USS-30 Bryce Harper Washington Nationals
USS-31 Dansby Swanson Atlanta Braves Rookie
USS-32 Josh Reddick Houston Astros
USS-33 Keon Broxton Milwaukee Brewers
USS-34 Amir Garrett Cincinnati Reds Rookie
USS-35 Jordan Montgomery New York Yankees Rookie
USS-36 Marcell Ozuna Miami Marlins
USS-37 Starling Marte Pittsburgh Pirates
USS-38 Michael Pineda New York Yankees
USS-39 Nomar Mazara Texas Rangers
USS-40 Daniel Murphy Washington Nationals
USS-41 Christian Arroyo San Francisco Giants Rookie
USS-42 Billy Hamilton Cincinnati Reds
USS-43 Cody Bellinger Los Angeles Dodgers Rookie
USS-44 Randal Grichuk St. Louis Cardinals
USS-45 Ryan Braun Milwaukee Brewers
USS-46 Jose Bautista Toronto Blue Jays
USS-47 Andrew McCutchen Pittsburgh Pirates
USS-48 Mark Trumbo Baltimore Orioles
USS-49 Kyle Freeland Colorado Rockies Rookie
USS-50 Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs

1987 ROOKIES AND TRADES
US87-1 Bryce Harper Washington Nationals
US87-2 Amir Garrett Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US87-3 Noah Syndergaard New York Mets
US87-4 Manny Machado Baltimore Orioles
US87-5 Adam Eaton Washington Nationals
US87-6 Starlin Castro New York Yankees
US87-7 Dexter Fowler St. Louis Cardinals
US87-8 Dallas Keuchel Houston Astros
US87-9 Brandon Phillips Atlanta Braves
US87-10 Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels
US87-11 Edwin Diaz Seattle Mariners Rookie
US87-12 Dee Gordon Miami Marlins
US87-13 Mitch Haniger Seattle Mariners Rookie
US87-14 Koda Glover Washington Nationals Rookie
US87-15 Jean Segura Seattle Mariners
US87-16 Jeff Hoffman Colorado Rockies Rookie
US87-17 Antonio Senzatela Colorado Rockies Rookie
US87-18 Magneuris Sierra St. Louis Cardinals Rookie
US87-19 Matt Holliday New York Yankees
US87-20 Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs
US87-21 Matt Wieters Washington Nationals
US87-22 Dylan Bundy Baltimore Orioles
US87-23 Billy Hamilton Cincinnati Reds
US87-24 Orlando Arcia Milwaukee Brewers Rookie
US87-25 Andrew Benintendi Boston Red Sox Rookie
US87-26 Jake Lamb Arizona Diamondbacks
US87-27 Jesse Winker Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US87-28 Marcell Ozuna Miami Marlins
US87-29 Chris Sale Boston Red Sox
US87-30 Christian Arroyo San Francisco Giants Rookie
US87-31 Edwin Encarnacion Cleveland Indians
US87-32 Yonder Alonso Oakland Athletics
US87-33 Jose Ramirez Atlanta Braves
US87-34 Cody Bellinger Los Angeles Dodgers Rookie
US87-35 Aaron Judge New York Yankees Rookie
US87-36 Eric Thames Milwaukee Brewers
US87-37 Christian Yelich Miami Marlins
US87-38 Lucas Giolito Chicago White Sox
US87-39 Corey Seager Los Angeles Dodgers
US87-40 Ian Desmond Colorado Rockies
US87-41 Aroldis Chapman New York Yankees
US87-42 Jordan Montgomery New York Yankees Rookie
US87-43 Khris Davis Oakland Athletics
US87-44 Joey Gallo Texas Rangers
US87-45 Franklin Barreto Oakland Athletics Rookie
US87-46 Bradley Zimmer Cleveland Indians Rookie
US87-47 Lewis Brinson Milwaukee Brewers Rookie
US87-48 Ian Happ Chicago Cubs Rookie
US87-49 Sean Newcomb Atlanta Braves Rookie
US87-50 Adalberto Mejia Minnesota Twins Rookie

MLB NETWORK
MLBN-4 Tim Flannery MLB Network
MLBN-8 Christopher Russo MLB Network
MLBN-12 Tom Verducci MLB Network
MLBN-13 Joel Sherman MLB Network
MLBN-21 Matt Yallof MLB Network
MLBN-23 Paul Severino MLB Network
MLBN-26 Scott Braun MLB Network
MLBN-28 Heidi Watney MLB Network
MLBN-30 Ken Rosenthal MLB Network

TOPPS ALL ROOKIE CUP
ARC-1 Chipper Jones Atlanta Braves
ARC-2 Stephen Strasburg Washington Nationals
ARC-3 Eddie Murray Baltimore Orioles
ARC-4 Andre Dawson Montréal Expos
ARC-5 Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels
ARC-6 Ichiro Seattle Mariners
ARC-7 Ryan Braun Milwaukee Brewers
ARC-8 Derek Jeter New York Yankees
ARC-9 Willie McCovey San Francisco Giants
ARC-10 Joe Mauer Minnesota Twins
ARC-11 Jeff Bagwell Houston Astros
ARC-12 Evan Longoria Tampa Bay Rays
ARC-13 Cal Ripken Jr. Baltimore Orioles
ARC-14 Cal Ripken Jr. Baltimore Orioles
ARC-15 Ivan Rodriguez Texas Rangers
ARC-16 Ryne Sandberg Chicago Cubs
ARC-17 Johnny Bench Cincinnati Reds
ARC-18 Tom Seaver New York Mets
ARC-19 Andrew McCutchen Pittsburgh Pirates
ARC-20 Yasiel Puig Los Angeles Dodgers
ARC-21 Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs
ARC-22 Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle Mariners
ARC-23 Buster Posey San Francisco Giants
ARC-24 Tony Pérez Cincinnati Reds
ARC-25 Carlton Fisk Boston Red Sox
ARC-26 Fernando Valenzuela Los Angeles Dodgers
ARC-27 Mike Piazza Los Angeles Dodgers
ARC-28 Dustin Pedroia Boston Red Sox
ARC-29 Tim Raines Montréal Expos
ARC-30 Noah Syndergaard New York Mets
ARC-31 Billy Williams Chicago Cubs
ARC-32 Joey Votto Cincinnati Reds
ARC-33 Justin Verlander Detroit Tigers
ARC-34 George Springer Houston Astros
ARC-35 Jose Canseco Oakland Athletics
ARC-36 Nomar Garciaparra Boston Red Sox
ARC-37 Gary Carter Montréal Expos
ARC-38 Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs
ARC-39 Nolan Arenado Colorado Rockies
ARC-40 Masahiro Tanaka New York Yankees
ARC-41 Mark McGwire Oakland Athletics
ARC-42 Giancarlo Stanton Miami Marlins
ARC-43 Ozzie Smith San Diego Padres
ARC-44 Prince Fielder Milwaukee Brewers
ARC-45 Bryce Harper Washington Nationals
ARC-46 Yu Darvish Texas Rangers
ARC-47 Joe Morgan Houston Astros
ARC-48 Rod Carew Minnesota Twins
ARC-49 Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals
ARC-50 Carlos Correa Houston Astros

UNTOUCHABLES
U-1 Pedro Martinez Montréal Expos
U-2 Jake Arrieta Chicago Cubs
U-3 Warren Spahn Milwaukee Braves
U-4 Justin Verlander Detroit Tigers
U-5 Roy Halladay Toronto Blue Jays
U-6 Tom Glavine Atlanta Braves
U-7 CC Sabathia Cleveland Indians
U-8 Bartolo Colon Los Angeles Los Angeles Angels
U-9 Felix Hernandez Seattle Mariners
U-10 Sandy Koufax Los Angeles Dodgers
U-11 Dallas Keuchel Houston Astros
U-12 Greg Maddux Atlanta Braves
U-13 John Smoltz Atlanta Braves
U-14 Tim Lincecum San Francisco Giants
U-15 Roger Clemens Boston Red Sox
U-16 Steve Carlton Philadelphia Phillies
U-17 Pedro Martinez Boston Red Sox
U-18 Roy Halladay Philadelphia Phillies
U-19 Randy Johnson Arizona Diamondbacks
U-20 Jim Palmer Baltimore Orioles
U-21 Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers
U-22 Max Scherzer Washington Nationals
U-23 Tom Seaver New York Mets
U-24 Roger Clemens Toronto Blue Jays
U-25 Randy Johnson Seattle Mariners
U-26 Rick Porcello Boston Red Sox
U-27 Corey Kluber Cleveland Indians
U-28 Greg Maddux Chicago Cubs
U-29 Whitey Ford New York Yankees
U-30 Roger Clemens New York Yankees

POSTSEASON CELEBRATION (Retail Exclusive)
PC-1 Toronto Blue Jays
PC-2 San Francisco Giants
PC-3 Philadelphia Phillies
PC-4 Detroit Tigers
PC-5 Chicago White Sox
PC-6 New York Mets
PC-7 St. Louis Cardinals
PC-8 New York Yankees
PC-9 Oakland Athletics
PC-10 St. Louis Cardinals
PC-11 San Francisco Giants
PC-12 Boston Red Sox
PC-13 Oakland Athletics
PC-14 Pittsburgh Pirates
PC-15 Kansas City Royals
PC-16 New York Yankees
PC-17 Chicago Cubs
PC-18 Los Angeles Angels
PC-19 Philadelphia Phillies
PC-20 Boston Red Sox
PC-21 Boston Red Sox
PC-22 San Francisco Giants
PC-23 Pittsburgh Pirates
PC-24 New York Yankees
PC-25 Brooklyn Dodgers

MLB MVP AWARD INSERT (Retail "Blaster Box" Exclusive)
MVP-1 Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels
MVP-2 Roger Clemens Boston Red Sox
MVP-3 Rickey Henderson Oakland Athletics
MVP-4 Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers
MVP-5 Frank Thomas Chicago White Sox
MVP-6 Sandy Koufax Los Angeles Dodgers
MVP-7 Chipper Jones Atlanta Braves
MVP-8 Ichiro Seattle Mariners
MVP-9 Roger Maris New York Yankees
MVP-10 Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs
MVP-11 Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle Mariners
MVP-12 Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers
MVP-13 Reggie Jackson Oakland Athletics
MVP-14 Joey Votto Cincinnati Reds
MVP-15 Cal Ripken Jr. Baltimore Orioles
MVP-16 Brooks Robinson Baltimore Orioles
MVP-17 Babe Ruth New York Yankees
MVP-18 Bryce Harper Washington Nationals
MVP-19 Roberto Clemente Pittsburgh Pirates
MVP-20 Carl Yastrzemski Boston Red Sox
MVP-21 George Brett Kansas City Royals
MVP-22 Josh Donaldson Toronto Blue Jays
MVP-23 Don Mattingly New York Yankees
MVP-24 Buster Posey San Francisco Giants
MVP-25 Ty Cobb Detroit Tigers
MVP-26 Ernie Banks Chicago Cubs
MVP-27 Lou Gehrig New York Yankees
MVP-28 Ted Williams Boston Red Sox
MVP-29 Johnny Bench Cincinnati Reds
MVP-30 Hank Aaron Milwaukee Braves

HEROES OF AUTUMN (Target Exclusive)
HA-1 Randy Johnson Arizona Diamondbacks
HA-2 Frank Robinson Baltimore Orioles
HA-3 Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs
HA-4 Roberto Alomar Toronto Blue Jays
HA-5 Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals
HA-6 Luis Gonzalez Arizona Diamondbacks
HA-7 George Brett Kansas City Royals
HA-8 Sandy Koufax Los Angeles Dodgers
HA-9 Andy Pettitte New York Yankees
HA-10 Reggie Jackson New York Yankees
HA-11 Babe Ruth New York Yankees
HA-12 Ben Zobrist Chicago Cubs
HA-13 Brooks Robinson Baltimore Orioles
HA-14 Willie Stargell Pittsburgh Pirates
HA-15 Dennis Eckersley Oakland Athletics
HA-16 Pedro Martinez Boston Red Sox
HA-17 Tom Glavine Atlanta Braves
HA-18 Buster Posey San Francisco Giants
HA-19 Johnny Bench Cincinnati Reds
HA-20 Rickey Henderson Oakland Athletics
HA-21 Derek Jeter New York Yankees
HA-22 Roger Clemens New York Yankees
HA-23 John Smoltz Atlanta Braves
HA-24 David Ortiz Boston Red Sox
HA-25 Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers

STORIED WORLD SERIES (Walmart Exclusive)
SWS-1 1907 Chicago Cubs
SWS-2 1999 New York Yankees
SWS-3 1963 Los Angeles Dodgers
SWS-4 1984 Detroit Tigers
SWS-5 1905 New York Giants
SWS-6 1967 St. Louis Cardinals
SWS-7 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates
SWS-8 2004 Boston Red Sox
SWS-9 1932 New York Yankees
SWS-10 1961 New York Yankees
SWS-11 1995 Atlanta Braves
SWS-12 1954 New York Giants
SWS-13 1970 Baltimore Orioles
SWS-14 2016 Chicago Cubs
SWS-15 1936 New York Yankees
SWS-16 1939 New York Yankees
SWS-17 1989 Oakland Athletics
SWS-18 1948 Cleveland Indians
SWS-19 1969 New York Mets
SWS-20 1986 New York Mets
SWS-21 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers
SWS-22 1942 St. Louis Cardinals
SWS-23 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates
SWS-24 1998 New York Yankees
SWS-25 1927 New York Yankees

It is so refreshing to see cards that have the words "Cubs" and "World Series" because until last year, with the exception of the "100 Years of World Series Programs" from a decade or so ago, these did not exist in the Topps era.

I can't wait until I have some money saved up to hunt for these cards and sets. Especially now since the World Series is upon us. And while the Cubs won't be part of this year's championship run, I am not disappointed in the team. They ran out of gas. They really had not stopped to relax since the end of the 2015 postseason.

So it's the Dodgers and Astros (thank goodness) for the World Series trophy. I see a lot of similarities with this year's 'Stros and last year's Cubs. A good mix of youth and veteran talent. And just think earlier this decade, both franchises suffered 100-loss seasons. I'm torn on who to root for...no...I'm not.

Go Houston!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Time To Vote for Card #1 for the 2018 Topps Set

For the third year in a row, Topps is allowing fans and collectors to select the first card in their eponymous set. For the 2016 Topps set, Mike Trout was the subject of card #1, after beating a 34-player field that whittled down to 5 for the final ballot. Last year, Kris Bryant took the honors of being #1 for the 2017 set after besting a pool of 16 players. There are 14 candidates deemed worth by Topps to be the flag-bearer for the 2018 Topps set. And if you go onto the Topps site, prepared to be disappointed. Because instead of showing images of the player's possible 2018 Topps card, we get to see what each player's cards looked like...in 2017 (with some exceptions).

The players for this year's ballot:

• Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
• Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies
• Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers
• Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs (and last year's #1)
• Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
• Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks
• Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
• Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
• Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers
• Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians
• Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
• Chris Sale, Boston Red Sox
• Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins
• Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (there is no "of Anaheim" anymore...although Topps still insists of still on leaving any city off the team name)
• Other/Write-In (yes, you can pick anyone else besides the 14 listed above)
  

Now having fewer players in the pool is fine, and I can see now who would be the favorites (cough...Judge...cough). I voted for Bryant last year (for obvious reasons). This year? I might vote for him again (depending on how far the Cubs get into the postseason), or maybe go with Altuve. Want to vote? Click here. Voting will run through Friday, October 6, 2017, and the winner will be announced a couple of weeks before Series 1 comes out at the end of January, 2018.

To sweeten the pot, Topps will be giving away prizes to random voters. These prizes include a Hobby box of 2017 editions of Triple Threads, Bowman Chrome, A&G, Clearly Authentic, a 2017 Topps factory set, autograph cards from Topps' Hobby Continuity Program (Marcus Stroman), Bowman Platinum (Braxton Garrett), Museum Collection (Alex Gordon dual relic) Clearly Authentic (Ty Blach), or a relic card from Topps Tribute (David Ortiz)

October is usually a busy month for this humble, little blog. I still hope to get my 2015 and 2016 End of Year All-Star Team selections posted before announcing the 2017 squads. Then from there, finish up the comparisons between the 1996 and 2016 MLB debut classes before working on the 1997 and 2017 class comparison.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama