Adventures in Trading: Would This Count as a Trade, or a Giveaway???

We just returned from our trip to San Antonio, TX. Let me tell you, the heat that we were expecting showed up for one day, but the rest of the time, it rained. And rained. And rained. The heat, apparently, went on vacation as well, going north while we headed south.

All kidding aside, the reason why we went to San Antonio was for a family conference, one I will be discussing on this humble, little blog before August (big reason why will be announced soon). 

When not taking part of the official events, I did a few Hobby related things. As mentioned (ad nauseum), I did bring a binder of 2026 Topps (not the 6-inch...a smaller one) and finally had time to add the 350 cards from Series 2 into pages. On Tuesday, the 15th, the family and I went to Target to buy a few things for the conference. More importantly, I did buy a few packs of Series 2, including a megabox of All-Star Game product. I said I wouldn't previously, but in honor of the Game, I thought, "what the heck, why not?" There were two boxes. I picked one, left the other, grabbed 2 loose packs (it's Target, they have that limit thing), and a retail box and moved on (this second megabox will be discussed later on in this story).

Hanging out in the hotel lobby, I had my 75th Anniversary Topps shirt on (the shirt arrived before we finished packing last week, so in it went into the suitcase), the 2-inch binder of cards (which did have the All-Stars in separate pages...which were returned to their respective pages once the game was over), and the megabox. Some members of the conference came by, saw the baseball cards, and then started talking about their memories of collecting when they were much younger. It was nice hearing stories about what they used to collect, the usual sob stories about their cards being tossed once they left home, and even some people said they were collectors too and wanted to talk about their current collections. 

Which leads me to realizing that it is hard to talk to people about, well most hobbies, because we don't know if the person we're talking about can relate. But to see the look on people's faces and how their tone of voice changes once they realize that the person they're talking to shares a common interest, they suddenly look a whole lot lighter, they smile as they share their stories and even when they talk about what is currently in their collections. Heck, even young lady (yes, ladies too) said that she managed to get a "decent-sized" collection of 1957 Topps cards (or was it 1955...) at an estate sale for $5.00 if she could name the players. She apparently did, and purchased the lot. She also said that she knew someone who used to work for the Company and even had an uncirculated sheet of cards. Needless to say, we exchanged Facebook information and I will have to reach out and ask her for pictures of the sheet as I am truly interested in what she has.

The game was...okay. The NL lost (again) Miguel Vargas put the game on ice with a towering home run. The pitching on both sides was great, shutting down pretty much everyone...except for the hometown pitcher who started. I don't know if it was nerves, but Christopher Sanchez really struggled out there in that first inning. I hadn't seen that kind of first-inning jitters (if it can be called that) since Tim Lincecum in 2009. At least PCA got a hit.

Back to the point.

While sitting there opening packs, a family with two kids sat next to me. I know the family as my wife and his wife became good friends after a previous conference and subsequent visits from them to Chicago. I gave the father two packs of retail that I bought along with the box, and the kids had fun. I did make a trade offer with one of the kids for a Reggie Jackson 1991 All-Star card that he pulled in exchange for a Frank Thomas 1991 All-Star card that I had just added to the TCDB trade/sell list. 

Wednesday the 16th, families had more free time as the presentation portion of the conference was starting to wind down and apparently one gentleman I talked to in the lobby the night before went to the same Target I visited and BOUGHT THE OTHER MEGABOX. He offered me the base cards that he got from the box, which was a very kind gesture on his part (explanation to come as to why in a moment). After opening my box and pulling out some inserts, I wondered if this same person would be interested in trading for some insert cards. I did have some decent pulls, and took a shot. He agreed.

We met back at the lobby, showed me what he had, I showed him what I could offer...

And he just said to take what I needed, nothing needed to be traded!!!

I was stunned.

The guy spent $40-something bucks on this mega box and offered to give me the entire contents of it.

The cards I needed are below. The other cards he gave me are in a box somewhere that I still need to unpack from my luggage.

A Max Muncy 1991 Relic plus the eight cards to pare down the wantlist of 2026 S2 Inserts

I think this would count as a giveaway, but I was trying to be fair and offered what I had in exchange, and he said no. As to why he would just agree to give these away without an exchange, he explained that yes, he collects. He has a Michael Jordan collection of over 600 plus cards, plus a collection of cards from every sport (a Shohei Ohtani 50/50 card serial numbered was one of the highlights I could remember) and even Pokémon (which he collects with his son). He loves opening packs and pulling hits, but in the end, prefers to give the cards to people who could use them more. He doesn't give out cards because of "lack of value" or whatever, he does this because he enjoys doing it. I have great respect for this guy now. I told him that I was going to the National, and promised that if I found a good Jordan that I'd message him.

The Chase for 600 cards now is now down to 135:

• 5 First Pitch cards (found Jerry Seinfeld in a pack)
• 18 Crooked Numbers cards
• 37 Glove Works cards
• 36 1991 Series 2 cards
• 28 1991 All-Star cards
• 2 Stars of MLB (Sal Stewart and Brady House)
• 1 Titans of Baseball (Francisco Lindor)
• 4 short-printed rookies (card #'s 697-700)
• 4 factory set exclusive rookies (card #'s 697-700)

Upon my return, I see that I have a couple of trade offers. Need to look into those and if trades are accepted, I'll post them here.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

And Now, Your Starting Lineups…

As announced at All-Star Media Day: 

For the American League:

1. Mike Trout, LAA, cf
2. Yordan Alvarez, HOU, dh
3. Shea Langeliers, ATH, c
4. Junior Caminero, TBR, 3b
5. Bobby Witt Jr, KCR, ss
6. Cody Bellinger, NYY, rf
7. Ben Rice, 1b, NYY
8. Riley Greene, DET, lf
9. Ernie Clement, TOR, 2b

And the National League:

1. Kyle Schwarber, PHI, dh
2. Juan Soto, NYM, lf,
3. Freddie Freeman, LAD, 1b
4. CJ Abrams, WSH, ss
5. Max Muncy, LAD, 3b
6. Ozzie Albies, ATL, 2b
7. Brandon Marsh, PHI, rf
8. Andy Pages, LAD, cf
9. Drake Baldwin, ATL, c

The starting pitchers for the 96th ASG are Dylan Cease of the Blue Jays and Cristopher Sánchez of the Phillies.

Enjoy the game everyone.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Thank You Topps Bunt for Making Cards of the Cardless All-Stars

Thanks to Topps Bunt, we don't have to wait for Update Series cards (or retail team cards) of the 9 All-Stars who did not have cards in either Series of the eponymous brand. 

For those who have the Topps Bunt app, people can purchase virtual packs of cards that include an insert card (or two) of the original 65 All-Stars selected on the 4th of July. Included in this set are the five players who were not in either series. 

So, if you want to print these images and add them to your ASG binder before the big game...

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Max Meyer

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Travis Bazzana

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Bryan Baker

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Jacob Latz

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Louis Varland

Not included in the selection is Tigers’ rookie Kevin McGonigle as he HAS a card, albeit short-printed.

Update: 7:00 pm CST

The game is just about to start. And Topps Bunt has the added the Player Replacement set online. 

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Willson Contreras

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Nick Martinez

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Tristan Peters

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Foster Griffin

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Iván Herrera

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Riley O’Brien

Thank you Topps Bunt.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Did the Hobby Box Break Get Me the 43 Cards to Finish Series 2??!

When last we looked at the results of my retail packaged 769-base card sorting, I found I had 307 of the 350 cards needed to complete the Series 2 set. I was left needing 43 cards to finish the set. I had five retail packs that I had not opened plus the full jumbo box to break. My recent history with this kind of luck was screaming, "No, you will not finish this set after you open the Hobby box. Prepare to beg for trades on TCDB and possibly Facebook." But, I clearly believed I had a shot at it.

So when my family went to my sister's house for the 4th of July festivities, I brought the Hobby box and after food was served and conversations kept going (the rain may have been a factor as well), I decided to go inside and open the 10 packs to try my luck.

To review, the list below contains the 43 cards I needed to complete S2. Plenty of eventual 2026 All-Stars on this list (Adley Rutschman, Juan Soto, Ernie Clement, Jordan Walker), the Rays, Giants, Marlins, and White Sox team cards, the Jack Dreyer ASRT card, a lone Cubs card (Justin Steele)...

Back to the point.

Let's just say that after the first look at what was inside, I was already worried. 

Because one of the packs looked pretty thin for a jumbo pack. Could this mean that I may have pulled huge relic card, thick enough to remove almost everything??!

No. The pack that should have had 40 cards in it only held 26. Panic was starting to creep in.

To alleviate the pit in my stomach, I first opened the bonus packs of 1991 Topps Chrome cards.

Pack 1:

• #91C2-35 Tatsuya Imai
• #91C2-37 Samuel Basallo
• #91ASC-30 Freddie Freeman
• #91ASC-26 Pete Crow-Armstrong

Pack 2:

• #91C2-48 Lawrence Butler
• #91C2-11 Kyle Schwarber
• #91ASC-34 Ronald Acuña Jr.
• #91ASC-13 Ichiro

Thoughts: pretty good packs. Balanced between the regular 1991 cards and the All-Star cards. And yes, a PCA All-Star card among the 8. Can't complain. Will add all to the trade/sell list. Maybe keep PCA though.

So with the anxiety already starting, I started opening each pack. Here were the results:

Pack 1: 394, 470 408

Eric Wagarman of the Twins, Brandon Nimmo of the Rangers, and the Rays team card. Okay, not too bad a start. I figured that most of what I was missing would be clumped together in a group. Think of it this way. If you opened packs of 1989 Topps and found a Chris Sabo, you will 99% for sure get the Mark Grace card behind it.

Back to the story.

Pack 2: 664, 390, 600

Jayden Murray of the Astros, Jack Dreyer of the Dodgers, and Juan Soto of the Mets. Another trio grouped together in the pack. Okay, this is consistent. Six cards down, 37 to go. Crossing fingers. 

Pack 3: nothing

This was the infamous 26-card pack. My first thought was, "If I don't manage to complete this set, I am definitely calling Topps to complain."

Pack 4: 422, 499, 486, 520, 460

Now we're getting somewhere. Five cards, a trio and a pair. And with the Steele card in hand, I have the full Cubs set for the year.

Pack 5: nothing

At this point, it was a nice run. But based on the first four packs, only a miracle could complete this set.

Pack 6: 480, 382, 539, 565, 578, 430, 571, 621, 696, 580, 634, 522, 375

Cue the miracle. Thirteen cards out of 40 in the pack. With 24 cards now in hand, the odds of getting the remaining 19 started to look pretty good.

Pack 7: 592, 661, 523, 684, 505, 663, 579

This definitely helped. Seven more cards to bring the needs pile down to 12. The pack even included the guaranteed relic card, 

Momentum was shifting, disaster starting to feel averted.

Pack 8: nothing

Cue the disaster. The only saving grace of this pack was that it contained the auto. Okay, it was a redemption card for a 1991 Topps card. Of Samuel Basallo from the Orioles. Which I have 10 years to redeem.

Pack 9: 562, 501, 655, 429, 610

Okay. Five more cards. With 36 cards after 9 packs, and one pack to go. I need 7...SEVEN cards to complete the set. Time to clench.

Pack 10: 

546 Nick Fortes, Rays

414 Andy Pages, Dodgers

564 Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics

496 San Francisco Giants Team Card

451 Jake Burger, Rangers

593 Sal Frelick, Brewers

...

...

...

358 Adley Rutschman, Orioles

It happened.

IT HAPPENED!!!

I managed to get the final cards I needed. Fortunately, I kept the screaming to a minimum.

It was a good day to be a card collector. Especially a good day to be THIS card collector.

Although the set is now complete, I've yet to be able to have time to put them into the binder. I'm hoping that I can do that soon.

Maybe after the All-Star Game is over.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Kurtz, Ashcroft, Burns are out of the ASG, Peters, Wrobleski, and Griffin are Named Replacements

The family was at the airport, getting ready to board a plane to Texas, when more announcements were made about All-Star Roster changes. Apparently, all it takes is for a guy to hit for the cycle, and one day later, you get a call-up to the All Star team </sarcasm>

2026 Topps Tristan Peters #330

So, Nick Kurtz, who was named the starter after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pulled out of the All-Star Game, was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a right thumb sprain. Willson Contreras, who was added to the All-Star team earlier this week, appears to be the player replacing Kurtz in the starting lineup. Taking his spot on the All-Star game roster is White Sox rookie Tristan Peters. It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours for Peter’s as the day before, he hit a cycle against Kurtz’ Athletics, including a home run and a triple in the same inning. Presently, for the pale hose, he is hitting above 300, one of just 15 hitters with at least 200 plate appearances to do so. He joins Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas on the roster.

2026 Topps Justin Wrobleski #391

Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcroft pitched yesterday, throwing 98 pitches in five innings against the Brewers (on behalf of Cubs fans, thank you for the sweep). But because he pitched on Saturday, he elected not to pitch in Tuesday's game. This means that the Pirates will not have any representation on the main NL All-Star squad as he and fellow pitcher Paul Skenes played over the weekend. Taking Ashcroft's spot on the roster is Justin Wrobleski of the Dodgers. On a rotation full of superstars, Wrobleski has proved himself worthy of an All-Star selection, with a 10-2 record in 15 starts, along with a 2.69 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .180 average. The Dodgers representation has now reached 6 players, including Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Andy Pages, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Chase Burns of the Reds has been scratched from All-Star Game duties due to a nagging groin injury. Taking his spot in the NL All-Star bullpen will be Foster Griffin of the Nationals. The 30-year old Griffin, returning to MLB after 3 years in NPB, is the ace of the Nat's staff, with a 10-2 record and a 2.77 ERA in 19 starts. He joins CJ Abrams and James Wood representing the Nats.

So add Peters' #330 (even if he is representing the Rays on the card) and Wrobleski's #391 to your binders. Griffin does not have a card in either Series 1 or 2, so he will most likely make an appearance in the Update Series.

Just because we are now at the midway point of the season does not mean we could be done with roster updates. More could come, and if they do, I'll make sure to add them here.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Buxton, Judge, Suarez, Ohtani are out of the ASG, Murakami, Rafaela, Martinez, Herrera are Named Replacements

More players have been removed from the original ASG rosters and replacements have been named. Let's get to it.

2026 Topps Munetaka Murakami #503

Bryan Buxton, voted in as a starter for the AL squad, was placed on the DL on July 7 with a reaggravated right hip impingement. Impingement means, according to the Cleveland Clinic, "the painful pinching or rubbing of soft tissues - such as tendons or bursa - against bone in a joint." That sounds painful. With Buxton now out of the game, Riley Greene of the Tigers has been named as his replacement in the starting lineup. Buxton's replacement on the roster goes to the White Sox' "rookie" slugger Munetaka Murakami. Murakami just returned from the DL himself, missing more than a month from a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Even with him out for more than 30 games, he has 20 home runs and 41 rbi's. He joins fellow Pale Hose Miguel Vargas on the team.

2026 Topps Ceddanne Rafaela #101

Aaron Judge, also voted onto the AL team, has been on the DL for a good part of the season with a stress fracture in his first right rib. So it was well known that someone else will take his spot in the starting lineup. Fellow Yankee Cody Bellinger will take his place as a starter. His replacement is Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela. Rafaela, a Gold Glove winner last year, is hitting .283 through 87 games this season, with 8 home runs and 39 rbi's. He is now the fourth Red Sox player on the team, joining Aroldis Chapman, Ranger Suarez, and Willson Contreras. Although...

Suarez himself is now on the DL because a groin injury. Replacing him is emerging Rays ace Nick Martinez. In his ninth MLB campaign, Martinez comes into the break with a 7-2 record in 17 starts, an ERA of 2.61 and 61 K's in 100 innings of work. Now a first-time All-Star, he joins fellow pitchers Bryan Baker and Drew Rasmussen, along with Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz from the first place Rays going to Philadelphia.

In a surprising turn of events, it was announced that NL vote leader Shohei Ohtani will not be heading to Philly for the game. Nursing knee discomfort since the middle of June, he was scratched from his scheduled pitching start, even though he is still able to hit. But he will have his knee drained on Sunday, with will allow him to recover before his Dodgers face the Yankees to open the second half of the season. Replacing him in the starting lineup will be Kyle Schwarber of the hometown Phillies, and taking Schwarber's spot on the bench will be Cardinals' catcher/DH Iván Herrera. Herrera, hitting .249 with 11 home runs and 40 rbi's is having a good year for the Redbirds as they remain in the hunt for the NL Central crown. He now joins teammates Riley O'Brien and Jordan Walker onto the team.

So add Murakami's #503 card and Rafaela's #101 card to your all-star binder. Martinez and Herrera, unfortunately, don't have a card in the eponymous brand, so expect them to make their appearances in card form via the Update Series.

Will there be more roster updates? Stay tuned.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Justin Verlander Named to AL All-Star Team as Legend Pick

 

2026 Topps Justin Verlander #415

Just like Bryce Harper was named as a "Legend Pick" for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, the American League has one as well. On the same day that Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander announced that he is retiring at the end of the 2026 season, the 21-year veteran and guaranteed future Hall of Famer was added to the AL team as a legacy pick. 

Now a 10-time All-Star, Verlander is currently on the 60-day disabled list, but did appear in one game this season. His numbers are certainly HOF-worthy as he carries a 266-159 record in 556 career games, all starts. He has struck out 3554 batters, a 3.33 ERA, and a starting pitcher WAR of 82.3. He won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2006, is a 3-time Cy Young Award Winner, and also won the MVP in 2011, becoming the first pitcher since Dennis Eckersley to win both awards in the same year. That season also saw him win the pitching Triple Crown (leading the AL in Wins, ERA, and K's).

Make sure to add Verlander's #415 Topps card into the binder, even if he won't be in the game. Congratulations to a great career. 

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Adventures in Trading: Tuesday Transactions Before Texas

I said I was going to hold off on trade requests because I am going to be out of town for a week. But because two people on the TCDB reached out last week with quick trade requests, and I saw that they were small requests, and I am still in town, I thought I'd agree to them. Envelopes were mailed yesterday morning. A total of six cards sent to two traders with six cards coming back, including 5 cards that will help put a small dent into the biggest insert set (in number of cards) in Series 2, Glove Work.

The first trade request came on the first of July, a simple two-for-two card trade, for the retail exclusive Titans and Stars of MLB. However, because I pulled all of those during my retail breaks (I promise, I will let you know the results of the Hobby break and if I managed to complete the base Series 2 set), I didn't need what she was offering. A quick view of the updated trade matching showed that she had 1 card that I still needed. I would have rejected the trade otherwise, but seeing that we've had a transaction previously, I thought, I could manage a quick counter-offer. She accepted it and sent the card out right away. The card actually arrived last night.

I still need three cards to complete the Stars of MLB set. I could keep on buying retail packs, but probably will wait until after the trip to do it.

The second trade was originally for more cards than what was eventually agreed upon. It would have been a 7-for-7 trade, including a 1991 Topps Blake Snell card he was offering. However, I pulled that card during the Hobby box break on the 4th of July. So I had to counter and remove it from my want list and adjust what he was requesting to make it relatively fair (I'm not greedy, I swear). But when I redid the trade matching, it appeared that he already had, or may have already agreed to other trades for, four of the cards he had originally requested. He was down to four cards needed from the original 7. So I countered, offering four cards, including a 2022 Topps Gypsy Queen Aaron Judge, for 5 of the Glove Work inserts. He agreed. These might arrive in the mail long after we leave for the trip. I've already tasked my daughter, who is staying home this time around, to check the mail while we're gone.

Trade requests are now on hold until I get back.

Oh, and then, the National is at the end of the month. Have to plan accordingly.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Misiorowski, Skenes, and Meyer are out of the ASG. Ashcraft, Luzardo, and O'Brien are Named Replacements

It seems that the Sunday Starter Rule is still in effect.

What does that mean exactly?

It means that pitchers who were named onto the All-Star Team who are slotted to start on the Sunday before the All-Star Game will be ineligible to pitch in the game. Thus, while still getting the perks of being selected and they can still go take part in the festivities, these pitchers will no longer be part of the main rosters.

And so it was that Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers, Paul Skenes of the Pirates, and Max Meyer of the Marlins, after starting their respective games on Tuesday night, are all lined up to start this Sunday before the break. The NL pitching staff needs to find replacements for these three aces. 

2026 Topps Braxton Ashcraft #589

According to MLB.com, The Miz' replacement is Braxton Ashcraft of the Pirates. Ashcraft, a first-time All-Star, has been part of the reason why the Pirates are relevant in the NL Central after more than 11 years. He has a 9-3 record, a 3.24 ERA, and 122 strikeouts in 18 starts. He has, recently, been pitching better than his better known teammate. Depending on the source, we could easily say that Ashcraft is taking the place of Pirate ace Skenes. But MLB says that Ashcraft is covering for the Miz, so we'll go with that.

2026 Topps Jesús Luzardo #63

With Skenes now off the team, MLB.com reports that Phillies ace Jesús Luzardo has been added to the NL side. Luzardo, also a first-time Star, finished 7th in last year's Cy Young voting. Sporting a 7-4 record in 18 starts, with 125 K's and a 3.75 ERA, he is now part of the growing contingent of Phillies stars, six in all, playing host at this year's festivities. 

Finally, Max Meyer, one of the surprises that could lead the Marlins back to the postseason, also started Tuesday. His replacement is Cardinals' closer Riley O'Brien. Earning the closer role for 2026, he's saved 22 games for the Redbirds, keeping them in contention in a strong NL Central division. This will also be his first All-Star appearance.

So add Ashcraft's #589 cards from Series 2, and Luzardo's #63 from Series 1 to the All-Star Binder. Unfortunately, O'Brien is not in this year's set. And once again, curses to the higher ups who decided that there won't be any retail team sets in 2026. Just know that O'Brien is taking over for a guy who also doesn't have a card in this year's eponymous set. 

That's it for now. When Bryan Buxton's replacement is named, we'll let you know what card to add to the growing binder.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Willson Contreras Replaces VGJ on AL ASG Roster

2026 Topps Willson Contreras #180

We interrupt whatever I was doing to report that it was just announced that Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox has been added to the American League All-Star Team.

As mentioned in my post with the rosters and their Topps card numbers that because Vladimir Guerrero, Jr, elected to start at first base, was not going to participate in the game (he announced that he was going to rest his lower back for the 2nd half of the season), Nick Kurtz of the Athletics, who was named to the team as a reserve, will now move up to the starting lineup. Well, Kurtz moving up to means that a replacement needed to be named.

Enter Willson Contreras. Now going to his fourth All-Star Game (his first three as a catcher for the Cubs), Contreras will once again take part in an ASG with his brother William (2022), but this time on the opposing side. Willson joins teammates Ranger Suarez and Aroldis Chapman as the Boston contingent heading to Philly.

So add card #180 to your All-Star binders. Okay, he's a member of the Cardinals on his 2026 Topps card. If they had done the team sets (Why Topps??? WHY??!) he could have gotten a Red Sox card. He will definitely have an Update Series card.

More to come as the roster replacements are announced.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The 2026 All-Star Rosters Have Been Announced...What Do You Think???

While celebrating the Fourth of July at my sister's house, Fox Sports announced the rosters for the 2026 All-Star Teams. We already know Ernie Clement and Shohei Ohtani are going to Philadelphia. Who else is joining them?

I love this time of year. And what I have done every year since I really stated following the game, even during the years away from this humble, little blog, is take out the cards of the players who made each roster and put them in a special binder (my All-Star binder...if you will). I do this because it helps me not only recognize the players who became all-stars that particular year, but during the game, I use it to keep track of who's in the game as it progresses. And although I will be out of town when the ASG is happening, I will still have my binder, and will still watch the game.

So without further ado, here are the 2026 MLB All-Star Game rosters as announced on Tuesday night (with 2026 Topps Card # for those of you playing along):

American League Starters:
1B-Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jaysº (#20)
2B-Ernie Clement, Blue Jays (#505)
3B-Junior Caminero, Rays (#328)
SS-Bobby Witt Jr., Royals (#205)
OF-Mike Trout, Angels (#350)
OF-Bryan Buxton, Twinsº (#255)
OF-Aaron Judge, Yankeesº (#1)
C-Shea Langeliers, Athletics (#305)
DH-Yordan Alvarez, Astros (#468)

American League Pitchers:

P-Dylan Cease, Blue Jays (#547)
P-Parker Messick, Guardians (#67)
P-Drew Rasmussen, Rays (#64)
P-Joe Ryan, Twins (#54)
P-Cam Schlittler, Yankees (#111)
RP-Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox (#656)
RP-Cade Smith, Guardians (#622)
RP-Louis Varland, Blue Jays
P-Ranger Suarez, Red Soxº (#440, selected by MLB)
P-Michael Wacha, Royals (#190, selected by MLB)
RP-Bryan Baker, Rays (selected by MLB)
RP-Jacob Latz, Rangers (selected by MLB)

P-Nick Martinez, Raysª (replaces Suarez)

P-Justin Verlander, Tigersº (#415, "Legend Pick")

American League Reserves:

1B-Nick Kurtz, Athleticsº (#97)

2B-Travis Bazzana, Guardians
3B-Miguel Vargas, White Sox (#329)
SS-Kevin McGonigle, Tigers (#697b)
OF-Randy Arozarena, Mariners (#431)
OF-Cody Bellinger, Yankees (#607, will start for Judge)
OF-Riley Greene, Tigers (#209, will start for Buxton)
C-Dillon Dingler, Tigers (#351)
DH-Yandy Díaz, Rays (#388)
1B-Ben Rice, Yankees (#133, selected by MLB)

C-Adley Rutschman, Orioles (#358, selected by MLB)

1B-Willson Contreras, Red Soxª (#180 as a Cardinal, replaces Guerrero, Jr.)

1B-Munetaka Murakami, White Soxª (#503, replaces Buxton)

OF-Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Soxª (#101, replaces Judge)

OF-Tristan Peters, White Soxª (#330 as a Ray, replaces Nick Kurtz)

National League Starters:

1B-Freddie Freeman, Dodgers (#700)
2B-Ozzie Albies, Braves (#568)
3B-Max Muncy, Dodgers (#252)
SS-CJ Abrams, Nationals (#152)
OF-Brandon Marsh, Phillies (#335)
OF-Juan Soto, Mets (#660)
OF-Andy Pages, Dodgers (#414)
C-Drake Baldwin, Braves (#692)
DH-Shohei Ohtani, Dodgersº (#200)

National League Pitchers:

P-Chase Burnsº, Reds (#312)

P-Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers* (#10)

P-Chris Sale, Braves (#427)
P-Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies (#325)
P-Paul Skenes, Pirates* (#100)

RP-Jhoan Duran, Phillies (#83)
RP-Raisel Iglesias, Braves (#396)
RP-Mason Miller, Padres (#179)
P-Max Meyer, Marlins* (selected by MLB)

P-Eduardo Rodriguez, Diamondbacks (#417, selected by MLB)
P-Logan Webb, Giants (#69, selected by MLB)
P-Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers (#90, selected by MLB)

P-Braxton Ashcraft, Piratesª* (#589, replaces Misiorowski)

P-Jesús Luzardo, Philliesª (#63, replaces Skenes)

RP-Riley O'Brien, Cardinalsº (replaces Meyer)

P-Justin Wrobleski, Dodgersº (#391. replaces Ashcroft)

P-Foster Griffin, Nationalsº (replaces Burns)

National League Reserves:

1B-Matt Olsen, Braves (#39)
2B-Luis Arraez, Giants (#420)
3B-Sal Stewart, Reds (#372)
SS-Otto Lopez, Marlins (#194)
OF-Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks (#314)
OF-Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs (#196)
OF-James Wood, Nationals (#349)
C-William Contreras, Brewers (#192)
DH-Kyle Schwarber, Phillies (#650, will start for Ohtani)
OF-Jordan Walker, Cardinals (#565, selected by MLB)
C-Hunter Goodman, Rockies (#274, selected by MLB)
1B-Bryce Harper, Phillies (#250, "Legend Pick")

DH-Iván Herrera, Cardinalsª (replaces Ohtani)

º Injured, will not participate

* Sunday Starter, will not participate (Ashcroft pitched Saturday, elected not to participate)
ª Named as replacement

The rosters should consist of 33 active players. The NL is already at that roster limit, the AL is currently at 32. But with VGJ announcing that he will not participate, and Nick Kurtz taking his place, it is only a matter of time before another player will be added to the AL side.

On the binder front, it looks like I'll be missing a few players. Griffin, Herrera, Meyer and O’Brien on the NL side, along with Bazzana, Baker, Latz, Martinez, and Varland on the AL team, do not have cards. McGonigle is a special case as I don't have either the SP or the Factory version of his card...yet. (I'm working on it.) This is why I'm actually kind of miffed that there are no retail team sets this year. At least everyone with a card is pictured with the team they're with currently. Expect all the missing to show up in the Update Series.

As it seems to be the case these past few years, there is a lot of youth on both rosters, as well as a ton of first-time All-Stars to boot (about 26 at last count).

The Cubs have one player on the roster (so far) while the White Sox will send 3 to Philly. With the way rosters fluctuate between now and game day, The Phillies lead the way with 6 players representing the host city. The Dodgers also are sending 6. Braves, and Rays are well represented here, with 5 players from each team on the roster. The Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Tigers are sending 4 each.

This is just the beginning. If history is an indicator, expect both active rosters to dramatically change by the time July 14 comes. As always, I'll make sure to help you add cards to your All-Star binders by providing card numbers for the players added onto the All-Star teams.

Let's hear the answers to these questions:

Who do you think should have been chosen that wasn't?

Of the players selected, who shouldn't be going to the game?

Were the guys you wanted from your team chosen?

If not, then who should have represented your team?

Let the debates begin.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

A Series 2 Super Box on the Third of July Finishes the Retail Breaks

 

2026 Topps Series 2 Super Box

I finally opened the Super Box yesterday. It consists of 10 fourteen-card packs of Series 2 Topps, along with a bonus 5-card pack of foilboard parallel cards (see below), an exclusive jumbo card, the header (which I will be using for the 6-inch binder) and a Funko mini (and if you remember my post about the series 1 box), you will know how I feel about this.

Anyway...not counting the 140 base and basic inserts (nothing to write home about, so I'll save you the agony)...here are the bonus items:

Mini Funko Robert Acuña Jr.

The mini Funko was of Robert Acuña, Jr. He's going to be a great addition to the Mike Trout Funko from S1. 

2026 Topps Oversize Kyle Schwarber #650

The oversized card is of Kyle Schwarber, but there was no "companion card." So either it was missing or they decided that adding a regular-sized card that could easily be damaged when the packages shift was a bad idea to include.

The Bonus Pack of Foilboard cards

So what was in the pack of foilboards?

• #660 Edouard Julien, second baseman, Colorado Rockies
• #662 Jeff McNeil, second baseman, Athletics
• #364 Luis Garcia, Jr., second baseman, Washington Nationals
• #428 Kris Bryant, outfielder, Colorado Rockies
• #375 Denzel Clark, outfielder, Athletics

Will always have a soft spot for Kris Bryant, but it's weird seeing him listed as an outfielder instead of a third baseman. He's really never been the same since he was traded off in 2021. Can't believe it's been five years, and it's a shame that injuries derailed such a promising career. 

But now that all of the retail packs and boxes have been opened (except for one of the first two jumbo packs...did buy another one later), let's see how well I did with the cards. The breakdown consisted of the cards in the packages included below:

• 392 cards from the two mega boxes
• 145 cards from the Super box
• 118 cards from the two blasters
• 72 cards from the retail box
• 72 cards from the two jumbo packs
• 70 cards from the five retail packs

That's 869 total cards, base set and basic inserts. There were 739 base cards and 130 insert cards. None were relics or autos. Of the 739 base cards, I have 307 of the 350 cards needed to complete Series 2. So I am, as of this moment (because I haven't opened the Jumbo box...will do that today when I'm with family for the 4th of July), 43 cards short of a full set. 

The best card that I got from the 869 retail cards is this Babe Ruth card, #'d 41/99:

2026 Topps 1991 S2 Babe Ruth Green Parallel #91B2-50 

(Interrupted writing this post so I can post images of the Ruth and Schwarber cards to the TCDB).

I'll be bringing the jumbo box to my sister's house today and will be opening packs after we eat. I'll post pictures of the cards within and we'll see if I will get all 43 missing cards to complete the S2 set or if I will need to post wantlists for base cards.

Now...

It's a very special day here in the US. It's the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. That one document changed the course of history and established the colonies as independent from the Kingdom of England. 

So Happy Birthday America!!! Enjoy your special day!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Time to Talk All-Stars

 

2026 Topps Ernie Clement #505 and Shohei Ohtani #200

The last time I posted regularly about the All-Star Game was in 2016. The fan-voting process was simple: 8 players in the NL, 9 players in the AL would be chosen from a national ballot. The reserves were selected by players and coaches and any extras from the commissioner's office.

Boy have times changed.

In recent years, fan voting would leave to what is akin to a primary. The top 2 players from each position (after adding the DH to the National League) would face off in second round of voting. Which means that the guy who had the number one spot going into round two might not even make the team.

Part of this new deal is that whoever received the most votes in each league, regardless of position, would skip the second-round ballot and are officially on the All-Star Team.

This means that second baseman Ernie Clement of the Toronto Blue Jays and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers are both heading to Philadelphia for the July 14, 2026 event.

If starting your own binder (am I the only one??!) to keep tabs of everyone who will be voted in, selected, called up as a replacement (due to availability, injury, etc), pull Clement's #505 card and Ohtani's #200 card (not the #500 one...that's only if he is named a pitcher...which is very possible and has been done in the years I paused blogging).

As more names are added, from the second-round of voting and All-Star selection show, through the announcements of any replacements, I will make sure to note them on the blog, and add their cards (will make sure to include card numbers) to the All-Star binder, which now that I'm thinking about it, will probably bring with me on my trip since the game will be happening while I'm on the road.

Speaking of...

2026 Topps Series 2 All-Star Game Mega Box

This could be a thing now. Just like this year's (and 2025) Topps Series 1 had the Celebration-themed mega boxes, so will Series 2. This one will be tied in with the All-Star Game. However, unlike last year's All-Star Game Mega Boxes, which included a 100-card base set plus 100 insert cards, this year's edition will include base cards of Series 2 with "All-Star Parallels." There is no word on exclusive insert cards in this product, but I just thought to look as I was writing this post...and here we are.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama