42!

On April 15, 1997, MLB announced that it was going to retire the uniform #42 for all 28 teams in MLB in honor of Jackie Robinson. This meant that the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the new expansion teams that would begin their inaugural seasons the following year, would not be able to use the #42 when they assign uniform numbers for any of their players, and they hadn't even started yet. Teams in the minors would not use the number either.

There were, at the time, 13 active players who were assigned the number 42 at the time it was retired league wide, Some names, you know: Mariano Rivera, Mo Vaughn, Butch Huskey. Others, like Marc Sagmoen, was a rookie who was called up to the Rangers squad that day and didn't know that the number was going to be retired THAT NIGHT. He had already had an at bat when he was told to take his uniform off because, as he found out later, that his jersey was going to be shipped to Cooperstown. He only has 21 MLB games under his belt, with 1997 being his lone season in the big leagues. Although Sagmoen is now a policeman in the Seattle area, he has a link to history that not many can claim.

Jackie Robinson is a legendary player who changed the course of baseball history by not only being the first African-American player to play in the majors, but by being a man who played the game with dignity and opened the doors for many players, not only here in the US, but around the world.

But that's not why I'm writing this post.

Today, I turn 42 years old. And as I work on the 2018 Topps set, I reflect on what I've done in my life so far. I have experienced both good times and times that were not so good. Some of the things I was able to do when I was younger, I have a hard time doing now. The quantities of food that I used to eat during my college days I can't stomach anymore (maybe that's a good thing). There are things that I've always wanted to do that I accept I will probably never do. And I'm okay with that.

But through it all, I am happy.

I am happy to have a family who I love dearly, a wonderful wife who supports me and I make sure to do the same no matter what, and two children who I couldn't be more proud of as they become young adults. I am happy that we are all in good health, a roof over our heads, and jobs (thankfully) to support us.

I am happy that I can see my parents and siblings during our (almost) weekly dinners.

I am happy to have that escape that is called The Hobby that I can go to when I can. It's fun to look back and reminisce about what I have done these past 42 years. But I look forward to the next part of my journey.

Thank you for being a part of it.

Finally, Happy 42nd Birthday Bryan Hebson!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Pack Break Week: 2017 Topps Archives

How about we start 2018 off on the right foot by presenting "The Return of The Return of Pack Break Week." For those who have joined us for the first time (welcome, first of all to this humble, little blog), the concept is simple: opening packs of cards after the baseball card season ended. In this case, the packs I had bought for Pack Break Week were from the three Hobby stores I visited during National Baseball Card Day.

Now a month ago, I opened and showed off what was inside packs of 2017 Topps Series 1 and 2017 Stadium Club. Today, we'll open up a pack of 2017 Topps Archives, also known nowadays as "Topps Heritage Lite." Let me explain.

Archives as a product used to be about reprints. Reprints of cards of legendary players cards from Topps' library. The first instance of this was 1983 when Topps created a set reprinting the legendary 1952 Topps set. Sets later from the 80's and 90's honored the 1953 Topps set, the 1954 Topps set (with some help from Upper Deck), and the 1952-55 Brooklyn Dodgers. In 2001, Topps brought back the Archives product in honor of the company's 50th anniversary to their first baseball card product. The set consisted of two series, featuring the first and final cards of 200 hall-of-fame and fan favorite players. Other than the hard-to-read card numbers, it was a big hit. In 2002, Archives returned, featuring reprint cards of 200 players from his "best year." It was a good set, with easy to read numbers, but some players' best years were with a different team than what he was depicted (Andre Dawson's 1987 reprint was his Expos card, not his Cubs Topps Traded card). Topps also added the stats of that best year on the card backs. Unusual, yes. But hey, there was a point behind it.

The following three years, Topps mixed things up a bit, creating a run of cards called Topps All-Time Fan Favorites, combining Topps library of designs with never-before-seen pictures. Most of the cards made sense aesthetically, but then you had an old Tommy Lasorda on his 1954 Topps card, or a young Kirk Gibson on an 1995 Topps card. It was hit or miss on the images matching the card designs.

In 2011, now 60 years into the baseball card business, Topps introduced Topps Lineage. A unique set that featured a basic base set design that had not been used in Topps catalog. But the hook on this set were the inserts that honored Topps unique inserts: 1968 Topps 3-D, 1964 Topps Stand-Ups, 1975 Topps Minis for example. Cloth stickers, 80's designed Rookie sets, and card backs written in Spanish, honoring the 50's and 60's Topps Venezuelan sets, were also included in packs of Lineage. The product was a hit, thanks to the nostalgia factor Topps was pushing. The following year, the concept returned, but instead of Lineage, it was called...

Topps Archives.

But thanks to the MLB Properties rules, Topps could no longer create a set featuring retired players. There had to be current players as well. So instead of reprints, Topps picked 4 classic designs (in this case 1954, 1971, 1980, and 1984) and matched 50 players with each design. The insert sets once again came from Topps library of products (1977 Cloth Stickers, 1967 Stickers, 1968 3D, 1969 Deckle Edge, 1982 In-Action, and 1958 Classic Combos. There was an insert set of reprint cards that used the Archives logo. Since then, Topps has continued the Archives line, featuring 4 classic designs with their classic insert sets.

The problem:

Didn't some of these guys have Heritage cards using some of these same designs? I haven't done a study, but I'm sure if it hasn't happened yet, it will happen soon. Heritage is a product that has a strong following (not me, but I know people). To me, it just doesn't seem right.

But anyway. I do own the first two sets of this new incarnation. But for some reason, I had no interest getting the last four sets.

That was until the Derek Jeter reprint retrospective that was added to the 2017 set. Well, I did get the Jeter set, but I still have no plans to go after "Topps Heritage Lite."

On to the point (if I haven't bored you to death already...)

So what's inside this pack of 2017 Topps Archives?

Opening pack now...

Here are the eight cards that were in the pack above:

• #60 Catfish Hunter, P, Athletics, 1960
• #74 Corey Kluber, P, Indians, 1960
• #206 John Lackey, P, Cubs, 1992
• #252 Evan Gattis, C, Astros, 1992
• #236 Braden Shipley, P, Diamondbacks, 1992
• #45 Javier Baez, 2B, Cubs, 1960
• #122 Willie Stargell, OF, Pirates, 1982
• #193 Tony Clark, MLBPA Executive Director, 1982

Thoughts: Two Cubs cards. That makes up for the first two packs. No inserts, no short prints, no Jeter anything. Ehhh. You can call the Stargell card an ATFF because he does have an 1982 Topps card (could be a future "What Card is This?" subject). But still...TWO CUBS CARDS.

Tomorrow's pack will be from 2017 Topps Series 2. Want to know what's inside? Stay tuned.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

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

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

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

Meet the Possible Contenders for the 2017 Topps All-Star Rookie Team

The regular season ends this weekend, and it looks like the 10 teams who will head into the post season have already been determined. It's been a couple of years since I last did this, so now that I have a bit more free-time on my hands, why not bring this up again.

After the regular season ends, I'm going to do my annual comparing MLB Debut classes from 20 years ago and this year. I didn't do one last year, and I'm working on it as part of my new "Project: Catching Up to What I Should Have Posted Last Year." But before I start writing last year's comparison post, and preparing for this year's entry, let's talk about who could be getting that illustrious Topps All-Star Rookie Cup added to their eponymous 2018 Topps Card.

Why?

Because...this is a Topps Blog and I want to do it (Ego...)

Because it's the end of the year, and it's worth talking about the players who burst onto the scene this year and will be making an impact in the MLB going into 2018 and beyond. And there are so many possible candidates. Some who should be slam dunks (cough...Judge...cough), others can and will stir debates long after the final out is played in the World Series.

So who are the contenders. Let's review.

Perusing the MLB website, there is a tab that brings up a section called the Top Rookie Tracker. This section features just a handful of the players MLB believes are contenders for either League's Rookie of the Year. And believe it or not, the players on the list they have provided stats for will represent each of the positions Topps uses for their Rookie All-Star team (1b, 2b, 3b, ss, three outfield, c, rhp, lhp, and relief pitcher...ahem...will explain this in a minute).

I used to say that the 30 MLB managers will be the ones voting for the team. I was told a while back that it is no longer the case. And while the person I talked to about this wasn't sure when the practice of asking the managers to vote stopped, based on the past few years' worth of rosters, I can only speculate when the change occurred.

The stats are as the end of the games on Wednesday, September 27, 2017:

First Basemen:

Jesus Aguilar, MIL (130 G, 0.263, 15 HR, 49 RBI, 0.827 OPS, 0 SB)
Josh Bell, PIT (155 G, 0.256, 25 HR, 87 RBI, 0.801 OPS, 2 SB)
Trey Mancini, BAL (144 G, 0.294, 24 HR, 78 RBI, 0.830 OPS, 1 SB)
Matt Olson, OAK (59 G, 0.259, 24 HR, 45 RBI, 1.003 OPS, 0 SB)
T.J. Rivera, NYM (73 G, 0.29, 5 HR, 27 RBI, 0.760 OPS, 1 SB)

Second Basemen:
Ozzie Albies, ATL (53 G, 0.281, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 0.803 OPS, 7 SB)
Carlos Asuaje, SD (86 G, 0.268, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 0.695 OPS, 0 SB)
Paul DeJong, STL (104 G, 0.282, 24 HR, 62 RBI, 0.846 OPS, 1 SB)
Yoan Moncada, CWS (50 G, 0.232, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 0.761 OPS, 3 SB)
Chad Pinder, OAK (87 G, 0.238, 15 HR, 42 RBI, 0.750 OPS, 2 SB)

Third Basemen:
Matt Chapman, OAK (80 G, 0.229, 13 HR, 36 RBI, 0.769 OPS, 0 SB)
Johan Camargo, ATL (80 G, 0.297, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 0.781 OPS, 0 SB)
Matt Davidson, CWS (115 G, 0.221, 26 HR, 68 RBI, 0.721 OPS, 0 SB)
Rafael Devers, BOS (54 G, 0.291, 10 HR, 26 RBI, 0.839 OPS, 3 SB)
Yuli Gurriel, HOU (135 G, 0.297, 18 HR, 72 RBI, 0.816 OPS, 3 SB)

Shortstops:
Amed Rosario, NYM (43 G, 0.263, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 0.701 OPS, 7 SB)
Dansby Swanson, ATL (140 G, 0.231, 6 HR, 49 RBI, 0.642 OPS, 3 SB)
Pat Valaika, COL (108 G, 0.261, 13 HR, 40 RBI, 0.833 OPS, 0 SB)

Outfielders:
Cody Bellinger, LAD (129 G, 0.269, 39 HR, 96 RBI, 0.942 OPS, 10 SB)
Andrew Benintendi, BOS (148 G, 0.275, 20 HR, 89 RBI, 0.788 OPS, 19 SB)
Jorge Bonifacio, KC (111 G, 0.252, 16 HR, 37 RBI, 0.742 OPS, 1 SB)
Nick Delmonico, CWS (41 G, 0.267, 9 HR, 23 RBI, 0.874 OPS, 2 SB)
Clint Frazier, NYY (38 G, 0.237, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 0.731 OPS, 1 SB)
Ben Gamel, SEA (131 G, 0.28, 11 HR, 59 RBI, 0.747 OPS, 4 SB)
Brian Goodwin, WSH (74 G, 0.251, 13 HR, 30 RBI, 0.811 OPS, 6 SB)
Mitch Haniger, SEA (93 G, 0.276, 16 HR, 47 RBI, 0.831 OPS, 5 SB)
Ian Happ, CHC (111 G, 0.253, 22 HR, 63 RBI, 0.832 OPS, 8 SB)
Guillermo Heredia, SEA (123 G, 0.249, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 0.652 OPS, 1 SB)
Rhys Hoskins, PHI (47 G, 0.266, 18 HR, 47 RBI, 1.056 OPS, 1 SB)
Aaron Judge, NYY (152 G, 0.284, 50 HR, 111 RBI, 1.043 OPS, 9 SB)
Manuel Margot, SD (124 G, 0.267, 13 HR, 39 RBI, 0.733 OPS, 17 SB)
Jose Martinez, STL (102 G, 0.308, 13 HR, 42 RBI, 0.888 OPS, 4 SB)
Brandon Nimmo, NYM (66 G, 0.273, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 0.820 OPS, 2 SB)
Jose Osuna, PIT (102 G, 0.235, 7 HR, 30 RBI, 0.703 OPS, 0 SB)
Hunter Renfroe, SD (119 G, 0.231, 25 HR, 57 RBI, 0.751 OPS, 3 SB)
Nick Williams, PHI (80 G, 0.283, 11 HR, 52 RBI, 0.801 OPS, 1 SB)
Jesse Winker, CIN (44 G, 0.292, 7 HR, 14 RBI, 0.901 OPS, 1 SB)
Bradley Zimmer, CLE (101 G, 0.241, 8 HR, 39 RBI, 0.692 OPS, 18 SB)

Catchers:
Manny Pina, MIL (107 G, 0.279, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 0.751 OPS, 2 SB)

Right-Handed Starting Pitchers:
Parker Bridwell, LAA (19 GS, 9-3, 3.87 ERA, 70 SO, 1.237 WHIP)
Luis Castillo, CIN (15 GS, 3-7, 3.12 ERA, 98 SO, 1.075 WHIP)
Jharel Cotton, OAK (24 GS, 9-10, 5.58 ERA, 105 SO, 1.442 WHIP)
Jake Faria, TB (13 GS, 5-4, 3.33 ERA, 82 SO, 1.147 WHIP)
Carson Fulmer, CWS (4 GS, 2-1, 4.42 ERA, 17 SO, 1.309 WHIP)
Sam Gaviglio, KC (13 GS, 4-5, 4.30 ERA, 49 SO, 1.350 WHIP)
Lucas Giolito, CWS (7 GS, 3-3, 2.38 ERA, 34 SO, 0.949 WHIP)
Robert Gsellman, NYM (22 GS, 8-7, 5.19 ERA, 82 SO, 1.504 WHIP)
Jeff Hoffman, COL (16 GS, 6-5, 5.71 ERA, 81 SO, 1.423 WHIP)
Jakob Junis, KC (15 GS, 8-3, 4.39 ERA, 75 SO, 1.289 WHIP)
Dinelson Lamet, SD (21 GS, 7-8, 4.57 ERA, 139 SO, 1.242 WHIP)
Mark Leiter, PHI (11 GS, 3-6, 4.96 ERA, 84 SO, 1.335 WHIP)
German Marquez, COL (28 GS, 11-7, 4.38 ERA, 145 SO, 1.385 WHIP)
Alex Meyer, LAA (13 GS, 4-5, 3.74 ERA, 75 SO, 1.337 WHIP)
Nick Pivetta, PHI (25 GS, 7-10, 6.26 ERA, 133 SO, 1.516 WHIP)
Antonio Senzatela, COL (20 GS, 10-5, 4.65 ERA, 101 SO, 1.287 WHIP)
Trevor Williams, PIT (25 GS, 7-9, 4.07 ERA, 117 SO, 1.310 WHIP)

Left-Handed Starting Pitchers:
Ty Blach, SF (24 GS, 8-12, 4.84 ERA, 72 SO, 1.367 WHIP)
Kyle Freeland, COL (27 GS, 11-10, 4.06 ERA, 107 SO, 1.477 WHIP)
Adalberto Mejia, MIN (21 GS, 4-7, 4.50 ERA, 85 SO, 1.571 WHIP)
Jordan Montgomery, NYY (28 GS, 9-7, 3.96 ERA, 141 SO, 1.253 WHIP)
Sean Newcomb, ATL (19 GS, 4-9, 4.32 ERA, 108 SO, 1.57 WHIP)

Right-Handed Relief Pitchers:
John Brebbia, STL (47 G, 0-0, 2.59 ERA, 48 SO, 0.945 WHIP, 0 SV)
Jonathan Holder, NYY (36 G, 1-1, 3.43 ERA, 40 SO, 1.297 WHIP, 0 SV)
Jose Leclerc, TEX (47 G, 2-3, 3.94 ERA, 60 SO, 1.38 WHIP, 2 SV)
Austin Pruitt, TB (30 G, 7-5, 5.31 ERA, 66 SO, 1.506 WHIP, 1 SV)
Jarlin Garcia, MIA (66 G, 1-2, 4.85 ERA, 41 SO, 1.173 WHIP, 0 SV)
James Pazos, SEA (57 G, 4-5, 3.54 ERA, 64 SO, 1.350 WHIP, 0 SV)
Wandy Peralta, CIN (67 G, 3-4, 3.88 ERA, 54 SO, 1.197 WHIP, 0 SV)
Jose Torres, SD (61 G, 7-4, 4.28 ERA, 63 SO, 1.144 WHIP, 1 SV)

If you're wondering why I separated the starting pitchers from the relief pitchers, and then if they are right handed or left handed, allow me to explain (conspiracy theory time folks...get something to drink, this may take a while).

As you all know, Topps instituted what I am calling the "Stephen Strasburg" rule in 2010. Somehow, Strasburg was added to the ASRT even though he only pitched in 12 games. Now, Strasburg is a right-handed pitcher. But so was Neftali Feliz, who at the time was the star closer for the Rangers, and a player many people believed should have been named onto the team as the RHP. In past years, it didn't matter if a pitcher was a starter or a reliever, only ONE RHP or ONE LHP was chosen for the team (of course there were exceptions…tie votes came into play).

So what does Topps do? For the 2010 Topps All-Star Rookie Team, they added a relief pitcher spot. This ensured not only Feliz' spot on the team, but gave Topps justification to include their poster boy Strasburg.

Then in 2011, instead of continuing the trend of having three pitchers (a RHP, a LHP, and a RP), Topps went back to the two-pitcher format, but instead of it being a RHP and LHP as in years past, the 2011 Topps All-Star Rookie Team included just one Starting Pitcher and one Relief pitcher. In 2012, Topps went back to a "three-person pitching staff" which included a Starting RHP, a starting LHP, and one reliever. This was done again in 2013, and has been the "norm" ever since.

In past years, this blog has done a contest where the object is to outguess me in choosing the Rookie Teams. The Grand Prize, if a contestant correctly guessed all the members of said team, was a complete 150 card set of 2005 Topps Rookie Cup (appropriate, no?). Anyway, while few have come close, none have won the grand prize. Those who did guess more players correctly than I did would win a pack of that year's Updates and Highlights/Update Series.

Well, why not bring that back as well??! It's the only contest/giveaway attempt I really do around here, and I still have the now eleven year old set in my possession.

So take a look at the list above, send me an e-mail (bdj610@hotmail.com) with your picks by Sunday, October 29, 2017. You can pick the following (11 players total):

• One player each for 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, C,
• Three players for OF,
• One Starting RHP, Starting LHP, Relief RHP.

On Monday, October 30, 2017, I will make my selections and then we will all wait together until the formal announcements have been made. If you out guess me, let's say I guess seven of the 10 or 11 spots correctly, and you guess eight or more, then you automatically win a Hobby pack of 2017 Topps Update Series. If you guess all the players correctly (if there are ten or eleven, who knows), then you will be entered into a drawing to win the 2005 Topps Rookie Card base set (Beckett Value $20.00 - $40.00). It's that easy. While there are certainly going to be some slam dunks (cough...Bellinger...cough), the field for other players are definitely wide open, so anything goes.

So here's to hopefully many entries by October 29 . Good luck.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The 2017 Topps Archives Derek Jeter Retrospective Set...Update

Before going on my long hiatus from card blogging, I wrote about my thoughts regarding the Derek Jeter reprint set that Topps was going to include into its 2017 Topps Archives product.

As we all know, Topps created reprint sets in the past, honoring legendary players such as Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Nolan Ryan, and Hank Aaron, with reprint sets of their respective baseball cards. Jeter was included in such a set for their 2015 Topps Update Series product. But there were frames, and parallels, and for whatever reason, trying to get a complete set of reprinted Jeter base cards was not something I was planning to do, especially since...well...I have all of his regular cards. Why would I want to spend money on reprints that were being sold for more than the base cards??!

Back to the point.

I was waffling between going after the reprint set that was part of Archives, even if I had no intention of going after the actual Archives set. The Jeter reprint set was to consist of 23 cards (1993-2015), with three cards being short-printed: the 1993 Rookie/Draft Pick card, the 2015 final card, and that infamous 2007 Jeter card with Mantle and President Bush photoshopped into the picture. As it turns out, Topps never did include the 2007 card as part of the base set (there are autograph copies out there somewhere apparently...). And yes, there are parallel cards based on the color of the foil used for the DJ logo. So the most basic set consisted of 22 cards, including the two short-printed bookends.

Well, in my hunt for cards on the Bay, I did find a Jeter set in my price range (anything under a hundred bucks...which some of these sets were going for). And...

It's mine.

The guy I bought this from was nice enough to throw in a 2007 Jeter card anyway to make it feel complete. Even though this is not part of the official Topps set (it is part of Archives, after all), I am adding these cards to the big 2017 Topps binder. I might seriously have to buy a second binder for all of the insert sets before the Update Series comes out later in the year.

Other business:

Now that I am taking a bit more of a proactive role in maintaining the Sports Card Blogroll, it's time once again to remove blogs that haven't been updated after six months of inactivity. While my humble, little blog was almost on the edge of that cliff, I'm happy to be back blogging a bit more frequently.

So this time around, two blogs will be removed from the Sports Card Blogroll:

• Catching Up With Collecting
• My Baseball Card Blog, written by friend of the blog Craig from Texas.

Removing these two sites from the big blogroll brings the site down to 221 active blogs about the Hobby we all share.

So as always, if you, or someone you know has a blog about sports cards, please send me an email, or drop me a line on Twitter.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The Fascination with Topps Card #666

When Topps Total was part of Topps' active catalog of baseball card products, I remember reading somewhere that there was a bit of notoriety when it came to card #666. To wit, the rumor was that someone at the Topps Company was a Yankees fan and would assign the "devilish" number to the pitcher that helped to knock his (or her...let's not assume gender here) favorite team out of the playoffs. To wit, the following players were included in that "elite" #666 club:

• Byung-Hyun Kim, Arizona Diamondbacks (2002 Topps Total)
• Troy Percival, Anaheim Angels (2003 Topps Total)
• Josh Beckett, Florida Marlins (2004 Topps Total)
• Keith Foulke, Boston Red Sox (2005 Topps Total)

In the case of Kim and Foulke, neither actually did end the Yankees' postseason dreams. Kim had blown saves in both games 4 and 5 for the Diamondbacks, taking the loss in game 4. Foulke pitched in five games against New York during the 2004 AL Championship Series, earning a save in Game 6. But Percival was the last pitcher the Yankees saw during the AL Division Series in 2002, and Josh Beckett pitched a complete game shutout in Game 6 of the 2003 World Series (the final game of the series).

So where am I going with this?

With a lot more free time on my hands, I've finally gotten around to putting my cards in binders and taking a closer look at the cards that comprise the 2017 Topps set. Since 2015, Topps has added more cards to the base set giving collectors 700 cards to chase for a complete set. For a good nine-year stretch prior, there were 660 cards in the each eponymous set. This year, card #666 was given to Rougned Odor, the second baseman of the Texas Rangers.

If there is any possible reason why he was slotted with this number, it's most likely because he had that brief spat with Jose Bautista. Recall that during Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS between Texas and Toronto, Bautista hit a seventh-inning home run to give the Jays the lead for good. But while the home run did get the Blue Jays into the next round of the playoffs, everyone remembers what Joey Bats did when he hit the homer...right???

Yeah...that.

So enter the 2016 rematch between the Jays and Rangers on Sunday, May 15, 2016. This would be the last time both teams would meet in the regular season. Rangers pitcher Matt Bush hits Bautista, putting him at first. One batter later, new pitcher Jake Diekman induces a double play. But Bautista tries to break up Odor's relay throw to stop the double play. So Odor shows his displeasure by hitting Bats with a right hook. At that point...it was time to play the feud.

(Please note that I actually thought to put an image of the Odor hitting Bautista, but changed my mind...this is a family blog after all).

So that is the short version of why I think Odor is card #666 this year.

But why do I find card #666 fascinating? It is because back in 1989, Topps assigned card #666 to Reds pitcher Randy St. Claire:

It struck me in a funny, yet ironic way, that the guy pictured on a card that had a number usually associated with evil had a last name with the word Saint (St.) in it.

Others that shared the infamous number include:

• 1970: Adolpho Phillips, Expos
• 1971: Gene Brabender, Angels
• 1972: Hector Torres, Cubs
• 1978: Billy Smith, Orioles
• 1979: Rich Dauer, Orioles
• 1980: Mike Chris/Al Greene/Bruce Robbins, Tigers
• 1981: Sparky Anderson, Tigers Team Card
• 1982: Steve Kemp/Dan Petry Tigers Team Leaders
• 1983: Sparky Anderson, Tigers, (What the heck did the Tigers, let alone Sparky, do to deserve this??!)
• 1984: Jack Morris/Lou Whitaker, Tigers Team Leaders (I'm sensing a pattern here, don't you think?)
• 1985: Mike LaCoss, Astros
• 1986: Charlie Hough, Rangers Team Leaders
• 1987: Von Hayes, Phillies (When you're traded for five guys and you've only had two major league seasons, do you really deserve this number?)
• 1988: Mario Soto, Reds
• 1990: Brian Fisher, Pirates
• 1991: Danny Darwin, Astros
• 1992: Tom Foley, Expos
• 1993: Glenallen Hill, Indians
• 1994: Steve Buechele, Cubs
• 2001: Glenallen Hill, Yankees (What did Glenallen Hill do to get this card number twice??!)
• 2002: Seattle Mariners Team card (When you have the best record in baseball and don't make it to the World Series, wait...didn't they lose to the Yankees??!)
• 2003: Jeff Francis, Rockies Draft Pick
• 2004: Texas Rangers Team Card
• 2005: Texas Rangers Team Card (again??!)
• 2015: Jonathan Broxton, Brewers
• 2016: J. T. Realmuto, Marlins

Based on what happened in yesterday's game between the Yankees and the Tigers, don't be surprised if someone from either team will get this number. My money is on Miggy. Who knows?

Cleansing time.

Please keep in mind that I do not have a morbid interest in the number 666 nor am I trying to wish physical, mental, or spiritual harm on myself or anyone else by continually mentioning this number. Some people truly are afraid of the number 666, so apparently hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia is a real thing. This was just something that came to mind after putting cards to sheets.

I think I'll head to church and pray...now.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Pack Break: 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter's. 2017 Stadium Club, and 2017 Topps Series 2

Since I bought two packs each of 2017 Allen & Ginter's and 2017 Stadium Club, along with a pack of 2017 Topps Archives and five packs of 2017 Topps Series 2 last weekend during the National Baseball Card Day festivities, I thought I would try and post the result of the pack breaks here. Because I missed out on doing it last year, I am going to save one pack each of A&G, Stadium Club, and the one pack of Archives for Pack Break Week in November (I need something to open, right???) and will open the rest now.

Here are the results.

Let's start with one pack of 2017 Topps Series 2.

• #354 Nick Tropeano, P, Angels
• #628 Domingo Santana, OF, Brewers
• #360 Jon Lester, P, Cubs
• #565 J. D. Martinez, OF, Tigers
• #581 Brock Holt, OF, Red Sox
• #87-193 Addison Russell, SS, Cubs 1987 Tribute All-Star Card
• #541 Dennis Lamp, P, White Sox Rediscovering Topps 1984 Original Topps Card
• #364 Koda Glover, P, Nationals RC
• #421 Santiago Casilla, P, Athletics
• #602 Alex Dickerson, OF, Padres

Hey, I got two Cubs cards in this pack (Lester base and Russell insert) and an original 1984 Topps card of a White Sox player. Not bad. It's my third "Rediscover Topps" card. I'm not sure if I'm honestly liking the idea of putting a foil stamp on an old card, but I guess now it's worth more than the original.

I normally don't buy packs of this product, but in the spirit of the day, I thought, "Why not?" So this is what came out of that pack of 2017 Topps Stadium Club, Topps' ode to great photography:

• #247 Gary Sanchez, C, Yankees
• #285 Orlando Arcia, SS, Brewers RC
• #160 Julio Urias, P, Dodgers
• #189 Justin Upton, OF, Tigers
• #238 Sonny Gray, P, Athletics
• #CS-DM Daniel Murphy, 2B, Nationals Contact Sheet
• #56 Ian Kinsler, 2B, Tigers
• #10 Danny Santana, OF, Twins

Thoughts? Pretty soon, the question would be, "What's the point of this set?" With Topps going with borderless cards in its eponymous product, and the pictures already up-close-and-personal, I honestly don't see the reason to bring this back another year. But I do like the photo choices, especially of Gray in a throwback Athletics' jersey.

Finally, to the 2017 Allen & Ginter's pack. I have complete sets of every A&G set since they first came out in 2006, and as soon as I have money, I will invest in a set on the Bay. But to see what the cards look like, I decided to get two packs. Here is what was inside the pack I opened:

• #265 Kevin Kiermaier, Rays
• #205 Alex Bregman, Astros RC
• #WF-19 Worlds Fair Habitat '67 Motreál
• #72 Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox Mini Card
• #RIP-48 Noah Syndergaard, Mets Rip Card 14/60 (umm...WHAT??!)
• #166 Manny Margot, Padres

Wait...go back a sec. Did I just say RIP CARD??!

Yes...Yes I Did!!!

In all my years of collecting, I've never opened a pack with a RIP card inside it.

Now I'm torn (pun intended). Do I rip it open? Or do I keep it as is?

The back says:

This is a Genuine Allen & Ginter's RIP Card. If you dare...rip this card open...to discover a collectible exclusive mini-card embedded inside!

Inside this card will be:

• A Red Mini Autograph Card, or...
• An Exclusive Mini Parallel, or...
• An Exclusive Mini Wood Parallel, or...
• An Exclusive Mini Metal Parallel, or...
• A One-of-a-Kind Sketch Card.

Rip It or Keep It

What am I going to do? What should I do? I've already posited this question on Twitter (follow me @bdj610) and I've gotten two responses:

• Tony L. (@OffHiatusBBC said: "Rip It. Rip it good."
• Mark Aubrey (@mdaubrey) said: "Wait. Rip it later."

So now what??! Either way, I'm told to rip the card. But should I? Are there people that hold on and have not ripped the RIP cards, opting to keep what's inside and then collecting cards from them later on the Bay? I think I'll put a poll up. Tell me what I should do with it:

• Keep it sealed
• Rip it
• Sell it on eBay unripped
• Sell whatever is inside on eBay

Post in the comments, and vote for the poll at the top. I'll leave it up for a week. Whatever the decision is...I'll take it into consideration before making a decision.

Unless, of course, somebody wants it so badly that they're willing to buy it or trade for it...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama