Insert Sets Not Talked About Enough: 2023 Topps Japan Edition Strength In Numbers

On April 15, 2026, the Cubs were mired in last place within the NL Central Division. They were 9-9 at that point, taking 2 of 3 from the Phillies and were now facing a 20-game stretch facing the Mets, Phillies, Dodgers, Padres, Diamondbacks, and Reds. At the rate they were treading water, I had thought originally that if they can win at least 12 of the next 20 games, they'll be in good shape and have a fighting chance when they start playing their division rivals some more.

Boy was I ever wrong. 

Since my last post, the Cubs have won 17 of the 20 games, sweeping the Mets, Phillies, D-Backs and Reds. They were 3-3 on the road, but still, an even record on the road is always welcomed. But the fact that Cubs have won 15-straight games at Wrigley Field has them now heading into today 14 games above .500, and in sole possession of 1st place is mind-blowing to me. 

But I'm not here to wax poetic about the Cubs (there are others who are well versed in this better than me), and I'm starting to worry that now that I've written something in May will cause the team to slide (please don't).

I'm here to talk about my recent exploits within the Hobby. So here goes.

2023 Topps Japan Edition Strength In Numbers Aaron Judge SS-1

 
I don't often buy from Check out My Cards, at least not for last minute replacements or for cards that will help me finish sets (like my recent escapades to finish this year's S1). But if I can find a full set of cards that I'm interested in, and the total price is within reason, I'll go for it. And so it was that, in my interest in looking for 2025 Topps Update Series Japan insert cards that I looked backwards and found a set from a Topps Japan Edition that piqued my curiosity. 

Called "Strength in Numbers," this 15-card insert set featured MLB players and a specific stat, not necessarily from the previous season, but a number high enough that warranted inclusion. Examples include: Aaron Judge's 62 home runs in 2022, Joey Votto's 1.032 OPS in 2017, and even Ken Griffey, Jr.'s 147 RBI's in 1997. Strength in Numbers was one of three basic insert sets included with this product, the others being a 35-card Cherry Blossom-bordered variation of the 1988 Topps set and a 25-card set featuring the roster of the 2023 WBC champion Japan team.

2023 Topps Japan Edition Strength In Numbers Vladimir Guerrero Jr SS-8

The insert set was originally featured within Topps' 2023 NPB set and featured players who are now making an impact in MLB, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Munetaka Murakami, and Shota Imanaga. It makes perfect sense that the MLB Japan edition would include this insert set as well. 

2023 Topps NPB Strength In Numbers Taisei SN-20

In the past, COMC purchases came I thought rather quickly considering that all cards are kept in one warehouse (or two) and my impression was that they have people picking cards akin to food distributors pulling cases of food and then having them prepared for shipment. The price for the 15 cards totaled $28.48, which was a lot cheaper than I had hoped for. There were no complete sets on the Bay, nor were there enough auctions/bin to be able to compile a full set. The only other place that may have had a full set was selling for $45.00 (it's now down to $35.00...just looked). The most expensive card of the bunch was SS-1 Aaron Judge at $8.25. It was also the last card available on the site. If it wasn't there, this post probably wouldn't be written. The other 14 cards ranged from $0.63 to $5.75. being SS-14 Shonei Ohtani. With tax and "standard shipping" the final price for the set came out to about $40.00. 

Again, reasonable.

But then, the waiting.

This is where I got to thinking about the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song "The Waiting." The lyrics are spot on:

The waiting is the hardest part

Every day you see one more card

You take it on faith, you take it to the heart

The waiting is the hardest part

I bought the cards on February 18, 2026. By mid-April, the cards hadn't arrived, and when I checked on the site for progress, none of the cards had even been "picked."

WHAT??! How is that even possible? I get it's not something I needed to get right away, but it's never taken this long to receive cards from COMC. The last time I bought from the site, the turnaround was 11 days from purchase to arrival. Was it because I used "standard" shipping this time compared to "economy rushed" previously? 

The tracking site showed that the cards were finally shipped on April 29, and arrived on May 4, over 70 days between purchase and shipment. TEN WEEKS!

The cards look great as you can see. A horizontally-designed set (compared to the vertically-oriented Japanese cards), 

2023 Topps Japan Edition Strength In Numbers Oneil Cruz SS-13

The numbers, which are pretty much the point of the set, are featured prominently on the lower right corner, big and bold, with what that number represents up the side of the card. The backs give a brief summary about the significance of the number and the impact it had for the player during that specific year. 

2023 Topps Japan Edition Strength in Numbers Bryce Harper Reverse SS-3

Which, compared to the back of the Japanese NPB version, includes a lot more information:

2023 Topps NPB Strength In Numbers Taisei Reverse SN-20

The full checklist:

• SS-1 Aaron Judge (Yankees) 62 Home Runs (2022)
• SS-2 Freddie Freeman (Dodgers) 199 Hits (2022)
• SS-3 Bryce Harper (Phillies) 1.044 OPS (2021)
• SS-4 Pete Alonso (Mets) 53 Home Runs (2019)
• SS-5 Ken Griffey, Jr. (Mariners) 147 RBI (1997)
• SS-6 Mike Trout (Angels) 1.088 OPS (2018)
• SS-7 Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers) 301 K's (2015)
• SS-8 Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (Blue Jays) 48 Home Runs (2021)
• SS-9 Joey Votto (Reds) 1.032 OPS (2017)
• SS-10 Gerrit Cole (Yankees) 257 K's (2022)
• SS-11 Mookie Betts (Dodgers) 117 Runs (2022)
• SS-12 Ronald Acuña, Jr. (Braves) 428 Average Home Run Distance (2022)
• SS-13 Oneil Cruz (Pirates) 122.4 Max Exit Velocity in MPH (2022)
• SS-14 Shohei Ohtani (Angels) 78 Barrels (2021)
• SS-15 Fernando Tatis, Jr. (Padres) .615 xSLG (2021)

Those last four cards could have been part of a Significant Statistics subset.

For those wondering why I am using the COMC images instead of the usual scanned images, it's because I don't have the cards on me at the moment. I figured that since I bought the carts on COMC, I might as well use the images. After all, the pictures are of the cards I bought. I may change them later.

Pictures of 2026 Topps Series 2 have come out this week. Once again Topps is pairing two legends with two current players. This time pairing Paul Skenes and VGJ with Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays.

2026 Topps Series 2 Hobby Box Design

The blue to S1's red. June can't come fast enough.

Now, let's hope the Cubs can keep winning even after this post.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Why the Costco Sets Were Removed From the 2025 Topps Binder

The first page of the 200-card 2025 Topps Flagship Binder

Don't get me wrong. I love the Costco...I mean...the Topps Flagship Collection insert sets that are exclusive to the Costco Super Boxes. Since 2023, these have been a nice complement to my collection. But you know me and patience when it comes to the Hobby, we don't really see eye to eye. So when a daring person on the Bay puts up a full set on a reasonable BIN, I'll bite.

Now, if I was an Athletics team fan, I'd be upset to find out that none of my favorite players were even included in the 2023 set. If I was a Nationals team collector, I'd be upset as well to find that Topps didn't have anyone representing my team in the 2024 set.

If I was a White Sox team collector, I'd be upset to find that only one player, Luis Robert, Jr, was worthy of making the 2023 set. But would I forgive them knowing that in 2024, Topps would include two White Sox cards in the 100-card set? Probably not only because both cards in that year's set was of, again, Luis Robert Jr (the man was the subject of both card #'s 11 AND 21!!!).

2024 Topps Flagship Collection Luis Robert, Jr. #11

2024 Topps Flagship Collection Luis Robert, Jr. #21

But I'm not a team collector. I'm a set collector. I need EVERY CARD! So I'm not upset at any of the above situations. Not at all.

What I'm kind of miffed about is the fact that the 2023 Flagship cards are as thick as a regular relic card. They are the same thickness of two regular base cards. Which means that I can't put them back to back in an Ultra-Pro Platinum page as I do with almost every other card in the binders. Each card gets it's own page. 

"What's the big deal?" most people would ask. "Why should you be upset? At least you can read the backs of each card without having to take the card out and...heaven forbid...put it back and risk dinging the corners."

Because the more plastic pages used, the less space I have for the cards. Putting cards back to back allows me to put a 792-card set in 44 pages instead of 88. And when it comes to a six-inch binder, space, which I had thought would be enough, suddenly isn't.

In my Anatomy of a Six-Inch Binder post for the 2025 Topps set, I listed the 100-card Flagship Collection set as one of the many sets contained within. Each card, double the thickness of a standard card, took up 12 pages of space, a half-inch worth of the binder. Which normally would be fine.

Except Topps produced out a second Costco-exclusive Flagship Super Box. 

To review, the first super box included 5 packs each of Series 1 and Heritage along with 3 packs of the exclusive Flagship inserts, one jumbo card, and one "companion" card.

The contents of the Series 1 Costco Super Box

Which in previous years, (2023 and 2024) were enough. But sales must have been great because Topps decided to distribute a second Super Box, this time containing 5 packs each of Series 2 and Archives along with the bonus packs and jumbo/companion cards.

The contents of the Series 2 Costco Super Box

So now what? The six-inch binder as it stood at 2,161 cards, was already full to bursting. Adding another half-inch of cards and pages would make it hard to close the binder properly, with pages of the base set beginning to go over the curve of the metal, which would be as one Pokémon collector who for some reason shows up on my FB and YouTube feeds (even though I don't collect the stuff)...

BAD BINDER BEHAVIOR!!!

While binder "technology" has evolved (I've seen 12 and 16-pocket pages, zippers, etc), nothing beats a six-inch d-ring binder. NOTHING. But still, these new binders would not be enough to hold the cards of even one regular set. So no, I'm not interested (but if one of these binder companies want to send me a sample to prove me wrong *hint, hint*, please email me at bdj610@hotmail.com).

So back to the point.

I've decided to take the Costco Flagship set out of the six-inch and move both sets into it's own one-inch binder. 

 

The binder for the Costco Flagship.

Yes, again, the picture isn't the greatest. But you can see that the binder will hold the cards just fine. 

The transition page from Series 1 and 2.

This is not a precedent. I've separated huge insert sets from binders before:

• 2007 Topps Generation Now...582 cards
• 2010 Topps The Cards Your Mom Threw Out (Original Backs)
• 2011 Topps 60 Years of Topps + Lost Cards (Original Backs)

The last two are in the same binder. No sense in separating. They look good together.

Taking the spot filled by the Costco Flagship sets are a master set of 2025 Topps All-Star Game, which was a product with it's own mega box introduced last summer during the ASG break. The set consists of:

• 100 base cards
• 25 Hometown Heroes cards, featuring players past and present of the Atlanta Braves, honoring the team hosting the event
• 25 Classic Swings cards
• 50 All-Star Game Greats, recognizing players from past ASG's

Replacing 100 cards that are, again, twice as thick as regular cards, with 200 is an even exchange space wise. And the binder can now claim a whopping 2,261 cards...

Two thousand, two hundred sixty-one cards

And everything still fits comfortably in the binder.

Still is heavy as heck though...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The Philippines...in Topps A & G Mini Cards

Long time readers of the blog know that I am from The Philippines. I've written about the Philippines trying to get to the World Baseball Classic back in 2012. As of 2026, they still haven't done it, but it doesn't mean the country can't represent on the diamond. While they haven't competed in the WBC, the baseball team has won the Southeast Asian Games three years straight, and five titles overall. 

So, let's crank out some celebratory music...

Okay, back to the point...

One of the goals of this blog is to show off my collection. Today, I thought I'd show off my collection of mini Allen & Ginter cards that feature the The Pearl of the Orient Seas. 

Starting with my favorite A&G Mini Card of All-Time, from the 2007 Flag of All Nations set...

2007 Topps A&G Philippines Flag #39

The card isn't actually numbered per se, but the card is #39 alphabetically (Algeria-United States). Love this design. The sun in the background, the volcano (there's smoke coming from the top), coconut trees along the coast. It really is reminiscent of the original 1887 N9 Allen & Ginter's Flag of All Nations set. I just love the colors of this card, and how the flag is presented.

2008 Topps A&G Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo #WL35

The following year, Topps included a mini insert set featuring 50 of the (at the time) current world leaders. The Philippines was represented with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who became the 14th President of the country. Sworn to the post after the previous president was impeached, she was the leader of the country from 2001 through 2010. She did get into her own issues, but I'm not going to get into that...I am no expert in the story. She is currently a member of the House of Representatives, serving the constituents of the 2nd district of Pampanga. The card itself features a headshot of GMA and an outline of the islands. At least Topps used the right photo for her card, compared to the little mistake done for the card representing Ireland.

2009 Topps A&G Jose Rizal #NH26

The year after that saw Topps honoring National Heroes. This time, Topps selected our national hero, Jose Rizal, as a subject for it's 2009 insert set. The reverse of his card gives a really brief summary of who he was and what he did while the Philippines was under Spanish rule in the late 1800's. He was a writer and member of the Philippine Propaganda Movement, which advocated political reforms while the Philippines was a colony of Spain. He was executed during the Philippine Revolution, and the day of his death (December 30) is a National Holiday. He is considered one of the most influential figures in Filipino history. The card features Rizal along with the Philippines Coat of Arms.

On to lighter fare...

2010 Topps A&G Carabao #NA42

National Animals was one of the mini insert sets that appeared in the 2010 Topps Allen & Ginter product. And our national animal, the Carabao, was among the 50 subjects. The carabao is a water buffalo species that is commonly used by farmers for plowing. There were also used to pull carts, whether those contained people or valuable supplies. (There's a picture somewhere of yours truly on one...can't remember where it is. I think the name of the one I was on was Gigolo...or was it Macho...) 

2011 Topps A&G Philippine Eagle #AP15

Carrying the animal theme over into 2011, Topps featured endangered species in a set called Animals in Peril. The Philippine Eagle, or what is more commonly known as the Monkey Eating Eagle, was among the 30 subjects in this set. It has a six-foot wingspan, and is the largest of all eagles. It's the national bird of the country, with logging taking much of it's territory away. Current estimates say that there are maybe 400 pairs left in the wild.

2012 Topps A&G Balut #CC9

And then...there's the Culinary Curiosities set from 2012. This set featured 10 local delicacies that...let's say are unique. Between the Rocky Mountain Oysters and Haggis is this Filipino delight...Balut!!! Yes, balut. You may have seen the videos of people trying to eat it. And what is it exactly? Fertilized duck embryos boiled or steamed, and eaten in the shell. It's a street food that's sold in many countries in Southeast Asia, but it's more commonly connected to the Philippines. Now, I am more of a Penoy person myself (incubated duck egg that didn't fully develop an embryo), but I've eaten this once. And for a Filipino, once was enough.

It would be a few years before an exclusively-Filipino related card would appear in Allen & Ginter. Sure, the 2021 Mini World Leaders didn't include the President of the time, and the 2022 Mini Bearing Fruit cards had a handful of fruits that are found throughout the region, but there was nothing specifically tying the Philippines to any of them. 

2024 Topps A&G The Philippines #FOTW-16

While the 2024 Topps Allen & Ginter set featured a Manila/Dubai Sister Cities full-sized card (and I have that one), the Flags of the World mini set returned after 17 years. This time, as a horizontally-oriented set, with a picture of Manila to the right of the flag. The card is nice, and again, as an extremely amateur vexillologist (definitely not Sheldon Cooper level), I like the set, I like the card. 

But nothing compares to the 2007 version. 

On a related note, my mom is flying to Manila to visit friends and family back home this week. I wish her safe travels. Maybe bring back the Philippines baseball team cap if you can find one. A jersey would be nice too, but that may be asking for too much. It looks like this...I think...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Almost Got 'Im: 2003 Topps Record Breakers Nolan Ryan No-Hitter #4

I've been pretty fortunate over the last few years, not only because my financial situation has improved leaps-and-bounds (still a lot of work to do, but after so many years, I can breathe a bit easier), but also because cards that I've had on my wantlists since the 2010's started showing up on the Bay, and I've been fortunate to get them.

To wit, after many years of searching in vain, both 2011 Topps Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawfod SP cards showed up on eBay. Both BIN's, prices were reasonable, and both were purchased.

2011 Topps Carl Crawford #25B and Adrian Gonzalez #350B

Another card that was haunting me whenever I'd open to the page was the 2010 Topps 1951 Blue Back Reggie Jackson #36, which could only be found opening packs of Update and Highlights cards purchased at Wal-Mart.. Just about a year ago, after years of seeing the more common Red Back and Blue Back cards, this specific card appeared. It is now mine!!!

2010 Topps Update Series 1951 Blue Back Reggie Jackson #36

Last night, as I was scrolling the World's Largest Marketplace, a group of 2003 Topps Series 2 Record Breakers cards appeared in my feed. Among the cards listed were 3 of the 7 the Nolan Ryan No-Hitters cards that rarely, if EVER, show up. Of the four Nolan Ryan cards, one I've been looking for FOREVER!!!

2003 Topps Record Breakers Nolan Ryan #RB-NR4 

When I clicked on the auction to check the details, the highest bid was $6.50. Which was reasonable for this card, or so I thought. I bid $15.00, and found that I was still outbid. The shipping charge on the auction was $1.32, so I increased my bid to $18.68, which brought the high bid to $15.50. 

Earlier this evening, I received the notification that I was now being outbid for the card. I couldn't do anything about it until I came home from the pharmacy. When I finally arrived home, after eating a quick dinner, I went on the Bay and increased my bid to $23.68 only to find that my new bid not high enough, as the winning bid was now at $24.18. I then increased my bid to $28.68, and still I was out bid, with the new high price at $29.68. It was at this point, I decided to pass. According to the 2024 Beckett Baseball Card Price Guide (yes, I still carry one with me everywhere), these Nolan Ryan cards sell for $10.00 each. I was not about to pay 3x the book price, regardless of how rare these appear online.

After one sniper tried and failed to secure the highest bid, the auction ended about 30 minutes ago, with a final price of $32.53.

I congratulate the person who won the auction. I'm sure the seller is in shock to see that this particular card sold for $32+. The other two cards wound up selling for $6.50 each. Then I noticed that this same seller had the other four cards from this set listed the week before, with the auctions ending on January 10. One of those cards was the OTHER No-Hitter I needed, card #RB-NR7. That one sold, with one bid, at $5.99.

I'm going to go cry now.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

And This is Why I'm Not a Player Collector...

Parallel cards have been a standard in Topps products ever since they introduced Topps Gold cards all the way back in 1992 (unless you count the Desert Shield cards from 1991). As rare as it was to find these in packs (in all the packs I opened in 1992, I never EVER found a regular Topps Gold card. I did win a number of Gold cards from the scratch-off cards (which if you held a flashlight to the cards, you could actually see through them and figure out the prizes...not that I did that...no, not me. I won mine fair and square...) The prizes were Topps Gold cards, but the ones I got, and probably everyone else, had the word "Winner" added above the team nameplate.

1992 Topps Gold cards. These six players cards replaced the checklists.

Topps Gold became a staple parallel card in 2001, with every card serial numbered to 2001. Every year since, Gold cards are numbered based on the year. Eventually, Topps introduced other serial-numbered color-bordered parallel cards to their lineup: Topps Black (2003, #'d to 52), Copper (which replaced Black in 2007 because the base set had black borders in the first place, #'d to 56), Platinum (2006, a real one-of-one), and on-and-on. And I'm not even including the different colored foil varieties, or the red backs from 2007...

And it's not just the Topps brand. Topps Chrome brand really went crazy with the colored-chrome parallels.Topps even printed Chrome Refractor parallels. It got to the point that they were even encouraging collectors to "collect the rainbow." 

Parallel sets eventually found their way into factory sets. I'm not talking about the five-card exclusives that collectors were finally opening factory sets for to get their hands on these extremely limited cards. I'm talking in 2023 when every few Topps retail factory sets could contain a full set of parallel cards.

Then, in what has become the bane of an insert collector like me, Topps started making colored paralell cards of their already lesser printed insert cards. I can not tell you the number of times that I've mistakenly included a blue parallel card in an insert set only to find out later that it wasn't part of said set and then I'd have to look for the actual card to complete the insert set. (True story, which involved a 2022 Topps Sweet Shades Jose Altuve card. When I realized that I had the blue parallel instead of the regular card in my binder, I went berzerk and bought the first regular card I could find just so I could make the switch).

In 2025, Topps included 78...yes, that's right...78 different sets of parallel cards. A majority of them were either serial numbered or were exclusively found in specific products (like in packs sold at the Fanatics store in NYC). Hobby packs, jumbo packs, retail packs, blaster boxes, holiday products, super boxes, mega boxes, etc, had their own exclusive parallel cards to chase. As a base and basic set collector, I totally skip over these. But how do you player and team collectors keep track of it all?

As more information about 2026 Topps has come about, the list of parallel cards have been posted online. Let's just say that I am so glad that I am a set collector.

Hobby Exclusive Parallels

Retail Exclusive Parallels

Wait...there's more...

I'm not even about to begin to list the parallels that were announced for the insert, autograph, and relic cards. 

Why Topps??! Why??!

I have a lot of respect for those who collect specific players or specific teams. Your collections are impressive, and I admire your dedication to a niche of the Hobby that many people outside of it would call obsessive, if not insane. 

Do you go after specific parallels? As a team collector, do you try to get at least one sample of everything, regardless of player? Do you try to collect everything to complete a rainbow? What counts to you as a rainbow? I'd love to know.

2025 Topps Update Series Clear Michael Lorenzen #US222

2025 Topps Update True Photo Variation Michael Lorenzen #US222

But then again, maybe I should go for the Michael Lorenzen parallel set. I have two of the harder cards to pull and these will be going into the six-inch binder for 2025 Topps (which I will talk about in a few days time...I promise).

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

More Images and Thoughts About 2026 Topps

2026 Topps Gunnar Henderson 

Giving myself a breather after Topps' big 2026 reveal, I went around to various social media sites to see what others thought of the design. Reviews, I should not have been surprised, were overwhelmingly positive, but there were some mixed or not-so-positive ones among those making comments.

One person even said that the design reminded them of 2004.

2004 Topps Franklyn German #593

Okay, I can see some some of that (lower frame, nameplate, full spelling of position...yes, someone criticized THAT!!!). 

But the overall design element, that being the fabric of a baseball uniform along with the team-colored stitching AND stitches along the left side of the frame are extremely unique. The design is something even my wife can appreciate as one of her hobbies is sewing. 

Some people want to see what the card backs are going to look like. Topps has never really shown these. I'd like to see them myself personally, but I understand if they're not in a rush to show them off.

As been the norm since 2018, Topps will include insert cards honoring the 35th anniversary of a previous year's design, featuring current and former players. This time, it's 1991 (I can't believe it's already 35 years) getting the treatment. Images of what these cards are going to look like have also releasedd I love this set, brings back memories of teenage years. And if the card below is any indication of what the product is going to look like, I'm going to love...LOVE...chasing this set.

2026 Topps 1991 Jackson Merrill

The number 75 is going to throw me off, but it's not like Topps didn't do this before when the design was included as part of the 2016 Topps Archives set (what a year that was, huh Cubs fans...)

2016 Topps Archives Jake Arrieta #234

Although I do hope that Topps just sticks to the team name above the ribbon, not the full team typography (nothing against adding the city, but the original set only had the logos of the team name as it would have appeared on the team uniforms...for the most part...)

Other insert sets returning are the more short-printed Heavy Lumber and Homefiled Advantage sets, as well as All Aces (please make this a basic insert, not one that is short-printed). Greatest Hits will return as well, along with a "new" insert set called Topps Profiles. The name is new in a sense that it hasn't been featured since 1996, when Kirby Puckett and Tony Gwynn had things to say about the subjects on the cards. Maybe they'll have Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani share their opinions about players within their respective leagues. That would be a nice call-back.

The extreme number of parallel cards returns. There were so many last year, and it looks all of them will return with. It does get confusing. You do need a scorecard to keep track of them all. But these are aimed at player and team collectors trying to complete the rainbow. 

So they were able to fit Jacob Misiorowski's name on the front of the card

As with many sets, I would love to see these cards in-hand. Do they still distribute sample cards to dealers? 

I can't wait for these cards to release. And just think, pitchers and catchers start reporting for spring training in about a month. 

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

UPDATE: January 13, 2026, 02:00 pm CST. 

The checklist for 2026 Topps Series 1 is now LIVE!!!

jba

2025 Topps Pro Debut: An Unboxing

One of the sets I just try and buy full sets of is the Topps Pro Debut, the official set of MiLB (Minor League Baseball). The reasons are simple:

1. It's not something that's sold on a regular basis at the card shops I do frequent.
2. Not too many people in the area actually collect minor league cards, and those that do are in it for the player or organization, not trying for a full set.
3. That patience issue again.
4. Cost. It's cheaper for me to buy a full set of 200 plus cards online than it would be to buy boxes and not even guarantee a full base set (although this applies to the eponymous MLB sets, at least those are readily available everywhere).

That said, I've managed to get every Pro Debut set since Topps acquired the license back in 2010. Prior to that year, I would not have even considered adding these sets to my collection. But, it's Topps. They've been using the flagship designs on these minor league sets. How can in NOT want to include them, if nothing more as a supplement to the eponymous set. All the Pro Debut sets get their own binders as there is no way that I can fit another 200 plus cards (the 2010 set has 400 cards alone) into a six-inch binder (forget even trying to lift them). 

A couple of weeks ago, I finally hunkered down and bought a base set and, because someone actually had these, a "master insert set" for 2025 Topps Pro Debut. Both arrived yesterday. so tonight, while the Bears are playing their first playoff game since 2021 (season was in 2020) and trying to win their fist playoff game since 2011 (season was in 2010), let's unbox this 292-card master set and see what's inside.

The packaging.

The base Pro Debut set consists of 200 cards. The design is the same as the Major League set, with the two-colored lines along the left side of the card, the team name in outlined all-caps lettering in front of the design element. Along with the Cubs, White Sox, Yankees, etc (thanks to the Arizona and Florida Complex League), teams represented include Carp, Storm, Mighty Mussels, Jumbo Shrimp, Biscuits, Trash Pandas, and Spartanburgers. Yes, the creativity of these minor league organizations are top notch. Among the players in this set that have already made an impact in the majors include Luke Keaschall (Wichita Wind Surge), Kyle Teel (Charlotte Knights). Jac Caglianone (Quad City River Bandits), Nick Kurtz (Midland Rockhounds), Roman Anthony & Kristian Campbell (Worcester Red Sox), Trey Yesavage (FCL Blue Jays) among others. 

2025 Topps Pro Debut Luke Keaschall #PD-193

In recent years, the Pro Debut cards featured the player in gloss finish while the background would be in a matte finish. That does not appear to be the case with this year's product.

2025 Topps Pro Debut Trey Yesavage #PD-45

In recent years, it's been easier to acquire the insert sets, and just like the team names that litter the minor leagues, the concepts of the insert sets are just as varied and unique. This year's sets are no exception.

Ballpark Promos highlight alternate team identities and uniforms that were worn during actual games. Whether the team took part in "La Copa de Diversión" or celebrated a city's local heritage, a nice exposition explaining the significance of the alternate name is included.

2025 Topps Pro Debut Ballpark Promos Dalton Rushing #BP-5

Drafted is a sketchbook inspired insert set with the fronts featuring images that would have appeared to be drawn with colored pencils, while the reverse talks about the player's journey in the MLB draft.

2025 Topps Pro Debut Drafted Jac Caglianone #DF-20

League Elites features players and logos from the respective minor leauges. From the Eastern League (AA),  to the Midwest League (A), the Pacific Coast League (AAA) to the Florida State League (A), and everywhere in between.

2025 Topps Pro Debut League Elites Colson Montgomery #LE-6

Stars of MiLB, just like the Stars of MLB, is pretty much self-explanatory. The best players in the minors in 2024 who were well on their way to the big show are featured. The team logos are large and proudly displayed on the front. 

2025 Topps Pro Debut Stars of MiLB JJ Wetherholt #STAR-12

MiLB Legends features pictures of retired major leaguers during their time in the minors using designs from Topps history (this year's design if based off the 1976 set).

2025 Topps Pro Debut MiLB Legends Alex Gordon #ML-4

One of the things I like to do is open a past year's binder of Pro Debut cards and be pleasantly surprised by the fact that I have a player's minor league card to go along with his MLB rookie card. 

Nick Kurtz's Rookie Card from 2025 Topps Update Series #US201 and 2025 Pro Debut #PD-1

I'm not a prospector by any means, and I know that speculators prefer the Bowman Chrome cards of players they're hoping become superstars in the majors because it's the first card (in most cases) of their subject in a major league uniform. But I like these Pro Debut cards. They do make a great supplement to the major league product. Maybe in 5 years, I'll revisit this set, and appreciate in awe at the fact that I have cards of the now established superstars of the 2030 season before they hit the big time.

2025 Topps Pro Debut Travis Bazzana #PD-100

And maybe that's the whole point of the set in the first place.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Insert Sets Not Talked About Enough: 2022 Topps Fresh Faces

In 2022, Topps issued a product to Hobby shops with the hope of providing a bit of nostalgia to those who remember the purpose of the product: Vending Boxes.

A 2022 Topps Baseball Vending Box.

Younger collectors may be asking: What are vending boxes? A long time ago, Topps sold 500-card boxes of random, unsearched baseball cards from a specific year for entrepreneurs who service vending machines, or for Hobby shops who just wanted quantities of cards for inventory without having to open packs (and dealing with sticks of gum). The vending boxes were not collated, and it was wholly possible to get multiple copies of a card in one box. And because the gum wasn't included in the boxes, the cards were devoid of the gum-stains that plagued cards that the confection would have touched. Topps' vending boxes have been around since the late 1950's, and were manufactured by the company through 1990 (I have not seen any boxes from 1991 and beyond).

A Vending Box from 1987

Each 2022 Topps Vnding Box contained 165 cards from the series 2 set plus five insert cards that could only be found within. The set, called Fresh Faces, featured 25 players who qualified for RC logo status, including a number of players who made their MLB debut in 2022. Three years later, many of these players have become established veterans, with multiple All-Stars among the 25-player checklist.

 2022 Topps Fresh Faces Julio Rodriguez FF-3

Because of the limited availability of this product, not too many collectors may have known the existence of these insert cards. I certainly didn't. I only stumbled upon the product when searching the Bay mindlessly. Someone managed to get all the cards together and put the complete set up for a BIN. I can't remember what the asking price for the cards, but I do remember who bought it.

2022 Topps Fresh Faces Bobby Witt Jr. FF-2

Yeah, if it wasn't already obvious...It was ME!!!

Okay, I'll stop talking.

The cards themselves feature a rainbow-foil background with a grayscale media-day image of the player, a colored action shot up front, with the RC Logo fits right in-between the words Fresh and Faces above the nameplate. The reverse has a quick blurb about the player's performance in 2021, whether they be minor league highlights, or how the player performed during a cup-of-coffee in the majors.

2022 Topps Fresh Faces Edward Cabrera FF-15 Reverse

The checklist:

2022 Topps Fresh Faces, The Full Set

• FF-1 Wander Franco (Rays)
• FF-2 Bobby Witt Jr (Royals)
• FF-3 Julio Rodriguez (Mariners)
• FF-4 Brandon Marsh (Angels)
• FF-5 Shane Baz (Rays)
• FF-6 Vidal Brujan (Rays)
• FF-7 Jarren Duran (Red Sox)
• FF-8 Oneil Cruz (Pirates)
• FF-9 Reid Detmers (Angels)
• FF-10 Hunter Green (Reds)
• FF-11 MacKenzie Gore (Padres)
• FF-12 Nick Lodolo (Reds)
  
• FF-13 Spencer Torkelson (Tigers)
• FF-14 CJ Abrams (Padres)
• FF-15 Edward Cabrera (Marlins)
• FF-16 Gavon Sheets (White Sox)
• FF-17 Heliot Ramos (Giants)
• FF-18 Joe Ryan (Twins)
• FF-19 Seth Beer (Diamondbacks)
• FF-20 Josh Lowe (Rays)
• FF-21 Matt Brash (Mariners)
• FF-22 Roansy Contreras (Pirates)
• FF-23 Bryson Stott (Phillies)
  
• FF-24 Steven Kwan (Guardians)
• FF-25 Jeremy Pena (Astros)

As has been the trend with insert cards in recent years, this set also came in Blue (#'d to 199), Black (#'d to 75), Purple (#'d to 25), Red (#'d to 10), and Gold (1 of 1) parallels.

While sales may not have been enough to warrant Topps (and probably Fanatics) to continue producing vending boxes, its brief run in 2022 gave collectors a chance to chase a set seen in regular packs of Series 2. If you're a player collector or a team collector, these are truly worth pursuing. If you're a set collector who has a lot more patience than certain Hobby bloggers (cough, cough), building this set card-by-card would make for a good challenge.

2022 Topps Fresh Faces Steven Kwan FF-24

And that's what makes this set something worth talking about.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama