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

Adventures in Trading: A TCDB Trade to Maryland & A Local Transaction Taking Place Tomorrow

I like to think of myself as a patient person. 

I have waited longer than 45 minutes when going out to eat at popular restaurants, with a wife and two toddlers in tow. I will give people I communicate via email at work and wait at least a day or two for a response before sending out a second email. I have sat through two acts of dance performances before my daughter's group would appear for their lone dance of the show. My patience gets tested when dealing with patients at the pharmacy, whether in person or on the phone (I'd share stories, but HIPPA).

But when it comes to collecting baseball cards?

If there is a card or two that I need to complete a set, I must have that card..NOW!!! 

As of yesterday, I needed 56 insert cards to finish my master set for 2025 Topps Update Series. Thinking I could at least finish the 2025 Topps Update 1990 set (I just needed one card...figures it's Shohei Ohtani), I put out a couple of trade offers to people on TCDB for this one card. I padded both of the requests, believing that the number of cards I was offering for just this one would be enough. 

2025 Topps Update 1990 Shohei Ohtani #U90-33

However...

both trade requests were...

REJECTED!!!

Why??!

One person said he just traded his Ohtani card off to someone else. I understand that. It happens. I can accept this.

The other person? Said he was valuing the card higher than the 5 cards I was offering in exchange. Granted, four of those cards were Stars of MLB (which even I don't think have much monetary value, seeing that every retail pack, blaster, box, etc, have anywhere from 1-4 of these cards IN EVERY PACK!!!). But even still, I guess the quantity wasn't enough.

And that's when I snapped.

I wound up going on the Bay at lunch and bought this card, and 12 other insert cards (10 from the same seller.) Then, I went onto Sportlots and bought 31 more cards (26 from the same seller...love the site, but it is always best to buy multiple cards from one or two dealers instead of buying 1 card from more then 10 sellers...shipping charges are brutal). In one 30-minute frenzy, I bought 44 of the 56 I needed to finish the master set.

Patience is a virtue, but I guess self-control is something I need to work on as well, especially when it comes to the Hobby.

So after I recovered, I find myself down to 12 cards. I managed to finish the aforementioned 1990 Topps set, Bleacher Reachers, Most Valuable, and Night Terrors in my shopping spree. This leaves the First Pitch (2 cards to go), Mystical (2), and Topps Black Gold Sets (8) needing to be completed. (If you're wondering why I didn't mention the 50-card All-Star Game set, it's because I managed to complete the set through trades. It was done before all of this happened).

Well...

I sent one trade request earlier today through TCDB. A simple two-card-for-two-card offer. I was requesting two First Pitch cards: #FPU-4 Ethan Levine and #FPU-8 Derek Jeter, in exchange for a 1990 #U90-46 Dylan Crews and All-Star #ASG-48 Logan Webb card. He accepted the transaction. The trade information (with the member's name covered for privacy) is below:

When I came home from work today, I reached out to another TCDB member who had one of the 8 Black Gold cards I still need, #BG-20 Nick Kurtz. During the final minutes of my spending spree, I saw this card on Sportlots, prices ranging from $6.00 to $9.00. I passed on it then, and I'm thankful that I did. The gentleman who I reached out to this afternoon lives in the Chicago area, and is actually a few minutes away from the bulding where I work. We've completed about 7 trades since July, 2024. Each time, he would come to the office building I'd work at, and we'd exchange cards in the lobby. Saves on postage, and I really appreciate him making the trip. 

The last time I saw him was in December. I gave him a number of 2024-25 Topps Cubs parallel cards (he's a Cub team collector) for a couple of 2025 Topps Update insert cards. This time, I offered a couple of extra Cub cards, just to get something in the transaction. He responds very quickly and accepts the trade. Knowing I'll see him tomorrow, I'll have to make sure to bring the cards I offered. If this was a cash transaction, I definitely over-paid. But I've always been of the trading mindset of, "I will trade whatever I have on your wantlist for whatever you have on mine, even if it looks lopsided on my end." And when you see the cards involved in this trade, you may think so too. So when I meet him tomorrow, this is what we're exchanging:

After all of this, I am now down to these final 9 cards to complete the 2025 Topps Binder:

• Topps Mystical #MYS-6 Jacob Wilson (Athletics)
• Topps Mystical #MYS-9 Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-3 James Wood (Nationals)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-6 Paul Skenes (Pirates)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-14 Hyeseong Kim (Dodgers)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-18 Aaron Judge (Yankees)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-19 Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-24 Roki Sasaki (Dodgers)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-25 Jacob Wilson (Athletics)
  

If anyone has any of these cards and would like to trade or sell them to me, please reach out to me at bdj610@hotmail.com and make an offer. My trade/sell list is here. If you don't see anything you need there, just let me know what you're looking for. I'm sure I have something.

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

I Guess I Can No Longer Say This...

After seven years, an exclusive with another card company, and no Topps cards other than an eTopps card from 2009 or random cameos on other player's cards (like the 2012 Topps Padres Carlos Quentin card...retail team set only)...

Yes, ladies, and gentlemen, Matt Wieters of the Baltimore Orioles now has an official, regular, eponymous, Topps card. Okay, it's part of the Update Series.

But isn't it about time??! Orioles fans can finally get a complete team set of their team.

On an unrelated note, I do have a few packs of 2016 Topps Update Series. I haven't opened them yet, but as soon as I do, pack break results will be forthcoming.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Do You Remember the Topps 300 (and then some...)?

Back in 2011, Topps had this brilliant idea. They would hold a contest to determine the Top 60 Topps cards in its 50 year history. Now Topps picked 100 cards from its wide collection of cards and asked fans and collectors to pick their top ten cards from the 100. While the list contained many rookies and other classic cards (which you can find here), there were some cards that I really didn't think belonged here.

After picking my ten, I didn't feel so good. My choices were fine, but in my mind, the Hobby Blogging Community could do better.

That's when I decided to create "The Topps 300 (and then some...)" I picked 5 cards from each year of Topps' history (from 1951 through 2010) that I thought were the best from that particular year and asked readers to respond with what they thought of my picks and if they believed another card could be better than what I picked (that's the "and then some..." part of the site).

My efforts did gain a bit of publicity, thanks to Rich Mueller and the Sports Collectors Daily. I had hoped that by the end of the year, I could do a countdown of the best card of each year and then from that, pick the top 60 cards overall. While the final countdown never came to fruition, the comments left by readers with their picks were great and I thank all of those who took time out of their days to comment.

It's now five years later. The site is still up, and although there haven't been any new comments since 2014, people still do come across that blog.

For the first series of its eponymous set for 2016, Topps has decided to include a 65-card insert set called "Berger's Best." In honor of the "Father of the Modern Day Baseball Card," Topps has decided that they would include a reprint of one card from each year (1952-2015). I like the concept, but I really hope that they skip the "bio in the back" as they did with their reprint sets from 2010 and 2011 - only to include SP's of full reprint cards as well. I know I'll be going after this set, I just am nervous about how they'll present it.

That made me think. What if I presented my Topps 5 (get it...) cards from each of the past five seasons and presented them the same way I did back then? Make it an update, an addendum, to the original 60 years that I created five years prior. To that, I said, "Why not?"

So I present for your review tonight, my Top 25 cards, 5 for each year, from 2011 through 2015. Tell me if you agree with my picks or if I'm nuts and I could have picked another card.

To paraphrase the intro on the Topps 300 blog:

"Below are scans of the best five (in my opinion) cards from each year from the last 5 years of Topps Baseball Cards. I picked the 25 based on a few qualifiers, including: Key Rookie, Unique Photo, Action Shot, Card caused a buzz in the Hobby, Noteworthy Errors, Player had an impact on the game that particular year."

Let me know what you think.

• #110 Aroldis Chapman
• #200 Ichiro Suzuki
• #210 Brian Wilson
• #421 Domonic Brown
• #US175 Mike Trout

• #58 Tim Hudson
• #136 Casey McGehee
• #396 Yoenis Cespedes
• #660 Yu Darvish
• #661 Bryce Harper

• #253 Adam Greenberg
• #589 Jose Fernandez
• #617 Fernando Rodney
• #660 Miguel Cabrera
• #US250 Yasiel Puig

• #8 Coco Crisp
• #228 Jayson Werth
• #496 Jose Abreu
• #625 Albert Pujols
• #661 Masahiro Tanaka

• #1 Derek Jeter
• #177 Paul Konerko
• #300 Mike Trout
• #616 Kris Bryant
• #US174 Carlos Correa

Feel free to leave comments on here. Let me know if you can think of a better card than one that I selected. I'm pretty sure that some of these cards will be included in that Berger's Best set (which is also confirmed for Series 2...I'll get around to sell sheets later).

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Pack Break Week 4: 2013 Topps Update Series

I love Pack Break Week!

It's one of the only times of the year that I get to open a ton of packs from different products and post them on the blog. In past years, I would go to the local big box store and buy a pack of random products (okay, products that I actually like). This year, they're from Christmas presents. So no money was spent, but lots of excitement ahead.

Now I'd call this a preview of what to expect when I open the big stuff during the week. Here now, is one of the penny packs that my son was able to purchase from the Dollar Tree:

This is what came out of the 2013 Topps Update Series pack:

• #US293 Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees, Home Run Derby
• #US177 David Ortiz, DH, Red Sox, Season Highlights (Checklist)
• #US249 Madison Bumgarner, P, Giants, NL All-Star
• #US142 Yadier Molina, C, Cardinals, NL All-Star
• #US59 Hisashi Iwakuma, P, Mariners, AL All-Star

No base cards, all subsets. Three All-Stars, a Home Run Derby card, and Big Papi? Not a bad pack to start what should be a very interesting week to close out what has been a somewhat "Blah" year on the blog. I'm looking forward to see what comes next. I hope you (whoever left of you is still here reading this) are too.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Introducing Your 2015 MLB Rookies of the Year - Unanimous in NL, Tighter Race in AL

In recent years, Topps has reserved six cards within Series 1 for the AL and NL award winners that are being announced this week. While no preliminary checklist for next year's eponymous set has been released as of Tuesday, November 17, last night, we learned who was named the Rookies of the Year in both the National and American Leagues.

Congratulations to both Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs and Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros for winning the National League and American League Rookies of the Year Awards. As was done last year, MLB decided to announce the top three finalists for each of the awards. While there certainly more players in the running, announcing the top three made for interesting debate.

Kris Bryant, who's name was on the lips of EVERY baseball writer, fan, and card collector, not only showed that he was the real deal, but was truly deserving of the words "Future Star." He led all MLB rookies in home runs (26, tied for first), rbi's (99), doubles (31), runs (87), while hitting .275 with an OBP/SLG/OPS line of .369/.488/.857. He was also named to the NL All-Star Team in 2015. On a team of young stars, it is hoped that Bryant will help lead the Cubs to the promised land. He received all 30 first place votes in the NL ROY balloting, thus earning the maximum 150 points possible. The rest of the field included Giants third baseman Matt Duffy (70 points, 22 second place votes), Pirates shortstop Jung Ho Kang (28, 4), Noah Syndergaard of the Mets (16, 3), Justin Bour of the Marlins (4, 1), Joc Pederson of the Dodgers (1), and Stephen Piscotty of the Cardinals (1).

Like Bryant, Carlos Correa of the Astros did not make the Opening Day roster. But once he made his MLB debut on June 8, not only did he become the youngest position player in the majors in 2015, but he also added to what was already a renaissance year for the Astros. Just like the Cubs, the Astros were building for their future. But the future was now for the 'Stros, leading the AL West division for most of the year before managing to earn the second wild card spot in the playoffs. In 99 games, Correa hit 22 home runs, drove in 68 rbi's, stole 14 bases, and hit for a .279 average with a slash line of .345/.512/.857. It was a close race on the AL side though, with Correa taking 17 of the 30 1st place votes (124 total points). Francisco Lindor of the Indians finished in second place in the voting (109 points, 13 first place votes), followed by Miguel Sano of the Twins (20), Roberto Osuna of the Blue Jays 9 (8, 2), Billy Burns of the Athletics (6, 1), Eddie Rosario of the Twins (2), and Delino DeShields of the Rangers - feel old people, he's the son of the Expos All-Star from the 90's - (1).

Bryant becomes the first Cubs player to win the Rookie of the Year award in unanimous fashion, and the sixth Cubs player to do so overall (last to do so was Geovany Soto in 2008). Correa is the first Astro player to win the AL Rookie of the Year award (remember, the Astros spent their first 50 years in the NL), and the second Astro player to win the award (last was Jeff Bagwell in 1991).

So begins a wild week were debates will come fast and furious. Did your guy win???

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

A Surprise Halloween Mailday

I'm taking a bit of a work break (I also have my articles lined up for my end-of-the-year All-Star teams, but it's too busy workwise to post, but I'll get there) because I received something in the mail directly from the Topps Company.

Allow me to explain.

As you know, my last post on this humble, little blog, was a call to get as many Dummy Hoy and Curtis Pride cards from 2015 Topps Update Series Pride and Perseverance set. As soon as it was announced that Hoy and Pride were going to be added to this set, I sent word to a couple of people who I thought would be interested in this.

Among them is Steven Sandy, a researcher who has been one of the main proponents in getting William Hoy enshrined into Baseball's Hall of Fame. Sandy said that he had tried to get Topps to do a set of cards on Deaf players and was surprised that they would include Hoy in the Update Series. After expressing his opinion that Topps should have added more Deaf players into the set, I explained to him that he's only there as part of an insert set, and not the base set (did I forget to mention that Mr. Sandy is Deaf?) I did suggest he come up with a series of cards featuring Deaf players, something he's wanted to do for some time. Maybe get together with Gallaudet University? Who knows. Can't wait to see what he comes up with.

Anyway, my tweets reached every Hobby blogger's favorite Topps employee, Susan Lulgjuraj, aka Sooz, former Becket sports editor, also a SCBR Hobby Blog Hall of Famer (A Cardboard Problem for those who weren't aware that she wrote a blog before joining Team Topps). After asking me to DM my address to her, she said she'd send something my way.

Well, it's Halloween. And it looks like I got a treat:

Let's see what's inside, shall we?

It's a complete set of Pride and Perseverance!!!

Whoa!!! This is an awesome surprise.

This set has been getting a lot of positive press from sources outside the Hobby media since Update Series came out a couple of weeks ago. Very interesting story on how this set was conceptualized. You can check here or here, but it looks like in 2014, "the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) proposed a special card series, featuring players with disabilities, within Topps' 2015 set." And Topps did well with this set.

A brief summary of what obstacle (disease, disability, Deafness) each person overcame to achieve their dreams of reaching the Major Leagues is included on the back of each card. How cool would it be for a kid, or the parent of a child, with similar circumstances to open a pack of cards and see that even baseball players had their own adversities as well?

Sooz, thank you so much for the cards. This definitely was one of the best things I've received in the mail in quite some time.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

WANTED: 2015 Topps Update Series Pride and Perserverance #PP11 Dummy Hoy

This is a call to anyone who still reads this humble, little blog, and are planning on buying packs, boxes, or lots of 2015 Topps Update Series:

I WANT THIS CARD!!!

I will take as many copies of this card as I can get! Tell me what it would take for me to get one if you find it in amongst your packs. Would prefer to trade than buy, but will buy if the price is reasonable enough.

William Ellsworth "Dummy" Hoy was a Deaf baseball player in the late 19th Century - early 20th Century. It is said that he was the main reason why umpires signal balls and strikes today. He may not have been the first Deaf player in the major leagues, but he was the most influential back in his day. During my first forays on the Internet (aol.com anyone???) I met a gentleman online named Steven Sandy. His mission was to get Hoy into Baseball's Hall of Fame. He certainly has the numbers (1888-1902) for it. But it would take serious consideration from the Veteran's Committee to get him in there. It's long been Mr. Sandy's dream to see him in the Hall one day. It certainly is nice to see Topps add him to this list. Now fans in the 21st century will get to know the story (haven't seen the back of the card yet...hope Topps did him justice) of Dummy Hoy.

If you can get me the Curtis Pride card (see below):

That would be great as well.

Yes, I plan on getting these cards as part of my collection as well as a complete master set. I thought it would be great to pass these on to those in the Deaf Community in Chicago as well.

Please email me at bdj610@hotmail.com or send me a direct message on Twitter @bdj610.

Thank you very much in advance.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Everything You Want to Know about 2015 Topps Update Series

Because work has been really busy, I have not had much time to write about my thoughts about the sets that I'm really looking forward to now that the regular season is a distant memory and the playoffs are in full swing.

But before we get to next year's eponymous (and borderless) set (which I'll discuss in another post...when I can get to it), let's talk about everyone's favorite end-of-the-year set, 2015 Topps Update Series.

This year's set consists of 400 cards (up from 330 cards from the previous 11 years). It was announced that there will be 73 players making their Rookie Card debut in this set, including Topps' newest exclusive, Carlos Correa of the Astros. Check out the image of the card of the Astros' shortstop that Topps released online today along with the upcoming checklist (it's further down...trust me).

One thing I did forget to post on this humble, little blog, was the set of images from the "sell sheet" for Update. For those who missed them when they first came out this past May, or for those who want to see them again, here you go:

As always, it's nice to see how the images that we had all seen when the set was first announced come into play on the sell sheet.

Now, the set is supposed to come out on October 21. I say supposed to. Why?

Courtesy of Facebook

There was another image I wanted to find, but I think this works as well.

So, what do we see here:

• A Kris Bryant All-Star Game card (which means that he's part of the All-Star Game subset)
• A Rookies Rising card (probably a checklist, sharing the space with fellow super-rookie Addison Russell)
• A Kris Bryant Rookie Debut (which we knew was coming...look on the sell sheets)
• And what's this? A Kris Bryant throwback card with the old Topps logo? With Bryant wearing a Throwback Jersey?

So the checklist came out earlier this week. Let's see if what is below can clarify the four-card lot of Kris Bryant cards, shall we?:

BASE:

US1 Aaron Thompson Minnesota Twins
US2 Wilmer Difo Washington Nationals Rookie
US3 Tyler Wilson Baltimore Orioles Rookie
US4 Jean Machi Boston Red Sox
US5 Ryan Vogelsong San Francisco Giants
US6 David DeJesus Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US7 Brad Miller Seattle Mariners
US8 Alex Claudio Texas Rangers Rookie
US9 Shane Greene Detroit Tigers Future Star
US10 Bobby Parnell New York Mets
US11 Evan Gattis Houston Astros Future Star
US12 Travis Ishikawa Pittsburgh Pirates
US13 Tommy Pham St. Louis Cardinals Rookie
US14 Joey Gallo Texas Rangers Rookie Debut
US15 River City Rakers Pittsburgh Pirates
US16 John Axford Colorado Rockies
US17 Manny Machado Baltimore Orioles
US18 Michael Blazek Milwaukee Brewers
US19 Erasmo Ramirez Tampa Bay Rays
US20 Cole Hamels Texas Rangers
US21 High-Voltage Battery San Francisco Giants
US22 Jake Diekman Texas Rangers
US23 Kevin Plawecki New York Mets Rookie
US24 Chris Young New York Yankees
US25 Byron Buxton Minnesota Twins Rookie
US26 Jack Leathersich New York Mets Rookie
US27 Nathan Eovaldi New York Yankees
US28 Miguel Cabrera Detroit Tigers
US29 Ben Paulsen Colorado Rockies
US30 David Phelps Miami Marlins
US31 Gordon Beckham Chicago White Sox
US32 Blake Swihart Boston Red Sox Rookie
US33 Alex Rodriguez New York Yankees
US34 Matt Andriese Tampa Bay Rays Rookie
US35 Justin Bour Miami Marlins Rookie
US36 Roberto Perez Cleveland Indians
US37 Luis Avilan Los Angeles Dodgers
US38 Michael Lorenzen Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US39 Potent Padres San Diego Padres
US40 Sam Dyson Miami Marlins
US41 Travis Shaw Boston Red Sox / Allan Dykstra Tampa Bay Rays Rookie Combos
US42 Madison Bumgarner San Francisco Giants
US43 Randall Delgado Arizona Diamondbacks
US44 Tim Cooney St. Louis Cardinals Rookie
US45 Ryan Lavarnway Atlanta Braves
US46 David Price Toronto Blue Jays
US47 Jeremy Jeffress Milwaukee Brewers
US48 Carlos Perez Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Rookie
US49 Mark Canha Oakland Athletics Rookie
US50 Alex Guerrero Los Angeles Dodgers
US51 Yasmani Grandal Los Angeles Dodgers
US52 Cody Anderson Cleveland Indians / Phil Klein Texas Rangers Rookie Combos
US53 Daniel Norris Detroit Tigers Rookie
US54 Tyler Ladendorf Oakland Athletics / Max Muncy Oakland Athletics Rookie Combos
US55 Hank Conger Houston Astros
US56 Kevin Siegrist St. Louis Cardinals
US57 Nick Ahmed Arizona Diamondbacks
US58 Josh Donaldson Toronto Blue Jays
US59 Rafael Martin Washington Nationals / Matt Grace Washington Nationals Rookie Combos
US60 Branden Pinder New York Yankees Rookie
US61 Dallas Keuchel Houston Astros
US62 Brian Dozier Minnesota Twins
US63 Kelvin Herrera Kansas City Royals
US64 David Price Detroit Tigers
US65 Todd Frazier Cincinnati Reds
US66 Neftali Feliz Detroit Tigers
US67 Leonel Campos San Diego Padres Rookie
US68 Albert Pujols Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US69 Zach McAllister Cleveland Indians
US70 Vance Worley Pittsburgh Pirates
US71 Joakim Soria Pittsburgh Pirates
US72 Brett Gardner New York Yankees
US73 Tyler Saladino Chicago White Sox Rookie
US74 Giovanny Urshela Cleveland Indians Rookie
US75 Ross Detwiler Atlanta Braves
US76 Lorenzo Cain Kansas City Royals
US77 Joe Smith Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US78 Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs
US79 Rookies Rising Chicago Cubs
US80 Juan Uribe New York Mets
US81 Pat Venditte Oakland Athletics Rookie
US82 Francisco Lindor Cleveland Indians Rookie
US83 Mason Williams New York Yankees Rookie
US84 Sean O'Sullivan Philadelphia Phillies
US85 Justin Nicolino Miami Marlins Rookie
US86 Chris Colabello Toronto Blue Jays
US87 Zack Greinke Los Angeles Dodgers
US88 Marc Rzepczynski San Diego Padres
US89 Kendall Graveman Oakland Athletics
US90 Jacob deGrom New York Mets
US91 Brad Boxberger Tampa Bay Rays
US92 Justin Upton San Diego Padres
US93 Sonny Gray Oakland Athletics
US94 Shane Victorino Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US95 Elvis Araujo Philadelphia Phillies Rookie
US96 Ben Zobrist Kansas City Royals
US97 Josh Ravin Los Angeles Dodgers Rookie
US98 Josh Fields Houston Astros
US99 Daniel Fields Detroit Tigers Rookie
US100 Andrew McCutchen Pittsburgh Pirates
US101 Jumbo Diaz Cincinnati Reds
US102 Chi Chi Gonzalez Texas Rangers Rookie
US103 Joey Gallo Texas Rangers Rookie
US104 Steve Cishek St. Louis Cardinals
US105 Brandon Moss St. Louis Cardinals
US106 Shelby Miller Atlanta Braves
US107 Carlos Gomez Houston Astros
US108 Adonis Garcia Atlanta Braves / Jefry Marte Detroit Tigers Rookie Combos
US109 Anthony Ranaudo Texas Rangers Rookie
US110 Andrew McKirahan Atlanta Braves / Sugar Ray Marimon Atlanta Braves Rookie Combos
US111 Todd Cunningham Atlanta Braves
US112 Conor Gillaspie Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US113 Eric Campbell New York Mets
US114 Jason Garcia Baltimore Orioles / Scott Copeland Toronto Blue Jays Rookie Combos
US115 Stephen Vogt Oakland Athletics
US116 Miguel Castro Colorado Rockies Rookie
US117 Enrique Hernandez Los Angeles Dodgers
US118 Jason Frasor Atlanta Braves
US119 Jacob Lindgren New York Yankees Rookie
US120 Brandon Cunniff Atlanta Braves Rookie
US121 Alexi Ogando Boston Red Sox
US122 Marlon Byrd Cincinnati Reds
US123 Felix Hernandez Seattle Mariners
US124 Preston Tucker Houston Astros Rookie
US125 Ben Revere Toronto Blue Jays
US126 Tyler Olson Seattle Mariners Rookie
US127 Eduardo Rodriguez Boston Red Sox Rookie
US128 Brock Holt Boston Red Sox
US129 David Ross Chicago Cubs
US130 Jonathan Villar Houston Astros
US131 Jordan Pacheco Arizona Diamondbacks
US132 Gerardo Parra Baltimore Orioles
US133 Vinnie Pestano Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US134 Steven Matz New York Mets Rookie Debut
US135 Jason Heyward St. Louis Cardinals
US136 Byron Buxton Minnesota Twins Rookie Debut
US137 Andrew Romine Detroit Tigers
US138 Dellin Betances New York Yankees
US139 Mike Moustakas Kansas City Royals
US140 Mark Melancon Pittsburgh Pirates
US141 Glen Perkins Minnesota Twins
US142 Kendrys Morales Kansas City Royals
US143 Tommy Hunter Chicago Cubs
US144 Delino DeShields Jr. Texas Rangers Rookie
US145 Yasmany Tomas Arizona Diamondbacks Rookie Debut
US146 Aaron Harang Philadelphia Phillies
US147 Chris Archer Tampa Bay Rays
US148 Taylor Featherston Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Rookie
US149 Thomas Field Texas Rangers
US150 Eric Sogard Oakland Athletics
US151 Colby Lewis Texas Rangers
US152 J.R. Graham Minnesota Twins Rookie
US153 Archie Bradley Arizona Diamondbacks Rookie Debut
US154 Paul Goldschmidt Arizona Diamondbacks
US155 Yoenis Cespedes New York Mets
US156 Amazing Astros Houston Astros
US157 Noah Syndergaard New York Mets Rookie
US158 Jason Kipnis Cleveland Indians
US159 Darren O'Day Baltimore Orioles
US160 Slade Heathcott New York Yankees Rookie
US161 Jeff Samardzija Chicago White Sox
US162 Jorge Soler Chicago Cubs Rookie Debut
US163 Andrew Heaney Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US164 Johnny Giavotella Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US165 Seth Maness St. Louis Cardinals
US166 Severino Gonzalez Philadelphia Phillies Rookie
US167 Derek Norris San Diego Padres
US168 George Kontos San Francisco Giants
US169 Max Scherzer Washington Nationals
US170 Mike Foltynewicz Atlanta Braves Rookie
US171 Jhonny Peralta St. Louis Cardinals
US172 Adrian Gonzalez Los Angeles Dodgers
US173 Salvador Perez Kansas City Royals
US174 Carlos Correa Houston Astros Rookie
US175 Edinson Volquez Kansas City Royals
US176 Austin Hedges San Diego Padres Rookie
US177 Matt Holliday St. Louis Cardinals
US178 Zach Duke Chicago White Sox
US179 Adam Liberatore Los Angeles Dodgers Rookie
US180 Tyler Collins Detroit Tigers
US181 Jimmy Paredes Baltimore Orioles Future Star
US182 Scott Van Slyke Los Angeles Dodgers
US183 Justin Turner Los Angeles Dodgers
US184 Sean Rodriguez Pittsburgh Pirates
US185 David Murphy Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US186 A.J. Pollock Arizona Diamondbacks
US187 Heart of the Order Toronto Blue Jays
US188 Young & Relentless New York Mets
US189 Adam Warren New York Yankees
US190 Shelby Miller Atlanta Braves
US191 Royals Crush Kansas City Royals
US192 Albert Pujols Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US193 Angel Castro Oakland Athletics / Arnold Leon Oakland Athletics Rookie Combos
US194 Chris Rearick San Diego Padres / Cory Mazzoni San Diego Padres Rookie Combos
US195 A.J. Ramos Miami Marlins
US196 Paulo Orlando Kansas City Royals Rookie
US197 Wandy Rodriguez Texas Rangers
US198 Brett Anderson Los Angeles Dodgers
US199 Troy Tulowitzki Colorado Rockies
US200 Adam Jones Baltimore Orioles
US201 Jose Altuve Houston Astros
US202 Manny Machado Baltimore Orioles
US203 Jesse Hahn Oakland Athletics
US204 Jeff Francoeur Philadelphia Phillies
US205 Andres Blanco Philadelphia Phillies
US206 Mike Pelfrey Minnesota Twins
US207 Chris Young Kansas City Royals
US208 Addison Russell Chicago Cubs Rookie Debut
US209 Prince Fielder Texas Rangers
US210 Yunel Escobar Washington Nationals
US211 Tommy Milone Minnesota Twins
US212 Scott Carroll Chicago White Sox
US213 Home Run Halos Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US214 Yadier Molina St. Louis Cardinals
US215 Jonathan Papelbon Washington Nationals
US216 Carlos Peguero Boston Red Sox
US217 Franklin Morales Kansas City Royals
US218 Pedro Ciriaco Atlanta Braves
US219 Michael Morse Pittsburgh Pirates
US220 Addison Russell Chicago Cubs Rookie
US221 Francisco Rodriguez Milwaukee Brewers
US222 Arquimedes Caminero Pittsburgh Pirates
US223 Kevin Jepsen Minnesota Twins
US224 Ezequiel Carrera Toronto Blue Jays
US225 Keone Kela Texas Rangers Rookie
US226 Josh Donaldson Toronto Blue Jays
US227 Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US228 Geovany Soto Chicago White Sox
US229 Hector Gomez Milwaukee Brewers
US230 Shawn Tolleson Texas Rangers
US231 Felipe Rivero Washington Nationals Rookie
US232 Hansel Robles New York Mets Rookie
US233 Danny Muno New York Mets Rookie
US234 Noah Syndergaard New York Mets Rookie Debut
US235 Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs
US236 Angel Nesbitt Detroit Tigers Rookie
US237 Craig Kimbrel San Diego Padres
US238 A.J. Cole Washington Nationals Rookie
US239 Michael McKenry Colorado Rockies
US240 Jonathan Papelbon Philadelphia Phillies
US241 Sluggers Supreme Boston Red Sox
US242 Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs
US243 Austin Adams Cleveland Indians
US244 Colby Rasmus Houston Astros
US245 Rubby De La Rosa Arizona Diamondbacks
US246 Blaine Hardy Detroit Tigers
US247 Ryan Braun Milwaukee Brewers
US248 Lance McCullers Houston Astros Rookie
US249 Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs
US250 Danny Valencia Oakland Athletics
US251 Carlos Correa Houston Astros Rookie Debut
US252 Francisco Rodriguez Milwaukee Brewers
US253 Trevor Rosenthal St. Louis Cardinals
US254 Billy Burns Oakland Athletics
US255 Sean Gilmartin New York Mets Rookie
US256 Darrell Ceciliani New York Mets / Danny Dorn Arizona Diamondbacks Rookie Combos
US257 Josh Hamilton Texas Rangers
US258 Vincent Velasquez Houston Astros / Ryan O'Rourke Minnesota Twins Rookie Combos
US259 John Jaso Tampa Bay Rays
US260 Andrew Miller New York Yankees
US261 R.J. Alvarez Oakland Athletics Rookie
US262 Eric Young Jr. Atlanta Braves
US263 Pedro Strop Chicago Cubs
US264 Brock Holt Boston Red Sox Future Star
US265 Brett Lawrie Oakland Athletics
US266 Ike Davis Oakland Athletics
US267 Joe Ross Washington Nationals Rookie
US268 Troy Tulowitzki Toronto Blue Jays
US269 Burke Badenhop Cincinnati Reds
US270 Craig Breslow Boston Red Sox
US271 Mike Leake San Francisco Giants
US272 Matt Duffy San Francisco Giants Future Star
US273 Justin Upton San Diego Padres
US274 Tucker Barnhart Cincinnati Reds
US275 Casey McGehee Miami Marlins
US276 Alex Wilson Detroit Tigers
US277 Yasmani Grandal Los Angeles Dodgers
US278 Rene Rivera Tampa Bay Rays
US279 Juan Nicasio Los Angeles Dodgers
US280 Mike Bolsinger Los Angeles Dodgers Future Star
US281 Manny Banuelos Atlanta Braves Rookie
US282 Jose Iglesias Detroit Tigers
US283 Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs Rookie Debut
US284 Matt Wisler Atlanta Braves Rookie
US285 Josh Rutledge Boston Red Sox
US286 Francisco Lindor Cleveland Indians Rookie Debut
US287 Jim Johnson Los Angeles Dodgers
US288 Matt Joyce Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US289 Williams Perez Atlanta Braves Rookie
US290 Zach Britton Baltimore Orioles
US291 Eddie Butler Colorado Rockies Future Star
US292 Chad Qualls Houston Astros
US293 Cesar Ramos Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US294 Mark Trumbo Seattle Mariners
US295 Russell Martin Toronto Blue Jays
US296 J.B. Shuck Chicago White Sox
US297 Wade Davis Kansas City Royals
US298 Rey Navarro Baltimore Orioles / Dusty Coleman Kansas City Royals Rookie Combos
US299 Mikie Mahtook Tampa Bay Rays Rookie
US300 Max Scherzer Washington Nationals
US301 Carlos Villanueva St. Louis Cardinals
US302 Chris Sale Chicago White Sox
US303 Asher Wojciechowski Houston Astros Rookie
US304 Johnny Cueto Kansas City Royals
US305 Ryan Tepera Toronto Blue Jays Rookie
US306 Vidal Nuno Seattle Mariners
US307 Hector Santiago Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US308 Joey Butler Tampa Bay Rays
US309 Howie Kendrick Los Angeles Dodgers
US310 Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers
US311 Carlos Martinez St. Louis Cardinals
US312 Scott Oberg Colorado Rockies / Deolis Guerra Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie Combos
US313 Jose Urena Miami Marlins Rookie
US314 Rafael Betancourt Colorado Rockies
US315 Kyle Kendrick Colorado Rockies
US316 Tyler Clippard New York Mets
US317 Luis Sardinas Milwaukee Brewers
US318 Phillippe Aumont Philadelphia Phillies
US319 Will Harris Houston Astros Future Star
US320 Josh Donaldson Toronto Blue Jays
US321 Chris Heston San Francisco Giants Rookie
US322 Mat Latos Los Angeles Dodgers
US323 Joc Pederson Los Angeles Dodgers
US324 Carlos Rodon Chicago White Sox Rookie
US325 Matt Kemp San Diego Padres
US326 Jonathan Herrera Chicago Cubs
US327 Ryan Webb Cleveland Indians
US328 Brandon Morrow San Diego Padres
US329 J.D. Martinez Detroit Tigers
US330 Nate Karns Tampa Bay Rays
US331 Orlando Calixte Kansas City Royals Rookie
US332 Matt Boyd Detroit Tigers Rookie
US333 Mark Reynolds St. Louis Cardinals
US334 Clint Barmes San Diego Padres
US335 Norichika Aoki San Francisco Giants
US336 Mark Teixeira New York Yankees
US337 Martin Prado Miami Marlins
US338 Pete Kozma St. Louis Cardinals
US339 Jose Alvarez Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US340 Fernando Salas Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US341 Eddie Rosario Minnesota Twins Rookie
US342 Todd Frazier Cincinnati Reds
US343 A.J. Burnett Pittsburgh Pirates
US344 Aramis Ramirez Pittsburgh Pirates
US345 Blaine Boyer Minnesota Twins
US346 Brandon Crawford San Francisco Giants
US347 Joe Blanton Pittsburgh Pirates
US348 Jonathan Broxton St. Louis Cardinals
US349 DJ LeMahieu Colorado Rockies
US350 Didi Gregorius New York Yankees
US351 Mike Fiers Houston Astros
US352 Jose Reyes Colorado Rockies
US353 Michael Wacha St. Louis Cardinals
US354 Brandon Finnegan Cincinnati Reds Rookie
US355 Gerrit Cole Pittsburgh Pirates
US356 Miguel Montero Chicago Cubs
US357 Joe Panik San Francisco Giants
US358 Nolan Arenado Colorado Rockies
US359 Enrique Burgos Arizona Diamondbacks / Oscar Hernandez Arizona Diamondbacks Rookie Combos
US360 Joc Pederson Los Angeles Dodgers
US361 LaTroy Hawkins Toronto Blue Jays
US362 Rick Porcello Boston Red Sox
US363 Chasen Shreve New York Yankees
US364 Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US365 J.P. Howell Los Angeles Dodgers
US366 Kelly Johnson New York Mets
US367 Frank Garces San Diego Padres Rookie
US368 Aroldis Chapman Cincinnati Reds
US369 Cory Rasmus Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US370 Prince Fielder Texas Rangers
US371 Carson Smith Seattle Mariners Rookie
US372 Alex Wood Los Angeles Dodgers
US373 Mitch Harris St. Louis Cardinals Rookie
US374 Tyler Moore Washington Nationals
US375 Mark Lowe Toronto Blue Jays
US376 Joc Pederson Los Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Dodgers Rookie Debut
US377 Taijuan Walker Seattle Mariners Future Star
US378 Devon Travis Toronto Blue Jays Rookie Debut
US379 Cameron Maybin Atlanta Braves
US380 Buster Posey San Francisco Giants
US381 Sergio Romo San Francisco Giants
US382 Dan Uggla Washington Nationals
US383 Nelson Cruz Seattle Mariners
US384 Melvin Upton Jr. San Diego Padres
US385 Collin Cowgill Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
US386 Alcides Escobar Kansas City Royals
US387 Jonny Gomes Atlanta Braves
US388 Kevin Pillar Toronto Blue Jays Future Star
US389 Seth Smith Seattle Mariners
US390 Donovan Solano Miami Marlins
US391 Clayton Richard Chicago Cubs
US392 Odrisamer Despaigne San Diego Padres Future Star
US393 Dan Haren Chicago Cubs
US394 Scott Kazmir Houston Astros
US395 Dexter Fowler Chicago Cubs
US396 Ichiro Miami Marlins
US397 Bryce Harper Washington Nationals
US398 J.T. Realmuto Miami Marlins
US399 Jace Peterson Atlanta Braves
US400 Logan Verrett New York Mets Rookie


Quick breakdown and some notes:

• 193 Veterans
• 74 Rookies with the Rookie Card Logo. This should not include the two pairs of Kris Bryant and Joc Pederson cards, which should be their Home Run Derby and All-Star Cards that were listed on the checklist as Rookie Cards
• 72 All-Stars. Each league had 38 players named to its respective All-Star teams in 2015 including injured players. Four players who were excluded were injured All-Stars Jose Bautista, Alex Gordon, Dee Gordon, and Giancarlo Stanton
• 14 Rookie Combo cards. Apparently, to fit an extra 28 players who qualify for rookie card status into this set, Topps is returning to the multiple-player cards.
• 13 Rookie Debut cards. Topps way of appeasing those of us (okay, me only) who want to bring back the Major League Debut set.
• 11 Future Stars. Those players who already have cards and will have the words Future Star above them
• 10 Veteran Combos/Team cards. This year's subjects include the Pirates, Giants, Padres, Cubs, Astros, Blue Jays, Mets, Royals, Angels, and Red Sox
• 8 Home Run Derby cards, featuring the eight players who participated in this year's Derby
• 5 Highlight cards/checklists (which were not listed in the checklist, but that should be the number.

Oh, yes. Check who gets card #396...ICHIRO!!!

Now on to the insert sets. There are seven regular insert sets appearing in Update Series. One will conclude the year-long series that were included in both Series 1 and Series 2 (Highlight of the Year). The other six are unique to this year's Update set. And of course, get ready to visit your local big box store for a couple of retail-exclusive inserts. Now, as usual, I'm only listing the regular insert cards. If you want to see the lists of autograph, relic, auto-relic, manufactured relic, and other cards, click here:

HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR
H-61 Babe Ruth New York Yankees
H-62 Lou Gehrig New York Yankees
H-63 Babe Ruth Boston Braves
H-64 Joe DiMaggio New York Yankees
H-65 Bob Feller Cleveland Indians
H-66 Ted Williams Boston Red Sox
H-67 Red Schoendienst St. Louis Cardinals
H-68 Bob Lemon Cleveland Indians
H-69 Hank Aaron Milwaukee Braves
H-70 Hoyt Wilhelm Baltimore Orioles
H-71 Sandy Koufax Los Angeles Dodgers
H-72 Tom Seaver New York Mets
H-73 Tom Seaver New York Mets
H-74 Harmon Killebrew Minnesota Twins
H-75 Willie Mays New York Mets
H-76 Hank Aaron Atlanta Braves
H-77 Reggie Jackson New York Yankees
H-78 Lou Brock St. Louis Cardinals
H-79 Dwight Gooden New York Mets
H-80 Fernando Valenzuela Los Angeles Dodgers
H-81 Robin Yount Milwaukee Brewers
H-82 Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle Mariners
H-83 Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers
H-84 Randy Johnson Arizona Diamondbacks
H-85 John Smoltz Atlanta Braves
H-86 David Ortiz Boston Red Sox
H-87 Ivan Rodriguez Detroit Tigers
H-88 Ubaldo Jimenez Colorado Rockies
H-89 Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals
H-90 Yasiel Puig Los Angeles Dodgers

ROOKIE SENSATIONS
RS-1 Hanley Ramirez Florida Marlins
RS-2 Ichiro Seattle Mariners
RS-3 Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
RS-4 Mike Piazza Los Angeles Dodgers
RS-5 Carlton Fisk Boston Red Sox
RS-6 Nomar Garciaparra Boston Red Sox
RS-7 Troy Tulowitzki Colorado Rockies
RS-8 Jose Fernandez Miami Marlins
RS-9 Jacob deGrom New York Mets
RS-10 Fernando Valenzuela Los Angeles Dodgers
RS-11 Dwight Gooden New York Mets
RS-12 Ted Williams Boston Red Sox
RS-13 Jeff Bagwell Houston Astros
RS-14 Jose Abreu Chicago White Sox
RS-15 Dustin Pedroia Boston Red Sox
RS-16 Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers
RS-17 Cal Ripken Jr. Baltimore Orioles
RS-18 Derek Jeter New York Yankees
RS-19 Neftali Feliz Texas Rangers
RS-20 Tom Seaver New York Mets
RS-21 Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals
RS-22 Bryce Harper Washington Nationals
RS-23 Buster Posey San Francisco Giants
RS-24 Livan Hernandez Florida Marlins
RS-25 Mark McGwire Oakland Athletics

RARITIES
R-1 Frank Robinson Baltimore Orioles
R-2 Shawn Green Los Angeles Dodgers
R-3 Daniel Nava Boston Red Sox
R-4 Ted Williams Boston Red Sox
R-5 Roberto Clemente Pittsburgh Pirates
R-6 Mariano Rivera New York Yankees
R-7 Anibal Sanchez Detroit Tigers
R-8 Mike Mussina Baltimore Orioles
R-9 George Brett Kansas City Royals
R-10 Rod Carew Minnesota Twins
R-11 Asdrubal Cabrera Cleveland Indians
R-12 Don Mattingly New York Yankees
R-13 Randy Johnson Arizona Diamondbacks
R-14 Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle Mariners
R-15 Billy Williams Chicago Cubs

WHATEVER WORKS
WW-1 Mark Teixeira New York Yankees
WW-2 Tim Lincecum San Francisco Giants
WW-3 Wade Boggs Boston Red Sox
WW-4 Nomar Garciaparra Boston Red Sox
WW-5 Craig Biggio Houston Astros
WW-6 Max Scherzer Washington Nationals
WW-7 Joe DiMaggio New York Yankees
WW-8 Roger Clemens New York Yankees
WW-9 Richie Ashburn Philadelphia Phillies
WW-10 Jim Palmer Baltimore Orioles
WW-11 Mike Napoli Boston Red Sox
WW-12 Justin Verlander Detroit Tigers
WW-13 David Ortiz Boston Red Sox
WW-14 Chipper Jones Atlanta Braves
WW-15 Alex Gordon Kansas City Royals

TAPE MEASURE BLASTS
TMB-1 Jose Canseco Oakland Athletics
TMB-2 Andres Galarraga Colorado Rockies
TMB-3 Mark McGwire St. Louis Cardinals
TMB-4 Reggie Jackson Oakland Athletics
TMB-5 Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
TMB-6 Ryan Howard Philadelphia Phillies
TMB-7 Giancarlo Stanton Miami Marlins
TMB-8 Adam Dunn Arizona Diamondbacks
TMB-9 Bo Jackson Kansas City Royals
TMB-10 David Ortiz Boston Red Sox
TMB-11 Mark McGwire Oakland Athletics
TMB-12 Roberto Clemente Pittsburgh Pirates
TMB-13 Albert Pujols St. Louis Cardinals
TMB-14 Ted Williams Boston Red Sox
TMB-15 Josh Gibson

MLB ALL STAR GAME ACCESS
MLB-1 Mike Trout Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
MLB-2 Albert Pujols Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
MLB-3 Brock Holt Boston Red Sox
MLB-4 Yadier Molina St. Louis Cardinals
MLB-5 Madison Bumgarner San Francisco Giants
MLB-6 Joc Pederson Los Angeles Dodgers Rookie
MLB-7 Joe Panik San Francisco Giants
MLB-8 Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs Rookie
MLB-9 Jacob deGrom New York Mets
MLB-10 Adam Jones Baltimore Orioles
MLB-11 Manny Machado Baltimore Orioles
MLB-12 Zack Greinke Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB-13 Andrew McCutchen Pittsburgh Pirates
MLB-14 Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs
MLB-15 Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB-16 Sonny Gray Oakland Athletics
MLB-17 Prince Fielder Texas Rangers
MLB-18 Max Scherzer Washington Nationals
MLB-19 Todd Frazier Cincinnati Reds
MLB-20 Lorenzo Cain Kansas City Royals
MLB-21 Alcides Escobar Kansas City Royals
MLB-22 Nelson Cruz Seattle Mariners
MLB-23 Jose Altuve Houston Astors
MLB-24 Josh Donaldson Toronto Blue Jays
MLB-25 Bryce Harper Washington Nationals

PRIDE AND PERSEVERANCE
PP-1 Buddy Carlyle New York Mets
PP-2 Curtis Pride Detroit Tigers
PP-3 George Springer Houston Astros
PP-4 Jake Peavy San Francisco Giants
PP-5 Jason Johnson Baltimore Orioles
PP-6 Jim Abbott California Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
PP-7 Jim Eisenreich Philadelphia Phillies
PP-8 Jon Lester Chicago Cubs
PP-9 Pete Wyshner Gray St. Louis Browns
PP-10 Sam Fuld Oakland Athletics
PP-11 William Hoy Washington Senators
PP-12 Anthony Rizzo Chicago Cubs

FIRST HOME RUN (RETAIL EXCLUSIVE)
FHR-1 Ernie Banks Chicago Cubs
FHR-2 Brandon Belt San Francisco Giants
FHR-3 Adrian Beltre Los Angeles Dodgers
FHR-4 Craig Biggio Houston Astros
FHR-5 Wade Boggs Boston Red Sox
FHR-6 Kole Calhoun Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
FHR-7 Roberto Clemente Pittsburgh Pirates
FHR-8 Jacoby Ellsbury Boston Red Sox
FHR-9 Edwin Encarnacion Cincinnati Reds
FHR-10 Nomar Garciaparra Boston Red Sox
FHR-11 Carlos Gomez New York Mets
FHR-12 Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle Mariners
FHR-13 Jonathan Lucroy Milwaukee Brewers
FHR-14 Starling Marte Pittsburgh Pirates
FHR-15 Edgar Martinez Seattle Mariners
FHR-16 Willie Mays New York Giants
FHR-17 Devin Mesoraco Cincinnati Reds
FHR-18 Paul O'Neill Cincinnati Reds
FHR-19 Brandon Phillips Cleveland Indians
FHR-20 Dalton Pompey Toronto Blue Jays
FHR-21 Hanley Ramirez Florida Marlins
FHR-22 Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers
FHR-23 Ryne Sandberg Chicago Cubs
FHR-24 Mike Schmidt Philadelphia Phillies
FHR-25 Mark Teixeira Texas Rangers
FHR-26 Kennys Vargas Minnesota Twins
FHR-27 Kolten Wong St. Louis Cardinals
FHR-28 Mike Zunino Seattle Mariners
FHR-29 Ichiro Seattle Mariners
FHR-30 Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs

The one insert set that grabbed my attention is called "Pride and Perseverance." The subjects include players who did not let disabilities, diseases, or being Deaf get in the way of pursuing the major league dreams. I am especially excited not only to add my Curtis Pride collection, but I am looking forward to add a card of a guy that many in the Deaf community should be in the Hall of Fame, William Ellsworth "Dummy" Hoy, to my collection.

There will be short-prints, and super-short print cards added to the mix, much to the dismay of a certain Twitter former-card blogger. One that should make his blood pressure rise is one that replaces the card of Philippe Aumont (#US318):

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's a Squirrel card!!!

The product is due to arrive next Wednesday, on October 21. But as you can plainly see, some retailers already have put the product onto the shelves. One group of short-printed cards that looks to be retail exclusive are the throwback cards with players in throwback uniforms. I did pictures of cards of other players similar to the Bryant card. Supposedly, the card numbers are the same as their base card in the set but have the words "Update Series" above the card number instead of "Series One" or "Series Two."

There are also the sparkle variations, the rainbow of color parallels, and the return of the Sabermetric Stat cards (if you get one, and want to know what some of the stats mean, click here.)

I'm going to see if some of the stores in my area managed to get these cards on the shelves. I doubt it, but you never know. It'll keep me distracted while my nerves go on edge during tonight's NLCS. The Cubs may have swept the Mets during all 7 games in the regular season, but that was before the Mets' pitching staff figured themselves out and that was before Yoenis Cespedes showed up. Keeping my fingers crossed. The Cubs should win at least one game in NY. Hoping for two. Go Cubs!!!

And, oh yes, let the hunt continue. Good luck.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama