Absolutely Sharp Relic

 

In my last post I mentioned blaster boxes and packs starting to pop up online and in some cases in person near me. My family snagged some cards for me off the Target app for Father's day and I added a bit more to my stack to open with my 4 year old son, who legitimately enjoys opening packs and showing me the cards he opens. Obviously I enjoy it as well and am excited that packs are starting to become available again. In this case, I saw 2021 Absolute Baseball sitting on the Target app, and initially passed it up, but a few days later when it showed up again I decided I would try it out, despite the lack of logos. I was intrigued mainly by the relic cards in this product as well as the variety of inserts. Overall it was great to be opening packs again, but I have some constructive criticism as well.

The base design is fine. There's a very apparent lack of variety in color on the base cards in this product. Lots and lots of blue and red and a few cards with black, orange and yellow. Without logos, this really sticks out. I'll stick with, this design for the base cards is... OK. 

I'm glad to add a Freeman card to my collection. First of 2021 and only 2nd since 2017. I've got a lot to catch up on, even just with Freeman base from the past several years. I pulled multiple Ripken cards in this box and I'm pleased with that too. My son knows who Babe Ruth is from a children's book, so it was cool to show him that card.

I think the backs of the base cards actually work pretty well. Same image of the player on the back as on the front. I usually prefer more stats on the back of cards, but the design here works.

The rest of the post I'm going to share all of the insert designs I opened in order of my least favorite to favorite, and I'll end by talking about the relic card I pulled from my box. Let the insert countdown begin, and it was a variety in this box.

7. Rookie Class

These actually scan a bit better than they look in person. It's hard for me to get past that big bare logo-less hat on the Casey Mize. And it's hard to tell in the scan but the Mize is a green parallel. Normally I'm all about parallels but the green parallels don't add anything to these cards, base or insert. I'm assuming Mize is the highest regarded of these four players. Bart is blocked by Posey and could possibly be in trade talks? Giants fans tell me if I'm wrong there. 

Pulling four of these from one box, was hoping for a Bobby Dalbec. Glad to swap for one if someone out there has one available.

6. Extreme Team

Not sure what is going on here, looks like a flame behind Lindor maybe? The background doesn't fit with the border, the colors just don't fit together here. New team for Lindor but what would a break be without a Lindor insert? When I open packs, I tend to pull Lindor.

5. Statistically Speaking

An insert set called 'Statistically Speaking' should have some kind of statistic on it, right? I actually like the design on this one. The black and white works with the red. I'd take off the 6 lines coming into the picture and then I'd really like the design. I admittedly did not know much about Ken Boyer and I now know he won MVP in 1964 with 119 RBI and was an 11x All-Star. The back does have these statistics and I guess that's where they come into play. Happy to send this card to a Cardinals collector who I am sure would appreciate an insert card of Mr. Boyer.

4. Prospects

If I had just opened the Franco I might have rated this higher. I like the simplicity of this Prospects insert set, and I like how the Rays uniform looks with the gray border. The Rutchman is a green parallel. I guess I'm giving into the hype train and putting this #4 because I opened a card of Wander. You know what, I think I'm wrong on the order of this one.

3. Unsung Heroes 

Something about the Heroes text fading into the background just works. The green parallel on the Goldschmidt doesn't work. The A's are a team I never have a problem with, just a classic baseball brand that I'm generally happy to see do well.

2. Power

I'm a fan of cards with lightning. It makes me think of the Thunder and Lightning basketball inserts from the 90s. Easy decision to put this here in the rankings. If I'd pulled Devers it would be easy #1 for me. I'll be adding that one to the want list right away. The Killebrew is a green parallel and it honestly takes away from the look of the card. It's again nearly impossible to tell in the scan.

I can get behind this card back, as well. Can almost hear the crack of the bat.

1. Icons

No other choice when I pull Cal and Griffey. The Cal is a keeper for sure and I'm betting someone out there would enjoy having the Griffey showing his classic swing. The George Brett is also a fine card. These three also wear the lack of logos very well. 

One thing I'll say for Absolute blasters - if you enjoy inserts, you'll get a bunch. 

And one of the reasons I opened a blaster, a chance at a nice looking relic, and the box did not disappoint there. 15 inserts, 1 relic, 5 green base parallels out of 40 cards in the blaster.

This card is thick, and it looks sharp. Three jersey swatches, a nice color schema and a solid player in Dustin May. Can't complain about this one. 

Glad to be able to open some packs again. What have you opened recently and where did you get it? 

And to those of you going to The National, have fun and stay safe!

Christmas in July

Like many collectors recently, I haven't purchased retail in quite some time. Even pre-covid, I usually ended up picking up a rack pack of whatever product I wanted to sample. But I guess not being able to find boxes made me want to open a box that much more.  

Prior to snagging a 2020 Wal-Mart Holiday retail box on the Wal-Mart app a few weeks ago, I hadn't opened a box of any kind in years. My oldest son is to the age now where he knows daddy enjoys baseball cards and he gets excited to open them with me. He also loves any holiday, and most of all Christmas. I knew he'd enjoy seeing the garland and snowflakes that come on every card from the Wal-Mart holiday release. 

I pulled the trigger on this box because it was one of the first affordable ones I'd seen online, and 10 packs, 10 cards per pack seemed like a pretty good value. Let's dig into the highlights from the box.

First up is the ornament which was not in a pack. Was hoping for Betts, but Soto is a good one too. I think I'll let my son hang this one on the tree in his room this December.

Here are some of the highlights for me from the base cards. The Freeman meets a player collection need, and I appreciate the expression here for Mallex Smith, a name I recognize as a former Brave. And as popular as Ohtani is right now, I'm happy to pull any card of his.

This Jackie Bradley Jr. card is a good start towards my former Greenville Drive list.  

Here's my favorite action shot from the box. Heck of an effort regardless of whether that ball gets caught.

Here's my favorite rookie card from the bunch. For some reason the colors on this one and that jersey look great. 

Out of 10 packs I opened 5 of the Metallic parallels. The Vlad Jr. was the best of the group. Here's a full list in case anyone is collecting them:

Corey Seager HW64, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. HW49, Ryan Zimmerman 126, Jake Arrieta HW144, Kyle Seager HW153

I opened two SPs, and let me tell you, I had to consult with an online checklist to spot these in my stack of cards. The ornaments, scarves, and skates in the case of the Arenado are easy to miss when you're opening packs.

And lastly, the relic I received from my box. Molina is one of those guys I feel like I always pull some special card of. Lindor is another guy. I've already picked up the Chavis from this set after opening the box. Why not, let's share it while we're looking at Holiday cards.

Hopefully this isn't the start of a string of 'didn't pull what I wanted, so let's grab it off eBay' kind of decisions. 

Oh, one other note- out of 100 cards in my box, 11 were Dodgers. Pretty crazy. 

Former Greenville Drive players? 3 - Jackie Bradley Jr, Yoan Moncada, and Anthony Rizzo. Moncada and Rizzo aren't guys I'm really chasing, but it's fun to see how many players I find.

To everyone out there, hope you are having a happy and healthy July.

Favorite Pack I've Opened This Year

I don't mind the Donruss brand in recent years. In fact I've enjoyed opening packs of it with the good number of inserts in the larger retail 'value' packs. I'd seen good things from Optic breaks this year and wanted to get my hands on some. I opened a 16 card pack the other day and it was the best pack I've opened so far in 2017.

Here are the best of the base cards, of which there were six. Anytime I pull cards of my main player collection guys, I'm happy. Glad to add the Freeman to my collection. I liked the Donruss design this year and I like the shiny version from Optic even more.

Here are the non-Prizm (refractor) inserts. Mancini and Bregman are both having solid rookie seasons. Excited to pull multiple Braves in the same pack, and getting to see Albies with the big-league club in recent weeks has me excited for the future of the Braves.

Each of the 16 card packs have four Purple Prizm cards in them. The first for me was the guy on the pack, Mickey Mantle. It's not every day that you pull a Mantle. The regular Diamond Kings are less exciting but Kluber sure is making a run for AL Cy Young.

Here's the lone regular Prizm. I had to look up Paulino. He's started 6 games for the Astros this season but is currently suspended for a positive test for a banned substance.

The rest of the purple prizes from the pack. Hard to argue with Prizms of Gwynn and Trout, and I'm pleased to add to my small Benintendi collection.

Keeping the Freeman and Benintendi, but the rest are up for grabs. Looking to trade for other Braves from this set and I'd also like to pick up cards of Mookie Betts and Rafael Devers from this set. This was a great pack that will probably lead me to going back and picking up a few more.

On a side note, I'm hoping to make it to my first card show in over 10 years on Saturday. Should be fairly small but I'm excited even if it is. I'll have a recap sometime next week, even if I strike out at the show and end up picking up another pack of Optic.

My First Look at Stadium Club

By now you've seen most if not all of these cards on other blogs, but who doesn't like recaps of pack/box breaks? Here's what I pulled from my 12 card pack of 2017 Stadium Club. Plus two inserts I picked up off ebay.

Some of my favorite vertical shots from the pack. Look at all those Ks behind Johnson. Looks like he was havinga good night here. Saying Lester has been a great pickup for the Cubs would be an understatement. Hard not to cheer for the guy. And lastly a bat toss from the rival Phillies.

Another Cub with a cool shot of Kendricks walking to the dugout. 

And my favorite photo from the pack, and one of the more memorable cards from the set, I would think.

I opened a Chrome parallel of Astros rookie Gurriel. He's having a nice season batting .295 with 13 home runs and he just picked up July AL rookie of the month honors.

And one of the reasons for the Diamondbacks success this season. Wish the Braves had a consistent ace like Greinke. Maybe one of the prospects in the system will turn into one. Hard to believe Greinke is 33 years old.

For those who are interested, the full contents of the pack:

Randy Johnson 21

Michael Conforto 110

Jon Lester 120

Kyle Hendricks 123

Luis Severino 128

Kenta Maeda 164

Max Scherzer 214

Odubel Herrera 216

Martin Prado 276

Jon Gray 290

Yulieski Gurriel SCC-51

Zack Greinke SS-ZG

These two inserts were actually the first two 2017 Stadium Club cards added to my collection. Big fan of the Beam Team insert set over the years, and glad that the Braves are represented. 

The Red Sox are on an eight game winning streak and Betts is always a big contributor both at the plate and in the field.

Dodger-centric Stack from the Night Owl

After Greg, aka the 'Night Owl' lost his want list (tragic) and worked on recreating it starting with 2017, I figured this was an opportunity to send out a handful of recent cards that might make it there before others beat me to it. A few days ago I found a package in my mailbox with the note below.

By the way, a handwritten note is appreciated in any circumstance. And yes, these cards put a dent in several areas of my want list.

While a good number of the cards in this stack were Dodgers, I'm going to start by sharing the non-Dodgers. A trio of Braves Heritage cards means I'm about halfway through collecting the team set for 2017. Vizcaino is having a strong season in relief so far. Jace Peterson went down to AAA for a little while but is back with the big-league club after straightening some things out. Wisler's spent most of his season in AAA but has appeared in seven games for Atlanta.

A program is a neat idea for an insert, and I appreciate Teheran appearing in an insert set, regardless of design. I couldn't have imagined Kemp playing as well as he has since coming over from the Padres. He's become one of my favorite Braves.

So much Green on this Freeman from Opening Day. Even one of few doubles for me was still a need, as one goes towards the team set while the other goes in the Freeman player collection.

And the last of the Braves cards I'll share... You'd think a Braves fan and collector would have cards from the early 90s of stars like Glavine already in my collection. But I wasn't collecting baseball cards at this time. Until I started this blog, basketball cards were my main collecting interest. I'm playing some major catch-up and I'm glad to add this Glavine to my binder.

Now we move into the Dodger part of the package. Three Kershaws, all from 2011 Topps products. Opening Day, Series 1, and Update series are all represented. They also instantly become the oldest Kershaws in my collection, a product of getting into baseball card collecting in 2014. Kershaw may be the best pitcher in the game, but his teammate, former Brave Alex Wood, surprisingly has a lower ERA so far this season. I'm sure the Night Owl is pleased with that development.

Sharp design on this 2013 Bowman Kershaw. I prefer this one to designs of the last several years. The Topps 72 mini is from 2013 as well and is the second mini Kershaw in my collection. Would be a fun set to put together.

I was so excited to see Cesar Izturis as the most represented player in this stack. I have around 20 or so cards of Izturis, a key player on Dodger teams from 2003-2005. He won a gold glove in 2004 and made the only All-Star game of his career in 2005. Unfortunately that season was cut short by injuries in the second half.

One of my favorite memories is from going to a game at Dodger Stadium with my Dad in 2003 as part of a family trip out West. The Dodgers beat the Cardinals, with Rickey Henderson hitting a home run. When that happened the place just exploded. Really neat moment. Pujols, Jim Edmonds and Edgar Renteria all homered off Kaz Ishii, but the Dodgers prevailed 8-5. For several years after that I followed that group of Dodgers pretty closely, but the only one that's remained in my list of player collections is Izturis.

What happened to the Bowman Heritage brand? Did they run out of old sets to copy the design of? If so, who would oppose picking that up again starting with '89?

I'll wrap this up with the 7th Betts card added to my collection featuring this design. The one is the Holiday edition. Looks like there's a metallic snowflake parallel as well, because of course. 

Thanks Greg- really enjoyed going through the package. I'm glad to be a landing spot for duplicate Kershaw and Izturis cards!

Hitting the Gaps Part 1

Part of being a player and team collector is that as hard as you try to keep up with the latest releases, you fall behind, and in most cases WAY behind. I'm starting a series here called 'Hitting the Gaps', where I will share a collection of cards that fills in some gaps in a player or team collection of cards. The first covers a handful of Freddie Freeman cards from 2015 and 2016 that I'd missed to this point.

Sometimes the Topps base set cards are the ones that get overlooked. I didn't have a copy of 2015 Topps Freeman from Series 1 so I picked it up. Next to it is a Topps Chrome refractor version. I already had the base chrome version so all three of these are now sitting in a row in my player collection binder. The last card here is an insert from 2015 Allen & Ginter. The back of this one documents Freeman's MLB debut on September 1st, 2010.

What's interesting about this card is it not only hits on Freeman's debut but other notable MLB firsts on that day.

The 2016 Bowman's Best refractor scanned really well. Beautiful card. The plain Chrome versions of cards never scan very well, but at least Freeman shows up well here. I had the Bowman base version from the 2015 set, but now the Chrome version is sitting next to it in the binder. Topps Bunt was a product I was excited about but never saw any packs in stores. They might seem plain to some but I am a fan of these navy uniforms.

I had Opening Day, base Topps, and Topps Gold. Now I've got over half a page of this design with the Chrome base card and the Topps mini version to add to them. Still room for more parallels!

Great design on this 2015 Topps insert. Freddie is finally getting some help in the Braves lineup which started producing pretty well towards the end of last season. Freeman is still the heart of the order, though.

This Inspired Play insert pairs two of my all-time favorite first basemen on the same card. Add Klesko and we'd have the top three.

2017 Topps doesn't qualify as a gap yet, but it's just as satisfying to add it to the binder. My favorite insert set from 2017 Topps by far, and really the only one I was excited to see show up in my blaster box. 

I pretty much stick to base cards, inserts and affordable parallels as far as cards I go after for player collections, and while there's still plenty left to pick up from the last few years, this stack makes a good dent.