One Does Not Simply Make a Kris Bryant Rookie Card...

There. I made a Kris Bryant custom. That's gotta please somebody, right?

I might as well take this opportunity to address something serious, because thanks to college I haven't had a shit ton of time to actually address card industry issues.

So I'm going to. And it involves Kris Bryant.

In 2010, when Stephen Strasburg made his debut, Topps engineered a wild goose chase of trying to get his rookie card, culminating in "breaking their own transmogrifyer" (tm dayf), and adding a 661st cart to the base set (you know, before they had to leave #7 empty).

In 2012, when Bryce Harper made his debut, Topps made just as big a deal about him, ultra SPing all of his rookie cards, and giving the same #661 treatment they gave to Strasburg. And then promptly made SP'd rookie cards of Harper in LITERALLY EVERY OTHER PRODUCT THEY RELEASED THAT YEAR. EVEN ARCHIVES.

So, three years later, on the heels of the debut of ANOTHER rookie superstar, Topps prepared a full game plan that they were preparing for the day that Kris Bryant debuted, which was last friday, detailing everything they were gonna do, including adding Bryant to Series 2, gimmicking him into Bowman, and a bunch of other things that I clearly do not remember right now. They didn't say whether Bryant's series 2 release would be the tacked on #662, like Strasburg and Harper, but knowing Topps, it'll probably end up like that.

I just want to point out the BIG ROOKIE SUPERSTAR prior to Strasburg didn't get up-played as much as the next three did. His name, for any of you who remember, was Daisuke Matsuzaka. And he got a card in the 2007 base set, and that was it. In fact, there was still a card #661 in 2007 Topps, but that's because Topps couldn't simply just make an ordinary card of the guy that was about to break Hank Aaron's record.

Now, the BIG ROOKIE SUPERSTAR before that? Yeah, his rookie was gimmicked so hard that people couldn't complete the 2006 base set. (For anyone who doesn't know, that was Alex Gordon, and his rookie card was SSP'd for Series 2, infuriating literally every collector in the biz). But other than that, there aren't a ton of short-printing of HUGE rookies before that. Upper Deck or Donruss would do the thing in their premium sets where they'd short-print the rookies, but that's not the same thing- Topps would put ONE rookie on such a pedestal that it'd be impossible to find their cards.

So...back to Kris Bryant.

I want to think that Topps has learned something. Thanks to the emergence of Panini, Topps has gone back to putting out quality sets, like Stadium Club, High Tek, and 2015 Topps, and Heritage. Hell, even Gypsy Queen looks pretty nice this year. So I really don't want them to immediately snap back to their old tricks with this Kris Bryant thing. He's a big rookie, yeah we know, but we want to FIND his cards, so we can hang onto them in the event that he gets good. That's how our folks did it in the past. THIS is just making it harder for everyone, and leaving the company with most of the big rookie cards, which is not how this is supposed to work.

I hope we eventually get some more details on what they're doing with Bryant in Series 2, because I'd actually like a copy of his card, without having to try too hard.

(By the way, I wanna get back to more 'issue' posts like this one. If I can, I'm gonna try to get 1 issue post and 1 'custom' post per day, possibly more than one custom, because I just made a TON last night. Hopefully you're gonna see a lot of content on the blog this month.)

Custom Card of the Day: Molina Edition

I am just full of great shots this season. This is another killer one.

I still think Yadier Molina is the best catcher in the NL. Buster Posey and Jonathan Lucroy come very, very close, but even after his injury-laden season last year, I still think Molina comes out on top. The guy was a wonderful catcher when I started collecting in 2007, and he hasn't once stopped performing to the best of his ability.

He's so good that even as a noted hater of the Cardinals, I don't hate him. I save most of my hatred for Matt Carpenter these days. Molina actually warrants a lot of respect, because he's definitely getting up there, and he's still catching most of the week, and doing pretty damn well at it, too.

I have no idea what the Cardinals are going to do this seas-oh, yeah, I do. They're gonna have a quiet summer, and then get really good towards the end, make it to the playoffs and narrowly miss the World Series. That's what they do every damn year. Even if they have a slightly depleted squad this year, they're probably still gonna make the playoffs, though the Cubs and Pirates are gonna make it close.

Coming Tomorrow- A sweet throwback of a newly relocated slugger.

Custom Card of the Day: Beckham Edition

(First of all, I adore this shot)

Well, glad to finally see this guy in an MLB uniform. I was worried for a second back there, that he'd be a bust, but turns out he's finally getting some MLB play, thanks to the departure of Ben Zobrist, who I kind of thought would never leave.

For anyone who doesn't know Tim Beckham's deal, he was drafted #1 overall in 2008, and promptly stayed in the minors for the next six years. He just never had the right amount of stuff to make it, and toiled around in single-A or whatever, until he suddenly had a nice hitting streak a few years ago. Since then he's been on a mission to make it to the show, and now he's finally there, albeit in a bit of a down season for the Rays, without Zobrist or Price, or possibly Longoria (thanks for an injury).

I feel like Beckham has enough talent, now, to make a real impact this season. I dunno if he'll be the absolute best rookie this year, but he's gonna have some nice stuff, I think, even if the Rays end up in last.

Coming Tonight (?)- I dislike this team, but I can respect their catcher. Who doesn't?

Custom Card of the Nighy: Chutley Edition

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am. This season, I'm experiencing the Yankees without Derek Jeter. But, for as far back as I can remember, I can barely recall a Philadelphia Phillies team without Chase Utley. I mean, Polanco was juuuust finishing up at 2nd when I got into baseball. So...still.

Chase Utley has had one or two injury-plagued seasons, but every other year he's been wonderful, and is still getting All Star nods, even as he rounds the last leg of his career. I'm really glad that he's stuck around, because Ryan Howard is not the star he was, and Jimmy Rollins is in LA now, so at least Utley can still be the ever-present star player that he was.

It's a little tougher this season, because this is a depleted Phillies squad, employing former household names like Grady Sizemore and Jeff Francouer, and relying on only a few bats. It's not looking like a clinch is gonna happen this season, but on the plus side there are individual performances to look forward to, like Ben Revere, Cole Hamels, and yeah, even Chase Utley.

Even though people won't be watching Phillies games for the promise, maybe they'll watch it for Chase Utley.

Coming Tomorrow- This guy was a former #1 pick who everyone thought was a bust...until he finally made his way up the system...this year.

Custom Card of the Day: Santana Edition

First of all, I know that's not necessarily the right position. I know he plays third, but for the sake of this custom, he's a first baseman.

i've always had a lot of respect for the Indians, even though the last few years the team's been a little inconsistent. I feel like adding players like Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn wasn't the greatest idea, because their homegrown (or...home-traded) players have really become great. I know that Brantley and Santana were netted in trades, but they're still significant pieces.

Carlos Santana has become one of the more powerful hitters on the team, right after switching from catcher to first baseman. I think the move may have helped him, because it paved the way for someone like Yan Gomes to fill (and get injured), so that Santana could spend more time hitting. This is why Victor Martinez, the last really good catcher to play for the Indians, is a DH now- he wanted to hone his batting skills rather than his defense.

I don't know if the Indians are going to be too great this year, because the Royals and Tigers look like they're gonna dominate. But I think Santana will at least get some good hits in.

Coming Tomorrow- When you're shortstop leaves for LA, and your first baseman...stops being awesome...it's nice to know your second baseman is still one of the best in baseball.

Custom Card of the Day: Panik Edition

(See what you can do with atmosphere if you just tilt the shot sideways a tad?)

Marco Scutaro came to the Giants a journeyman, a backup, a utility guy with no real purpose or settlement. He ended up staying for a two and a half seasons, being relied upon as a veteran and as an expert. Unfortunately, by the time 2014 rolled around, he'd had injuries and wasn't as reliable as he was when he joined the team. So, sadly, Scutaro was released before the season.

And he was released because the Giants did not panic, and got a backup. An appropriately named backup, named Joe Panik.

In his rookie season, Panik made a case for a permanent starter-ship in San Francisco, by having a great defensive season, getting in a lot of hits, and getting himself a lot of fans. By the end of the season, the fans didn't especially miss Scutaro, and they really enjoyed what Panik was giving to the game.

Panik does have a lot of pressure to succeed, especially considering that history has proven the Giants don't do especially well in odd-numbered years. I imagine he's gonna stay relevant, if he stays healthy. Him, Crawford and Belt are a great combo, and McGehee is warming up, I think.

Coming Tonight (?)- You know, a funny thing happens when all of the huge bats on your team leave or get injured...the responsibility falls on you. So, you can just move to third base to take less time on defense, and start mashing the hell out of the ball.

Custom Card of the Day: Altuve Edition

When the Astros swapped over the AL a few years ago, they had basically nothing. Their only good pitcher would be in Baltimore by the end of the season. Their DH was past his prime. Their shortstop would be in Oakland eventually. Their manager was far from spotless.

The only threat they had was Jose Altuve...which, as people are now beginning to realize, is a pretty big threat.

In 2014, Altuve topped the hits list, the Batting Average list, and became one of the best defensive infielders in the game, behind Robinson Cano. And slowly, people began to veer their eyes towards Houston like they hadn't since the 2005 season. There was actually some growth, some progress, SOMETHING, going on there, and Jose Altuve was the catalyst.

Now, like the Marlins with Stanton, the Astros have built their roster around Jose Altuve. Chris Carter, George Springer, even a returning Jed Lowrie. And, while it may not have any short-term consequences, this team could be very big in a few years, if their talent sticks around. Altuve could be the kind of person the Astros need to lock up, if they haven't already.

I'm expecting Altuve to have another huge season, even if the Astros end up in fourth or fifth again.

Coming Tomorrow- It's an odd numbered year, which usually means the Giants aren't going to do as well as they would in an even numbered year, but above all else, they should not panic. And neither should their second baseman.