2015 Topps Update: Box Break & Review: Part One

Boo.

Figured I'd treat myself, because the product looks so good this year, because the rookies are overflowing, and because the World Series is going on. I'm in the mood for Update. So I got a Hobby Box.

Yay for me.

I don't need to obsess about a Kris Bryant rookie, because that's in the main set, and I'm getting the factory set anyway because...I do that.

Let's dive into the box. 36 packs, 10 cards a pop. I'll be doing 12 packs per post.

 Pack 1- Initial reaction- man, maybe it's because it's recent, but there are a TON of players I collect in this set.

 This was a card I'd been waiting a couple years to pull, a bonafide Topps rookie of Slade Heathcott, who had some nice time in CF this season before getting injured.

My inserts- a Billy Burns #'d to 2015, which is actually pretty nice, and a Jim Abbott Pride & Perseverance one, which is a pretty great set, and I love that it does this.

 Sideways cards- a Joakim Soria, which is sad, because he was used for a setup man role there.
Addison Russell's Rookie Debut card, which is pretty nice.

 The main events. Craig Kimbrel, who had another outstanding season, this time in San Diego, and Francisco Lindor, who's gonna be getting a ton of ROY votes.

 Pack 2- You'll see our first buyback, and like most of them, it's very out-of-place in a Topps product.

 AL West guys. Joyce had a nice season. Fielder had a nicer one.

 Barnhart's is a nice shot, but I took this mostly for Betances' 2nd ASG nod.

 My 1st buyback of the box is a '78 Topps Jim Kern. Still slightly edges out a JT Realmuto card for the pack highlight.

 Pack 3- Lots going on here.

 I need to point out how awesome this shot is, even if Zeqe isn't the biggest deal in Toronto.

 Two rookie-esque things. Drizzy, which I'm hoping people call him, had a subpar sophomore season, while Delino got off to a huge start in Arlington.

 Rookie of Daniel Norris, who's reportedly going through cancer treatment. Pretty fitting, though, as he lands in the same pack as...

 ...the guy he was traded for, David Price, with a pretty nice shot, next to one of Justin Upton. It just occurred to me that the Upton doesn't have an ASG logo on it. Is that normal?

 Our Gold Parallel here is a huge one, of Dallas Keuchel, one of the toughest pitchers in the AL, and a serious contender for the Cy.

 Pack 4- A bit more color in here.

 Two guys that were, thankfully, not part of the meaningless Arizona-Seattle trade that landed Mark Trumbo with the M's. Both guys here did pretty well this year.

 I love this card. I do wish Burnett would have gotten a solo card for his sole ASG appearance, but it's still a pretty nice one.

 A card of Nolan Arenado, and a Whatever Works insert of current World Series hero Alex Gordon.

 Another really nice gold parallel, of Jhonny Peralta getting a half-hug from Albert Pujols.

 Pack 5- I forgot how sideways-driven Update can tend to be.

 Two ASG stars. Frazier, who had a great midseason, and Yasmani Grandal, who went against expectations by doing really well this season.

 An insert of Willie Mays as a Met. Don't see that everyday.

 A Rookie Debut card of a pitcher in a batting helmet. Don't see that everyday either.
(Sidenote- I do love Matz.)

 A card of Miguel Montero as a Cub, and our first dual-rookie card of the break. Not 100% sold on these, because I could have had a singular rookie card for Cody Anderson, but...they could grow on me.

 Two guys whose bats came alive this year, yet you all probably heard more about the dude on the right.

 Two more 2015 standouts. I do love having a card of Johnny Cueto as a Royal.

 Dave LaRoche is our second buyback of the box, and it's a '74, which is pretty nice.

 Pack 6- You can smell the steroids from here.

 I really like this shot, especially how zoomed back it is. Not too familiar with Perez, but this shot is pretty cool.

 Here we have a former Philadelphia Phillie, and a...future former Philadelphia Phillie.
Man, reminds me how we never should have gotten rid of Vance...because now we have to have people like Harang pitch for us.

 One of the many Kris Bryants in this set.

 Two shitty inserts. I mean, Whatever Works is a cool idea, but screw Clemens.

 Pack highlight by far. Hopefully he turns things around next season.

 Pack 7- A bit more insert-age

 I love both these cards, especially Gallo. You can barely see his face.

 This guy had become a really good arm for the M's.

 This guy, meanwhile, has become a horse's ass.

 Two relatively cool inserts, especially the Bagwell. The Pujols is a nice idea, but has been done before.

 Pack 8- Man, not everyday you pull a Red Schoendienst card out of modern Topps, eh?

 Mainly shot this for the Colabello. That guy had a great season this year.

 FRENCHY!!
And Jacob DeGrom, who has become the ace in Queens, and is making this series pretty tough.

 The Pujols has a shiny-ish tone to it.
That's...about it.

 Pack 9- Attack of the horizontals

 Two EXCELLENT cards, especially the Geovany Soto. The Rasmus is great, too, because you get to see that hair in action.

 Two well-publicized comebacks from this year. Especially the fellow on the right.

 I adore both of these people. They both hit tons of homers for my team.

 Pack 10- I love that this Update set is still keeping this design fresh, which reminds me how much I adore this design.

 Buddy Carlyle, a middle reliever, went through cancer treatments while he was playing, and it led to this P&P card.

 I saw Velasquez' rookie debut in Chicago. He's...not bad, per se...

 I do like Gray's ASG card, because it's got a lot of people in there.

 Two guys who had great seasons in new uniforms. Very, very cool.

 AAAADDDRIIIIANNNNN
Also, a really nice insert of Bob Feller.

 Pack 11- Very nice range of photography

 A fantastic Cardinals ASG card, and two promising young Yankees.

 Wonderful card of MadBum. Still one of the best pitchers in the game.

 Paulo Orlando rookie, which is pretty nice. Also, a Gold Parallel of Will Harris.

 My Rookie Sensation is of Nomar Garciaparra...man, that's all he is to Topps, isn't he?

 Pack 12- Yeah, you see some really good stuff in this pack.

 Two tough arms. Melancon had an awesome season with a ton of saves. Latos wasn't included in the Dodgers' playoff bid.

 Two fantastic cards. Nice group shot with Rosenthal. And a great autograph shot with Correa. So crisp this year.

 Sam Fuld's P&P card is great, but ICHIRO is the main event. This is his first Topps card since 2012, and it is a WELCOME return. It looks pretty great, too.

Our insert here is yet another Jackie Robinson.

So far, stellar product, great results. I'll post the next part sometime in the next day or so.