Previously on this rip, we found out both the box hits. One was pretty good, the other wasn't. Now, we explore the rest of the box, featuring amazing base cards and pretty good inserts.
Pack 9- Here were some of the plainer base cards in the pack, though that is kind of a stretch in this set.
Posey and Colome have some nice horizontal shots- I adore the Colome for the bit of pink highlighting him in the background. Archie Bradley and Dustin Pedroia have some more formulaic shots, but it's Stadium Club so they look cool.
Three New York legends. Gehrig's is a Gold Parallel, and is also a fantastic B/W card. Catfish's is pretty well made, well-filtered, and is a Catfish photo I haven't seen before. Plus, Whitey Ford's is one of the cooler, more impressive cards I've seen this year.
...Holy crap.
That is Evan Longoria, in a suit jacket, at the Topps offices, behind a card of Evan Longoria.
...that is one of the coolest things ever.
Even in comparison to some of the '90's shots, which I'm sure this is throwing back to, this is impressive, and well-made.
Pack 10- These four are dupes, but Reggie's is a gold parallel.
These ones I needed. Zach Lee is one of the stock rookies Topps keeps using for the Dodgers. Meanwhile, I ADORE that Adrian Gonzalez card- it looks like something I would use. And Carson Smith we've met already, but this is the base version of that card.
Best Card in the Pack honors goes to this really cool Black and White shot of Carl Yastrzemski. The pitcher AND UMP are in the shot, giving the photo a ton of depth, especially with the guys looking on in the front row.
Pack 11- Two AL West arms to start the pack off. Iwakuma's just happy not to be in LA this year.
Two fantastic celebration shots. Scherzer's, I assume, was taken after the big man pitched a no-hitter at home- this also counts as an excellent Night Card (HINT HINT).
DeShields' is a nice one too, capturing the water at the right moment, though this does remind me of Joey Gallo's rookie debut subset last year, and the similar gatorade celebration on Guilder Rodriguez' SC issue last year. Which begs the question- do only the disappointing prospects get fluid-bathing shots? You don't see Rougned Odor being doused with anything on a Topps card. That's cause HE...MADE IT!
This Jung Ho Kang card, while beautiful and a great NIGHT CARD, is rather unfortunate due to the recent allegations.
Jeurys Familia's is a gold parallel, and a solid one at that.
As good as the Harmon Killebrew Senators card is, I have seen that photo before...in UD Masterpieces. Topps may have some explaining to do.
Also, Jose Abreu's is one of the more fun shots of the year, especially considering the array of facial expressions. Sidenote- at first glance, I thought Jose was carrying a baby.
Pack 12- Three excellent sideways shots. Buxton's looks like it missed the cut of Topps' Perspectives set, but Edwin and Ortiz' home run shots are worthy of mention.
Two Twins rookies. Kepler's batting practice shot is probably the cooler of the two.
A mid-2000's-esque shot of Todd Frazier, posed but still cool, as a White Sox.
Our two legends highlights- Nolan Ryan as an Angel, and an incredibly cool shot of him at that, along side a stadium-encompassing, high-publicity shot of Ozzie Smith, shot at the exact perfect moment. Also, Ozzie's is a gold parallel.
Pack 13- Grandy's focused, filtered batting practice shot is one of my faves, though Ender Inciarte's Memorial Day uniform is pretty cool too.
AL Central standouts- Kipnis works for a double play, while Chris Sale finishes his rotation and looks for the result.
Yankees stars. I love Gardy's- mid-air against the wall in Yankee stadium. The Sevvy RC is nice too, and will be nicer once he finds the strike zone again.
Our 2nd and last Beam Team insert of the box is one I definitely collect, Phillies star Aaron Nola. Nola's been slumping lately, but will probably find his heat again.
Also, Kole Calhoun's card is so cool, the walk from the locker room to the dugout- so much light, so much emotion. So much to love.
Pack 14- I have these three cards already, but all of them are cool enough to warrant being shown a second time.
Now onto guys I needed. Kazmir's is the coolest of the three, and a Spring Training shot too, but Forsythe's double play shot, and Lucroy's focused gear shot deserve mention as well.
Something so cool about Joe Morgan in the batter's box. So 1970's...
Our Triuvirate is a Luminescent of Jacob DeGrom...which is great, because I already pulled a Luminous of the guy...and I'm not too big a Mets collector.
Pack 15- A pair of well-lit 2016 All Stars start off the pack. The Arenado is the most awesome, as it catches the full picture from behind, ump catcher and all.
AL West guys. Luke Jackson I've never heard of, but Correa's been having a great season, and McHugh has improved over the past month or so.
Legends- Seaver's works this well from being zoomed out and put as horizontal, and Eck's, which is a nice action shot rather than a static current shot from last year, is impressive and captures him at his prime.
Our ISO-Metrics insert is of preferable AL Starter Chris Sale. This is a pretty cool, albeit limited in concept, insert set.
Pack 16- Three dupes. Paredes' is still awesome though.
Stephen Piscotty is celebrating his team still being alive, while David Wright looks on in horror as the Marlins deep up in the standings.
Two strikeout artists. Eovaldi's been torrid as of late, but Kluber just earned himself an ASG nod.
Annnnd we end on our 2nd ISO-Metrics insert of Carlos Correa, which is a great pull this year. Great color, too.
That was a pretty nice box. I still might nab more SC over the rest of the summer, because it's so addictive and wonderful to collect.
That Arenado card is pure awesomeness.
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