Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2008 Pablo Sandoval

I swear, I was genuinely giving Topps the benefit of the doubt. I just spent 10 years assuming that out of all the numerous packs of 2008 Topps Update I bought, Pablo Sandoval's 2008 Topps rookie card wasn't in it. It happened with Max Scherzer's rookie card, and I'm still looking for that. So I just assumed it was out there and I didn't have it.

 To give you an idea, a few years ago I run into Sandoval's 2006 Bowman rookie card for 10 cents. How that didn't confirm it for me, I have no idea.

But anyway. Other than the Red Hot Rookie release for hobby shops, Pablo Sandoval doesn't have an official Topps rookie card in 2008, and his 2009 Topps release is technically his flagship debut. Which is why I made one for this series, because he's Pablo frigging Sandoval and he deserves one.

His 2008 numbers, for the record, were really good. In 41 games he hit .345 with 24 RBIs, and finished the season with the 6th-highest WAR in San Francisco, higher than Aaron Rowand, Ray Durham, Jonathan Sanchez, and actual All Star that year Brian Wilson. That he would later go onto lead this team to a few World Series' may not have been immediately evident, but it made sense.

As alarming as it is that I figured I was done making 2008 ones for this project and last post gave me an idea for another one....this post gave me an idea for another one still. Two more, actually.