A Jumbo Break of 2022 Panini Chronicles [Part 1]

 

It's been a while since I've done a pure, tried-and-true box break on here. And as things are looking a little brighter here at Mint Condition HQ, I figured I'd celebrate with something cool. In lieu of, well, a discounted hobby box of Big League [which Fanatics had for a shining window that I just missed], I went with this, an unassuming-looking jumbo box of 2022 Panini Chronicles.

I did this for a few reasons.

1. I've broken boxes of Chronicles in the past on here, and they've always been fun breaks. I do really like the Frankenset quality of the product, and the amount of different cards that can be pulled makes it A.) unlikely to find dupes and B.) likely to find really cool cards all throughout. 

2. As Panini no longer has a full MLB players license, and is now solely doing prospects and legends, this is a sort of send off for Panini's glory period from 2013 to 2022. While the lack of logos did deter me on several occasions, I did appreciate Panini's originality when it came to inserts and design, as well as their way of taking risks, which was sorely missed with Topps' output in the last 13 years. 

3. Because I did not buy a lot of products in the last quarter of last year, I am sorely lacking in 2022 rookies. Yes, I've found Hunter Greenes and Nick Lodolos and Bobby Witts and Spencer Torkelsons but uh...those aren't the ones I'm looking for. You know there's this, uh, there's this guy out of Seattle whose cards are going for a lot right now, and uh...I still know next to nothing about eBay selling but man that would do it for me, I think.

So yeah. Reason enough, I think. And also Dave & Adams had a retail box of jumbo packs on sale. Not a ton of chance for true mojo and hits, but I'm not really getting this for HITS per se, just uh...a variety of base and rookies, I suppose.

12 packs, 15 cards per, we'll do 6 packs this post. 

Pack 1-

Otto's is a Luminance one, kinda similar to something Donruss would put out in like 2004 or 2005 or so. It's fine.

Ashby's is a Leaf Limited, I do like the design of this one, it's right in line with where SP Authentic was going when it stopped.

Morgan's is a new one called Vertex, and I like this one a lot. It's simple, uses a lot of space, but is textured like early-2000s SP Authentic and knows to minimize the player cutout a bit.

Pinnacle is another regularly-seeded one, it's a takeoff mostly on the 1992 Pinnacle design, and I think they recreate it exceptionally well, and-yeah, I know, literally one pack into the break and there's a Julio. I feel fulfilled. This expenditure was worth it. Huzzah.

The middle bit of the pack is where all the sensible designs are. That includes the base Chronicles, which gave us two relatively omnipresent 2022 rookies, Classics, which has a fun design [as per usual] depicting Edward Cabrera, and Threads, which...I guess resembles a 2000s Donruss design in a sense. Whit isn't in KC anymore, and it's a wonder he wasn't in the lineup last night [I will...eventually be able to talk about last night].

And here we have some nicer subsets:

Marquee, which is a rarer one, is very shiny and must have originated in the basketball range. And, yes, that's a Wander Franco rookie. Not sure if his cards are still OMG sellers.

I always love pulling Magnitude cards, that little acetate bit is great. Duran is...beginning to pick up I think.

And an Elite card of Bryce Elder. I like this as the logical progression of Donruss Elite 20 years later. I also like that people may not have known what to do with Bryce Elder cards last year but they're definitely saving them now.

Each pack comes with an unnumbered pink parallel. This one, which is a pink version of the very busy Phoenix design, is of Brandon Marsh. And can I just say how happy I am that there are a lot of Brandon Marsh cards in this set? Absolutely overjoyed. Love this guy.

Your standard glossier Chronicles cards.

Crusade looks alright this year, not my favorite of its iterations but cool. Reiss Knehr is, I think, a rare 2022 rookie that's already kinda worthless.

Titan is alright, the black-and-white photo is a little odd. Seager is Seager.

And Revolution I'm always gonna love because it reminds me of Pacific cards of the late-90s. Waino is welcome in a rookie-based set like this.

Pack 2-

All sets we've seen. Castillo is already on another team. Baz is still hurt. This is a very nice Seiya Suzuki rookie, I still don't have a ton of those.

The usual suspects of 2022 rookies here, though Bryan de la Cruz isn't is as many of these as the other two, and Acuna is a welcome star card.

So uhhhh may have made noises at this one.

Getting a Pinnacle Julio, well yeah that's fine, that's a 1-per-pack, but Recon is not only a rarer subset but this thing looks SO COOL. This only goes for a slight hike on the 'bay, but I think this is the nicest of the Julio rookies I pulled in this box [not really a spoiler, could you imagine how I'd be writing this had I pulled a numbered one?]. Hopefully I can figure out something to do with it.

Magnitude of Luis Gil, a guy who was excellent in 2021 and has not pitched since. And a look at what Leaf Certified is this year, and I approve, with Robert Suarez, who's already gotten a ton of money from San Diego.

My pink parallel was a Joe Ryan rookie from Titan, this is a pretty cool one with the parallel.

Requisite beefier cards, including another Wander, which...I mean, I'll take it I suppose. And a Revolution of Albert as a Cardinal, which is always welcome.

Pack 3- Rookies and Stars tags in for Pinnacle, it certainly looks like a Rookies and Stars card. Lodolo is a welcome pull here, I think he's gonna have a great career. And Soto cards are always nice, even if this is pre-Padres Soto.

Another Lodolo, another Wander, more Brandon Marshes, and a sendoff for Yadier Molina. Even with Willson Contreras in his place, it is still insanely weird to me that Yadi is not behind the plate in St. Louis.

Zenith is Spencer Torkelson's, and I am a big fan of this design because it reminds me of everything big and bawdy about 90s Zenith sets. 

LouBob's is a Clearly Donruss, which is the base set but done on acetate. I'm a fan of that, clear-type cards are always welcome because they look cool.

Manning's is another Leaf Certified, I still think these look cool.

My pink is a Jarren Duran Crusade, I have pulled a LOT of Duran cards and while it's better than, say, Jeffrey Springs cards or Jose Altuve cards, it's beginning to grate on me. Maybe if the Yankees had better rookies last year...

Also, Connor Wong isn't much better because he's like the third string catcher at this point. Contenders Optic, meanwhile, is your standard Panini design

Abreu's Revolution is awesome, that Pujols is a Spectra, and those have a lot of cool bells and whistles on them, boosted by, well, being another end-of-career Pujols card.

Pack 4- Usual suspects subset-wise, and also base-set wise. Another Julio, good to see ya. Freddie as a Dodger, always a good sight. Colton Welker is, like, 3 3rd base prospects ago for Colorado, which is something. 

More usual suspects here, but this does have the first of MANY Oneil Cruz cards I would pull in this box. Again, not that I'm complaining. I really hope he heals up alright.

I think these three are among my favorites subset-wise, I really like how Marquee stands out. I think Joe Barlow is still closing in Arlington? [he isn't, he didn't even make the team this year].

Rodolfo Castro, the Pittsburgh SS prospect that hasn't gotten injured [yet], though word is still out on his cell phone case, is our pink this pack. I think the border on Contenders goes really well with these parallels, especially the Pirates' gold. Another Cruz alongside him.

Jimenez is still a fringe enough young star to be welcome in these sets, which says a lot about how often he gets injured.

Gleyber is Gleyber, and despite what you may think he is, in fact, way cool.

Pack 5- Another Oneil [I wasn't kidding!] a Tatis, right as he's been activated, and two Houston rookies that are beginning to piss me off.

Standards here. I do like that the Chronicles main set also focused on guys in new-for-2022 uniforms, like Gausman in Toronto. Also, the first of many Ohtanis in this box, again, no complaints there.

That extremely cool-looking Trout is an XR subset, another rarer one. I like when Panini goes over the top with dufex and shine, it's the kind of risk-taking I wish Topps would do more often. 

So many Matt Manning cards in this set. And he's currently hurt as well.

Alternatively, I believe this Elite is my only Spencer Strider card I pulled in this box, which is kinda funny considering.

My pink Titan is a Matt Vierling, sorely missed [even with Sosa, Harrison and Cave as depth pieces] but doing well in Detroit. Matt Brash was a Ms rookie everyone banked on that, honestly, wasn't worth it, especially considering that George Kirby kinda rendered him obsolete anyhow. And someone that Crusade is the only Lars Nootbaar I pulled in this box.

And, again, alternatively,

Yes, another Matt Manning. I kinda have to laugh, as I did a few times in this. Not only is this a super-cool blue parallel of the Revolution set,

But it's, surprisingly, our first numbered parallel of the box. And check out that print run, we're very close to the end. I'll take a card of a decent Tigers pitching prospect numbered to 99, that's not bad at all.

Pack 6- Despite some usual suspects, a few cool sights, like an early card of Marcus Stroman on the Cubs, and our first Bobby Witt Jr. card of the box.

Again, I do like that Panini went for traded players as well as just star cards, which is how we get Mariners Robbie Ray alongside just Devers and Judge.

Another nice Brandon Marsh from Zenith. This is how odd this break is, it's getting me excited for Angels cards. I mean, yes, I kinda get excited about those anyway because Trout and Ohtani are nice pulls, but I'm slowly building a formidable Brandon Marsh Angels collection, which is odd considering he barely even has many Phillies issues yet.

Wander Clearly Donruss, the first of many Jake Burgers. We've got a Burger and a Beer in the same pack, yet no sign of Max Fried, Phil Coke or Felix Pie.

Our pink parallel is a Francisco Lindor, from Phoenix, alongside another Trout, another Oneil, and a Jonathan Heasley rookie. 

That's half the box, look for the other half to go up tomorrow afternoon. To give you a tease, I pull something funnier than a numbered card of a guy I've already pulled like 5 cards of.