Topps Cards That Should Have Been: Pre-Yankee Gio Urshela

 Topps...being Topps...made cards of Gio Urshela for the first two years of his career, and didn't bother to make more until he became a fixture for the New York Yankees. Man, what is it with them and shiny objects?

It's not like Gio Urshela's work in that period was completely unmemorable, either. Especially his 2017 season, which he spent as a backup for Jose Ramirez in 67 games, and became a well-used utility type after two seasons of near-dormancy for him. Yes, he only hit .224, but he was still helping a surging Cleveland team return to the playoffs. I actually saw Urshela play 3rd, granted at Fenway. Took notes on how good of a defensive choice he was. 

I actually caught him the following year as well, in Toronto. Urshela had wound up with the Jays thanks to a minor deal during the offseason, and found himself as a substitution for Josh Donaldson during his injury-plagued 2018 campaign. In 19 games, he hit .233 with 10 hits, and spent most of the rest of the season in Buffalo. During Gio's at-bats during the game we witnessed at Rogers, there was a guy a row in front of us who, every time, would shout something to the extent of 'COME ON GIO, DO IT FOR JESUS!'. Which...okay, I'm not the most religious chap around, and while I respect piety and devotion and such, I don't especially see why this specific at-bat needed to be tied directly to religion. Then again, I'm not this guy, I don't see the world the way he does, and can't entirely judge. 

Still, Urshela somehow missed out on Topps cards in both occasions, and didn't get another one until his breakout year with the Yankees in 2019. Not that the two seasons in between were crucial [I thought the 2017 one was, but hey], but Topps should have known he'd eventually be a fixture somewhere. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Brandon Phillips Chronicles

Brandon Phillips, from 2006 to 2016, was the steady, fun, multi-All-Star-Game-starting second baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, for a few division titles and playoff appearances. In that time, he has a 28.1 WAR, 3 ASG appearances, 4 gold gloves and a silver slugger. He also had a rare 30-homer year in 2007, and a rare 100-RBI year in 2013. He's had big years, and is a Reds icon for sure.

Which makes it very odd when discussing the areas outside of this Reds tenure, because it's some odd stuff. 

It's well-known that Brandon Phillips comes to Cleveland in 2002 as part of the Bartolo Colon trade, but he arrives in Cleveland at a point where Cleveland really doesn't know what to do with him. He has a full season in 2003, but it's not a season very high above replacement level, and the Indians go with Ronnie Belliard for the following two seasons.

In 2004 and 2005, Phillips plays six games each. He gets a Topps card in '04, but not in '05. Hence this one I made for him for his... .000 average six games...

But then, of course, the Reds take a chance on him for a starting gig, he helps them back to the playoffs and becomes a mainstay, then rides out the end of his contract and gets traded to Atlanta in 2017, which Topps does document. 

It's the rest that Topps is sketchy on.

Okay, so...waiver deadline 2017, which Topps wasn't gonna do for Update anyway seeing as they couldn't even do the regular trade deadline, the Angels trade for Phillips, who'd been hitting .291 for the Braves. Phillips plays 24 games in Anaheim and hits .255 with 8 RBIs.

It's a season that's overall pretty good, and should have gotten teams biting for the 2018 season. That sadly doesn't happen. The offseason goes by, Phillips' name remains on the table, and he packs it in. But in June, a team does come calling...the Boston Red Sox.

 I want to make it clear that Brandon Phillips spent most of the 2018 season in Pawtucket, and hit .302 with 19 RBIs with the PawSox. That alone is enough, really- he proved he had stuff in the tank, and that he could retire with dignity. There was never gonna be room in the majors for him at 2nd, between Dustin Pedroia, Eduardo Nunez and Ian Kinsler holding onto the position. Phillips would play 9 games in the majors, hitting .130 with 2 RBIs, including a home run, but there was never gonna be a place for him in the 2018 World Series team. It's just nice that he finished at 38 rather than 28. 

I don't know if Phillips will get any HOF votes in a few years, but he's still a fun player to collect, and the Reds fans must have enjoyed a decade of his work. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Pat Neshek Chronicles

 Pat Neshek collects, so this one's important.

That's something in itself. While being one of the few MLB players to actively collect baseball cards, Pat Neshek became one of the most people TO collect on baseball cards. Just look at the Lowell Palmer homage card in 2019 Heritage. Look at the number of fun cards Topps gave him from 2017 to 2019. Look at all the stars who apparently signed autos for Pat during ASG games. Neshek was the real deal, and it was a joy to have him in Philly for his last 3 seasons.

Topps generally was good at producing cards of Neshek, honestly, but they missed on two occasions. One was in 2012, coming off an okay year in San Diego. The A's signed him to a two-year deal, but a pretty low-key one. As Topps wasn't exactly rushing to make A's cards in 2012, Neshek's 24 games and 1.37 ERA went unaccounted for in update, which is a shame. This was the season where Neshek flirted with a soul patch before eventually going for the full beard in subsequent seasons.

From 2013 to 2017, he was in good shape. Topps missed his Phillies signing in 2017 Topps, righted it in Update, but...

By that point, Neshek was already in Colorado. Yes, Pat Neshek was one of the many traded players absolutely screwed over by Topps' early print date for Update. Hooray.

Neshek's time in Colorado after his strong, ASG-caliber start to the season with Philly was also pretty good. Yeah, slightly raised ERA because Denver, but a 2.45 ERA and 24 Ks in 28 games isn't bad at all. And it was a strong finish that'd lead Philly to re-sign him for 2 more years, with...eventual diminishing returns in 2019. 

Still, Neshek was a fun reliever to collect, and I'm thankful that Topps, for the most part, had his cards sorted out. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Jeremy Jeffress Chronicles

Bold statement- Jeremy Jeffress is one of the best relief pitchers of the 2010s. His epic 2020 season in Chicago was the culmination of 9 strong years of solid service across the leagues. As great as he can be, Jeffress's strengths have often gone unappreciated, especially as far as Topps is concerned. For the majority of his career, because he's 'only' a middle reliever, Jeffress will either be included in the wrong uniform or not at all in Topps' sets. The good news is that in the last few seasons he's at least been getting cards in Topps' online exclusive Total sets, but...just like the 2002-05 run, they don't count as official Topps releases to me. So, we're gonna go through every year Topps dropped the ball with Jeffress. 

2011: Jeffress gets a rookie card with the Brewers for his late-season debut in 2010. In all actuality, Jeffress is already in Kansas City by the time the set is released, having been traded for Zack Greinke. In 14 games for KC, he has a 4.70 ERA and 13 Ks in relief. It's enough to get him a Topps card in 2012, but because his 2012 use is minimal, Topps...gives up for a few years.

2013, the Jays purchase his contract from the Royals. This is as part of the reformed, bulked-up 2013 Blue Jays, that end up not being as impressive as advertised. Jeffress, again limited to only 10 games due to roster space, has an 0.87 ERA with 12 games. He's a great asset, but he needs a team that can use him. 

Jeffress begins the 2014 season with the Jays, does Spring Training with them, pitches 3 games but sports a 10 ERA. Now the Jays have even less use for him, and release him. 

Of course, a team does pick him up, and it's thankfully the Milwaukee Brewers, a team that would be nothing but good to Jeffress over the years. In 29 games in 2014, Jeffress has a 1.88 ERA with 25 Ks. This is the season that ensures that Jeffress will be relieving games for the rest of the decade, as he's lights out here, and the Brewers will use him. 

2015 and 2016 Jeffress gets Brewers issues, that's the right idea. Then, at the 2016 trade deadline, he's involved in a deal to Arlington.

This is Topps just showing its biased towards people who aren't relievers again. Jonathan Lucroy, who he's traded with, gets an Update issue. Carlos Beltran, traded around the same time as he does, gets an Update issue. Jeffress, despite being just as crucial to the Rangers as Lucroy, does not. Boo. 

Jeffress gets 12 games in Arlington to finish the 2016 season, doesn't add to his 27 saves in Milwaukee, but strikes out 7 plus one more in the postseason. 

And yes, Jeffress does get a Rangers card in the 2017 Topps set. But...Jeffress is involved in another trade deadline deal. And because NONE of the 2017 trade deadline deals made it into 2017 Update...

I've gotta do this one as well.

The Brewers trading for Jeffress in 2017 is the opposite of his 2016- Jeffress was struggling in Texas and the Brewers wanted to bring him home so he'd excel for them. Sure enough, Jeffress sported a 3.65 ERA in 22 games, and returned to his former glory with the Brewers.

Topps not making a flagship card of Jeffress for their 2018 sets might be their most startling admission. 2018 is Jeffress's best season to date, with a career high WAR of 3.3, a full season career low ERA of 1.29, a career high 89 strikeouts, 15 saves, an All-Star appearance [which is also neglected for Update], and 11 postseason Ks despite a few runs. It's a fantastic performance from Jeffress, and one that gets him a Topps card in 2019, despite an inferior season that year.

Once I figure out how to customize the 2020 design, I'll deliver his 2020 Cubs tenure. Honestly, doing 2020 customs might be a completely different project in itself, as the story Topps told of the 2020 season was more a story of the 2019 season stretched out throughout all of 2020. So if this project is filling in Topps' blanks, I'll have a LOT to do for the 2020 set. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Rajai Davis Chronicles

 

Something about relievers and people who steal a ton of bases that always falls into the category of 'people Topps isn't exactly racing to make cards of'. I dunno, some things you can't help. 

Rajai Davis has a rookie with Topps in the 2003 Traded set. It's one of those 'XRC' type 'catch 'em before they start playing' things that the MLBPA told them to stop doing in 2006. And then, in 2006 and 2007, when Topps could have made a 'RC' issue for Davis, they didn't. They, uh...didn't want to. Stuff in 07 '52 or Bowman Heritage, whatever, but nothing in flagship. 

So. In 2007, Davis was coming off a mild rookie season in Pittsburgh where he only played 20 games. So in 2007, with the Pirates, he gets more playing time, and in 24 games he hits .271, with 5 stolen bases and 13 hits, which is a solid audition for an outfield that already has Nate McLouth, Jason Bay and Xavier Nady pretty locked up. 

Then, at the trade deadline, tragedy strikes- the Pirates, who have Paul Maholm, Ian Snell, Tom Gorzellany and Zach Duke all pitching relatively well...decide they need starting pitching help. So who do they decide that they need to fill the void? That's right, 2007-era Matt Morris. Matt Morris, his 7-7 record, his 4.35 ERA, and his promise of a return to his Cardinals numbers that will eternally go unfulfilled. So they trade Rajai Davis, who could potentially win an OF spot, to the Giants for Matt Morris. Morris proceeds to have a 6.10 ERA in 11 starts. Hooray.

Davis, however, blossoms in San Francisco. In 51 games, he hits .282 with 17 steals and 40 hits, gains a mentor figure in the form of Barry Bonds, plays more often, and makes a run at Bonds' OF position in 2008. It's a fantastic rookie effort, and one that does indicate a long career for Rajai Davis.

Unfortunately, the baseball gods had other ideas. After hitting .056 in the first 12 games of the 2008 season, even with 4 steals, the Giants gave up on Davis, and waived him. Not only did it put a stop to what would have been a fruitful career for Davis in SF, it also ruins Topps' effort to FINALLY produce a base card of Davis in flagship with the Giants. 

Because of this, they never actually produce a 2008 Topps card of the team that claimed him. [Something something Yamid Haad].

Which looks pretty mismanaged considering that Rajai Davis was the A's starting centerfielder in 2008. 

All the accolades are obvious. He hits pretty well for average with .260, leads the team in stolen bases with 25, gets 50 hits and is phased out once Carlos Gonzalez gets more starts. 

The rest is not only history, but well-documented by Topps- Gonzalez is traded to Colorado for Matt Holliday, centerfield is Davis', and he becomes a base-stealing mainstay for Oakland, Toronto, Detroit and Cleveland. 

In 2017, after a huge season for him in Cleveland, he returns to Oakland for a victory lap essentially and steals 26 bases despite hitting less for average. But the A's don't go anywhere in 2017, and in August, he's waived yet again, landing in a competitor's market...

Yeah, bet a lot of you don't remember that Rajai Davis played for Boston, eh? 

In a season where the Sox' outfield was clearly Betts-Bradley-Benintendi, Davis was brought in as a bench player, base-stealer and defensive sub. In 17 games he hit .250 with 3 steals. He was used as a defensive sub in the playoffs and didn't see any time at the plate...perhaps one of the reasons why they couldn't get past the Astros that year. 

In 2018 he returns to Cleveland, does okay. In 2019, he has one last year in Queens, which I'd definitely make if A.) 2019 Topps was easy to customize and B.) Topps managed to add that to the custom card maker. Someday I'll figure it out.

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: Curtis Granderson in the Late 2010s

 

Two separate years, one of my favorite players gets traded late in the season and Topps just throws up their hands and shrugs.

The first one happened at the 2017 waiver deal deadline, which means there was no chance in hell of it getting into Update, as Topps was paving room for even more filler rather than actually depicting traded players. 

Curtis Granderson was having a down year on the last year of his 4-year Mets contract. In 111 games, Grandy was hitting .228 with 52 strikeouts and only 19 homers. So he was traded to the playoff-bound Dodgers, in exchange for mediocre bullpen piece Jacob Rhame.

In 36 games with the Dodgers, Grandy only hit .161 with 12 RBIs and 7 home runs. Yes, the power numbers were great, but his average was continuing to plummet. He did play some games during LA's postseason run, but only got 1 hit in 15 at-bats. 

2018 was an improvement for Granderson, as he had a fantastic start with the Blue Jays, including a 6-RBI game against Baltimore [that I was lucky enough to attend]. But, as the Jays weren't competing, he was dealt at the waiver deadline once again...

...to an NL competitor. This time it was the Milwaukee Brewers, squeezing into the postseason at the last moment and winning some matches when no one expected to. And for 19 games, they had Curtis Granderson. Grandy continued his late-era middle of the road work, hitting .220 with 3 RBIs and 2 home runs. Again, Granderson's postseason output was limited, but he did have a crucial RBI double in the NLCS against the Dodgers. 

The rest is history- he has an easy year with Miami, continues to be well liked by most of the league, retires after the season and has another 5 years before sportswriters fight to the death over whether or not he's worthy of more than 5% of the HOF vote. 

Still, if Topps was better about catching waiver deals late in the season, we would have had cards like these years before, rather than waiting for me to throw them through a card generator that somehow hasn't updated for 2019 or 2020 so I can do some from those sets. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: 2017 Bartolo Colon

 I am 99% sure that this is the final Bartolo Colon-related entry in this series.

I post this on Thanksgiving night, mostly because if anyone in MLB history has benefitted from a good Thanksgiving meal, it is Bartolo Colon. Someone posted a meme today of a 'before thanksgiving dinner/after thanksgiving dinner' thing with rookie Colon and Rangers Colon, and...sure. Fine. It fits.

Bartolo Colon, who by the way is still listed as an active player, began to pedal downhill after his fantastic 2016 season, getting an ASG nod and 15 wins at 43. But now, at 44, he was finally...FINALLY...pitching like a 44 year old. And after a torrid start with the Braves [2-8, 8.14 ERA], Atlanta gave up him in favor of...like, young pitchers.

But, not even three days later, the Minnesota Twins came calling. Not a last place Twins team, a playoff-bound Twins team, that...still needed starting pitching. So on July 7th, they signed Colon for the rest of the year, had him up for 15 games, and he improved on his disappointing start with a 5.18 ERA, 46 strikeouts and a 5-6 record. It was a return to legitimacy, in a sense, for the 44-year old. While it didn't give him a spot on their postseason roster [as their postseason stint was short-lived that year], he did get to experience some better games, and that eerie-as-hell eclipse game [documented in a famed ToppsNow card].

Then, he gets cut by the Rangers prior to 2018 opening day...then RE-SIGNED by the Rangers cause, hell, they need starters, and he gets a full season of work to finish his career. Not too bad.

As for why he didn't get the official 2017 Topps card in Minneapolis...2017 was the season where Topps' Update checklist cutoff began to get earlier and earlier. Pretty much every season since then with the exception of 2018, Topps has been forced to use a ridiculously early cutoff for Update, not only missing a lot of the big Update-able moments of the season, but forcing a lot of them into the following year's flagship, and screwing the next year's Update set over. 2017's probably suffered the most, as this deal happened in EARLY JULY and yet it didn't get an Update card. Which blows.

Now that the Topps template-maker is working for me, I could, in theory, prioritize the 2017 trade deadline deals if I wanted to, cause that entire trading season is one that was completely missed by Topps [with some exceptions, like Yu Darvish's short-printed Dodgers card]. 

Regardless, I hope you all have had, and are having, a happy Thanksgiving, and are safe and healthy. Maybe next year, like Bartolo Colon, you'll get a chance to do what you love again. 

Topps Cards That Should Have Been: The Stephen Vogt Chronicles

I think you all know where I'm going with this, so stick with me.

 Stephen Vogt, one of the more fun catchers of the 2010s, appeared on a lot of Topps cards, especially at his peak in 2015 and 2016, when he made 2 ASG teams. He's also probably on a few now as a beloved NL West backup. But...more often than not, Topps, when it matters most, will forget...to Vogt.

Ironically, the first time they forgot was in 2012. Granted, Vogt didn't have a ton of appearances as a Ray, his rookie year, but he still was an early-season rookie with Tampa, made some April appearances, and was eligible for a 2012 Topps rookie card. But in 18 games, Vogt didn't get a single hit. Therefore, even if they had the entire season to make their mind up, when it came time to release Update in 2012, Topps...did not Vogt.

This would cost them.

It happened again the following year, after Vogt was purchased by the Athletics in the offseason. Suffice to say, Vogt had a few hits in 2013. In 47 games as backup catcher to Derek Norris, he hit .252 with 16 RBIs and 34 hits. Not bad at all. Plus, the A's in 2013 got to advance to the postseason, and Vogt got a crucial RBI for the A's in their losing series against Detroit. 

However, despite a growing fan following that would grow even further in 2014, Topps once again did not Vogt. Vogt had no Topps cards in 2013. His issues would start in 2014, and thankfully, Topps would be a lot more disciplined about Vogt-ing for the next few years.

In 2017, Stephen Vogt has a bad start in Oakland, fails to find the average, and after 54 games of batting .217, the A's release him. 

In July, he's picked up by a competitor.

Granted, not a SUCCESSFUL competitor, but the 2017 Milwaukee Brewers were doing their part to squeeze into the postseason, despite eventually being usurped for a Wild Card spot by the Diamondbacks and Rockies. And once they snagged Vogt out from free agency, Vogt's bat returned. In 45 games with the Brewers, he hit .254 with 8 homers and 20 RBIs. Yes, an injury keeps him away for a month, but he gives the Brewers stability at the backstop that they didn't have since Jonathan Lucroy. 

However, since Topps' print deadline was earlier than usual in 2017, even the early July arrival of Vogt was still too late for Topps to include. For the third time, Topps was unable to Vogt. Yes, they included him in the 2018 set, but by that point Vogt was already too injured to play any of the 2018 season.

I'll add that Topps has also abstained from Vogt-ing in 2019, though they were wise enough to include Vogt in their 2020 set. However, their track record of not Vogt-ing is still disappointing, especially considering how much of a fringe favorite Vogt has become.

So...please don't do what Topps has done, and Vogt, if you haven't already. 

[This is...the cheesiest post I've had in a while, but it made too much sense not to do.]

An Extremely Random Blaster of 2017 Panini Diamond Kings

Yeah, took  me long enough to figure out something worth writing about.

I was in Target today, just waiting patiently for Big League or Stadium Club or SOMETHING WORTH COLLECTING to catch my eye, and I ended up finding, just sitting alone...a blaster of 2017 Panini Diamond Kings. I have  no idea  what it was doing there, why it was still in a Target in 2020, but...it was better than nothing.

So here's the blaster. 7 packs, 5 cards per. Good, logo-less Panini goodness.

Pack 1-
4- Billy Martin. First card is a Yankee and it's not even one  I collect.
94- CHIPPAH Jones.
1- GRAY PARALLEL of the Bambino, Babe Ruth. Okay so THERE...is a Yankee I collect. Nice learning curve, Panini
Aurora insert of Jon Lester. I friggin love the color schemes of these
131- Andrew Benintendi rookie. This is a variation/SP, there's a different photo than base, and the card number's in a different place. Gray, unnumbered parallel of a Yankee, and a short print of a Red Sox player in his rookie year. I am conflicted.

Pack 2-
62- Corey Kluber
20- Kiki Cuyler. This is why I like Diamond Kings. How often do you get to pull Cubs legend Kiki Cuyler from a pack?
52- Freddie Freeman
Originals insert of Pedro Martinez
149- Gavin Cecchini rookie

Pack 3-
77- Maikel  Franco. Heh, member when he was the only Phillie worth putting on a checklist
76- Khris Davis
33- Stan The Man Musial
Heritage Collection of Ken Griffey Jr. These are cool too
118- Kyle Seager

Pack 4-
100- Billy Williams
58- Kyle Schwarber, still depicted as a catcher
Ted Williams collection insert, all of which are very cool
Memorable Moment of LOU GEHRIG
127- Alex Reyes. This, my friends, is also a variation. I am 2 in 4 packs

Pack 5-
16- Jim Thorpe. Pulling Jim Thorpe cards is always gonna be really  cool
90- Daniel Murphy
48- John McGraw
Aurora insert of Jose Altuve. These still look really cool
145- Carson Fulmer. This one is NOT a variation. To ease my mind

Pack 6-
73- Brian Dozier
30- Pee Wee Reese, very nice
6- Carl Erskine. Double the Brooklyn is always good
Originals of Robin Yount
116- Jonathan Villar

Pack 7-
87- Josh Donaldson
64- Nolan Arenado
22- Leo Durocher. Another Brooklyn guy. Awesome!
Heritage Collection of Astros-era Nolan Ryan
90- Daniel Murphy. With a different photo than the one in Pack 5, therefore giving us our THIRD short print  of this box. High-seeded SPs, man.

Not a bad rip. Some cool stuff, even in base cards. I'll try to keep the content coming.

A Triangle of 2017 Panini Chronicles Blasters

It's been a while since we've had a box break on here, so how about some Panini tomfoolery?

2018 Panini Chronicles was a pleasant surprise, giving me some frankenset flashbacks to 2008 UD Timeline, and making itself known as an interesting, if fundamentally flawed, set. So, when Dave an Adams had themselves a sale on THREE blasters of the 2017 version of the product, for a very low price, I jumped at it. I know, it's Panini...poor, logoless Panini, but they can put out good stuff if given the right ideas.

So...we have three 4-pack blasters...or, essentially, a 12-pack mega-blaster. Woo.

Let's get to the packs:

 Pack 1-
So right away, you can see the difference between the 2017 and 2018 versions of Chronicles. In 2017, there was a definite, tangible base set. It looks like this. It's inspired, but slightly wordy. Like Flair meets Fleer Emotion, multiplied by a calculus textbook. Not that the paragraphs are out of place, just...I don't see why they couldn't have gone on the backs. Design-wise, the base set is cool enough, though.
Also, even if this is a one-year-old product, nobody in this pack is still on their listed team.

Don't think the Frankenset-esque quality is completely lost in 2017 Chronicles. No sir. There are still inserts worth of them. Granted, they're not seeded as well as in 2018, but...there's still a good number of them, like this here Rated Rookie of former Oakland, and now Baltimore, farmhand Franklin Barreto.

 Pack 2-
All Red teams. Or just...3 Reds and a Phillie. Good to see Pete Rose in this set. Topps doesn't like him.

This Absolute insert, which looks very awesome and very 2004, is of Ian Happ, who does look good on this one.

 Pack 3- More base. I do like how the left corner triangle changes color with teams. Jones' is a gold parallel, which is #'d to 999. Nice subject for one, too.

 This Prizm insert, which does look kinda cool but a bit too 2000s Finest, is of Adrian Beltre, so I'm glad we got that one in pre-retirement.

 Pack 4- Yankees on left, Yankee killers on right.

A rookie pick that hasn't aged especially well, but this design is cool enough.

 Pack 5- The second box begins with three fairly unspectacular base cards. Don't worry, this pack gets much better.

 I still adore this Absolute Memorabilia design, even if Jorge Bonifacio isn't THE greatest subject for it.

Oh yeah, there was a hit in this pack. And it was not a bad one.

Miguel Sano, who had a FANTASTIC 2017 season...or at least a really good first half, is the subject of this jersey relic, which fortunately does have a navy pinstripe in it. This is definitely a cool enough relic, and it's #'d to 99, which is pretty cool as well.

...Surprisingly it'll get better than that in this break.

 Pack 6-
Generally standard base stuff here. Freeman's the only one still with that team. Reynolds' looks pretty cool, tbh. It's one of those that'd be better as a full vertical card.

 Toles gets the rated rookie here. I really wish he'd eventually end up playing a full season, cause he seems to be a pretty great bat.

 Pack 7-
Standard base here, though it was nice to see the poster boy, Anthony Rizzo, as well as fringe player Ben Gamel and legend Ryne Sandberg.

The Prism insert here was Josh Bell, an awfully nice subject for one of these.

 Pack 8- Two great base cards, one shit one, and a gold parallel of Todd Frazier...AS A YANKEE. Which is nice.

 And a Rated Rookie of Brock Stewart, one of the few RRs I've pulled that hasn't really made the majors for too long yet.

 Pack 9-
Rose and El Torito are dupes. Solarte and Harper aren't. Nice to see Harper, pre-inevitable contract.

As cool as this card does look, Magneuris Sierra would end up heading to Miami...to get, like, no playing time.

 Pack 10- Carpenter is the only non-dupe here.

 Trey Mancini is our Absolute subject, and...gosh I love this one.

...and then...

...this hit happened.

I just happened upon a bat card of Mike Piazza, one of the best hitting catchers of all time. A BAT CARD. Numbered to 99.

Like...I don't have the kind of luck to pull something like this, even if it is out of a blaster from Dave and Adam's. This is just nice.

 Pack 11- Pujols and Altuve are new. Kraken is a dupe. Edwin is a gold, #'d to 999.

 Rated Rookie of Yandy Diaz, who'll be getting a lot more playing time this year.

 Pack 12- All of these are new for me, and I especially like the Mauer and Molina.

And one last Prism insert of Ryan Zimmerman, who...managed to outlast Bryce Harper on the Nats. Which I can't believe.

So...those were a bunch of 2017 Chronicles blasters. I still prefer the 2018 version, for its frankenset-ness, but...this version had some cool inserts, that AWESOME Absolute Memorabilia design, and two really nice hits. So I'd say that break was a net-win.

I did manage to get another box from D&A's...and it'll go up within the week. I did...sort of well on that one as well.