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 Will Smith Chronicles

No, not the actor. Not the catcher, either. And not the guy that co-wrote The Thick of It. This guy.

Will Smith was a strong, consistent reliever for 8 years, and nobody knew who he was until he became a surefire closer in 2019 for the Giants. If people were paying attention, they would have seen it coming. Topps, of course, wasn't.

In 2012, Smith makes his debut as a starter with the Royals. He has a 6-9 record in 16 games, with a 5.32 ERA and 39 Ks. Not much to report, especially. 

In 2013, Smith is moved to the bullpen.  3.24 in 33 innings of relief isn't bad, but it's also not much to really hang onto. In 2014, the Royals are moving to October and need outfield help rather than bullpen help, so they trade Smith to Milwaukee for Nori Aoki.

Smith comes into his own with the Brewers, suffice to say. He appears in a league-record 78 games, with a 3.70 ERA, 86 strikeouts and a few too many runs given up, suffice to say. But he's still a trusted member of the Brewers bullpen and keeps things going for them for 3 years. 

In 2015, Smith gets a suspension for a foreign substance on his arm, and he's sort of downplayed by the Brewers that year. He also gets injured prior to the 2016 season, which leads the Brewers to think about trading him. 

They eventually deal Smith to the Giants at the trade deadline, which...is odd, because the Topps cutoff in 2016 did allow for trade deadline acquisitions. So they should have done a Smith card that year in Update...yet they didn't. He has a 2.95 ERA in 26 games, which is a great start. 

Smith sits out all of 2017 with an injury, which explains...

...why Topps doesn't make a 2018 Topps card for him. But...nothing in Update? By Update, he was relieving games, even if he wouldn't get his 14 saves until after the cutoff. Still, the 2018 season, where he has a 2.55 ERA in 54 games, is enough to establish him as a force to be reckoned with, and enough to garner the ninth inning job for 2019. He's not closing as many games in Atlanta these days, but he's still a trusted bullpen option for a team once starved for relievers.

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 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: 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. 

A Triangle of 2018 Panini Chronicles Blasters

Last year, Dave and Adam's had a sale on Panini Chronicles from the previous year, where you could get 3 blasters of Chronicles for a nice price. I did really well, getting some base cards, some awesome inserts, and relics of Miguel Sano AND Mike Piazza.

So, when the offer came around again, I jumped at the chance. Chronicles, while a little flawed, is still a very fun box to rip. The 2018 version may be my favorite so far, as it's got the best subsets, as well as the more impressive rookie class to pick from (Acuna, Albies, Torres, Ohtani). So, I figured I'd go with it.

15 packs per. For 12, we have 5 cards per pack, and for 3 packs we have only 3 special Revolutions inserts.

Let's dive right in:

 Box #1's Revolution cards, which TBH I did awesome with here, are of MVP Cody Bellinger, plus Yankee outfielder Clint Frazier and...LEGENDARY Yankee outfielder Mickey Mantle. Not bad at all.

 Pack 1- Already we see a Chronicles base card, of Jose Altuve. Thankfully this set isn't as base-reliant as the 2017 version, as these are only seen sparingly. Acuna's is a Prestige subset, and those are basic as well.

 This was an NL-West friendly pack at the end of the day, with Cody Bellinger as my Phoenix insert, and Corey Seager as my Prism card. Ryan McMahon's is a Status insert, which...looks awesome in this 2018 set, but not as cool in 2019.

 Pack 2- Aaron Judge's is a Limited subset, and I've pulled this in a previous break, as well as the Verdugo Crusade. Ozzie Albies' is a Studio subset, which means Studio pulled a Freaky Friday with Topps Gallery.

And here's some of the parallels that were...eerily absent from my 2019 blasters. Mookie Betts' Select card is a blue parallel, #'d to 149., Adrian Beltre's base card is a Press Proof parallel, numbered to 299. Not bad at all.

 Pack 3- Nick Williams' is a Prestige, pretty basic. Amed Rosario's is an Illusions, which I still love. We get the base version of Mookie's Select card, as well as a Contenders card of his teammate, Rafael Devers.

So, uh...you know how last time I got good hits?

...not the case this time.

Chris Flexen is the rare homegrown Mets pitcher that sucks donkey balls. The guy has had TWO STRAIGHT seasons of disastrous starting opportunities. And of course, he's my auto here. Terrific.

 Pack 4- Marte's is a base. Austin Hays comes in twice, first in a Classics card, very cute, and then in a Prism card.

Francisco Mejia's is my Optic insert, which is pretty shiny in person. And I got a Status of Rhys Hoskins, which sort of makes up for that shitty hit from the last pack.

 Box #2's Revolutions are relatively standard rookie fare for 2018- Victor Robles, Ronald Acuna and JP Crawford.

 Pack 5- Devers is the sleek, ultra-cool Limited for this pack, while Brian Anderson's is our...foily product passing itself off as Studio

 These ones are very similar in the 2018 version, but these are great star players to pull.

And we got another Chronicles parallel, with Corey Kluber, a guy I love pulling cards of, getting a Press Proof numbered to 299.

 Pack 6- Some pretty standard cards of heroes. Scherzer's is your standard Score, Rizzo's a Prestige.

 And the glossier stuff- Torres's Phoenix, Ohtani's Prism, and a much-needed Rhys Hoskins Illusions. Definitely speaks to me as a Yanks-Phils collector.

 Pack 7- Two basic Donruss/Prism rookies of Farmer, who finished 2019 in Cincinnati, and Scott Kingery, who finally has a role in Philly.

 AND HERE'S SOME BRYCE FOR YA! Rookies and Stars finally makes an appearance on the left, next to a Crusade insert as well.

And a Clint Frazier Status to close the pack out.

 Pack 8- Basic stuff here- Sisco, Verdugo, Sano. Nothing yells at you.

 Rizzo's is a Prism, and the now-ubiquitous Juan Soto gets the Optic.

Box #3's Revolutions: Jose Altuve joins two I've already pulled.

 Pack 9- Amed Rosario and Clint Frazier's are the boilerplate base-designs, and JP Crawford's is Studio. I know Crawford's Phils tenure is gonna be lost to his Mariners numbers, but I like that I'm still pulling cards of him from Philly.

And the guys who are all over this set, Ozzie Albies and Alex Verdugo, in Select and Prism sets respectively.

 Pack 10- A nice smattering of stars in here- Devers is a nice Illusions, we get a Clint classics, Trout looks awesome on Crusades, and Harper gets a lick in with Phoenix.

 And heck, let's throw in a Yankee parallel for good measure. Here's a Clint Frazier Score parallel, in teal and numbered to 199. Not bad.

 Pack 11- One more Verdugo for the road, a token Trout, and a Luiz Gohara card. The Braves dealt him to Seattle, I believe.

And seeing as the Yanks got in on the parallels last pack, the Sox jump back in, with a Rafael Devers blue Phoenix, #'d to 149. Not complaining here either.
And an Andujar Prism to balance it out.

 Pack 12- A few names we've been seeing a lot in this break- Andujar, Devers and Frazier.

And, seeing as it's a 2018 product, we end on two Ohtanis- a Chronicles base card, and a super-cool Status card. One as a batter, one as a pitcher. Cool stuff.

Not a bad break, despite the lack of a substantial hit. There's still enough cool subset and parallel action going on to make me feel satisfied here, which is nice. And lots of Yankees, which definitely helps.

Box Break: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings

It's become a running thing on this blog that a box of the previous year's Diamond Kings gets broken on here once it becomes cheap enough. Well...it's cheap enough, so I got one.

I really only collect DK as a nostalgia thing. I loved the old inserts, the old sets from the 2000s. This isn't...nominally DK, though; it's a bit more similar to Topps Gallery, which is kinda ironic because this new incarnation of Topps Gallery is actually more similar to Diamond Kings than anything. Which is slightly backwards, but a subject for an editorial rather than a box break post.

Anyway, 12 cards, with 8 cards per pack. Because we've got time, I'll try and knock everything out in one post.

There are two guaranteed hits, and other fun things to keep aware of, but we'll get there when we get there.

 Pack One- Design wise, this is fine. Allows for more colorful bits, which is fine. Logoless-ness is immediately a thing, but...it doesn't bother me as much as it should, I think.
The set's peppered with rookies, so here are two.

 Two weightier base cards, with one guy who's already moved onto St. Louis. A-Rod's is a 500 Club insert, which is kind of basic but looks kinda cool.

Of course, what really makes this set are the legends. Not just your everyday legends like Roberto Clemente, who's welcome of course, but early-century HOFers like Grover Cleveland Alexander and non-HOF team heroes like Carl Erskine.

 Pack 2- Standard current base, featuring a Chicago bench player and, I've got to say it, the best player on the Phillies right now. More Cutch cards is never enough.

 And more legends. We go from accessible, like Mick and the Big Hurt, to obscure, like Nellie Fox, to welcome in a modern product, like Leo Durocher.

But the pack's highlight was its double-dose of Lindor, first on a past-and-present insert paired with Lou Boudreau, and then on a base card.

 Pack 3- Two of these are dupes for me. The other is Tony Lazzeri.

 Lots to discuss here. First of all, Carl Furillo is one of my grandmother's favorite players, having watched him at Ebbets Field on multiple occasions. Secondly, good on Panini to produce a card of Shoeless Joe Jackson. We need more of those. And then there's Ohtani, who I have already pulled another base card of, of him batting. But this one isn't a short-print. Remember that now.

TWO AMAZING INSERTS.
First ANOTHER Lindor, this one from the painstakingly beautiful Aurora set. Then a Portraits insert of Ken Griffey, which look cool but...again, brings back to the Topps Gallery comparison.

 Pack 4- A quartet of fun legends pulls. Heinie Groh is NOT a Hall of Famer, but he's a Reds legend. Chuck Klein is a Phils home run legend who has evaded me for a while. And then Pee-Wee and Maris, always welcome.

 Two modern heroes in Judge and Betts, and one Iron Horse.

Here we are at the first hit- a sticker auto of Cleveland, and now Padres, backup catcher Francisco Mejia. Possibly the most common guy to pull a mediocre hit of last year. Until he blossoms, I'm regarding this as an 'okay' hit. I mean, even the signature is kinda measly.

Pack 5- A modern legend and a guy that likes to strike out. 

 Three more obscure legends. I mean...I love any set that prioritizes Paul Waner, Harry Hooper and Hack Wilson.

 Fun stuff here. Babe is babe, which is always welcome. Mick's is...a name variation, which are sort of rare, and nice to pull. And deGrom's is my Gallery of Stars...which look so cool this year.

Pack 6- Three dupes to start us off.

 Four spirited base cards. Averill's is welcome, and it's nice to see him in the same shot as Kluber.

...this was my second hit.

...of Nick Williams. Of the Philadelphia Phillies.

...just as a notice, I never usually pull hits of people who play for my teams. It is very rare, especially considering that there are 28 other teams out there with many other players. So getting a hit of Nick, and not only that but one that's numbered to 99, is kinda nice. I know he's hugging the bench this year, but he's still a fine player, and a member of this team nonetheless.

Still, a fine hit. And I'm happy I got this box, not some box with a Cardinals hit or something.

 Pack 7- Two more dupes, a subpar rookie, and a Cardinals HOF-er.

 CANO, Don Larsen, and Gabby Hartnett. May I mention again how cool these sets are?

And...good lord this card is beautiful. Even without logos. No Jackie card is a bad pickup, man.

 Pack 8- Lots of current players in this pack, all worthy of the collection, so why not throw 'em in with Billy Herman. Just as a contrast.

 Manny Ramirez is my second 500 Club insert. Again, not bad in terms of design.

DiMaggio and Cobb. Two of the greats.

 Pack 9- Averill is a dupe, but the rest are welcome. Lyons' is pretty cool. Thomson's has enough depth in the background.

Victor Robles is my first red border- they're not numbered but they're seeded relatively rarely. And Judge is my first Trophy Club insert, which harken back to a 90s Fleer insert.

 Pack 10- Donaldson and Ohtani are dupes, as I pulled this batting Ohtani a while back. Remember that now. Woodruff and Robles are new, though.

 Not a lot of old-timers in this pack, as Sevvy and Springer are our big stars here.

My gallery of stars is a SUPER-COOL WILLIE STARGELL. MY GOSH, THAT IS AWESOME. WELL DONE.
Additionally, Andrew Benintendi's card is a sepia short print/photo variation. So not a bad pull there, either.

 Pack 11- Other than Santander, some beautiful choices for this checklist.

 Rizzo and Stan the Man.

Bryant's is my second Trophy Club, while Alexander's is my second red border.

 Pack 12- Tyler Wade is the better of three subpar rookies, McGraw's a manager and Brecheen I pulled last year.

 ...A baseball card of Jim Thorpe. This just pushes my love for this set over the edge, doesn't it?
And Pedroia-Doerr Past and Present.

So...this is my last red border. And...I did not know that Black-and-white variations could get red bordered parallels. That's fantastic, and makes this even more valuable. It'd be crazier if it was numbered, but this is still a pretty huge hit of a player that everyone seems to want. And a great way to end this box.

So...that's 2018 Diamond Kings. I think it's an improvement on the last few, and it's intricate enough to allow a real baseball fan some genuine smiles.