2020 Topps Final Edition: Cards #190-198

 We are just getting to the tip of 200 right at the end of April, as far as this mega-set I made is concerned. By the end of May, we'll have hit #275. Which means I feel like we'll get to the end of this set by June. If you've been enjoying this set, which I sincerely hope you have, that would be a bad thing.

Still, here are the next 9 cards in the set.

Card #190- Matt Kemp, Colorado Rockies

I am guessing that 2020 will end up having been Matt Kemp's final season, and at the very least it is a more dignified way of going out than his 2019 season, where he was bounced after 20 games with the Reds. Here, the Rockies picked up Kemp after the Marlins had cut him prior to the season, and Kemp acted as the Rockies' primary DH during their only season [to date] with the NL utilizing a DH. In 43 games, Kemp hit .239 with 21 RBIs and 6 homers, which wasn't BAD per se, but it wasn't anywhere above replacement level. To that, no MLB teams bit on Kemp for the 2021 season, so unless he has a late audition somewhere, this would have been his last issue. And Topps, with its schedules as they were, didn't get to it.

Card #191- Nick Tropeano, Pittsburgh Pirates 

Nick Tropeano was a starting success for the Angels in 2018, which made the diminishing returns of his starter numbers a little heartbreaking. However, as Tropeano missed camp with the Yankees in 2020, the Pirates had some room in the bullpen, and Tropeano couldn't pass down an opportunity. Sure enough, Tropeano was one of the best pitchers on the roster for the Bucs last year, with a 1.15 ERA in 7 appearances with 19 Ks. Note that Tropeano was used as a long-man in this period, which was close enough to starting, I guess. Tropeano tried to make camp with the Giants this season, but hasn't made the team quite yet. 

Card #192- Tommy Hunter, Philadelphia Phillies

Tommy Hunter had been a mainstay in the Phillies bullpen for a few years, and after only pitching in 5 games during 2019, made a comeback in 24 games in 2020. His 4.01 ERA and 25 Ks may not look like much, but considering the dire state of the Phils bullpen that year, Hunter was one of the few consistently not-terrible performers, and brought stability to a 'pen that had anything but. Hunter is currently signed to a minor league deal with the Mets and has not made the team yet.

Card #193- Erik Kratz, New York Yankees

Erik Kratz was one of the premier backup catchers of the 2010s. After coming up with Philly as a backup for Carlos Ruiz, Kratz became a journeyman with EVERYONE, becoming a mainstream favorite as a backup catcher with the 2018 Brewers, and splitting 2019 with the Giants and Rays. He was never a huge offensive force, but he was durable and lovable. 2020, he was brought on as a backup catcher during Gary Sanchez' injury stretch in New York, and did surprisingly really well. He hit .321 with 9 hits and 4 RBIs, which is some of the most impressive performances by a catcher during the 2020 Yankees season. Kratz hung it up after the season, though, but not without a lot of Yankee fans being thankful for his work.

Card #194- Juan Soto ASG, Washington Nationals

It should not be much of a shock when I reveal that Juan Soto would have been a starting outfielder if the 2020 All Star Game had happened. He was coming off a HUGE 2019 and a monster postseason, and had some pretty impressive 2020 numbers despite missing some time to injury. Soto is currently injured, but he was hitting .300 so far this season, so I don't even think THAT will stop this guy from continuing to dominate the majors.

Card #195- Victor Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers

The 2020 Dodgers bullpen comes down to two rookies- Brusdar Graterol and Victor Gonzalez. Gonzalez had been in the Dodgers' system for 7 years, and finally made the majors at 24 last year, becoming a relief favorite by just...not really allowing many runs at all. In 15 games, he had a 1.33 ERA with 23 Ks, and a 2.70 postseason ERA with 5 Ks. Gonzalez was a very stable, impressive relief option for a World Series team during his rookie season. Tomorrow the world. Right now he has a 2.57 ERA.

Card #196- Richard Bleier, Miami Marlins

I've talked during this project about the number of relievers that were summoned to Miami due to several of their relievers coming down with COVID at once. Brian Moran and James Hoyt I've already talked about, but the other big one was former Orioles reliever Richard Bleier. Bleier actually pitched in 2 games for the Os in 2020, and Topps covered that, but once he got traded to the Marlins, he was in similarly high demand. In 19 games, he had a 2.63 ERA, which wasn't bad at all. He also has a 0 ERA in 2 innings of postseason play. Bleier is waiting for his 2021 numbers to go down, but he's still on similar workload duty in Miami.

Card #197- Jacob De Grom ASG, New York Mets

Due to Yu Darvish's strong start, I don't think Jacob de Grom would have started the 2020 ASG for the National League, but can you imagine an ASG without him at this point? De Grom is one of the best pitchers in baseball right now, he's practically unhittable, and even if he has no run support, he is still incredible in big-game scenarios. He'll probably be starting this one anyway.

Card #198- Sam Selman, San Fransisco Giants

After a 10-game come-up in 2019, Sam Selman was able to be utilized a bit more regularly in 2020, becoming one of the more consistent relievers of the Giants' pen. Selman was a well-relied-upon mop-up man, finishing 8 games, and having a 3.72 ERA with 23 Ks in 24 games. Selman was only recently promoted back to the Giants, so hopefully you'll see some similar numbers from him in 2021. 

Monday, you get to see who got to be card #200, as well as some decent rookies.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2020: Dodgers

Not sure if you guys missed it or not, but the Dodgers won their first World Series in over 30 years this year.

I think it was well-deserved. Dodgers were the best team in the arrangement, had some of the biggest pieces and moments, and had so much talent to spare that even with that surging Rays team it wasn't gonna be close. I'm glad it happened, and I don't think it's the end of this team's reign.

A.J. Pollock, signed last year, finally dug into his potential as a starting outfield piece rather than a backup, in the wake of Joc Pederson's drop off. As the starting left fielder, he hit .276 with 34 home runs and a TEAM-LEADING 16 HOME RUNS [tied with Mookie Betts] in 55 games. It's definitely a return to form for the former Arizona stalwart, and I'm glad he's learning to stay healthy.

2021 Prediction: More healthy numbers but less room to start.

After sneaking up last year and getting some sneakily great starts in, Tony Gonsolin was given more of an opportunity to succeed this year, and the unlikeliest-looking pitching phenom went to work. Gonsolin had a 2.31 ERA in 9 games, with 46 strikeouts and a rotation-low .836 WHIP. Oh yeah, and he started Game 6, which would be the game the Dodgers won the World Series with.

2021 Prediction: More starts, more insane power, and a bit more respect from Kershaw and Buehler. I don't think he'll be a novelty after next year is what I'm saying.

Yes, the position of catcher belonged to Will Smith again this year, but Austin Barnes certainly had his moments to shine. He still hit .244 with 9 RBIs in 29 games, and was responsible for one of the big RBIs in Game 6, and literally bat 1.000 in the NLDS against San Diego. He may be the backup, but Austin Barnes should not be counted out.

2021 Prediction: Either he continues backing up Smith or some club signs him as a starter. 

Inevitably, Kenley Jansen was back at his old tricks this year. He did have some more moments of humanity, nearly lost the closing gig, and keeps giving up too many earned runs, but he led the league in games finished and still notched 11 saves. Considering he's got one more year on his contract, he's probably got one more peak year of being the Dodger closer left in him.

2021 Prediction: 40 saves, 3.50 ERA.
 

The bullpen seemed to be about more than just the usual suspects, as three new faces had great moments throughout. Victor Gonzalez, making his debut this year, had an exorbitantly low ERA, a 1.33 with 33 Ks in 15 appearances. The postseason gave him a 2.70 ERA and 5 more Ks, including some in Game 6. 

2021 Prediction: He'll get hit a few more times but he'll still be a valuable member of the bullpen.

After losing the closing gig to Liam Hendriks in Oakland last year, Blake Treinen signed a deal with the Dodgers to relieve, not close; that very much helped his chances to succeed, as he was used as a setup for Jansen most of the time, and he got a 3.86 ERA and 22 Ks, certainly not bad at all. Despite giving up some runs in the postseason he held onto his material and still got 10 Ks, and finished strongly.

2021 Prediction: Gets picked up by a lower-tier team and evens his ERA out.

And then there's the now-iconic Brusdar Graterol. Traded from Minnesota for Kenta Maeda, Graterol was eased for a relief role, and while his regular season stats were fine [3.09 ERA with 13 Ks], he really gained traction during the playoffs. With the exceptions of 3 earned runs against the Braves, Graterol was unhittable, garnering 0 earned runs anywhere else in the playoffs, and getting some spiritedly tough outs with flair. Graterol's exaltation, even at 21, got a lot of eyes his way, and I hope he keeps it up.

2021 Prediction: More dominance, but he's gonna need to work on keeping runs down. 

Coming Tomorrow- The Giants NEARLY made the playoffs this year. Just barely missed. And there was a lot of talent that nearly got them there.