Nostalgic Box Break: 1999 Upper Deck Ovation

Alright. You guys deserved a better box break after I finished off 1999 UD Choice. How about this one?

1999 UD Ovation. Even better, a frigging BLASTER of 1999 UD Ovation. So we're not going any further or behind in time, but we're upping in class.

Not exactly premium, but, as you'll see, effort was put in. Plus, the hook was that you could find a game-used bat card of somebody good, which was kind of new in 1999, after SP Authentic made it a thing you could do regularly.

10 packs, 5 cards per, so this should be pretty quick. Here we go!

 Pack 1-
Hall of Famers: 3/5
Team Hall of Famers: 5/5

 I shot this before Thome's election, but these two Hall of Famers can show the general base design, and it's pretty cool. Player cutout with circle of background, with ridged stitching pattern and, again, ACTUAL EFFORT PUT IN. This has been constructed to look good. Where was that with 1999 UD Choice?

 Pack 2-
Hall of Famers: 1/5
Future Hall of Famers: 1/5

 THERE HE IS! THE GREATEST! Even if his cards are overexposed and he's tanking the Marlins, Derek Jeter is still one of my favorites, and I will never not enjoy pulling his cards. This is a pretty nice one, too.

 Hey, an insert that actually looks cool and isn't contrived. Plus, there are several Tony Gwynns on this card and none of them look bored. Plus, this one's pretty well designed, too.

 Pack 3-
Borderline hall-of-famers: 3/5
90's Expansion-team heroes: 2/5

 The 98 D-Backs uniforms just look hella cool. Even if someone like Matt Williams is wearing it.

 Scott Rolen and Fred McGriff, two guys who'll be in my collection until the end of time probably.

 Pack 4-
Hall of Famers: 2/5
Borderline Hall of Famers: 2/5

 Frank Thomas just looks cool on this card. The whole swing is even cooler cut out of the circle.

 Johnny Damon as a Royal, still a cool thing to pull. And I do like the pop-out quality of the Biggio shot, too.

 AH, YES, REMEMBER 1999, WHEN LITERALLY EVERYONE WAS GOING APESHIT OVER MARK MCGWIRE???
This is a multi-product insert set of Big Mac, commemorating the 70-HR season in 1998. It hasn't aged well, mostly thanks to the steroids thing.

 Pack 5-
Hall of Famers: 2/5
Borderline HOFers: 2/5

 This is what the WORLD PREMIERE subset looks like, with Preston Wilson's rookie being showcased here. Well enough designed, with the colored-background standing out.

 Larry Walker, another swing that looks great cut out, and Pedro Martinez, whose card is made better by the green-foil in back of him.

 Oh, yeah, and another nice Tony Gwynn card. Glad to see he was still putting out quality cardboard into the last legs of his career.

 Pack 6-
HOFers: 1/5

 Nice card of Mike Piazza, but it was at the point in his career where you had to double-check which team he was playing for.

 Pack 7-
Hall of Famers: 2/5
Future Hall of Famers: 1/5
Steroid Abusers: 1/5

 This isn't EXACTLY a Beltran rookie, but it's a nice early card of the guy, and a great red-flavored insert of him.

 A base card of Ken Griffey Jr., which I will never say no to pulling cards of.

 ANNNND a MAJOR PRODUCTION insert of Randy Johnson.

Let's see, what's wrong here:
-Pictured in a Mariners uniform
-He's pictured in an Astros uniform on his base card (trust me, you'll see it)
-He's listed as a Diamondback

That's 3 flavors of not right, and takes the sting out of a nice-looking foil-based insert.

 Pack 8-
HOFers: 2/5
Steroid Abusers: 1/5

 THERE'S RANDY JOHNSON'S BASE CARD! And he's an Astro. So there.
Gary Sheffield as a Dodger was a thing for a little while.

 This is a Superstar Spolight insert of Mike Piazza, and...yeah, it looks pretty damn cool.

 Pack 9-
HOFers: 1/5

 This may look familiar, but the gold plating is more pronounced, and the listing says something cool that I can't particularly read. And when you turn it over...

 You find that you've pulled a parallel of a Hall of Famer numbered to 500.

Which is pretty damn nice.

Pack 10-
Nothing really to call home about here, but I still proved my point.

This is a nice enough set, and it gives you enough eye-candy and semi-premium base cards to keep you satisfied, regardless of the 1999-ness and the UD-ness of it all. Still enjoyed it more than UD Choice.

Yu Gotta be Kidding Me

I did not expect this.

First of all, I did not expect the free agent/trade market to suddenly explode like this. I was thinking we'd get another week of hemming and hawing and going 'WHY HASN'T ANYONE SIGNED, HOW SCREWED IS THE MLB' before we got even an INKLING of where Yu Darvish was going.

Second of all, never in a million years did I think Yu would be headed to the Cubs. I thought the Brewers had locked up Yu discussions. I thought he was headed to Milwaukee to live out his dream of Hideo Nomo with better range control. But somehow the Cubs had enough money to land the guy, and lock him down for six years.

So now that this has happened, and now that the guys who've been in the NLCS for the last three years have locked up one of the best pitchers in baseball to replaced their slightly-more-problematic former ace (who likely WILL be going to Milwaukee this year unless something crazy happens), what does that mean for the Cubs?

It means that in a year where the Brewers are suiting up, the Cardinals are suiting up, and the Reds may be the sneaky breakout squad...the Cubs want to stay on top. The Cubs want to strike first and stay the team to beat, while the teams that try to do what they did will get clobbered. The Cubs have become what they took down in 2015, and they've become even stronger than who they took down.

The stakes will be high, and the pressure for the lineup to stay explosive, and by that I mean 2016 explosive, will be higher, but the Cubs just proved they want to win. So I feel like they might do some of that.

Nostalgic Box Break: 1999 UD Choice (Part Four)

Robin Williams voice: "eight months ago...we started a box. It was a terrible box. It unleashed horrible things. It did terrible things to us. And now...we're all going to *sit down*...and we're going to finish it."

I did the last bit of this box in June. I opened this box in 2015. I am FINALLY....FINALLY GOING TO END THIS TODAY, with the last nine packs. This set nearly broke me. It did not try. And when it did, it tried malevolently.

Let's finish this goddamned thing.

 Pack 28-
This is where we're at. Most of the remaining base cards are either dupes or lone needed ones. Most of the subsets are dupes because they're so badly seeded.

 This is not a well-designed set, but this is one of the few really nice photos they use in this set. Mostly they're very bland and uninspired, kinda like modern Topps, but the Valentin one is good.

 Two hall of famers, Craig Biggio and Chipper Jones, bridging Paul O'Neill, a Yankee legend.

 Pack 29. More of the same. Only the Cover Story cards really stand out, and they're not well designed at all.

 Yes, this is a nicer base card, of Ellis Burks' rare San Francisco stint, but it's cropped a bit too short and we could have seen more of the catcher, too.

 Belle and Galarraga, two of the best hitters of the 90s, in unfamiliar uniforms.

 Aramis Ramirez on the Pirates, always a welcome sight, and Ivan Rodriguez, a Hall of Famer and catching legend.

 Annnnd a Head-Up insert of a guy whose head has definitely inflated a ton, Mark McGwire.

 Pack 30- All dupes

 Pack 31- All dupes. And they're not even FUN DUPES or anything.

 Pack 32- Base dupes and subset highlights:

 Kenny Lofton in his Indians greatness, and Eric Chavez before he got great (and injured).

 Pack 33- All dupes

 Pack 34- Thankfully not all dupes

 A great, zoomed out card for then-rookie phenom Scott Rolen, and a great catching card of then-backstop-great Jason Kendall.

 JOHNNY DAMON, YAY. Even if it's a bland photo.
And Vinny Castilla still being kinda relevant in 1999?

 Pack 35- Okay, I did get a nice-seeded insert in this, but...

 It's one of Greg Vaughn. Yes, it's a YARD WORK one, which is pretty cool, but...Greg Vaughn. His cards have not aged well.

 And, as it's 1999, a rare insert of NOMAH.

 Pack 36- The box ends with a Heads-Up insert of Juan Gonzalez. Uhhh, quick, give me something to make me feel slightly better!

Okay, good, color-coordinated StarQuest of Adrian Beltre. I feel alright now.

So...that was 1999 Choice. I never have to open another pack of this goddamned thing again. I am happy. I am content. Also, now I can focus on posting a much better 1999 product's rip.

Two Rack-Packs of 2018 Topps Series 1

We're still in the midst of the weeklong infatuation with 2018 Topps, before it becomes completely normal and less appetizing. I picked up two rack-packs, a week after i'd grabbed my initial haul. Let's see if these lighten the appeal.

Pack 1-
270- Jackie Bradley Jr. These first few are dupes
303- Luis Severino
142- Adam Jones
345- Jose Reyes
24- Martin Maldonado. Now this one, of the Angels catcher, I needed. Nice shot too.
170- Christian Yelich. Second card in a row with a Brewers connection.
50- Anthony Rizzo, one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball.
350- Clayton Kershaw, the last card of the set, and the single best pitcher of this generation.
175- Jose Quintana. One of the few guys we actually saw in a new uniform in 2017 Update. Still a nice card though.
249- Christian Arroyo, now on the Rays
182- Alex Bregman
78- Carlos Carrasco LEADERS. Glad he's still really good.
262- Hosmer and Sano, a POTENT PAIR. CL.
59- Clayton Kershaw LEADERS
261- Andrew Stevenson
136- Raudy Read, the second of two Nats rookies I've never heard of, though this one just got busted for PEDs.
Salute- Nicky Delmonico. What's the point of doing these of people I've never heard of??
Silver Slugger- Adam Wainwright. Oh yeah, I guess that was the one good part of his season.
Gold Glove, or 'FIELDING AWARD', of Byron Buxton
Legends in the Making insert of Jose Altuve. I still like these.
SEVEN sideways dupes, including Rich Hill, Odubel Herrera and Alex Bregman WS
47- Hunter Pence. Will never not enjoy pulling a Pence card.
17- Robbie Ray, who will hopefully have another nice K-heavy year in Phoenix.
289- Jonathan Villar, a great card of a guy that won't really factor into the Brewers' infield this year.
25- Andrelton Simmons, a member of the sure-to-be-electric 2018 Angels
100- Giancarlo Stanton. I still love this song, even if he's not a Yankee on it.
260- Rick Porcello
342- Sean Manaea. Not a bad team ace, but I think A's fans still miss Sonny Gray a bit.
57- Scott Feldman, the only good Reds pitcher that stayed healthy for a bit last year.
102- Wil Myers.

Pack 2-
123- AJ Ramos, who will be one of the Mets' many options at closer this year.
141- Brandon Drury, who might be owning a starting infield position thanks to the ineffectiveness of Owings, Tomas and Ahmed
180- Ryan Braun. Yeah, he's still there. At least his card looks good.
19- Garrett Richards, who will hopefully stay healthy this year.
77- Martin Prado. Marlins need something better than last year from him, as he's all they have left.
178- Matt Adams. Now with Washington on the bench.
49- Ervin Santana. Out for a few months.
206- Nick Markakis, one of the most underrated hitters in baseball.
107- Jorge Polanco, whose 2017 bat work paled in comparison to his work in Spring Training.
76- Eduardo Nunez, who had a monster second half in Boston.
Seven more dupes, including two Aaron Judges, and rookies of Austin Hays and Rhys Hoskins
MVP insert of Jose Altuve
83T Insert of Rafael Devers, who had a great rookie year in '17.
Legends in the Making of Carlos Correa. Both my Legends in the Making inserts this rip were Astros. Huh.
dummy Topps Now insert, which I promptly tore up.
231- Joe Mauer, in a nice batter's box card
130- Brian Dozier, in another cool fielder's shot
230- Trevor Story, in a very purple card
4 sideways dupes
340- Gary Sanchez. Love pulling cards of him.
5- Chris Tillman. Is his best stuff done?
13- Jay Bruce. Back with the Mets, but nice to see a card of him on the Indians.
216- AJ Pollock. Great BP-Uni card of the guy.
54- Chase Anderson. Watch this guy this year. He's 30, but he's dangerous.
250- Buster Posey, who is STILL the best catcher in baseball.
35- Logan Forsythe, who could use a better 2018
209- Eugenio Suarez, a member of the still-underrated Reds lineup
70- Johnny Cueto, who better have a kickass season or two left in him.

So, I still love the product, and there was still a ton I needed in those packs. Might even try more, but the dupes will probably be worse. Who cares, it's only 2018 Topps.

Thumbs Down

I'm sad for selfish reasons. I was getting used to Todd Frazier playing in New York. Unfortunately, I should have been more specific.

Todd Frazier, who I had assumed the Yankees would resign to a deal because A.) fans love him and B.) he's a cheap free agent, signed a two-year deal with the Mets, who are trying to rebuild and move on from David Wright.

I'm a bit confused as to where it leaves the Yankee infield, but I don't think we're completely lost. It just means we're either going to have to call-up Gleyber Torres immediately and plug him into third or second, or we'll have to use Darwin Barney or somebody until Torres is ready. For a team that's so huge heading into 2018, I didn't especially think there'd be an under abundance question mark, but here we are. So it's a fixable problem, but one I wish we didn't have to solve.

In terms of where it leaves the Mets...they're in a place where Flores and Reyes can play from the bench, Amed Rosario and Asdrubal Cabrera will have to start, and Dominic Smith will probably alternate with Adrian Gonzalez, while the outfield will remain Bruce-Conforto-Cespedes. It's not pristine, and it's not what the Mets had 3 years ago, but coming back from a down season, it's surprisingly impressive, and if everyone stays healthy, they could make a run at a division title.

So...this move puts both teams in a good place, but one I doubt either thought they'd need to be in. The team that needs to keep good players on the bench is not the one who'll be indefinitely making a run for the top of the division this year.

2018 Topps Series 1: A Blaster

Yesterday I posted a hanger box of 2018 Topps S1. it was pretty good. Today I have a blaster. It will probably also be pretty good, seeing as the base cards are designed WAY MORE thoughtfully than they have in years, despite more disappointing inserts.

Each box comes with a commemorative patch card, celebrating Players Weekend. I pulled one of Nolan Arenado, which is nice, but it would have been better if there was semblance of the Player's Weekend uni on there, like the cool purple-and-gray combo.

Pack 1-
348- Hisashi Iwakuma. I pulled a foil parallel of this guy last box, but this is actually the only dupe in this box.
153- Scooter Gennett, he of the 4-homer game.
285- Trey Mancini. Not sure if he's at 'savior of the Orioles' status yet, but nice little player.
Superstar Sensations insert of Max Scherzer. Pretty boilerplate insert, but I dig the player. One of the best pitchers in the game right now.
245- Willie Calhoun rookie...Foil parallel. Hopefully he'll have good numbers next year.
Corey Dickerson Home Run Challenge. This is similar to You Crash the Game, only you are given the player, and you have to choose the game where he'll hit a home run. It's not a given series. Not bad, but...Dickerson's a less-sure shot for this year.
110- Carlos Gonzalez, a great shot from a not-so-great season
23- Jordy Mercer, who should not still be getting a starting gig.
208- Andrew Cashner, who had a weird season last year, having good numbers but not many strikeouts.
72- Cheslor Cuthbert

Pack 2-
165- Ty Blach
280- Jose Abreu. The photography is more zoomed-out this time, but not obnoxiously so.
327- Jason Vargas LEADERS. I doubt that whoever signs him will have an especially strong result from him.
Salute of Ryan McMahon. Topps needs to stop doing these for players who've only played 8 or 9 games. They'll GRADUATE to deserving inserts eventually.
Jeter Highlights- First Hit
Opening Day insert of Paul Goldschmidt. I don't like this insert.
61- Keon Broxton. Great card of a guy who won't be factoring into the Brewers' outfield this year.
67- Aledmys Diaz. Great shot, but he's on the Blue Jays now.
238- Jose Bautista. Will anyone sign him this year? Does anyone WANT to?
264- Carlos Rodon, who'll be trusted to be the ace in Chicago this year, which...is a gamble.

Pack 3-
201- Gregory Polanco. Now one of the few reasons to go to Bucs games. Lot of green on this card.
190- Justin Upton, as an Angel, which is a new sight on cardboard, and one that will keep being a sight for a little while.
28- Jayson Werth. Nice that they gave him his Uniform # for the card number, as this is probably the last we'll see of him on cards, unless someone signs him.
115- Zack Granite. Staten Islander. My cousin knows him.
Legends in the Making of Manny Machado.
Opening Day of Carlos Correa.
39- 2017 WS Game 5- Alex Bregman
60- Starling Marte. Nice to see him in a bucs throwback uniform.
171- John Lackey. This might be HIS last card as well, as i don't think anybody will want to sign him.
197- Maikel Franco. Great photo. Now all that remains is for him to learn to hit.

Pack 4-
332- Alex Colome, closer extraordinare.
304- Whit Merrifield and his long reach, who will be in a sparser Royals lineup.
306- Nicky Delmonico
299- Luis Santos
83T of Carlos Martinez, who isn't especially my favorite.
Freddie Freeman- Opening Day insert. I still don't like these.
88- Michael Conforto. The Mets will be hoping he can be their star player.
126- Who's On First- Rizzarper CL. Silly little combo.
152- Matt Barnes
236- CC Sabathia. The best. Glad he's coming back to the Bronx.

Pack 5-
74- Roberto Osuna, who will be one of the few supreme assets in Toronto this year, at least until July.
162- Matt Shoemaker. If he stays healthy this year, the Angels will be dangerous.
6- Dominic Smith RC. I imagine he'll either be benched for a bit, or will start and be mentored by Adrian Gonzalez.
196- Orlando Arcia. Surprisingly the Future Star thing works in this one. Graphically.
Silver Slugger of Marcell Ozuna. I already pulled this one...
Jeter Highlights- 2000 WS MVP.
257- JD Martinez on the Diamondbacks. And a great card at that. Let's see where he goes next, though..
239- Indians TC
343- Kevin Gausman
228- Zack Wheeler. Maybe he'll actually give some good numbers this year.

Pack 6-
157- ICHIRO. IN AN AWESOME POSE. ALRIGHT. Not sure if he'll sign anywhere this year, but a great one to go out on if this is it.
295- Zack Godley
217- Erick Fedde
Salute of JD Davis
Jeter Highlights- 2000 ASG MVP
Opening Day insert of Manny Machado.
121- Rich Hill, in a cool sideways shot
135- Braves TC
282- Ender Inciarte, who might be lifting a better Braves squad this year.
188- Matt Harvey. Second pack in a row where I pull a Mets starter coming off a disappointing season. Then again, for Harvey, every season since 2013 has been disappointing.

Pack 7-
202- Brett Phillips. WHO?
3- Dylan Bundy
129- Chris Sale LEADERS. He can't not make a cool card in this set.
233- Stephen Strasburg. More of the StrasBeard!
Legends in the Making of Jacob deGrom, the only Mets starter NOT coming off a disappointing season.
Opening Day of Andrew Benintendi
344- Wilmer Flores. Still playing mostly bench work for the Mets.
166- Victor Robles RC. Might be in for a great full-rookie season this year.
46- Cam Bedrosian.
132- Marcell Ozuna, in a great shot, but sadly he's now with the Cardinals.

Pack 8-
109- Starlin Castro, in a great send-off shot as a Yankee. Will probably be playing the Marlins this year.
172- Willson Contreras. Will be the starting catcher in Chicago this year...if he stays healthy.
18- Rafael Devers. Will be an unstoppable force this year in Boston.
83T Justin Turner, which looks great.
83T of Michael Fulmer...BLUE BORDER, 1 in 203 packs. Nice, but unnumbered.
Opening Day of Andrew Benintendi. A dupe insert. Great.
116- Ariel Miranda
30- Carlos Correa. A truly cool base card for a guy that's gonna be getting a ton of love this year.
338- Andrew Benintendi. Cool card. Will be suiting up for the Braves this year.
137- Michael Lorenzen

Pack 9-
308- Cameron Rupp, a great catcher, but one that might be losing playing time to Jorge Alfaro this year.
68- Billy Hamilton. Great card. Not sure what else he'll be doing in Cincinnati, but still.
284- Jose Pirela
276- Ozzie Albies, who will hopefully do better than Dansby Swanson in his first full season as a starting infielder in Atlanta.
Superstar Sensations of Yoenis Cespedes
Legends in the Making BLUE of Robinson Cano, still one of my favorites.
203- Odubel Herrera, still a Phillies star.
281- Alex Verdugo
97- Dinelson Lamet
38- Danny Salazar, who will hopefully still be a part of a league-leading rotation this year.

Pack 10-
10- Francisco Lindor. Still a fantastic player.
143- James Paxton
139- Zach Davies LEADERS. I did not know he was one.
Zack Granite Salute.
Jeter Highlights- last game
Opening Day of Kris Bryant
292- Orioles TC
321- Edwin Diaz in a cool 90s throwback.
85- Antonio Senzatela
158- Stephen Piscotty, now in Oakland.

So, that was a good enough blaster, though the new-set-goggles wore off partway through. I still like the set, but its flaws are a bit clearer. Still worth it though.

2018 Topps Series 1: Hanger Box

Gone are the days when Series 1's arrival is a mystery, and evades Target for weeks on end. The site said it'd be out Wednesday, and by the time I'd arrived at Target on Thursday, Series 1 was completely populating the aisles.

I bought a hanger box and a blaster. You'll hear about the blaster later. First, these are the first S1 cards I witnessed.

FIRST CARD I PULLED IN 2018 WAAAASSS...
225- Kyle Schwarber. I mean...not bad. I'd be happier with this if he had a better 2017 season, but, still, I'm not complaining.

241- Nick Pivetta. Nice rookie season, but will be better with a better lineup to back up.
14- Amir Garrett. Proof that it's easy to be a rotation's ace if everybody else gets injured.
16- Daniel Coulombe. The backs have more room for twitter and instagram handles, but if a player has neither, there's a big HASHTAG TOPPS BASEBALL, which seems eerily reminiscent of something our president would tweet. Also, the writeup font is noticeably smaller on this card, possibly to fit in the Topps signage. That is dumb.
269- Greg Holland, who seems to have discovered the ability to fly in this card.
347- Kolten Wong. Yes, the Cardinals are gonna be good in 2018, but let's just see how good and then I'll get worried.
275- George Springer, one of the most effective leadoff hitters in baseball.
232- Elvis Andrus. This will be Elvis' tenth season, which makes me feel quite old.
290- Salvador Perez. If the free agents leave the Royals, they'll at least still have Salvador Perez, one of the best catchers in the game.
83- Howie Kendrick as a National, which would have been more appreciated in 2017, but since he's staying with the team, I'll accept it.
311- Yuliesky Gurriel. Sad we don't get to see his french-fries hair in this card.
117- Kendrys Morales. Still a decent DH, albeit not as good as Edwin Encarnacion.
140- Mookie Betts, already a Boston hero.
198- Marcus Semien. One of the many people in Oakland who can hit for power despite...not looking like they can hit for power.
270- Jackie Bradley Jr., another important piece of the Boston outfield.
303- LUIS SEVERINO, YANKEE FLAMETHROWER. Good stuff.
142- Adam Jones, who's still one of the best players in Baltimore, and they should be proud to have him.
345- Jose Reyes. In David Wright's absence, at least the Mets are bringing Reyes back.
179- Brandon Woodruff
7- CLINT FRAZIER ROOKIE. Well, there goes one of the few reasons I have to keep buying packs.
267- Yoan Moncada. Topps really seems to like this guy. Hopefully the Sox fans will begin to.
169- A randomly saluting Khris Davis on his LEADERS card.
335- Stephen Strasburg's LEADERS card. I am still getting used to the Strasbeard.
146- Zack Greinke LEADERS. Glad to see he's back to giving results.
193- Aaron Judge LEADERS. Because of course he was.
1- Aaron Judge. And I get his base card. Awesome
259- RHYS HOSKINS ROOKIE. Alright, I get Judge and Rhys back to back. That is pretty nice.
62- Austin Hays, first 2016 draftee to reach the majors, which is pretty sweet.
148- Richard Urena. Great prospect, but for a Blue Jays team that might be putting either Aledmys Diaz or Troy Tulowitzki into his spot.
31- Corey Kluber LEADERS, because of course Corey Kluber is leading something.
205- SEATTLE SLAYERS CL. WHY WOULD YOU USE THIS PHOTO FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN STADIUM CLUB??
Salute Insert of Hunter Renfroe's Mother's Day uniform, which is fitting, because Hunter Renfroe spent most of 2017 playing like his mother.
Silver Slugger insert of Marcell Ozuna. At least these are slightly better designed this year.
348- Foil parallel of Hisashi Iwakuma. I wish we could make the gold parallels as noticeable as these.
83T insert of Josh Donaldson. These are great, but I wish they came in the same stock as the 87 inserts from last year.
Legends in the Making insert of Joey Votto. I bash Topps' insert-making skills, but these ones are pretty cool.
Legends in the Making of Freddie Freeman.
JETER INSERT- His 1995 debut. Yes, more Jeter cards, but these seem kinda boilerplate.
JETER INSERT- 2006 AL MVP runner up. Which he should have won. Thank you for reminding me of that bullcrap.
Legends in the Making BLUE of Andrew McCutchen. Don't know what the blue means, but it makes the card look cooler.
320- Yasmani Grandal. Sideways cards are pretty nice this year.
204- Brett Gardner. I ESPECIALLY LOVE THIS GARDY.
235- Mark Reynolds. Nice that his career renaissance has been happening in literally the friendliest ballpark for power hitters.
268- Neil Walker, in a cool sideways shot. Not sure where he's going in 2018, but it's nice that we got a Brewers card of him.
301- Brandon Finnegan. PERHAPS HE CAN STAY HEALTHY THIS YEAR...MAYBE GIVE THE REDS SOME HEALTHY PITCHING?
298- ALL SMILES Stros CL. Again, great shot, would have been better in SC.
229- Rangers TC. What's the point of these if you're not gonna do team stats/leaders on the back or anything?
177- Walker Buehler. Anyone? Anyone?
315- Chris Rowley. Great debut, but needs to locate some consistency.
154- George Springer WS Game 2.
226- Nick Williams RC. Williams AND Hoskins rookies in the same hanger box?? Niiice..
312- Carlos Aguaje. Perhaps the only Padres rookie last year to actually do anything of merit.
307- Daniel Murphy LEADERS. Nice idea to give some of these LEADERS cards to the sideways type. Sort of like what they used to do for Gold Glove cards.
156- Brewers tc
36- Anthony Rendon. Still one of the best all-around players that most of America hasn't heard of yet.
20- Chris Sale. Great shot for an incredible pitcher.
106- Jharel Cotton, one of the many rookie pitchers in Oakland last year that somehow couldn't deliver.
25- MANNY MACHADO. Still one of the best in the game.
125- Yoenis Cespedes. I'm hoping his 2018 season can be a consistent, injury-free comeback year. I miss his 2015 numbers.
87- Brandon Phillips. As an Angel. Not sure where he's going in 2018, but glad we covered this uniform stint.
221- Steven Matz. Ditto Cespedes'. Some healthy work this year would be great.
248- Jake Lamb, and his consistent power-without-average work.
255- Zach Davies. Will Davies have to be the team ace, or will it be a hired gun? We're gonna find out, but Davies is still a great choice for a No. 1 man.
168- Ricky Nolasco. Still technically a pitcher.
79- J.T. Realmuto. Will he stay in Miami, or will he, like everybody else, get a reprieve?
242- Craig Kimbrel. Still one of the best closers in baseball. He's already got 290, and he's not even 30 yet.
317- Chase Headley, now back in San Diego (where he belongs)
75- Andrew Miller, who is severely missed in the Bronx, and is still one of the best relievers in the game.
161- Matt Moore. Now on the Rangers, which says a lot of his Giants tenure.
9- Jon Gray, who still might be the most powerful starter in Colorado.
147- Randal Grichuk, who's now in Toronto, as the Cardinals have accumulated outfielders who can hit above AAA.
330- Ian Kinsler. Now on the Angels with his former teammate Justin Upton.

That was the hanger box, and that's a nice selection of players I collect, as well as some nice photography. I'm enjoying this set more than I thought it would, and I think the design translates well to tangible cards. Might be the best one since 2015, complete with color-coordination and fun, crisp photos.

Will post the blaster later.