A Few From 2019

The first series of 2019 Topps released this week, so I ventured out to Target on Wednesday to pick up a few packs.  Retail packs are not the best way to put together a set, but it's a good way to get a look at the new cards.  Since I am limiting the number new sets that assemble this year, and limiting the amount of time and money spent on them, these few packs were more fun than an actual attempt to make a set. 

My first card of 2019..... 

was Ronald Acuna of the Braves.  Conveniently, if I were trying to put together a set out of retail packs, Acuna is card number 1 in the set this year. 

I think it is a pretty solid design this year.  I like that Topps has gone back to using a border on their base set, ask me at the end of the year what I think about the design.  Last year, I felt I made fun of the cards at the beginning of the year for having that AquaFresh looking think on the front of the cards, but they grew on me as the year went along.  

My first Cardinals card was Paul DeJong.  

Nice action shot of the Cardinals shortstop.  There are several different Cardinals cards in Series 1.  Not sure which of the cards I like the best.  I feel like I am leaning towards the Molina card, which has a nice action shot of him throwing the ball.  

Nothing better than a card of a catcher wearing their gear.  

First former Durham Bulls card of the year belongs to Cubs utility player Ben Zobrist.  I bought several packs of cards and it took me several packs to finally run into one of their players.  Considering they are the Triple A team of the Rays, and most of their players went through there on the way to the Majors, I was a little surprised it took so long to find one....

While we are on Zobrist, I can point out one other design element that I like on this year's Topps cards.  Last year, maybe 2017 too, they had chopped down the stat line to a five or six year window.  It felt like the old Donruss cards.  It's fine on younger players, even if I am missing a year or two of stats when I flip over the card.  However, with older players like Zobrist.....

It's nice to be able to flip the card over and look at all the different years that he has played.  Look, he played with the Rays back when they were the Devil Rays.  Seems like a long time ago.  Probably because it was a long time ago.  

Favorite Durham Bulls card.  

That's a pretty run of the mill picture of Blake Snell, but I love seeing him on League Leaders cards.  He was such a great pitcher while he was in Durham, which does not always guarantee that the players are successful in the Majors, but he was in a different world at times.  So much better than that level of competition.   Just completely dominate.  Nice to see Snell pitch well enough to win the Cy Young last year. 

Final card. 

Just as I loved the 1983 styled insert cards last year, I also love this year's 1984s.  I have a soft spot for the card designs of my childhood.  I could tell you this is one of my favorites, but that's generally true of most of the card designs from the 1980s and early 1990s.  

They even duplicate the backs.....

Not sure if this is going to be something I pursue this year, or not.  Last year, I put together the first series of these cards, then stuck to the Durham Bulls and Cardinals players in the later releases.  Leaning towards just buying singles again this year. 

How many wins would Greinke have if he had not played on the Royals for seven years?