2015 Topps Heritage Part 1

I am going to break down my Topps Heritage boxes into two posts this weekend.  Even though my favorite local card shop closed recently, the shop owner Jimmy, is still helping all of us card collectors in central North Carolina with our wax.  I picked up two boxes of the popular annual Topps product which, this year, is based on the 1966 Topps set.  Here's a quick look at a base card......

More on the base set tomorrow morning.  I was happy that Topps returned to coding the backs of the Heritage set cards to help collectors pick out the different variations.  The bottom of the base cards feature the numbers 253 as the last three digits of the code.

I am going to focus on the variations and inserts that I landed in boxes in this post.  I pulled some nice cards and was happy with my boxes.  I would have loved to have landed an autograph, but the short prints and variations were really nice in my box.  Let's start out with the inserts, since they have been basically the same since the start of the Heritage product in 2001.  

The basic inserts in the Topps Heritage year in and year out are the Now & Then set, which features league leaders from the past year and design year, Flashbacks, which feature both sports and non-sports events from the design year, and the New Age Performers set, which features younger star players.  There are also Chrome cards this year.....

and there are also several different box toppers.  I pulled an original 1966 Topps card and one of these  mini card sheets....

My two relic pulls weren't bad.  I would have loved to have pulled an autograph, but two nice players here with the Wright having a centered pinstripe.  The Mauer also has a pinstripe, but it is way over on the very edge of the window on the card.  Now, my favorite parts, the short prints and variations.  

The high numbered cards, above 425, are short printed and seeded at about 1 in 3 packs.  There are a total of 75 short prints and I ended up with 19 different short prints in all.  The basic short prints have the 258 code at the end....

I pulled two variations on the short prints.  I pulled two of the action variations.  A Tanaka and a Puig....

and the code on the back of the action short prints....

Finally the best card of my box at the odds in 1 in 140 packs is this great looking Mike Trout Banner Swap short print.....

2014 Topps Stadium Club Box

Another trip into Big D's card shop and another great box.  Today I opened up a box of 2014 Stadium Club.  I'm not sure I can do this in three pictures and a video like I did the 2014 Bowman Chrome box the other day.  A few more pictures and I apologize is the video is too heavy on love for this set.  I love Stadium Club.  Great work by Topps on this product.

My Final Vote in the National League goes to....

The National League candidate is a little bit easier to come up with than the American League candidate.  There are several deserving candidates, but in my mind there is one clear winner in amongst the finalist.  While some baseball traditionalist are not going to like this post, it's my opinion that the honor should go to Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig.  I am aware of the argument that he somehow has not paid his dues, or has not played long enough this season, but I disagree.  First, a baseball card...

2013 Topps Pro Debut Yasiel Puig 

Now, I can be a tradition baseball guy and love some of the unwritten rules and nuances of the game, but I also recognize talent when I see it.  There are a few guys deserving of an All-Star game appearance from National League teams that are going to spend their All-Star breaks undeservedly sitting at home.  Yasiel Puig could potentially be in that group of players next week, but should not be.  So, lets tackle the time argument first.

The biggest knock against Puig going to the All-Star game is that he's played for the Dodgers during June and part of July.  Jonathan Papelbon insinuated that Puig had somehow not paid his dues because he's only played part of a season.   Where were these people last year when Mike Trout played May, June, and July?  Nobody complained about his selection to the All-Star team and everyone was quick to point out that Trout was one of the best young talents in the game and was enjoying one of the best rookie seasons in the history of the game.  In fact, I spent some time on Google and cannot find a single player, website, or blog that complained about Trout appearing in last summer's All-Star game.  None.

So Puig has about thirty days less time into the season than Trout.  Did you notice he is hitting over .400 with 16 extra base hits, an on-base percentage of .441, and an OPS of 1.101.  I don't care that he's only played a month and a half, how many players in Major League Baseball have put those numbers up in a month this season?  None.  How many active players in Major League Baseball have put up numbers like over a single month? Few.  So, if you are a stats guy there really is no argument despite the fact that his window in the league this season has been somewhat limited.  The limited window is unprecedented and extraordinary.  Like Trout last season, you know when nobody was complaining about service time.

Let's take on one more tradition baseball notion.  I remember the last season that Ozzie Smith played in 1996 and how he got to go to the All-Star game, enter the game as a pinch hitter, and get a standing O from the crowd in Philadelphia.  Ozzie was not the Cardinals starting shortstop that season and only had 101 at-bats at the All-Star game with a .267 average and an OPS of .638.  Why did Ozzie get to go to the All-Star Game?  I think most baseball traditionalist would agree that Ozzie got to the All-Star game as part of his farewell tour.  He was a Hall of Fame player and at that point in his career fans did not care that he was riding the pine behind Royce Clayton, they wanted to see Ozzie.  He was a great player and a fan favorite.  So, what's this got to do with Puig?  

There are many traditional baseball people that are willing to make exceptions for guys like Ozzie.  Sure, he's barely played and is not even really the starting player at his position on his team, but heck it's Ozzie Smith.  How many people remember the Cal Ripken thing in 2001 during his last All-Star game?

How many people remember he was hitting .252 with three home runs when he was selected to the team in 2001?  Everyone just simply remembers the fact that he hit a home run and won the MVP award.  Old guys catch breaks because fans love them and want to see them one last time.  Why doesn't the fence swing both ways on this issue?  If old guys who do not have the numbers to actually make the All-Star game get in, then why don't young guys, with or without name recognition, get to play when their numbers are superior?    

Honestly, how many people have actually stayed up and watched the guy play?  As a baseball fan living in the Eastern Time Zone I admit it is a difficult thing to do, but I have taken time the past few weeks to take some extra time to peek in on a few Dodgers games.  Puig is a fun guy to watch.  Home runs, hustle, running into walls, great throws...in other words a person that every baseball fan should get to see.  What better stage to do that then the All-Star game?  He's energized the Dodgers from a group of overpaid veterans wallowing in the cellar of the N.L. West to a potential playoff contender two games out of first.  

As a Cardinals fan I think about it this way: The All-Star game counts for home field advantage in the World Series.  I know it's a stupid idea, but thats the way the world works right now.  The Cardinals are currently in first place in their division and have an excellent shot at making the playoffs this season.  Once you get into the playoffs anything can happen, but I like my teams chances.  However, the advantage of getting the extra home game is crucial.  Did Prince Fielder get a ring and a World Series share for his three-run home run that won the 2011 All-Star game for the National League?  I am guessing he did not, but the Cardinals could not have won that pennant without Prince.  So, as the fan of a contending team I want the best team and players possible for my league.  That's why my final vote goes to the guy hitting .400 with power: #votepuig  

2011 Leaf Valiant Yasiel Puig Autograph

I had several cards I could throw up on my blog today, but I am feeling like doing a new prospect card today.  I missed Opening Day for the Durham Bulls, but managed to make it to my first game of the year yesterday afternoon.  Sure I miss living in a Major League city, but the minors are really fun to follow and see some of the really good players before they get up to the big league.  I will do a post in the next week or two on a few of the players on the Bulls, but I will at least share my view of the game with you before I get into my card for the day.  

While I am pretty convinced that the Durham Bulls might flatten most other minor league teams this year (seriously-not being a homer) the most intriguing prospect in the minors belongs to the Chattanooga  Lookouts in the form of outfielder Yasiel Puig.  Puig is a Cuban and defected from the Cuban National Baseball team sometime in 2012 ending up as a resident of Mexico.  He became a free agent and signed a seven year contract with the Dodgers.  Puig played in the lower minors last year and hit for average (.354) and (.634 slugging) with 5 homers in 23 games.  Leaf managed to put him into their Valiant release last year and he was even included in the autographs.  

2011 Leaf Valiant Yasiel Puig Autograph

I managed to snag a green version of the autograph, in a trade, which is the most common.  This spring Yasiel Puig did everything he could to make the Dodgers and basically hit the cover off the ball during Spring Training.  The Dodgers sent him to AA to start the season, but he is hitting over .500 with power.  It's the first week of the season, but it will be interesting to see what becomes of Mr. Puig as the summer continues.  I had a chance to see a glimpse of him during a televised Dodgers Spring Training game and it was hard to get a read on how good he was with my own two eyes.  However, it would not shock me if the Dodgers are in contention that Puig will be the teams de-facto trade line addition to help push the team into the playoffs.