I like it, I don't need it

 

The 2022 Topps Heritage checklist released today. Box breakers are drumming up business for their Heritage breaks.

And I just got my first 2022 Topps Series 1 cards in the mail.

I may not be relevant, but at least I'm not driving myself crazy trying to keep up.

This is the latest date on the calendar that I've shown The First New Cards Of The Season since I began the blog. Here are the dates those first cards appeared each year:

2009: Feb. 7
2010: Jan. 26
2011: Feb. 4
2012: Feb. 3
2013: Jan. 30
2014: Jan. 31
2015: Feb. 6

2016: Feb. 4
2017: Feb. 1
2018: Feb. 2
2019: Feb. 2
2020: Feb. 7
2021: Feb. 26
2022: March 7

Thank you very much pandemic and flippers. (Also, consider 2022 Topps wasn't even released until Feb. 16 this year).

But that also shows how eager I am these days to find Series 1. I haven't tried to complete the flagship set in seven years. I simply don't need it.

But I do like it. The base Dodgers from Series 1 arrived today. That's really what I'm looking for from flagship now. So, once that's finished, it's all about grabbing whatever team inserts I can, maybe a few parallels and, oh yeah, I'll sample a blaster once.

I think a lot of bloggers feel the same way or are even more indifferent. I've seen 2022 Topps on the blogs maybe four or five times. There were many years in the past when I'd see the first cards of the year on blogs four or five times in a single day shortly after release. Sometimes 8 or 9 times a day. Different world.

But there are still traditions here. Even if I got the cards shipped instead of finding them on store shelves, even if I used a gift card instead of my hard-earned cash, I have the first blaster of the season to show.

Let's go:

PACK 1

#231 - Ronnie Dawson, Astros
#182 - J.D. Martinez, Red Sox
#178 - Jean Segura, Phillies
#295 - Jake Meyers, Astros
#271 - Patrick Wisdom, Cubs
#29 - Jose Berrios, Blue Jays
#62 - Luke Williams, Phillies
#65 - Austin Hedges, Guardians
#205 - Yadier Molina, Cardinals
#146 - NL HR Leaders
#204 - NL ERA Leaders
#121 - Yankees team card
#SMLBC-18-Buster Posey, Giants, Stars Of MLB chrome insert
#JNM-MC - Miguel Cabrera, Tigers, Number Medallion
#SMLB-7 - Jose Ramirez, Guardians, Stars Of MLB insert

A few observations:

This was the first card of the season for me. I have no idea who Ronnie Dawson is. I started to feel a little guilty about that, but then I turned the card over and saw that he's played 3 MLB games in his career. Maybe I should still feel guilty but I don't think it's too much to ask to open packs and know who the players are. There's too much of this in Series 1 the last few years and it's not just because I'm old.

These "Number Medallions" are advertised on the box as a "relic card," which they are not. They don't come in their own separate pack anymore. They are either in the first or last pack with 14 other cards, depending on how you pull them the box (I suppose if you just dump them out of the box and onto the floor, they could be in the third or fifth pack or whatever).

PACK 2

#272 - Eric Hosmer, Padres
#60 - Mike Moustakas, Reds (back-to-back former 2015 Royals)
#112 - Marco Gonzales, Mariners
#228 - Spencer Turnbull, Tigers
#196 - Randy Arozarena, Rays
#198 - Jake Rogers, Tigers
#57 - Kyle Gibson, Phillies
#55 - Robbie Grossman, Tigers
#44 - Didi Gregorius, Phillies
#156 - Logan Gilbert, Mariners
#238 - Moving On!, Dodgers (checklist)
#222 - Rockies team card

#T87-8 - Kyle Tucker, Astros, 1987 infernal plague insert
#SMLB-27 - Kris Bryant, Giants, Stars Of MLB insert

Admittedly the "Moving On" card is a highlight for me as it focuses on Chris Taylor's winning home run against the Cardinals in the NL wild-card game last year.

Also, please note my ability to pull Giants has returned with consecutive packs with Giants inserts. This is a big reason why blasters aren't the thing they used to be around here. Another reason will show itself shortly.

I need to talk about the design because I do like it. Topps has gone full in on borders again, which is good to see and I hope it lasts a long time. It simply looks like a card when it has a border.

The design is clean after that cluttered mess of 2021 and you can read the player names this time! (The team names are a bit too small but the logo does the job there). The only drawbacks is the single-tear-drop position name. First, why is it all ghostly? Second, eliminate the drop, put the position up in the name line and it's even cleaner.

I love the "Future Stars" font. Bold and fantastic.

 

PACK 3

#155 - Mike Minor, Royals
#213 - Jon Lester, Cardinals
#25 - Vidal Brujan, Rays
#26 - Devin Williams, Brewers
#40 - David Price, Dodgers
#172 - Nick Solak, Rangers
#83 - Will Smith, Dodgers
#144 - Diamondbacks team card
#114 - Tony Kemp, Athletics
#235 - Jarred Kelenic, Mariners
#125 - Slam Diego(TM) Returns (TM Slam Diego, really?)

#11 - Jesus Luzardo, Marlins, gold parallel
#163 - Stuart Fairchild, Diamondbacks, blue parallel
#SMLB-24 - Shohei Ohtani, Angels, Stars of MLB insert

That is some shot on the Tony Kemp card, I don't even know what he's doing there. But let's look at the two parallels I pulled. A Marlin and a Diamondback. How many times have I told Topps not to make parallels and inserts of these two teams! Nobody collects them!

PACK 4

#120 - Andrew Vaughn, White Sox
#299 - Julio Urias, Dodgers
#84 - Jose Abreu, White Sox
#168 - Kyle Hendricks, Cubs
#116 - Alcides Escobar, Nationals
#24 - Trevor Rogers, Marlins
#197 - Alex Kirilloff, Twins
#265 - Keston Hiura, Brewers
#160 - Anthony Bender, Marlins
#239 - Garrett Crochet, White Sox
#307 - Steven Brault, Pirates
#263 - Trey Amburgey, Yankees
#GN-22 - Gleyber Torres, Yankees, Generation Now insert
#SMLB-9 - Mookie Betts, Dodgers, Stars Of MLB insert

Topps is really going all-in on the "City Connect" jerseys in this year's set. I don't even know what team I'm looking at sometimes when I view the photo. This looks like an MLB-required thing, I wouldn't be surprised.

I'm pleased I pulled a Dodger insert -- always makes the blaster purchase worthwhile -- but these "Stars Of MLB" insert cards are about as generic an insert possible. There have been so many iterations of this theme in past insert sets, heck going back to the '90s. Why not just have an insert set called "These Guys Play Baseball" if you're going to be that general?

PACK 5

#309 - Yu Darvish, Padres
#212 - Martin Perez, Red Sox
#251 - Mitch Keller, Pirates
#329 - Slugger Reunion (checklist) (just me being an newspaper editor, but nowhere on the card are the players identified)

#30 - Kyle Muller, Braves
#86 - Kris Bryant, Giants
#188 - Ha-Seong Kim, Padres
#157 - Bruce Zimmermann, Orioles
#129 - Max Fried, Braves
#64 - Tim Anderson, White Sox
#47 - Alex Reyes, Cardinals
#93 - Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Rangers
#21 - Shane Bieber, Guardians, foil parallel
#SMLB-4 - Rafael Devers, Red Sox, Stars Of MLB insert

I am relieved Kiner-Falefa showed up, we don't need another "Nick Solak Solo Ranger" situation.

 

 

PACK 6

 

#67 - Freddy Galvis, Phillies
#42 - Mitch Morland, Athletics
#135 - Chas McCormick, Astros
#15 - Jose Iglesias, Red Sox
#259 - Marcus Stroman, Mets
#179 - Zach Elfin, Phillies
#108 - Zach Pop, Marlins
#195 - Drew Smyly, Braves
#230 - Jonah Heim, Rangers
#280 - John Gant, Twins
#279 - Adam Duvall, Braves
#306 - Andrelton Simmons, Twins
#T87-99 - Aaron Judge, Yankees, '87 insert (How many times Judge appeared on the '87 design I wonder?)

#SMLB-30 - Bo Bichette, Blue Jays, Stars Of MLB insert

PACK 7

#58 - Lars Nootbaar, Cardinals
#99 - Aaron Judge, Yankees
#221 - Max Kepler, Twins
#277 - Cal Raleigh, Mariners
#107 - Luis Robert, White Sox
#281 - Sean Manaea, Athletics
#131 - Luis Gil, Yankees
#273 - Luke Weaver, Diamondbacks
#35 - Gerrit Cole, Yankees
#51 - Zack Greinke, Astros
#140 - Ivan Castillo, Padres
#14 - Amed Rosario, Guardians
#310 - Max Scherzer, Dodgers
#SMLB-25 - Nolan Arenado, Cardinals, Stars Of MLB insert

That's the last pack. I guess that means I didn't pull a Wander Franco. I've failed as a collector.

We also didn't figure out what uniform the White Sox wear most games during the season.

I seemed to have pulled like the entire Phillies checklist, plus a bunch of Mariners and Marlins. But that's what the Blaster Power Rankings are for! Remember those?

For old-times sake:

1. Yankees - 7

2. Dodgers - 6

3. Phillies - 6

4. Astros - 5

5. Cardinals - 5

6. Padres - 5

7. White Sox - 5

8. Braves - 4

9. Guardians - 4

10. Mariners - 4

11. Marlins - 4

12. Red Sox - 4
13. Tigers - 4
14. Twins - 4
15. Athletics - 3

16. Diamondbacks - 3

17. Giants - 3

18. Rangers - 3

19. Angels - 2
20. Brewers - 2

21. Cubs - 2

22. Pirates - 2

23. Rays - 2

24. Blue Jays - 1

25. Mets - 1

26. Nationals - 1

27. Orioles - 1

28. Reds - 1

29. Rockies - 1

30. Royals - 1

 

I think that's the first time since I started the power rankings in 2017 that I pulled a card from every team!

 

Oh, one more thing:

 

Topps screwed up the back orientation again.

(Overall Blaster Power Rankings since 2017: Dodgers - 55, Astros - 46, Yankees - 45, White Sox - 41, Braves - 39, Mets - 39, Tigers - 38, Blue Jays - 37, Cardinals - 36, Cubs - 36, Red Sox - 35, Phillies - 34, Athletics - 33, Guardians/Indians - 33, Giants - 32, Padres - 28, Angels - 26, Pirates - 26, Reds - 26, Diamondbacks - 25, Brewers - 24, Mariners - 24, Nationals - 23, Rays - 23, Royals - 23, Twins - 23, Rockies - 21, Orioles - 19, Rangers - 19, Marlins - 18)