It's what I do

 

I have the latest selection of freebies from Johnny's Trading Spot that have been sitting for a little bit waiting for me to say something profound about them.

But these aren't profound cards, they're pretty nondescript, with the only thing they have in common is that they're modern and most of them are needs.

So when nothing springs to mind, you know what that means on NOC. It's countdown show time! Yes, that thing that is all too easy but has been a staple of this blog since the beginning. It will never not be fun to me, and those who don't like rankings just aren't fun.

It's what I do.

So let's see how these nine cards stack up.

9. Grant Holmes, 2016 Bowman Platinum

This is a dupe. And Holmes is still toiling in the minors seven years later. That was not the plan and all the cards of Holmes in 2016 is proof.

8. Kenta Maeda, 2016 Bowman Platinum

Also a dupe and also a 2016 sensation. But Maeda actually made the majors and is still there, although he's injured so often it's tough to tell.

 

7. Jharel Cotton, 2016 Bowman Platinum

Completing the 2016 Bow-Plat trifecta with a card I did need (all of the following cards were needs, too). Cotton went to Oakland (along with Holmes) in the Rich Hill trade. Cotton's bounced around a lot after an OK 2017 with the A's.

 

6. Samuel Munoz, 2022 Bowman's Best

Still with the Bowman cards. I never heard of Munoz until seeing this card. He's in Rookie League ball, so chances are decent that fake Dodgers uniform he's wearing here won't transform into a real one.

5. Andre Jackson, 2022 Topps Chrome, Ben Baller edition

I don't know why Ben Baller Chrome cards keep being made. This isn't 2020 anymore, we shouldn't be settling for stupid stuff like back then. I will say though that the black border textured look is a nice enticement.

4. Joc Pederson, 2015 Donruss The Elite Series

2015 was Pederson's year as far as cardboard. He had some good times with the Dodgers, now he's a fat Giant. This card was not easy to scan and also confuses me the way Panini's Donruss can do. There are both Elite inserts and The Elite Series inserts. ... But yay, my Elite Series Dodgers team set is complete!

3. Ryan Pepiot, 2023 Topps Big League

Here we are in the present day. For the Dodgers, "present day" means having an entire pitching rotation on the injured list, Pepiot included.

 

2. Chris Taylor, 2023 Topps Big League

Wee, another '23 Big League card I don't have to hunt down! Someday I guess I'll have to look into those foil cards that ruined this set. But I'm not going to enjoy doing it.

1. Miguel Vargas, 2023 Topps 1988 design chrome parallel

I like Miguel Vargas, I think he's going to be really good. I'm always happy to get a shiny card from my team and any '88 is a reminder that those ubiquitous '87s are in the past.

Series 2 is out now, but I haven't bothered to look for it or even look into it. We've got all summer for that.

Maybe I'll get another ranking blog out of those cards.

Yes, sigh if you must, but at least I'm still posting.

-------------------------------------

There's a new post on the 1993 Upper Deck blog!