I went out to get some groceries for making dinner yesterday and popped over to Target for a couple of extras, so let's zip down to the card aisle, too.
It was filled with baseball product. Just about everything really, in multiple forms. Too bad I can't get into much of it. But for old-time's sake, I picked up a rack pack of two sets that I used to love.
Man, I really did love Stadium Club. And I really, really loved Heritage. But the falling out with Stadium Club has been a slow departure over the years. Heritage is more of an abrupt break. Topps/Fanatics is blatantly trying to turn Heritage into something else -- something I don't want to collect.
I think both deserve their own post to explain the falling apart. But quickly I wanted to mention the price for each of these. They were both $6.99.
That means the Stadium Club cards -- the cards that for more than 15 years were always among the most expensive to buy as far as retail product -- are now a relatively cheap 19 cents per card. Meanwhile, the Heritage cards are 35 cents per! Is this why Topps is trying to finish off Heritage? It's costly to make?
I'll take a look at the 2025 Stadium Club cards first. I'll save Heritage for Part 2.
Cue the sappy music.
2025 STADIUM CLUB RACK PACK
32 - Mike Trout, Angels
You're going to see a lot of celebration shots. I like the glowing halo head band thing even if it makes Trout look like a goof.
45 - Adley Rutschman, Orioles
See what I mean.
176 - Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
69 - David Ortiz, Red Sox
I've mentioned this before, but I'm not interested in pulling "legends" who were playing 10 years ago. I remember pulling their cards quite clearly. There is no novelty here.
188 - CJ Abrams, Nationals, pink parallel
193 - Brice Turang, Brewers, pink parallel
I was not crazy about these parallels when they debuted last year. They do look a lot better in hand, I don't know if there's a new treatment this year (I didn't get to see many of them last year) or if it's the same. It's more of a hot pink look. Anyway, I wish they'd stop with the Nationals cards.
84 - Chipper Jones, Braves
150 - William Contreras, Brewers
51 - Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks
More celebrations! Kool! They almost never happen!
120 - Sandy Alcantara, Marlins
100 - Corbin Burnes, Diamondbacks
This card is so much of a brighter pink than in the uploaded picture. I like it ... except for the Diamondbacks part.
132 - Yu Darvish, Padres
1 - Frank Thomas, White Sox
174 - Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays
29 - Christian Walker, Astros
Let's celebrate! It's the only thing Stadium Club thinks is interesting now!
193 - Brice Turang, Brewers
83 - Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks
113 - Royce Lewis, Twins
Let's pause on this somewhat interesting photo to mention the design. It seems kind of dumb to mention design on Stadium Club but it is there. I'm not crazy about it. I can't explain why. Kind of like these Twins uniforms that make them look like they're the Marlins. I don't really like it but I guess they're OK.
80 - Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks (so many D-backs yet not a single Dodger)
49 - Luis Severino, Athletics
55 - Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
137 - Marcus Semien, Rangers
70 - Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
The only Dodger card I pulled out of both the SC and Heritage packs. And he's appearing in a uniform that shows up more often on current cards than the actual uniform the Dodgers wear at least 100 games out of the year.
7 - Rafael Devers, Giants
16 - Elly De La Cruz, Reds
94 - Jordan Westburg, Orioles
19 - Cal Ripken Jr., Orioles
I've seen the De La Cruz card a few times. I still like it. Ripken is more in line with the legends players that are fun to pull (i.e. played more than 20 years ago). But Topps has been beating us over the head with Ripken cards for years.
ICE-1 (👀) - Bobby Witt Jr., In Case Of Emergency insert
Stadium Club inserts are almost always pointless but for once I like the look of these. It's a fun concept, too.
28 - Max Muncy, Athletics
155 - Pete Alonso, Mets
90 - Spencer Strider, Braves
123 - Francisco Alvarez, Mets
Wrong Max Muncy. Also Alvarez's helmet threw me off, I thought he was a Brewer.
175 - James Wood, Nationals (more celebrating).
155 - Pete Alonso, Mets
That is not a parallel. It's another Alonso card. Duplicates in a single pack, like we're living in 1991. I am so over this.
146 - Junior Caminero, Rays
199 - Johan Santana, Twins
Santana is a celebration card, too. Sorry, forgot to scan that and the James Wood celebrating card, but that's OK ...
Because I've got two Alonsos celebrating to celebrate!
Goodbye Stadium Club.
Back with the Heritage pack tomorrow (or the next day).
Comments
Did it revolutionize baseball cards? Yes. Did they “brick” together because of the gloss? Yes. Is 2026 Stadium Club a set I want to complete today? No.
Meanwhile despite the crazy cheap hangers it is still cheaper to just buy the set collated by someone else. 200 cards, $35 delivered = 17¢ a card. But you don’t get any lottery tickets included, and that’s what everyone really wants.
Also. Full agreement on the legends in Stadium club being a waste of checklist slots. It's already rough when a team set is only 6 or 7 cards. To then use up one or two of those slots for a guy who hasn't played in decades is infuriating. IF Topps is going to put legends in those cards should be the inserts instead of the usual bunch of inserts that feel like someone cheated you out of a base card.
But at least the packs per card are Cheaper than Heritage
They also look like they were designed as Stadium Club Chrome and then also released as a cheap regular set instead of the old way of releasing the regular set then making an expensive Chrome set from that regular one.
"YOU get a Pete Alonso! And YOU get a Pete Alonso!"
Now to go pick up some Heritage. Wish me luck.