Best 30 Cards From All 30 Teams; AL Central

After overviewing my best cards from each American League East team on Sunday, I'm continuing on with the best 30 cards from all 30 teams mini-series today before I return to my Mansfield show recaps later this week. This time, it's the AL Central's turn.

Going into this post, I expected the AL Central to be much more challenging than the East. The latter of the 2 divisions had multiple teams with a surplus of different options for the best card (Orioles, Red Sox, and Yankees). 

Since those are 3 teams that I collect heavily, especially the Red Sox, I had no trouble finding a sensational card for teams in that division. On the other hand, I don't have many stellar cards from the AL Central clubs, so this list requires a bit more thought and creativity.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed compiling this countdown just as I did for the AL East list. I came up with the idea for this mini-series just a few days ago, and I was instantly intrigued by the concept. 

By the end of these 6 posts, I'm really looking forward to having 30 fabulous cards, one from each MLB team. Alas, it's time to continue on and showcase 5 more standout cards, 1 from each team in the AL Central.

Chicago White Sox

I didn't want to include as many relic cards as I did for this division, but I ended up going back on my word when all is said and done. To be fair, my choices for some of these AL Central teams are limited, forcing me to choose a standout relic card since I don't have a whole bunch of other options.

Regardless, that's not to take away from the fact that this 2001 Leaf Certified Materials relic card of Hoyt Wilhelm truly is the greatest Chicago White Sox card in my collection. I'm thoroughly impressed by the sizeable jersey swatch, especially for someone who played as long ago as Wilhelm.

It's clear that Leaf went above and beyond when creating this card, a trait that's always worthy of recognition. In this instance, going above and beyond also merited this card being the #1 White Sox card in my collection.

Cleveland Indians

One day, I could envision my 2014 Topps Jose Ramirez rookie card taking Eckersley's place as the greatest Indians card in my collection. For the time being, however, this spot is reserved for the 1976 Topps rookie card of the Hall of Fame pitcher.

The colorful 1976 Topps set may not be home to many iconic rookie cards, but Dennis Eckersley is one of a few featured in the product. In addition to the orange and pink at the bottom of the card, blue and a faint amount of red are also present in the photo of Eck himself.

As I alluded to, my 2014 Topps Jose Ramirez rookie card may eclipse Eckersley and earn the #1 spot someday. However, even if that's the case, the 1976 rookie card will remain my personal favorite.

Detroit Tigers

As many relic cards as I have in my collection, very few of them feature legends who played as far back as the 30s and 40s. One of those players is Hank Greenberg, and the card is a gorgeous one from the 2010 Topps National Chicle set.

An art-based product indeed, I'm very familiar with 2010 Topps National Chicle, for I purchased the base set at the Baseball card show when it was released. Years later, I purchased this bat relic card at the same show for a bargain of a price, and I've cherished it ever since.

Better yet, the card back is a National Chicle back, a variation of sorts, meaning this card is numbered out of 199 copies. If you have a minute, take a look at the 2010 NC relics on COMC. Some of them are absolutely breathtaking.

Kansas City Royals

Just last week, I listed this 2014 Topps Gypsy Queen Eric Hosmer mini framed relic as the #1 card on my top 5 Kansas City Royals autos/relics list. Thus, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that I selected the same card for this list as well.

I pulled this card myself from a pack on my birthday a few years ago, and it's since been one of the most beautiful relics in my entire collection. The black border and frame is an excellent contrast to the bold blue jersey relic that's numbered 05/10.

It's hard to say much more than what I've already said about this relic card, but it's truly spectacular. Out of all 5 teams in the AL Central, choosing the Hosmer relic for this list was the easiest decision that I had to make.

Minnesota Twins

After selecting relic cards for 3 other teams in the AL Central, I wanted to avoid doing the same when it came to the final team in the division, the Minnesota Twins. However, I cannot control the fact that so many of my best cards from each MLB team are jersey relics which was the case yet again as it pertains to Minnesota.

However, that shouldn't discredit how elegant and lavish this Harmon Killebrew relic is. I happen to have a sizeable number of these 2005 Fleer Greats of the Game Cooperstown Tribute cards, but for some reason, the Killebrew has always been one of my favorites.

I have never collected the Twins or, for that matter, any of the AL Central teams all that heavily. While I certainly appreciate each and every one of these cards, I'd be lying if I said I'm not a little motivated to collect a wider range of different cards, even for teams that I don't collect all that seriously.