Best 30 Cards From All 30 Teams; NL East

Throughout the time in which I have been blogging (almost 2 years), I've written my fair share of mini-series posts. There have been 2 sets of division predictions, my favorite Topps Flagship sets by decade, and even top 5 relics and autographs for a number of MLB teams.

All of these mini-series either have or eventually will come to an end, for there is not an infinite number of divisions, Topps sets, or MLB clubs. 

Thus, the same thing is bound to happen for the best 30 cards from all 30 teams series, a group of posts that I have thoroughly enjoyed writing, maybe more so than anything that I've written before on this blog.

With all 3 American League divisions and all 15 teams done, this series is officially halfway over going into the 4th post; the NL East. Not only have I had a blast choosing the cards for these lists and talking about them on the blog, but the viewers have taken a strong liking to this series as well.

Although it'll prove challenging to conceptualize another mini-series as interesting as this, I'll do some thinking once the best 30 cards from all 30 teams posts are finished. 

The combination of me and the viewers' enjoyment of this series tells me that I must come up with another intriguing concept for a mini-series in the future.

The subject of today's post is the NL East and its 5 teams. Like the past 3 divisions, I'm pleased with the 5 cards that I selected, for I was able to feature an extensive selection of cards while staying true to the theme of these posts.

Starting off with the Atlanta Braves, let's take a look at the best card from every team in the NL East. Since I'm going off today's clubs, the Washington Nationals will be included, not the Montreal Expos.

Atlanta Braves

While the Ronald Acuna Jr 1st Bowman prospect cards are stellar, there's no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision regarding the Atlanta Braves spot on this countdown. I had a few different original Hank Aaron cards to choose from, but none of the combo or All-Star cards could surpass his 1959 Topps base card.

The card, despite the rather low BGS grade of 2.5, is a spectacular embodiment of vintage cards. The 1959 Topps set has always been one of my favorite vintage products, and Aaron's card truly exemplifies why.

It's simple, yet sensational at the same time. Even though I've become a huge fan of the shiny refractors and crazy parallels of today's collecting period, there's still something to be said for the vintage cards of the 1950s.

Miami Marlins

Unlike some collectors, I wasn't lucky enough to pull a rookie card of Christian Yelich and hold onto it until now. Otherwise, there'd be a different card for the Marlins slot on this countdown. With that being said, I'm still thrilled with the card that I ended up selecting.

Ivan Rodriguez's sole season with the Marlins was a critical one, for he helped them to their 2nd Fall Classic win in franchise history. Given that he barely had 500 at-bats with Florida, I'm surprised that Donruss produced a non-numbered relic card of him with the Marlins that includes a beautiful black, teal, white, and grey patch. 

This gorgeous patch is reason enough for Rodriguez's 2004 Donruss Elite Throwback Threads card to earn a spot on this countdown. The insane relic swatch, paired with the gold background, creates a stellar relic card of one of my favorite players in Baseball history.

New York Mets

I could've gone with a Tom Seaver base card from the exact same set graded at a 5.5 instead of a 3, but I'm confident that I made the proper selection with Nolan Ryan's 1970 Topps Flagship card nonetheless. 

The card, #712 in the set, is from the days in which Topps released their sets in numerous series. Thus, the high-numbered cards in vintage Flagship sets are rarer and more valuable. 

This, combined with the fact that the card above is my only original card of Ryan on the New York Mets, makes for a perfect choice for the Mets slot on this countdown. Despite the low grade, the card is absolutely stunning, another fabulous representation of how, sometimes, simplicity is key when it comes to Baseball cards.

Philadelphia Phillies

For some teams in the NL East, like the Braves and Mets, coming to a conclusion as to what card to feature on this list proved to be a challenge. This was not the case, however, for the Philadelphia Phillies, for I knew exactly what card I would choose for their slot on the countdown.

Truth be told, I don't have a single Phillies card in my collection that can compare to this gorgeous Rhys Hoskins gold rookie auto from 2018 Topps Chrome. This is aided by the fact that I pulled this card from a pack myself at last year's National, as I'm sure many of you know, so it has a lot of sentimental value to me.

After a rough period in which his batting average fell to around .240, Hoskins has gotten it together over the last 15 games or so. Now, he's back to hitting around .278 with over 40 RBI. While I don't believe he'll make the All-Star team, he seems destined to have a better 2019 season as far as contact hitting is concerned.

Washington Nationals

Don't get me wrong, I still love the Bryce Harper relic card that I chose for the Washington Nationals' spot on this post, but I also wanted to reserve a spot for the Montreal Expos as well. However, I already explained that this mini-series would be reserved for 30 teams, not 31. 

I have to go off the teams that are still in existence and that, unfortunately, means no Expos cards. That, however, shouldn't take away from the fact that the 2016 Topps Allen & Ginter mini framed relic of Bryce Harper is a stellar card, even if he already appears to be a bad signing for the Phillies.

I've always loved the framed relics and autos from Allen & Ginter because of how creative the design is. Even though the relic is just a plain white jersey swatch, I admire the way the card looks as a whole.

Like every other card on this countdown, the Harper relic is very representative of the team, player, and the set from which the card is from. Those factors are what make the best cards from a certain MLB team.