Frankenset Page 9

It seems as if, since I do roughly 1 frankenset page a week on either Wednesday or Thursday, I use the first few lines to talk about what's currently going on in baseball before I get to talking about the 9 cards I've selected for the page.

As I speak to you now, Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez is on fire. He's hitting .317 with a major league-leading 20 homers and 52 RBI. Even with the ever-popular Shohei Ohtani in the conversation, I don't think anyone can stop Martinez from making the All-Star game as a starter.

Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole and Max Scherzer seem like they'll be the All-Star starters and possibly even Cy Young, candidates. Giancarlo Stanton has struck 78 times already, yet still has an impressive 33 RBI. And finally, the Seattle Mariners currently sit alone at 1st place in the AL West for the first time in years. 

Oh yeah, and there's a team (Yankees) with a .690 win percentage that's not in first place. Yeah, playoff seeding needs to be done by record, not division. If you don't think this is enough to convince you, take a look at the 2015 NL Central division. 

Anyway, I may be getting a little off-track, but I like the idea of using these lines before the frankenset page as a way simply to talk about what's currently going on in baseball. Now, here's page 9 of my frankenset showing cards.

#73 1999 Flair Showcase Row 3

I assume the Flair Showcase brand is similar to the Topps Gold Label set, given that this set has different "row" just like Gold Label has different "classes." I haven't seen many Flair Showcase cards before, so I don't think the brand lasted all too long. On a side note, Bartolo Colon has just tied Juan Marichal on the all-time wins list with 243.

#74 1976 Topps Traded Oscar Gamble

I put Gamble's most iconic card in the frankenset months before he passed away in January of this year. Immediately following his passing, I began to see this easily-recognizable card posted on tons of baseball card blogs. 

RIP Oscar.

#75 1991 Topps Jack Morris

I must say, I'm a pretty big fan of the 1991 Topps set as a whole. The photo quality and choices were far ahead of its time and the set design was simple but well-executed. Furthermore, I don't think I've ever seen the Tigers logo at the bottom of the card before in my life. I wonder if it was actually their logo or if Topps decided to put this on the card anyway.

#76 1971 Topps Ted Savage

It's cards like this Ted Savage card that makes me like 1971 Topps so much. One of just 2 Topps sets to feature black borders, '71 features some incredibly bright and colorful jerseys as well as shots that perfectly capture what 70's baseball was all about.

#77 1998 Topps Stars Edgardo Alfonzo

I recall this card being included in a random box I bought at a card shop a little over a year ago. It's numbered to 9,799 on the back which is pretty high for a serial number, but that's how they did things in the 90's. Since he plays for the Mets, I didn't know where else to put this card other than a frankenset.

#78 1992-93 Topps Stadium Club Jack Murphy Stadium

I don't know the exact details about this card. In fact, I only know what COMC told me about the card. With that being said, it looks like a stadium giveaway from either 1992 or 1993 which all in all is a pretty cool thing to have, even if Fred McGriff isn't a guy I collect.

#79 1990 Pacific Baseball Legends Gene Conley

Gene Conley isn't a player I'm all too familiar with, but I really like the cards I have from the Pacific Baseball Legends brand, specifically the 1990 set. On the first frankenset page, I featured a card from this exact same set of Tommy Agee. If I remember correctly, his card is card #2 in the set.

#80 2016 Panini Donruss Andrelton Simmons

If I'm going to put an unlicensed card like this Andrelton Simmons Panini Donruss card in my frankenset, I typically need something to distract me from the fact that it's unlicensed. In this case, it's the bright red alternate Braves jersey that Simmons has on that does the trick.

#81 2003 Upper Deck MVP Juan Encarnacion

Unless he was traded or signed before the season started, I'm guessing Juan Encarnacion was part of the surprising 2003 World Champion Florida Marlins team. Additionally, I believe this is one of the last Upper Deck MVP sets, however, I happen to like the design of this set quite a bit.