Food Issue Cards For Thought

Topps' modern day Baseball card monopoly has gradually made oddball cards virtually obselete. In the past, numerous companies, from Post cereal to French's mustard, would work with Topps and other card companies to produce their own promotional Baseball card set.

When I try to think of modern food issue sets, Walmart's Marketside pizza cards from a few years ago come to mind, but that's about it. Unfortunately, we rarely see these mini sets anymore, for I fear they've been replaced by over-priced online exclusives like Throwback Thursday cards on Topps.com.

Although I'm not a huge fan of how scarce oddball cards have become, it does make the occasional mini set releases all the more exciting. For instance, the recent collaboration between Topps and Utz snack foods has taken collectors by storm. 

Keep in mind, these cards have the exact same design as Topps Series 1. Okay, there's a small logo in the bottom left corner, but that's the only real difference on the front of these cards.

Admittedly, I joined in on the hunt for these Utz cards when I went to the grocery store on Saturday. For only $4 total, I picked up a 12-pack of potato chip snack bags that included 1 4-card pack of these promotional cards. 

As soon as I got back to the car, I fished through the mini bags of chips until I found the Baseball cards. Then, I saw Ronald Acuña Jr's card at the very top of the see-through pack.

At that moment, it didn't really matter what else I pulled from this pack. Certainly, Acuña is one of the greatest names to pull alongside Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. It also helps that this is Acuña's rookie cup card.

The only other significant difference between the Utz cards and Topps Series 1 is the card numbering. While the 2018 NL Rookie of the Year had card #1 in Topps Flagship, in the Utz set, he has card #36.

I don't consider pulling a rookie card a letdown whatsoever, especially when that rookie is the high-regarded outfielder Kyle Tucker for the Houston Astros. So far, I'm very impressed with the selection of players featured in this promotional product.

My knowledge of Kyle Tucker is quite limited, but I know that he's expected to become a starting outfielder for the Astros along with Michael Brantley and George Springer. Given that Tucker is just 22 years old, this card has the potential to be a sensational pull a number of years from now.

So far, all 3 cards that I've pulled have featured either rookie cups or rookie card logos. In the case of Royals 1st baseman Ryan O'Hearn, his card features both, similar to Rafael Devers' 2018 Topps Series 1 card.

In 2018, O'Hearn hit 12 homers and 30 RBI in just 149 at-bats, so it stands to reason that he'd earn the starting job at 1st base for the Royals in 2019. Although he's struggled with his batting average so far, the 25-year old has managed a respectable .288 OBP. 

The last card might not feature an All-Star rookie cup or rookie card logo, but Edwin Diaz isn't too shabby of a veteran to pull, especially given his success throughout his brief career so far with the New York Mets. After recording a whopping 57 saves for Seattle in 2018, he already has 5 so far this season.

With Edwin Diaz's card, however, comes my only major complaint about these cards. The Mets and Mariners' blockbuster trade was completed quite a long time ago, so I have to critique Topps for not getting Diaz into his new uniform in time. 

Diaz has been shown as a member of the Mets beginning with the release of 2019 Topps Heritage, so there's no real excuse for him to still be shown as a Mariner on his Utz card. 

Nevertheless, I was pleased to see a food issue product for the first time in years, even if the base set is merely a copy of 2019 Topps Flagship. Now, all I have to worry about is how I'm going to eat 12 snack bags of these chips.