Ranking the 2019 Panini Prizm Inserts

Within the last month or so, the Target near me completed major renovations that altered both the appearance and the availability of products throughout the store. While the layout is more or less the same, everything looks drastically different, including the Baseball card section which I frequent often.

Beforehand, all of Target's trading cards were grouped together in an aisle near the registers farthest away from the entrance. Even though I haven't always found exactly what I'm looking for in the card aisle, I appreciate the fact that everything was grouped together in one section.

Unfortunately, that philosophy did not carry over to the newly-designed Target, for the Baseball card aisle is now a shadow of its former self. Half of the space is now occupied by an irritating wall of gift cards and 1/4 of the aisle consists of non-sport trading cards.

This leaves a tiny sliver reserved for sports cards, and not all of that is Baseball. There are some Basketball and Football products scattered about, and I didn't spot a single product that was released within the last month. 

As poor as the selection is now, I fear it will only get worse as I found no Stadium Club or Series 2 blasters on the shelf.

When walking around the redesigned store, I discovered a couple makeshift Baseball card "displays" located within the Boston sports memorabilia section. I put the word display in quotation marks because, at most, these shelves consisted of a couple of Gypsy Queen blasters and a Series 2 rack pack.

No Stadium Club whatsoever. No Series 2 hanger boxes or blasters. I fear that this is the end of my retail shopping at Target. Alas, I picked up a value pack of 2019 Panini Prizm in an effort to make progress with my insane 2019 Panini Prizm project, and I left Target for good. 

From that value pack, I got the idea to rank the inserts from 2019 Panini Prizm, for, after seeing the redesigned Target, I doubt I'll get my hands on any 2019 Topps Stadium Club unless I venture into a hobby shop.

#9 Scorching

I didn't know how to describe my dislike towards the Scorching inserts of 2019 Panini Prizm until I watched a hobby box break of this set on YouTube. The collector referred to the inserts as "cheesy," and I couldn't agree more.

The flames in the background, truthfully, look awful. Topps has pulled off insert sets in the past that utilize fire, but it seems that Panini didn't take any pointers when it came to Scorching. If Panini's goal was to display the top flamethrowers in the game, try a flaming Baseball instead.

I'll admit that it would be challenging to make these cards not appear cheesy, but Panini didn't do themselves any favors with the design. Ultimately, the cards came off, to me, as cheap.

#8 Brilliance

Like Scorching, Brilliance is an insert set dedicated solely to pitchers. Although the design is a substantial improvement from the previous entry, these inserts lack a crucial quality; uniqueness.

If nothing else, the Scorching cards had a theme behind them; they highlight the fastest throwing pitchers in Baseball. On the other hand, there's nothing that special about the Brilliance cards. 

Rather, they feature the best pitchers in Baseball, like Verlander, Sale, and Scherzer, but the cards themselves don't have much of a personality. If not for the design, I'd rank Brilliance last, but the pink and purple background elevates these inserts to the #8 spot.

#7 Machines

Conversely, the Machines inserts showcase the top sluggers in Baseball, similar to how Brilliance features the game's most dominant pitchers. As a result, I have similar problems with this insert set as I do with the previous one.

In some areas, Machines departs from the Brilliance cards, for the former has more of a distinct theme (power hitters) and an interesting design. The reason why I placed these inserts above Brilliance is that it's a slightly improved version of the pitchers-only insert set.

All in all, these inserts are on the average side, which would make their ranking a bit higher in almost any other product. However, there are some surprisingly strong inserts in 2019 Panini Prizm, so the highest I could rank Machines is #7.

#6 Fireworks

As I continue this countdown, I'm struggling to decide which quality I prefer in an insert set; a central theme or an interesting set design. Towards the top of the list, a few of the cards combine these 2 characteristics, but right now, I have to decide between the 2.

Most of the cards so far have had fairly weak themes, and the same could be stated about the Fireworks inserts, one of which is showcased above. As I mentioned, some inserts have a better them than others while additional inserts have a more compelling design. 

Clearly, the Fireworks cards have a beautiful design despite lacking a concrete concept behind the actual insert set. The cards are easily the best looking on the list thus far, and I'm willing to accept the lack of a theme behind these cards and place the Fireworks inserts at #6.

#5 Illumination

If I was determining the inserts' placements on this countdown solely based on design, Illumination would definitely crack the top 2 or 3. I pulled 6 of these from 2 hobby boxes and some retail Prizm packs, and I can thoroughly say that these cards, especially the holo versions, are stunning in person.

Unfortunately, Illumination struggles with what virtually every insert set has suffered from so far on this list; there's no real rhyme or reason behind these cards. They may be vibrant and colorful, but that doesn't tell you much about the cards themselves.

The top 4 insert sets on this list all combine a compelling set design with a profound concept. As a result, Illumination's gorgeous cards simply weren't enough to rank higher on the countdown.

#4 Instant Impact

It's taken 6 insert sets, but we finally have a set of cards that combines a distinct theme with stellar set design, resulting in a fabulous insert set overall. 

These Instant Impact cards, as the title suggests, feature players that had an immediate and profound impact as soon as they made their debut for their respective MLB teams. I assume that these cards are rarer than most of the other inserts, for I only pulled 2 out of all the 2019 Panini Prizm that I opened.

Still, the 2 cards that I ended up with (Torres and Flaherty) are awesome cards with equally impressive information on the back. Unlike most of the sets thus far, Instant Impact has a definite theme.

#3 Numbers Game

This isn't the first time that we've seen Numbers Game inserts in recent years, for Topps Allen & Ginter made a Numbers Game insert back in 2016 that differed somewhat from the 2019 Panini Prizm version.

While I'd prefer to have the background colors and numbers to be full-bleed, I have few issues with the Numbers Game insert set. In addition to including the player's jersey number in the bottom left corner, these cards feature a plethora of numbers in the background, mainly the players' stats from last season.

I'll give Panini points for uniqueness and creativity because I haven't really seen anything like this before. Also, considering that I only pulled 3 of these inserts, I'd say I did pretty well (Acuna Jr, Betts, and Soto).

#2 Lumber Inc

In the past, numerous cards and even entire sets have been based on bats and lumber (i.e. the Donruss/Panini Leather & Lumber product. In the case of 2019 Panini Prizm, they took this basic idea and transformed it into something that fit the bill for the product while also standing out.

Personally, I'd never pair lumber with chrome stock cards, but Panini opted to do so, and the results say it all. I've always thought of lumber, when it comes to Baseball cards, as bat relics or cards with a wooden finish. Never would I expect cards like this in Panini Prizm, but I sure am impressed.

#1 Star Gazing

I know that I've stressed the importance of having a concrete theme behind insert sets throughout this post, but I'm willing to make an exception if and when an insert set's design is simply phenomenal, and that's exactly how I feel about the Star Gazing inserts, my favorite of the entire 2019 Panini Prizm set.

My only issue with this set is the background is the same for all the cards, but the combination of the surplus of colors and the different positions of each player allows every card in the insert set to stand out. Seriously, it's hard not to get mesmerized by the intricate and gorgeous background.

Star Gazing may not be as conceptual of an insert set as Instant Impact or even Machines, but the cards are beautiful enough to earn the #1 spot, and this was not a decision that I made lightly.