Frankenset Page #58

At this point, I'm well beyond the 3/4 mark of my 74-page frankenset, for I only have 15 frankenset pages left after #58 is complete. Continuing my progression through this 666-card set, this particular page features cards #514-#522.

The cards above date back as far as 1971 and as recent as 2015. Without any further adieu, let's commence the next page in this custom made set.

#514 1978 Topps Rob Sperring

Whether you love them or hate them, there's no denying that the Houston Astros' rainbow jerseys provide a much-needed splash of color to the plain 1978 Topps set. I've never been too crazy about the '78 design as a whole, so I appreciate that Topps made this particular card slightly more interesting.

Don't get me wrong. '78 Topps is still home to some memorable cards, from Dave Winfield to Eddie Murray. However, it fails to stand out among the fabulous other Flagship sets of the 70s. If every card in the product, however, looked like the one above, I'm sure I'd be much more fond of it.

#515 1972 Topps Bert Blyleven

Hall of Famer cards, especially those from before the 1990s, haven't made many appearances in my frankenset thus far. In fact, I'd be surprised if I'd showcased a single HOF card from before 1975 before the Bert Blyleven card above appeared on page #58.

Since I don't keep track of every card that I choose for my frankenset, I don't familiarize myself with the actual pages until I write the posts. I'm surprised that I was able to include a relatively high number card (#515) from a set like 1972 Topps in my frankenset, but I love that I was able to do so.

1972 Topps ranks as my all-time favorite Topps Flagship design, so I'll take any opportunity I can get to feature cards from this iconic product across my frankenset pages.

#516 1987 Fleer Ken Griffey

Sometimes, I feel that Baseball fans forget about the caliber of player that Ken Griffey Sr was because of how phenomenal of a superstar his son was across his 22-year career. His dad, however, played 19 seasons and hit .296 with over 2,000 hits in roughly 7,200 at-bats.

Those stats are far from easy to achieve, not to mention Griffey helped lead the Reds to 2 World Series championships, and the 1980 All-Star Game MVP hit .303 across his 12 seasons with Cincinnati.

I just hope the same thing doesn't happen to Vladimir Guerrero in regards to his son, for it seems like Vladdy Jr is already stealing some of his HOF father's spotlight.

#517 2015 Topps Heritage High Number Colby Rasmus

The Houston Astros, to my knowledge, led the way with All-Stars in 2019, deservingly so in spite of the flawed system that is fan voting. Can we please just go back to the days when the actual players voted for who would make the All-Star Game? 

It infuriates me that Devers and Bogaerts weren't even considered as finalists for their respective positions. While it's easy for me to seem biased, there's simply no better American League SS or 3B, as far as 2019 stats are concerned, than Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers.

#518 1983 Topps Bill Laskey

I don't know that I'm that familiar with the San Francisco Giants uniform showcased in the card above. I've seen similar jerseys in white on Willie McCovey's cards from the late 70s and early 80s, but the dark brown version is brand new to me.

There's not much else for me to say about card #518 in my frankenset. We all know that I love 1983 Topps, but that's about it for this card. Moving on.

#519 1988 Donruss Mark Davidson

As much as I dislike the terrible borders and set design of 1988 Donruss, I'll admit that this card is pretty decent as far as the set is concerned. I love the Minnesota Twins uniform as well as the photo that was taken. 

The unique angle and position vaguely remind me of Topps Stadium Club, only without the high-quality photography of the 2010s. Everything outside the frame is pretty awful, but the actual image isn't anything to look down upon.

#520 2015 Topps Brayan Pena

As soon as Topps announced the design for the 2019 Flagship set, I had a feeling that the 2015 design would reign supreme as the greatest Topps base set of the decade. However, I wanted to wait and look at the cards in person before I made this judgment. 

Now, months after the release of Series 1 and a few weeks following that of Series 2, I can definitely say that 2015 Topps is my favorite Flagship design not just from the 2010s, but the entire 21st century as well. 

The vibrant bursts of color are something that we haven't seen in decades, and the set is truly a modern masterpiece. I just wish that Topps would continue to learn from this brilliant design.

#521 1971 Topps Leron Lee

Speaking of past products that Topps could learn something from, we have 1971 Topps, the only Flagship set to successfully pull off black borders (sorry 2007). However, being 1-2 all-time using this color doesn't mean that Topps should give up.

I'd love to see black borders make a return as a base set design, not just an incredibly rare parallel or online exclusive. I've always argued that, when attention to detail is utilized, black-bordered cards can be downright beautiful. There just needs to be a lot of effort put into the product itself.

#522 1988 Donruss Pat Sheridan

Believe me, it wasn't my intent to include 2 cards from the dismal 1988 Donruss set on the same page, but I guess there were slim pickings as far as card #522 was concerned. While the previous card from the '88 set had a respectable image, there's not a whole lot going for the final card on this page.

I've said this before, but I'll definitely search harder for a better selection of cards when creating my next frankenset. I don't want to have any cards, no matter the page, that I don't like, and that's, unfortunately, how I feel about the card above.