Par For the Course

2019 is the 3rd year of Topps' revived Gallery product and to be honest, the cards and caliber of the set are starting to become par for the course, and I mean that in the best way possible.

The same can definitely be said in regards to the Topps Stadium Club revival; the first few years (2014-2016) were revolutionary, for the photography was at a level unparalleled by any other Baseball card product.

Meanwhile, no set comes close to matching the gorgeous art that makes up the 200-card Topps Gallery set. It's just that there's only so much you can do with a release that places more emphasis on the pictures than the design.

While the base designs have become slightly repetitive, the breathtaking artwork more than makes up for it. This Walmart-exclusive is one of the most enjoyable products to open year after year, and the price point is quite reasonable as well.

I've mentioned in the past that there's no Walmart within 10 miles of my house, but that hasn't stopped me from acquiring Gallery in the past. When I found myself within proximity to a store today, I decided to take the chance and stop by.

Luckily for me, it paid off, and I grabbed 2 Gallery blasters: 1 for today and one for later on, either tomorrow or Monday.

Pack #1 (Exclusive Artist Proof parallels)

#102 Mike Yastrzemski

It's odd for me to type the last name "Yastrzemski" without the name of a certain Red Sox legend in front of it, but his grandson, Mike, has proven himself to be one of the top rookies of 2019. His 21 homers and 55 RBI in just 371 at-bats highlights his potential.

Aside from the gold foil stamp in the bottom right-hand corner of the card, I don't think there's anything that differentiates the artist proof parallels from the base cards. If Topps was looking for bonus cards to include in the blasters, something a little less ordinary would've been nice.

#6 Shane Bieber

#109 Shaun Anderson

#98 Vladimir Guerrero Jr

The artist proof parallels do little to wow me, but at least I ended up with one of the better names on the checklist. Vladimir Guerrero Jr may not have lived up to the hype in his rookie season, but that's usually challenging to do.

He still put up very respectable numbers during his age-20 season, and when there's a new class of rookies to take the pressure off his shoulders in 2020, he'll have a stellar sophomore season.

Pack #2

#137 Jose Ramirez

#54 Pedro Avila

Each year, there's a handful of different artists that work on the Gallery base cards, and I always find one whose work appeals to me the most. This time around, that artist is Kevin Graham who painted Vlady Jr and the Pedro Avila card above.

Graham's work is very realistic in that the drawings look like they could just as easily be photographs with an added filter. The more real the players appear, in my opinion, the better.

#HT-32 Gallery Heritage Paul Goldschmidt

Each year, Gallery Heritage pairs a vintage Topps design with beautifully-done drawings to create one, cohesive insert set that never fails to impress me. This year's design, the 1965 Topps set, isn't one that I'd expect to see. That said, the '65 design ranks as one of my top-10 favorites Flagship sets.

Just looking at this one card makes me wish that Gallery Heritage was its own product, for I'd love to see what Topps' artists can do if given a larger checklist for this brilliant set. Whatever set Heritage is replicating in any given year, have Gallery do the same.

Or, better yet, have them start from the very beginning, pairing iconic designs with brilliant artwork.

#69 Corey Kluber

Pack #3

#148 Rafael Devers

If I remember correctly, Gallery didn't feature any landscape-style cards in either of the past 2 releases, so I find it interesting that Topps is starting to include them in the 3rd year of the brand's revival.

Adding landscape-style cards to the Gallery set gives this product yet another unique element and one that I hope is somewhat common throughout the entire checklist.

#35 Mitch Keller

#MA-AA Master & Apprentice Hank Aaron & Ronald Acuna Jr

There are a couple of insert sets common to each year of Gallery, but there are also 1-2 inserts that are unique to any given year. In the case of 2019, those cards are the Master & Apprentice inserts, a set that seems to feature 2 superstar players from the same team, one past and the other present.

If Hank Aaron was compared to Ronald Acuna Jr in an insert set like Topps Heritage Then & Now, I'd be a little upset, for I don't feel that the 2 are equitable (yet). However, the name of Master and Apprentice suggests that Aaron has something to teach Acuna, a more accurate comparison if you ask me.

#40 Josh Naylor

Pack #4

#92 Willson Contreras

There are landscape cards, and there are action shots of catchers in their gear behind the plate. Then, some cards combine these 2 factors and add spectacular artwork to the mix.

The result? One of my favorite base cards of the entire blaster box and one that could, potentially, rank among my favorites from the entire set. That's how much I love Willson Contreras' base card.

#HT-27 Gallery Heritage Blue Parallel Manny Machado

The odds of pulling one of these Gallery Heritage blue parallels are pretty tough (1:411 packs), so I was super stoked to land one of these gorgeous cards, even though I'm not the biggest Machado fan.

The card, like everything else in this set, is stunning, and I like the way the blue border pairs with the color of Machado's cap. It's also fairly low-numbered (#10/99), so there's definitely something to be said about that.

#13 Brendan Rogers

#43 John Lester

Pack #5

#136 Freddie Freeman

#25 Shohei Ohtani

I'll use Shohei Ohtani's card, the front of which is at the top of this post, to showcase the card backs from 2019 Gallery. As is the case with previous sets, each month of the player's previous season is broken down on the back of the card.

In Ohtani's case, Topps showcases only his batting statistics, so while Ohtani excelled in April and August, he struggled in July.

#79 Kyle Freeland

#125 Garrett Hampson

Pack #6

#129 Jose Altuve

I've been keeping up with the latest information and rumors surrounding the Houston Astros' 2017 cheating scandal, but I don't have a clue what MLB is going to do in response to this rule-breaking.

I've heard there are talks about banning Houston from the 2020 playoffs, but I believe that would just give them an incentive to throw their games and get a high draft pick in 2021.

Whatever ends up happening, however, I don't think it'll be pretty.

#71 Jose Berrios

#109 Autograph Orange Parallel Shaun Anderson

An autograph numbered out of 25 copies (#2/25) is not something you see every day, let alone out of retail, so I'm extremely happy with how this blaster box has gone so far. First, the Machado insert parallel, now a numbered rookie autograph.

I'll be honest, I'd never heard of Shaun Anderson until I pulled his artist proof parallel card, but given that the odds of an autograph orange parallel are 1 in every 1,000+ packs, I can't be disappointed whatsoever.

I also learned, via the back of the card, that he was the Red Sox's 3rd round draft pick back in 2016 before being traded for Eduardo Nunez the following year.

#4 Lance McCullers Jr

Pack #7

#47 Matt Chapman

The landscape cards from this set, more so than the standard ones, are superb. Enough said.

#34 Daniel Ponce de Leon

#MP-9 Masterpiece Francisco Lindor

There have been a ton of trade rumors circulating in regards to Kris Bryant, Mookie Betts, and Mr. Smile Francisco Lindor, some of the game's biggest stars over the last few seasons.

Personally, I can't picture Lindor anywhere but Cleveland, and I don't think it makes sense for teams to trade away any of the 3 superstars listed above. At least, not until the trade deadline rolls around and they don't feel like a playoff push is a possibility.

#113 Domingo Santana

Pack #8

#116 Yusei Kikuchi

#143 Manny Machado

#200 Johnny Bench SP

One would think that a plain white background would be to simple for a set like Topps Gallery but amidst all the bold colors, it's rather refreshing to see something a little more basic, and this Johnny Bench SP fits the bill.

Plus, the 100th-anniversary patch from 1969 can be seen on Bench's sleeve, so we even know what year this drawing is supposed to emulate. If I could only get one SP from the entire box, I'm glad it's a retired player who I also collect.

#22 Jalen Beeks

That does it for my 2019 Gallery blaster. Overall, I'm ecstatic about how well I did; I walked away with a low-numbered autograph, an insert parallel, a HOFer SP, and a ton of beautiful base cards.

You only get 32 cards for $20, so this set may not be for everyone, but if you appreciate the artwork as much as I do, I'd highly recommend it.