A Rare Redemption Auto From Stadium Club

Earlier this year, my Dad and I opened a hobby box of 2019 Topps Stadium Club which I opted not to feature/recap on the blog. The promise of 2 on-card autographs per hobby box got me thinking; you rarely see redemption cards in the Stadium Club set.

As someone who watches a reasonable number of breaks before purchasing a hobby box, I have a solid knowledge of the set before I even open my first pack.

While releases like Bowman, Topps Chrome, and even Five Star have their fair share of redemptions, I've never seen one of those cards pulled out of the photography-heavy Stadium Club set.

Of course, as soon as I got that thought out, I pulled a redemption for the Scooter Gennett autograph above which came in the mail a couple of days ago. Out of all the autos I pulled from Stadium Club, this one is unquestionably the best.

I fully understand the reasoning behind redemptions, but that doesn't mean I'm overly fond of them. There's something far more exciting about pulling the card yourself.

One of the greatest pulls of my life was a redemption card from 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter, but I don't remember it as fondly as some of my other hits simply because I didn't get the actual card from a pack; I received a piece of paper that guaranteed me said card.

Truth be told, I was happier with this autograph before I went onto Baseball Reference to check Gennett's stats for the 2019 season. After some solid years in Milwaukee, the 29-year old was claimed off waivers by the Reds at the beginning of the 2017 season.

He had some great moments in Cincinnati, even making the All-Star team with a terrific performance in 2018. His following season, however, was a major disappointment. Injuries and a .217 batting average led to Gennett being to the Giants.

Only 64 at-bats into his time in San Francisco, Gennett was released and is currently a free agent. When I pulled this card, I thought I was getting an on-card autograph of an up and coming player. Little did I know, he'd already been released by the Giants, and no one has picked him up yet.

The best thing Gennett can hope for is to get healthy by the time Spring Training starts in 2020 and get an invite from a team willing to make a low-risk move.

He's shown oodles of potential, particularly in 2018, so it wouldn't be the worst idea for a team in need of a 2nd baseman to go after this guy once he's healthy.

And while I was disappointed when I heard of Gennett's release, the Stadium Club photography took some of that feeling away.

Top 10 Cards From 2019 Topps Stadium Club

Topps Stadium Club, as a whole, is a challenging product to evaluate when it comes to hobby box purchases. The 16 packs that my Dad and I opened, as expected, delivered some of the best photography that I've seen on Baseball cards since I've been collecting.

No one can deny that SC has gorgeous photography throughout the entire set. However, the rest of the cards, such as the inserts, parallels, and hits, leave something to be desired. 

I've never been too impressed with the foil text "parallels," though they are slightly more noticeable this time around. Furthermore, the inserts have been extremely disappointing in the past, even though Topps upped their game in 2019 with this aspect of the product as well.

2019 Topps Stadium Club is the greatest set release of all-time, but I still prefer 2017 when it comes to the actual base cards. This year's release, however, is quite well-rounded, more so than past SC sets.

It's not like I didn't comprehend the risks associated with purchasing Stadium Club, but it's a set where I'm truly able to look past the fact that you don't get a ton of value. 

There are barely any serial numbered cards and I've never hit a big-name autograph, but I don't care about any of those things when it comes to this set.

Each year, in addition to purchasing a box of Stadium Club, I also compile a list of my 10 favorite base cards from the set. I've done this in the past for both 2018 and 2017 Stadium Club, so it was a no-brainer for me to continue this tradition in 2018.

#10 Ryne Sandberg

It was a close call between Ryne Sandberg and Eddie Murray's base cards which are incredibly similar to one another. They both have cameos from other Baseball players on their cards with Rickey Henderson making an appearance on Murray's.

However, the combination of the iconic ivy in the background of Wrigley Field and Sandberg's pinstriped Cubs uniform gave his card the edge. In any other product, this card would be enough to crack the top 3, but there's a ton of competition in Stadium Club, so I could only place it at #10.

#9 Anthony Rendon

Oddly enough, Anthony Rendon is the only player to appear on my top 10 Stadium Club cards for 2 consecutive years, for he earned the #8 spot with a beautiful card from 2018 SC. This time, the stellar photograph was taken at night instead of earlier in the day.

Even though his stadium lights card from 2018 isn't at the same level as the ballpark shot of Nationals' Park from last year's Stadium Club, this card is nothing to look down upon. The glare from the lights works perfectly with the dark blue alternate home uniform that Rendon is wearing.

#8 German Marquez

I explained during my hobby box recap post that, in any other set, German Marquez's card would be a  traditional shot of a pitcher during his windup. However, because we're talking about Stadium Club, Topps raised the bar with one of the most unique angles that I've ever seen on a Baseball card.

The pitcher's mound at Coors Field fits perfectly into this shot and is almost symmetrical with the grass surrounding it. My favorite part of this card, however, is the timing. The position that Marquez is in during his windup is perfect for this particular card.

#7 Christian Yelich

Since we're on the topic of unique angles, Christian Yelich's 2019 Topps Stadium Club definitely fits the bill. As soon as I pulled this card, the last of the box, as a matter of fact, I noted its similarity to Xander Bogaerts' 2016 Topps Archives card.

Arguably, Yelich's card is superior to Xander's due to the fabulous throwback uniform that Yelich is wearing during what looks to me like a road game. My lack of familiarity with the Milwaukee Brewers means that I haven't seen much of this jersey before, so that could be part of why I ranked it so high on the list.

#6 Jeff McNeil

Surprisingly enough, I didn't select any Boston Red Sox cards for the top 10, though Chris Sale's card with the Fenway Park press box in the background almost made the cut. However, that didn't stop the Red Sox from at least being associated with one of the cards on this list.

As you can see, Jeff McNeil's rookie card features the 2019 All-Star making a diving play in the outfield of Fenway Park. It's truly incredible what he along with fellow Mets rookie Pete Alonso have done thus far in 2019, for McNeil leads all of MLB with a .351 batting average.

#5 Jim Palmer

My Stadium Club hobby box certainly had its fair share of players from the 60s and 70s, guys that make up a reasonable number of the players that I collect. One of these guys is Jim Palmer, and his Stadium Club base card, as always, is fantastic.

Even though this isn't the first time I've seen a card like this in SC (leg lift during a windup), the angle provides a unique perspective which is one of my favorite things about Stadium Club as a whole. The same can be said about Marquez's and Yelich's cards. The unusual angles help make this set what it is.

#4 Sammy Sosa

Truth be told, I surprised myself by placing Sammy Sosa on this list at all, never mind at the #4 spot. I was equally shocked to see him in the Stadium Club checklist in the first place. 

I'll never quite understand why Topps continues to feature guys like Sosa, McGwire, and Canseco who were confirmed to have used steroids. With that being said, I still have a reasonable Sosa player collection though I can't quite explain why.

I don't think I've seen a new Sammy Sosa card in over a decade. Love him or hate him, his base card from this year's set is terrific. 

#3 Dee Gordon

At first, I thought Dee Gordon's 2019 Topps Stadium Club card was cool, but I didn't think too much of it until I looked at it for the 2nd and then the 3rd time. The closer I looked, the fonder I became of this sensational shot of the 2-time All-Star making an unbelievable catch in CF for the Mariners.

The zoom on this card makes it so that Gordon takes up just the right amount of space, not too much nor too little, while the throwback uniform, per usual, is a stellar inclusion.

#2 Vladimir Guerrero

After I pulled 2 lackluster autographs, I ended my 2019 Topps Stadium Club recap post with this card of Vladimir Guerrero in an effort to end the box on a high note. Little did I know it would soon become one of my favorite cards in the entire set.

Even though the jersey that he's wearing isn't my favorite Expos uniform, I love all things that have to do with the Montreal franchise. The yellow bench highlights Vladdy himself while also providing something incredibly unique to this sensational card.

#1 Babe Ruth

The more I think about it, this may go down as my favorite card of 2019 when all is said and done. If there's not a single card that I've seen in Stadium Club that can beat Babe Ruth's unbelievable card, then there likely won't be one for the rest of 2019 either.

This digitally enhanced shot of the greatest player of all-time is truly breathtaking. The uniform and the green background stay true to the era in which Ruth played while other details, like the bat in the bottom right corner, help tie everything together.

It's simple, far simplier than most of the other cards on this list, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

If it Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

Since the brand's revival in 2014, Topps Stadium Club has become a favorite among Baseball card collectors, specifically bloggers who are encapsulated by the minimal base design and gorgeous photography.

Frankly, it's hard to believe that Topps has already released 6 Stadium Club sets since they brought the product back. Even though we generally know what to expect from the release year after year, even as far as the checklist is concerned, Topps never fails to blow me away with the sheer caliber of the images.

The Stadium Club set design, although not the focal point of the product, is essential to how the cards look and how the beautiful photographs are utilized. This year's design is a step up from the 2018 version, for the text doesn't interfere with the images whatsoever.

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I'd be opening an entire hobby box of 2019 Topps Stadium Club, something that's become a bit of a tradition for my Dad and me to do. 

We may not have landed any major hits or valuable cards, but Stadium Club is one of my favorite sets solely because of the photography, not for any other reason.  It would be nice to land a big-name autograph, but that's not my priority when it comes to this release.

In case you haven't heard, there are no black and white photos in Stadium Club this year, something that may or may not continue in subsequent releases. My initial pack didn't deliver any old-time players, but I'm pleased that I was able to pull a couple of cards with black and white photos that have been enhanced into full color.

Babe Ruth and Johhny Mize are the 2 standouts out of all the players I landed who played in the pre-war era, the other being Honus Wagner. Topps' designers already have to enhance the quality of pictures of guys like Ruth, so I can only imagine what it's like to turn that photo into a color image.

A reasonable number of my 250 player collections include stars from the 70s and 80s, players that appear in Topps Stadium Club each and every year. While Eddie Murray hasn't been in an SC checklist since 2016, the other 3, especially Rickey Henderson, have appeared consistently since the brand's revival.

The Sandberg image is a beautiful shot of Wrigley from the 1980s while the 2 Orioles (Murray and Robinson) have banners in the backgrounds of their respective cards. I'm not sure if the pictures are from Opening Day, the World Series, or possibly the All-Star game.

Speaking of Murray, I love that he makes an appearance on Rickey Henderson's card, for cameos like that aren't too common as far as Baseball cards are concerned.

Finally, we have the players of today, paired with unparalleled photographs from all different angles of the ballpark. Unlike Topps Flagship, for example, Stadium Club goes beyond the typical photos for batters and hitters as well as the repetitive angles for each and every shot.

Instead of showcasing Chris Sale during his windup for the 100th time, let's use a shot of him with his cap off with Fenway Park in the background. Let's use a traditional photo of German Marquez but instead zoom out, using an angle that we rarely see.

This is the mindset behind the masterminds of Stadium Club, a product that truly breaks the mold and goes out on a limb. Not to mention, these gambles virtually always pay off. 

I've always been critical of Stadium Club's inserts, both from a conceptual and design standpoint. Rarely has Topps combined a brilliant and/or unusual concept with a visually appealing design as far as Stadium Club inserts are concerned. 

Even though they're far from perfect, I notice that Topps has improved the appearance of the SC inserts, if nothing else, from 2018 to 2019. Though the theme behind the cards is redundant, the Power Zone inserts look fabulous this year.

Warp Speed is brand new to the 2019 set. While the previous insert had an okay concept and an effective design, the opposite is true for the Mookie Betts card above. The design is average, but I appreciate the idea of having an insert set dedicated to the fastest players in the game.

Previously a Stadium Club insert set from the 90s and early 2000s, Beam Team has been a fundamental part of the revived product since 2014. The top hitters in Baseball are consistently featured in this insert set where the odds of pulling a card are 1 per hobby box.

Because of how uncommon they are, I certainly wanted my Beam Team card to be a player that I collect, so I was pleased when Jose Altuve appeared in one of the packs. Even though there's a lot of room for improvement, Stadium Club's inserts, especially Beam Team, have improved significantly in 2019.

Speaking of 1 per box. you also get 1 chrome card in every box of Stadium Club, a criminally underrated aspect of this set. The base cards are beautiful as is, and they are further enhanced with the chrome card stock, even though the checklist is limited to around 100 cards or so.

I'd be lying if I said that Justus Sheffield was one of my top choices from the Stadium Club Chrome checklist, but I suppose it could've been worse. Although the logo isn't included on the card, he is a rookie, so I might be able to sell this online depending on how he's doing with Seattle.

New to 2019 Stadium Club is the oversized box toppers, another 1 per box element of this set. Like the chrome card, Koufax wouldn't have been my #1 choice, but I have no problems with pulling his oversized card. 

After all, he's a legendary Hall of Famer even though I don't collect cards of the 3-time Cy Young award winner. This pull may give me the motivation to start collecting Koufax cards, or I might sell or trade it to somebody else. 

For now, however, I'm just going to appreciate how brilliant it is, on Topps' part, to use oversized base cards as box toppers for this set.

I'd be lying if I said I was shocked that I didn't land any big name autographs in my box. They may both be on-card rookie autos, but there's not much to say beyond that. 

I've never heard of Adam Cimber before in my life, and I like to say that I follow Baseball pretty closely. Chance Adams, on the other hand, had some upside going into the 2019 season and was somewhat considered to be a ROY finalist, but I don't think he's living up to his hype.

At this point, the only thing I can do with these 2 rookie autographs is what I typically do with my hits; store them safely in my relic card/autograph box and hope for the best.

And because I don't want to end this post on a negative note, here's an awesome card of Vladimir Guerrero.

Topps Stadium Club rules.

Dependability

As usual, my LCS is far more dependable than Target as it pertains to new releases. In this case, that release was 2019 Topps Stadium Club, a set that I try to open a hobby box of each and every year.

As I explained in yesterday's post, the card aisle at the Target near my house has been reduced to a shadow of its former self. This means that I'll be doing fewer retail box breaks and more hobby openings in the future, for I don't have a dependable Target or Walmart near me.

Though I didn't open them in order, my Dad and I have ripped a box of each of the last 3 Topps Stadium Club sets, dating back to 2016. We haven't hit any major autographs or numbered cards, but we've always had a blast with this set and the beautiful photography within it.

This tradition, combined with the newly-undependable Target card aisle, prompted us to continue this custom and purchase a hobby box of 2019 Topps Stadium Club earlier today. 

The promise of 2 on-card autographs, 1 chrome card, and an over-sized box topper was appealing, but we all know the real reason why anyone buys Stadium Club. The photographs are unmatched by any other sports card release.

Not to mention that all of this year's subjects, even guys like Honus Wagner, are showcased in color. There may be black and white parallels, but you won't find those kinds of pictures in the base set any longer.

At this point, we're about 1/3 of the way through the hobby box, so I won't have a recap post until tomorrow or Monday. Instead, I have 1 pack from the box to open for the blog today, allowing me to share my thoughts on this brand new release.

Each pack contains 8 cards, including 1 insert or parallel, and there are 16 packs in a hobby box. This is one of the most sought after releases year after year, so I'm ecstatic to see what the cards look like in person.

#54 Hank Aaron

Hank Aaron's one of my top 2 favorites players in Baseball history (I consistently go back and forth between him and David Ortiz), so I'd say that this pack is off to a fantastic start. 

Aaron's been included in every Stadium Club set besides 2015 since the product's revival 5 years ago. Even though there are no more black and white base cards, I don't think I'll mind if most of the retired players' cards look like this.

I can't seem to recognize the ballpark in the background no matter how hard I try. I initially thought it was the Polo Grounds, but upon closer inspection, I don't believe that's the case.

Nonetheless, we're starting off this pack and, in fact, the entire box, with one of the best possible base cards.

#7 David Fletcher

One of my favorite things about Stadium Club, year after year, is how Topps can take the same rookies that are featured in a dozen other products and come up with some brilliant cards in this photo-centric release. 

I've already pulled a few different David Fletcher rookies this year, and I barely even know who he is. However, his Stadium Club base card, showing the Angels rookie preparing to bunt, differs completely from the rookie cards of almost any other Topps set.

I'm still not that familiar with the 25-year old rookie, but Stadium Club, if nothing else, has given me a better idea about who he is with just 1 card. That's pretty impressive, to say the least.

#239 Luis Urias

On the other hand, I'm slightly more familiar with Padres rookie Luis Urias, for he was a well-respected prospect for a number of years before being called up by San Diego in 2019.

I've pulled his Bowman prospect cards and his Topps Flagship rookie, and while his Stadium Club rookie may not be my favorite, I appreciate Topps for using an angle rarely showcased on Baseball cards as well as a throwback uniform.

Not every card can be a winner, and Urias' is by no means a bad card. It's just challenging to stand out within a set as diverse and stunning as Stadium Club.

#219 Ryan Zimmerman

I've never been overly fond of the Stadium Club card backs, but I think that's going to change in 2019. In past releases, like 2018, the card backs differed depending on the player and his team colors, but this year, each card back is the same apart from the information about the actual player.

They all feature the same brown ballpark background with glimpses of light around the basic information and player statistics. The player's name uses the same text as it does on the front of the card, and, as a whole, the backs stay true to what we've seen from Stadium Club since 2014.

Although I believe that the "Topps Stadium Club" text at the top of this post is unnecessary, I don't have many problems with this year's card backs. There definitely a step up from years past.

#PZ-4 Aaron Judge Power Zone

For starters, I'm thrilled that Topps went with numbers for their Stadium Club inserts whereas they typically use the first letter of the player's first and last name to distinguish the cards (PZ-AJ, for example).

Second, my first impression of the Stadium Club inserts this year is that they're an improvement from 2018 and beforehand, though that's not saying much. I've never been a fan of the redundant concepts and unoriginal designs, but I love how these Power Zone cards look in 2019.

I've seen autographed versions of these inserts pulled though the odds of landing one are extremely low. The blank space on the lefthand side of the card, nevertheless, is perfect for some ink.

#82 Dansby Swanson

I can't tell if something really positive or negative happened right before the photographer captured this shot of Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson. He could've just dove into home plate and gotten dirt all over his jersey, or he could've been caught stealing.

Regardless, there are a ton of dirt stains all throughout Topps Stadium Club, so I'm not surprised that I stumbled upon some on the 6th card of the first pack. Grass stains, on the other hand, don't show up that much, both on the actual uniforms and in the Stadium Club base set.

#170 Jose Altuve

This Altuve base card becomes the 4th card of a player that I collect out of 7 cards in the pack thus far, the others being Aaron, Zimmerman, and Judge. Even with all the crazy images across this 301-card set (Vlad Jr is an SP), it's nice to have something simple every once in a while.

Altuve's card fits perfectly in a set like Stadium Club, for there's room for any type of picture, simple or complex, in this set. There's something that I love and appreciate about this card, though I can't quite describe it. 

#238 Steven Duggar

Every card in this pack besides Dansby Swanson features either a rookie or a player that I collect, and I believe that perfectly encapsulates what modern Baseball card collecting looks like. 

The 3rd and final rookie, as well as the last card in the pack, is of Giants outfielder Steven Duggar, another rookie who I'm slightly familiar with thanks to previous 2019 releases like Bowman and Flagship.

Here, we see another dugout shot, this time a little more up-close as Duggar is adjusting the glove before taking the field. It's another simple shot, by Stadium Club's standards, but I appreciate the minor details such as the sunglasses on his cap.

The first pack of 2019 Topps Stadium Club was pretty much what I was expecting, and I mean that as a compliment. Stadium Club consistently features top tier photography, so I had an idea as to what I could expect.

1 pack down, 15 to go. I'm ecstatic to see the caliber of photography across the rest of the box.