My Top 10 Boston Red Sox Cards

Just because one particular team is your favorite doesn't necessarily mean that you're destined to pull countless cards featuring members of that team from packs. I've certainly learned this lesson over the years, for even though the Red Sox have always been my favorite team when I pull a special card or open a blaster box, I don't usually end up with many Red Sox cards.

The Chicago Cubs, my 2nd favorite team, is likely the team that I've pulled the best cards of as well as the team that I see show up the most in my pack openings. Other teams include the Angels and Cardinals, teams that always seem to show up in my pack breaks, whether it be the hits or base cards.

Therefore, because I often find myself not pulling as many Red Sox cards as I would like, I attempt to compensate for that through the Baseball card show or the internet. I'm always buying or trading for new Red Sox cards to boost my collection.

Over the years, I've accumulated a few thousand Sox cards, though the exact total is unknown as of now. Once I figure out a way to organize my non-player collection Sox cards, I could definitely see myself having a completed and up-to-date inventory.

As the title suggests, this post is dedicated to the top 10 Red Sox cards in my collection, not necessarily my favorite 10, a subject I could save for the future. Moreover, only 2 of the cards on this list were actually pulled from packs, and I'll make sure to point out which ones when they come up.

#10 2018 Topps Now World Series Champions Ian Kinsler Blue Auto

At the time, I wasn't too thrilled that my 20-card exclusive set commemorating the 2018 World Champion Boston Red Sox landed me an Ian Kinsler autograph. However, over time, the encased autograph has become a nice addition to my Red Sox collection. Not only is it numbered out of 49 copies, but the card is still an auto of a member of the World Champion team, even if Kinsler was a midseason acquisition.  

#9 1964 Topps Carl Yastrzemski

Aside from another card that you'll see later on this list, my 1964 Topps card is my only other vintage base card of Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski. While I have no shortage of league leaders and All-Star cards, I didn't have an original Yaz base card until I picked up this one at last years' National if my memory serves me right. The condition, especially the surface, isn't perfect, but that didn't affect the card's placement on this list.

#8 1959 Fleer Ted Williams Cards

I kind of cheated on this countdown by grouping all 20 or so of my 1959 Fleer Ted Williams cards into 1 spot, but that's only because there's no one card that I like more than all the others. I currently have roughly 25% of the set complete, and it will truly be an incredible accomplishment the day I finish piecing the set together. With cards like the one above, the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams set is truly a near-masterpiece.

#7 1975 Topps Fred Lynn and Jim Rice

Both Jim Rice and Fred Lynn's 1975 Topps rookie stars cards seem so synonymous with one another which is a major reason why I grouped the 2 cards together for the #7 spot on my list. Both Red Sox icons came up in 1975 and played tremendous roles on one of the greatest Sox teams of all-time, despite eventually falling short in the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds.

#6 2017 Topps Heritage Andrew Benintendi Rookie SP Variation

Graded at an 8.5 solely because of its poor centering, this SP variation is one of the 2 cards on this list that I actually pulled from a pack back before I began blogging. 

The rookie cards in Topps Heritage almost always feature 2 or 3 players on a rookie stars card, but there are additional rookie variations in which some players get there own Heritage rookie card. I pulled Benintendi's card after he came up in the summer of 2016 and have held onto it ever since. If only the centering had been right then I could really have a valuable card on my hands.

#5 2018 Topps Triple Threads Chris Sale Relic

I picked up my very first Triple Threads relic that included spelled out words towards the end of last year at my LCS. For the price of a blaster box, I grabbed this awesome Chris Sale 4-color relic card that spells out "Locked In" in all 4 Red Sox colors, grey, white, blue, and red. Better yet, because the card is a gold parallel, it's serial numbered 3/9 in the top righthand corner.

#4 2010 Topps Triple Threads Carlton Fisk Relic

Fisk's 2010 Topps Triple Threads relic card is the most recently-acquired card to make it onto my list as I picked it up just over a week ago at the MLK Mansfield card show. I'm not sure if there's a specific name for these Triple Threads relics that spell out certain words or stats, but one look at this card affirms why the Topps Triple Threads brand is known for creating beautiful relic cards just like this one.

#3 2014 Topps Chrome Update Mookie Betts

The final 3 cards on this list are all rookie cards featuring some of the most talented Red Sox players of all-time. Coming in 3rd is a card that I pulled out of a repack back in early 2017, a Mookie Betts rookie card, my only one to-date, from the 2014 Topps Chrome Update set. 

This isn't the only bit of luck that I've had with the Fairfield 20-pack Baseball repacks as I've also landed a Zack Greinke relic card and a Kris Bryant Topps rookie card out of them as well. It's just a shame that it's been almost 2 years since I've spotted one of those Baseball 20-pack repacks at my local Target.

#2 1972 Topps Carlton Fisk

There were a couple of expensive cards that I didn't need to worry about finding while I was putting together the 1972 Topps set since my Dad had pulled some of them back in '72 when the set was released. One of these cards was Carlton Fisk's awesome rookie card, featuring the green color used for almost every Red Sox card in the set. As far as rookie stars cards go, this has to be one of the most iconic ones of all-time.

#1 1961 Topps Carl Yastrzemski

I know it's not Yastrzemski's true rookie card, but vintage, in my eyes, will always prevail and make it to the top. Regardless of whether it's Yastrzemski's actual rookie card because of his 1960 card, this is still one of the oldest Red Sox cards in my collection, and, like the Fisk rookie, the 1961 Yaz card checks a major card off my want list for the 1961 Topps set that I'm putting together.

Who knows, maybe 2019 will be the year when I pull an insane Red Sox card to make up for years of missing out, or maybe I'll have to keep on buying or trading for most of the cards on this list. 

Personally, I don't really care too much, because this list has affirmed that I've accumulated some awesome Sox cards and that it doesn't matter how I get them.

Top 5 Cards; Carl Yastrzemski

Before there were stars like Mookie Betts and Chris Sale, the Red Sox had one of the greatest hitters in the game's history, a consistent player year after year. Despite playing over 20 years, all with Boston, Yastrzemski was unable to accomplish what the 2018 Red Sox did; win a World Series, something he undoubtedly deserved.

Boston came super close in 1967 and 1975 with a couple other solid seasons throughout Yaz's 23 years with the club. Despite that, he was never able to capture that World Series trophy he so desperately deserved. Even his 1967 AL Triple Crown-winning season wasn't enough to lead the Red Sox over the Cardinals in the Fall Classic.

Despite that, Yastrzemski remains one of the greatest Red Sox hitters ever along with Ted Williams and David Ortiz. With well over 3,000 hits and 400 home runs to his name, it's no surprise he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 94% of votes on the first ballot.

An 18-time All-Star, Yaz wasn't known to be the nicest guy in the world, but his talent spoke for itself, as did his ability to guide the Red Sox to 2 AL Pennants, ultimately resulting in 2 of the most memorable Fall Classics of all-time.

One of my Gold Tier player collections, I currently have 123 cards of Carl Yastrzemski. Though I don't always tackle PC's with such high totals, I'm quite pleased with the 5 cards I ended up with.

#5 1964 Topps Sox Sockers

It's mainly my love for the combo cards of the 1960's that catapulted this Sox Sockers card of Carl Yastrzemski and Chuck Schilling into the top 5 of my list. My eyes instantly go to the ballpark in the background that I can't seem to recognize, but I'm also intrigued by the positioning of the 2 bats, forming an X.

Now, I realize the early 1960's Red Sox weren't the best teams, but you'd think they'd choose a guy who hit better than .234 with 8 home runs the year before to include on a card titled "Sox Sockers."

#4 1977 Topps Turn Back the Clock

Even today, Carl Yastrzemski's 1967 season remains one of the greatest single-season performances in Baseball history. In addition to leading the AL in the necessary categories, batting average, home runs, and RBI, Yaz was also a league leader in hits, runs, total bases, OBP, OPS, and SLG. 10 years later, Topps made a point to commemorate this feat as a Turn Back the Clock card in '77 Topps. 

Fast forward over 50 years and this achievement is still remembered, especially since only 1 player has won the Triple Crown since Yastrzemski.

#3 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game Glory of their Time

Serial numbered out of the previously mentioned historic season, 1967, this Yaz card from 2004 consists primarily of 2 colors; black and grey, making for a sleek and higher-end type of card. I know relic versions of this card exist given I have one of Paul Molitor, but I don't think I'd ever find one of Yastrzemski for the right price, especially since the price of them in the Boston area, where I live, would be well above what I'm willing to pay.

#2 2005 Upper Deck All-Star Classics MVPs

While I realize the red borders of the card are for the American League and not necessarily the Red Sox, I can't help but notice how perfectly the shade matches Boston's team colors and how well it goes with the card of this Red Sox legend. Despite this unintentional choice, I kind of wish the image was color or the red borders weren't included at all. To a degree, the bright red borders take away from the black and white image, something you don't see too often on baseball cards.

#1 1972 Topps In Action

With quite a few different vintage Yaz cards to choose from, I had to make sure the ones that made the top 5 cards list were deserving and brought something interesting to the table. Even with some All-Star and league leaders cards to choose from, my personal favorite of not just the vintage, but all my Carl Yastrzemski cards, is his 1972 Topps In Action card.

Though it's not as much of an action card by today's standards, the photo was taken at exactly the right time to capture Yaz's swing as well as the catcher standing up behind the plate. The fact that 1972 Topps is my favorite set ever made doesn't hurt either, and in the end, we're left with a card worthy of the #1 spot.