2019 NBCD Pack #2

Let's pick up where I left off in yesterday's post with my 2nd pack of 2019 Topps National Baseball Card Day cards. I shared my thoughts on the set as well as my exclusive Vlad Jr card in the previous post, so this one will be recapping what I got in the 2nd free pack of cards.

#6 Javier Baez

I haven't seen every card from this 30-card set quite yet, but Javier Baez is making a stellar case for my favorite of the bunch. The combination of the Cubs home uniform and the ivy in the background is so classic that it truly will never get old.

I mentioned this yesterday as well, but I'm very pleased with the 2019 NBCD design. Even if they're just promotional cards, the set and photographs must complement one another, something that Topps didn't do well in 2017 and 2018.

#11 Miguel Cabrera

He may not be the superstar he once was, I never mind pulling cards of Miguel Cabrera, especially if the pack is free. The 11-time All-Star's stats don't lie; he's going to end up in Cooperstown when all is said and done.

The 2012 AL Triple Crown award winner is currently sitting at 474 career home runs. At one point, it seemed more than likely that he'd make it to the 500 home run club, but injuries set him back in 2018, and he only has 9 dingers so far this year.

At 36 years old, Miggy is cutting it close. I'm going to keep an eye on him to see if he can reach the 500 home run mark.

#17 Jose Berrios

I've barely paid any attention to the Minnesota Twins in 2019 despite them being one of the strongest teams in the American League. I'm not quite sure what's behind all of their success, but I'm guessing that ace Jose Berrios has a lot to do with it. 

The 25-year old pitcher made the All-Star team for the 2nd consecutive season this year, and his 3.37 ERA is 8th among AL starters. He, along with fellow starter Jake Odorizzi, seem to be helping this team out a lot.

#26 Paul Goldschmidt

I was baffled when 1st baseman Paul Goldschmidt signed an extension with the Cardinals over the offseason despite not playing a single game for St. Louis at the time. Though his home run and RBI game is still going strong, Goldy's .256 batting average is by far the worst out of any full season of the 31-year old's career.

On the bright side, he has 5 seasons in St. Louis after this year (if I remember correctly), so he'll have plenty of time to get back on track and become the player he was in Arizona. Who knows? Maybe he'll end up in Cooperstown as well.

#10 Nolan Arenado

Nolan Arenado, one of the most talented all-around players in baseball, also signed an extension before the start of the 2019 MLB season. The superstar 3rd baseman is staying in Colorado for another 8 years and is set to earn $260 million.

With superstars re-upping with their current teams left and right, I'll be interested to see what guys like Kris Bryant and Mookie Betts do once their contracts expire in the next couple of years.

I Guess I Didn't Miss Out

Since I started blogging back in August of 2017, I've celebrated my blog anniversary right around National Baseball Card Day. Both my first ever post as well as my 1-year post featured packs from this promotional event, so it's always been a major part of the blog.

I wasn't able to, however, continue this tradition, or so I thought, in 2019. The only participating Baseball card shop near my house was closed for vacation on August 10th, and I didn't trust that my local Target would stock the NBCD cards, to begin with.

The realization that I wouldn't participate in 2019 National Baseball Card Day was disappointing, but I moved on, nonetheless. With stacks of cards that needed to be put away, I made a couple of trips to my LCS last week once the owners returned from vacation.

One of those visits happened to be last Saturday, the 17th when I stopped by for a box of Ultra Pro sheets. Unbeknownst to me, card shops were still giving away free packs on the 17th for the 2nd installment of National Baseball Card Day.

While I knew about the Vladimir Guerrero Jr card which could only be acquired by spending $10 or more on Topps products on that particular date, I didn't realize that the exclusive packs would also be available.

After some deliberation, I bought 2 packs of Heritage High Number to get the Vlad Jr card. This forced me to break my "I'm not buying cards for at least a month because of The National" rule, and I did horribly with the Heritage High # packs.

But it's okay because I got my hands on an exclusive Vlad Jr rookie card even though I wish I'd just handed the owner $10 for the card and not suffered through 2 awful packs of Heritage.

Anyways, I walked out of my LCS with 2 NBCD packs, 2 Heritage High # packs, the Vlad Jr card, and a box of Ultra Pro sheets. After all, you can't really beat free cards.

To keep this post short, I'll recap the first pack today while saving the 2nd one for tomorrow.

#22 Josh Bell

I already like the 2019 card design more than the past 2 years during which Topps has done this promotion. The 2017 cards were over-complicated and featured silver foil names, something I cannot stand as it's near impossible to read. The 2018 design was okay, but it was far too simple and didn't do much to stand out.

This time around, the cards are still on the simple side, but this design is far more effective than years past. The Topps NBCD logo is a new addition, and the cards are just modern enough. 

For whatever reason, the full-bleed photos from 2018 didn't work for this promotion, so I'm glad Topps added the 2 logos in the top left and bottom right corners.

#16 Christian Yelich

During each of the 3 years that Topps has done this promotion, the checklist (excluding cards like Vlad Jr's) has consisted of 30 cards, one from each MLB team. For example, the Brewers, have their superstar player, Christian Yelich, featured while other clubs, like the Marlins, showcase Jose Alfaro. 

Because each club has only 1 spot in the checklist, I'd be interested to see if and how their 1 "star player" has changed over the years. Some guys have probably maintained their spot for years while others, like Ronald Acuna Jr, are featured for the first time in 2019.

#14 Clayton Kershaw

The 2019 NBCD set diverges from the past releases in that the cards feature full stats on the back. In the past, the card backs included a quick blurb about the player, but I'm always one for complete-stat card backs, and it's nice to see them, even on promo cards.

I couldn't think of a better example for the card backs than Clayton Kershaw. It's pretty unbelievable that throughout of his 11-year career, he's led the NL in ERA 5 times. 

Having complete stats is definitely a plus, but other than that, the card backs are pretty standard.

#1 Mike Trout

In the past, Trout's card has only been available with a qualifying purchase, so I was stoked to find his card in one of my 2 base packs. I'll take absolutely any card I can get of the 8-time All-Star, from a low-end base card to a high-end autograph.

Back to this specific card, I'm not sure what's going on with Trout's left hand. There seems to be some kind of cast or something on it, but I can't pinpoint what it is.

#20 Matt Chapman

After taking this trip to my LCS, I relaxed and watched the Astros battle the Athletics last Saturday afternoon before the Red Sox game at 7:00.

Through this game, I learned a lot about 2 talented teams, one of which seems destined to win the AL West while the other has a solid shot of winning a Wild Card spot.

I don't get the chance to watch a lot of west coast Baseball, so it was interesting to see how the Astros and A's players are doing, particularly Matt Chapman who's shaping up to be one of the most well-rounded players in all of baseball.