The Start of Something New

Before I get to anything else in this post, let me just say that no, I still haven't recovered and accepted the idea that the Red Sox traded Mookie Betts, and I'm praying that the rumors about the deal not falling through are true. I could turn that into a post of its own, but instead, I've opted to explore 2020 Topps Series 1.

I, as I do every year, got my hands on some Topps Series 1 around its release date, 2 blasters to be exact, and just like I've done for 3 years now, I'll be overviewing the 1st pack in its entirety to get a feel for what the product is like.

Each year, I have a little dilemma when it comes to Series 1. Obviously, I want to get my hands on some packs because its the first release of the year, but I know that it's only a matter of months before products that I, personally, find more interesting will hit the store shelves.

Thus, it's up to Topps to make the set appealing enough for me to buy more than just a couple of sample packs, and I felt like they did just that in 2020 Series 1.

That's because other than the '85 Topps reprints, there's no outrageously large insert set like Salute and 150 Years of previous Series 1 sets.

It's true that, no matter what you collect or what your budget is, Series 1 has something special to offer, and no matter how I feel about the design, it's always fun to sample a few packs and celebrate Topps 1st release of the year and, in this case, the decade.

Ok, 2020 Archives Signature Series did come out a week or 2 ago, but let's be real, Series 1 is far more popular and accessible and should be regarded as the first true release of 2020.

This year, blaster boxes come with 7 packs with 14 cards each, and I saved the first one exactly how I opened it for today's post. Without any further adieu, here's my first look at 2020 Topps Series 1, my first card purchase of 2020.

#230 Nolan Arenado

As you saw from the top of the post, Nolan Arenado was my first pull of 2020, and one quick look at his stats will tell you that this isn't a bad way to start the decade off.

Immediately when I saw the card backs, they reminded me of last year's National Baseball Card Day backs. I don't necessarily think a grey background with black text was the best choice in terms of legibility of the stats, though I will admit that they look clearer in-person.

#223 Aaron Civale

In the past, especially when it comes to Topps Series 1, I've kept track of how many rookie cards I pull and calculated the percentage of total cards pulled are rookies. I don't know if I'll do this with my Series 1 blasters, but it's just interesting that 2 cards in, we already have one to show.

#345 Justin Verlander

#324 Mike Soroka

I don't remember the exact details, but around a year ago, I had a Mike Soroka green parallel rookie auto from Topps Gallery listed on my eBay page, and someone offered around $25 for it. I declined, and upon hearing he was a top 100 prospect, pulled the card off eBay all together to keep for my collection.

1 year later, he's coming off a season with a 2.68 ERA in which he was an NL All-Star and the runner-up to Pete Alonso for Rookie of the Year.

#315 Adam Frazier

#44 Tommy Edman

Admittedly, I miss the rainbow text used on the Future Stars cards that Topps used back in 2019, though Tommy Edman's throwback Cardinals uniform provides more than enough color that, in this instance, the rainbow "Future Stars" isn't completely necessary.

#102 Josh Phegley

#208 Zack Collins

#113 Matt Carpenter

At first, I thought this card, as well as the Zack Collins rookie, was an image variation of sorts, but upon checking the code on the back, I realized it was just a base card with exceptional photography. Kudos to Topps for including some interesting shots here and there.

#177 Craig Kimbrel

I'd already landed 2 cards for my player collections (Arenado and Verlander), but landing this Craig Kimbrel card in my first pack of 2020 indicates to me that this could be a very good year, knock on wood, for card collecting.

Plus, the photograph is a classic choice for a Kimbrel card: his windup process that I've seen many a time on cards as well as in-person at Fenway Park. Needless to say, I miss when he was in Boston.

#HRC-19 Home Run Challenge Code Cards Fernando Tatis Jr

First Craig Kimbrel, now Fernando Tatis Jr: my first pack of Series 1 has delivered a card for each of the players whom I "super collect."

Although I've been inclined to sell my Home Run Challenge cards in the past, I think I'll press my luck with Tatis Jr to get an exclusive parallel if I guess a game that he'll hit a dinger correctly.

#TR-51 Turkey Red Christian Yelich

If you would've asked me to come up with an insert set for Series 1, Turkey Red reproductions likely would've never crossed my mind, but now that they're here, I couldn't be more pleased to see them.

It's a creative idea for sure, and I'm glad that Topps went with something like this instead of another set like 150 Years of Baseball which, as cool as it was, wasn't executed very well.

#92 Blake Treinen

#156 Nick Markakis

I got my hands on 2 blasters of Series 1, one of which I've already opened, so I'll definitely get to sharing the results over the weekend. Who knows, I might even be so inspired by the product's variety to purchase a little more. We'll have to wait and see.

It's About More Than Just the Hit

For the first time maybe ever, I opened a hobby box of cards without being overly concerned about what my hit would be. There's 1 autograph or relic card guaranteed in a hobby box of 2019 Topps Series, but it's usually a standard jersey relic which isn't too exciting. 

This forces me to appreciate every other card I pull to make up for the boring hit, and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I was able to enjoy the entire box, not just the 1 hit.

In fact, I'll show the hit right away so I can move on to the rest of the box and the awesome photos, in particular. It's a black jersey swatch of Yoan Moncada, part of the Major League Materials set that Topps features every year. The card is already on eBay. Moving on.

This is what it looks like when more attention is paid towards the photos featured across a Flagship set. Thankfully, I saw way fewer "traditional" and "boring" pictures and more exciting cards like the 2 above, a couple of my favorites. 

These pictures, especially the Segura, could even pass for Stadium Club photos. Seeing them in Series 1 is pretty refreshing since I've gotten so used to Topps using the same style of images on almost every single card.

Why chase down throwback uniform variations in other sets when Topps features them in Flagship as base cards? Seriously, it's awesome to see all these old-school uniforms, especially when so many of them feature the classic black and gold Pirates uniform and cap. 

The Josh Harrison and Adam Engel cards also feature awesome action shots, so I'm getting 2 awesome things in 1 card as far as I'm concerned.

Can we talk, for a minute, about how awesome this years' Future Stars cards look? I feel like I'm back in the late 1980s with how colorful and fun the rainbow letters are, and there are no irritating pixels present to take away from the design (I'm talking about you, 2018 Topps).

Not to mention, Topps chose the best possible photos to include on these 2 Future Stars cards. The bright and bold jerseys match perfectly with the rainbow words at the top of each card.

Also, look what we have for team cards this year; gorgeous ballpark shots encapsulating the beauty of the MLB ballparks with just one photo. While I'm going to do my best to avoid the eventual inclusion of Tropicana Field, these 4 stunning ballparks, especially Bush Stadium, look incredible and replace the previous attempt at "team" cards that never failed to disappoint me.

I feel like Topps definitely took a page from the success of 2018 Topps Big League when creating this years' Flagship set. If Topps isn't going to go back to the standard team cards that were featured for decades than these ballpark cards are the next best thing.

I don't think I've ever talked about base cards in a box recap post for that long. Thank you, 2019 Topps.

The insert cards in 2019 Topps Series 1 are okay, though there are a few sets that I could definitely do without. I don't need to see any more Baseball cards of another Baseball card, especially when all they do is recreate a card we've seen a dozen times or promote the Topps Now set. 

Sure, these cards are a couple of PC hits, but I could definitely do without them.

I recently featured a card just like this on my top 5 cards post of Mariano Rivera. It's a pretty epic tribute for when Rivera broke Trevor Hoffman's record and became the all-time saves leader.

As for the insert set, it's designed to pay tribute to 150 years of professional Baseball, hence why it's called 150 Years of Professional Baseball. It's split up into 3 equal parts; greatest moments, greatest players, and greatest seasons. 

The insert set checklist also consists of 150 cards which seems incredibly excessive even given Topps' desire to pay tribute to 150 years of pro Baseball. It's also been announced that this set will carry over into Series 2, so get ready for, likely, another 150 of these cards that fall at 1:7 hobby packs.

This year, Topps is also honoring the 1984 Topps set throughout Series 1, 2, Chrome, and Update. Out of the 3 sets they've done so far ('87, '83, and '84), the 1984 design excites me the most in terms of Topps recreating it. Don't ask me why, but I don't think Topps will burn me out on 1984 like they've done with '87 and '83 in previous years.

While I'm still not too crazy about the rainbow foil parallels, I must say that they look multitudes better than they have in previous years. I used to detest them, especially in 2017 Topps, but not anymore. Now, they almost look like previews of what 2019 Topps Chrome will look like.

Surprisingly, the gold parallels in 2019 Topps (1:5 packs) are more common than the boring 150th Anniversary parallels (1:6 packs which I've neglected to showcase in today's post). 

Apparently, the odds are pretty difficult in hobby jumbo for any type of parallel, yet I came across 5 in my standard hobby box, and the one not shown is James McCann. Granted, I didn't hit any huge names besides Lindor, but if nothing else, the parallels improved this year as well. 

I didn't understand the need for the swirls on last years' parallel designs in both Flagship and Chrome. I still don't comprehend why Topps didn't opt for more standard parallels cards, and while the "disco" parallels from 2019 aren't ideal, like the rest of the set, they're certainly an improvement from years past.

Because SP image variations were excluded entirely from hobby jumbo boxes, I ended up with 2 in my standard hobby box though I don't think I could've landed 2 players that I have less interest in. This is the only part of this years' set that I don't like all that much since there are many examples of base cards with more exciting pictures than the ones featured on these rare SPs.

Breaking away from the traditional parallels that we usually see, Topps Flagship features unique numbered cards such as Mother's Day Pink, Independence Day, and the Memorial Day camo parallels, one of which I landed in my box break.

Numbered 8/25, I didn't end up with a huge name, but a low-numbered rookie card is a low-numbered rookie card nevertheless. Daniel Ponce De Leon, especially as a member of the Cardinals, looks a lot like former Red Sox relief pitcher, Joe Kelly.

One of the coolest insert sets in 2019 Topps Series 1 is the Evolution set, highlighting change from past to present-day and featuring subjects like uniforms, equipment, and ballparks. On the front of this card is Ebbets Field where the Brooklyn Dodgers played before moving to Los Angeles. On the back is a pitcher of Dodger Stadium, their current home.

However, the 150 years stamp on the front makes this an insert parallel since clearly, a small, barely noticeable stamp is all that is needed for an insert parallel nowadays. Regardless, the 150 years stamp means the card is numbered out of 150 on the back, and although I don't remember the exact pack odds, I know these cards are pretty hard to come by.

This Eddie Rosario card might be one of my favorite cards from the entire hobby box break, a title I don't usually award to a base card. I may like it even more than the Moncada relic because of how refreshing it is to see creative photos featured in Flagship. 

Move over standard jersey relics, I'm starting to prefer fun photography over the same jersey swatches.

A few years ago, you would never see a card like this in a Flagship set. Last year, a card like this would be a short-print variation card. Now, in 2019 Topps, cards just like the Rosario card above are featured continuously throughout the set as base cards, not SPs.

It's awesome to see all of these improvements, especially since the production went up this year, meaning more base cards and fewer inserts per pack.

While 2019 Topps Series 1 is far from perfect, I can definitely tell that Topps has worked to improve the Flagship set in numerous ways, from better photos, an improved design for parallels, and, of course, an exciting new base set, and as long as Topps continues to produce Flagship sets at this level, we won't have to see another 2016 Topps set ever again.