bdj610's Topps Baseball Card Blog

I Would Like to Apologize to the Families of Conrad "Randy" Cardinal and Stu Tate

2026-11-03T11:04:04.263-06:00

1963 Topps Rookie Stars #562: Randy Cardinal, Dave McNally, Don Rowe, Ken Rowe

It appears that when I made the gallery of cards in my post yesterday, I missed one card that should have been included.

Let me explain.

I use Baseball Almanac when listing the players who passed away during the course of the year. I find that it's more accurate than Baseball Reference when it comes to this kind of information (as of now, they haven't updated the profile pages of Todd Benzinger and Jerry Koosman). Among the names listed on the Almanac's "Players who Passed Away" page was Conrad Cardinal, a pitcher for the Houston Colt .45's, whose MLB career lasted one season in 1963, the teams' second year of existence (before becoming the Astros). Cardinal pitched in 6 games, started 1, and in 13.1 innings of work, he had a 0-1 record, a 6.08 ERA, a 1.650 WHIP, struck out 7 batters, walked 7 batters (so his SO/BB ratio is a solid 1.0)/ Not much to write home about, honestly, but he earned his callup to the majors after posting a 14-7 record with the Tigers' Jamestown (D-League) affiliate the year prior.

He never played in the majors after that brief stint, finishing his minor league career in 1965 with the Durham Bulls, at the time the Astros' Carolina League affiliate.

But that's not the point.

I used the Card Cyber Museum to get images of the cards for the In Memoriam gallery. Of the 91 players on the list, I could only find images for 79 players.

There should have been 80.

Using the list from the Almanac, there were no cards listed for Conrad Cardinal.

There weren't cards either for John Edelman, Tony Balsamo, Corky Withrow, Chuck Nieson, Jim Duckworth, Ossie Blanco, Herb Hutson, Mike Johnson, Rick Kreuger, Greg Thayer and Stu Tate (okay, Tate has one card also, and it's from Fleer-see below).

But here's where it gets complicated. His full name is Conrad Randall Seth Cardinal. His nickname is "Randy." On Baseball Reference, he's referred to as Randy Cardinal.

And apparently, "Randy" has a Topps card.

That's right, Cardinal has one Topps card, a 1963 Topps Rookie Stars card, that is now at the top of this post.

I do plan on updating the "In Memoriam" image to include it and will update the November 2 post at a later time.

But for now, I would like to apologize to the Cardinal family for excluding his card in the gallery.

Now for Stu Tate.

He was a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, appearing in 2 games for the eventual NL Champions in 1989. A 0-0 record with 4 K's and 0 walks, an ERA of 3.38 in 2.2 innings of work. He earned his call-up after 6 long seasons in the minors, and after one last season in 1991 with the Giants' AAA team in Phoenix, called it a career.

Stu Tate has one MLB card, a 1990 Fleer Major League Prospects card shared with Cubs infielder Greg Smith.

Now I can use the excuse that the 1989 Giants ruined my childhood (the Cubs won the NL East that year, and that was the team that got me hooked on baseball to stay) and thus I didn't include Tate in the gallery, even if he only played for 2 games. But the fact is...this is a Topps baseball card blog. I'm supposed to stay consistent with the content.

But because I forgot to include Cardinal's sole MLB card, it is only proper that I should include the card of Stu Tate as well, even if it's...cough cough...Fleer.

1990 Fleer Major League Prospects #643: Greg Smith, Stu Tate.

I would like to apologize to the Tate family for the exclusion of his card image as well.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

As Today is November 2, 2026

2026-11-02T13:07:18.867-06:00

November 2 is traditionally All Souls Day. It is the day where we celebrate the lives of family and friends who have passed away. Many will go to cemeteries and pray, some may even picnic on the grounds. It is not really a day of mourning, but a day of reflection. Remembering those who we strongly miss.

I am going to start with honoring my dad, Leslie Filoteo Anama. I love you Dad. We miss you, now more than 8 years since you passed. We all continue to honor your legacy and share stories about you.

On behalf of my wife, I would like to honor both her mother and father Faye and Charles Mok, Sr., the latter who passed away in 2024, her grandparents, aunt and uncles.

Personally, I would like to honor my grandparents, Felix Anama, Leonor Filoteo Anama, Gloria Y. Nichols, Ruben S. Menguito, Sgt. Clinton H. Nichols. As well as countless great aunts and uncles too numerous to list.

Today I want to remember the seven souls who died on January 8, 1993, at the Brown's Chicken in Palatine, Illinois: Michael C. Castro, Rico Solis, Thomas Mennes, Marcus Nellsen, Guadalupe Maldonado, Richard Ehlenfeldt, and Lynn Ehlenfeldt.

I would like to remember the people I've met over the years who left us too soon: Lynn Swoboda, Shannon McNamara, Linda Beyer, Gail Leff, Lois Winesburgh, Mary Jo Scanlan, Nancy Huber, Joseph Nasca, Antoinette Nasca, Dan Doles, Chris Stufflestreet, Thomas Scanlon, Darrin Steffey, Katie (Olin) Wood, Erin (Ryals) Semerad, Leonard "LJ" Marek, Rob Swanson, Steve Hanson, Bill Rutherford, Dawn (Padlo) Voss, Robert Strickland, Arthur Waldrom, Mary Jo Crowley, Sandy LaSalvia.

Finally, I would like to take a moment to remember the families, the loved ones who were left behind.

Now that the personal side of the blog has been taken care of, I would also like to take time to remember 91 more people. Between 11/02/2025 and 11/01/2026, 91 people who can lay claim to playing major league baseball, 8 of whom had the honor of being a manager of a major league franchise (even for one game), passed away (a ninth, Ted Turner, owner of the Braves and died on May 6, managed the Atlanta Braves for 1 game in 1977 during a long losing streak. The MLB Commissioner at the time blocked him from continuing). Many lived long productive lives, even after their careers ended. Others, tragically, either passed away before their potential could be fully reached or before they could enjoy the fruits of their retirement.

Today, I take time out of my humble little baseball card blog to remember players who died between 11/02/2025-11/01/2026.

Jim Duckworth
11/11/2025
Tom Timmermann
11/14/2025
Randy Jones
11/18/2025
Bart Shirley
11/19/2025
George Altman
11/24/2025
Dave Morehead
11/24/2025
Tim Harkness
11/27/2025
Steve Hertz
12/4/2025
Greg Thayer
12/12/2025
Mike Campbell
12/15/2025
Albert Hall
12/16/2025
Andy Kosco
12/19/2025
Ray Lamb
12/25/2025
Jim Willis
1/2/2026
Dave Giusti
1/11/2026
Stu Tate
1/13/2026
Ray Crone
1/15/2026
Chris Krug
1/16/2026
Wilbur Wood
1/17/2026
Dave Schmidt
1/19/2026
Zack Monroe
1/19/2026
Rob Maurer
1/21/2026
Rick Renick
1/31/2026
Ron Teasley
2/3/2026
Mickey Lolich
2/4/2026
Terrance Gore
2/6/2026
Gary Blaylock
2/7/2026
Bobby Henrich
2/9/2026
Joe Nossek
2/12/2026
Roy Face
2/12/2026
Bill Mazeroski
2/20/2026
Wayne Granger
2/25/2026
Herb Hutson
2/28/2026
Gary Wagner
3/11/2026
Tony Balsamo
3/12/2026
Larry Stahl
3/17/2026
Doug Camilli
3/17/2026
Ken Clay
3/26/2026
Tom Nieto
3/27/2026
Bob Duliba
4/4/2026
Chuck Nieson
4/7/2026
Davey Lopes, MGR
4/8/2026
John Edelman
4/9/2026
Billy Bryan
4/9/2026
Phil Garner, MGR
4/11/2026
Garret Anderson
4/16/2026
Ellie Rodriguez
4/22/2026
Corky Withrow
4/22/2026
Conrad Cardinal
4/28/2026
Bob Skinner, MGR
5/4/2026
Dick Hughes
5/6/2026
Rick Kreuger
5/7/2026
Bobby Cox, MGR
5/9/2026
Buzz Capra
5/11/2026
Mike Johnson
5/20/2026
Charlie Moore
5/23/2026
Mark Bailey
5/26/2026
Bob Horner
5/26/2026
Eddie Haas, MGR
6/4/2026
Bob Lacey
6/4/2026
Wes Gardner
6/10/2026
Al Closter
6/11/2026
Al Worthington
6/18/2026
Derrell Griffith
6/25/2026
Al Holland
7/4/2026
Darrell Jackson
7/5/2026
Phil Regan, MGR
7/8/2026
Gil Blanco
7/9/2026
Hector Valle
7/11/2026
Ron Hunt
7/15/2026
Duane Ward
7/18/2026
Scott Brown
7/21/2026
Ossie Blanco
7/23/2026
Butch Huskey
8/14/2026
Tommy John
8/15/2026
Pat Putnam
8/25/2026
Rich Rowland
8/27/2026
Larry Christenson
8/28/2026
Jim Rittwage
8/28/2026
Rollie Sheldon
8/31/2026
Joe Morgan, MGR
9/5/2026
Brian Wolfe
9/15/2026
Don Cooper, MGR
9/22/2026
Mike Edwards
9/22/2026
Jeoff Long
9/25/2026
Dave Rosello
9/30/2026
Sam McDowell
10/5/2026
Bud Zipfel
10/10/2026
Todd Benzinger
10/21/2026
George Thomas
10/23/2026
Jerry Koosman
11/1/2026

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

And Just Like That...The 2026 Season is Over...and The Uncertainty of a 2027 Begins

2026-10-29T10:15:00.000-05:00

Your 2026 World Series MVP, William Contreras!!!

The two best teams in MLB's respective leagues, the number one seeds, played in this year's World Series. And in the end, the best team in baseball won the championship in a dominant 5-game series.

Your 2026 champions are the Milwaukee Brewers. Literally armed with a pitching staff that dominated the National League, and a balanced lineup, the Brew Crew beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4 games to 1 to bring Milwaukee it's first MLB title. The team, who last made it to the WS in 1982, as a member of the American League, has finally given Milwaukee it's first baseball championship.

So congrats to the Brewers, from a disgruntled Cubs fan. And congratulations to the Rays for an incredible run in the postseason.

But now the uncertainty begins.

With the looming talks of a potential work stoppage beginning in December, and the whole possibility of next year's season could be delayed, if not scrapped entirely, what will it mean for 2027 and the Hobby??!

Will there even be cards? The last MLB work stoppage was over 32 years ago. I am pretty sure that 1994 Topps Traded and 1995 Topps Series 1 were distributed on time, even as the strike carried on into Spring Training.

That's all above my pay grade and whatever little expertise I have. This blog will return to the usual off-season shenanigans of highlighting off-season award winners, the announcement of Topps' 2026 All-Star Rookie Team, the build-up to the Hall of Fame elections, and whatever comes to mind.

At least now everyone is 0-0.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Opening a 2026 Topps Update Series Pack

2026-10-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

2026 Topps Update Retail Jumbo Pack

So...

Update Series.

As of right now, here is the total card count for what I've purchased:

531 cards from the nine blaster boxes
400 cards from the Jumbo box
396 cards from the eleven jumbo packs
72 cards from the retail box
24 cards from the two Hobby packs

That's 1423 cards.

And I have not opened a single box or pack yet.

Why?

Work is the number one reason. Then there were family parties, a belated Sweetest Day/Night dinner, another night out with my daughter and her husband. So...yeah...

But on Monday I had the day off, and as much as I wanted to just tear everything apart, I needed to update my Certified Pharmacy Technician License (due at the end of October...thanks Covid). To do this, I needed to take 10 classes, 20 credits. No problem. PowerPak has the classes, and it's a 30 minute read (if the jargon was a bit more challenging, 45 minutes) before taking a test to earn the credits. And you can even review the questions before taking the test. So I had done that...

Then the dentist appointment...

Then it was a conference call with the coordinators for the Chromosome 18 Registry and Research Society (one of the things that we became during the blog hiatus)...

And now it's Wednesday.

So why not open one now?

Here is the deep dive.

The first card in this pack (and my first card of Update Series) is of...

Sam Antonacci of the Chicago White Sox!!!

Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 2026 Topps Update #US301.
Player Name, position, team: Sam Antonacci, outfielder, Chicago White Sox.
Major League Debut: April 15, 2026.
Last Line of Statistics: 2025 stats (Minor League Statistics for ACL White Sox, Winston Salem, and Birmingham): 116 G, 406 AB, 78 R, 118 H, 21 2B, 6 3B, 5 HR, 57 RBI, 48 SB, 69 BB, .409 SLG .842 OPS .291 AVG.
Any special information about player: Drafted by the White Sox in the #5th round, July, 2024 Bats: left. Throws: right.
Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 1. This is his first Topps card.
Blurb on the back: "Having grown up three hours south of Rate Field in the Illinois capital of Springfield, Sam had extra excitement when he made his White Sox debut at home on April 15, 2026. Family and friends who made the drive got rewarded in the second inning, when Antonacci singled in his maiden at bat. He'd earned his call with a .445 OBP over three MiLB seasons."
Commentary: And what a year Antonacci had for the Pale Hose. A .277 average with 8 home runs, 48 rbi's, 20 stolen bases, and a slash line of .370/.396/.766 (that's OBP/SLG/OPS). He was the team's primary left fielder this past season, and is part of a young core of players that should put the White Sox back to relevance after 3 previous seasons of 100-losses.
Beckett value: n/a.
How many cards of this player do I own?: 2 cards.

The breakdown of the pack included:

31 base cards, including two more White Sox players, 1 Cub, 1 Cub combo card, a Payton Tolle Rookie Debut card and two other rookie debut cards
1 Topps Gold card (Peter Lambert #0524/2026)
1 Topps All-Star Game card (CJ Abrams of the Nationals)
1 Topps 1991 card (Mike Trout)
2 Stars of MLB cards (Ben Rice and Travis Bazzana)

It's an average pack of cards. No earth shattering "Hobby Rookie" darlings (at least not the Konnor Griffin or Kazuma Okamoto variety) but a good start for anyone who builds sets. The four insert cards reduces my wantlist, and...

What's this??!

Someone at the TCDB is sending me a trade request??! Okay, so it's for Stars of MLB. And I'll probably wind up getting these cards anyway in the packs.

But it's a five-for-five. I'm going to go for it. It's been a hot moment since I was at the post office anyway.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Oh Wait...Allen & Ginter's Is Out Also??!

2026-10-23T11:45:00.000-05:00

A blaster box and retail pack of 2026 Topps Allen & Ginter's

In between the hype of Update Series (and a Rays/Brewers World Series), I forgot (somehow) that 2026 Allen & Ginter's went live earlier this month.

Yes, I saw the Topps Ripped post. Yes I know that release day was October 7. But my distraction of and getting my All-Star Teams posted on the blog and it slipped my mind.

But not for long.

If there is another set that I enjoy collecting (hoarding) from Topps, it's Allen & Ginter's. I know Topps calls it "Allen & Ginter" but that's only half the name. It's really Allen & Ginter's World Champions, or N43 in Jefferson Burdick's classification. I have every set that has come out since 2006, so that's 20-year's worth of sets, basic insert sets, mini sets (when I can find them...not a priority, but always nice to have), and anything related to the Philippines (there is one mini card this year from the 50 Ways to Say Hello set...I may try for the whole set, but definitely want the Kumusta card below).

2026 Topps Allen & Ginter's 50 Ways to Say Hello "Kumusta" #WTSH-25

But as most of you know, patience, when it comes to the Hobby, is NOT one of my virtues. As much as I would love to devote time and money to build this set from scratch, base and insert cards...let's just say that I'd prefer to get this set in one fell swoop. So off to the Bay I went, and found a master set for $150. So while the cards are coming in the mail (unless they already...oh...they arrived), I went to the local big box store and, bought the last pack and one retail box of this year's edition, just to see what these cards look like up close.

I'll get to the results in a moment, but first, let me tell you some of my gripes about this year's edition.

First, the base set, which has been a standard 350 cards (300 base, and 50 SP - found 1 in every 2 packs) since 2006 has now been reduced to 300 base cards with no SP's. There are card #'s 301 through 350, but they are just minis now.

In 2025, there were no non-baseball insert sets, just two baseball-themed ones (Sweet Victories, and Wicked Curves). This seems to be the case again this year, with three baseball-themed insert sets: N43, Career 250, and Wicked Power, which I guess is the hitter's version of last year's Wicked Curves. Again, I like the 50 Ways to Say Hello mini set, and the Musical Methods mini set does fit the bill for a unique set that should be included in this product, but that's all regarding non-baseball sets. It kind of defeats the purpose of what the set is (at least to me) that there aren't more.

But I get it.

For many years, collectors complained about how there were "too many" non-baseball subjects in this set. What was the point again of Allen & Ginter's? Cards used as backing for soft cigarette packs featuring subjects that would have been a staple of 1800's ephemera (birds, flags, animals, athletes, and historical figures). Others who understood the concept would blast those who didn't by saying this is not a regular baseball card product. Yet here I am complaining that there are too few.

So here I am, sitting at my desk, and I've decided to open the one pack of A&G that I've bought. What's in it?

#47 Carl Yastrzemski, Red Sox
#196 Ben Rice, Yankees
#129 Mark McGwire, Athletics
#39 Bob Nightengale, Sports Journalist
#273 Bryan Buxton, Twins
#201 Pete Alonso, Orioles
#228 Ryan Ritter, Rockies
#169 Manny Machado, Padres
#23 Hunter Barco, Pirates
#194 Jerry Seinfeld, Comedian, Actor, Writer (that's what it says on the back)

#182 Logan Gilbert, Mariners Mini
#RDV-15 Carson Williams, Rays Rookie Debut Variant Mini (in the style of 2006 Topps A&G)
#CR-7 Ty Cobb, Tigers Career 250 Insert
#N43-7 Julio Rodriguez, Mariners N43

Thoughts on the design: It has a very dark look to it. Not ominous, but a lot of browns and uneven shadows. The pictures appear to be on top of a stack of old craft papers, and this reminds me of a diary project from 8th grade (Johnny Tremain) where we had to write entries in paper that was "aged" (realistically, they were paper bag material cut out and burned along the edges...carefully...to appear old, faded, possibly found in a fire...I don't really remember the details). The ribbons on the corners add a bit of depth to the stack.

The inserts look great, and I think, eventually, that the full set will look great in a 2-inch binder.

Now I just have to open the retail box.

Maybe...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Meet the Possible Contenders for the 2026 Topps All-Star Rookie Team

2026-10-19T12:30:00.000-05:00

We are just a few games away from learning who will be heading to the World Series. The Brewers, thankfully(?) dispatched the Dodgers and are now waiting to see who will win the AL pennant between the Guardians and the Rays. Can the Guardians continue to prove that their late season push to the postseason was not in vain? Will the Rays show the rest of the world why they were the number 1 team in the American League??!

Well, we're not here to answer those questions.

Another one of the topics I wrote about on this humble, little blog was trying to guess which players will make Topps' All-Star Rookie Team. I even used to have a contest to go with it, having readers (I had them back then) send me their rosters, and if they successfully named 10 (or whatever number) of the players who made the ASRT, they'd get recognition and a complete set of 2005 Topps Rookie Cup which consists of the 150 base cards. I still have the set but there won't be a contest this year. While Topps has produced more "Rookie Cup" type sets, they've been mostly sold via the Topps Now program or relegated to insert sets. I'd love to see an "addendum" to the 2005 set, featuring players who've been named to the ASRT since 2006 (and maybe sneak in reprints of 2027 Topps cards like they akin to including reprints of 2006 Topps in a 2005 product). I digress.

Even with next season possibly in flux (and figures that the Cubs were announced as the hosts of next year's All-Star Game...will it even happen??!), it's worth talking about the players who burst onto the scene this year and will be making an impact in the MLB going into 2027(?) and beyond. And there are so many possible candidates, most will stir debates long after the final out is played in the World Series.

So who are the contenders. Let's review.

Perusing the MLB website, the stats page allows fans and visitors to sort players by many categories, including "qualified rookies." So what are qualified rookies? Rookie eligibility is, by definition from MLB,

A player shall be considered a rookie unless he has exceeded any of the following thresholds in a previous season (or seasons):

• 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues.
• 45 total days on an active Major League roster during the Championship Season (excluding time on the Injured List).

The players that appear, whether on hitting or pitching statistics, are among the players MLB believes are contenders for either League's Rookie of the Year. The players can be filtered by position, including individual OF positions. Only drawback? It doesn't show which pitchers throw left-handed or right-handed. You can figure out who the rookie starting pitchers are vs the rookie relievers, which is important now that relief pitchers are included in the selection process.

I read somewhere (possibly a Topps Magazine) that the =MLB managers were the ones who chose the players for the team. I was told a while back that it is no longer the case. And while the person I talked to about this wasn't sure when the practice of asking the managers to vote stopped, based on the past few years' worth of rosters, I can only speculate when the change occurred.

The stats are final through the end of the regular 2026 MLB season (September 27, 2026):

First Basemen:
Bryce Eldridge, SFG (107 G, .269, 17 HR, 57 RBI, .825 OPS, 1 SB)*
Munetaka Murakami, CWS (127 G, 0.207, 35 HR, 77 RBI, 0.825 OPS, 1 SB)
TJ Rumfield, COL (155 G, .300, 16 HR, 73 RBI, 0.843 OPS, 0 SB)
Sal Stewart, CIN (162 G, .263, 32 HR, 112 RBI, 0.787 OPS, 15 SB)

Second Basemen:
Travis Bazzana, CLE (124 G, .245, 15 HR, 57 RBI, 0.743 OPS, 19 SB)
Alex Freeland, LAD (89 G, .234, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 0.652 OPS, 4 SB)
Hao-Yu Lee, DET (114 G, .264, 10 HR, 45 RBI, 0.746 OPS, 3 SB)
Pedro Ramirez, CHC (80 G, .261, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 0.723 OPS, 9 SB)
JJ Wetherholt, STL (139 G, .242, 17 HR, 51 RBI, 0.704 OPS, 14 SB)

Third Basemen:
Kazuma Okamoto, TOR (156 G, .232, 33 HR, 92 RBI, 0.762 OPS, 1 SB)
Denzer Guzman, LAA (87 G, .219, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 0.602 OPS, 2 SB)

Shortstops:
Konnor Griffin, PIT (80 G, .272, 6 HR, 33 RBI, .728 OPS, 23 SB)
Kevin McGonigle, DET (156 G, .278, 18 HR, 72 RBI, .806 OPS, 12 SB)
Cooper Pratt, MIL (74 G, .281, 3 HR, 34 RBI, .718 OPS, 19 SB)

Outfielders:
Sam Antonacci, CWS (140 G, .277, 8 HR, 48 RBI, 0.766 OPS, 20 SB)
Dylan Beavers, BAL (104 G, .228, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 0.680 OPS, 5 SB)
Carson Benge, NYM (156 G, .282, 20 HR, 65 RBI, 0.776 OPS, 22 SB)
Henry Bolte, ATH (119 G, .277, 11 HR, 38 RBI, 0.764 OPS, 21 SB)
Owen Caissie, MIA (108 G, .220, 14 HR, 58 RBI, 0.700 OPS, 5 SB)
Cole Carrigg, COL (93 G, .279, 12 HR, 53 RBI, 0.818 OPS, 11 SB)
Nathan Church, STL (142 G, .247, 10 HR, 50 RBI, .654 OPS, 10 SB)
Justin Crawford, PHI (149 G, .264, 3 HR, 41 RBI, .662 OPS, 17 SB)
Chase DeLauter, CLE (133 G, .287, 16 HR, 67 RBI, .820 OPS, 11 SB)
A.J. Ewing, NYM (120 G, .252, 11 HR, 43 RBI, .700 OPS, 25 SB)
Spencer Jones, NYY (86 G, .245, 11 HR, 40 RBI, .742 OPS, 11 SB)
Wade Meckler, LAA (98 G, .300, 3 HR, 27 RBI, .760 OPS, 8 SB)
Victor Mesa Jr., TBR (79 G, .260, 14 HR, 34 RBI, .825 OPS, 9 SB)

Braden Montgomery, CWS (93 G, .279, 6 HR, 38 RBI, .662 OPS, 1 SB)
Tristan Peters, CWS (156 G, .265, 12 HR, 56 RBI, .774 OPS, 8 SB)
Esmerlyn Valdez, PIT (72 G, .232, 17 HR, 47 RBI, .855 OPS, 0 SB)
Ryan Waldschmidt, ARI (82 G, .256, 3 HR, 22 RBI, .693 OPS, 7 SB)

Catchers:
Moises Ballesteros, LAA (104 G, .215, 9 HR, 35 RBI, .612 OPS, 1 SB)
Samuel Basallo, BAL (112 G, .222, 18 HR, 54 RBI, .697 OPS, 0 SB)
Carter Jensen, KCR (149 G, .239, 27 HR, 81 RBI, .790 OPS, 2 SB)
Joe Mack, MIA (105 G, .234, 14 HR, 52 RBI, .685 OPS, 0 SB)
Brandon Valenzuela, TOR (91 G, .222, 9 HR, 23 RBI, .679 OPS, 2 SB)

Right-Handed Starting Pitchers:
Bubba Chandler, PIT (30 GS, 8-10, 4.50 ERA, 140 K, 1.40 WHIP)
Logan Henderson MIL (18 GS, 11-3, 2.47 ERA, 110 K, 0.84 WHIP)
Ryan Johnson, LAA (19 GS, 5-9, 5.04 ERA, 79 K, 1.39 WHIP)
Rhett Lowder, CIN (26 GS, 7-12, 5.74 ERA, 103 K, 1.52 WHIP)
Nolan McLean, NYM (31 GS, 12-10, 3.16 ERA, 194 K, 1.17 WHIP)
Andrew Painter, PHI (23 GS, 3-10, 5.40 ERA, 115 K, 1.41 WHIP)
Brandon Sproat, MIL (19 GS, 3-7, 5.57 ERA, 101 K, 1.44 WHIP)
Walbert Ureña, LAA (27 GS, 9-11, 2.97 ERA, 142 K, 1.23 WHIP)
Trey Yesavage, TOR (20 GS, 5-6, 3.69 ERA, 97 K, 1.14 WHIP)

Left-Handed Starting Pitchers:
Andrew Alvarez, WAS (17 GS, 3.43 ERA, 114 K, 1.30 WHIP)
Jake Bennett, BOS (19 GS, 9-7, 3.65 ERA, 91 K, 1.10 WHIP)
Shane Drohan, MIL (19 GS, 7-5, 4.19 ERA, 125 K, 1.32 WHIP, 2 SV)
Connelly Early, WAS (18 GS, 7-5, 94.2 ERA, 94 K, 1.23 WHIP)
Robert Gasser, MIL (27 GS, 5-5, 3.87 ERA, 103 K, 1.19 WHIP)
Foster Griffin, CLE, (31 GS, 15-6, 3.60 ERA, 158 K, 1.21 WHIP)
Gage Jump, ATH (20 GS, 6-11, 5.47 ERA, 108 K, 1.52 WHIP)
Parker Messick, CLE (32 GS, 12-9, 2.56 ERA, 193 K, 1.06 WHIP)
Connor Prielipp, MIN (22 GS, 6-7, 4.87 ERA, 128 K, 1.29 WHIP)
Zac Thornton, NYM (15 GS, 5-6, 3.42 ERA, 63 K, 1.14 WHIP)
Payton Tolle, BOS (26 GS, 9-6, 3.03 ERA, 171 K, 1.10 WHIP)

Relief Pitchers:
AJ Blubaugh, HOU (64 G, 5-3, 3.66 ERA, 94 K, 1.23 WHIP, 1 SV)
Spencer Miles, TOR (49 G, 6-2, 2.73 ERA, 93 K, 1.10 WHIP, 2 SV)

Designated Hitter:

*The only player mlb.com recognized as a DH was Bryce Eldridge of the Giants.

In the beginning, there were only 10 spots on Topps' ASRT: 1 player for each infield position, 1 catcher, 3 outfielders (I believe regardless of position), 1 right-handed pitcher, and 1 left-handed pitcher, regardless if they were a starter or a reliever.

In 2010, Topps instituted what I am calling the "Stephen Strasburg" rule. Strasburg, the wunderkind rookie, was added to the ASRT even though he only pitched in 12 games. Strasburg is a right-handed pitcher. But so was Neftali Feliz, who at the time was the star closer for the Rangers, and a player in most years would have been named onto the team as the RHP. So what happened? With Strasburg named as the RHP for the team, Feliz was named the team's first relief pitcher.

In 2011, Topps went back to the two-pitcher format, but instead of it being a RHP and LHP as in years past, the 2011 Topps All-Star Rookie Team included just one Starting Pitcher (the Rays' Jeremy Hillickson) and one Relief pitcher (Craig Kimbrel of the Braves). Topps returned to the three-man pitching staff in 2012, and this has been the arrangement ever since.

The designated hitter position was first used in 1977 when future Hall-of-Famer Eddie Murray of the Orioles had split votes between first base and the outfield to make it onto the team outright, but not at either position. The DH was not utilized again until 2015, when Miguel Sanó of the Twins was named onto that year's ASRT. The slot was used on-and-off for a time, when Shohei Ohtani (2018) and Yordan Alvarez (2019) were named to the teams. But now that both leagues use the DH in games, there has been one named to the ASRT since 2022.

The day the players are selected to the team has varied from year to year, with the last few being announced in mid-December. I'll post my picks for the team soon. Feel free to share your selections in the comments, even though there isn't a contest this year.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610’s 2026 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams…The Final Rosters

2026-10-06T10:05:59.561-05:00

Apparently, this post didn't hit as scheduled last week. That's on me, and I apologize.

After going over stats and arguing with myself as to who deserves to be on the team, I have finally finished completing my 36-man teams. I think I can say with confidence that the players who made my All-Star Teams were worthy of inclusion, not just because many of them are major superstars, but because their statistics were high enough above their peers that made them stand out from the rest. And believe me, it was tough to choose. Certain players were left off (I'll list them at the bottom for honorable mentions).

So, without further ado, here are the players who made my 2026 MLB End of Year All-Star Teams (in alphabetical order by position):

American League

First Basemen

Pete Alonso, Orioles
Jake Burger, Rangers
Willson Contreras, Red Sox

Second Basemen

Travis Bazzana, Guardians
Jazz Chisolm, Yankees
Chase Meidroth, White Sox

Third Basemen

Junior Caminerio, Rays
Brooks Lee, Twins
Miguel Vargas, White Sox

Shortstops

Kevin McGonigle, Tigers
Zach Neto, Angels
Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals

Outfielders

Wilyer Abreu, Red Sox
Randy Arozarena, Mariners
Jac Caglianone, Royals
Chase DeLauter, Guardians
Riley Greene, Tigers
Brandon Nimmo, Rangers
Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox
Chandler Simpson, Rays
Mike Trout, Angels

Catchers

Dillon Dingler, Tigers
Carter Jensen, Royals
Shea Langeliers, Athletics

Designated Hitter

Yordan Alvarez, Astros

Pitchers

Bryan Baker, Rays
Dylan Cease, Blue Jays
Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox
Sonny Gray, Red Sox
Nick Martinez, Rays
Drew Rasmussen, Rays
Tyler Rogers, Blue Jays
Cam Schlittler, Yankees
Cade Smith, Guardians
Louis Varland, Blue Jays
Gavin Williams, Guardians

National League

First Basemen

Alex Burleson, Cardinals
Rafael Devers, Giants
Matt Olson, Braves

Second Basemen

Ozzie Albies, Braves
Brandon Lowe, Pirates
Brice Turang, Brewers

Third Basemen

Nolan Arenado, Diamondbacks
Alex Bregman, Cubs
Max Muncy, Dodgers

Shortstops

CJ Abrams, Nationals
Elly De La Cruz, Reds
Otto Lopez, Marlins

Outfielders

Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks
Jackson Chourio, Brewers
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs
Michael Harris II, Braves
Juan Soto, Mets
Seiya Suzuki, Cubs
Fernando Tatis, Jr., Padres
Jordan Walker, Cardinals
James Wood, Nationals

Catchers

Drake Baldwin, Braves
Hunter Goodman, Rockies
Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks

Designated Hitter

Kyle Schwarber, Phillies

Pitchers

Chase Burns, Reds
Jhoan Duran, Phillies
Raisel Iglesias, Braves
Trevor Megill, Brewers
Mason Miller, Padres
Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers
Adrian Morejon, Padres
Eduardo Rodriguez, Diamondbacks
Chris Sale, Braves
Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers

Most of the position players were chosen based on statistics comparing the top eight position players in each league (hits, runs, home runs, rbi's, walks, strikeouts, stolen bases, caught stealing, and batting average). In most cases, the players I had chosen earlier due to the one person per team rule made the top three.

In previous years, I tended to show a little more bias to Chicago players (on both sides) in cases where if I thought I could choose them over another person, I would (hey, I'm from Chicago, what can I say). But since I'm now announcing these publicly (compared to doing this privately in my mind), I thought I'd try to be as open minded as I can and pick the proper deserving players. And I was really trying to stretch, because so many more players on both the Cubs and White Sox could have easily made it on here.

Sole player reps on teams this year include the Astros (Alvarez), Athletics (Langeliers), Orioles (Alonso), Mariners (Arozarena), Twins (Lee), Giants (Devers), Marlins (Lopez), Mets (Soto), Pirates (Lowe), and Rockies (Goodman). The Braves send a league-high six players to the NL squad. The Rays and Red Sox each have five players to the AL side. The Brewers, Diamondbacks, and Guardians each send four players onto their respective All-Star Teams.

Are there snubs? You bet.

Notice one extremely big name absent here??! Someone who won three MVP's in a row? A guy that is a unicorn in the sport? Anyone??!

Yes. Shohei Ohtani is not listed above. It's not because of hate of the Dodgers, or the fact that he would have become a consecutive four-time MVP. But Schwarber had a great year and I only have one DH spot on each side. Yes, even MLB allows for one DH starter and a reserve to both rosters. There are 36 players on each team as it stands now. I understand the game evolves and roster priorities have changed over time. But I figure there are already 24 other hitters on this roster that could easily play the role of DH. When I was doing the SBS game simulations, the game 7 was a free for all and any "hitter" could be the DH for that game. So I believe just one actual DH is enough for each side. When I go back through 11 years of missed seasons, don't worry. Shohei will definitely be on multiple teams...Just not this one.

There are so many other players that could have been added. On the AL side, where was our guy Munetaka Murakami??! The AL outfield could have also included Julio Rodriguez, Cam Smith, Cody Bellinger. Second base could have included either Kody Clemens or Luke Keaschall (or whichever Twin could be considered the primary second baseman).

At NL shortstop, Trea Turner and Mookie Betts were considered. The NL first baseman pool included Freddie Freeman and (Chicago bias) Michael Busch. The NL outfield could also have seen Jackson Merrill, Daylen Lile, Ian Happ (Chicago bias...I did promise to be a bit more fair otherwise, EVERY Cub and White Sox player would have made this team), Andy Pages...I could keep going.

Back in 2014, I added a "Final Man" poll to this humble, little blog at the end of the final roster announcement post. This was still at the time that MLB allowed fans to vote for one more player who was snubbed during the announcements to be added to the team. MLB no longer does this now, and I was debating whether or not I do one here. While I feel that if I had not stopped blogging, a poll would have enough people voting to make it a worthy exercise. But as it stands now, as I am just returning, I don't think I have the readership to get enough responses to warrant making one.

So ends the presentation for my 2026 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams. Please feel free to comment, debate, tell me that I did a good job, or that I don't know what I'm talking about and should have put in this person for another.

I promise I will get to running the simulations (thanks to SBS baseball) once the stats are uploaded onto the website (there are people who still make the effort to do this even if it's not on any official channels). This way, we can see which of the above squads would win if they faced each other. I will also make sure images of all the cards of the players (if I have to, I'll try and make some) once the Cyber Museum uploads images of the 2026 Update Series cards on their site.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's 2026 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams...Every Team Needs a Representative

2026-10-01T11:30:00.000-05:00

With the pitching staffs set in our last All-Star Team post, the next step is to make sure that every team gets at least one representative. I believe in the All-Star rule that every team, no matter how well or how poorly they did, has at least one person they could tag as an All-Star, based on his performance on the field. If it means that another person gets snubbed, that's sadly the way it goes. It does not matter how many spots there are on an All-Star team, someone always manages to be left out.

Now the pitching staffs from both sides locked in one representative from five of the AL teams and seven of the NL teams. So that means in this post, I am going to name ten position players in the AL, and eight in the NL.

On the American League side, the Red Sox, Guardians, Yankees, Rays, and Blue Jays have representatives. These ten players will ensure that the AL has all 15 teams represented:

2026 Topps Yordan Alvarez #468

C Shea Langeliers, Athletics (.262, 23 HR, 58 RBI, .802 OPS, #305)
1B Pete Alonso, Orioles (.267, 43 HR, 113 RBI .885 OPS, #400)
3B Miguel Vargas, White Sox (.250, 33 HR, 93 RBI, .837 OPS, #329)
OF Riley Greene, Tigers (.280, 21 HR, 75 RBI, .844 OPS, #209)
DH Yordan Alvarez, Astros (.316, 42 HR, 106 RBI, 1.033 OPS, #468)
SS Bobby Witt, Jr., Royals (.281, 18 HR, 54 RBI, .800 OPS, #205)
OF Mike Trout, Angels (.242, 22 HR, 54 RBI, .803 OPS, #350)
3B Brooks Lee, Twins (.253, 24 HR, 83 RBI, .728 OPS, #610)
OF Randy Arozarena, Mariners (.281, 26 HR, 79 RBI, .865 OPS, #431)
1B Jake Burger, Rangers, (.228, 28 HR, 90 RBI, .723 OPS, #451)

With two of the three 1B and 3B positions filled, it's going to be very tough to pick the player who takes the final spot. Many worthy candidates will be left out, I can sadly guarantee. The hardest teams to find a proper player rep were the Twins and the Rangers. Let's put it this way, there is only one player not shown who will absolutely get the 3B spot, his place secure long before this list was made. And while there were other deserving players at the corner infield positions, the need to fill a spot with at least one player from each team will make for great debate. Mike Trout is now the third "bridge" player, named onto multiple teams prior to the gap (2015-2025). The DH position pick was a no doubter, but will Yordan Alvarez be the only Astro on the team?

In the NL, the Diamondbacks, Braves, Reds, Dodgers, Brewers, Phillies, and Padres representatives in place. These eight players will ensure that the NL has all 15 teams represented:

2026 Topps Pete Crow-Armstrong #196

OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs (.280, 45 HR, 107 RBI, .942 OPS, #196)
C Hunter Goodman, Rockies, (.291, 41 HR, 88 RBI, .839 OPS, #274)
SS Otto Lopez, Marlins (.305, 11 HR, 71 RBI, .786 OPS, #194)
OF Juan Soto, Mets (.275, 27 HR, 68 RBI, .908 OPS, #600)
2B Brandon Lowe, Pirates (.260, 35 HR, 96 RBI, .824 OPS, #579)
OF Jordan Walker, Cardinals (.269, 29 HR, 102 RBI, .793 OPS, #565)
1B Rafael Devers, Giants (.258, 37 HR, 98 RBI, .865 OPS, #219)
SS CJ Abrams, Nationals (.261, 33 HR, 106 RBI, .833 OPS, #152)

First off, how could I NOT include PCA on this team. Even though I am Cubs biased (and there will be more players on both sides of Chicago making on these teams...count on it), as I didn't have a Cub yet, this pick had to be as obvious as the Yordan pick from earlier. Adding PCA, Soto, and Walker leaves six outfield spots open, which works out well considering that normally, the OF spots are usually filled by guys who wind up being the sole representative of their team. There is only one SS spot left open, and at least three players who deserve a spot, but again I needed a Marlin and a Nat, and both Otto and CJ were among the best offensive players on their team, with Otto leading the NL in hits (191) and CJ the NL leader at short with 33 HR and 106 RBI.

Now before you start to say, "Where's this guy?" or, "Why didn't my guy make the team?" Please keep in mind that I'm not done filling out the team. These 18 guys are only here so that all 30 teams have a player. The best (trust me) is still yet to come.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's 2026 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams...The Starting Pitchers

2026-09-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I named the bullpens for each of my 2026 End of the Year All-Star Teams. Now it's time to name the starters.

To recap, here is my American League relief corps:

Bryan Baker, Rays
Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox
Tyler Rogers, Blue Jays
Cade Smith, Guardians
Louis Varland, Blue Jays

and the National League bullpen:

Jhoan Duran, Phillies
Raisel Iglesias, Braves
Trevor Megill, Brewers
Mason Miller, Padres
Adrian Morejon, Padres

So, who would they be relieving???

Starting with the American League six-man rotation, we have (in alphabetical order):

2026 Topps Drew Rasmussen #64

Dylan Cease, Blue Jays (11-6, 2.40 ERA, 239 K's, 1.10 WHIP, #547)
Sonny Gray, Red Sox (18-5, 2.72 ERA, 149 K's, 1.15 WHIP, #US199)
Nick Martinez, Rays (15-6, 3.10 ERA, 109 K's, 1.09 WHIP, #US336)
Drew Rasmussen, Rays (16-5, 2.67 ERA, 174 K's, 0.91 WHIP, #64)
Cam Schlittler, Yankees (14-6, 1.95 ERA, 239 K's, 0.92 WHIP, #111)
Gavin Williams, Guardians (14-8, 3.76 ERA, 248 K's, 1.11 WHIP, #254)

Honorable mentions go out to (meaning, if I had more space, I'd would have added) Taj Bradley of the Twins (12-6, 3.73, 205 K's), and Parker Messick of the Guardians (12-9, 2.56, 193 K's). I really was struggling between Bradley and Nick Martinez, but Martinez had the better year.

In the National League, my All-Star six man rotation includes:

2026 Topps Jacob Misiorowski #10

Chase Burns, Reds (15-3, 2.86 ERA, 185 K's, 1.17 WHIP, #312)
Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers (16-5, 1.80 ERA, 252 K's, 0.80 WHIP, #10)
Eduardo Rodriguez, Diamondbacks (16-7, 2.89 ERA, 143 K's, 1.24 WHIP, #417)
Chris Sale, Braves (14-9, 2.16 ERA, 200 K's, 0.98 WHIP, #427)
Cristopher Sánchez, Phillies (18-7, 2.91 ERA, 231 K's, 1.20 WHIP, #325)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers (14-9, 2.53 ERA, 182 K's, 0.87 WHIP, #90)

After the year he had, how could you NOT put The Miz onto this All-Star Team??! Sale was also on the 2014 AL team, so he's the second bridge player between the 11-year gap (along with Aroldis Chapman). Honorable mentions go out to Braxton Ashcroft of the Pirates (14-6, 3.65 ERA, 173 K's), and Jesús Luzardo of the Phillies (14-5, 2.86 ERA, 221 K's).

So the pitching staffs are done. Next, we'll get to the position players. The first step is to ensure that every team has a representative, regardless of what position he plays. At this point, ten AL teams and eight teams from the NL need to have a player. I have a few people in mind. Who will they be? Tune in some time tomorrow and find out.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

bdj610's 2026 End of Year MLB All-Star Teams...The Relief Pitchers

2026-09-29T12:11:24.460-05:00

It's been forever and a day since I last did one of these (I believe the last one I did was in 2014). The reason? As ridiculous as it sounds, I lost my spreadsheets saved on a flash drive and it was too much work (from 1988 to 2014, so 26 years worth of work) to get it up and running again. So I stopped. A childhood dream that grew with me was somehow lost.

I plan on making up for that. Eleven seasons worth of it. Eventually.

But I digress.

But for now as the first set of wild card playoffs go into full swing tonight, why not resurrect what was my favorite time of the year, the naming of bdj610's End of the Year All-Star Teams.

If you want to know what the heck I'm talking about and why I have created All-Star Teams for both leagues since I was 12 years old, please review the introduction and brief history (ahem...brief???) as to why I did this every year for the 26 years.

Quick rules on how I comprise the teams:

Two teams, one American League team, and one National League team
There are 36 spots on each team (three first basemen, three second basemen, three third basemen, three shortstops, nine outfielders, three catchers, six starting pitchers, four relief pitchers/closers, one relief pitcher/set-up, and one DH)
Every team gets a representative. No exceptions. If a player gets snubbed by a guy who is only there because a team needed a rep, then that's sadly the way it goes.

Things that happened when I last did this (in 2014):

The Cubs won a World Series!!!
The Cleveland Indians were renamed the Cleveland Guardians
The Oakland Athletics existed (they're currently just the Athletics until they move to Las Vegas)
The DH is now in both leagues (When I last did this exercise, only the AL had a DH position, and the player I selected as the DH for the NL was the best hitter who didn't make the team at any other position).
Some guy managed to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season (and in 1988, 40-40 was a relatively new concept).
I could go on and on, but...

Back to the point.

This is going to be a four-post process. Today, I will announce the bullpen staffs for each team.

Why start with the bullpens?

Because it's relatively simple. The top four guys with the most saves are automatically on the teams. Usually.

So let's start with the American League closers. On this year's team are (with their 2026 Topps cards...including Update Series):

Bryan Baker, Rays (4-2, 1.44, 41/44 in saves/opportunities, #US287)
Cade Smith, Guardians (1-3, 1.44, 41/46 saves/opportunities, #622)
Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox (3-4, 1.92, 35/37 saves/opportunities, #656)
Louis Varland, Blue Jays (5-6, 1.27, 35/37 saves/opportunities, #US210)

2026 Topps Cade Smith #622

These four players led the American League in saves, (the fifth was David Bednar, who had 35 saves as well, with a 7-3 record, and a 2.47 ERA). Chapman was on my 2014 NL All-Star team, so he's a bridge between the last time I made one of these and now. Others I had considered were actual 2026 All-Star Jacob Latz of the Rangers (3-4, 2.13 ERA, 30/34 saves/opportunities, 0.73 WHIP) and Josh Hader of the Astros (4-2, 1.01 ERA, 26/26 saves/opportunities).

The National League closers for the 2026 team are:

Mason Miller, Padres (5-2, 1.67, 38/41 saves/opportunities, #179)
Raisel Iglesias, Braves (1-2, 2.55, 34/37 saves/opportunities, #396)
Jhoan Duran, Phillies (2-6, 1.82, 33/35 saves/opportunities, #83)
Trevor Megill, Brewers (3-3, 2.63, 30/33 saves/opportunities, #141)

2026 Topps Mason Miller #179

These four have a combined WHIP ((walks + hits)/innings pitched) of 0.964! When given the opportunity to save games, these guys were almost unhittable). Others almost considered were Riley O'Brien of the Cardinals (3-9, 4.08, 38/46 saves/opportunities), Tanner Scott of the Dodgers (1-6, 2.69, 25/29 saves/opportunities), and Emilio Pagán of the Reds (5-1, 3.38, 25/28 saves/opportunities).

When I first started naming players to All-Star teams, I only considered closers for the bullpen roles. Since then I've added middle relievers, the guys who barely ever get any baseball cards, to the squads. They've been an important part of any All-Star bullpen (and even in the World Baseball Classic, bullpens consist of really good middle relievers to go complement the closers). So many great pitching performances this year by so many different players, it's just so hard to choose just one player to fill this spot. But one spot is available on both sides for a middle reliever. When all was said and done though, the two players I selected were more than qualified to make it onto the respective teams.

The AL Middle Reliever for the 2026 team is Tyler Rogers of the Blue Jays (#US117). He tied for the AL lead n holds with 33, earned a 2-3 record, had an ERA of 1.77, struck out 40 batters, and even saved 4/8 games in 71 innings of work. Others up for consideration included Rays reliever Kevin Kelly (6-4, 2.44 ERA, 63 K's, 0.90 WHIP, 33 holds), and Hunter Gaddis of the Guardians (6-3, 2.98, 57 K's, 32 holds).

The NL Middle Reliever for the 2026 team is the Padres' Adrian Morejon (#US154). His 28 holds were good for second in the NL, but a 9-3 record (which also means that he kept opposing teams down before the Padres would rally), along with a 2.83 ERA, 107 strikeouts, 3/8 in saves/opportunities, and a 1.08 WHIP was more than enough to get him added as the middle reliever. The only other pitcher in consideration for this spot was Dylan Lee of the Braves (6-1, 3.09 ERA, 77 K's, league leading 31 holds).

So right now, we've named the bullpens for each team. Who will fill out the rest of the rosters? Tomorrow, I will name the six starting pitchers that will round out the pitching staffs on each team.

By Thursday, every team will get a representative as I announce just some of the players who will take spots on both leagues' rosters.

And finally on Friday, I will round out the rest of the rosters and introduce the complete American and National League teams.

Wait and see. It's going to look good I promise.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

2026 Topps Update...Ready for Round 3??!

2026-09-18T15:00:00.000-05:00

Image of the 2026 Topps Update Series Retail Box

It won't be long now before the 2026 MLB season comes to a close and the hype over the Update Series begins. And there is a lot to unpack.

2026 Topps Update Travis Bazzana #US75

The checklist for the end-of-the-year set came out earlier this week, and well...

The player selection is great, I'm not against that. Topps is even bringing back the update series SP cards, akin to the SP rookie additions in series 2, in the form of Tarik Skubal and Adley Rutschmann (definitely will get my hands on these once they hit the Bay). What I don't get, however, is the format of the base checklist.

To wit...

The checklist, for the first time ever, is broken down into categories:

Veterans I
Veterans II
Rookies
Rookie Debut
Veteran Combos
Season Highlights

The Veterans I section, includes (doing a quick count...) 96 players. Veterans II consists of (doing another quick count, which is just me copying and pasting the .pdf to an Excel spreadsheet) 99 players. Going down the line, you have 85 Rookies, 40 Rookie Debut cards, 16 Veteran Combo cards, and 14 Season Highlights cards. That's 350 cards in the base set. Which is great and all...but...

What's the difference between Veterans I and Veterans II??!

2026 Topps Update Walker Buehler #US213, part of the Veterans II group.

I had first thought that the Veterans I section included players who were in either Series 1 or 2, and the Veterans II section consists of players who wasn't in either series. But that isn't true because while players such as Mauricio Dubón (191 in S1, US8 in Update) and Alex Bregman (135 in S1, US25 in Update) appeared earlier on cards earlier in the year, players such as Miguel Amaya, Antonio Senzatela, and even Zac Gallen did not.

The 99 players in the Veterans II section? Just from a sampling based off the 2026 MLB All-Stars who didn't have cards prior to the game in July, Max Mayer, Bryan Baker, Jacob Latz, and Louis Varland all are part of this group. Later additions such as Iván Herrera and Nick Martinez are part of this group as well. But both Willson Contreras and Tristan Peters are in this group as well, and they had cards in the main set (under different teams, so it's no surprise they're here too).

So that can't be it. With that said, was there a real reason why the 195 veterans were grouped off in this way? Maybe someone who has knowledge way above my pay grade can explain.

Or maybe I'm making too much of a big deal out of it...I don't know...

Beyond the base set, let's go over the insert sets whose cards will be distributed throughout the packs and boxes of Update Series.

Among the basic insert sets coming to Update will be the 25-card Stat Stars, a newly-titled 35-card playoffs-themed set called Autumn Ascensions (I think...only because rookie card subjects Munetaka Murakami, Travis Bazzana, and JJ Wetherholt are in this set and as far as I can tell have yet to make the playoffs in MLB), Topps Black Gold returns for another end-of-the-year appearance, 25 cards in all. The Hobby/Jumbo exclusive Mystical set returns as well with another 25 subject set. Fifty players from the All-Star Game are featured in the annual All-Star Game insert set. Which is great and all, but if Shohei Ohtani wasn't even in Philly for the festivities, why is he part of this set? Same for Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.

First Pitch concludes with five more celebrities, including someone many Filipinos outside of the Hobby will jump at the chance to acquire, boxing legend (and senator) Manny Pacquiao. The celebration of 1991 Topps baseball also concludes with another 50-card set. The ever popular Stars of MLB set concludes with another 26 cards (funny enough, no Titans of the Game in this one).

2026 Topps Update 1991 Topps Munetaka Murakami #U91-22

The Costco sets will return for the first time in Update Series. So expect another 90-card Flagship Collection and 10-card Bulk Order to appear in bonus packs. There is also a 10-card Rookie Sensations set that is exclusive to the "Club Box", but there is at this time, no way to tell if this is going to be an SP insert set or a basic one.

The product goes live on October 14, 2026, less than four weeks from the day this post goes live. I can't wait to get back into the swing of things. The chase for 593 cards will begin then. As of now, the 6-inch binder is 2/3rd's full and just needs the SP Rookie Variations (Kevin McGonigle, JJ Wetherholt, Carson Benge, and Justin Crawford) to finish out Series 2.

Then the fun will begin.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Twenty-Five Years Ago Today...

2026-09-11T09:15:38.979-05:00

I wrote this post on September 11, 2018. It is now eight-years later. The memories of where we were and what my wife and I were doing on what had started as a regular Tuesday morning with a newborn daughter are still there. Faded due to time, but still there.

It's almost an afterthought.

I say almost because for many, the memories are still fresh in their minds. They're haunting. And I can only imagine that some still do not look forward to this day on the calendar.

It's Tuesday. The same day it happened seventeen years ago. Most seniors in high school now weren't even born when it happened. For most of us, life has definitely moved on. We knew where we were when it happened. I was on my way to work, my wife and daughter were getting ready for another day at home...maybe going shopping. We had the news on as we normally did before switching to PBS kids when images of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center first appeared...then the second. Let's just say not much work was going to be done that day...and we were preparing for a food show.

But I think about today. My daughter, just over a year old when it happened, starts college next week. I am typing this up while on break from orientation now. My son, now a junior in high school, wasn't even born.

In school, they learn about the events of September 11, 2001. It's a history lesson for them. They learn about what happened based on what is written on a page, what they see on a video, what they read online. It is sad yes. The chain of events, the heightened awareness, security at the airport, the news, all of it, is normal to them.

But prior to what happened seventeen years ago, it wasn't.

We weren't always at war. We didn't need to take our shoes off at the airports. We didn't have to worry about our safety to that extreme.

I wrote the words below in 2011. For that article, and when I re-ran the story since, I used the total number of people I had heard to have died due to the events of that day, not including those who heinously perpetrated the attacks. That number was 2,974. Depending on where you read it, it could have been 2,977. Tallies since then have brought the number up to 2,980. But regardless of the number, that's too many lives lost.

Every year, I try to come back and honor the memories of the people for whom this country still mourns, and think how the events on that fateful day changed the course of American history, seventeen years since. By the time this posts goes live, it is nightfall...seventeen years after that the final plane crashed in a field somewhere in Pennsylvania.

Two thousand nine hundred seventy-four.

2,974.

That's the number of people who lost their lives when everything was finally taken into account. Countless lives were affected by this national tragedy. Even if you didn't know anybody on those planes, at the World Trade Center, or the Pentagon, you grieved along with those who did. You stood there in shock, in a daze, just glued to the television or radio.

Our lives have not been the same since. My daughter, now eleven, asks what we (her parents) were doing that morning. "We were just going about our lives," was my reply. "We watched the morning news, getting ready for work, and couldn't believe what we were seeing on the screen." She was just over a year old. She couldn't have understood what was going on then. But she will learn that what she sees as "normal" now, really wasn't before that Tuesday morning.

Two thousand nine hundred seventy-four. It is the number of reasons why we never forget what happened seventeen years ago today.

On this day, the seventeenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, my family and I send our prayers to those who lost loved ones that Tuesday morning. We pray, and will continue to pray for:

the children who lost their parents that day.

the children who would never meet their fathers because of the events of that day.

the firefighters and policemen and women who risk their lives doing their jobs, running into the face of dangers as many are running in the opposite direction.

those servicemen and women fighting for our freedoms away from home, whether or not we agree with the conflicts they battle.

for our leaders, regardless of their affiliation, that they make the right choices to keep the citizens of our country, and others, safe.

And finally, we pray for peace. Peace amongst ourselves as family, as a community, as a nation.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Adventures in Selling: Wait...Not a Trade??!

2026-08-12T08:21:37.578-05:00

Last week, I was perusing Facebook, as you do, and came across a post on one of the "Topps Facebook Trade/Buy/Sell" group page (not the actual name of the page...please don't look for it) saying that he was looking for singles from 2009, 2010, and 2013 Topps. Not necessarily expensive rookies, or key players from these sets, but, in his words:

My PC is Topps base cards from flagship and update (any card with stats on the back - no AS, LL, etc) for Hall of Famers, Stars, or Hall of Very Good. Focusing on all guys 1980-present first, then wil collect more vintage guys.

Hey, I'm always in the "collect whatever you like" camp. He has his categories, and he's out to collect them specifically. Some of the players on the list are some of the big names of that era, and a couple of Mantle cards to boot. I told him to give me a few days as it would take some time to dig out the boxes, and this was around the time of the National and my wedding anniversary, so it would take a few days. He said not to hurry. Below is the list.

It did take a few days and two separate messages letting him know what I found. On the first message, I reported that I found 24 cards:

2009 Topps: 355, 367, 490, 575
2010 Topps: 15, 48, 50, 56, 60, 70, 242, 243, 300, 320
2013 Topps: 15, 19, 27, 33, 36, 37, 105, 122, 206, 227

In my "organization" it appears that I had separated series 1 and 2 from all of these years. And in my initial hunt, I found boxes that contained 2009 Series 2, 2010 Topps Series 1, and 2013 Topps Series 1. It would be a bit more before I could find more (and I really need to write the years on the boxes so I'd have an easier time to find everything).

After more digging, I found more boxes and 24 more cards:

2009 Topps: 7, 24, 41, 135, 185, 224
2009 Topps Update: 1, 50 ,93, 174, 200
2010 Topps: 354, 403, 650
2010 Topps Update: 13, 100, 114, 266, 300
2013 Topps: 52, 454, 506, 519

After responding with the cards I found, I asked him how much he was willing to pay for everything, instead of me giving a price for how much I wanted.

Let me explain why.

In the past, I've had collectors ask me if I had cards from a certain set, or year (for inserts). For example, when I was uploading a list of 2013 Topps inserts into my trade/sell list, a collector asked if I was interested to sell some cards to him. He gave me a list, I responded with what I had (at least 30 cards) and a price that I thought would be fair for everything, I think I had quoted $65.00. His response was that the price I was asking for was too high and where I got the prices from? I responded a combination of sources: eBay, Beckett, Sportlots. I thought it was reasonable considering. I also asked him how much he would have offered to buy the cards for. In many cases, I would have agreed to whatever price he would have thrown at me (within reason...if he had said $1.00, forget it).

But he never responded. I was ghosted.

A similar situation happened again earlier this year. A member at the TCDB sent a request asking if I could "be kind enough to quote a price" on 36 cards that I had on my trade/sell list. Beckett pricing alone for the 36 cards ranged from a low $40.05 to a high of $102.25. I believe I quoted him at least $60.00.

His response? "Sorry, but I'll have to pass because I believe that to be way over-priced."

I answered him back, "I'm curious as to how much you were willing to spend for these cards plus shipping? If you had led off with an amount that you were willing to pay, I would have been more than happy to work with you for a price that would work well for both of us."

He didn't answer the question, just asked another one "Where did you obtain your prices from?" After saying the combination of sources...he withdrew the transaction. He didn't even counter-offer. Just ended the conversation. Well, his loss.

So I'm miffed. I decided from that point on, if someone is going to offer to buy cards, I'm going to let them dictate the price first. In this instance, for 48 base cards, I asked him how much he was willing to spend. He said $45. I said, "Sold!" PayPal information was given, the money was sent, and the cards were mailed the following day.

With the money burning a hole in my PayPal account, I started to think about what I should do with it.

If you recall, after the National, I was down to 17 cards left for my Series 2 insert want list. After sending trade requests to people on the TCDB, I was fortunate enough to get 9 cards from the want list, completing the Glove Works set and needing 4 cards each from the 1991 and Crooked Numbers set.

It was off to eBay. I found sellers who had all the cards I needed, which is good, because buying cards from different sellers will jack up the shipping charges. And for good measure, while I did not find an auction or BIN for the series 2 version of the 2026 Topps Bulk Order (the exclusive insert set from Costco Flagship Super Boxes), I found two 5-card lots that somehow managed to include all 10 cards.

At the end of my eBay haze, I was left with $1.80 in my PayPal balance.

Mission accomplished.

I found another collector on Facebook looking to complete his 2017 Topps set. All series 2. All just base cards. I have an idea of how much I'd be willing to sell...

But maybe I'll let him give me a price again first. This approach seems to work.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Live Blogging At The National!!!

2026-08-01T10:56:58.000-05:00

Update: 5:22 pm CST

It is truly time to call ot a day. Spent 10 bucks on supplies and am now outside waiting for my ride.

Thoughts: it used to be easy to find dealers who sell inserts in groups. Nowadays, it seems many dealers throw random cards into boxes in the hopes of keeping people at their booth longer. This is not helpful for the set collector. If you're a team collector, I am sure any card of any player from your team will do, so this arrangement could work. If you are a player collector? Not so much.

I brought $400. Spent $116 on cards, $10 in supplies, and $30 on the ticket in. Total spent: $156. Total left: $244.

Overall, I had a good time. Seeing every kind of collector looking for cards to add to their varied collections gives me hope that this Hobby will continue to thrive and grow. If the museum's message is correct, then the Hobby will continue to evolve.

My wife and I will be going out to dinner soon. We plan on visiting the restaurant that hosted our wedding reception 28 years ago. Should be fun.

Thank you for following along on my trip around the National. It is returning here again in 2027. I will try and do this again then.

Update: 4:24 pm CST

Found the "Museum." I am going to spend some time here first before going back downstairs and buy supplies and then call for my ride home. Should be fun.

The Man, The Myth, The Legend!!!

This is not me, I swear.

Update: 3:29 pm CST

Walked through many booths and none...NONE...had any designated spots for inserts from this year. I swear my patience and desire to complete sets can sometimes be a blessing and a curse at times. Because if I was more patient, I'd take my time looking for insert cards from years gone by and be successful in finding them. Looking for these remaining 17 cards at the National is like looking for a pin cushion in the middle of a haystack. I say this because you CAN certainly find one solitary pin...but try finding a cushion with 17 pins...and you get the idea.

Anyway. Lots of other things to see here.

There is a huge display of Star Wars movie memorabilia being displayed by Heritage Auctions.

And some He-Man stuff as well.

I am going to go upstairs one more time, and then probably call it quits.

Just realized I haven't eaten anything since breakfast. Will have to fix that.

Update: 1:29 pm CST

I am now at the Topps booth. It's set up like a stadium with a lot of interactive events going on, including a 30-person competition to find a golden ticket and win an actual card. The last person won a graded 3 Walter Payton Rookie.

Passing by what appears to be the "rip a pack, get a National Exclusive" line, Topps has displayed their Topps 75 iconic cards. They're the cardss presented on their Ripped blog earlier this year. Don't get why Ohtani's 2018 Topps Update Rookie Debut card is among them instead of his rookie card from S2, but I didn't make the picks.

I did find another booth with insert cards, but their 2026 cards were lacking. I did spend a buck on a Chase DeLauter 1991 card, so the want list is down to 17.

Will hang here for a bit.

Update: 12:26 pm CST

Success. Found my favorite dealer from the regular Chicagoland Sports Spectacular. One of the few people left who will open product and keep everything organized by set. This is my kind of dealer. Of the 65 cards in my Series 2 insert want list, he had 47 of them. For $115, I have now completed both the First Pitch and 1991 All-Star sets, and now only need 6 of the 1991 cards, 6 Crooked Numbers, and 6 Glove Works.

Now the challenging part: finding other dealers who might have these available. This is going to be interesting.

Update: 11:30 am CST

Just watched a few minutes of the Women who Collect panel on the second floor. Friend of the blog Sooz (Susan Lulgjuraj...aka yanxchick...aka...one-half of A Cardboard Problem) was on the panel.

Other than that, second floor had some interesting booths. The Lids booth had loose S2 cards including a couple of 1991 All-Stars mixed in. Unfortunately, I have both, so the hunt continues. On to the main floor.

Update: 11:00 am CST

Paid my 30 bucks and have my bracelet. I'm good to go. I brought $400 with me. I don't pman in spending all of it. But I know what I am here for. If anyone is actually reading this and want to find me. I am wearing a black Homage Topps 75 Diamond shirt with a blue shoulder bag. Time to go.

It's Showtime!!!

It is now 10:51 AM Central standard time and I am walking through the Donald Stevens convention center getting onto the escalator to stand in line and buy my ticket to the Greatest Show on Earth.

No, not the circus...although the atmosphere here is circus-like. But the National Sports Collectors Convention.

Better get into the cash line. The lines are long but moving quickly. There are already boiths up here on the second floor. I'll check these out first. Wish me luck.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Preparing for the National Sports Collectors Convention

2026-07-31T11:41:39.603-05:00

It's been a hot moment, hasn't it?

Catching up to all the work that was on my desk when I returned from Texas took a bit (and I'm still digging through). But it also means I haven't posted in more than a week, and while there was so much material I had for writing (more trading adventures), there just wasn't enough time in the day.

But tomorrow is an important day.

First, my wife and I will have been married for 28 years tomorrow. I love my wife. Through good and bad (and there has been a lot of both), our marriage has remained strong. And while we've gotten older (and are feeling this, trust me), it has evolved to something that is...not going through the motions per se...but because the kids are now adults (mind-blown), the adventures we had when they were younger are now memories and we look forward to time at home instead of running around following either or both of their schedules.

Now that doesn't mean that we've stopped that...heck no. But we can now be a bit more selective as to when, where, and how quickly we can get ready than before.

Back to the point.

So while tomorrow morning, my wife and I will have breakfast somewhere, after that is done, she is dropping me off...

AT THE NATIONAL!!!

The National Sports Collectors Convention that is. For the second year in a row, the convention is down the street from the house. And I took the day off, not just to spend time with my wife, but to go to see the sites, sounds, and atmosphere of what is the biggest event of the Hobby.

I do plan on buying cards at the show as I still have 65 insert cards left on my wantlist for 2026 Topps Series 2:

17 1991 Topps
13 1991 Topps All-Stars
10 Crooked Numbers
3 First Pitch
22 Glove Work

And then there are any other cards that catch my eye, but are not high on the priority list. The chances of finding any of those are not the best as many vendors at the National don't focus on current stuff unless it's still sealed and the few that do have their cards thrown in random places. Maybe a handful of booths will separate their cards by year, but good luck finding them in the chaos.

I do plan on stopping by the Topps booth (I have to...) along with the "Museum" that I happened to see on a YouTube (or was it Facebook) video. I love that kind of stuff and will take pics of those displays. But beyond eBay, I might steer clear of the corporate area.

I will be there wearing the black Topps 75 shirt so I fit in with the crowd. If I can find my old Topps baseball cap, I'll throw that on too (although the last I saw it, the thing needed a wash).

Before, I'd carry a bag with boxes of recent year base cards. But the bag was always heavy, and any plans of trading at the show would come up empty. So this year, I'll probably pack lightly, bringing a small binder with just the insert sets so I can add new cards to it right away. Maybe bring this year's extras in the event I am able to find people willing to trade (or buy...I'm not picky). Maybe I'll bring in the box that has all my relic and auto cards to see if I can unload some of them. Maybe I'll bring along my box full of unopened 2018 packs...maybe not...

I can't wait for the show. I do plan on live-blogging the experience.

And maybe...just maybe...I'll find everything I need to complete Series 2.

Wish me luck.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Adventures in Trading: Would This Count as a Trade, or a Giveaway???

2026-07-17T12:49:57.158-05:00

We just returned from our trip to San Antonio, TX. Let me tell you, the heat that we were expecting showed up for one day, but the rest of the time, it rained. And rained. And rained. The heat, apparently, went on vacation as well, going north while we headed south.

All kidding aside, the reason why we went to San Antonio was for a family conference, one I will be discussing on this humble, little blog before August (big reason why will be announced soon).

When not taking part of the official events, I did a few Hobby related things. As mentioned (ad nauseum), I did bring a binder of 2026 Topps (not the 6-inch...a smaller one) and finally had time to add the 350 cards from Series 2 into pages. On Tuesday, the 15th, the family and I went to Target to buy a few things for the conference. More importantly, I did buy a few packs of Series 2, including a megabox of All-Star Game product. I said I wouldn't previously, but in honor of the Game, I thought, "what the heck, why not?" There were two boxes. I picked one, left the other, grabbed 2 loose packs (it's Target, they have that limit thing), and a retail box and moved on (this second megabox will be discussed later on in this story).

Hanging out in the hotel lobby, I had my 75th Anniversary Topps shirt on (the shirt arrived before we finished packing last week, so in it went into the suitcase), the 2-inch binder of cards (which did have the All-Stars in separate pages...which were returned to their respective pages once the game was over), and the megabox. Some members of the conference came by, saw the baseball cards, and then started talking about their memories of collecting when they were much younger. It was nice hearing stories about what they used to collect, the usual sob stories about their cards being tossed once they left home, and even some people said they were collectors too and wanted to talk about their current collections.

Which leads me to realizing that it is hard to talk to people about, well most hobbies, because we don't know if the person we're talking about can relate. But to see the look on people's faces and how their tone of voice changes once they realize that the person they're talking to shares a common interest, they suddenly look a whole lot lighter, they smile as they share their stories and even when they talk about what is currently in their collections. Heck, even young lady (yes, ladies too) said that she managed to get a "decent-sized" collection of 1957 Topps cards (or was it 1955...) at an estate sale for $5.00 if she could name the players. She apparently did, and purchased the lot. She also said that she knew someone who used to work for the Company and even had an uncirculated sheet of cards. Needless to say, we exchanged Facebook information and I will have to reach out and ask her for pictures of the sheet as I am truly interested in what she has.

The game was...okay. The NL lost (again) Miguel Vargas put the game on ice with a towering home run. The pitching on both sides was great, shutting down pretty much everyone...except for the hometown pitcher who started. I don't know if it was nerves, but Christopher Sanchez really struggled out there in that first inning. I hadn't seen that kind of first-inning jitters (if it can be called that) since Tim Lincecum in 2009. At least PCA got a hit.

Back to the point.

While sitting there opening packs, a family with two kids sat next to me. I know the family as my wife and his wife became good friends after a previous conference and subsequent visits from them to Chicago. I gave the father two packs of retail that I bought along with the box, and the kids had fun. I did make a trade offer with one of the kids for a Reggie Jackson 1991 All-Star card that he pulled in exchange for a Frank Thomas 1991 All-Star card that I had just added to the TCDB trade/sell list.

Wednesday the 16th, families had more free time as the presentation portion of the conference was starting to wind down and apparently one gentleman I talked to in the lobby the night before went to the same Target I visited and BOUGHT THE OTHER MEGABOX. He offered me the base cards that he got from the box, which was a very kind gesture on his part (explanation to come as to why in a moment). After opening my box and pulling out some inserts, I wondered if this same person would be interested in trading for some insert cards. I did have some decent pulls, and took a shot. He agreed.

We met back at the lobby, showed me what he had, I showed him what I could offer...

And he just said to take what I needed, nothing needed to be traded!!!

I was stunned.

The guy spent $40-something bucks on this mega box and offered to give me the entire contents of it.

The cards I needed are below. The other cards he gave me are in a box somewhere that I still need to unpack from my luggage.

A Max Muncy 1991 Relic plus the eight cards to pare down the wantlist of 2026 S2 Inserts

I think this would count as a giveaway, but I was trying to be fair and offered what I had in exchange, and he said no. As to why he would just agree to give these away without an exchange, he explained that yes, he collects. He has a Michael Jordan collection of over 600 plus cards, plus a collection of cards from every sport (a Shohei Ohtani 50/50 card serial numbered was one of the highlights I could remember) and even Pokémon (which he collects with his son). He loves opening packs and pulling hits, but in the end, prefers to give the cards to people who could use them more. He doesn't give out cards because of "lack of value" or whatever, he does this because he enjoys doing it. I have great respect for this guy now. I told him that I was going to the National, and promised that if I found a good Jordan that I'd message him.

The Chase for 600 cards now is now down to 135:

5 First Pitch cards (found Jerry Seinfeld in a pack)
18 Crooked Numbers cards
37 Glove Works cards
36 1991 Series 2 cards
28 1991 All-Star cards
2 Stars of MLB (Sal Stewart and Brady House)
1 Titans of Baseball (Francisco Lindor)
4 short-printed rookies (card #'s 697-700)
4 factory set exclusive rookies (card #'s 697-700)

Upon my return, I see that I have a couple of trade offers. Need to look into those and if trades are accepted, I'll post them here.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

And Now, Your Starting Lineups…

2026-07-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

As announced at All-Star Media Day:

For the American League:

1. Mike Trout, LAA, cf
2. Yordan Alvarez, HOU, dh
3. Shea Langeliers, ATH, c
4. Junior Caminero, TBR, 3b
5. Bobby Witt Jr, KCR, ss
6. Cody Bellinger, NYY, rf
7. Ben Rice, 1b, NYY
8. Riley Greene, DET, lf
9. Ernie Clement, TOR, 2b

And the National League:

1. Kyle Schwarber, PHI, dh
2. Juan Soto, NYM, lf,
3. Freddie Freeman, LAD, 1b
4. CJ Abrams, WSH, ss
5. Max Muncy, LAD, 3b
6. Ozzie Albies, ATL, 2b
7. Brandon Marsh, PHI, rf
8. Andy Pages, LAD, cf
9. Drake Baldwin, ATL, c

The starting pitchers for the 96th ASG are Dylan Cease of the Blue Jays and Cristopher Sánchez of the Phillies.

Enjoy the game everyone.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Thank You Topps Bunt for Making Cards of the Cardless All-Stars

2026-07-14T10:40:45.479-05:00

Thanks to Topps Bunt, we don't have to wait for Update Series cards (or retail team cards) of the 9 All-Stars who did not have cards in either Series of the eponymous brand.

For those who have the Topps Bunt app, people can purchase virtual packs of cards that include an insert card (or two) of the original 65 All-Stars selected on the 4th of July. Included in this set are the five players who were not in either series.

So, if you want to print these images and add them to your ASG binder before the big game...

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Max Meyer

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Travis Bazzana

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Bryan Baker

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Jacob Latz

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Louis Varland

Not included in the selection is Tigers’ rookie Kevin McGonigle as he HAS a card, albeit short-printed.

Update: 7:00 pm CST

The game is just about to start. And Topps Bunt has the added the Player Replacement set online.

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Willson Contreras

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Nick Martinez

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Tristan Peters

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Foster Griffin

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Iván Herrera

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Riley O’Brien

Thank you Topps Bunt.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Did the Hobby Box Break Get Me the 43 Cards to Finish Series 2??!

2026-07-13T08:37:39.184-05:00

When last we looked at the results of my retail packaged 769-base card sorting, I found I had 307 of the 350 cards needed to complete the Series 2 set. I was left needing 43 cards to finish the set. I had five retail packs that I had not opened plus the full jumbo box to break. My recent history with this kind of luck was screaming, "No, you will not finish this set after you open the Hobby box. Prepare to beg for trades on TCDB and possibly Facebook." But, I clearly believed I had a shot at it.

So when my family went to my sister's house for the 4th of July festivities, I brought the Hobby box and after food was served and conversations kept going (the rain may have been a factor as well), I decided to go inside and open the 10 packs to try my luck.

To review, the list below contains the 43 cards I needed to complete S2. Plenty of eventual 2026 All-Stars on this list (Adley Rutschman, Juan Soto, Ernie Clement, Jordan Walker), the Rays, Giants, Marlins, and White Sox team cards, the Jack Dreyer ASRT card, a lone Cubs card (Justin Steele)...

Back to the point.

Let's just say that after the first look at what was inside, I was already worried.

Because one of the packs looked pretty thin for a jumbo pack. Could this mean that I may have pulled huge relic card, thick enough to remove almost everything??!

No. The pack that should have had 40 cards in it only held 26. Panic was starting to creep in.

To alleviate the pit in my stomach, I first opened the bonus packs of 1991 Topps Chrome cards.

Pack 1:

#91C2-35 Tatsuya Imai
#91C2-37 Samuel Basallo
#91ASC-30 Freddie Freeman
#91ASC-26 Pete Crow-Armstrong

Pack 2:

#91C2-48 Lawrence Butler
#91C2-11 Kyle Schwarber
#91ASC-34 Ronald Acuña Jr.
#91ASC-13 Ichiro

Thoughts: pretty good packs. Balanced between the regular 1991 cards and the All-Star cards. And yes, a PCA All-Star card among the 8. Can't complain. Will add all to the trade/sell list. Maybe keep PCA though.

So with the anxiety already starting, I started opening each pack. Here were the results:

Pack 1: 394, 470 408

Eric Wagarman of the Twins, Brandon Nimmo of the Rangers, and the Rays team card. Okay, not too bad a start. I figured that most of what I was missing would be clumped together in a group. Think of it this way. If you opened packs of 1989 Topps and found a Chris Sabo, you will 99% for sure get the Mark Grace card behind it.

Back to the story.

Pack 2: 664, 390, 600

Jayden Murray of the Astros, Jack Dreyer of the Dodgers, and Juan Soto of the Mets. Another trio grouped together in the pack. Okay, this is consistent. Six cards down, 37 to go. Crossing fingers.

Pack 3: nothing

This was the infamous 26-card pack. My first thought was, "If I don't manage to complete this set, I am definitely calling Topps to complain."

Pack 4: 422, 499, 486, 520, 460

Now we're getting somewhere. Five cards, a trio and a pair. And with the Steele card in hand, I have the full Cubs set for the year.

Pack 5: nothing

At this point, it was a nice run. But based on the first four packs, only a miracle could complete this set.

Pack 6: 480, 382, 539, 565, 578, 430, 571, 621, 696, 580, 634, 522, 375

Cue the miracle. Thirteen cards out of 40 in the pack. With 24 cards now in hand, the odds of getting the remaining 19 started to look pretty good.

Pack 7: 592, 661, 523, 684, 505, 663, 579

This definitely helped. Seven more cards to bring the needs pile down to 12. The pack even included the guaranteed relic card,

Momentum was shifting, disaster starting to feel averted.

Pack 8: nothing

Cue the disaster. The only saving grace of this pack was that it contained the auto. Okay, it was a redemption card for a 1991 Topps card. Of Samuel Basallo from the Orioles. Which I have 10 years to redeem.

Pack 9: 562, 501, 655, 429, 610

Okay. Five more cards. With 36 cards after 9 packs, and one pack to go. I need 7...SEVEN cards to complete the set. Time to clench.

Pack 10:

546 Nick Fortes, Rays

414 Andy Pages, Dodgers

564 Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics

496 San Francisco Giants Team Card

451 Jake Burger, Rangers

593 Sal Frelick, Brewers

...

358 Adley Rutschman, Orioles

It happened.

IT HAPPENED!!!

I managed to get the final cards I needed. Fortunately, I kept the screaming to a minimum.

It was a good day to be a card collector. Especially a good day to be THIS card collector.

Although the set is now complete, I've yet to be able to have time to put them into the binder. I'm hoping that I can do that soon.

Maybe after the All-Star Game is over.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Kurtz, Ashcroft, Burns are out of the ASG, Peters, Wrobleski, and Griffin are Named Replacements

2026-07-12T21:51:27.925-05:00

The family was at the airport, getting ready to board a plane to Texas, when more announcements were made about All-Star Roster changes. Apparently, all it takes is for a guy to hit for the cycle, and one day later, you get a call-up to the All Star team </sarcasm>

2026 Topps Tristan Peters #330

So, Nick Kurtz, who was named the starter after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pulled out of the All-Star Game, was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a right thumb sprain. Willson Contreras, who was added to the All-Star team earlier this week, appears to be the player replacing Kurtz in the starting lineup. Taking his spot on the All-Star game roster is White Sox rookie Tristan Peters. It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours for Peter’s as the day before, he hit a cycle against Kurtz’ Athletics, including a home run and a triple in the same inning. Presently, for the pale hose, he is hitting above 300, one of just 15 hitters with at least 200 plate appearances to do so. He joins Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas on the roster.

2026 Topps Justin Wrobleski #391

Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcroft pitched yesterday, throwing 98 pitches in five innings against the Brewers (on behalf of Cubs fans, thank you for the sweep). But because he pitched on Saturday, he elected not to pitch in Tuesday's game. This means that the Pirates will not have any representation on the main NL All-Star squad as he and fellow pitcher Paul Skenes played over the weekend. Taking Ashcroft's spot on the roster is Justin Wrobleski of the Dodgers. On a rotation full of superstars, Wrobleski has proved himself worthy of an All-Star selection, with a 10-2 record in 15 starts, along with a 2.69 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .180 average. The Dodgers representation has now reached 6 players, including Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Andy Pages, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Chase Burns of the Reds has been scratched from All-Star Game duties due to a nagging groin injury. Taking his spot in the NL All-Star bullpen will be Foster Griffin of the Nationals. The 30-year old Griffin, returning to MLB after 3 years in NPB, is the ace of the Nat's staff, with a 10-2 record and a 2.77 ERA in 19 starts. He joins CJ Abrams and James Wood representing the Nats.

So add Peters' #330 (even if he is representing the Rays on the card) and Wrobleski's #391 to your binders. Griffin does not have a card in either Series 1 or 2, so he will most likely make an appearance in the Update Series.

Just because we are now at the midway point of the season does not mean we could be done with roster updates. More could come, and if they do, I'll make sure to add them here.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Buxton, Judge, Suarez, Ohtani are out of the ASG, Murakami, Rafaela, Martinez, Herrera are Named Replacements

2026-07-10T23:32:03.741-05:00

More players have been removed from the original ASG rosters and replacements have been named. Let's get to it.

2026 Topps Munetaka Murakami #503

Bryan Buxton, voted in as a starter for the AL squad, was placed on the DL on July 7 with a reaggravated right hip impingement. Impingement means, according to the Cleveland Clinic, "the painful pinching or rubbing of soft tissues - such as tendons or bursa - against bone in a joint." That sounds painful. With Buxton now out of the game, Riley Greene of the Tigers has been named as his replacement in the starting lineup. Buxton's replacement on the roster goes to the White Sox' "rookie" slugger Munetaka Murakami. Murakami just returned from the DL himself, missing more than a month from a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Even with him out for more than 30 games, he has 20 home runs and 41 rbi's. He joins fellow Pale Hose Miguel Vargas on the team.

2026 Topps Ceddanne Rafaela #101

Aaron Judge, also voted onto the AL team, has been on the DL for a good part of the season with a stress fracture in his first right rib. So it was well known that someone else will take his spot in the starting lineup. Fellow Yankee Cody Bellinger will take his place as a starter. His replacement is Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela. Rafaela, a Gold Glove winner last year, is hitting .283 through 87 games this season, with 8 home runs and 39 rbi's. He is now the fourth Red Sox player on the team, joining Aroldis Chapman, Ranger Suarez, and Willson Contreras. Although...

Suarez himself is now on the DL because a groin injury. Replacing him is emerging Rays ace Nick Martinez. In his ninth MLB campaign, Martinez comes into the break with a 7-2 record in 17 starts, an ERA of 2.61 and 61 K's in 100 innings of work. Now a first-time All-Star, he joins fellow pitchers Bryan Baker and Drew Rasmussen, along with Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz from the first place Rays going to Philadelphia.

In a surprising turn of events, it was announced that NL vote leader Shohei Ohtani will not be heading to Philly for the game. Nursing knee discomfort since the middle of June, he was scratched from his scheduled pitching start, even though he is still able to hit. But he will have his knee drained on Sunday, with will allow him to recover before his Dodgers face the Yankees to open the second half of the season. Replacing him in the starting lineup will be Kyle Schwarber of the hometown Phillies, and taking Schwarber's spot on the bench will be Cardinals' catcher/DH Iván Herrera. Herrera, hitting .249 with 11 home runs and 40 rbi's is having a good year for the Redbirds as they remain in the hunt for the NL Central crown. He now joins teammates Riley O'Brien and Jordan Walker onto the team.

So add Murakami's #503 card and Rafaela's #101 card to your all-star binder. Martinez and Herrera, unfortunately, don't have a card in the eponymous brand, so expect them to make their appearances in card form via the Update Series.

Will there be more roster updates? Stay tuned.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Justin Verlander Named to AL All-Star Team as Legend Pick

2026-07-08T15:05:13.447-05:00

2026 Topps Justin Verlander #415

Just like Bryce Harper was named as a "Legend Pick" for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game, the American League has one as well. On the same day that Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander announced that he is retiring at the end of the 2026 season, the 21-year veteran and guaranteed future Hall of Famer was added to the AL team as a legacy pick.

Now a 10-time All-Star, Verlander is currently on the 60-day disabled list, but did appear in one game this season. His numbers are certainly HOF-worthy as he carries a 266-159 record in 556 career games, all starts. He has struck out 3554 batters, a 3.33 ERA, and a starting pitcher WAR of 82.3. He won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2006, is a 3-time Cy Young Award Winner, and also won the MVP in 2011, becoming the first pitcher since Dennis Eckersley to win both awards in the same year. That season also saw him win the pitching Triple Crown (leading the AL in Wins, ERA, and K's).

Make sure to add Verlander's #415 Topps card into the binder, even if he won't be in the game. Congratulations to a great career.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Adventures in Trading: Tuesday Transactions Before Texas

2026-07-08T10:25:15.892-05:00

I said I was going to hold off on trade requests because I am going to be out of town for a week. But because two people on the TCDB reached out last week with quick trade requests, and I saw that they were small requests, and I am still in town, I thought I'd agree to them. Envelopes were mailed yesterday morning. A total of six cards sent to two traders with six cards coming back, including 5 cards that will help put a small dent into the biggest insert set (in number of cards) in Series 2, Glove Work.

The first trade request came on the first of July, a simple two-for-two card trade, for the retail exclusive Titans and Stars of MLB. However, because I pulled all of those during my retail breaks (I promise, I will let you know the results of the Hobby break and if I managed to complete the base Series 2 set), I didn't need what she was offering. A quick view of the updated trade matching showed that she had 1 card that I still needed. I would have rejected the trade otherwise, but seeing that we've had a transaction previously, I thought, I could manage a quick counter-offer. She accepted it and sent the card out right away. The card actually arrived last night.

I still need three cards to complete the Stars of MLB set. I could keep on buying retail packs, but probably will wait until after the trip to do it.

The second trade was originally for more cards than what was eventually agreed upon. It would have been a 7-for-7 trade, including a 1991 Topps Blake Snell card he was offering. However, I pulled that card during the Hobby box break on the 4th of July. So I had to counter and remove it from my want list and adjust what he was requesting to make it relatively fair (I'm not greedy, I swear). But when I redid the trade matching, it appeared that he already had, or may have already agreed to other trades for, four of the cards he had originally requested. He was down to four cards needed from the original 7. So I countered, offering four cards, including a 2022 Topps Gypsy Queen Aaron Judge, for 5 of the Glove Work inserts. He agreed. These might arrive in the mail long after we leave for the trip. I've already tasked my daughter, who is staying home this time around, to check the mail while we're gone.

Trade requests are now on hold until I get back.

Oh, and then, the National is at the end of the month. Have to plan accordingly.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Misiorowski, Skenes, and Meyer are out of the ASG. Ashcraft, Luzardo, and O'Brien are Named Replacements

2026-07-08T01:11:19.689-05:00

It seems that the Sunday Starter Rule is still in effect.

What does that mean exactly?

It means that pitchers who were named onto the All-Star Team who are slotted to start on the Sunday before the All-Star Game will be ineligible to pitch in the game. Thus, while still getting the perks of being selected and they can still go take part in the festivities, these pitchers will no longer be part of the main rosters.

And so it was that Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers, Paul Skenes of the Pirates, and Max Meyer of the Marlins, after starting their respective games on Tuesday night, are all lined up to start this Sunday before the break. The NL pitching staff needs to find replacements for these three aces.

2026 Topps Braxton Ashcraft #589

According to MLB.com, The Miz' replacement is Braxton Ashcraft of the Pirates. Ashcraft, a first-time All-Star, has been part of the reason why the Pirates are relevant in the NL Central after more than 11 years. He has a 9-3 record, a 3.24 ERA, and 122 strikeouts in 18 starts. He has, recently, been pitching better than his better known teammate. Depending on the source, we could easily say that Ashcraft is taking the place of Pirate ace Skenes. But MLB says that Ashcraft is covering for the Miz, so we'll go with that.

2026 Topps Jesús Luzardo #63

With Skenes now off the team, MLB.com reports that Phillies ace Jesús Luzardo has been added to the NL side. Luzardo, also a first-time Star, finished 7th in last year's Cy Young voting. Sporting a 7-4 record in 18 starts, with 125 K's and a 3.75 ERA, he is now part of the growing contingent of Phillies stars, six in all, playing host at this year's festivities.

Finally, Max Meyer, one of the surprises that could lead the Marlins back to the postseason, also started Tuesday. His replacement is Cardinals' closer Riley O'Brien. Earning the closer role for 2026, he's saved 22 games for the Redbirds, keeping them in contention in a strong NL Central division. This will also be his first All-Star appearance.

So add Ashcraft's #589 cards from Series 2, and Luzardo's #63 from Series 1 to the All-Star Binder. Unfortunately, O'Brien is not in this year's set. And once again, curses to the higher ups who decided that there won't be any retail team sets in 2026. Just know that O'Brien is taking over for a guy who also doesn't have a card in this year's eponymous set.

That's it for now. When Bryan Buxton's replacement is named, we'll let you know what card to add to the growing binder.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Willson Contreras Replaces VGJ on AL ASG Roster

2026-07-07T13:47:15.298-05:00

2026 Topps Willson Contreras #180

We interrupt whatever I was doing to report that it was just announced that Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox has been added to the American League All-Star Team.

As mentioned in my post with the rosters and their Topps card numbers that because Vladimir Guerrero, Jr, elected to start at first base, was not going to participate in the game (he announced that he was going to rest his lower back for the 2nd half of the season), Nick Kurtz of the Athletics, who was named to the team as a reserve, will now move up to the starting lineup. Well, Kurtz moving up to means that a replacement needed to be named.

Enter Willson Contreras. Now going to his fourth All-Star Game (his first three as a catcher for the Cubs), Contreras will once again take part in an ASG with his brother William (2022), but this time on the opposing side. Willson joins teammates Ranger Suarez and Aroldis Chapman as the Boston contingent heading to Philly.

So add card #180 to your All-Star binders. Okay, he's a member of the Cardinals on his 2026 Topps card. If they had done the team sets (Why Topps??? WHY??!) he could have gotten a Red Sox card. He will definitely have an Update Series card.

More to come as the roster replacements are announced.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama