Latest / Cards & Categories / Ep. 143 : 2026 Topps Series 2 Overview

Transcript

Ep. 143 : 2026 Topps Series 2 Overview · Cards & Categories

• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome everybody to episode A one forty three
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: of Cards and Categories. I am Mike Coolard from Baseball Perspectus,
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: joined per usual by my very good friend Jeremy Brewer
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: from Rasball. How are you doing tonight, Bud.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: I am just dandy. As we joked last week, I'm
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: finally back in my space to record our podcast. So
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: I'm actually hopefully sound better for the first time in
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: like a month on this podcast because I actually have
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: the real setup here. So I'm rare and ready to go.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Because I actually have the setup. I'm not just going
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: off with memory or an iPhone to record this podcast,
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: which is not advisable for those that record podcasts would
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: probably know. So I'm ready to go. It's gonna be
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: a fun, fun one. One of our favorite things is
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: talking about new products coming out. That's what we're focus
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: on tonight, so let's get into it.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly, I was gonna say, that's probably why you're
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: so jazzed up. We've got a new set to rip
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: out there that will hit shelves in both retail and
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: hobby environments. Another flagship product Project product. We're talking Tops
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six Series two coming out on Wednesday, June tenth.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: We're recording this on June eighth, so keep that in mind,
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: because we do have a lighter list of news and notes,
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: although certainly heavier in terms of haft of the news.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: But the second segment of this podcast will be focused
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: on Series two, giving you the overview of the standard
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: three hundred and fifty card checklist and all of the
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: inserts and really everything you could imagine. We are going
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: to be flying a little blind when we discuss it,
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: because if you know Baseball card collecting, TOPS doesn't, Series
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: two is the bastard child for sure of all of them,
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: where TOPS doesn't do a great job of promoting it.
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: So we've got some new cards that we think we
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: know what they'll look like, but we'll get into those
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: details when we discuss Series two. Like I said, we've
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: got a lighter list of news and notes to get through,
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: but let's start there because the big one's gonna be
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: right off the bat. We're talking Aaron Judge going down
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: for the New York and Yankees. He's gonna be out
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: roughly four to six weeks as he's got a stress
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: fracture in a rib, and he knew this thing was
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: never gonna be good when the Yankees were ruling out
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: thoracic outlet syndrome for the thirty four year old outfielder.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: And I guess if you had to go thoracic outlet
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: syndrome or a stress fracture in one's rib, you've probably
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: got to go on the stretch fracture side, even though
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: it is one of the lower ribs. So it is
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: certainly almost like an oblique injury, I think too, because
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: of just being on the side and pain that comes
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: from the torque of swinging a bat, and especially somebody
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: with the strength of Aaron Judge has plenty of power
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: to be able to break his own ribs and mess
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: things up the way that Tristan Cossas has in the past.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: Before going on to the il it was at two
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: forty eight three seventy five five thirty three slash line
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: a one to fifty WRC plus the worst we had
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: seen from Aaron Judge since twenty twenty one. So there
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: was certainly something going on for a couple of weeks,
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: you could tell. And it does sound like Judge thinks
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: that he hurt himself on a dive in April people
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: have had a little trouble pinpointing the exact play. But
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: we're looking at one of the top three picks of
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: our fantasy leagues being out now for four to six
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: weeks plus not necessarily sure about what the production is
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: going to look like on the other end. So I mean, first,
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: you can't really replace him like you're gonna do your best.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: So I certainly suggest the streaming options are available to
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: you in the streaminator on rasball, make youse of the
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: tools to try to patch up this gap for Aaron Judge,
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: because you're certainly not dropping him in any league in
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: I mean, even if you don't have il spot, you've
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: got to. He's a reverse resar spot for somebody like
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Aaron Judge's talent. So Brew, what is the concern here
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: with you as you get Aaron Judge back and healthy
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: on your team after this four to six week period.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Is it that, uh, he might not be full go,
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: that you might think that the power might be discounted,
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: or are you maybe worried about longer term injuries or
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: anything else in this profile with Aaron Judges just supreme
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: statistics and how that injury might impact him going forward.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: The rest of twenty twenty six.
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's one of those that I feel
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: like Judge whenever he's been hurt in the past, and
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: I remember the early in his career of his first
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: like five years in the league, he was hurt for
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: I think four of the first five years if I recall,
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: and you know, he definitely had that injury label to him.
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: And then he's shaken that pretty well in the last
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: five years. But I still think he's that player, and
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: so I think that's that's the piece here, is like
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: how well is he recover. I feel like he's a
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: little bit more fragile. He's a big guy, right He's
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: not this guy that's gonna bounce back and be very
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: easy on his body. I think this is a guy
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: that he takes a lot of pounding, even though he's
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: playing right you know, right field generally it's not as
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: demanding a position. But I do have a little concern
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: longer term for for Judge. I think he gets back
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: this year. I think he can. You know, he'll sneak
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: by with some good power and things like that. He's
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: been a little unlucky this year as well, so his
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: batting average a little lower. Things like that he's still
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: Aaron Judge and I still think there's value there. But
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: like I there's a little part of me it's like,
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: is this is this the start? Is this the start
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: of the decline? And this is a very unfair comp
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: And I'm gonna do two of them, but Mike Trout
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: and John Young Carlo, just do Mike Stanton or gian
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: Carlos Stanton the Mike's uh. They both are guys that
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: have these big body builds, these power hitters, and they
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: got to a certain point that they just started a
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: breakdown and it just really brought their game down. It
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: first started to hit them from a statistics point in
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: the batting average because they weren't able to leg things out.
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: They weren't able to they were just kind of selling
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: it for power things like that, and they continue to
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: blast the ball, and it feels like at some point
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: that's where Aaron Judge is going to be. I don't
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: know if this is the beginning of that, but it
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: gives me the heb GBS, which is a very technical
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: term for I'm a little concerned long term because he
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: is thirty four years old. Yeah, yeah, And I think
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: people think Stanton's Stanton I'm the wrong Yankee. Now, I
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: think people think Judge is like thirty or thirty one.
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: He's not.
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: He is.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: He didn't come up, he had his first full season
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: until he's twenty five. So I've got a little concerned.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: Maybe you can talk me off the ledge, like I
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: said this year, not as much concerned, but more of
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: long term on a little little leering.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah. No, I think that makes sense that what you're
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: looking at here with Judge, you're probably gonna have to
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: discount it going forward, just for age because of what
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: happens in terms of you know, that curve and the
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: human body overall. I will say one thing that does
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: give me a little more hope than with Stanton and
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: Trout is that Judges injuries haven't been like soft tissue
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: lower body issues, where both Trout and Stanton have dealt
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: with that that you know, Trout has dealt with the calf,
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: with the knees, the meniscuses.
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: Us legs, the leg issues.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and Stanton has dealt with quads and hammies and calves.
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: And I mean, honestly, this's probably not as you say,
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: at this point, every soft tissue on Stanton has gone
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: at some point and so that gives me a little
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: more hope for Aaron Judge, because that's where things start
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: kind of really flashing. Like the warning signs for me
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: and just caution, caution, caution is when the lower half
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: starts going on these bats where you know, I think
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: that lots of these guys are dealing with small oblique
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: issues a lot because just the way that modern baseball
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: is training and the way that the grind goes, and
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: I honestly have no idea how they can do it
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: while sleeping you know, on the road in hotel beds
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: and so on and so forth. Obviously you know, they
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: have the best access to physical therapists and they're not
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: sleeping at the hotels that you and I are most
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: of the time. And so what speak for yourselves, the
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: super rain is fantastic. So there's that factor where like
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: I do wonder sometimes if like there's a lot of
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: batters that are dealing with smaller injuries in their than
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: their flanks to the way that like pitchers are kind
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: of constantly doing dealing with stuff and their elbows and
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: their shoulders, where it's just it's a high volume use
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: portion of the body. And so I think that gives
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: me a little more hope with Judge, where obviously, like
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: the oblique issue and the rib issue, it's gonna cause
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: pain when you're twisting, but I think a lot of
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: guys work through it. Is what I'm saying is that
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: they find they have some sort of tolerance level and
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: know how to be able to play baseball day in
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: and day out, and so that on top of like,
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: I do feel like sports Messine has gotten better with
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: side issues over the past few years because they've become
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: so numerous. So that gives me a little hope here.
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: But I do think going forward, you're gonna have to
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: discount some games from Aaron Judge off the top, just
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: because you know he's gonna be thirty five next April,
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: and so that's you're just asking for it at that point.
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: I will say that, like I don't know if I'm
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: if I'm dropping him too much going to twenty twenty
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: seven first down, like maybe to fourth or fifth overall.
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: As I'm saying, I would say like five six is
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: probably like if I've got Judge against like I'm going
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: with if I got Judge even again, the supposed to Ramires,
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: even though like Ramires from an aging curve. I might
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: actually be a little older than Judge, but like I
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: just feel like that body's gonna hold up differently, like
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: I'm I might be Yeah, I might be ticking Judge
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: down into that like five or six maybe seven range,
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: just because like I feel like I'm getting somebody else
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: is gonna be healthy guaranteed and give me that. Like,
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: but we're we're splitting hairs with the very best the
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: very best here.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that's very fair, and so like that's
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: something to keep in mind as we round the corn
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: in twenty twenty seven, and especially if you're in a
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: league where you know you're in a keeper situation or
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: dynasty situation, you have Judge. It is something where maybe
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: you do start listening to trade offers on him if
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: your season's not turning out the way you expected it
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: to where uh, this might be a little bit of
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: a window where you have to see what you can get.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: Because I think most folks from what have been hearing
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: another podcast and reading in other people's writing, is that
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: I think there's maybe a lot of people on board
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: that are gonna knock a few more games and at
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: bats and played appearances off of Aaron Judges projections for
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: next year, So just kind of keep that in mind
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: as you're out there floating his name and then yeah,
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: for the rest of the season. Good luck trying to
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: replace him, like I said, but certainly it's going to
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: test your metal in terms of what you can do
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: from a fantasy management standpoint. Okay, next injury, we have
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: this one. It might be a season ender. We're gonna see. Currently,
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: the d Backs are saying that Corbyn Burns will be
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: out until September with a Terrace major strain. I believe, yes,
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: Terras major strain, which is in your shoulder, and so
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: his is in his right shoulder. He's been working his
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: way back from Tommy John surgery. It's been about fourteen
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: months or no. I guess he had it last June
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: around this time, so they were projecting around fourteen months.
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: They were trying to work him back to be, you know,
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: back on the mound in the big leagues around the
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: All Star break. I think as was the original aim.
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: If not, you know, beginning August, so maybe puts him
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: back a month or so. Certainly, what it happened on
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: a backfield, which also makes it difficult because it would
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: have been nice if we had seen this in game action,
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: in like a actual minor league action where we got
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: the radar readings to be able to get a little
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: sense of where Burns is at, because I think this
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: is the number one of the biggest risks when you're
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: taking somebody who is beyond thirty, recovering from a Tommy
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: John surgery and working his way back, because I think
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: in every league that I've been in, Burns has been
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: rostered since day one because he got drafted and holstered
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: with the hope that you would get a half season
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: from him. But now at this point you might not
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: get anything. So are you counting maybe on anything from
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: corn Birds you're going out and acquiring him if you
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: need him for a stretch run or anything else that
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: you're thinking about in terms of injured picture strategy twenty
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: twenty seven.
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I'm probably not going to acquire him
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: because it feels like the wording on the Sun won't
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: be back until September. To me read that as he
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: will not be back in like rehabby and trying to
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: get back healthy until September, which if that's the case,
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: especially coming off with the Tommy John them this injury,
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: you've got to think he's got to get four or
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: five rehab starts. Well after September is October, and that's
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: playoff time. And I mean, the Dbacks are playing pretty
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: decent this year, so they've definitely got a shot to
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: be in the conversation. But from a fantasy perspective, I'm
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: just not counting on Burns being back now. To your point,
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: like it's almost the inverse of Aaron Judge, Like if
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: you ask people who's older, Corbyn Burns or Aaron Judge,
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: I feel like people might actually pick Burns and he's
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: he's like five years younger, four years younger than than
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: Aaron Judge. And I feel like we had two kind
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: of rough seasons for Burns where the he did actually okay,
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: he just didn't get through as many games, especially last year,
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: and the strikeouts of ball off a little with the
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: Baltimore the year before, and so I think there's a
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: little like what are we gonna get when he comes back?
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: Type of thing.
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: So I actually think long term, of all these guys
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: have been injured, kind of like like this Burns is
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: still young enough that I think I'm more interested in
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: this long term it's because he's almost got like two
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: full rehabs from Tommy John and I think he's gonna
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: be a useful pitcher. Not like an ACE by any means.
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: This is more of a three or four type of guy.
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: So I'm not seeing much this year. I think if
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: you have him, you can cut him. I'm perfectly fine
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: with that. But I would be willing to kind of
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: watch the kind of rehab at the very end of
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: this year and say he's a guy I could plug
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: in because he didn't have a full, healthy offseason for
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: next year.
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, I think that's all very fair. Well, let's
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: talk another thirty one year old here. We're talking outfielder
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: from the Padres, Real Loreano, which I dropped that because
• 14:47
  Speaker 1: I would have guessed Realmon Loreano was much older than that,
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: because he has I mean, he started when he was
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: twenty three back in twenty eighteen, so it has felt
• 14:57
  Speaker 1: like a while. It's also just that the pandemic time
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: warped us all in our heads, so that's not helping.
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: But he's going down. Looks like he's gonna be out
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: for the season with a hip injury that sent him
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: to surgery. It was a tough season before going down
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: a two h three, two eighty six three seventy four
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: slash line. That's an eighty nine WRC plus, which was
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: fifth best on his team before he went down, behind
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: Frin Aaron Tattists Junior his fourth the top three on
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: the Padres in terms of WRC plus Ty France, Gavin Sheets,
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: Miguel Andrew har just like we predicted coming into the season.
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: But I mean, Loriano looked great last year to eighty
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: one batting average, twenty four homers, seven stolen bases, A
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: great back end of your roster, kind of outfielder, especially
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: considering he was absolutely free last year. So I know
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: that you and I both had decent hopes for him,
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: just because, like the the defense plays enough in the
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: corner for Ramon Loriano. The defensive run saved on Fangrafts
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: that hasn't loved him, but it looks better in the
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: field than it does on paper, and so he kind
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: of posts and it was a good situation for him
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: in San Diego. He will be a free agent in
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: this offseason, So do you think this is another guy
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: you're willing to take a shot on in twenty twenty
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: seven and anybody from that Padres lineup where it's turned
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: into a mess at the bottom, but lots of opportunities.
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: So anybody from the Padres that you might be trying
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: to pick up and fill in for Romond Loreano.
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think Loreano is still gonna continue to be
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: like that very in the draft, very end of roster
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: type of guy for me, because he's gonna continue to
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: hit home runs, he's gonna continue to steal bases. That
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: batty everge may be atrocious, but he's gonna like he's
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: gonna fill enough stat categories that he's the kind of
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: guy in a good in a good matchup or if
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: you get an injury that you're gonna still like it's
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: still gonna help you as a team versus just getting
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: someone with the waiver wires. So I think that's where
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: he he probably comes in for. The guy that continues
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: to impress is really Gavin Sheets. And I know you're
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: a Gavin Sheets guy through and through, but he continues
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: to just like the underlying peripherals just look good and
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: then he continues to hit. And so I've got no
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: problem with Like, I actually think Gavin Sheets is kind
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: of like a almost that almost so boring of a
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: player that when you go look at the end of
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: the season, you're gonna be shocked by the line that
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: he has. So that's why the guy of anybody here
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: that if that really locks in his playing time, I'm
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: probably buying Gavin Sheets shares, and I think people are
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: gonna be very surprised with how the season ends up
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: with a full run of Gavin Sheets because he's only
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: had maybe like if you want to call it, like
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: two full runs in his career, and you know, he's
• 17:48
  Speaker 2: yeah this season to only send Homer is hitting two
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: twenty nine, but he's had some rough luck. He's he's
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: walked more, he's looked working with the plate, hard hit
• 17:55
  Speaker 2: rates are up, like things are looking pretty good. So
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: I'll take some Gavin Sheets shares. If you're if you
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: tossed him out there.
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah, no, I think that's totally fair and should be
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: first base outfield eligible in every league, so that helps
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: as well. So yeah, if he moves up the lineup,
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: I'm on board with Gavin Sheets as well. Okay, let's
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: stay in California where we're going to talk about the athletics.
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: I mean, the story here is that Joe Kunell was
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: defade and then dealt to the Brewers. He was kind
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: of like most recently in the safe situations for the A's,
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: but certainly had been blowing up and it's been tough
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: sledding for Joe Kunell anyway that I can't believe he
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: was put into any save opportunities, considering, you know, the
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: fastball was just not very good and he was reling
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: mostly on a slider that was a sinker that was
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: just ninety four miles an hour, and it was it
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: looks so much slower than ninety four. Then I was
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: actually surprised that it was clocking in at that number
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: because the stuff plus rating on it was just very mid.
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: I'm sure the Brewer is going to turn him into
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: shut down reliever now, so look forward to that, Joel Kunell.
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: The conversation topic here, though, is going to be back
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: on those A's because what are you doing with this
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: safe situation? The team continues to be frisky. There's plenty
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: of save opportunities, but there's plenty of blown save that
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: have been happening as well too. Hogan, Harris, Mark Lighter, Junior,
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: Scott Barlow have been getting shots recently. Your boy Jack
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: Perkins actually got moved into the rotation, so he wasn't
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: really stellar in the safe situations. Didn't look very comfortable.
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: But I think he's got a great arsenal that might
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: work out well for starting where honestly it's going to
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: be maybe similar to JT. Gin for him, where he
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: can give you quality innings once he gets stretched out.
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: So Athletics bulpen, you look in to focus on abe
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: anybody between Harris Lighter and Barlow or is there somebody
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: else that stands out.
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: This this was I almost always want to pick somebody,
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: and this is one. I feel like I just don't
• 20:05
  Speaker 2: want to touch this thing, like it looks so so bad,
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: Like everybody that has been like this is gonna be
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: the guy and then they blow up. Like I was
• 20:14
  Speaker 2: feeling very great about my sleeper call for the Athletics
• 20:18
  Speaker 2: this offseason, which was Perkins being the closer because it
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: was like no time at all. Of course I didn't
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: get any shares of them, and then all of a sudden,
• 20:26
  Speaker 2: like he just blew up and was nothing, and the
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: hairs did the same thing, like like it's just kind
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: of this revolving door. I think I thought Stirner was
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: gonna be really really good, and that hasn't really played out.
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: So I generally don't like to just avoid teams at
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: all cost, but I kind of feel like this is
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: a bullpen that you pretty much have to avoid at
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: this point, just because I'm not seeing any anybody in
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: that bullpen that just you know, has the velocity or
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: the stuff. Like maybe if you if you can hold
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: me Gage's jump was going to be the closer. I
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: might be into that because of all the guys, he
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: actually might be the kind of guy with some control
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: issues that could be a lockdown closer. But otherwise, like
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: you're getting, You're going all these guys that have had
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: something in the past, between Barlow even and lighter guys
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: like that. It's just there's not a whole lot here
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: that I think can be sustainable. They they of any team,
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: this is a team that needs to go out and
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: trade for some relievers to come in and lock this
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: thing down. So uh, the only the only silver lining
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: here for Koonles. You can just walk across the clubhouse
• 21:28
  Speaker 2: to night because I guess who the Brewers are playing.
• 21:31
  Speaker 2: They're playing Athletics, So.
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I have I do feel like this. I feel
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: like the Brewers do that a lot, like it's a
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: convenience trade, and I don't any team that would be
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: like it's the Athletics and the Brewers who were like,
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: I don't have to pay for the travel real case,
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: I think, yeah, they like get down to the Naya
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: and they're like, hey, we'll do it when you guys
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: come to come.
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: To do we got a deal like a week ago.
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: We're just waiting, like, I just don't have to pay
• 21:55
  Speaker 2: the guy to the extra plane ticket, save the two.
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: Grand on the plane.
• 22:00
  Speaker 2: That's great.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I think if there's anybody, I've been
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: leaning towards Scott Barlow, but yeah, I can also understand
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: your take in terms of they're not being the current
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: saves leader in this bullpen. Honestly, they might be a
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: great fit for Kenley Jansen at the end of the
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: day as the Tigers sink lower and lower, and you
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: should have Kenley back pretty soon. But yeah, if you're
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: chasing saves in the meantime, Barlow's been okay and he's
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: certainly fulfilled that role for the Royals before did blow
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: up this past week against the Cubs. So it'll bite
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: you every once in a while. Because he just doesn't
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: throw terribly hard and isn't like terribly It's just not
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: interesting stuff on any metric, and so you gotta like
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: take your lumps with him. But if there's anybody that,
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: like I would take over the rest, it would be
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: Barlow at this point.
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: Nothing like having your clotheser throw eighty nine.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: I know. It's it's just giving Kunel crap for being
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: a bad fastball guy. And yeah, let's downgrade at more baby. Okay,
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: we've got another baky shoulder. This time it's for prospects
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: prospect of the Marlins, Thomas White, who is dealing with
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: a capsular sprain in his left shoulder. He is a
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: left handed pitcher. The Marlins have been real snake bitten
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: now ever since Robbie Snelling went down. Between Robbie Snelling
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: going down, they've also had Baxon Garrett just fully fall
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: apart on them. Also have lost Uri Perez and now
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: Thomas White, who was battling Walks a little bit still
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: in the minor leagues but was trending his way towards
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: a promotion. Especially. I think the more and more that
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: the Marlins fell out of the race, the more and
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: more incentive. They're Actually it was to bring up Thomas
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: White just to give him some big league seasoning at
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: the end of the year, But now that's probably unlikely.
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: This type of injury usually keeps players out three to
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: four months, so that'll shut down White, and they're gonna
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: not mess around to Thomas White. He's only twenty one
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: years old. He was a comp pick back in twenty
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: twenty three, thirty fifth. Overall, there's a lot invested in
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: Thomas White's future, So what are you doing with him?
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: Obviously in any redraft leagues where you're stashing him in
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: minor leagues, he's a drop, but we're talking keeper dynasty situations.
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: I think this reminds me a lot of like why
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: building your team around starting pitching can be quite the
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: exercise between Snelling and White, but maybe also a buying
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: opportunity if you've been to the Thomas White profile in
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: the past. So what's your approach in dynasty and keeper leagues? Yeah,
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: I think it comes down to exactly what you said, like,
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: what's the kind of guys that you like? And is
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: Thomas White the kind of player that you like to
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: invest in. That's really what it comes down to. Like
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: he is a little here's a decent grundball pitcher. He
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: absolutely has the electric stuff. The walks can be a concern. Therefore,
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: his whip is going to also be a concern for
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: for fancy managers. I'm probably lower on Thomas White that
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: a lot of guys out there. I just I've never
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: seen him figure. I don't some believe he's gonna figure
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: out the control because it's it's been like a consistent issue.
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: Every levels, like he can work around it. Just pure stuff.
• 25:16
  Speaker 2: It just at the majors that just tends to not
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: do not work. And so if it was me and
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: this is you know, you gotta that you have your
• 25:23
  Speaker 2: own player of evaluations. If it's me, I'm actually using
• 25:27
  Speaker 2: this as an opportunity to seem like I'm down on
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: White and trade him to somebody else when I'm already
• 25:33
  Speaker 2: down on the profile because i think there's a little
• 25:36
  Speaker 2: more name value than there is actual skill value. Again,
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: that's just my evaluation of him. But I would say
• 25:44
  Speaker 2: to your point on prospecting pitching, this is the game.
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: If you're going to be playing with pitchers and prospecting him,
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: you have to have a little bit of a stable
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: of the upside arms and when something happens, you got
• 25:56
  Speaker 2: to move on, Like you have to be willing to
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: move on because there's always another guy. And we just
• 26:01
  Speaker 2: just think of that the guys that have come up
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: through the big names this year out of kind of nowhere,
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: Like so Kate d Anderson, which he wasn't really a
• 26:08
  Speaker 2: no name, but like he's just come onto the scene.
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: We've had Seth Fernandez, we have Anthony Allensen. We've got
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: all kinds of guys that just like weren't even being
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: talked about last year and now they're being talked about
• 26:18
  Speaker 2: in the same breath as guys like Thomas White. So
• 26:21
  Speaker 2: if you've got a concern about a guy, move on,
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: let him go somewhere else. There's gonna be a replacement.
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: And with walks and injuries, I'm I'm not playing the game,
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: especially with the Marlins, because I think this is the
• 26:34
  Speaker 2: one thing that we've learned. Never be the team that
• 26:37
  Speaker 2: somebody says you have too much pitching, Like the Braves
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: had this a few years ago, now it's the Marlins.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: Never be the team that has too much pitching, because
• 26:45
  Speaker 2: that is just asking for problems.
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I think that's fair and I think that's
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: probably the right approach when you're talking prospect arms, where
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: it's almost it's like surfing and writing ways, where like
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: you just got to like know when the wave looks
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: good and when the wave will die out. And it's
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: certainly an art form wh I deal with it constantly,
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: but like if you're reading my work at BP, like
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: I think I'm trying to find dudes and highlight him
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: and find them as they're kind of coming up, you know.
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: I think a lot about like trey Ya Savage last
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: year too, where you know a guy who started off
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: in just a ball and worked his way all the
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: way through because he was so electric. That's the type
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: of arm where like you got to like write it
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: up and then once the peak, you got to kind
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: of jump off right when you can, because like in
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: our autonew league, like I jumped off and dealt him
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: to you, because I don't want that shoulder injury to
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: crop up while I've still got him and young and
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: can kind of move him for actual value. So you
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: got to kind of like it is certainly a big
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: time and it's a really tough skill to describe and
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: hone and honestly a lot of it is just playing roulette,
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: playing back Blackjacke at the casino and timing it right,
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: and sometimes you do it and sometimes you don't, and
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: so you've just got to know that that's going to
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: be happening and be willing to cut bait pretty quickly.
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: Like I do agree, that's I think the biggest thing
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: where I don't think I can ever fault somebody when
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: in a dynasty keeper situation if you're dealing an arm
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: and getting back talented bats or front in starting pitching
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: or saves now or I can't fault you from making
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: a win now move when you move, when you trade
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: away starting pitching, because it is so volatile and you
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: just don't know when the next injury is going to
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: crop up. That you've got to try to maximize talent
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: whenever you can. And then I mean in terms of
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: like holding on to them going forward, it is the
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: same sort of thing where like if people aren't meeting
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: your asking price because it's not gonna be you're you're
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: the only one in your dynasty keeper league. That's like, oh,
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: pitching is risky. I'm not gonna invest in pitching. I'm
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: gonna trade pitching. Everybody else is doing that too. So
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: like a lot of the times, you'll run into situation
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: where you're not getting the right asking price back for
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: what you think you might deserve for a top end pitcher,
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: and in that case, just hold it. But then if
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: there is an injury, don't feel bad replacing them with
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: the next up and comer.
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: Yep, And that that guy'll be forgotten so fast, gods
• 29:19
  Speaker 2: out three or four months into the off season. Everybody's
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: going to figure out Thomas White until they actually see
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: him on the mountain spring training next year.
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: Yep, yep, I totally agree. Okay, we've got a call
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: up in Arizona where Lou James Groover, who used to
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: go by Gino Groover, so if you remember that name,
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: he changed it a couple of years back to Lou
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: James Grooverer. And so we've actually we've liked this profile
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: a lot in the past, where we've mentioned him a
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: few times throughout the podcast history. He was doing fairly
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: well at triple as a twenty four year old before
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: the call up at three twenty two four twenty one,
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: four fifty two slash nine a one to sixteen WRC
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: plus with three homers and two stolen bases in fifty
• 29:59
  Speaker 1: six games. Not a great power profile. It's a great
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: it's a much better like all round bat where you
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: know you can see it in the fourteen and a
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: half percent walk rate and sixteen point eight percent k
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: rate that he had that he is a good hitter.
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: It's just not going to be a high end power outcome,
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: I think. But the good thing here for lou James
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: Gruver getting called up in Arizona is there's a decent
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: pathway to playing time because he is filling in for
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: Ildamorrow Vargas, who has been out after a collision with
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: Max Munsey at first base has just really shaken him up.
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: But even before that he was the pumpkin phase was
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: certainly kicking and strong for Ildamorrow. Vargas our April Player
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: of the Month. Over the past month, he has put
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: up a one ninety two thirty four two forty slash
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: line that's a twenty nine WRC plus, only hit one
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: homer and really morphed back into that backup utility infielder
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: that he always has been. So Groover could take over
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: first base if he hits well, it plays well. He
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: is more of a third baseman coming up, but that's
• 31:08
  Speaker 1: currently occupied by the resurgent a star. Yeah, where I
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: talked about it Gray the other week when we were
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: talking corner infielders on the Rasball podcast, where Noel Ernando
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: is a top ten third baseman right now this year.
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: So he, Lou James Groover is not moving over to
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: third base. He's gonna have first base as his path
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: to playing time. Maybe some dh as well that Peven
• 31:36
  Speaker 1: Smith is back and is not lighting the world on fire,
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: so there's opportunity for Groover. Is it somebody that you
• 31:41
  Speaker 1: are willing to take a shot on.
• 31:44
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think this is a guy I'm willing to
• 31:46
  Speaker 2: watch and my hope for him as he becomes a
• 31:48
  Speaker 2: super utility type of guy, because this is not a
• 31:51
  Speaker 2: bat that's gonna win your leagues, but it's gonna help
• 31:54
  Speaker 2: you in situations where you get a tough spot. Because
• 31:57
  Speaker 2: he's played first base, he's played second bay, he's played
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: third base. I feel like he's a glove they could
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: probably play the outfield if they need. And so if
• 32:05
  Speaker 2: he ends up getting multiposition eligibility and he gets to
• 32:09
  Speaker 2: play in four or five games a week, he has
• 32:11
  Speaker 2: a pretty solid foundation on decent floor. He's never gonna blow.
• 32:16
  Speaker 2: He doesn't have a ton of speed, he's not gonna
• 32:18
  Speaker 2: hit like a massive amount of home runs. But this
• 32:20
  Speaker 2: is probably a mid teams homer bat and he's gonna
• 32:23
  Speaker 2: hit for a reasonable batting average, and so like it's
• 32:26
  Speaker 2: a it's a really good m I corner infielder, utility
• 32:29
  Speaker 2: guy to kind of mix and match. And so that's
• 32:32
  Speaker 2: kind of my hope for him. To your point, like,
• 32:34
  Speaker 2: there's not like this amazing pass that it's like he's getting.
• 32:37
  Speaker 2: He's not a weld Schmidt for the Diamebacks. He's getting
• 32:40
  Speaker 2: plugged in. He's gonna play every single day. I think
• 32:42
  Speaker 2: groovers like he doesn't that much to prove in the miners,
• 32:45
  Speaker 2: but he doesn't have a clear exact spot in the
• 32:47
  Speaker 2: major So he's gonna play a decent amount in a
• 32:50
  Speaker 2: little bit of everywhere kind of spots. So I'm not
• 32:53
  Speaker 2: picking him up. I'm not chasing him, but I'm gonna
• 32:55
  Speaker 2: kind of wash to see if he's starting to pick
• 32:56
  Speaker 2: up that position of eligibility and just kind of be
• 32:59
  Speaker 2: a every day regular, then I might be looking to
• 33:03
  Speaker 2: tap him. Just kind of he's a really great guy,
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: like a Brendan Donovan kind of guy to have on
• 33:08
  Speaker 2: your on your bench where you can just plug it,
• 33:10
  Speaker 2: plug and play when when the injury is hit.
• 33:14
  Speaker 1: Yep, yep, I think I'm right there with you. Where
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: As you were describing it, it was reminded me a
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: lot of like peak Geo or schell Up, where you know, yeah,
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: fifteen to twenty homers, seventy ish seventy five RBIs and
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: runs a piece with a two eighty to two ninety
• 33:31
  Speaker 1: batting average. Maybe I think that could be lou James
• 33:33
  Speaker 1: Groover at peak. So nothing special, but useful in every league.
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: So something to keep in mind if you see him
• 33:39
  Speaker 1: starting to take over that first base job in Arizona
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: for a team that's looking pretty good in Arizona right now.
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: The Dbacks have turned the corner, so it will be
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: interesting to see what they do with Corbyn Burns down
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: the stretch as well as Gruber. Okay, we've got one
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: bit of baseball card news I just want to cover
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: briefly because it's been cut or cropping up all over
• 34:02
  Speaker 1: readit recently where everyone's been posting their hits from Top's
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: Chrome Platinum that came out within the last week, and
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: there's been a funny error that's been popping up all
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: over where one the hit rate on one of one
• 34:17
  Speaker 1: refractors has been absurd. That's hitting Reddit. I don't know
• 34:21
  Speaker 1: if it's just because of the limited kind of print
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: run of tops Chrome Platinum it's allowing the one of
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: ones to get out there more quickly, or if there
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: is something in terms of the way that was printed
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: and shipped out that it was some reason like front
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: loaded with one of ones, or it's just the redditors
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: that are actually opening these boxes. But it has been
• 34:39
  Speaker 1: quite the volume of one of ones that have been
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: hitting and surfacing. There the other thing that's been surfacing,
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: and it's happened a couple times. I've got a link
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: to it in the show notes. If you go down there,
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: you'll see an example where the front looks like you're
• 34:52
  Speaker 1: normal of seventy five Drevor Hoffman parallel. You flip it
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: over to the back and and uh, it's a Jalen
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: Williams back of a card from the tops Chrome product,
• 35:05
  Speaker 1: I believe. And so you've got different fronts and backs,
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: and it's I've seen it multiple times now on Reddit,
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: and so people have been also joking, you know, is
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: there one of them out there that's now tany front
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: when Banyana back.
• 35:19
  Speaker 2: That would be I've seen the closest one, Griffy Front
• 35:24
  Speaker 2: Kevin Durant back.
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: That's pretty sick. Yeah, it's pretty it's.
• 35:28
  Speaker 2: You can buy an eBay for four hundred bucks right now.
• 35:31
  Speaker 2: And I've I've seen this before because I think it
• 35:35
  Speaker 2: has heritage screwed something up a few years ago and
• 35:37
  Speaker 2: then they had the gold Schmit and Trout switched and
• 35:41
  Speaker 2: so you could get a mic Trout front with a
• 35:43
  Speaker 2: gold Paul gold back and vice versa. And I was
• 35:47
  Speaker 2: I just happened to be going through a box of
• 35:48
  Speaker 2: cards recently and I found the trout with the gold
• 35:52
  Speaker 2: Smith back and it was like a twenty dollars card
• 35:55
  Speaker 2: because of the air it's like, and so the people
• 36:00
  Speaker 2: love that stuff especially, and so I like, like Griffy
• 36:03
  Speaker 2: Durant one I think is actually a pretty big But
• 36:05
  Speaker 2: to your point, you're right, if you get o Toaddi
• 36:07
  Speaker 2: when being Nyana, that like the internet will break on
• 36:10
  Speaker 2: that one.
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: Yes, exactly. So something to look out for if you
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: are opening those cards that you know you might run
• 36:17
  Speaker 1: into some of those errors, and if you do, they
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: might actually be worth something because people, uh just get
• 36:23
  Speaker 1: a kick out of that sort of stuff and they
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: consider it one of the ones and it will be
• 36:27
  Speaker 1: fun to show off, but like move it now. If
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: you get one, get an offer on it.
• 36:32
  Speaker 2: And I think people always question like is this an
• 36:34
  Speaker 2: intentional I like, I think this is a legit air
• 36:37
  Speaker 2: because if you look at all the ones that are
• 36:38
  Speaker 2: available right now, like there's probably like six or seven
• 36:40
  Speaker 2: on eBay, they're all of a speckle variation. They're all
• 36:44
  Speaker 2: of either roles gold speckle or like aut A twenty
• 36:47
  Speaker 2: five or out of seventy five. It's it's very clear
• 36:50
  Speaker 2: that the certain kind of run went through with this air,
• 36:54
  Speaker 2: but nothing else. They wouldn't have done just the like
• 36:57
  Speaker 2: speckle version out of seventy Like that would have been
• 36:59
  Speaker 2: a very odd thing for them to try to like
• 37:03
  Speaker 2: create an air that way. It truly looks like there's
• 37:06
  Speaker 2: this handful of sheets that went through it. I was like, oh, man, well,
• 37:10
  Speaker 2: oh well sit it on.
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, it is interesting because we'll get into it
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: a little bit. With series two. You do wonder if
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: there are issues within Tops in terms of some of
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: the printing, because some of the parallels have been cut back.
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: We'll get into the details after the break, so you'll
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: want to stick around for that. But then there's this
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: element as well, what has your take been on Tops
• 37:35
  Speaker 1: Chrome Platinum overall, because they've been pretty good looking cards.
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: They've also got some good variations in terms of not
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: only like you know, your standard color parallels, but they've
• 37:45
  Speaker 1: really blown it out with all the diamond parallels and
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: speckle refractors and the city backgrounds which used to be
• 37:54
  Speaker 1: short printed but aren't this year. So I've seen that
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: on Reddit too, where people have been warning others like, hey,
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: this isn't a short print anymore, don't pay for it
• 38:01
  Speaker 1: like it's a short print, so be careful with it.
• 38:04
  Speaker 1: It's almost a little reminiscent of the twenty twenty three
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: Otani all Aces, where all Aces is now a short print,
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: so people treat that old common insert like it's a
• 38:14
  Speaker 1: short print and have really boosted the prices the design.
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: I get it, I get white, people like it. I don't.
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: I've got like an aversion to it because it reminds
• 38:23
  Speaker 1: me of nineteen eighty nine Tops Big and I hate
• 38:27
  Speaker 1: that set just because it was so annoying to Holster
• 38:31
  Speaker 1: in your card collection because like the cards were too big,
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: you couldn't put it in sleeves. You had to get
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: special size holders, and like the availability of oversized cardholders
• 38:44
  Speaker 1: back in the day was not good the way it
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: was now where you can just show up to your
• 38:48
  Speaker 1: hobby shop and be like, I you know, blank blank point,
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: and they just got it ready for you. That did
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: not use to exists back in the nineties. So I
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: get why people led this set. It's not quite for me.
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: But what have you been thinking about twenty twenty five
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: Tops Chrome Platinum.
• 39:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I actually don't have a big issue with the design.
• 39:07
  Speaker 2: The struggle I have is this is a year what
• 39:10
  Speaker 2: two or three of this product, then it comes out
• 39:13
  Speaker 2: so late that I just I can't get on board
• 39:16
  Speaker 2: with a twenty twenty five product with Top series two
• 39:20
  Speaker 2: is coming out of the current year like that, to me,
• 39:23
  Speaker 2: it's I'm struggling. I'm chasing the wrong rookie class, Like
• 39:27
  Speaker 2: the hot rookies of last year aren't really a hot
• 39:29
  Speaker 2: thing anymore. Like it just feels like it's so far
• 39:33
  Speaker 2: out of bounds that I even if the cart designs
• 39:37
  Speaker 2: are cool and things like that, and I have not
• 39:39
  Speaker 2: loved the card designs in the past of it, so
• 39:41
  Speaker 2: you kind of put those things together. It's like this
• 39:43
  Speaker 2: weird kind of heritage esque, archives esque, but we don't
• 39:46
  Speaker 2: want to call it that platinum product, chrome product, and
• 39:50
  Speaker 2: we put it out in the wrong gear. Like there's
• 39:51
  Speaker 2: just something about it that just doesn't put it together
• 39:53
  Speaker 2: for me. So I've kind of I've kind of passed
• 39:55
  Speaker 2: on this one, even as I've tried to pick them
• 39:58
  Speaker 2: up here and there, like I just haven't been We'll
• 40:00
  Speaker 2: get into.
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: It, yep. I think that's all very very fair. Okay, Well,
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: check out those calendar details while you're down in the
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: show notes, because no changes since we've discussed last week.
• 40:10
  Speaker 1: We've got a pretty stack schedule in terms of releases
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: coming from Tops after series two. We'll see if they
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: stick to it. We're gonna take a short break and
• 40:18
  Speaker 1: we'll be back on the flip side to give you
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: that preview of series two, which is coming out everywhere
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: June tenth. All right, welcome back, everybody. We're going to
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: discuss twenty twenty six Tops Series two. Now we're going
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: to get into all the checklist details that you're looking
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: for in terms of the three hundred and fifty cards
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: set in all the parallels, the inserts, the autos, the relics,
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: the chase cards, the rookies. Now, the one thing about
• 41:02
  Speaker 1: this product is we are speaking on June eighth. It
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: comes out technically on June tenth. There are certainly people
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: out there already ripping this because we're seeing some of
• 41:13
  Speaker 1: the base cards and more common inserts that are hitting eBay.
• 41:18
  Speaker 1: Because there's just less risk overall for those folks that
• 41:21
  Speaker 1: have gotten their hands on product early and especially have
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: like TOPS deals in terms of distribution, for them to
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: be listing that stuff and not kind of showing off
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: all the big exciting stuff and selling it before the
• 41:34
  Speaker 1: actual release date. That that's kind of a no no
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: from Tops and is a good way to get on
• 41:38
  Speaker 1: their naughty list. So something to keep in mind as
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: we go through this discussion is because of that, we're
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: flying a little bit blind on some of these cards,
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: where we're working just from the checklist and we don't
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: actually have pictures of some of the cards we're going
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: to describe where we hinted at this in the opening
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: of the show. For some reason, Tops does not do
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: a great job historically of advertising Series two compared to
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: there's always a huge blitz for Series one in the spring.
• 42:06
  Speaker 1: Part of it is because it's, you know, coming out
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: during spring training. It's also like the hype of baseball
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: in general, and then Tops is just kind of laying
• 42:15
  Speaker 1: the groundwork to ride for the flagship design for the
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: entire season. Series two. Also, I think it's also because
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: it comes out a little bit around like the NBA
• 42:24
  Speaker 1: Finals usually too, where like it just gets lost in
• 42:28
  Speaker 1: the wash of the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Finals,
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: and just lots of other sports. On top of you've
• 42:35
  Speaker 1: got all the big stars, the biggest rookies in Series one.
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: Normally Series two you get a few of the stars
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: that have signed in new locations, you get a couple
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: of big rookies, and then all the biggest, biggest rookies
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: that kind of came out nowhere get pushed to update.
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: So we did get lucky here in Series two where
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: they had always planned for Winnatako Marcami to be in
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: Series two, So that's going to give a lift to
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: the overall product. But even on like the actual box itself,
• 43:02
  Speaker 1: we're rocking Paul Schemes and vlag Guaro Junior, which is
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: not I mean lag graild Junior the second time he's
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: actually anchored Top series two. He did it in twenty
• 43:11
  Speaker 1: twenty two as well, So like Tops loves going to
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: vlag Garrero Junior for Series two advertising and kind of
• 43:18
  Speaker 1: down to that B tier of MLB celebrities. So all
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: that cavadged. Like I said, we're gonna be flying a
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: little bit blind, so take that with a grain of salt.
• 43:28
  Speaker 1: But we've also got lots of great details on this
• 43:31
  Speaker 1: set overall. So Brew, how does Series two kind of
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: strike you overall compared to Series one Update, some of
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: the other products that we're seeing coming out from Tops
• 43:41
  Speaker 1: around this time. Where does it fit in the entire
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: Tops Fanatics universe for you?
• 43:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean as the flagship products go it, you know,
• 43:49
  Speaker 2: between Series one, Series two, and Update. Traditionally it is
• 43:53
  Speaker 2: third and with a decent gap between that and Update.
• 43:56
  Speaker 2: Series ones usually the most popular, but Series two doesn't
• 44:02
  Speaker 2: usually get the love, usually doesn't have a whole lot
• 44:06
  Speaker 2: of big names to anchor it, and so therefore it's
• 44:08
  Speaker 2: usually a little bit tougher. Sell to your point, I
• 44:12
  Speaker 2: think this year might be a little bit different, and
• 44:14
  Speaker 2: we've had in the past, right, We've had a Kunya
• 44:15
  Speaker 2: kind of snuck out in series two a few years ago.
• 44:18
  Speaker 2: But in general, updates where it's going to be at
• 44:21
  Speaker 2: for your big names of that year or series one
• 44:25
  Speaker 2: of the big names that came out like really made
• 44:27
  Speaker 2: there were noise late mid to late in the year.
• 44:31
  Speaker 2: But Series twos is generally not where it's at. Like
• 44:33
  Speaker 2: I said, I think this year is maybe a little different,
• 44:36
  Speaker 2: but it's it is on the lower end of the
• 44:39
  Speaker 2: totem pole for folks. And if you're out there looking
• 44:43
  Speaker 2: for cheap boxes, you can always go find Series two
• 44:45
  Speaker 2: from previous years for pennies on the dollar for sure.
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so keep that in mind because you are going
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: to be looking at roughly one hundred and fifty dollars
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: I think for a hobby box is what looks like
• 44:56
  Speaker 1: the going rate is, and you know for a jump
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: box it can vary. But all these prices are gonna
• 45:04
  Speaker 1: fluctuate pretty quickly. I think, especially if you get some
• 45:08
  Speaker 1: of the big murror comedy cards hit pretty quickly, you're
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: gonna see the prices on series two drop rapidly. Because
• 45:15
  Speaker 1: after Murray comedy cards get pulled, it's not a whole
• 45:19
  Speaker 1: lot of value. I mean we're gonna get into it.
• 45:22
  Speaker 1: There are some cool autos, and you're gonna obviously have
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: Judges and Otani's and Griffy's Pepper throughout the product, but
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: it's certainly not going to be to the level of
• 45:32
  Speaker 1: what the hype for series one is. And keeping that
• 45:35
  Speaker 1: in mind, you've got another three and fifty cards set here,
• 45:38
  Speaker 1: so your rookies to chase. Obviously I'm gonna Tako Murakami,
• 45:41
  Speaker 1: but you also got taught to Umi Kazuma Okamoto, Treya Savage,
• 45:45
  Speaker 1: salth Stewart, Bryce Eldridge, Chase the latter Carter Jensen, and
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: so that's a much less impressive group than compared to
• 45:54
  Speaker 1: what we were looking at in series one, and we'll
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: pale in comparison to what I think we're going to
• 45:59
  Speaker 1: see update, because you're going to be asking yourself, Hey,
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: I've been hearing about these Kevin McGonagall and JJ weatherhol
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: rookie cards that are buried in this product. Well, they're
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: short prints, so they're not the actual base cards. They
• 46:12
  Speaker 1: are actually previews kind of of what the update short print.
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: It's a short print of what their Update RC will
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: be essentially, and so you've got Kevin McGonagall, JJ Weatherholt,
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: Carson Benge and Justin Crawford in that boat this year.
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: This has been popular ever since they had Actually it
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: was twenty twenty two with Blacker Junior on the top
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: of the product, which is funny when Bobby Witt Junior
• 46:37
  Speaker 1: and Julio Rodriguez especially were the ones that kind of
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: like kicked off this frenzy to a higher gear. I
• 46:43
  Speaker 1: would say, you know, they've done it in the past
• 46:45
  Speaker 1: two with the kunyas, like you've said, with the different
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: bat variations, but twenty twenty two was when they really
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: started doing it with players who are going to be
• 46:56
  Speaker 1: an update and embedding a few of them out in
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: short prints. So what do you think of that practice,
• 47:01
  Speaker 1: Because it does in one sense lessen the update being
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: the true rookie card for these guys, but in the
• 47:08
  Speaker 1: other sense also creates a little scarcity that opens up
• 47:12
  Speaker 1: the market for the likes of McGonagall and weather Holt
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: where the market is hot for them and clamoring for
• 47:18
  Speaker 1: these cards.
• 47:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it puts a little intrigue in to
• 47:20
  Speaker 2: the product, So I'm okay with it, Like it is
• 47:23
  Speaker 2: a little aspect of like it's not you know down
• 47:25
  Speaker 2: the road, what's their true rookie card series things like that,
• 47:28
  Speaker 2: But it again, we haven't really had that issue even
• 47:31
  Speaker 2: with the Acunia bat Down variations or things like that.
• 47:34
  Speaker 2: Everyone news knows which one was the true rookie card.
• 47:37
  Speaker 2: So I'm fine with it. I think it's fun to
• 47:39
  Speaker 2: chase them, especially if these are your guys as your team, Like,
• 47:41
  Speaker 2: this is the opportunity to get them. They're not like
• 47:45
  Speaker 2: overly scarce, but they're not. They're not easy to get to,
• 47:47
  Speaker 2: the only one that really strikes me this year though,
• 47:49
  Speaker 2: is like you look at the guys McGonagall, Weatherhold at
• 47:52
  Speaker 2: Carson bench, like why isn't Why is Crawford there and
• 47:57
  Speaker 2: not con Like?
• 47:59
  Speaker 1: Why is it not Conor? I think because Griffin probably
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: got promoted too late after they start printing right that
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: all four of these guys were set to make this. Yeah,
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: that's fair out of spring training, because I have to
• 48:11
  Speaker 1: imagine the deadline for making those decisions on series two
• 48:14
  Speaker 1: has got to be right around opening day.
• 48:17
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's okay, I'll give you that one. That's probably right,
• 48:19
  Speaker 2: But it's just sorry which one of these does not belong?
• 48:22
  Speaker 2: It just feels like justin Crawford shouldn't quite be there.
• 48:25
  Speaker 1: So yeah, because the other component with it is it
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: strikes me as they probably print a lot of the
• 48:31
  Speaker 1: rest of the set and then insert these short prints afterwards,
• 48:34
  Speaker 1: so hopefully they have the right backs on them. Hopefully
• 48:37
  Speaker 1: they don't have basketball card backs on them. But it
• 48:41
  Speaker 1: is a little bit I think of a risk in
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: terms of the timing that TOPS is pulling off. I
• 48:46
  Speaker 1: wonder if that also impacts some of what we're talking
• 48:48
  Speaker 1: about in terms of the marketing. It's just kind of
• 48:50
  Speaker 1: tough to get all of the pieces of the machine
• 48:53
  Speaker 1: in place when you're talking the volume of cards and
• 48:58
  Speaker 1: advertising involved with the TOP machine. Okay, let's get back
• 49:03
  Speaker 1: to the three hundred and fifty card set. In some
• 49:04
  Speaker 1: of the details so per usual, and I mean at
• 49:08
  Speaker 1: this point you can almost expect it. I don't know
• 49:10
  Speaker 1: when it's going to go away, but we have a
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: golden mure SSP of every three hundred and fifty card
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: bas card, so each one of those is going to
• 49:20
  Speaker 1: have their own golden mirror super short prints. The one
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: that stands out and is in all the marketing materials.
• 49:25
  Speaker 1: This is one of the pictures we do have, is
• 49:27
  Speaker 1: the Murakami Golden Muhre SSP because it hearkens back to
• 49:32
  Speaker 1: the nineteen ninety one design of Frank Thomas where he's
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: sitting in a batting cage with a big grain on
• 49:38
  Speaker 1: his face and it's just an iconic card of Frank Thomas,
• 49:41
  Speaker 1: so really fun for them to recreate that from Murakami
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: as a Golden mureor SSP. Then we've also got gold
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: Muir legends in this project as well, just like we
• 49:51
  Speaker 1: did in series one, So you know your likes of
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: like Babe Ruth, Josh Gibson, some of the other big
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: guys where they used to do the super short print
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: parallels as legends anyway, so I think they the market
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: always liked that. They've got that back again here with
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: some of those golden mirrors being a handful of legends,
• 50:12
  Speaker 1: you've also got a new one through the year's Golden
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: Mirror SSPs of rookie cards. So the big ones here,
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: this is one where we are flying blind. We don't
• 50:21
  Speaker 1: know what they look like. I tried looking for them,
• 50:23
  Speaker 1: but you've got individual parallels where it is you're looking
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: at Eachiro, you're looking at Ricky Henderson, you're looking at
• 50:34
  Speaker 1: Roberto Clemente, Jackie Robinson, Oh, I was wrong, No Echiro
• 50:40
  Speaker 1: and Derrek Teeter, Virtual Clemente, Jackie Robinson, Ricky Henderson, Mike Trout.
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: You could probably tell I was scrolling for that list
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: while talking and missed it. So I'm imagining it's some
• 50:51
  Speaker 1: sort of variation of those original cards when they were
• 50:57
  Speaker 1: rookies in their top sets, and so trying to make
• 51:01
  Speaker 1: that into some sort of golden mirror. We don't exactly
• 51:04
  Speaker 1: know where it's gonna go, what the back is going
• 51:06
  Speaker 1: to look like, kind of where they will be in
• 51:08
  Speaker 1: terms of short printing. Actually, no, never mind, they're all
• 51:11
  Speaker 1: of twenty five, so yep, at twenty five. That's gonna
• 51:14
  Speaker 1: help us a little bit. What are you think in
• 51:15
  Speaker 1: here about scope creep on Golden Mirror variations?
• 51:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm this is one. I really like. All the
• 51:23
  Speaker 2: things that we have in this set that we can't see,
• 51:26
  Speaker 2: this is the one I wish we could see because
• 51:28
  Speaker 2: through the years has had a lot of controversy over
• 51:32
  Speaker 2: the last few years as far as putting what looked
• 51:35
  Speaker 2: to be like autos and relics and things of these
• 51:37
  Speaker 2: extremely valuable cards on a card which people thought were
• 51:41
  Speaker 2: autogrephing and actually relics and then buying them on eBay
• 51:44
  Speaker 2: for one thousands of dollars and buying out they weren't.
• 51:46
  Speaker 2: And so what I'm hoping is that they didn't just
• 51:48
  Speaker 2: like double down on that and make make the hobby
• 51:52
  Speaker 2: even harder to play by that, So they could This
• 51:54
  Speaker 2: could go great if it's not that, and it's more
• 51:58
  Speaker 2: these really iconic design and things like that, like the
• 52:02
  Speaker 2: Murakami scenario right where he's mimicking something, but it's clearly
• 52:06
  Speaker 2: a different card. If that's what it is, I think
• 52:08
  Speaker 2: this could be phenomenal, But I just the time time,
• 52:11
  Speaker 2: I'll absolutely tell they got the right players. There's not
• 52:14
  Speaker 2: really a slouch in the bunch, you know. When you're
• 52:17
  Speaker 2: sitting here and Mike Trout might be the weakest player
• 52:21
  Speaker 2: in the in the group, then Jeter for me actually
• 52:24
  Speaker 2: might be Jeter. That's true, as as I said that,
• 52:27
  Speaker 2: I actually might be Jeter, but I didn't want the
• 52:28
  Speaker 2: Yankees fans to come after me. But you know, mister
• 52:33
  Speaker 2: Anthony Volpe uh Senior, maybe maybe the outd man out there.
• 52:39
  Speaker 2: But this these are gonna be incredibly valuable, incredibly sought
• 52:43
  Speaker 2: after cards.
• 52:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I'm with you, though, I'm torn because, like
• 52:47
  Speaker 1: I'm not a big fan of reprint cards like this
• 52:50
  Speaker 1: where like you're getting especially I mean, the trout will
• 52:53
  Speaker 1: look kind of cool because it's on a modern card
• 52:55
  Speaker 1: stock when it came out, but the rest of them
• 52:57
  Speaker 1: were on like a more vintage card stock, where then
• 53:00
  Speaker 1: it just kind of turns into some sort of like
• 53:04
  Speaker 1: twin peak Sea, like feels like I'm in a parallel
• 53:07
  Speaker 1: land looking at this card that's reprinted but valuable, and
• 53:13
  Speaker 1: just like it's all glossy, especially if you're looking at
• 53:15
  Speaker 1: like a Jackie Robinson Rookie reprint. So I'm not into it,
• 53:19
  Speaker 1: but they are gonna have value. I wouldn't be chasing
• 53:22
  Speaker 1: them if I had the choice. So if they're your thing,
• 53:26
  Speaker 1: good luck out there. The other thing to note with
• 53:29
  Speaker 1: the three hundred and fifty card set is that there
• 53:33
  Speaker 1: got parallels of the nineteen fifty two Rookie cards again,
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: so that is a reprint from series one. I think
• 53:39
  Speaker 1: those were pretty popular. I wouldn't be surprised that that
• 53:42
  Speaker 1: almost becomes a standard going forward where kind of gives
• 53:46
  Speaker 1: every player a Rookie card short print of a Mickey
• 53:50
  Speaker 1: Mantle design, which is pretty cool. I think actually like
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: that that almost kind of sets like a precedent going forward,
• 53:56
  Speaker 1: a little bit of like the MLB debut patch autos,
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: where yeah, you get one and like it gets into
• 54:02
  Speaker 1: a set and like that becomes your sort of other
• 54:06
  Speaker 1: hallmark rookie card to chase it's going to be. I
• 54:09
  Speaker 1: think it's been a hit, and I'm cool with that
• 54:11
  Speaker 1: one going forward. We're also looking at they've scaled down
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: some of the parallels, so we'll get into the number
• 54:18
  Speaker 1: of rainbows. I'll let you keep hydrating so that you
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: can get through them all and otherwise, like we've had
• 54:25
  Speaker 1: some of these others where clear Acetate it's always been
• 54:29
  Speaker 1: more limited where they focus more on the stars and
• 54:31
  Speaker 1: the big rookies. There are a hundred of those. The
• 54:34
  Speaker 1: rest of these, though they used to be full blown
• 54:37
  Speaker 1: all the set got all these. It does make me
• 54:41
  Speaker 1: wonder if they ran out of time to print all
• 54:43
  Speaker 1: of it, or if they just have so many other
• 54:46
  Speaker 1: things they're printing they need to scale it back, or
• 54:49
  Speaker 1: what's going on, because it is certainly a different kind
• 54:53
  Speaker 1: of approach considering what Tops was also doing in the
• 54:56
  Speaker 1: market with these parallels before was saying that yeah, you
• 54:59
  Speaker 1: need these now. If they're only for certain cards within
• 55:02
  Speaker 1: the set, it becomes something you can't chase our team set,
• 55:06
  Speaker 1: something you can't chase our standard rainbow something. It kind
• 55:09
  Speaker 1: of fractures it for making it something where you're used
• 55:13
  Speaker 1: to it and depending on it and making a part
• 55:15
  Speaker 1: of your checklist and kind of degrading the old stuff.
• 55:18
  Speaker 1: What I'm talking here is vintage stock true photo team color,
• 55:23
  Speaker 1: which if you recall, these are the ones that we
• 55:25
  Speaker 1: like with the team logos in the actual borders. You've
• 55:28
  Speaker 1: also got the holiday ones which are like the goofy
• 55:32
  Speaker 1: umbrellas and hot dogs and suns which are goofy is
• 55:36
  Speaker 1: all get out but I kind of like and the
• 55:38
  Speaker 1: Big Apple, which actually are only fanatics fest variations anyway.
• 55:42
  Speaker 1: But those are two one hundred cards each. In terms
• 55:44
  Speaker 1: of the three hundred and fifty cards set, only one
• 55:47
  Speaker 1: hundred of them are getting these parallels, So what do
• 55:50
  Speaker 1: you think about this move going forward? The other one
• 55:53
  Speaker 1: is there's only twenty five with the player number variations,
• 55:56
  Speaker 1: where we got a lot more of those last year.
• 55:58
  Speaker 1: So these changes of kind of tweaked what TOPS is
• 56:02
  Speaker 1: gonna I think layout for expectations going forward? I mean,
• 56:06
  Speaker 1: not exactly the most expansive and popular parallels that we're
• 56:12
  Speaker 1: out there, but certainly ones that people chased. So what's
• 56:15
  Speaker 1: your take here.
• 56:16
  Speaker 2: Group, Yeah, I mean, I you say that they're maybe
• 56:18
  Speaker 2: not the most expanse and popular, but I feel like
• 56:20
  Speaker 2: there's staples. I think that's that's the thing is. These
• 56:23
  Speaker 2: are staples, Like the vintage stock has been around for
• 56:26
  Speaker 2: a long time, the team color, the border, logo, whatever
• 56:31
  Speaker 2: you want to call it. I can never figure out
• 56:32
  Speaker 2: what's actually called. Since it's come out, it's been collectible.
• 56:36
  Speaker 2: People love those cards, even of non stars, Like That's
• 56:38
  Speaker 2: what I've noticed is like it can be a nobody,
• 56:40
  Speaker 2: but it's just a really really cool card. So there
• 56:43
  Speaker 2: they hold value. The clear ascetate has always been a
• 56:46
  Speaker 2: chase for folks. Again, they're very rare, but again you
• 56:50
  Speaker 2: can find that of your rookie, you know, your big rookies,
• 56:53
  Speaker 2: things like that. Now, I haven't done the coalition here
• 56:56
  Speaker 2: to see these hundred cards or all the rookies and
• 56:57
  Speaker 2: things like that. I assume they got most of them
• 56:59
  Speaker 2: in there, but it does take a little bit out
• 57:02
  Speaker 2: of that of I believe not all these the holiday
• 57:05
  Speaker 2: the big Apple ones. I'm not really a big fan
• 57:08
  Speaker 2: of but the clear finished doc True Photo Team Color.
• 57:11
  Speaker 2: Those are all really really good cards Atops have done
• 57:13
  Speaker 2: the last few years, and I do feel like this
• 57:15
  Speaker 2: waters it down a little bit. And I'm a little
• 57:18
  Speaker 2: confounded by it because with all the print run things
• 57:21
  Speaker 2: they've been trying to pop up print runs, what's this
• 57:24
  Speaker 2: move doing. It means you're reallocating to other inserts and
• 57:28
  Speaker 2: things like that, and we'll talk about that later, but
• 57:31
  Speaker 2: I'm not quite sure. I love the move. I love
• 57:33
  Speaker 2: the cards being there, but I don't love the move
• 57:35
  Speaker 2: of reducing it and taking it down from all the
• 57:38
  Speaker 2: players for the checklist being available.
• 57:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, So if you're doing that in terms of building
• 57:44
  Speaker 1: the rainbow your holiday variations, I'll list them out. I'll
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: let you do the rest of the parallels when we
• 57:51
  Speaker 1: get to that. Here, you've got a hot dog of
• 57:53
  Speaker 1: ninety nine, a Statue of Liberty of fifty, a beach
• 57:56
  Speaker 1: umbrella of twenty five, of fireworks of five, and a
• 57:59
  Speaker 1: way of one. And that's only one hundred and it
• 58:02
  Speaker 1: is mostly rookies and stars, and some of those like
• 58:07
  Speaker 1: goofy rookie players that you get in series two, like
• 58:11
  Speaker 1: PD Haupin so there's that aspect as well as, like
• 58:16
  Speaker 1: you know, they try to spread it out across all
• 58:19
  Speaker 1: the teams, so some of them might not be as
• 58:22
  Speaker 1: star studded as others. Something to keep in mind there.
• 58:25
  Speaker 1: So in terms of the rainbow rundown, it's still huge.
• 58:29
  Speaker 1: And I do wonder if maybe they started listening to
• 58:32
  Speaker 1: our podcast in terms of just the volume of parallels
• 58:35
  Speaker 1: that were out there in terms of trying to put
• 58:37
  Speaker 1: together a total rainbow, because maybe that's why TOPS made
• 58:41
  Speaker 1: some of the moves, because even without that, you're looking
• 58:44
  Speaker 1: at forty seven different parallels, not splitting out each individual
• 58:47
  Speaker 1: printing plate. I'm considering the printing plates is just one
• 58:50
  Speaker 1: parallel there, and so you're looking at forty seven. So
• 58:54
  Speaker 1: if you had layered back in those ones that were cut,
• 58:57
  Speaker 1: you would be pushing almost sixty again. And yeah, that's crazy,
• 59:02
  Speaker 1: that's just it's so absurd. We say it every time.
• 59:05
  Speaker 1: Eventually we're going to be pushing triple digits at the
• 59:07
  Speaker 1: current rate that we've been blasting off at since we've
• 59:11
  Speaker 1: been recording this podcast. So I'm looking forward to that
• 59:14
  Speaker 1: in a couple of years when we do hit triple
• 59:16
  Speaker 1: digit rainbows. Because some of these parallels are just getting
• 59:20
  Speaker 1: absolutely absurd, So Brew, I'll pass it over to you.
• 59:24
  Speaker 1: You prepped for the entire forty seven parallel rundown rist.
• 59:27
  Speaker 2: I'm not looking forward to them. There's triple digits parallels.
• 59:30
  Speaker 2: I don't think I'll be able to make it through.
• 59:31
  Speaker 2: But all right, for our parallels. Here the three hundred
• 59:35
  Speaker 2: fifty card based set checkless parallels we have in the
• 59:38
  Speaker 2: non numbered variations diamante foils, hollow foils, pink diamante foils,
• 59:44
  Speaker 2: pink hollowfoils, rainbow foils, sand glitter, silver, crackle foils, tensilfoils,
• 59:50
  Speaker 2: the tops pattern, yellow holofoils, and aquaholofoils. Those are all
• 59:54
  Speaker 2: generally exclusive of some type of product, whether hangars, retails, jumbos, hobbies,
• 59:59
  Speaker 2: myer stores, fanatics, fests, things like that. You also have
• 1:00:04
  Speaker 2: your Aco rainbowfoils that are in hobbies one out of
• 1:00:08
  Speaker 2: every five hundred packs. A little bit more rare there.
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 2: From a numbered perspective, we have our gold out of
• 1:00:13
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty six. Then we drop down to three ninety
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 2: nine for our yellow rainbow foils, Purple holofoils out of
• 1:00:19
  Speaker 2: two fifty purple rainbow foils out of two fifty, the
• 1:00:22
  Speaker 2: blue halofoil and blue rainbowfoils out of one fifty. Then
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 2: you have your cherry blossoms out of ninety nine, which
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 2: is actually the Japan exclusives. Is one of the first
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 2: times I think we've actually listed this in these checklists.
• 1:00:33
  Speaker 2: The green day Amante foils out of ninety nine, green
• 1:00:36
  Speaker 2: holofoils and green rainbow foils also out of ninety nine.
• 1:00:39
  Speaker 2: Got your good Old Independence Day out of seventy six,
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 2: seventy five years of tops out of seventy five, black
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 2: out of seventy five in canvas out of fifty, gold
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 2: diamonte foil, gold holofoil, gold rainbowfoil, and sand glitter gold
• 1:00:52
  Speaker 2: all out of fifty. Got your Memorial Day camos out
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 2: of twenty five, which is a staple. Then you got
• 1:00:58
  Speaker 2: your orange diamonte, halofoil, rainbowfoil, and sand glitter all out
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 2: of twenty five. Just to make it fun, we have
• 1:01:05
  Speaker 2: a wood out of twenty five as well. Then you
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 2: get your out of tens for black diamonte foils, black holofoils,
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 2: black rainbowfoils, and your sand glitter blacks. For your reds
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 2: out of five, we have the same run through with
• 1:01:17
  Speaker 2: Diamante halofoil, rainbowfoil and sand glitter reds. Then we have
• 1:01:22
  Speaker 2: our one of one foil fractors, are one of one
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 2: printing plates, and the one of one rose gold holofoil
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 2: for our forty seven variations of the parallels.
• 1:01:32
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's absurd. It's so absurd. It's such a long list.
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: And not only that, you'll have to look at it
• 1:01:38
  Speaker 1: when you get into the show notes and look at
• 1:01:41
  Speaker 1: the Beckett checklist that they're all in different exclusive products too,
• 1:01:46
  Speaker 1: So you can't just be getting those if through only
• 1:01:50
  Speaker 1: hobby packs or through only jumbo packs that they're split
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 1: across hobby retail jumbos. They've got some of the are
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 1: just hangers, some that are only blasters, so you've got
• 1:02:04
  Speaker 1: to go every different route to be able to find them.
• 1:02:08
  Speaker 1: I mean, on top of that, you're looking at like,
• 1:02:11
  Speaker 1: let's get into some of the autos, because I don't
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: even know if I can swallow anymore these parallels. Just
• 1:02:16
  Speaker 1: the volume that are out there when you're considering how
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 1: watered down they're getting, as we've discussed in the past,
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 1: because you know, you've got so many different golds. You
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 1: used to only have like one gold maybe two, and
• 1:02:30
  Speaker 1: so like those used to be a fifty, when you're
• 1:02:33
  Speaker 1: getting four different gold ones, they are of fifty. They
• 1:02:36
  Speaker 1: are essentially turning gold into of two hundred instead of fifty.
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 1: So some of them. Keep in mind in terms of
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 1: long run that one we've discussed in the past, where
• 1:02:45
  Speaker 1: the more true color and less kind of sand glitter
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 1: or diamante foil or different combinations of adjectives and nouns
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 1: that you would throw together to describe something, the better
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 1: that you want to stick with the more classic colors
• 1:03:04
  Speaker 1: and the more classic looks, and that's going to hold up,
• 1:03:06
  Speaker 1: I think the most over time. But the problem with
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 1: the volume of them, just on the crazy patterns is
• 1:03:14
  Speaker 1: that it waters down even those base ones that we love.
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and the thing was those base ones well, which
• 1:03:21
  Speaker 2: are generally in this product, the rainbow foil versions are
• 1:03:25
  Speaker 2: only in hobby boxes. And so if you want your
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 2: true versions, they're in hobby boxes. You're like I said,
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 2: Diamante's or hangars holofoil is retail and then your sand
• 1:03:37
  Speaker 2: glitter is jumbo. And so if you if that if
• 1:03:40
  Speaker 2: there's something you like, if you like the sandglitter, you
• 1:03:42
  Speaker 2: gotta go jumpbo if you like it like, it's not
• 1:03:44
  Speaker 2: like you're going to get a mixture of those with
• 1:03:46
  Speaker 2: what you buy, So you have to be very strategical
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 2: about that as you're looking for your options here.
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and so in terms of what you're buying, you know,
• 1:03:55
  Speaker 1: you've got value boxes, hanger boxes, fat packs, you've got
• 1:03:59
  Speaker 1: jumbo boxes where you're gonna get one autograph, one memorial,
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 1: one memorabilia card, and then each hobby box you're getting
• 1:04:06
  Speaker 1: just one hit in terms of autograph or memorabilia card.
• 1:04:10
  Speaker 1: So let's get into some of those hits between the
• 1:04:13
  Speaker 1: autos and memorabilia slash relic cards. Let's focus on the
• 1:04:17
  Speaker 1: autos first, because that's certainly the checklist is impressive. It
• 1:04:21
  Speaker 1: always kind of is with flagship, but you do need
• 1:04:23
  Speaker 1: to keep in mind that what they usually do is
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 1: they water it down with the non stars kind of
• 1:04:29
  Speaker 1: having a little bit more volume, And certainly what you're
• 1:04:32
  Speaker 1: looking at in terms of these flagship products are a
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 1: lot more of like the Baseball Stars autos, which are
• 1:04:40
  Speaker 1: typically sticker autos, and so they're not gonna be the
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: highest volume, the highest value ones. They make the rest
• 1:04:48
  Speaker 1: of the checklists look impressive because there's just fewer of
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 1: the big ones that are on card or include the
• 1:04:54
  Speaker 1: big names. The stand I would call like the standards
• 1:04:57
  Speaker 1: in terms of what you're looking at. Flagship you've gotten here,
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 1: you've got Baseball stars, You've got the Real one autos,
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 1: you got the nineteen fifty one Tops autos, nineteen ninety
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: one All Star autos, nineteen ninety one, just regular autos,
• 1:05:10
  Speaker 1: and so both of those will have chromes, the ninety
• 1:05:12
  Speaker 1: ones because some will come in the foil packs that
• 1:05:15
  Speaker 1: are in Jumbo and hobby boxes, and then the other
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 1: ones will be just regular hits. And then you've also
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 1: got flagship chrome autos, two flagship patch autos, which are
• 1:05:26
  Speaker 1: the flagship design just the regular design kind of like
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 1: the Real one autos, where the real one will be
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 1: on card. The chromes will be typically sticker, and then
• 1:05:37
  Speaker 1: you'll also be looking at sticker typically on the patch
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 1: ones that have a little bit of a napkin patch
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 1: on there. You've also got heavy lumber as a standard
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 1: nowadays major League materials, which is a relic. You'll get
• 1:05:49
  Speaker 1: autos of those, which is a standard. Those have some
• 1:05:52
  Speaker 1: dual autos as well. And then your city connects Swatch
• 1:05:55
  Speaker 1: relic autos. So of the standards which stand out you
• 1:06:00
  Speaker 1: as your favorites group, Yeah, I mean for me.
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 2: I've you know, anything with a patch or something like that,
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 2: I absolutely love, so those those are always gonna be
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 2: big ones for me. But I think you're I've really
• 1:06:14
  Speaker 2: become accustomed to the real one autos. I think those
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 2: are always always solid. Heavy lumber was such a big
• 1:06:20
  Speaker 2: insert card for us when we were young growing up.
• 1:06:23
  Speaker 2: I think that one absolutely jumps out as well. And
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 2: then I think you're nineteen ninety one can do well
• 1:06:31
  Speaker 2: as depending on if it is sticker or not, I'm
• 1:06:34
  Speaker 2: not sure. I was actually just trying to look to
• 1:06:35
  Speaker 2: see how many autos are out there, and there's like
• 1:06:37
  Speaker 2: two available on eBay at this point, so it's pretty
• 1:06:40
  Speaker 2: gush are and slim. But except the patches, the real ones,
• 1:06:43
  Speaker 2: those are probably the big ones that I'm chasing. And
• 1:06:47
  Speaker 2: then your heavy Lumber I think is kind of the
• 1:06:49
  Speaker 2: the higher end version that you'd want to be going after.
• 1:06:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think that the big chase card in
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 1: this product will be the real one auto of Munatakamara
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 1: Coom as well as the rookie variation autographs where they
• 1:07:03
  Speaker 1: are on card, and especially when you start getting into
• 1:07:06
  Speaker 1: the really small parallels for Murakami, that's gonna be the
• 1:07:11
  Speaker 1: big cards to chase in this product. But you've also
• 1:07:13
  Speaker 1: got some brick big stars in there in terms of
• 1:07:15
  Speaker 1: like Otani will be included too. So in terms of
• 1:07:19
  Speaker 1: the special autos, I would call quote unquote because they're
• 1:07:23
  Speaker 1: a little bit more exclusive to this release. Exclusive to
• 1:07:26
  Speaker 1: this product are the first pitch ones where the big
• 1:07:29
  Speaker 1: names are gonna be Jerry Seinfeld throwing out for the Mets,
• 1:07:32
  Speaker 1: Hayden Christensen for the Cubs, and Yandell a rigatone artist
• 1:07:38
  Speaker 1: for those that don't know out there for the Rays,
• 1:07:41
  Speaker 1: which will be an interesting one but a pretty big
• 1:07:44
  Speaker 1: artist himself. You've also got the World Champion autos, which
• 1:07:48
  Speaker 1: is just all Dodgers. You've got the Signature Tunes autos,
• 1:07:53
  Speaker 1: which there's the Dell coming back again to hang out
• 1:07:56
  Speaker 1: with Fernando Tatis Junior on a duel. The other scheme
• 1:08:00
  Speaker 1: in CJ Abrams, so I don't know scheme, but we'll
• 1:08:04
  Speaker 1: see if that one's popular as well. You've also got
• 1:08:08
  Speaker 1: the Cover Athlete autos coming back. So this was in
• 1:08:11
  Speaker 1: Series one as well, where you had cover athletes from
• 1:08:17
  Speaker 1: former Tops flagship products. They use the photo that they
• 1:08:20
  Speaker 1: put on the actual products and then included as a
• 1:08:24
  Speaker 1: card and then an auto, and you've got a again,
• 1:08:29
  Speaker 1: the nineteen fifty two Rookie variations, the seventy five years
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 1: of Tops, which include for some reason, DJ Khaled and
• 1:08:36
  Speaker 1: Tony Hawks. So that'll be interesting to see what you've
• 1:08:38
  Speaker 1: got in terms of those rounding the bases autos which
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 1: are actually relic autos with the base embedded in the card,
• 1:08:47
  Speaker 1: and that kind of is the total special autos. I
• 1:08:52
  Speaker 1: would say, quote unquote brew Most of those are repeats,
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 1: but they are special because they're a little bit bigger
• 1:08:59
  Speaker 1: chases usually autos of inserts which stand out to you
• 1:09:03
  Speaker 1: as the ones to chase in this product.
• 1:09:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think there's a few that probably
• 1:09:09
  Speaker 2: stick out to me clearly. The nineteen fifty two Rookie
• 1:09:12
  Speaker 2: variations is going to be a really really popular one.
• 1:09:16
  Speaker 2: And it's exactly what you think. It's that you designs
• 1:09:19
  Speaker 2: can be very simple. The other one and I you
• 1:09:23
  Speaker 2: and I joked about this before we started recording. I
• 1:09:26
  Speaker 2: really love the World Series autos, the postseason World Series
• 1:09:32
  Speaker 2: Champion autos. Now in all the publications they use Hysung
• 1:09:35
  Speaker 2: Kim as the actual like example, So I'm not quite
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 2: sure why that was the one that we went with.
• 1:09:41
  Speaker 2: It's versus all the other Dodgers we could have selected,
• 1:09:44
  Speaker 2: But it's a very very cool card, and so I
• 1:09:48
  Speaker 2: like those ones as well. It is maybe a little
• 1:09:50
  Speaker 2: bit narrower because Dodgers have a huge following, so there's
• 1:09:53
  Speaker 2: gonna be plenty of demand for it. But you know,
• 1:09:55
  Speaker 2: finding your player on that design is not necessarily gonna
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 2: be as easy. So, like I said, there's a few
• 1:09:59
  Speaker 2: of them there that I like, but I'm not sure
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 2: I'm quite there with Signal Tunes or Cover Athlete or
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 2: seventy five years of tops. Those ones don't play it
• 1:10:08
  Speaker 2: for me as well. Seinfeld is gonna be huge. We
• 1:10:11
  Speaker 2: already know that, and I have yet to make it
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 2: an opinion on running the bases having base relics in cards,
• 1:10:21
  Speaker 2: I feel like that sometimes can work, sometimes it can't.
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 2: I still have not developed an opinion.
• 1:10:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you've been seeing or we've been seeing a lot
• 1:10:28
  Speaker 1: more top in tops now products, so there's they're just
• 1:10:32
  Speaker 1: getting good at it. I think it is, and you
• 1:10:34
  Speaker 1: can probably get a lot of relic out of each
• 1:10:36
  Speaker 1: base so that helps as well, and you can get
• 1:10:39
  Speaker 1: like anybody who's played in that game or whatever, and
• 1:10:41
  Speaker 1: you can really stretch bases pretty quickly as well. As Yeah,
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 1: they're a little bit hard to own if you're trying
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 1: to kind of pick up a piece of actual game
• 1:10:52
  Speaker 1: memorabilia to collect yourself. And so I'm sure TOPS gets
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 1: plenty of bases, especially from spring training and stuff. Oh yeah,
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 1: that they can use for themselves in terms of these cards,
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 1: and that's.
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 2: Gonna be way cheaper, like the than the bats and
• 1:11:04
  Speaker 2: things like that. Like it's it's and it's your point.
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 2: That's going to go a long way. If if they're
• 1:11:09
  Speaker 2: really just slices.
• 1:11:10
  Speaker 1: And dice in those things, then all right, I'll touch
• 1:11:13
  Speaker 1: on the relics here real quick, because we've hit most
• 1:11:15
  Speaker 1: of them through the autos where they've all got non
• 1:11:18
  Speaker 1: autograph versions with major League materials, City Connects, Watches, Real Ones,
• 1:11:23
  Speaker 1: nineteen ninety one Tops, nineteen ninety one Tops, All Star designs.
• 1:11:26
  Speaker 1: Those will all have the autograph version that we just mentioned,
• 1:11:30
  Speaker 1: but also the non autograph version with the little patch
• 1:11:33
  Speaker 1: in there. The rarity of the card will pretty much
• 1:11:37
  Speaker 1: dictate how cool the patches within the card where you know,
• 1:11:40
  Speaker 1: if it's a non numbered one, you're probably looking at
• 1:11:43
  Speaker 1: something that's just looks like it came for a regular
• 1:11:45
  Speaker 1: old T shirt. If you get a one of one,
• 1:11:47
  Speaker 1: it's gonna be a pretty nice patch with multiple colors
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 1: and getting into actual like pieces of the jersey where
• 1:11:54
  Speaker 1: you know, it gets into the names and stuff like that,
• 1:11:57
  Speaker 1: then I mean adding to it. We've got the rounding
• 1:12:00
  Speaker 1: the bases we talked about, but the big one here
• 1:12:02
  Speaker 1: is obviously the end the name. There is not an
• 1:12:05
  Speaker 1: autograph version of that, but what they do TOPS will
• 1:12:08
  Speaker 1: get one card of each letter in a player's name
• 1:12:12
  Speaker 1: from a jersey and then insert as one of one.
• 1:12:15
  Speaker 1: People love, obviously chasing it to put together the entire name,
• 1:12:18
  Speaker 1: or people just like collecting these and building words and
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 1: whatever else they want to spell out, so they're highly
• 1:12:26
  Speaker 1: highly popular. We'll move a little bit into the inserts now,
• 1:12:29
  Speaker 1: because I think this is where you hinted at it
• 1:12:31
  Speaker 1: a couple of times, I think in this podcast, where
• 1:12:35
  Speaker 1: the inserts have been pretty cool for Flagship Series one
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 1: and Bowman, and they punted here on Series two. Because
• 1:12:43
  Speaker 1: you've got your standards, which nineteen ninety one TOPS designed
• 1:12:46
  Speaker 1: the thirty fifth year anniversary of that as well as
• 1:12:49
  Speaker 1: it being in Chrome and Mojo, and the tops All
• 1:12:52
  Speaker 1: Stars and Chrome Mojo, with those silver packs being the
• 1:12:56
  Speaker 1: Chrome Mojo cards, so those are pretty standard. Those are
• 1:12:59
  Speaker 1: repeats from from series one. Also repeats are the first
• 1:13:02
  Speaker 1: pitches where it's the non autograph version of some of
• 1:13:05
  Speaker 1: those cards we talked about heavy lumbers, non autograph where
• 1:13:08
  Speaker 1: it's just a piece of the wood. You've got All Aces,
• 1:13:11
  Speaker 1: All Kings short prints, which are designs based on playing cards,
• 1:13:17
  Speaker 1: you know, like a deck of playing cards for poker,
• 1:13:20
  Speaker 1: where those will be short printed again and black you've
• 1:13:24
  Speaker 1: got home field advantage going to be wildly popular again.
• 1:13:27
  Speaker 1: You're going to have some legends some modern day players
• 1:13:30
  Speaker 1: as well, where the legends will be more short printed.
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 1: The Murakami one of those, is going to be especially
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 1: a hot card. It looks great, just a very good
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 1: representation of Chicago on it. You've got the Funko Pops
• 1:13:41
  Speaker 1: cards and figures which will be available to you in
• 1:13:44
  Speaker 1: those megaboxes where the cards are actually short printed. They're
• 1:13:48
  Speaker 1: pretty rare. And then the little figurines they come in,
• 1:13:51
  Speaker 1: lots of them, they are not they they're in like
• 1:13:54
  Speaker 1: all the costco packs and stuff. You can put together
• 1:13:56
  Speaker 1: that set of the little figures pretty quickly. Stars of
• 1:13:59
  Speaker 1: a B inserts can't get rid of them at this
• 1:14:03
  Speaker 1: point that they are best left for a bonfire.
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 2: I think because you're a value box.
• 1:14:10
  Speaker 1: They have no value those Stars of MLB cards, even
• 1:14:13
  Speaker 1: though they're inserts and they look like cool holofoils that
• 1:14:17
  Speaker 1: they're so printed and there's you know, a limited insert checklist,
• 1:14:22
  Speaker 1: but there's one of them in every pack where honestly,
• 1:14:26
  Speaker 1: it feels like there's more of those available than some
• 1:14:28
  Speaker 1: of the base cards that are out there. You've also
• 1:14:30
  Speaker 1: got Titans in the game returning from Series one, and
• 1:14:32
  Speaker 1: cover athletes, which we covered there with the autos. So
• 1:14:36
  Speaker 1: I would say these are your kind of standard ones
• 1:14:38
  Speaker 1: that we've seen before, because we'll get into the new
• 1:14:41
  Speaker 1: ones because we don't know what all of them look like.
• 1:14:43
  Speaker 1: But which one of these standards are your favorite group?
• 1:14:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's it's easy to say all aces
• 1:14:51
  Speaker 2: were all Kings and those those they've done a beautiful
• 1:14:54
  Speaker 2: job with those. So you have to to say that
• 1:14:57
  Speaker 2: I mentioned earlier, the heavy lumber was is a big,
• 1:15:00
  Speaker 2: big one for me as well, And so the thing
• 1:15:03
  Speaker 2: I will say for tops, and we've talked about this
• 1:15:05
  Speaker 2: in the past, like just pick your best ones and
• 1:15:07
  Speaker 2: put in here. Overall, for those what you would call
• 1:15:10
  Speaker 2: the standard inserts, the one that we're kind of repeating
• 1:15:12
  Speaker 2: and coming back, I feel like they've done a pretty
• 1:15:14
  Speaker 2: good job. That we joke about stars at MLB, but
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 2: you have to have one throwaway that's just like three
• 1:15:19
  Speaker 2: in every pack type of thing, which is what the
• 1:15:20
  Speaker 2: stars in MLB has become. Even like the big name rookies,
• 1:15:23
  Speaker 2: the stars of it will be like, yeah, I don't
• 1:15:24
  Speaker 2: really want that one. It's just they're so overprinted. But
• 1:15:28
  Speaker 2: I give them a little kudos here because they've done
• 1:15:30
  Speaker 2: a good job of keeping the best of the best
• 1:15:32
  Speaker 2: ones around and printing those ones is kind of like
• 1:15:35
  Speaker 2: your standards carryovers from other sets. So I'll give them
• 1:15:38
  Speaker 2: credit there. Give me the heavy lumbers, give me your
• 1:15:40
  Speaker 2: home field advantage, give me your all aces and your
• 1:15:42
  Speaker 2: all kings, love all those those are great inserts.
• 1:15:45
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think the other component to those two
• 1:15:47
  Speaker 1: is that are keeping them consistent now in terms of
• 1:15:49
  Speaker 1: short printing them. So yep, you know it's it's a
• 1:15:53
  Speaker 1: pain when they're toggling that back and forth and if
• 1:15:55
  Speaker 1: they're consistent with it, that's the most important thing in
• 1:15:58
  Speaker 1: terms of the new ones. So I think we've seen
• 1:16:01
  Speaker 1: pictures of most of these, because a few of them
• 1:16:04
  Speaker 1: have cropped up on eBay, especially the ones that are
• 1:16:07
  Speaker 1: not short printed, where they're pretty standard inserts and they're
• 1:16:11
  Speaker 1: almost like bas cards, because lots of collectors out there
• 1:16:14
  Speaker 1: put together the whole Master set from regular bas cards
• 1:16:19
  Speaker 1: through the inserts, maybe skipping the short prints, and so
• 1:16:23
  Speaker 1: the ones that I think are in that boat and
• 1:16:25
  Speaker 1: we've seen them are crooked numbers, glove work, bulk order.
• 1:16:31
  Speaker 1: We've also got one a new one called Highlight Reels,
• 1:16:34
  Speaker 1: which we're suspecting is based on the design from the
• 1:16:37
  Speaker 1: recent WWE set, where it looks like a film reel.
• 1:16:42
  Speaker 1: It's pretty straightforward, but they've had sort of variations of
• 1:16:46
  Speaker 1: this in the past where it's like highlights and other
• 1:16:50
  Speaker 1: things to highlight, like specific performances, so it could be
• 1:16:54
  Speaker 1: in that vein as well. We've also got one where
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 1: we have no idea what it looks like. It's called
• 1:16:59
  Speaker 1: Diamond and a prere sure it's a short print. It
• 1:17:02
  Speaker 1: might even kind of harken to the cosmic dust that
• 1:17:05
  Speaker 1: we've seen in chrome products from cosmic chrome and from
• 1:17:10
  Speaker 1: basketball chrome. So I'm guessing that one's gonna look pretty
• 1:17:14
  Speaker 1: nice just because it's diamond dust. I hope it pops.
• 1:17:17
  Speaker 1: I hope it shines. Because we were looking at crooked numbers,
• 1:17:20
  Speaker 1: we were looking at glove work, we were looking at
• 1:17:22
  Speaker 1: bull order. They're awful. They've been phoned in. They honestly
• 1:17:27
  Speaker 1: they look very similar too. They've all got got a
• 1:17:32
  Speaker 1: a foil finish to where they look like stars of
• 1:17:36
  Speaker 1: MLB but worse. So they've really fallen down here, I
• 1:17:41
  Speaker 1: think in terms of the new inserts, because we've had,
• 1:17:44
  Speaker 1: like I said, cool ones for series one, cool ones
• 1:17:47
  Speaker 1: for Bowmen. We just put a bunch of Bowen's into
• 1:17:51
  Speaker 1: our PC from last month because the twenty twenty six
• 1:17:54
  Speaker 1: a cool. So what's your disappointment level here at tops?
• 1:17:59
  Speaker 2: It's pretty high because like we we just we denigrated
• 1:18:02
  Speaker 2: stars of MLB and then you look at these cards
• 1:18:05
  Speaker 2: crooked numbers. If you think about significant statistics, which was
• 1:18:09
  Speaker 2: an insert back in the day, this is like a
• 1:18:11
  Speaker 2: worst version of that, which like highlights some big statistic
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 2: that a player had, like Eli Della Cruz we sold
• 1:18:17
  Speaker 2: was sixty seven bases, like that's that's the numbers on
• 1:18:20
  Speaker 2: the card and it's foil like it, that's what it is. Uh,
• 1:18:24
  Speaker 2: glove work is generally a image of the player fielding
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 2: and that like that's it. Like there's a there's a
• 1:18:31
  Speaker 2: few lines on the card. I don't know what else
• 1:18:33
  Speaker 2: to say about it.
• 1:18:34
  Speaker 1: You could have done so many cool ways with that.
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 1: You could have done a die cut, you could have
• 1:18:37
  Speaker 1: done a leather card, you could have done so many things.
• 1:18:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and then like this has to be the worst
• 1:18:44
  Speaker 2: insert we've seen for a while. Bulk Order is terrible,
• 1:18:47
  Speaker 2: Like and I and I I think between the two
• 1:18:51
  Speaker 2: of us, I'm a little more forgiving on card designs.
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 2: I think you're the first one. Like now I'm out.
• 1:18:55
  Speaker 2: Bulk Order is dreadful and I the only way explain this.
• 1:19:00
  Speaker 2: And I'm looking at a Julio Rodriguez out of fifty
• 1:19:04
  Speaker 2: version and I don't want it at all because it's
• 1:19:06
  Speaker 2: out of fifty even and it's like an image kind
• 1:19:10
  Speaker 2: of of the tops website, but kind of like mocked
• 1:19:13
  Speaker 2: up where like in the search there's just a little
• 1:19:15
  Speaker 2: search bar which is as Julio Rodriguez underneath this like
• 1:19:18
  Speaker 2: bulk order, and it actually has like stars for like
• 1:19:22
  Speaker 2: the number of reviews on it, and it's just like
• 1:19:26
  Speaker 2: at the bottom has like random statistics says home runs
• 1:19:28
  Speaker 2: versus Braves quantity too, Like it's I don't even know
• 1:19:32
  Speaker 2: what it's trying to do. I honestly don't have an idea.
• 1:19:35
  Speaker 2: And it's kind of on the back it's connecting it
• 1:19:38
  Speaker 2: back to like a big play or a game in
• 1:19:43
  Speaker 2: a way, so it's kind of like they're trying to
• 1:19:44
  Speaker 2: make it a Tops Now type thing.
• 1:19:46
  Speaker 1: I get.
• 1:19:46
  Speaker 2: I don't understand it, but even if I did, it's
• 1:19:49
  Speaker 2: a dreadful looking card. It's absolutely terrible, and I don't
• 1:19:53
  Speaker 2: know who's gonna collect these because it looks like it
• 1:19:55
  Speaker 2: should have came out of like TOPS Big League or something,
• 1:19:58
  Speaker 2: which I'm sorry TOPS bigally got discontinued because of how
• 1:20:02
  Speaker 2: rough it was, And here we are looking at this
• 1:20:04
  Speaker 2: in Top series two. So I'm rambling because I'm just
• 1:20:08
  Speaker 2: so appalled at how bad this one is and how
• 1:20:11
  Speaker 2: to like hoo put this idea together, And somebody at
• 1:20:14
  Speaker 2: TOPS is like I love it, Like no, you should,
• 1:20:18
  Speaker 2: like you missed the like the whole focus group thing here,
• 1:20:23
  Speaker 2: because I don't know anybody in the hobby is going
• 1:20:25
  Speaker 2: to look at like that and say, yes, I need
• 1:20:26
  Speaker 2: to do the full run of bull Corder, like first
• 1:20:29
  Speaker 2: of all, to teat the name's terrible, and second of all,
• 1:20:31
  Speaker 2: I this is like a weird advertisement for Top's website.
• 1:20:35
  Speaker 2: That's that website is not the one you want to advertise,
• 1:20:37
  Speaker 2: that's for sure.
• 1:20:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, where it's like the color parallel it makes
• 1:20:43
  Speaker 1: it look better because otherwise you just get blank white
• 1:20:45
  Speaker 1: space on the sides of the card, so it's a
• 1:20:48
  Speaker 1: total waste of space on the card as well as
• 1:20:51
  Speaker 1: like it Actually it ranks me a little bit more
• 1:20:53
  Speaker 1: of like a insert that would be embedded in like
• 1:20:57
  Speaker 1: Upper Deck or Collector's Choice back in the nineties in
• 1:21:00
  Speaker 1: the standard set. But like they're trying to celebrate this
• 1:21:04
  Speaker 1: cool now cool known thing the internet. It's like, dude,
• 1:21:08
  Speaker 1: it's twenty twenty six. Websites look way cooler than this,
• 1:21:12
  Speaker 1: and like this is so bland and so phoned in.
• 1:21:16
  Speaker 1: It's awful. So you'll be able to see a picture
• 1:21:19
  Speaker 1: of this one in the rasball post that goes with
• 1:21:21
  Speaker 1: this podcast. Not all the ones that we're talking about
• 1:21:24
  Speaker 1: will be in there, because we just don't have pictures
• 1:21:26
  Speaker 1: of the cards yet. I'll try to update it the
• 1:21:28
  Speaker 1: best I can, but this one we do have because
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 1: people are trying to move bulk older in bulk because
• 1:21:35
  Speaker 1: I think they see this one's gonna be a dud,
• 1:21:37
  Speaker 1: and you can just buy like a base of this
• 1:21:40
  Speaker 1: and usually, like when cards get up before release date,
• 1:21:45
  Speaker 1: and even if it's an insert, the base of that
• 1:21:48
  Speaker 1: insert can be like five to ten bucks. You can
• 1:21:51
  Speaker 1: get one of these bulk older cards now for a
• 1:21:53
  Speaker 1: dollar apiece, And so that shows you how quickly people
• 1:21:56
  Speaker 1: are trying to move on from these things. They're awful. Okay.
• 1:22:01
  Speaker 1: The other thing that we've got to cover is I mean,
• 1:22:04
  Speaker 1: probably the other biggest portion of the chase. Although what
• 1:22:08
  Speaker 1: they're trying to do here is re discover and rekindle
• 1:22:12
  Speaker 1: the excitement that came from the nineteen fifty two Mickey
• 1:22:15
  Speaker 1: Mantle buy back that we actually discussed on last week's
• 1:22:18
  Speaker 1: episode because it got pulled and there was a golden
• 1:22:20
  Speaker 1: auction for it that's still ongoing, and they just blew
• 1:22:27
  Speaker 1: it out. They've got way more of these cards now,
• 1:22:29
  Speaker 1: so it looks like we've got twenty of them where
• 1:22:31
  Speaker 1: there's a buy back inserted and you'll get the redemption
• 1:22:35
  Speaker 1: to be able to take it back to Tops and
• 1:22:38
  Speaker 1: get your graded version. I mean, there are cool ones
• 1:22:42
  Speaker 1: in here, like you get there's a nineteen fifty two
• 1:22:45
  Speaker 1: Tops number one Andy Pathco, which I mean Andy Pathco
• 1:22:49
  Speaker 1: is a nobody, but it was the first card from
• 1:22:51
  Speaker 1: the nineteen fifty two set. You've also got Eddie Matthews
• 1:22:54
  Speaker 1: of that, and then you know Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron,
• 1:22:59
  Speaker 1: Roger Marrit some other Mickey Mantles. But then you're starting
• 1:23:02
  Speaker 1: to get into some junk wacks. You're get into some
• 1:23:04
  Speaker 1: Bo Jackson's, some Kirby Puckets, some King Griffy juniors. That
• 1:23:08
  Speaker 1: nineteen ninety three Derek Jeter Tops card we talked about
• 1:23:11
  Speaker 1: all the way to modern, like modern modern. You're getting
• 1:23:15
  Speaker 1: a bat down Ronald mcunya Junior twenty eighteen, a Bryce
• 1:23:20
  Speaker 1: Harper twenty twelve graded. So it doesn't have the juice
• 1:23:24
  Speaker 1: to it for me, that the way that the Mickey
• 1:23:26
  Speaker 1: Mantle card does.
• 1:23:27
  Speaker 2: I get it.
• 1:23:28
  Speaker 1: I get it.
• 1:23:28
  Speaker 2: That's fun.
• 1:23:30
  Speaker 1: But you know what, if I really wanted this card,
• 1:23:32
  Speaker 1: I just go buy it that like you can't just
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 1: go buy a fifty two Mantle. That's what made it
• 1:23:37
  Speaker 1: so much fun. But these you can buy, like you
• 1:23:40
  Speaker 1: can go buy the greater versions of all these.
• 1:23:42
  Speaker 2: I'll give I'll argue with one because the nineteen fifty
• 1:23:45
  Speaker 2: four tops Hank Aaron Rookie card and that one.
• 1:23:48
  Speaker 1: The Jackie fifty three. Yeah, be able to buy those,
• 1:23:52
  Speaker 1: but yeah, but.
• 1:23:53
  Speaker 2: Jackie's fifty two is his rookie, So fifty three even
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 2: like it's not quite there. But like the Hank Aaron
• 1:24:00
  Speaker 2: fifty four, because I because I was trying to bid
• 1:24:02
  Speaker 2: on one yesterday, because I've decided to call my collection
• 1:24:05
  Speaker 2: and go off for these, Like the PSA one of
• 1:24:08
  Speaker 2: that Hank Aaron is like twenty five hundred bucks right now,
• 1:24:11
  Speaker 2: and so if you want anything in a reasonable grade
• 1:24:14
  Speaker 2: for that, like A six is like fifteen thousand dollars,
• 1:24:17
  Speaker 2: and so that one, I will give them credit there.
• 1:24:20
  Speaker 2: But like I'm not sure the nineteen eighty five Kirby
• 1:24:23
  Speaker 2: Bucket is like the way to go, and I'm and
• 1:24:26
  Speaker 2: that's nothing against Kirby Pucket, It's just that that time
• 1:24:30
  Speaker 2: frame is rough. Again, go after a King Griffy Junior
• 1:24:33
  Speaker 2: a PSA ten of that's only five five k you
• 1:24:36
  Speaker 2: can you can find that it's much it's a little
• 1:24:38
  Speaker 2: bit different than the Chase of Mantle. But hey, it's
• 1:24:41
  Speaker 2: it's cool. I'll give it to you. Still can't go
• 1:24:44
  Speaker 2: wrong with you that have fifty six Mantle graded.
• 1:24:47
  Speaker 1: No, you can't. But the only way they can top
• 1:24:49
  Speaker 1: the fifty two tops Mantle grade now is to throw
• 1:24:52
  Speaker 1: a T two a six wag mat.
• 1:24:54
  Speaker 2: That's the only way, the only way.
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's the only way.
• 1:24:57
  Speaker 2: That's the That would be insane.
• 1:25:00
  Speaker 1: I know. That's the only juice that they've kind of
• 1:25:02
  Speaker 1: got left at this point. And so yeah, I mean
• 1:25:06
  Speaker 1: there will be other ones that they can put in,
• 1:25:08
  Speaker 1: Like you said, the fifty four Hank Aaron, you could
• 1:25:11
  Speaker 1: put in a satchel from yeah fifteen yeah, six, yeah,
• 1:25:16
  Speaker 1: and cards like that, where like there's vintage and it's
• 1:25:20
  Speaker 1: tough to get the three yeah yeah, the fifty three.
• 1:25:24
  Speaker 1: But if you want to out juice the Mickey Mantle one,
• 1:25:27
  Speaker 1: you've got to go to the T two a six
• 1:25:29
  Speaker 1: hon As Wagoner. You backed yourself into a box top.
• 1:25:31
  Speaker 1: So until you do that, I'm gonna call all these
• 1:25:36
  Speaker 1: a dud. So I'm just trying. I'm playing with fire.
• 1:25:39
  Speaker 1: I want them to do it for update. That would
• 1:25:41
  Speaker 1: be sick. But I don't know, Maybe chrome that maybe
• 1:25:44
  Speaker 1: that's a little bit more of a chrome taste to it.
• 1:25:46
  Speaker 2: So give me a Babe Ruth Goudy from like that
• 1:25:49
  Speaker 2: could be thirty oh, thirty three. I'm trying to remember
• 1:25:53
  Speaker 2: which one is the one to go after there, But yeah,
• 1:25:57
  Speaker 2: you can kind of toll on the edges and keep
• 1:25:59
  Speaker 2: doing this. But it feels like if they would have done,
• 1:26:01
  Speaker 2: like there's like three of them I think in here
• 1:26:04
  Speaker 2: that are really the go afters. It's the Hank Aarons
• 1:26:07
  Speaker 2: or Erto Clemente. And I would argue maybe the Griffy.
• 1:26:13
  Speaker 1: The rest of them depends on the great they give
• 1:26:15
  Speaker 1: you and the grit.
• 1:26:15
  Speaker 2: That's true.
• 1:26:16
  Speaker 1: That's true.
• 1:26:17
  Speaker 2: Got I've got a great Griffy sent right here next
• 1:26:19
  Speaker 2: to us. Yeah, and I think it's like a people
• 1:26:22
  Speaker 2: say eight is one hundred and fifty bucks, So you're right,
• 1:26:24
  Speaker 2: it might not. It might not play that life.
• 1:26:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, And seeing yeah, you have to think that everything
• 1:26:30
  Speaker 1: from Griffy on that is in that checklist, it's got
• 1:26:33
  Speaker 1: to be a ten.
• 1:26:35
  Speaker 2: Give me the Jeter that's like a six, that's like
• 1:26:37
  Speaker 2: a ten dollars card. It's greater than the value of
• 1:26:41
  Speaker 2: the car exactly.
• 1:26:42
  Speaker 1: So you got to think that the rest of those
• 1:26:44
  Speaker 1: have got to be.
• 1:26:45
  Speaker 2: They have to be.
• 1:26:46
  Speaker 1: They have to be and the rest of them because
• 1:26:48
  Speaker 1: I think the Minta was a five, right, it was
• 1:26:51
  Speaker 1: a grade at five, and.
• 1:26:52
  Speaker 2: So it was a five to five are better, is
• 1:26:53
  Speaker 2: what I think it was as advertised as.
• 1:26:55
  Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, and so I mean I think in the
• 1:26:57
  Speaker 1: fifties you're probably looking at all fives. Be in the
• 1:27:00
  Speaker 1: sixties they might be able to bump the you know,
• 1:27:02
  Speaker 1: sixties seventies up into a seven.
• 1:27:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 1:27:05
  Speaker 1: Then honestly, from cal Ripken forward, which is eighty two,
• 1:27:08
  Speaker 1: I I hope my redemption to ten. Yeah, yeah, because
• 1:27:13
  Speaker 1: same thing in that Bo Jackson car. If it's not
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 1: a ten, it's it's nothing. Okay. Well, that's gonna wrap
• 1:27:19
  Speaker 1: us up here for Top Series two twenty twenty six.
• 1:27:22
  Speaker 1: So lots of fun I think. Still there's gonna be
• 1:27:25
  Speaker 1: lots of great Murrorcami cards. Those White Sox spots and
• 1:27:28
  Speaker 1: all the breaks are going to be really expensive, which
• 1:27:31
  Speaker 1: is rare and funny to say out loud, where you know,
• 1:27:34
  Speaker 1: along with Dodgers and Yankees, especially Dodgers with that set
• 1:27:38
  Speaker 1: of the World Series autographs is probably going to be
• 1:27:40
  Speaker 1: the next expensive after the White sox if not more
• 1:27:43
  Speaker 1: expensive than white sox, so something keep in mind if
• 1:27:46
  Speaker 1: you're out there working through breakers, but otherwise you should
• 1:27:48
  Speaker 1: be able to find Top Series two on shelves everywhere
• 1:27:51
  Speaker 1: where you buy cards on June tenth, either retail environments
• 1:27:55
  Speaker 1: like Targets, Myers and Walmart's or your local hobby store.
• 1:27:59
  Speaker 1: So keep that in mind as you are looking to
• 1:28:02
  Speaker 1: rip those cards. And if you hit anything cool, you
• 1:28:05
  Speaker 1: can hit us up at cards Categories at gmail dot
• 1:28:08
  Speaker 1: com or reach out to us at cards Categories on
• 1:28:11
  Speaker 1: Blue Sky, where we love to see all the hits
• 1:28:13
  Speaker 1: that you've got. It's fun to see what people are
• 1:28:16
  Speaker 1: ripping as they are listening to the podcast. Brew Let
• 1:28:19
  Speaker 1: everybody know where they can find you and read your work.
• 1:28:22
  Speaker 2: Yep, find me in Twitter, ex Blue Sky, jaberwer one seven,
• 1:28:25
  Speaker 2: find me ras Ball doing hitter profiles, Top one hundred
• 1:28:28
  Speaker 2: hitter rankings on Saturdays. Coolly, before we get usual there,
• 1:28:31
  Speaker 2: I've found something. I got a nineteen eighty eight Tops
• 1:28:35
  Speaker 2: oversized card. I'm gonna set a side for you. This
• 1:28:37
  Speaker 2: is Darnell Coles and I because I'm that guy that
• 1:28:41
  Speaker 2: has cards sitting around everywhere during this podcast. You made
• 1:28:44
  Speaker 2: this joke about this card earlier about how much you
• 1:28:46
  Speaker 2: hate the oversized cars. You've found a top loader. You
• 1:28:49
  Speaker 2: know how long it took me to find this in
• 1:28:51
  Speaker 2: a monster box sitting next to me, ten seconds because
• 1:28:54
  Speaker 2: it sits out so bad. So I'll be to set
• 1:28:56
  Speaker 2: this aside for you and anybody that makes a on
• 1:29:00
  Speaker 2: your post on Blue Sky about this. You know, maybe
• 1:29:04
  Speaker 2: we can put this up for auction and we'll send
• 1:29:07
  Speaker 2: them a Darnell Coles from nineteen eighty eight tops.
• 1:29:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. You can use it as like a bookmark.
• 1:29:12
  Speaker 1: You can use it as a divider for the rest
• 1:29:14
  Speaker 1: of your cards. Yes, it will stand in your butt
• 1:29:16
  Speaker 1: bike spokes and let's let's use it.
• 1:29:18
  Speaker 2: For what was made for.
• 1:29:19
  Speaker 1: Good luck finding any of those big nineteen eighty eight
• 1:29:23
  Speaker 1: with any corners that are sharp impossible?
• 1:29:26
  Speaker 2: Absolutely all right, folks can where can find? Folks? Find
• 1:29:29
  Speaker 2: you coolly?
• 1:29:30
  Speaker 1: Yes, you can read my written work over at Baseball Perspectus,
• 1:29:32
  Speaker 1: where I'm continuing to do starting pitching roundups on a
• 1:29:36
  Speaker 1: weekly basis. It is behind a paywall, but certainly go
• 1:29:39
  Speaker 1: out there and support all of the independent baseball media
• 1:29:43
  Speaker 1: to get all of the best writing available to you,
• 1:29:46
  Speaker 1: including Rasball subscriptions. There will be links to that in
• 1:29:49
  Speaker 1: the show notes. Helps you with the hitter Tron, helps
• 1:29:52
  Speaker 1: you with the streaminator, really really great stuff that's coming
• 1:29:55
  Speaker 1: out constantly as well as I know. Has Rudy added
• 1:29:58
  Speaker 1: a tool recently? Will I'll just kick out pick up
• 1:30:01
  Speaker 1: suggestions for you for rasball commentary leagues based on the
• 1:30:06
  Speaker 1: ownership levels. So if you're just totally lazy in you're
• 1:30:09
  Speaker 1: RCL or any other league, Rudy's done all the legwork
• 1:30:13
  Speaker 1: for you. He can give you a handful of names
• 1:30:15
  Speaker 1: to pick up. You will also see a link to
• 1:30:19
  Speaker 1: the gear that we have with cards and categories logos
• 1:30:23
  Speaker 1: emblazoned on it. Check that out if you're looking for
• 1:30:25
  Speaker 1: a new hat or t shirt. And if you're listening
• 1:30:27
  Speaker 1: to this podcast, rate and review us wherever you're listening
• 1:30:29
  Speaker 1: to us. We greatly appreciate it and it helps us
• 1:30:32
  Speaker 1: just spread the podcast into different listeners and get on
• 1:30:37
  Speaker 1: different charts. So thanks for checking out on our podcast
• 1:30:40
  Speaker 1: this week, and you can certainly find us back here,
• 1:30:44
  Speaker 1: same time, same place next week. So take care, everybody,
• 1:30:48
  Speaker 1: Good luck. Rippin Series two out there a