2008 Topps Series 1 baseball

2008 Topps are one of more easily recognisable sets from recent years. The cards have a bold white border and circular font on the top of each card featuring the team name. The Series One packs featured Man Ram standing in front of a Japanese rising sun.

2008 Topps is a 660-card set split between two series. Each has 330 cards.

The set is also most remembered for 'gimmick' cards. 

Card #234 The Boston Red Sox celebration card featuring New York City mayor Rudy Guiliani and card #FS1 Kazuo Uzuki, a fictional Japanese baseball player. Apparently not a 'gimmick' but an April Fools prank. 

The pack cost $1.99 and contains 10 cards in the pack, although if there is a relic card the pack will contain 8 cards.

There are no Red Sox that I still need from this set.

The pack:

#12 Jason Bartlett Twins

#46 Zack Greinke Royals

#52 Trevor Hoffman Padres

#118 Marco Scutaro Athletics

#127 Steve Pearce Pirates

#155 Carlos Zambrano Cubs

#209 Andy Phillips Yankees

#251 Dan Johnson Athletics

#272 Anthony Reyes Cardinals

#MHR525 Mickey Mantle Yankees

By far the best card in the pack!

2008 Upper Deck First Edition UPDATE baseball

Wow what a long convoluted name for a baseball set. There are still three cards that I still need to complete this set, although none will be in this pack as cards numbered 301-500 are available in update:

 #183 Tim Wakefield, 

#190 Manny Ramirez , 

#259 Clay Buchholz

There are 10 cards per pack, 1 of these should be a Starquest card (and possibly a Yankee Stadium legacy)

The pack:

#313 Melvin Mora Orioles

#322 Sean Casey Boston Red Sox

#334 Orlando Cabrera White Sox

#368 Miguel Tejada Astros

#424 Alex Rodriguez Yankees

#442 Zach Duke Pirates

#469 Brad Wilkerson Blue Jays

#478 Carl Crawford Bay Rays

#496 Odalis Perez Nationals

#SQ-43 Derrek Lee Cubs 

2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition

Back to the hostage packs from Cardboard Junkie. These two packs were not wrapped as shown above but came in a clear foil wrapper, which may have been a free addition to another product. There are three cards per pack, so the only card you don't already know is the middle card. The card that collectors were after in this product was the Gordon Beckham rookie.
The whole base set is 100 cards and the Red Sox available are:
#4 Adam Mills
#59 Josh Reddick
#66 Kyle Weiland
#84 Ryan Pressly
#91 Tim Federowicz
#95 Tyler Yockey

Pack 1:

#15 Charlie Fairbush Detroit

#49 Jesse Darcy Tampa Bay

#56 Josh Reddick Boston

Pack 2:

#13 Brent Morel Chicago

#61 Justin Bristow Chicago

#91 Tim Federowicz Boston

Lovely two Red Sox from two packs. Charlie Furbush- seriously????

2008 Upper Deck Series 2 rack pack

A great deal was said at the time of its unveiling in 2008 but the photography was a big plus on this set. It outweighed Topps big time for effort however it still didn't stop the demise of Upper Deck a short while later. The photography is certainly crisp and clear, all cards appear to be action shots and, the entire front of the card is taken up with photo. I think they refer to it as full bleed. Great work from Upper Deck. This set was definitely better than some of the others Upper Deck offered in the same year, X, Heroes, Documentary or Timeline and cannot be compared to Goudey or Masterpieces as they were aimed at different sort of collector.

There was a whopping 799 cards in this set, of which 32 are the Red Sox. They are:
221 Tim Wakefield
222 Daisuke Matsuzaka

223 Julian Tavarez

224 Hideki Okajima

225 Manny Delcarmen

226 Doug Mirabelli

227 Dustin Pedroia

228 Mike Lowell

229 Manny Ramirez

230 Coco Crisp

309 Clay Buchholz RC

373 David Ortiz CL

384 Clay Buchholz HL

429 Josh Beckett

430 Jon Lester

431 Curt Schilling

432 Jonathan Papelbon

433 Jason Varitek

434 David Ortiz

435 Jacoby Ellsbury

436 Julio Lugo

437 Sean Casey

438 Kevin Youkilis

439 J.D. Drew

440 Alex Cora

736 Dustin Pedroia SH

744 Josh Beckett SH

745 Kevin Youkilis SH

747 Mike Lowell SH

773 Josh Beckett CL

786 David Ortiz SH

795 Josh Beckett SH

The rack pack Big B sent my way contains 36 cards, which includes 2 Diamond Collection exclusives.
The pack:
#405 Justin Upton D-backs (x2)
#424 Braian Roberts Orioles
#432 Jonathan Papelbon Red Sox
#448 Ronny Cedeno Cubs (x2)
#462 Carlos Quentin White Sox
#495 Ivan Rodriguez Tigers
#505 Mark Hendrickson Marlins
#508 Cody Ross Marlins
#517 Geoff Blum Astros
#527 Alex Gordon Royals
#535 John Lackey Angels
#547 Jonathan Broxton Dodgers
#555 Eric Gagne Brewers
#567 Craig Monroe Twins
#584 Ramon Castro Mets
#586 Mariano Rivera Yankees
#592 Shelley Duncan Yankees
#615 Matt Morris Pirates
#628 Khalil Greene Padres
#632 Micael Barrett Padres
#638 Randy Winn Giants
#648 Mike Morse Mariners
#707 Johnny Cueto Reds
#709 Scott Kazmir Bay Rays SH
#728 Wesley Wright Astros
#735 Derrek Lee Cubs SH
#748 Ryan Braun Brewers SH
#763 Indians checklist
#769 Padres checklist
#777 Tigers checklist
#789 Jimmy Rollins Phillies SH
#4456 Reggie Jackson YSL
#DC-10 James Shileds Bay Rays
#DC-11 Jarrod Saltalamacchia Rangers
A solo Red SoxThanks for those two packs Big B. I was beginning to forget how good it feels to open packs.

2008 TriStar Projections

I will be very honest and say I know very little about Minor League baseball, except to say it appears very organised structure with teams affiliated to a Major League outfit. So when I purchased these packs from e-bay (quite a while ago now) I need to conduct some research, as every good author should before proceeding with my review. I have four packs to analyse to see whether, in the three years since these cards came out, if any of these players made the show and secondly, as the name of the blog suggests, whether any of the minor league players are part of the Red Sox affiliation.  

My first observation is that there are some brilliant Minor League club names. I know people have chuckled at English Football team names and nicknames, they are nothing in comparison to Minor League monikers. My favourite from this pack being the High Desert Mavericks. Top Gun and Shane connotations aside, these guys are not just any old mavericks. Not low desert but high desert mavericks. I would love to collect a particular club on the merits of the name alone.

 

#2 Kelvin DeLeon  DSL Yankees 

At this point in his career he was palying for the Dominican Summer League and given a $1.1 million signing bonus. He must be some player. Currently he is playing for the A team (A league?, A divison?) Charleston River Dogs, in the Yankees organisation. The RiverDogs are advertising a Festival of Beer. You have go to love these Minor League clubs. 

# 190 Max Sapp Lexington Legends Houston Astros A

Unfortunately Max contracted meningitis in 2008. He has not played since then and was released by the Astros just this year.

 #181 Chris Tillman High Desert Mavericks Seattle Mariners Adv.A

Chris was traded to the Orioles in 2008 and made his MLB debut  for the Orioles on the 29th July 2009 vs Kansas City Royals.

 #24 Tommy Hanson Rome Braves Atlanta Braves A

Finally a name I recognise. Made his MLB debut for the Braves on the 7th June 2009 vs Milwaukee Brewers.

 #162 Justin Jackson GCL Blue Jays Rookie Blue Jays

Justin is currently playing for Dunedin Blue Jays A+.

#142 Hector Correa Jameston Jammers Florida Marlins SS 

Acquired by San Francisco Giants from Florida in exchange for Ronny Paulino on March 27, 2009. Currently playing for the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels. I wonder if Bullwinkle is a mascot? 

# 109 Danny Rams GCL Twins Rookie Minnesota Twins

Still with the Twins affiliation and currently playing with A+ Fort Myers Miracle

 

#189 John Mayberry Jr. Frisco Roughriders AA Texas Rangers.

Another fantastic club name 'roughriders'. John Jr.was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in Nov 2008 for Greg Goulson and made his MLB debut on the 23rd May 2009 vs Yankees. His father John Mayberry Snr. was a first basebman for the Astros, Royals, Blue Jays and Yankees between 1968 and 1982.

So out of a pack of 8 prospects, 3 have advanced to a MLB debut, 4 are still playing Minor league ball and 1 has left baseball altogether because of ill health. That sounds like a pretty good ratio, however I don't know the percentage of Minor League players that advance further than AAA.

2008 Upper Deck Timeline

The head of my school has visited the USA again. I wasn't specific this time around about cards that I would like, although I did say anything with Allen+Ginter written on it would be fine. She was unable to find any A+G, but made some super choices. Purchased from a Dollar-Tree in a Florida Mall (would I love to spend a few hours looking around one of these places!) were 8 packs of 2008 Upper Deck Timelines. There was an interesting insert in the Timeline series, which were printed in the style of the 1994 UD All-Time Heroes. I made a half-hearted attempt to collect this black and white set, after picking up a large number on e-bay. It is a nice looking set, so I may go back to it.
There are a large number of Red Sox available in this set, plenty of rookies (6 Clay Buchholz's)and frustratingly, many short prints. They are:
#15 Jason Bay
#30 David Ortiz
#32 Daisuke Matsuzaka
#53 Clay Buchholz (RC)
#66 Jed Lowrie (RC)
#67 Justin Masterson RC
#72 Jonathan Van Every RC
#120 Jonathan Van Every 92 ML RC
#136 David Ortiz 94 ATH
#144 Josh Beckett 94 ATH
#168 Daisuke Matsuzaka 94 ATH
#176 Clay Buchholz 94 ATH
#186 Chris Smith 95 STP (RC)
#222 Jacoby Ellsbury 04 TT
#223 David Ortiz 04 TT
#225 Daisuke Matsuzaka 04 TT
#226 Clay Buchholz 04 TT (RC)
#227 Jed Lowrie 04 TT (RC)
#228 Justin Masterson 04 TT RC
#288 Jason Bay 04 TT
#315 Clay Buchholz 93 SP (RC)
#335 Jed Lowrie 93 SP (RC)
#340 Clay Buchholz 94 SP (RC)
#346 Justin Masterson 94 SP (RC)
#365 Clay Buchholz 95 SP (RC)
#385 Jonathan Van Every 95 SP (RC)

Pack 1:
#26 Randy Johnson D-backs
#30 David Ortiz Red Sox
#35 Roy Halladay Blue Jays
#44 Frank Thomas Atletics
#105 Clay Timpner Giants
#244 Carlos Gomez Twins
Pack 2:
#10 Chase Utley Phillies
#28 Derek Jeter Yankees
#32 Daisuke Matsuzaka Red Sox
#46 Torii Hunter Angels
#115 Fred Lewis Giants
#283 Greg Smith Athletics
Pack 3:
#18 Ryan Braun Brewers
#45 Vladimir Guerrero Angels
#50 Erik Bedard Mariners
#122 Matt Joyce Tigers
#196 Joakim Soria Royals
#297 Erik Bedard Mariners

Pack 4:
#14 Derrik Lee Cubs
#15 Jason Bay Red Sox
#19 Prince Fielder Brewers
#33 B.J.Upton Bay Rays
#69 Mican Hoffpauir Cubs
#241 Travis Hafner Indians
Pack 5:
#1 Jose Reyes Mets
#17 Ken Griffey JR. White Sox
#37 Grady Sizemore Indians
#79 Josh Banks Padres
#135 Ryan Braun Brewers
#204 Rich Hill Cubs

Pack 6:
#12 Jimmy Rollins Phillies
#31 Manny Ramirez Dodgers
#48 Ichiro Mariners
#127 Rico Washington Cardinals
#170 Ryan Howard Phillies
#194 Jeff Keppinger Reds

Pack 7:
#8 Chipper Jones Braves
#11 Ryan Howard Phillies
#38 Travis Hafner Indians
#88 Burke Badenhop Marlins
#153 Hanley Ramirez Marlins
#6168 Andy Pettitte Yankee Stadium Legacy

Pack 8:
#3 Carlos Beltran Mets
#21 Tim Lincecum Giants
#29 Chien-Ming Wang Yankees
#39 C.C.Sabathia Brewers
#70 Jeff Niemann Bay Rays
#144 Josh Beckett Red Sox

Not bad for $8, plenty of Red Sox and 1994 All-time heroes reprints.
I would seriously love a 'Dollar-Tree' just down the road.

2008 Tristar Prospects Plus

My friend Mark went on a trip to the USA last year and took his son, an avid Red Sox fan, to a Pawsox game at McCoy Stadium. He did the same thing the year before and his son left the game loaded with all sorts of goodies and he was able to 'run the bases' after the game as well. I am impressed with the way the affiliated clubs treat the future fans, unfortunately he didn't go the night Jacoby Ellsbury bobbleheads were being given away.

There is a healthy number of Red Sox prospects available in the 2008 Tristar sets, so there is a good chance of pulling one from this solitary pack of cards.There are six cards per pack with the tantalising promise of 'Farmhand' Autographed cards and 'Potential' game used Memorabilia. Buster Posey and Tim Beckham feature prominently on the pack.

The Red Sox cards available from this set are:

17 Casey Kelly PD
18 Ryan Westmoreland PD
29 Tyler Wilson PD
41 Pete Hissey PD
51 Tim Federowicz PD
55 Bryan Price PD
61 Jonathan Hee PD
82 Derrik Gibson PD
83 Pete Ruiz PD
95 Stephen Fife PD
102 Hunter Cervenka PD
104 Ryan Lavarnway PD
105 Kyle Weiland PD
107 Christian Vazquez PD
109 Mike Lee PD
137 Bryan Price, Stephen Fife, Kyle Weiland
138 Pete Hissey, Ryan Westmoreland, Bryan Peterson
139 Tim Federowicz, Christian Vasquez
140 Mike Lee, Mitch Herold
141 Lance McClain, Kyle Weiland
147 Pete Ruiz, Tyler Wilson, Seth Garrison, Alex Hale
148 Bryan Peterson, Tyler Yockey, Jonathan Hee

This pack contained:

#24 Reece Havens Brooklyn Cyclones
#55 Bryan Price Lowell Spinners
#74 Josh Lindblom Great Lakes Loons
#89 Tyler Chatwood Angels
#104 Ryan Lavarnway Lowell Spinners
#149 Chicago's future pitching Bristow/Leverton/Matchulat
So there you have it. Two Spinners and 'a Loon'. I just wish I knew more about Minor League ball.

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces

Big B sent along this pack of Masterpieces. With only 4 cards per pack you would think this would a difficult set to collect, however if you are a regular of 'Check Out My Cards', finishing the base set it not too difficult. Collecting all the colour variations that is a different story.

There are no Red Sox that I need from the base set.

The pack:

#7 Evan Longoria Bay Rays

#12 Wade Boggs Red Sox

#52 Ken Griffey Jr. Reds

#56 Jose Reyes Mets

Not a bad pack really. All that was missing was a short print. Pity they didn't try again with Masterpieces.

2008 Topps Series One

This series has now probably been done to death now. However a friend went to the 'States'. I say friend it was a relative of the neighbours. If I hear of a person visiting the US I ask them ever so politely, to look out for baseball cards, preferably packs. I usually come up short but hit a little jackpot of sorts for this US visit. Packs, 4 of, 2008 Topps. Not bad really. The pedigree of these packs? Wally World? Target? A card show? No. These packs came from a 7-Eleven store in Florida, apparently they went for a Slurpee.
The last time I opened some 2008 Topps sent by James this happened. Lets see if history repeats itself.

Pack 1:

#4 Rick Ankiel Cardinals

#8 Stephen Drew D-backs

#64 Mike Lowell Red Sox

#94 Bud Black Padres

#104 Kevin Youkilis Red Sox

#119 Jeremy Hermida Marlins

#131 Norris Hopper Reds

#148 Gerald Laird Rangers

#169 Adam Lind Blue Jays

#308 Felipe Lopez Nationals

Pack 2:

#3 Jeff Suppan Brewers Gold 0432/2008

##41 Rich Aurilia Giants

#119 Jeremy Hermida Marlins

#131 Norris Hopper Reds

#140 Brandon Webb D-backs

#180 Jose Valverde D-backs

#201 Matt Capps Pirates

#220 Roy Oswalt Astros

#234 Red Sox World Series

#319 Joey Vitto Reds

Pack 3:

#6 Felix Pie Cubs

#28 Kyle Kendrick Phillies

#80 Alex Rios Blue Jays

#88 Jack Cust Athletics

#90 Vladimir Guerrero Angels

#182 Billy Buckner Royals

#231 Casey Blake Indians

#256 Alex Rodriguez Yankees

#321 J.R.Towles Astros

#MMS50 Mickey Mantle

checklist 1/3

Pack 4:

#23 Chin-Lung Hu Dodgers

#77 Angel Guzman Cubs

#98 Classic Combos Howard&Utley Phillies

#115 Johan Santana Twins

#154 David Ross Reds

#210 Mark Teahen Royals

#214 C.J.Wilson Rangers

#225 Hunter Pence Astros

#250 Jonathan Papelbon Red Sox

#CO8-JB Joseph Biden Democrat

Well, pulled the Red Sox World Series card again, but the common variety. I somehow get the feeling that these packs know beforehand that there are no cards I need.
Red Sox count - 4 cards from 4 packs.

2008 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects Baseball

They forget the K.I.S.S motto~ Keep it Simple Stupid ~ with this set.
There are 55 cards in the Bowman base set.
There are 55 cards in the Bowman Chrome base set.
There are 110 cards in the Bowman Prospects base set.
There are 110 cards in the Bowman Chrome Prospects base set.
There are parallels for the Bowman: Red, Blue, Gold and a printing plate.
There are parallels for the Bowman Chrome: Red, Orange, Gold, Blue, Refractors, X-Fractors, Super fractors and printing plates.
I won't go into the variety of autographs...
This pack came from Rob at Texas Rangers Cards. There 7 cards in every pack of which 2 are Bowman Chrome.

The pack:

BDP1 Nick Adenhart Angels

BDP48 David Robinson Yankees

BDP17 Jaime Garcia Cardinals Chrome

BDPP16 Shane Dyer Bay Rays Chrome

BDPP63 Matt Cerda Cubs Gold

BDPP77 Cliff Pennington Athletics

BDPP101 Fernando Martinez Mets

No Red Sox!
The Resume, Skills and Up-close information on the back is very interesting. But if there is one thing I have learnt from these cards, about the up and coming players, is that they cannot sign their name for toffee. Most look like a scribble. It might be a minor complaint but they must know that there is a possibility of hitting the big time and their signatures will be sought after. A little effort and practice. I know a minor and very picky complaint.

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces

The first pack from Dayf. A product which I thought was brilliant in 2007 and 2008. But will it still be around in 2009?

The set consists of 120 base cards, of which 30 were short prints.

There were many parallels included: the Black and Red were not serial numbered. The other colours were: Navy (/125), Brown (/100), Green (/75), Blue (/50), Silver (/25), Gold (/10), Light Blue (/5) and Red (1/1).

There were inserts: Stokes of Genius, Captured on Canvas-jersey, patch, patch+autograph and jersey+autograph (seriously a set collectors dream!)

There are 4 cards per pack.

The pack:

#18 Alfonso Soriano Cubs

#26 Grady Sizemore Indians

#47 Prince Fielder Brewers

#81 Ichiro Mariners

No Red Sox, but still a really nice set. Excellent choice of pack Dayf.

2008 Topps Update and Highlights

There are 330 cards in the base set.

There are parallels: Gold Foil, Gold (#'d to 2008), Black (#'d to 57), Platinum (1-of-1), Silk Collection (partial parallel #'d to 50),

There are inserts: 55 Chrome Refractors Rookie Box Loaders, 100 Sketch cards (1 of 1), 25 2009 World Baseball Classic, 58 Year in Review (#'d 121 to 178), 10 N.Y. Mets Ring of Honor, 11 WS Ring of Honor, 41 First Couples and the usual relics, autos, 1 of 1 stuff.

These packs came from bj610 Topps Blog. There are 12 cards per pack.

Pack 1:

#UH1 Kosuke Fukudome Cubs

#UH44 Ryan Sweeny Athletics

#UH52 Derek Jeter Yankees

#UH69 Chad Moeller Yankees

#UH74 Corey Patterson Reds

#UH128 LaTroy Hawkins Astros

#UH153 Armando Galarraga Tigers

#UH186 Wes Littleton Rangers

#UH233 Grady Sizemore Indians

#UH267 Gregorio Petit Athletics

#FC1 George and Martha Washington

#TCP34 Evan Longoria Bay Rays

Pack 2:

#UH42 Chip Ambres Padres

#UH73 Jonathan Albaladejo Yankess Gold 1735/2008

#UH110 Jose Valverde Astros

#UH148 Paul Hoover Marlins

#UH152 Steve Trachsel Orioles

#UH155 Jay Bruce Reds

#UH174 B.J.Carrasco White Sox

#UH192 Craig Hansen Pirates

#UH198 Andy LaRoche Pirates

#UH295 Aaron Miles Cardinals

#UH330 Johan Santana Mets

Checklist 3/3

#TCP38 Adrian Gonzalez Padres

Pack 3:

#UH71 Mariano Rivera Yankees

#UH73 Jonathan Albaladejo Yankees

#UH136 Ramirez & Pujols

#UH137 Evan Longoria Bay Rays

#UH145 Kip Wells Rockies

#UH157 Mark Hendrickson Marlins

#UH287 Chase Headley Padres

#UH289 Chris Gomez Pirates

#UH305 Ben Francisco Indians

#UH316 Ben Sheets Brewers

#RH-DC David Cone Yankees

#YR131 Mike Mussina Yankees

Ah those Baseball Gods they mock me! Not a single Red Sox. Plenty of Yankees, Yankees, damn Yankees.

Thanks to James for these great packs. I presume the last considering the Red Sox pull from the Topps Series One.

2008 Topps Series Two

The set consists of 330 card base set (#'d 331 to 660)

The Parallels are : Gold (#'d to 2008), Black (#'d to 57), Platinum (1-of-1), Silk (partial parallel #'d to 50)

The inserts are: 25 Topps Stars, 25 Trading Card History (#'d 51 to 75), 55 Topps All Rookie Anniversary (#'d 56 to 110), 60 Year in Review (#'d 61 to 120), 55 Historical Match-ups, 50 Home Run Derby (#'d to 99), Usual relics, autos and cut signatures.

These are three more packs from bj610 Topps Blog. They contain 12 cards per pack.

Pack 1:

#339 Troy Percival Bay Rays

#393 Michael Cuddyer Twins

#394 Mark Ellis Athletics

#426 Franklin Gutierrez Indians

#470 Tom Gorzelanny Pirates

#472 Shaun Marcum Blue Jays

#507 Mark DeRosa Cubs

#510 Justin Vaerlander Tigers

#572 Adam Eaton Phillies

#598 Bruce Bochy Giants

#602 Overbay & Wells Bay Rays

Checklist 3/4

#MM61 Mickey Mantle

Pack 2:

#351 Bobby Crosby Athletics

#427 Carlos Guillen Tigers

#494 Paul Maholm Pirates

#535 Francisco Rodriguez Angels

#569 Brad Hennessey Giants

#573 Tom Gordon Phillies

#580 Ken Griffey Jr Reds

#604 Wily Mo Pena Nationals

#610 Carlos Beltran Mets

#611 Garret Anderson Angels

#636 Rafael Betancourt Indians

#AR89 Ty Wigginton Mets

Pack 3:

#368 Michael Bourn Astros

#420 Nick Swisher White Sox

#424 Aaron Harang Reds

#428 Jair Jurrjens Braves

#431 Delwyn Young Dodgers

#475 Adrian Gonzalez Padres

#490 Albert Pujols Cardinals

#512 Placido Polanco Tigers

#541 Adam Jones Orioles

#594 Mike Morse Mariners

#620 Gary Sheffield Tigers

#TS8 Chipper Jones Braves

Not a sausage. Not one Red Sox in the three packs. I must have burnt all my luck on the series one packs. Some damn fine names among the baseball fraternity though Ty Wiggington. Brilliant.