I had a pretty busy Saturday but I did find a few minutes to squeeze in at the LCS. They have been moving from one location to another so things are a bit in disarray at the moment but I could find what I was looking for. No new products this week as apparently they were gearing up for a big Magic tournament last night, but whatever. I did purchase a stack (about 8 packs) of 2017 Donruss Baseball and a couple packs of Select Football. The Select packs are a bit on the pricey side ($12.99) so two was enough. Of course, I’m still sitting on a box of 2017 Donruss that I haven’t gotten around to opening so I’m having some fun with the LCS packs in the meantime.
I really like the 2017 Donruss design this year. It’s very similar to the dreaded 1990 design but is not that ridiculous red color. They are very clean looking this year and I will likely build the set as I have since 2014 when they came back on the market. I am not deterred by the lack of MLB licensing. I like the product and will probably build the set each year if it stays similar to what it is now. On to the packs I bought today.
I scored two Diamond Kings, one of my all-time favorite subsets in the Donruss catalog. Those were Christian Yelich and Gregory Polanco.
The next little batch of cards I pulled was my Bravos. A nice Dansby Swanson along with the Matt Kemp and Freddie Freeman. We’re tied for 1st place right now so I’m still excited!
For my man Cliff (@oriolesrise), I picked up Zach Britton, Adam Jones and Mark Trumbo. Adam Jones has been an absolute BEAST in the WBC. Watch him close this year!
The Cubs hit nicely with the big names Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and this nice Pink Back Ben Zobrist.
Two of my favorite cards from the rip came from the Pirates. I don’t know why I’ve been drawn to their uni’s all of a sudden but these two cards show the classic look with Andrew McCutchen and Willie “Pops” Stargell. Unfortunately, it was Stargell and not Pops.
A few of the shiny things I pulled from the pack (which I know @basecardhero likes) were an Elite Xander Bogaerts (#’d to 49), American Pride J.B. Bukauskas, Carlos Correa Statline (#’d to 357), Robinson Cano Gray Border (#’d to 199) and this nice Retro Pedro Martinez (#’d to 500).
I pulled three of the nickname variations. Those were Kyle Seager “ROY”, Josh Donaldson “Bringer of Rain” and Duke Snider “The Duke of Flatbush”. I really like these variations!
Last but not least, I pulled this nice Diamond Collection Yankee Pinstripe Patch of Jacoby Ellsbury. I’m not a Yankee guy but this is a nice looking patch. Sorry gang, @manniscards has already spoken for this one!
The two Select packs were fairly uneventful. These are all of the cards I pulled. The two variations were the red of Cam Newton (#’d to 49) and the blue of Vic Beasley (#’d to 99). I love Beasley so that one is a keeper.
I continue to be pleased with the Donruss packs I rip so I’m really looking forward to ripping that box. I have two 2016 Donruss football boxes that I haven’t opened too along with an Optic box I haven’t opened. I may just have a Panini Party Weekend and rip them all! But likely, I’ll get to them one at a time….who am I kidding? As for the Select, they are nice and I like the set but I don’t envision investing in a box of these so the cards will likely go out in a giveaway soon. I’m really just keeping PC items and set building so be on the lookout!
J-Dub
I have yet to buy any packs of Donruss since then came back. I like my unis to have logos and the like. Why does Donruss need to color red numbers dark blue or black? Most of the shots don’t work for me–see the Cutch or Trumbo cards. But others do–see the Seager or Cano cards. Maybe if they did tighter headshot crops or just above where uniform logo would be it might appeal to me more. There are too many pics show players backs or ends of swings.
I have yet to buy any packs of Donruss since then came back. I like my unis to have logos and the like. Why does Donruss need to color red numbers dark blue or black? Most of the shots don’t work for me–see the Cutch or Trumbo cards. But others do–see the Seager or Cano cards. Maybe if they did tighter headshot crops or just above where uniform logo would be it might appeal to me more. There are too many pics show players backs or ends of swings.
I certainly understand a dislike for an unlicensed product. There are several shots that look odd. I just have a strong pull to Donruss and I like the design of the card, especially this year. I also like the insert rate that Donruss offers. I get where you’re coming from though, if you’re going to be unlicensed, choose your photography wisely.
And with the blue/black number comment are you referencing the Kemp card? That was actually an alternate uni they wore last year that did that. Wasn’t a fan favorite.