Let’s be honest - I may not be the best at coming up with catchy article titles, but I am a fan of Simon & Garfunkel as well as the Bangles (Hazy Shade of Winter? Someone? Anyone?). How could I not take the opportunity to have a punny title when I spend a lot of my day coming up with bad dad jokes for my daughter? However, I think the title is appropriate since this product is really all about Ke’Bryan Hayes in my opinion.
Part two of the three part Flagship release by Topps, referred to as Series 2, which released today (June 11). You can see my preview for Series 1 that came back out in February here. I’ll touch on a couple of different topics, but for the most part I will focus on the Main Attraction, the rookies with base cards in the product.
Independence Day Parallel
Design
The base design is the exact same as you will find with Series 1, and you will also find this carried through to Update Series later in the year. My opinion hasn’t really changed since we got Series 1 in hand - I like the design with the exception of the names being hard to read and the disappointment around the independence day parallel which in previous years has been one of the better ones, but not so much this year.
Configuration
I’m repeating myself (my wife is not surprised), but this will be exactly the same as Series 1. Hobby configurations will come in two varieties, hobby and jumbo. Hobby gets you one guaranteed hit - an autographed card OR a relic card. Jumbo gets you three guaranteed hits - one autographed card AND two relic cards. You’ll also get one silver pack with hobby boxes and two silver packs with jumbo boxes, which are some of my favorite flagship cards every year. At the time of writing, hobby boxes are running between $120 - $150 while jumbos are around $230 - $260. I anticipate Topps to sell hobby boxes direct from their website on release day and if they keep with the Series 1 pricing, they will be $79.99. In addition, there will be all the various retail formats including blasters and hangers which have already been on the shelves for about a week now.
Additional Notes
A couple more items to mention before we get to the Main Attraction:
There are 6 teams with no base rookie cards: Angels, Indians, Mets, Nationals, Rockies, and Royals
Series 1 had a throwback insert in paper and chrome dedicated to the 1952 Topps design. Series 2 will do the same thing but with the 1965 Topps design. I like both designs, so no complaints here.
No “Through The Years” cards in Series 2. Hallelujah! One of the worst inserts in recent memory that regularly fooled unwary and newer collectors thinking they hit big cards when the complete opposite was true. Good riddance.
Main Attraction
The Main Attraction in Flagship releases are the base rookie cards and all of their associated parallels. Collectors typically consider these cards to be a rookie’s True Rookie Card (TRC) and they hold a comparatively significant demand over most other rookie cards. Before we jump into the breakdown of the rookie checklist, a quick refresher on how I roughly think of my Tiers.
Tier One - Cream of the crop. Combination of high-end Hit and Power tools that wont end up as designated hitters. Power/Speed combo players. Elite SP1 pitchers (very rare). Potential for being perennial All-Stars and award winners.
Tier Two - Bats that may lack in a certain area such as top end power, three true outcomes players, may be great real life/fantasy players, but not hobby-elite. High end SP2 pitchers with additional positive factors such as team, arsenal, pedigree, etc.
Tier Three - May have some hobby interest due to a single factor such as prospect pedigree, team interest, general hobby hype, an interesting carrying tool, etc.
Tier None - The likelihood of widespread short term hobby interest, and most likely long term as well, is close to none. Plenty of pitchers, catchers, role players, hit tool only bats, defense first players, etc. to be found here. Hobby lottery tickets where the odds are stacked against you.
Tier One
Ke’Bryan Hayes - Pirates - One of the headliners in the product, he exceeded most people’s expectations when he debuted in 2020 with five home runs in just under 100 plate appearances. High-end defensive and a plus hit tool have never been in question for Hayes and that will always provide a very safe floor for Hayes. Couple that with newfound power and his potential to be hobby elite suddenly takes a large percentage jump. Unfortunately he has dealt with a wrist injury for the majority of the 2021 season which has made it a bit of an unknown on how real his power surge was. As we’ve seen, some of the rookie success stories from 2020 have struggled out of the gate in 2021 and we haven’t had the opportunity to see how that plays out with Hayes. Putting all that aside, there is still strong interest and belief in Hayes from all perspectives - real life baseball, fantasy baseball, and the hobby. And I still believe. He’s the clear number one Tier One chase in the product.
Alex Kirilloff - Twins - Along with Hayes, the other rookie headliner in the product is Alex Kirilloff. The 2016 first rounder of the Twins has long been held in high regard with a strong prospect pedigree. Some injuries along the way as well as more recently putting time in at 1B have delayed his debut, but there is a lot to like here. A strong hit tool and above average tools across the rest of the board with the exception of the speed aspect all lead to a good base for hobby interest. An injured wrist this year has made it difficult to read the tea leaves of a less than stellar statline so far in 2021. With health and a full season of play, I can easily see a .300 average in his future. The power should be able to reach and possibly exceed the 30 home run plateau, and hitting in the middle of what has recently become a strong Twins lineup should help accentuate it. While I am not all-in with Kirilloff turning into a hobby elite player, I still think there is a better than average chance which is enough for me to tip the scales in including him in Tier One as opposed to Tier Two.
Tier Two
Jazz Chisholm - Marlins - I really really really wanted to slide Jazz into the bottom of Tier One. His electric personality reminds me a lot of Tatis and he started 2021 off hot ending up on the highlight reel regularly. Prospects Live’s own Ian Smith has him pegged as .250/.260 hitter with 20 home runs and 20 steals paired with gold glove defense up the middle, and I tend to agree. This is roughly tracking where he is at the moment in 2021 as well. Normally that profile ends up in the middle of Tier Two or possibly the top of Tier Three if there are other negatives, but the intangibles push Jazz to the top of Tier Two and had me heavily considering pushing him into Tier One as the hobby likes to latch onto those things. My co-host on the Local Card Pod, Ryan Rygiel, restored a bit of sense with me after I expressed my irrational exuberance for Jazz, so he rightly ended up at the top of Tier Two. But of this Tier Two group, he is far and away the most likely to reach Tier One hobby status in the future.
Jake Cronenworth - Padres - Along with Jazz, he is at the top of Tier Two for me and then a gap and then everyone else is essentially the bottom of Tier Two. Some people may even feel like he deserves a slot in Tier One, but I don’t think he will ever be more than a “really good” player. I don’t see him as a perennial all-star or award winner and thus he falls into Tier Two. Someone that hits .280 with 20 to maybe 25 home runs on a good team is always going to drive interest, but without that added angle like Jazz carries with him, he likely won’t ever be hobby elite.
Trevor Rogers - Marlins - Rogers prospect status and tools set didn’t lead to a Tier Two evaluation pre-season, but his performance this year has made it difficult for me to keep him out of this Tier. He’s got 6 wins with a sub-2.0 ERA at the moment and a very nice looking statcast page. He also is in the early running for NL rookie of the year along with fellow teammate Jazz Chisholm. I had him more pegged as a backend starter and he could fall back to that once the league figures him out, but for now he’s firmly in the Tier Two grouping.
Brailyn Marquez - Cubs - Marquez is the opposite of Rogers. The only pitcher in the product whose tool set and physical presence indicates an SP2 ceiling. He throws upper 90’s heat and can touch triple digits while possessing promising secondaries in a slider and change up. The main challenge for Marquez will be his command and control. If he doesn’t figure that out and the Cubs aren’t patient enough, they may just send him to the bullpen, but I think he will be given plenty of opportunities before that happens. Unfortunately we haven’t seen anything from Marquez yet this year as he dealt with COVID in the pre-season, so that may keep his market somewhat depressed in the short term.
Brent Rooker - Twins - The main reason I put Rooker into Tier Two is his power potential. There is easy 30 home run power here. The problem is his age as he is almost 27 (the clock is ticking) and lack of position potentially limiting his ability to accumulate the expected lofty home run totals. Time is running out, and a year from now he may just be a Tier Three hobby player, but I still will slot him into the bottom of Tier Two and keep dreaming.
Tier Three
Zach McKinstry - Dodgers - A Dodgers prospect development success story in what now seems like a monthly occurrence, McKinstry was on fire for a hot minute towards the end of April before picking up an injury. Recently back on the MLB roster, he hasn’t done much, but it is only a couple of games so far. Prior to the season, he was seen more as a bench bat/utility player type, but his hot streak definitely shot the evaluation way up to an everyday regular and perhaps better. I am putting him at the top of Tier Three for the moment, and honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up in Tier Two, Tier Three, or Tier None by the end of the season. The Dodgers are a strong collecting team as well, so that is also a plus for his hobby status worth noting.
Pavin Smith - Diamondbacks - Having a successful run so far this year is one of the main reasons Smith is in Tier Three. Outside of that, there really isn’t anything interesting with the player profile. A really safe floor now that he is in the outfield, but he likely doesn’t get to more than 20 home runs and could easily end up platooning if Arizona had a stronger lineup. Hard to deny someone playing well, but we have to keep our eyes wide open with our future expectations for Smith.
Lewin Diaz - Marlins - There is a decent floor with Diaz, and if he can get some further swing improvements to tap into his expected power, he could find some hobby relevance. I’m sticking him in Tier Three because I do think that is a good possibility, but at the moment, with no further development, he probably belongs in Tier None.
Sam Huff - Rangers - The power here is a no doubter and if he didn’t have the catcher penalty, I would consider perhaps pushing him into Tier Two. The ability to regularly get to his power is the other negative factor here. He will have a large amount of strikeouts and not enough walks to counterbalance that. A nice, but admittedly small sample size, debut will likely drive some hobby interest, but we haven’t seen him at all this year due to knee surgery. Until we see him healthy and hopefully improving his hit tool, he’ll remain near the top of Tier Three.
Luis Campusano - Padres - Somewhat of a surprising call-up in 2020 due to trades and injuries for the Padres since he had never played above A ball. Being so raw, it wasn’t a surprise that he didn’t set the world on fire with his callup or even when breaking camp with the team this year. He’s held his own after being sent down to Triple A this year and absolutely killed it in 2019 in High A. He is easy to dream on as an offensive-first catcher that can hit for average as well as power, so I am slotting him here in the Tier Three catcher glob.
Alejandro Kirk - Blue Jays - It’s really hard to include catchers above Tier Three, but Kirk’s bat and personality make me want to push him up there. Ultimately I don’t think he gets to enough in-game power nor enough playing time to force me to elevate him to Tier Two, at least in the short term. Unfortunately going on the IL at the beginning of May hasn’t given him the chance to prove me wrong. With the Blue Jays catching situation being pretty abysmal, Kirk really has the opportunity to seize this job when healthy and hopefully we get to see him ball out and prove me wrong.
William Contreras - Braves - The younger brother of Willson, he has a good floor of a backup catcher with the potential to perhaps be an everyday regular if he can refine his aggressive plate approach. He’s already put five over the wall this year, but he’s never hit more than eleven in a minor league season. It’s unlikely we see more than 20 in a season from him, especially if he isn’t the starting catcher, but he might be trying to prove me wrong this year. And the Braves have one of the better catching prospects in the minor leagues with Shea Langeliers, possibly dimming the future outlook of Contreras’s playing time. A catcher that doesn’t have a standout hit tool or shown much minor league power that likely may not own the full time job long term doesn’t normally get outside of Tier None, but the Braves are giving him the opportunity to succeed or fail at the MLB level. That says something for a catcher not yet 24 years old, and so I am optimistically sticking him at the bottom of the Tier Three catcher glob.
Jose Garcia - Reds - Garcia has changed his name to Jose Barrero to honor his mother after she passed away from COVID recently. As much as I like Barrero from a real life and fantasy perspective, he has a few things going against him from a hobby perspective. He is a hit over power player and he did not have a successful debut. The hobby can be quite unforgiving when that happens even though Garcia/Barrero was very young and raw, especially on the offensive side, when he debuted in 2020. Strong defense will provide a floor of an everyday player, but without development on the power tool without sacrificing the hit tool, he won’t get much further than Tier Three. I’m optimistic Garcia/Barrero figures it out and does end up generating some hobby interest in the long term.
Estevan Florial - Yankees - See that team name right before these words? That’s why Florial is in Tier Three. I feel like Florial has been a prospect to chase in the hobby off and on for years now, and he’s finally getting some MLB run. He’s got the power we like and could stick in center field, which helps take some pressure off of his bat as it needs a lot of work. If he was on any other team, he ends up in Tier None given the hit tool concerns, crowded MLB roster’s outfield (when it’s healthy), and platoon risk.
Ha-Seong Kim - Padres - Kim had a lot of folks excited when he signed for the Padres in the off-season, but he has yet to live up to the hype, at least offensively. Like a lot of NPB and KBO imports, he has struggled with his first taste of the MLB and is not playing full time. The times I have caught Padres games, he has looked the part on the defensive side of the ball, so there is something to build off of. If he didn’t have the KBO success and built-in additional international appeal, then Kim would easily land in Tier None given his performance thus far, but I am sliding him into the bottom of Tier Three in the short term.
Luis Garcia - Astros - Debuted in 2020 and has continued to pitch a bit above expectations of a backend starter - a profile the Astros seem to get the most out of. I have vacillated back and forth between putting him in Tier Three and Tier None, but will stick him in Tier Three given his strong performance thus far.
Ryan Weathers - Padres - A complete unknown player putting up the so-so numbers Weathers is currently and possessing the same tools likely ends up in Tier None. He’s pitching decently but isn’t a strikeout pitcher and will likely go back and forth between backend SP and long relief/swingman roles. Being a top 10 overall pick in his draft year, the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year his senior year in high school, and the son of ex-major leaguer David Weathers all deliver some small bits of hobby interest that push him into the bottom of Tier Three.
Daz Cameron - Tigers - A chance to make it as an everyday center fielder with no standout tools doesn’t usually equal anything but Tier None, but Daz has the personality and legacy status that interests the hobby enough to bump him into Tier Three.
Jahmai Jones - Orioles - Past prospect pedigree is the main reason he slides into the bottom of Tier Three. Without that, he almost certainly ends up in Tier None. Positional flexibility, athleticism, and speed are the attractions with Jones and the hope is that a new organization is able to turn his minor league talents into major league assets as the Angels didn’t seem able to do so. The lack of power means he is going to have to succeed in almost every other manner for him to gain hobby relevance.
Tanner Houck - Red Sox - Really strong 3 game debut late in 2020 and on a more collectible team pushes him into the bottom of Tier Three. However the backend starter/high-leverage reliever profile, especially if a third pitch doesn’t fully develop, and current forearm injury concerns could easily lead me to push him into Tier None. For the moment, I will slot him into the bottom of Tier Three.
Daulton Jefferies - Athletics - Prospects Live fourth overall A’s prospect adds some interest to at least see what Jefferies has to offer. Mid-rotation starter with a very effective change-up. That in and of itself deserves some recognition as a strong base to start from and with further development he could make a name for himself, but he needs to stay healthy and that has been a challenge. He slips into the bottom of Tier Three, but I wouldn’t argue if someone thought he should be dropped down to Tier None.
Tier None
Ryan Jeffers - Twins - I waffled back and forth on Jeffers - a strong small sample debut in 2020 has not been repeated so far in 2021 as he was sent down to the minors after scuffling to start off the year. Add in a decent set of tools and I almost assuredly would have had him in Tier Three if I had done this list back in March. With the recent lack of performance, the catcher penalty, and Mitch Garver likely at least owning half the job in Minnesota or even more likely being the primary option, I am slotting Jeffers at the top of Tier None.
Garrett Crochet - White Sox - Two standout pitches with his Fastball and Slider combo, Crochet is almost assuredly a future elite closer. The main thing stopping him will be his health, which has been a significant question the entirety of his short time on the scene. He has struggled a bit with walks this year as well, but hopefully this is not something to be worried about over the long term. If he had zero health questions, he would be in Tier Three all day long, which is about the highest a back-end bullpen arm can get.
Shane McClanahan - Rays - I wanted to put McClanahan in Tier Three because he can strike out the yard and has a really nice slider to sit major league hitters down. Unfortunately he has been hit around a bit, has a history of arms issues, likely doesn’t ever get a full shot at starting as long as he’s in Tampa Bay, and probably ends up in some sort of bullpen role wherever he plays. I can squint and see an argument to move him up to Tier Three with the strikeout skills, but that’s not enough for me to get him there.
Tejay Antone - Reds - Antone has turned into a Bullpen Weapon™ for the Reds since debuting last year. He features a strong and balanced three pitch mix and doesn’t care which side the batter is swinging from. While there is the capacity to start in his profile, he has been so successful in his current role that I don’t see the Reds changing that any time soon. And therein lies the hobby’s likely lack of interest - a pitcher that doesn’t start and won’t garner many saves. Pitching Ninja can only push Captain Hook so far and even that pub won’t get him elevated out of Tier None unfortunately.
Josh Fleming - Rays - Soft tossing pitcher with strong command and control who starts as well as follows in the Rays progressive system. It’s possible that he can get out of Tier None if he reaches the 1% outcome of Kyle Hendricks for this type of profile, but I’m not betting on it.
Miguel Yajure - Pirates - A promising young arm that was acquired from the Yankees as part of the Jameson Taillon trade, he’s recently been shelved due to the dreaded “elbow soreness”. Putting that aside, his ceiling is likely a mid-rotation starter that could push into the bottom of Tier Three, but with the uncertainty of arm issues, he drops down into Tier None.
Sherten Apostel - Rangers - Trending towards a 1B/DH type that has hit tool deficiencies. Nice power gives you hope that if he can put the ball on the bat enough AND gets the playing time, he could give you some short term hobby goodness. But there are so many players of this type that while I don’t mind taking a shot on him, I feel like I would rather speculate elsewhere. If, and it’s a big if, he can stick at third base, I would be more willing to take the shot on him, but the likely future third baseman in Texas is Josh Jung and not Apostel. I get a very strong Aristedes Aquino type vibe where he finds a 3 week hot streak with 11 home runs and the hobby gets real irrational real quick on buying his cards.
Clarke Schmidt - Yankees - Schmidt had most Yankees fans excited during the 2020 Summer Camp that he was ready to step into a rotation role with the team in the 2020 season, but he only had a couple of relief appearances at the beginning of September and one start at the end of September and they weren’t too encouraging. He possesses a strong fastball curveball mix with a decent changeup that will give him the opportunity to see if he can stick as starter. There is some reliever risk, especially in New York with the money they spend on Free Agent starters as well as all of the arms they have in their system. We are probably looking at a mid-rotation SP ceiling, which on a collectable team like the Yankees pushes him into Tier Three territory. But he is currently rehabbing from a forearm issue on the 60-day IL and I just feel uncomfortable that he ever gets the full opportunity in New York, so I am slotting him towards the middle of Tier None until he can get a solid rotation role.
Jared Oliva - Pirates - I briefly considered putting him in Tier Three because if he can get to some of the raw power that we thought might be there, he suddenly becomes a bit more interesting as long as he sticks in center field. A very small debut sample size in 2020 and he hasn’t done anything in 2021 due to an oblique strain makes it easier to stick him into Tier None.
Mickey Moniak - Phillies - The shine has significantly come off the former number one overall pick to the point where he is most likely a fourth or fifth outfielder that provides some defensive and platoon value. If you already weren’t out on him from a hobby perspective, you should be.
Jonathan Stiever - White Sox - A backend starter that could be more if he can consistently bump up his fastball velocity from low 90’s to mid 90’s. Until then, he’ll hang around the Tier None grouping, but definitely someone I could see moving up into Tier Three with some positive development.
Braxton Garrett - Marlins - A backend left-handed starting pitching profile that can throw three different breaking balls with his curveball being the best of the bunch. Not going to blow you away with his fastball and currently pitching in Triple A for the Marlins. Not much to be excited about for the hobby.
Tucker Davidson - Braves - A left-hander with inconsistent stuff that likely see-saws between a spot starter and long relief. If he can find some consistency and further development and trust in his secondaries, he could end up sticking at the back end of a rotation, but there isn’t much to see here from a hobby perspective.
JT Brubaker - Pirates - Nothing special spot starter/long-reliever that has been getting regular starts in Pittsburgh because there isn’t much in the Pirates rotation at the moment. I don’t see anything much here to be interested in.
Johan Oviedo - Cardinals - Fastball Slider pitcher that has a couple of third pitch options, but at the moment should probably stick to the Curveball and ditch the Changeup as it is getting smashed. He probably vacillates between a backend starter and long relief throughout his career, but with his frame and further development around command/control and a third pitch, you could dream on him ending up as a useful mid-rotation piece that deserves more of a Tier Three profile.
Dean Kremer - Orioles - Very similar thoughts as fellow Orioles pitcher Keegan Akin below, he has been given more opportunities to start than Akin has, so he slides in just above him. Had three good starts when he debuted and then got smashed in his final 2020 start. 2021 has been more inconsistent and most of it on the negative side. Can’t see any long term hobby interest here.
Keegan Akin - Orioles - Was inconsistent in his debut season and has been pitching out of the bullpen until his last two outings. This is likely the profile for Akin in the future - a backend/spot starter that will likely bounce between the bullpen and the rotation, especially after Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall take over two of the five rotation spots in the near future.
Mark Mathias - Brewers - Org depth second baseman that has started to show a useful bottom of the order offensive profile from a real life baseball perspective, but not from a hobby perspective. Add in the fact that he underwent season ending shoulder surgery last month and there really is nothing further to be interested in.
Jonathan Arauz - Red Sox - Not much to write home about with Arauz. A bench speed option that provides middle infield defensive depth. Being on a collectible team is the only interesting thing here, which isn’t enough to push him out of Tier None.
Taylor Widener - Diamondbacks - Currently on the IL due to a groin issue, Widener is the classic back-end rotation profile with a decent fastball and secondaries but lacking just that something that pushes him into a more solid future rotation piece without any bullpen risk. While his ERA looks good in a small sample, his FIP and Statcast do not. He had two good starts and two so-so starts in April but unless something changes significantly, he will languish in Tier None.
Zack Burdi - White Sox - Late inning, high leverage reliever profile with the requisite high 90’s fastball, a litany of injuries has prevented him from reaching that expectation. With health you would hope he can develop some consistency to lead to hitting his ceiling, but even then there isn’t much here other than perhaps a few years of a closer role which won’t drive much hobby interest.
Andy Young - Diamondbacks - A utility bat that can put the ball over the fence but will struggle to hit. Especially confusing is that in his small sample in MLB his struggle has been with fastballs, which is the opposite of his prospect report. Regardless, I don’t see anything with Young that would lead me to believe he shouldn’t be anyone other than Tier None.
Rafael Marchan - Phillies - Floor of a backup catcher with good defensive skills and a decent hit tool that could lead to a future starter role, but no pop to speak of, pushing him down into Tier None.
Jonah Heim - Rangers - Backup catcher acquired by the Rangers as a secondary piece in the Elvis Andrus for Khris Davis trade. That’s about the most interesting thing to say about him at the moment.
Julian Merryweather - Blue Jays - Currently dealing with an oblique strain and progressing slowly in his return from it likely kills any immediate interest in his cards. A relief pitcher with high leverage/closer potential that drives only minimal interest, a current injury completely pushes him off the hobby radar.
Drew Rasmussen - Rays - Reliever that can get a fair amount of strikeouts with his Fastball/Slider combo that was part of the Rays return from the Brewers for Willy Adames. May end up in a high leverage role at some point because pretty much everyone in Tampa Bay gets that opportunity, but also likely never ends up as a long term shut down closer that would generate even a modicum of hobby interest.
Yohan Ramirez - Mariners - Strong stuff but doesn’t have the needed command and control to harness it yet. A potential future closer, he is still raw and needs some further development, but likely never reaches hobby relevance.
Jojo Romero - The JuCo Bandit and RedBull meme king unfortunately had to get TJ surgery recently. Minus the personality, there is literally nothing to be interested in. Even with it, the TJ surgery has temporarily ended our ability to see him crush red bulls on his way out to the mound, and crushed our dreams of any potential hobby interest.
Adonis Medina - Has a decent three pitch arsenal led by his change-up and could end up as a decent back of the rotation piece, but that is likely his ceiling. Otherwise he ends up in long relief/swingman territory. Either way, that is easily a Tier None card.
Matt Foster - White Sox - Middle reliever that was more effective in his 2020 debut season than he has been this year. I don’t see any obvious reason why that is, so maybe teams just have a book on him now. Regardless, there is no reason to have any hobby interest here.
Jake Woodford - Cardinals - 2015 first round pick that has not lived up to the draft capital spent. An up and down middle relief arm that can throw a variety of pitches but lacks the velocity from the right side to be anything more than what he is at the moment.
Jose Marmolejos - Mariners - Strikes me as the prototypical Quad A player and those guys don’t end up having any interest from the hobby.
Luis Alexander Basabe - Giants - There once was a lot of hype in the prospect community around Basabe given his athletic toolset and notoriety as part of the Chris Sale trade package along with Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech. Fast forward a few years and those tools haven’t translated into baseball skills. Emergency outfield depth and bench pinch runner is now the realistic profile which does not play in the hobby.
Enoli Paredes - Astros - Bullpen arm that may end up in a high leverage role long term, but nothing really to write home about. Moving on.
Tom Hatch - Blue Jays - Backend starter profile that is recovering from an elbow impingement. That does not equal hobby goodness.
Andre Scrubb - Astros - Two pitch reliever (Cutter & Curve) that may end up in a high leverage role, but so far hasn’t been anything special. Easy pass.
Jordan Weems - Athletics - Converted to pitching in 2016 and likely ends up as a bullpen arm long term. No interest.
2021 Topps Series 1 Yermin Mercedes Auto Card
Final Thoughts
Before the checklist was posted, I was anticipating Yermin Mercedes getting a base rookie card in the product. Unfortunately he gets the Series 1 treatment here as well where he only gets a single autographed card. His star power, even though he has cooled down lately in real life baseball terms, has not waned at all. Inclusion of his base rookie card would have driven demand for this product significantly higher. Hopefully he excels over the rest of the season to make his rookie base card debut in 2021 Topps Update Series just as desirable then as it would have been now.
Secondly, unlike Series 1 where I felt like a number of players in Tier Two had potential to elevate to Tier One, that really isn’t the case with Series 2. Only Jazz Chisholm, and maybe Jake Cronenworth, are bets worth thinking about for rookies that could get there any time in the near future.
At the end of the day, you should collect what you love, but you should also collect smartly, and hopefully this article helps you do that.
For more info on the overall checklist, team set breakdowns, inserts, etc., go check out Ryan Cracknell’s Product Details over at Beckett.