Target Does Right by the Little Guy - 2018 Bowman Mega Box

I stopped at the local Target last night to see if they had any Bowman Mega Boxes. I checked the card aisle and the toy section, and they didn't have them. I almost skipped going today while I was out on errands, but I decided to at least give it a shot. There wasn't anything in the card aisle, but as I approached the toy aisles I saw a small crowd gathered. Target had actually posted an employee near the Mega Box display, and he was rationing them out with a limit of four per customer. I saw one guy who looked like he might be looking to fight the Target worker, but he eventually took his four boxes and moved on. I asked for three boxes, and the employee handed them over. I also told him that I appreciated what they were doing, and he said that they try to do that if they feel a product is hot and likely to be cleared out and scalped by resellers. He said that if I have friends who are looking for Mega Boxes, they have some more in the back, and they can go and ask for them. If you're in Nampa, Idaho or thereabouts, they had Mega Boxes as of noon today.

Here is what the box looks like. The box is bigger than a blaster, with fewer packs, and it's a bit cheaper than a blaster. The real draw here is the 2 Mega Box exclusive Chrome packs.

Here are the odds and whatnot from the back of the box. You've got your usual assortment of inserts, parallels, and autographs.

These were the highlights of the regular Bowman packs from my first box. Nothing too crazy here.

Here are the highlights from the initial two packs of Mega Box Chrome. The Green parallel of Heliot Ramos is # 09 / 99. 

Here are some highlights from the regular Bowman packs in the second box I opened. I should probably be showing off more prospect cards, but I don't know any of those guys. Kyle Tucker is one of the hotter prospects the Astros have coming up. I just learned that the Astros released one of my PC guys, Jon Singleton, after he tested positive on another drug test and earned himself a 100-game suspension. He wasn't likely to make the big-league roster again anyway, but getting suspended again for drugs isn't the way to make yourself attractive to any other teams out there. I'm guessing that this might really be the end of the line for him when it comes to baseball.

There was some color in this Mega Box. The Jorge Mateo Gold parallel is # 16 / 50, while the Purple #Trending insert of Sixto Sanchez is # 150 / 250. Ronald Acuna and Royce Lewis are some pretty good base pulls.

The last box I opened gave up some Astros, Vlad Jr., one of the Braves' hot players, and some other stuff from the regular packs.

The inserts from the Mega Box packs weren't that interesting (to me), but I did get Kyle Tucker, Shed Long, and Adbert Alzolay from the base cards.

This wasn't an earth-shattering break, but I was glad to have a chance at opening a few Mega Boxes. I thought it was pretty cool of the local Target to ration them so that more people could have a chance, although not everyone at the store today felt the same.

2018 Bowman

I managed to track down some of the latest hot product, 2018 Bowman Baseball. I was obviously chasing some of the latest hotness in Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuna, but I decided to take pictures of a bunch of cards. I got some blasters and some value packs, with the value packs containing exclusive Camo parallels.

One of the fun and maybe confusing things about Bowman is that the base product is really three products. There is a checklist for established players, another checklist for prospects, and a Chrome parallel of the prospect checklist. You get some mixture of these three card types in each pack, along with any inserts or parallels you might come across. I chose eight of the base cards to show off here, including my only Ohtani pull, some Astros, a couple of other famous guys, Ozzie Albies, and Zack Granite.

Here are some of the prospect base cards I pulled, including a couple guys I've actually heard of, like Ronald Acuna, Scott Kingery, and Vladimir Guerroro Jr.

Here are a few of the Chrome prospects I got. I've heard of about half these guys, as I am not much of a prospector. Most of the Bowman guys I know about are players who have already been promoted to an MLB roster, are going to be promoted very soon, or have been touted on Zippy Zappy's blog.

Matt Sauer is one of the guys who I recall seeing on Zippy Zappy's recent Bowman rundown post. These are some of the Camo parallels I got from the value packs.

There were three numbered parallels among my breaks. The Gold Shimmer Refractor of Jose Trevino is numbered # 08 / 50, the Purple Refractor of Ibandel Isabel is numbered # 198 / 250, and the Sky Blue parallel of Miguel Cabrera is numbered # 237 / 499. The seeding on these cards really kind of drives home for me how much Bowman must be printed. I realize that seeding on Hobby packs is probably much easier, but still, let's take that Miguel Cabrera card as an example. Sky Blue parallels are numbered # / 499. There are 100 cards in the base set, so there should be a total of 49,900 of them printed. They are seeded 1:95 packs, and 95 x 49,900 = 4,740,500 packs out there in the world. Again, the Hobby odds should be easier, but that's still an awful lot of baseball cards.

Even though I didn't hit anything super exciting from these packs, I did enjoy the break. Having three different types of base card gives some variety to each pack, and it seemed like there were also plenty of inserts among my packs. One of my favorite inserts is the recurring Bowman Scouts' Top 100, which is a list of a hundred top prospects in baseball, arranged in order. You can see that the meter in the bottom left corner is red for top prospects, yellow for medium prospects, and green for the lower portion of the list. Every year I think about building this insert set, but so far I haven't gotten around to it in any season.

The #BowmanTrending insert is the obligatory nod to social media, since young prospects are probably all about the Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. Players who have a social media presence get their handles added to the nameplates on their cards, while players without public profiles get the generic @bowmancards. 

I am not sure what to think about these Bowman Birthdays inserts. Maybe there is a sell sheet out there that explains them, but it appears to be an insert set dedicated to players born in 1993. This is a decent collection of talent, but I just don't know the meaning behind it.

The Talent Pipeline insert shows players from each team's A, AA, and AAA affiliates. It's a decent insert idea for a prospect-based product.

Finally, there is a 2018 ROY Favorites insert, showcasing players who have a shot at the 2018 Rookie of the Year award. I can almost guarantee that none of the guys I pulled will win a Rookie of the Year award in 2018. Word on the street is that MLB will allow the Angels to play half a season in the weakest NL division so that Shohei Ohtani can win the AL and NL Rookie of the Year awards.

And that's the rundown of my 2018 Bowman breaks. It was pretty fun to bust open a bunch of packs of this stuff, and I may pick more of it up if I can find it.

Jon Singleton and George Springer Panini Cards

I want to blog about cards, but I also kind of don't want to do anything at all. I am currently in Spokane, Washington, for some job training. That doesn't really have much to do with my lack of motivation, though. I've been feeling the same way at home lately, too. I guess it's just a symptom of my depression. I am normally pretty down anyway. My baseline mood is other people's low. I am used to it, though, and manage to be pretty functional and relatively happy a lot of the time. It seems like every 5-6 years, though, I go through an extended period where I just can't seem to get going on anything for a few months, and I barely function. I guess it's more of a physical depression than a mental one. I'm right in the middle of one of those periods now. I've been meaning to get to my doctor to see about a medication adjustment or something, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. It's all just part of the fun of managing a chronic illness, I suppose.

Speaking of a chronic illness, it seems like the Astros' offense can't generate any run support this year. I just got done watching Justin Verlander do everything he could (8 IP, 14 K, 0 BB, 3 H) to keep the team in a game against the Yankees, and the bats couldn't even generate a single run to back him up. Of course, the bullpen immediately gave up 4 runs after Verlander left the game, but I have to imagine things could have been different if there were a couple runs on the Astros' side of the scoreboard.

I think I already have at least one copy of all the cards in this post, but how can I turn down dirt-cheap relic cards of player collection guy Jon Singleton, especially when some of them feature George Springer, too? These all come from 2015 Panini Elite baseball.

This last one is pretty cool because it's a Christmas Card, bearing the coveted # 12 / 25 serial number. I think I have # 14 / 25 on the way to my house as we speak, because I have a hard time saying no to these things. This one has a pretty cool patch embedded in it, though, so I have that going for me.

Blog Bat Around: My All Autograph Team

Zippy Zappy came up with the most recent Blog Bat Around idea, trying to build the best autograph roster possible using cards from your collection. His rules require you to trim your list down to a starting roster full of position players, a designated hitter, a starting pitcher, two relievers, and a closer. I looked at that and decided that instead I would try to build a full 25-man roster. I ran into a little trouble with filling out my pitching spots, but in the end I was able to build a full 25-man roster. It's made up of a mixture of my favorite players as well as the best guys I could find for a given position. If you just want to see which players I picked to match Zippy Zappy's format, you can skip past all the pictures and go to the bottom of the post.

Catcher - Craig Biggio

Craig Biggio played most of his career as a second baseman, but he played a few hundred games at catcher. That's good enough for me to justify placing him here in my roster. This beautiful autograph relic card came to me as a prize in a contest over at Collecting Cutch.

First Base - Wally Moon

Here's another guy who I'm playing out of position a little bit. He played 136 games at first base and his 1963 Topps cards lists his position as OF - 1B, so I'm putting him here. I just had a lot of outfielders on my list, and not a lot of good autographs featuring first basemen.

Second Base - Jose Altuve

I'm lucky I got this card recently, as it is my first autograph of the Astros' star second baseman, Jose Altuve. It's a nice-looking card, and it hasn't been featured here on my blog yet. He fits right in on an all-time roster, as the defending AL MVP.

Shortstop - Omar Vizquel

I think this card is still in my collection. I pulled it from a box of Topps High Tek. Vizquel may not quite be a Hall of Famer, but he'll be a solid defensive presence for my team. I kind of wish I had a Carlos Correa autograph for this spot, but I don't.

Third Base - Yangervis Solarte

Third base was kind of a black hole in my collection when it comes to autographs, so Yangervis Solarte is my guy here. So far this year, he's the 32nd-best hitter in fantasy baseball, although I imagine that ranking will fall a bit as time goes on.

Left Field - Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson was primarily a right fielder, but he made 834 appearances in left field. He won the 1958 NL Gold Glove award for his play in left field, so I think he'll do all right there for my team. I waited three years for Topps to send this Topps Archives redemption for a framed mini autograph, and by the time they sent it they couldn't be bothered to put the frame on it.

Center Field - Fred Lynn

Fred Lynn gets my center field spot. A lot of the autographs in my collection come from Topps Archives products, and this one is no different. This is probably one of the first autographs I pulled when I got back into collecting in the middle of 2013, and it even came out of a retail blaster. I have typically had terrible luck with retail breaks of Archives, but not this time.

Right Field - George Springer

Going back to the home team for The Raz Card Blog, we've got George Springer in right field. That's where he's made the majority of his appearances so far, so I didn't have to push him out of position to get him onto the roster.

Designated Hitter - Aaron Judge

I have a nice power bat in my DH spot, with Aaron Judge looking to follow up his monster rookie year with another great season. I pulled this autograph from a blaster of Gypsy Queen before Judge-mania really set in and baseball cards disappeared from store shelves.

Catcher - Evan Gattis

My back-up catcher is Evan Gattis. I had to find an excuse to get this card into this post, as it's one of my favorites from my collection. I went crazy on 2014 Topps Stadium Club, and this was a card I pulled from the product.

Bench - Bo Jackson

The potential of Bo Jackson was undoubtedly greater than the reality turned out to be, but I was at a very impressionable age when Bo Knows was everywhere. If there was a Hall of Hype, he could be one of the first guys inducted.

Bench - Josh Reddick

I couldn't get all of my main player collection guys onto this list, but I think Reddick will fit in just fine on this roster. I watched him hit a grand slam tonight to go along with another home run, so he's got power in his bat. He is better known for his glove, though, making acrobatic catches at the wall. I have autographed cards featuring him as an Astro, but I like the way this one from his time on the A's looks.

Bench - Francisco Lindor

I probably should have picked an infielder who plays more positions for this bench spot, but Lindor has been about as good as it gets at the shortstop position over the last couple of years. I guess my manager will have to work out those playing time issues.

Starting Pitcher 1 - Randy Johnson

I've got a pretty decent staff ace here in Randy Johnson. This is the other card in this post that hasn't been featured here on the blog yet. I got it a couple of months ago, but just haven't found the right moment to post it. He put up a lot of numbers, and was probably one of the most intimidating guys to ever step foot on the mound.

Starting Pitcher 2 - Phil Niekro

My second starting pitcher is another Hall of Famer, knuckleballer Phil Niekro. Batters should be suitably bamboozled by his offerings the day after facing Johnson's flamethrower stuff. 

Starting Pitcher 3 - Luis Tiant

I went with Luis Tiant as my next starter. I considered a couple of other guys for his spot, but I couldn't deny his career numbers and kept him in the rotation.

Starting Pitcher 4 - Roy Oswalt

Oswalt was one of the key pitchers during the Astros' last run to the world series, and for several years he was a perennial Cy Young contender. He never quite got there, with a large part of that thanks going to Randy Johnson. Not a bad guy to have as your fourth starter. 

Starting Pitcher 5 - R.A. Dickey

He might be the one guy who doesn't quite fit in here, but I can't keep R.A. Dickey off of this team. He does have a Cy Young to his name, although the rest of his career hasn't quite lived up to that. I still like collecting his cards, though, and I want him on my team. Maybe he and Niekro can share knuckleball tips with each other.

Relief Pitcher - Michael Fulmer

I had to bump a couple of starters down to my bullpen. Hopefully their egos can handle it. I'll start off here with the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year. He should be able to handle long relief duties for this team.

Relief Pitcher - Jim Abbott

Jim Abbott may not have had the greatest career on paper, but I couldn't leave this fan favorite off of this roster. He was a career starter, so hopefully he'll be able to eat up some innings out of the bullpen.

Relief Pitcher - Kent Tekulve

Kent Tekulve is the first lifetime reliever in my bullpen, and he was a pretty good one. He spent a couple of years in the Cy Young conversation, made an All-Star appearance, and was a key part of the Pirates' 1979 World Series team. But the real reason he's on this roster is that he always looked awesome on his baseball cards.

Relief Pitcher - Rollie Fingers

Here's another Cardboard All-Star, Rollie Fingers. He's got a great baseball name and the mustache of a silent film villain. He had a Cy Youg award and some World Series rings, but if he gets into the Hall of Fame, there are probably a lot of other relief pitchers who should be in ahead of him. This Blog Bat Around isn't about who should and shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame. I'll still collect his cards and put him on my autograph team.

Relief Pitcher - Charlie Morton

Charlie Morton is another lifetime starting pitcher, but he pitched four innings of relief to close out Game 7 of the World Series last year, so you know he can handle the pressure. His career has been a bit bumpy, but he seems to have found himself in Houston, with a 17-7 record so far as an Astro.

Relief Pitcher - Billy Wagner

Billy Wagner is one of just six players with over 400 career saves, so he gets a spot in this bullpen. I probably should have made him the closer on the team, but he didn't quite make the cut, and instead will play the role of set-up man in my bullpen. He's a 7-time All-Star and a great Astro, so I had to include him on the roster.

Closer - Goose Gossage

Goose Gossage doesn't have as many saves as Billy Wagner, but he's in the Hall of Fame, he has 9 All-Star appearances, he's got a World Series ring, and he threw the ball really hard. He's pretty opinionated, but the eccentric closer is kind of a stereotype in baseball. You've got to be a little off to thrive in the pressure cooker of finishing off baseball games.

So that's the best 25-man roster I could come up with from my autograph collection. I'll type it all out here, and bold my choices if I stuck to Zippy Zappy's restrictions.

C - Craig Biggio

C - Evan Gattis

1B - Wally Moon

2B - Jose Altuve

SS - Omar Vizquel

3B - Yangervis Solarte

IF - Francisco Lindor

LF - Frank Robinson

CF - Fred Lynn

RF - George Springer

DH - Aaron Judge

OF - Bo Jackson

OF - Josh Reddick

SP - Randy Johnson

SP - Roy Oswalt

SP - Phil Niekro

SP - Luis Tiant

SP - R.A. Dickey

RP - Michael Fulmer

RP - Jim Abbott

RP - Kent Tekulve

RP - Rollie Fingers

RP - Charlie Morton

RP - Billy Wagner

CL - Goose Gossage

edit: I was so focused on the relative merits of baseball players that I forgot to include a card featuring the signature of a baseball player's relative! In the celebrity baseball fan spot of my roster, I am selecting Kate Upton, spouse of Justin Verlander, one of Houston's current ace pitchers.

Now my roster is complete. You can't have a good baseball game without some fans in the stands.