The 2025 Topps All-Star Rookie Team...Thoughts?

When I was a bit more active on the blog years ago, one of my end-of-the-season focuses was on who would be named to Topps' All-Star Rookie Teams. Even during the hiatus, every time the ASRT was announced, I'd find my way to Wikipedia and update the Topps All-Star Rookie Team pages and add the newly-named players to the article. I think I've added names to the List of Topps All-Star Rookie Teams page since 2009 (the page itself was created in 2006).

Not only have I updated the team roster list, but if a player who was named onto the ASRT was eventually enshrined into Baseball's Hall of Fame, I updated that important list as well. As of today (the announcement for who will be inducted into Baseball's HOF will take place on January 20) there are 37 Hall of Famers who were named to the ASRT, 35 as players, 2 as managers. Jeff Kent, voted in by the Contemporary Baseball Era committee last month, now ranks among this special group.

Back to the point.

In what is probably the latest it was ever announced, on December 30, 2025, Topps named their All-Star Rookie Team:

• Drake Baldwin, C, Atlanta Braves
• Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics
• Luke Keaschall, 2B, Minnesota Twins
• Matt Shaw, 3B, Chicago Cubs
• Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics
• Isaac Collins, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
• Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox
• Jakob Marsee, OF, Miami Marlins
• Cade Horton, RHP, Chicago Cubs
• Noah Cameron, LHP, Kansas City Royals
• Jack Dreyer, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers
• Agustín Ramírez, DH, Miami Marlins

The team includes both of this year's AL and NL Rookies of the year, Drake Baldwin of the Braves and Nick Kurtz of the Athletics.

2025 Topps Update Series Nick Kurtz #US201 and Drake Baldwin #US87

Of the 12 players named to the team, both Roman Anthony and Jakob Marsee did not appear in any of the flagship sets (Series 1, 2, Update). Even their Topps Now cards had a "Call Up" designation, meaning they will have their rookie cards in 2026 Topps products.

As a Cubs fan, it's great to see both Horton and Shaw make the team, making it two years in a row that the Cubbies had a pair of players named to the ASRT (Michael Busch and Shota Imanaga were last year's duo). 

But what do you think of this year's team? Was there someone who should have been named? I keep hearing Caleb Durbin of the Brewers should have been picked over Shaw, but other than that, it seems that other collectors are happy with the list.

I just want to see what the 2026 design looks like so we can see these players' cards are going to look like with the Rookie Cup trophy. We've seen what the packaging is going to look like, so it's only a matter of time.

That reminds me. I still have an extra base set of the 2005 Topps Rookie Cup set...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

2025 Topps Pro Debut: An Unboxing

One of the sets I just try and buy full sets of is the Topps Pro Debut, the official set of MiLB (Minor League Baseball). The reasons are simple:

1. It's not something that's sold on a regular basis at the card shops I do frequent.
2. Not too many people in the area actually collect minor league cards, and those that do are in it for the player or organization, not trying for a full set.
3. That patience issue again.
4. Cost. It's cheaper for me to buy a full set of 200 plus cards online than it would be to buy boxes and not even guarantee a full base set (although this applies to the eponymous MLB sets, at least those are readily available everywhere).

That said, I've managed to get every Pro Debut set since Topps acquired the license back in 2010. Prior to that year, I would not have even considered adding these sets to my collection. But, it's Topps. They've been using the flagship designs on these minor league sets. How can in NOT want to include them, if nothing more as a supplement to the eponymous set. All the Pro Debut sets get their own binders as there is no way that I can fit another 200 plus cards (the 2010 set has 400 cards alone) into a six-inch binder (forget even trying to lift them). 

A couple of weeks ago, I finally hunkered down and bought a base set and, because someone actually had these, a "master insert set" for 2025 Topps Pro Debut. Both arrived yesterday. so tonight, while the Bears are playing their first playoff game since 2021 (season was in 2020) and trying to win their fist playoff game since 2011 (season was in 2010), let's unbox this 292-card master set and see what's inside.

The packaging.

The base Pro Debut set consists of 200 cards. The design is the same as the Major League set, with the two-colored lines along the left side of the card, the team name in outlined all-caps lettering in front of the design element. Along with the Cubs, White Sox, Yankees, etc (thanks to the Arizona and Florida Complex League), teams represented include Carp, Storm, Mighty Mussels, Jumbo Shrimp, Biscuits, Trash Pandas, and Spartanburgers. Yes, the creativity of these minor league organizations are top notch. Among the players in this set that have already made an impact in the majors include Luke Keaschall (Wichita Wind Surge), Kyle Teel (Charlotte Knights). Jac Caglianone (Quad City River Bandits), Nick Kurtz (Midland Rockhounds), Roman Anthony & Kristian Campbell (Worcester Red Sox), Trey Yesavage (FCL Blue Jays) among others. 

2025 Topps Pro Debut Luke Keaschall #PD-193

In recent years, the Pro Debut cards featured the player in gloss finish while the background would be in a matte finish. That does not appear to be the case with this year's product.

2025 Topps Pro Debut Trey Yesavage #PD-45

In recent years, it's been easier to acquire the insert sets, and just like the team names that litter the minor leagues, the concepts of the insert sets are just as varied and unique. This year's sets are no exception.

Ballpark Promos highlight alternate team identities and uniforms that were worn during actual games. Whether the team took part in "La Copa de Diversión" or celebrated a city's local heritage, a nice exposition explaining the significance of the alternate name is included.

2025 Topps Pro Debut Ballpark Promos Dalton Rushing #BP-5

Drafted is a sketchbook inspired insert set with the fronts featuring images that would have appeared to be drawn with colored pencils, while the reverse talks about the player's journey in the MLB draft.

2025 Topps Pro Debut Drafted Jac Caglianone #DF-20

League Elites features players and logos from the respective minor leauges. From the Eastern League (AA),  to the Midwest League (A), the Pacific Coast League (AAA) to the Florida State League (A), and everywhere in between.

2025 Topps Pro Debut League Elites Colson Montgomery #LE-6

Stars of MiLB, just like the Stars of MLB, is pretty much self-explanatory. The best players in the minors in 2024 who were well on their way to the big show are featured. The team logos are large and proudly displayed on the front. 

2025 Topps Pro Debut Stars of MiLB JJ Wetherholt #STAR-12

MiLB Legends features pictures of retired major leaguers during their time in the minors using designs from Topps history (this year's design if based off the 1976 set).

2025 Topps Pro Debut MiLB Legends Alex Gordon #ML-4

One of the things I like to do is open a past year's binder of Pro Debut cards and be pleasantly surprised by the fact that I have a player's minor league card to go along with his MLB rookie card. 

Nick Kurtz's Rookie Card from 2025 Topps Update Series #US201 and 2025 Pro Debut #PD-1

I'm not a prospector by any means, and I know that speculators prefer the Bowman Chrome cards of players they're hoping become superstars in the majors because it's the first card (in most cases) of their subject in a major league uniform. But I like these Pro Debut cards. They do make a great supplement to the major league product. Maybe in 5 years, I'll revisit this set, and appreciate in awe at the fact that I have cards of the now established superstars of the 2030 season before they hit the big time.

2025 Topps Pro Debut Travis Bazzana #PD-100

And maybe that's the whole point of the set in the first place.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Wanted: 2024 Topps 17-Card Team Sets: Dodgers, Brewers, Athletics, Nationals

Every year since 2006, with the exception of 2021, Topps offered 14 to 17-card team sets in team-specific packaging. And every year since 2006, I've been able to acquire all 30 to 32 team sets on eBay thanks to a certain New York-based seller who would post an auction/BIN listing including all 30 regular team sets (for some reason, the two NL and AL All-Star/Superstar sets were not included...but that's not the point here). 

Then 2024 happened. 

The seller put up a BIN listing for all 30 team sets. They allocated 5 of these 30-set lots on this listing. I had it on my watch list with the intent of buying them when I had the funds. But every time I was ready to make the purchase, life happened, and money wound up going to more necessary endeavors. By the time everything settled down and I was ready to buy my annual 32 set order, all 5 lots were gone. When I asked if there were any left, I was told no. And so ended the streak of being able to collect the team sets.

Or so I thought.

In 2025, I not only was able to get all 32 sets, but I started buying each of the sets that I missed in 2024. It wasn't easy. While many of the sets were still listed on the world's largest marketplace, not every set has been available. Some sets were being offered at 3 to 4 times the regular price that I'd be willing to spend. I wound up having to rely on other sites to get certain sets. In the end, I was able to buy 26 of the 30 team sets plus the two AL and NL sets.

I am looking for the following four sets: Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, and Washington Nationals.

In recent years, Topps had these team sets sold at the big box stores, but instead of them being packaged in team-specific colored packaging, they would appear in generic packaging that would not differentiate between teams. The blister packs would show the cards of course, so you'd know what team you're getting, but there would not be a checklist on the back. 

2024 Topps Dodgers Team Set. Not team-specific.

I've seen the above online, but this is not what I want. 

The reason why I am searching specifically for the team-colored packaging is because I want the checklist on the back. I cut them out and include them in the 9-pocket page. The set doesn't feel complete without it.

I'm still looking online for these four sets. Amazon had them, but now they're no longer available. For some reason, the Dodgers, Brewers, Athletics, and Nationals sets are hard to come by. I'm sure they will come up, and I'm checking every day. But you've already heard about my patience issues when it comes to my card collecting. Needless to say, when it comes to these items that should be readily available, I'm at my wits end. 

If you or someone you know has any or all of these specific team sets, please contact me at bdj610@hotmail.com, send me a dm on X/Twitter, send me a Thread, or just leave a comment here. I'd like to put this to rest soon.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Working on the Sports Card Blogroll After All of These Years

It's been a full week since I've returned to this humble, little blog. I haven't forgotten my other little piece of the interwebs, The Sports Card Blogroll.

Even when I was on hiatus, I would still get emails from people asking if they would add their blogs to the site. I would say sure, and in the beginning, it wasn't an issue. But I'd say by 2021 or so, I was having problems adding blogs to the site. I guess Blogger was having problems as the existing templates were no longer working properly and I couldn't add new sites to any of the categories. I would spend days trying to figure it out, but just was having trouble and it drove me nuts. So with everything else with my blogging involvement, I just stopped. For those who reached out and never saw their site on the roll, I am truly sorry.

When I came back, I noticed that a lot has changed with how Blogger functions, from how to compose blog posts to how to add and remove links in the layout. It looks like the new features are working and I started thinking about the big blogroll again. Maybe it's time to revisit it and start removing many of the long, inactive blogs.

I'll be honest, I'm scared, and I'm wondering if it's a fool's errand.

The Trading Card Database (boy I've mentioned them a lot lately), has a section featuring many Hobby blogs. The thing is that even long inactive blogs are still featured. So for six years, for example, the last post I wrote was still up on the site, which probably explains why it received over 10,000 views.

On the first post that I wrote when I announced the creation of the SCBR, I said, "I want to keep as many active blogs on here as possible. There are a number of blogs on other blogrolls that are now either inactive or have not been used in more than six months. If a blog has not been used since...the site will be removed." I guess I'm afraid to see how many I'll have to remove.

There are currently 203 blogs on the site. I know that many of the bloggers who were active at the time I left have moved on to other ventures and are no longer active on their own sites. It will be sad to see them go. However, I do hope to add sites that have thrived in my absence and see the number of blogs on the site grow. Maybe we will never see the number come back to what it was during the blogging heydey of the late 2000's through mid 2010's, but what will remain, I hope, will keep the Hobby Blogging Community going into the next decade and beyond.

If you, or someone you know, has a blog that you would like to have added to the Sports Card Blogroll, please feel free to reach out to me at bdj610@hotmail.com.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Insert Sets Not Talked About Enough: 2022 Topps Fresh Faces

In 2022, Topps issued a product to Hobby shops with the hope of providing a bit of nostalgia to those who remember the purpose of the product: Vending Boxes.

A 2022 Topps Baseball Vending Box.

Younger collectors may be asking: What are vending boxes? A long time ago, Topps sold 500-card boxes of random, unsearched baseball cards from a specific year for entrepreneurs who service vending machines, or for Hobby shops who just wanted quantities of cards for inventory without having to open packs (and dealing with sticks of gum). The vending boxes were not collated, and it was wholly possible to get multiple copies of a card in one box. And because the gum wasn't included in the boxes, the cards were devoid of the gum-stains that plagued cards that the confection would have touched. Topps' vending boxes have been around since the late 1950's, and were manufactured by the company through 1990 (I have not seen any boxes from 1991 and beyond).

A Vending Box from 1987

Each 2022 Topps Vnding Box contained 165 cards from the series 2 set plus five insert cards that could only be found within. The set, called Fresh Faces, featured 25 players who qualified for RC logo status, including a number of players who made their MLB debut in 2022. Three years later, many of these players have become established veterans, with multiple All-Stars among the 25-player checklist.

 2022 Topps Fresh Faces Julio Rodriguez FF-3

Because of the limited availability of this product, not too many collectors may have known the existence of these insert cards. I certainly didn't. I only stumbled upon the product when searching the Bay mindlessly. Someone managed to get all the cards together and put the complete set up for a BIN. I can't remember what the asking price for the cards, but I do remember who bought it.

2022 Topps Fresh Faces Bobby Witt Jr. FF-2

Yeah, if it wasn't already obvious...It was ME!!!

Okay, I'll stop talking.

The cards themselves feature a rainbow-foil background with a grayscale media-day image of the player, a colored action shot up front, with the RC Logo fits right in-between the words Fresh and Faces above the nameplate. The reverse has a quick blurb about the player's performance in 2021, whether they be minor league highlights, or how the player performed during a cup-of-coffee in the majors.

2022 Topps Fresh Faces Edward Cabrera FF-15 Reverse

The checklist:

• FF-1 Wander Franco (Rays)
• FF-2 Bobby Witt Jr (Royals)
• FF-3 Julio Rodriguez (Mariners)
• FF-4 Brandon Marsh (Angels)
• FF-5 Shane Baz (Rays)
• FF-6 Vidal Brujan (Rays)
• FF-7 Jarren Duran (Red Sox)
• FF-8 Oneil Cruz (Pirates)
• FF-9 Reid Detmers (Angels)
• FF-10 Hunter Green (Reds)
• FF-11 MacKenzie Gore (Padres)
• FF-12 Nick Lodolo (Reds)
  
• FF-13 Spencer Torkelson (Tigers)
• FF-14 CJ Abrams (Padres)
• FF-15 Edward Cabrera (Marlins)
• FF-16 Gavon Sheets (White Sox)
• FF-17 Heliot Ramos (Giants)
• FF-18 Joe Ryan (Twins)
• FF-19 Seth Beer (Diamondbacks)
• FF-20 Josh Lowe (Rays)
• FF-21 Matt Brash (Mariners)
• FF-22 Roansy Contreras (Pirates)
• FF-23 Bryson Stott (Phillies)
  
• FF-24 Steven Kwan (Guardians)
• FF-25 Jeremy Pena (Astros)

2022 Topps Fresh Faces Steven Kwan FF-24

As has been the trend with insert cards in recent years, this set also came in Blue (#'d to 199), Black (#'d to 75), Purple (#'d to 25), Red (#'d to 10), and Gold (1 of 1) parallels.

While sales may not have been enough to warrant Topps (and probably Fanatics) to continue producing vending boxes, its brief run in 2022 gave collectors a chance to chase a set seen in regular packs of Series 2. If you're a player collector or a team collector, these are truly worth pursuing. If you're a set collector who has a lot more patience than certain Hobby bloggers (cough, cough), building this set card-by-card would make for a good challenge.

And that's what makes this set something worth talking about.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Adventures in Trading: A TCDB Trade to Maryland & A Local Transaction Taking Place Tomorrow

I like to think of myself as a patient person. 

I have waited longer than 45 minutes when going out to eat at popular restaurants, with a wife and two toddlers in tow. I will give people I communicate via email at work and wait at least a day or two for a response before sending out a second email. I have sat through two acts of dance performances before my daughter's group would appear for their lone dance of the show. My patience gets tested when dealing with patients at the pharmacy, whether in person or on the phone (I'd share stories, but HIPPA).

But when it comes to collecting baseball cards?

If there is a card or two that I need to complete a set, I must have that card..NOW!!! 

As of yesterday, I needed 56 insert cards to finish my master set for 2025 Topps Update Series. Thinking I could at least finish the 2025 Topps Update 1990 set (I just needed one card...figures it's Shohei Ohtani), I put out a couple of trade offers to people on TCDB for this one card. I padded both of the requests, believing that the number of cards I was offering for just this one would be enough. 

2025 Topps Update 1990 Shohei Ohtani #U90-33

However...

both trade requests were...

REJECTED!!!

Why??!

One person said he just traded his Ohtani card off to someone else. I understand that. It happens. I can accept this.

The other person? Said he was valuing the card higher than the 5 cards I was offering in exchange. Granted, four of those cards were Stars of MLB (which even I don't think have much monetary value, seeing that every retail pack, blaster, box, etc, have anywhere from 1-4 of these cards IN EVERY PACK!!!). But even still, I guess the quantity wasn't enough.

And that's when I snapped.

I wound up going on the Bay at lunch and bought this card, and 12 other insert cards (10 from the same seller.) Then, I went onto Sportlots and bought 31 more cards (26 from the same seller...love the site, but it is always best to buy multiple cards from one or two dealers instead of buying 1 card from more then 10 sellers...shipping charges are brutal). In one 30-minute frenzy, I bought 44 of the 56 I needed to finish the master set.

Patience is a virtue, but I guess self-control is something I need to work on as well, especially when it comes to the Hobby.

So after I recovered, I find myself down to 12 cards. I managed to finish the aforementioned 1990 Topps set, Bleacher Reachers, Most Valuable, and Night Terrors in my shopping spree. This leaves the First Pitch (2 cards to go), Mystical (2), and Topps Black Gold Sets (8) needing to be completed. (If you're wondering why I didn't mention the 50-card All-Star Game set, it's because I managed to complete the set through trades. It was done before all of this happened).

Well...

I sent one trade request earlier today through TCDB. A simple two-card-for-two-card offer. I was requesting two First Pitch cards: #FPU-4 Ethan Levine and #FPU-8 Derek Jeter, in exchange for a 1990 #U90-46 Dylan Crews and All-Star #ASG-48 Logan Webb card. He accepted the transaction. The trade information (with the member's name covered for privacy) is below:

When I came home from work today, I reached out to another TCDB member who had one of the 8 Black Gold cards I still need, #BG-20 Nick Kurtz. During the final minutes of my spending spree, I saw this card on Sportlots, prices ranging from $6.00 to $9.00. I passed on it then, and I'm thankful that I did. The gentleman who I reached out to this afternoon lives in the Chicago area, and is actually a few minutes away from the bulding where I work. We've completed about 7 trades since July, 2024. Each time, he would come to the office building I'd work at, and we'd exchange cards in the lobby. Saves on postage, and I really appreciate him making the trip. 

The last time I saw him was in December. I gave him a number of 2024-25 Topps Cubs parallel cards (he's a Cub team collector) for a couple of 2025 Topps Update insert cards. This time, I offered a couple of extra Cub cards, just to get something in the transaction. He responds very quickly and accepts the trade. Knowing I'll see him tomorrow, I'll have to make sure to bring the cards I offered. If this was a cash transaction, I definitely over-paid. But I've always been of the trading mindset of, "I will trade whatever I have on your wantlist for whatever you have on mine, even if it looks lopsided on my end." And when you see the cards involved in this trade, you may think so too. So when I meet him tomorrow, this is what we're exchanging:

After all of this, I am now down to these final 9 cards to complete the 2025 Topps Binder:

• Topps Mystical #MYS-6 Jacob Wilson (Athletics)
• Topps Mystical #MYS-9 Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-3 James Wood (Nationals)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-6 Paul Skenes (Pirates)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-14 Hyeseong Kim (Dodgers)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-18 Aaron Judge (Yankees)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-19 Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-24 Roki Sasaki (Dodgers)
• Topps Black Gold #BG-25 Jacob Wilson (Athletics)
  

If anyone has any of these cards and would like to trade or sell them to me, please reach out to me at bdj610@hotmail.com and make an offer. My trade/sell list is here. If you don't see anything you need there, just let me know what you're looking for. I'm sure I have something.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Topps' Logo for the Semisesquicentennial

75 Years of Topps Baseball...The Logo!

Semisesquicentennial: 75th Anniversary, or half-way to 150 years! The Diamond Anniversary.

Posted today on social media platforms is an image of a graphic that Topps will most likely be incorporating into the design of it's eponymous baseball set, its packaging, marketing, pretty much everything baseball card related for the 2026 campaign.

It's now one in a long line of anniversary logos Topps has used throughout the years. As this is a baseball card blog, only the baseball card logos will be presented. You want to see the logos Topps made to celebrate the 50th anniversaries of Topps Football and Basketball? Maybe at another time.

Let's start with the 40th Anniversary Logo from 1991 Topps. Whata classic. Brings back great childhood memories.

Here is the 50th Anniversary Logo from 2001 Topps (not the best image I could find). It wasn't really featured in the card's design (which looking back, was a good thing) as it would have just overtaken the images on the front of the cards:

Next up, the 60th Anniversary Logo from 2011 Topps. Also not used in the design, but prominent in all other aspects of marketing. And yes, the traditional anniversary present for 60th and 75th anniversaries are diamonds (with the 75th, gold is involved somehow):

And now the 70th Anniversary Logo from 2021 Topps. Simple, understated, now if the design of the cards themselves were just as good as the logo (not really one of my favorites...story maybe for another day).

I am so looking forward to what 2026 brings. 

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama