2017 SPIRIT BOX BREAK - PACK 2

79. Clayton Kershaw

240. Ryan Schimpf

204. Tony Watson

190. Miguel Gonzalez

193. Adam Conley

264. Jhonny Peralta

40. Taylor Jungmann

261. Cheslor Cuthbert

50. Edwin Diaz (RC)

212. Jason Kipnis (Gold Parallel)

OTR12. Aaron Sanchez - On the Rise

Another pack, another new insert. On the Rise features 25 players that made big strides in 2016. I wanted the background to look kind of stock market-y without being too hacky. The big subtle brackets pointing forward and up adds some depth without being too on-the-nose. As you’ll see in other OTR cards, the colors fade from one to the other in tandem with the team colors. A little gold foil for the “ON THE RISE” text sets it off a bit.

A few notes on these particular base cards: when the Padres regressed away from last year’s navy and gold color scheme, I had to switch out yellow for a dull gray. The Padres, man. And with so many pitcher cards, the action shots can only vary so much. The checklist is actually half pitcher/half position players so other packs should be less pitcher-centric.

2017 SPIRIT BOX BREAK - PACK 1

165. Noah Syndergaard

82. Drew Pomeranz

131. Jake McGee

170. Alec Asher

35. Nate Karns

63. Rob Zastryzny (RC)

149. Logan Forsythe

188. Matt Wisler

295. Delino DeShields

57. Odubel Herrera (Gold Parallel)

TL20. Evan Longoria - Team Leader (TBR Hits)

Since this is the first look at the base design, I’ll dissect it a little bit. As usual, each card is borderless with full-bleed photos and team-color design elements. The team logos are placed in a baseball diamond-like square and player names are in bold, white lettering for readability. Having the color fade behind the last name helps keep things from getting too boxy or claustrophobic. Along the right, next to the logo diamond is the player position as well as a repeating 2017 pattern fading towards the edges to help balance things out. 

There are a couple of elements that come and go depending on who’s card it is. For players that made the 2016 All-Star squads, they get an extra fade of color above the solid bar with their respective league honor listed. Pomeranz’s may look weird because he made the NL squad before being traded to the Red Sox. And for guys that made their MLB debut after the July 1, 2016 deadline, the RC logo makes an appearance (Zastryzny up there.) There’s at least one RC on average per pack.

Additionally, each pack contains a Gold Parallel card as well as an insert. You can see on the Odubel that the solid color portions of the regular base design get a gold foil stamping, along with the player name and position. The Pack 1 insert is a rather expansive insert set featuring the team leaders of each club in four different stat categories (2 pitching, 2 hitting.) So that 120 cards. Needless to say, these will be the most-featured insert of the box. Design-wise, I structured it so the bold type works kinda like a drop-down menu or something. The three categories not featured are screened back as to not impose too much on the player image. Since this is the “Hits” card, the HITS type and Longoria’s total are solid white along with his name, team, and the card title. You’ll see how the other stat cards look in subsequent packs.

New Year, New Design On Deck

Belated Happy New Year to you all. Though you may not have noticed, I have started unveiling the 2017 Spirit card designs. In previous years, I've done as little as showing a handful of base cards to making one for EVERY card in series 1 before finally settling on doing one card for every team the last two years. I've decided to change it up again this year, releasing a smattering of base cards in a box break format. So 11 cards per pack, featuring nine base cards, one gold parallel and an insert in every pack.

The idea mostly came as a way to lighten the design workload on me throughout the season. If you've been following me here for a few years or so, you've probably noticed how the posts come a lot more frequently as the season starts and then dwindles down to cyber whispers as the months roll along. With the box break format, I've been doing a lot more designing in this dead period between the postseason and spring training. Having most of the Spirit inserts already taken care of, this will free me up to spread the love more evenly across the Clubhouse, Pennant and Deluxe releases.

The other big change is that I've been posting these "box break" packs on Tumblr instead of here on Blogger. Over the years, I've noticed myself being less excited when it comes to "writing" the posts vs. designing the cards and showing them to the world. Tumblr is a more visual place whereas Blogger really caters to the written word. So far, I've really enjoyed the ease of posting the packs there. What I haven't enjoyed is the fact that there's absolutely zero collecting presence on Tumblr. Not only are all of you not on there, but nobody else seems to be either. So, short of some spontaneous mass migration, I'm basically posting into the abyss on Tumblr.

I'm wrestling with what I should do going forward. Just plug along on Tumblr, tweeting out links to my new posts? Double my work and post on Tumblr and Blogger? Use Tumblr as a catalog then do "digest" posts here? There's no perfect solution. I enjoy getting actual feedback here on Blogger (versus zero on Tumblr), but my excitement about putting together posts here is dwarfed by the ease of posting on Tumblr. I guess I'll keep moving along for a bit longer before I go about changing course.

2016 Spirit Deluxe Portraits

Well, the postseason is upon us and my interest in the 2016 collecting year is dwindling. I've started looking ahead to 2017 and already have base design in the works. I'll be trying something new when it comes time to roll out the 2017 Spirit releases. Hopefully I'll plan it well enough to not fall on my face like I've done in the past. All of this is to preface the fact that this will probably be the final 2016 Spirit design post. I may have a remix post or two following the World Series, but I'm calling it quits on "new" designs for 2016. And since the Deluxe line has received the least attention this year, I figured it was only right to at least offer up one "insert" design.

If you've been reading this blog long enough, you may remember the Deluxe Portraits design from four years ago. The concept there was just a zoomed in portrait of a guy, cut out and placed on top of the team-colored texture and nothing more. I also had die-cut variations there but I've since come to loathe extreme die-cuts. For 2016, I decided to make them more Studio-esque—a bit more refined and interesting. Incorporating the color fade from the 2016 Deluxe base design, the portraits are less stark and the overall card is less "in-your-face" than before. The only embellishments are the player name and a baseline stamped in silver foil along with the Deluxe "D" logo in the corner.

The backs are even more simple than the front. Just a logo, player and team name and a few brief lines filling you in on the player's impact. Sometimes less is more.

And with that, the 2016 Spirit Trading Cards year comes to a close. Reflecting on the year of this blog, I realize that the gaps in posts can be explained by my disinterest in actually writing about the cards. That's partly due to the fact I'm not a writer. There are only so many ways I can describe what you can just as easily see by looking at the cards themselves. So looking ahead to 2017, I anticipate a lot less of me describing what's on the cards themselves and perhaps more of me explaining my decisions. Or I might just shut up and let the designs speak for themselves. Either way, I hope I post more often.

2016 Gint-a-cuffs (2 of 2)

Halfway into my box, I'm sitting at 71.4 points. Let's see how the final 12 packs shake out.

PACK 13:

#63 A&G Mini - Monica Abbott +3

NG-60 Roberto Clemente Numbers Game +2

NW-20 - Harbor of Rio de Janeiro Natural Wonders +2

#4 - Justin Verlander

#53 - Logan Forsythe

#96 - Jason Kipnis

#101 - Roger Clemens -1

#168 - Don Mattingly -1

PACK TOTAL: +5

ROLLING TOTAL: 76.5

PACK 14:

#107 Mini - Matt Stonie

FSRA-CGR Full-Size Relic Curtis Grandson +5

#43 - Jake Odorini

#50 - Daniel Murphy

#137 - Marcus Semien

#179 - Jen Welter

#342 - Trea Turner

PACK TOTAL: +5

ROLLING TOTAL: 81.5

PACK 15:

#191 Mini - Anthony Anderson

NG-48 Ozzie Smith Numbers Game +2

#55 - Hector Rondon

#71 - Matt Reynolds

#74 - Brian Dozier

#246 - Mike Francesa

#257 - Chris Archer

#277 - Manny Machado

PACK TOTAL: +2

ROLLING TOTAL: 83.5

PACK 16:

#219 Mini - Delino DeShields

BL-23 Nolan Ryan Baseball Legends +2

#56 - Carlos Correa

#128 - Aroldis Chapman -1

#173 - Billy Burns

#252 - Cole Hamels +2

#288 - Lance McCullers

#346 - Pablo Sandoval

PACK TOTAL: +3

ROLLING TOTAL: 86.5

PACK 17:

#81 A&G Mini - Brian Johnson +2

NG-20 George Springer Numbers Game +2

#18 - Kolten Wong

#110 - Michele Steele

#131 - Brooks Robinson

#208 - Joe Panik +1

#291 - Kevin Kiermaier

#248 - Jill Martin

PACK TOTAL: +5

ROLLING TOTAL: 91.5

PACK 18:

#28 Mini - Elvis Andrus

NW-17 Cliffs of Moher Natural Wonders +2

#54 - Jose Abreu

#154 - Ervin Santana

#240 - Robert Raiola

#253 - Ozzie Smith

#275 - Jacob deGrom

#337 - Steve Cishek

PACK TOTAL: +2

ROLLING TOTAL: 93.5

PACK 19:

#295 Black Mini - Jose Altuve +3

NG-59 Adam Wainwright Numbers Game +2

#24 - Max Kepler

#62 - Dellin Betances -1

#130 - Gregory Polanco

#136 - Matt Kemp

#155 - Brandon Phillips

#200 - Carlos Gomez

PACK TOTAL: +4

ROLLING TOTAL: 97.5

PACK 20:

#221 Mini - Brian McCann -1

#111 - Lorenzo Cain

#133 - Joc Pederson

#158 - Joe McKeehan

#232 - Hector Olivera

#233 - Adam Lind

#251 - Stephen Piscotty

#348 - Trevor Plouffe

PACK TOTAL: -1

ROLLING TOTAL: 96.5

PACK 21:

FF14 Caracal +2

NG-55 Ryan Braun Numbers Game +2

BL-5 Ty Cobb Baseball Legends +2

#181 - Alex Wood

#212 - Maria Sharapova

#216 - Hannah Storm 

#259 - Jose Pedraza

#284 - Orlando Cepeda

PACK TOTAL: +6

ROLLING TOTAL: 102.5

PACK 22:

#347 SP Mini - Sean Doolittle +3

FSRB-CK Full-Size Relic Clayton Kershaw +8.5

#92 - Steven Matz

#134 - Henry Owens

#171 - Brandon Crawford +1

#193 - Huston Street

#334 - Scott Kazmir

PACK TOTAL: +12.5

ROLLING TOTAL: 115

Thanks to boots for picking Kershaw as his favorite player and also for NOT going with the Dodgers as his favorite team.

PACK 23:

#117 Black Mini - Gennady Glolovkin +3

NG-52 Jose Altuve Numbers Game +2

#47 - Corey Dickerson

#141 - Colin Rea

#144 - Matt Holliday

#218 - Masahiro Tanaka -1

#223 - Erick Aybar

#227 - Timothy Busfield

PACK TOTAL: +4

ROLLING TOTAL: 119

PACK 24:

#284 Mini - Orlando Cepeda

NW-1 Grand Canyon Natural Wonders +2

#19 - Rollie Fingers

#69 - Roberto Alomar

#217 - Julio Teheran

#261 - Carlos Carrasco

#265 - Felix Hernandez

#319 - Yasiel Puig

PACK TOTAL: +2

ROLLING TOTAL: 121

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to keep up the pace on the back half here. I was able to get a lot of Giants base cards as well as that sweet Buster Posey boxloader for my PC, so all in all, it was a decent box for me. If you happen to see anything of interest to your collection, hit me up as I'm more than happy to send cards to a loving home.

2016 Gint-a-cuffs (1 of 2)

Once again, it's Gint-a-cuffs time. This is my 5th year to compete and while my luck seems to have dried up, it's still a lot of fun and I plan on participating for as long as it's around. Since I'm a little late here, I've decided to limit the box to two posts. Here we go...

BOXLOADER:

BL-BP Buster Posey (+4) x 1.2 (FT): +4.8

Short of getting a hit, this is the best way for me to start off the box.

PACK 1:

SS-10 City Bus Mini +2

NG-98 Robin Yount Numbers Game +2

#32 Falcon 9 Rocket +2

#115 - Brad Miller

#124 - Jonathan Lucroy

#255 - Nomar Garciaparra

#262 - Giancarlo Stanton

#273 - Dee Gordon

PACK TOTAL: +6

ROLLING TOTAL: 10.8

PACK 2:

#313 SP Mini - Stephen Vogt +3

NW-10 Marble Caves +2

#37 - Dawn Spacecraft

#61 - Miguel Cabrera

#127 - Lucas Duda

#176 - Neil Walker

#279 - Paul Molitor

#33 - Shin-Soo Choo

PACK TOTAL: +5

ROLLING TOTAL: 15.8

PACK 3:

#50 Black Mini - Daniel Murphy +3

NG-77 Robinson Cano Numbers Game +2

#145 - Mike Greenberg +1

#147 - Martin Prado

#162 - Josh Harrison

#172 - Joe Morgan

#292 - Marcell Ozuna

#296 - Rickey Henderson

PACK TOTAL: +6

ROLLING TOTAL: 21.8

PACK 4:

#164 Mini - Steven Souza, Jr.

#15 - Mark Trumbo

#20 - Michael Pineda -1

#90 - George Lopez -1

#152 - Gary Sanchez -1

#156 - Jason Hayward

#197 - George Springer

#328 - Randall Grichuk

PACK TOTAL: -3

ROLLING TOTAL: 18.8

This pack less than ideal.

PACK 5:

#83 A&G Mini - David Wright +5

BL-8 George Brett Baseball Legends +2

NG-37 Matt Harvey Numbers Game +2

#125 - Carl Edwards, Jr.

#177 - Mark Teixeira -1

#266 - Anthony Rendon

#270 - David Price

#289 - Jose Quintana

PACK TOTAL: +8

ROLLING TOTAL: 26.8

PACK 6:

#81 Mini - Brian Johnson

AGR-JV Framed Mini Relic Joey Votto +13.6

#167 - Jeff Samardzija +1

#182 - Nolan Arenado

#191 - Anthony Anderson

#241 - Orlando Jones

#325 - Raisel Iglesias

PACK TOTAL: +14.6

ROLLING TOTAL: 41.4

Thanks to Chris for being a Joey Votto fan. Nice little bump for my first hit.

PACK 7:

#63 Mini - Monica Abbott +1

NG-27 Jon Lester Numbers Game +2

NW-3 Mount Everest Natural Wonders +2

#48 - J.T. Realmuto

#73 - James Shields

#94 - Todd Frazier

#189 - Buster Posey +1

#271 - A.J. Pollock

PACK TOTAL: +6

ROLLING TOTAL: 47.4

PACK 8:

USM-16 Bob Buckhorn Mayors +2

BL-4 Jackie Robinson Baseball Legends +2

#12 - Trevor Story

#23 - Addison Russell

#64 - Steve Schirripa +1

#146 - Evan Longoria

#209 - Andrew Miller -1

#310 - Patrick Corbin

PACK TOTAL: +4

ROLLING TOTAL: 51.4

PACK 9:

#321 Black SP Mini - Nick Castellanos +7

NG-92 Andy Petite Numbers Game -1

#26 - John Lackey

#52 - Adam Eaton +1

#78 - Jose Berrios

#105 - Alex Dickerson

#107 - Matt Stonie

#267 - Sonny Gray

PACK TOTAL: +7

ROLLING TOTAL: 58.4

PACK 10:

#72 Mini - Jake McGee

BL-25 Eddie Mathews Baseball Legends +2

#16 - Trayce Thompson

#87 - Craig Kimbrel

#150 - Eric Hosmer

#207 - Brandon Belt +4

#285 - Josh Donaldson

#315 - Santiago Casilla +1

PACK TOTAL: +7

ROLLING TOTAL: 65.4

PACK 11:

#160 Mini - Steve Kerr

NG-73 Nomar Garciaparra Numbers Game +2

#10 - Jason Sklar

#13 - Kevin Gausman

#120 - Kenta Maeda +2

#196 - Josh Roddick

#203 - Ernie Johnson

#204 - Drew Storen

PACK TOTAL: +4

ROLLING TOTAL: 69.4

PACK 12:

USM-2 Sylvester Turner Mayor +2

#17 - Ian Desmond

#149 - Michael Brantley

#185 - J.D. Martinez

#187 - Carl Yastrzemski

#249 - Paul McBeth

#250 - Jose Canseco

#307 - Russell Martin

PACK TOTAL: +2

ROLLING TOTAL: 71.4

Welp, at the halfway mark, I'm right on pace with my score for last year. As of today, that would put me in contention for the top spot on the leaderboard. I'm not getting my hopes up, though. Check back in for part 2 tomorrow.

2016 Spirit Rookie Round-Up

The 2016 rookie class has been pretty solid this season, from prospects with high expectations like Corey Seager to guys that seemingly came out of nowhere, like Aledmys Diaz. While it may not be as stacked as the 2015 class, it's definitely not full of slouches. Regardless, I thought this was a good time to reintroduce the Rookie Round-Up insert from 2013.

The 'grunginess' from last time is turned down a bit, with the design elements being mostly clean with a bit of grain to keep things from being too sterile. The high-contrast, black & white cutouts look like something you'd see on a DIY gig flyer, fitting with the "youthful" concept of the set. The rest of the elements are colorful to represent the team, with a lighter picture of the player's home stadium in the background.

The back side is brighter and cleaner, with a full-color photo and the grain from the front removed. There's a brief write-up about the player's brief MLB career, highlighting the half-seasons that have led to their inclusion in the rookie round-up here.

I kept the checklist at 20 players like in 2013, and had to enforce a cut-off since the idea would be for these to be released in a series 2-like set. So that means guys like Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez didn't make the cut. I'm sure they'll be represented in some rookie review insert for 2017 Spirit.

2016 Spirit Team MVP

One of the first inserts I created was the 2012 Spirit Team MVP set, featuring the best player from every club that included a relic swatch in every single card. Here's the 2016 version which follows the footsteps of the original entry 4 years ago. Design-wise, this is an extension of the 2016 Spirit base design, much like the 2012 version mirrored the base set as well.

The team color bars come in from opposite sides to house the player and team names with the logo tucked in the corner. Big block MVP letters on the left are filled with the relic swatch, leaving a big chunk of card real estate for the player image. The background fades from a tech-y looking texture to some background stadium action, both parts washed in a gradient from one team color to the other.

On the back, the elements shift a little bit as the logo moves from the right side to the left and the MVP letters take a hike to make room for a brief write up. The player photos are a little more candid/casual instead of action shots like the front.

I really like the balance of these cards, which are probably the best looking of all four Team MVP designs over the years. Let's see if I have any other ideas for the MVP-relic box next year.