2018 Clubhouse: Atlanta Braves

First off, I know Acuña missing may seem like blasphemy. But as I explained in the previous post, this checklist was made way back before he was even called up. With that out of the way, here are the Braves that looked like no-brainers back around April or so.

#6. Ozzie Albies (RC)

#7. Freddie Freeman

#8. Ender Inciarte

#9. Dansby Swanson

#10. Julio Teheran

Hey, at least Albies is here. If the switcheroo came, obviously Acuña would be included, as well as Nick Markakis, taking Inciarte and Swanson's places, though I do really enjoy the Inciarte pic. I'd also probably drop Teheran for Mike Foltynewicz.

The autograph options are Freddie here and an unseen Ozzie Albies. I think a Braves fan would be happy to pull either of those.

Here's a look at the gold parallels, numbered to 50. You might be able to see a little shimmer/sparkle here. That's so they're not just a solid, flat color. Kinda like how the Topps black parallels aren't just pure black. I think it adds a bit of a premium feel to the parallels and sets them apart from the base just a tiny bit more.

2017 PENNANT BOX BREAK - PACK 3

55. Victor Martinez

264. Craig Kimbrel

242. Danny Valencia

244. R.A. Dickey

20. Sonny Gray

206. Devon Travis

256. Ben Zobrist

180. Corey Dickerson

90. Dansby Swanson (RC)

FF3. Carlos Correa - Future Favorites

This pack brings the introduction of the Future Favorites insert. It showcases some of the youngest up-and-coming players in the league. Even though Carlos Correa has been in the league since 2015, he’s still just 22 years old. Have fun, AL West.

2017 SPIRIT BOX BREAK - PACK 4

94. Adam Duvall

158. Aaron Altherr

233. Ken Giles

146. Freddy Galvis

73. Ryan Buchter

74. Erasmo Ramirez

172. Mike Zunino

288. Corey Dickerson

270. Dansby Swanson (RC)

G33. Justin Grimm

K1. Max Scherzer - Kings

The Swanson rookie card is probably the noteworthy pull here. If he pans out like he’s hyped to, I think it has potential to become “iconic.” The Scherzer here introduces the Kings insert set. It features the 20-best strikeout pitchers of 2016. I went for a “regal” pattern to match the name of the set and decided to make it a K-shaped die-cut so it’d be a bit more unique. The only cut-out is on the right side, though, to reduce the likelihood of corner dings.