Tuesday, March 28, 2023

2023 Topps Series One Jumbo Case Break from Nachos Grande

I recently bought into the 2023 Topps Series One Jumbo case break over at Nachos Grande recently.  Of course I bought the Red Sox, and I was also randomly given the Blue Jays.  I will just be showing off my Red Sox cards, of course.

Up first is the box topper:

1.  Rafael Devers.  This is an over-sized box-topper card, a 1988 League Leaders card.  This is referring to 2019 when Devers led the league in doubles (54) and total bases (359).  I do not tend to get many over-sized cards since I prefer to keep my Red Sox in a binder, but I do not turn them down when I get them.

Up next are the inserts and parallels:

2.  Trevor Story.  This is a 1988 Blue parallel.  I think these are somewhat limited, but they are not serial-numbered.  

3.  Josh Winckowski.  This is the only gold parallel from my break.  Winckowski gets the unofficial award of first new Red Sox player added through 2023 cards.  He actually has some earlier cards, but this one is my first.

4.  Xander Bogaerts.  This is a City Connect manufactured patch card.  I have said before how much I like the City Connect uniforms.  I am a little surprised to see Bogaerts here instead of Devers.  

5.  Brayan Bello.  As will be seen, Bello is one of the biggest gainers in this break.  This is from one of the Silver Packs.

6.  Brayan Bello.  And here is a Rainbow Foil.

7.  Brayan Bello.  And here is a Gold Foil.

8.  Rafael Devers.  This is from the 2022 Greatest Hits insert set.

9.  Wade Boggs.  And now we get to the 1988 inserts.  Boggs has a nearly-iconic card from 1988 Topps.  I like this shot pretty well, but it is not as good as his original.

10.  Rafael Devers.  Devers also appears quite a bit in this break.  In fact, he and Bello tied for the most with four.

11.  Jeter Downs.  Downs was one of the players sacrificed to make room for new players on the roster.  The move caused some controversy among Red Sox fans since Downs was the big prospect acquired in the Mookie Betts trade.

12.  Triston Casas.  You read it here first: Casas will be the Rookie of the Year in 2023.


And next up is the base cards:

13.  Xander Bogaerts.  Bogaerts finished third in the league in batting average, behind Luis Arraez and Aaron Judge.  It was his second time in the top five, he finished second in 2015.  The last Red Sox player to win the batting title was Mookie Betts in 2018.  I still care about these things.

14.  Matt Strahm.  Strahm is one of the players here who will be with a new team in 2023.  Strahm signed with the Phillies after a successful season in which he had a 3.83 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 44.2 innings pitched.  He also saved four games.

15.  Rafael Devers.  Here is the base card of Devers, and I really like this shot.  Devers of course is Boston's biggest star at this point.  He has been trending that way for awhile, and now that Bogaerts is gone, it's his team.

16.  Brayan Bello.  Bello has been slowed by forearm tightness so far in Spring Training.  I do not expect him to start the season with Boston, but he will probably be in the Majors sooner rather than later.  

17.  Trevor Story.  This is probably the best photo for the team so far.  Notably, Enrique Hernandez has not appeared yet and he ALWAYS has great action shots.  Story will start the season on the 60-day IL.

18.  Josh Winckowski.  Winckowski was probably the top prospect the Red Sox acquired in the Andrew Benintendi deal.  He has been pretty impressive in the minors and was 5-7 with a 5.89 ERA in 15 games in his first stint in the Majors last year.  In 70.1 innings pitched, he struck out 44 and walked 27.  That strikeout rate probably doesn't cut it as a starting pitcher, unless he can limit hard contact.

19.  Nick Pivetta.  Pivetta led the league in games started in 2022 and was, for a time, a very impressive starter.  He needs to work on his consistency, but he has been a dependable pitcher since being acquired from the Phillies in 2020 in the Brandon Workman deal.

20.  Franchy Cordero.  Cordero will be with the Orioles in 2023.  He was the Major League player acquired in the Benintendi deal.  He could never put together consistent at-bats and was something of a disaster in the field.  He hit .219/.300/.397 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs in 2022 with Boston, including a walk-off grand slam that was one of the highlights of the season.

21.  Triston Casas.  His average was just .197, but thanks to his terrific eye at the plate, Casas had a .358 OBP.  He also crushed five home runs in just 27 games.  Casas looks to have the inside track on the first base job in 2023.

22.  Tommy Pham.  Pham will be with the Mets in 2023.  After being acquired at the trading deadline, Pham hit .234/.298/.374 with six home runs and 24 RBIs.  I really liked Pham and was hoping Boston would bring him back as a backup in 2023.  

23.  Team Card.  I counted this card as Alex Verdugo, Xander Bogaerts, Trevor Story and Bobby Dalbec.

24.  Jarren Duran.  Obligatory Duran card.  He has been great the first few games this Spring, but he is running out of time to lock down a roster spot.

25.  Jeter Downs.  Downs will be with the Nationals in 2023.  The Nationals are not really going anywhere in 2023 so they can afford to give Downs time to figure out if he is going to stick in the Majors.  Downs hit .154/.171/.256 in 14 games with the Red Sox.  He did hit his first home run off of punching bag Gerrit Cole.

26.  Alex Verdugo.  Verdugo is my pick for biggest breakout in 2023.  He was great in the second half last year.  If he builds on that, he could be an All Star.

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