2024 Topps Now Road to Opening Day Team Set

I buy this set every year, although it has been shrinking.  For the second year in a row, there are just ten cards in this set, along with a parallel.  Here is the set this year:

1.  Rafael Devers.  Of course Devers is in the set, as the biggest star on the team.  Devers has been hurt a bit, but has continued to put up big-time hitting numbers.  He has even improved defensively.  

2.  Masataka Yoshida.  This was my parallel and it is serial-numbered to 99, so that was not terribly exciting for me.  It is the most common parallel.  

3.  Triston Casas.  Unfortunately Casas has been dealing with a rib injury for most of the season.  He has been a decent, if not particularly great, hitter when he's been healthy.  Hopefully he bounces back next season.  There is still time for him to go on a hot streak this season though.

4.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  One of my favorite rookies, Rafaela signed an extension earlier this season.  Hopefully he can cut down on his strikeouts, but he is already an extremely valuable player.

5.  Masataka Yoshida.  It will be interesting to see if Boston hangs on to Yoshida next season.  He can hit, but doesn't add much else.  He does not seem to be a favorite of manager Alex Cora, who won't give him a chance in the outfield and benched him for several games at one point without any real explanation.  I really like Yoshida, but he doesn't offer much flexibility for the roster.

6.  Vaughn Grissom.  The biggest disappointment on the team is Grissom, who was acquired in a trade with Atlanta for Chris Sale, who looks like he will win the Cy Young this season.  Grissom has played in just 23 games with Boston and hit .148 with no power.  Hopefully he can turn it around next season, but David Hamilton turned in a nice season and probably deserves the second base job until Kristian Campbell is ready.

7.  Tyler O'Neill.  2021 was Hunter Renfroe.  2023 was Adam Duvall.  This year Tyler O'Neill could be a right-handed power-hitting outfielder that turns in just one season.  O'Neill has hit 27 home runs so far this season, but has been on the IL several times.  With Roman Anthony knocking at the door and an already crowded outfield with Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela, it doesn't make a lot of sense to bring O'Neill back next season.

8.  Trevor Story.  Story played just a handful of games, then went on the IL.  It was thought his season was over, but he made it back with about 20 games to spare.  Hopefully he can show enough to justify his spot next season.  He has had a lot of difficulty staying on the field in his three seasons in Boston.

9.  Brayan Bello.  Bello has been inconsistent this season.  At times he has looked like a future ace.  At others he has been maddening.  Bello signed a big extension, so he will be around for awhile, but he needs to work on his command and on not getting too worked up after a mistake.  He seems to get upset when something bad happens and fall apart.

10.  Wilyer Abreu.  Abreu should be one of the leaders in the Rookie of the Year vote, but he seems to be getting completely ignored.  He has been very good this season on both sides of the ball.  

11.  Jarren Duran.  More than anything, this has been the year of Duran.  He has become the best overall player on the team and currently leads the league in doubles and triples while putting up a 20/20 season.  He has an outside shot at 200 hits and a 10.0 WAR season.  He could also win a Gold Glove.  On top of everything, he won the All Star Game MVP.  He has had a simply incredible season.

Random Pickups

I have not totally brought myself around to checking how badly stuff was damaged from the water yet.  It doesn't appear that anything is a complete and total loss, but there are a number of cards that are severely damaged and many that will probably never be able to be removed from the binders.  But on to happier things, an attempt to get caught up on my recent additions.  This post will be a number of packages, including some Wong cards. 

1.  Rafael Devers.  Devers has been playing with a hurt shoulder for much of this season.  Despite this, he is currently hitting .279/.355/.544 with 28 home runs and 81 RBIs.  Devers is a beast on offense.

2.  Blaze Jordan.  Jordan has stumbled a bit in Double-A, but he continues to hit home runs.  It is tough to say if he will make the Majors or not, he has tumbled down the prospect list a bit.

3.  Trevor Story.  As I am writing this post, Story has made it back from a serious shoulder injury.  I don't know what to expect from him going forward, but his leadership was definitely missed.

4.  J.D. Martinez.  Martinez is currently 69 home runs shy of 400 for his career.  He has hit just 16 this season.  I kind of doubt he will be able to stick around long enough to make that number, especially since he is 36 now.  I would guess he has maybe two more seasons in him at this point.

This is the White Disco Prizm card from Panini Prizm.  It is serial-numbered to just five.  Wong has cooled off considerably the second half of the season and has struggled on defense.  I think he will go into next season as the starting catcher, but then possibly become more of a utility player/backup catcher after top prospect Kyle Teel makes the Majors.  He has played first base, second base and left field in recent weeks.  He can still be a valuable player that way and as long as he stays in Boston, I will still collect him.  I have some big stuff coming up to show off.

1.  Bobby Dalbec.  Somehow Dalbec remains on the 40-man roster.  I think it's a time for a change of scenery for him.  He has continued to hit well in the minors, but at 29 years of age, it is fair to ask if he will ever be able to remain in the Majors.

2.  Pedro Martinez.  From 1999 to 2003, Martinez was the best pitcher I have ever seen.  If he gave up a run, it was surprising.  He was incredible and I am so glad I was able to see him pitch.

3.  Gilberto Jimenez.  Jimenez made some noise as a prospect for a few years but just kind of fell apart at a certain point.  Missing out on the 2020 season due to the COVID season definitely did not help.  I think a number of prospects seriously suffered from not being able to play that year (Jeter Downs is one that comes to mind).

4.  Mo Vaughn.  Vaughn remains one of my favorite players of all time.  I still think he may have ended up in the Hall of Fame had he stayed in Boston.  In eight seasons with Boston, he was hitting .304/.394/.542 with 230 home runs.  Those are HUGE numbers.

5.  Chris Sale.  It is nice to see Sale return to his dominant form this season, it is just a shame it was not in Boston.  Still, it would be nice to see him get back on track to a Hall of Fame form.

6.  Enmanuel Valdez.  This is pretty cool.  This is one of those Golden Mirror SSP cards.  Valdez is probably running out of time to make an impact in Boston.  He can hit, but his fielding is so suspect that it is hard to put him anywhere.  

7.  Adam Duvall.  Duvall is an upcoming One-Year Wonder post.  Had he stayed healthy in 2022, he could have put up some big numbers.  He still hit 21 home runs in 92 games.

8.  Roger Clemens.  This is another one of those MVP cards just like in the 1975 set.

Here is the 2022 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Gold Autograph card serial-numbered to 50.

1.  Ian Bladergroen.  Bladergroen was a prospect who was acquired from the Mets in exchange for Doug Mientkiewicz, surely the most letters in one trade that involved just two players.  Bladergroen never made it to the Majors and actually never even made it to Double-A.

2.  Bobby Dalbec.

3.  Bobby Dalbec.

4.  J.D. Martinez.

5.  Bobby Dalbec.  As you can see, I get a lot of Dalbec cards from people in TCDB trades, because no one wants them.

6.  Rafael Devers.

7.  Famous Rivals card.  This goes down as a Fenway Park card.

8.  David Hamilton.  Hamilton was acquired in the trade that sent Hunter Renfroe to the Brewers for Jackie Bradley Jr. and a couple prospects.  Hamilton was one of those.  I have really gotten to like Hamilton.  He recently went down with an injury and his season could be over, but he was hitting .248/.303/.395 with eight homers and 28 RBIs, and most impressively, 33 stolen bases.  Speed is his game.  He has also improved defensively. 

9.  Ceddanne Rafaela.  Rafaela is probably my favorite rookie this season.  He should be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.  He strikes out too much, but plays great defense at both shortstop and center field and has some big power.  He also has 17 stolen bases with 15 home runs, giving him a shot at 20/20 in his rookie season.

Horrific

Beware, this is not a happy post.  I really don't know how collecting will ever be the same for me.  Earlier this week, I discovered rain water had gotten into the area I stored my Red Sox binders.  I would estimate serious damage to about 10-15% of my collection.  There are many cards that I will never be able to extract from the binders.  Among those cards are some cards that I would consider virtually irreplaceable.  I am absolutely devastated.  I feel as if a part of my life has been taken away.  I have spent 30+ years cultivating this collection and now a large chunk is horribly mangled.  I seriously considered ending the collection then and there and thought about simply throwing the damaged binders away.  Rationality won over though.  I never intended to break up my Red Sox collection, now there are parts I simply can't.  I may never completely get over this, but I guess it is no reason to stop and throw in the towel. 

Heritage Blaster Break

I have not been buying too many packs this year.  There have only been a few blasters.  I just can't find stuff reliably for some reason.  Luckily, I have done okay when I have gotten stuff.  For instance, there is this blaster break:

1.  Carl Yastrzemski.  The MVP series is incomplete.  I don't recall whether the series was complete in the original 1975 set or not, but this kind of drives me crazy.  Granted it would be difficult to have everyone, but I'm kind of disappointed that Dustin Pedroia and Mo Vaughn don't appear in the set.

2.  Fred Lynn.  Another MVP card, of course Lynn won the MVP the year of the original set, so it makes sense he is here.  Lynn was also the very first player to win the MVP and Rookie of the Year the same season.

3.  Wilyer Abreu.  Abreu has been on a tear lately.  Had he not been injured for awhile, he might be making a bigger name for himself in the Rookie of the Year race.  As it is, he is having a very good season but seems to be flying under the radar.  

4.  Rafael Devers.  Devers really seems like he is continuing to get better as he enters his prime seasons.  He has recently boosted his OPS above 1.000.  He may be having his best season of his career so far and is now just three homers shy of 200 for his career.  He is 27 years old and won't turn 28 until after the season.  

A Wong Update Plus the Jason Varitek Quest for 1,500 (#1,001)

Today I have a bunch of Connor Wong cards to show off, plus a random TCDB trade.

Up first is a bunch or rarer Panini cards:

1.  2022 Donruss Optic Photon Prizm.  I have no idea what the purpose of this parallel is, but it is another Connor Wong card.

2.  2022 Panini Chronicles Contenders Optic Pink.  This took a weirdly long time to find, but I did eventually.  It is serial-numbered to 50.

3.  2022 Donruss Optic Rated Rookie Signatures Green.  This one is serial-numbered to just five.

4.  2022 Panini Prizm Navy Blue Kaleidoscope.  I had to get this one because I got a J.T. Realmuto card in a pack.  I can't have a card of another player when I should have the Connor Wong.

Here is the trade:

1.  Mookie Betts.  Yes, I still get Mookie Betts cards.  I still hold out hope that he will wear a Red Sox cap on his Hall of Fame plaque.  At this point, I still think he had more great years with the Red Sox (including his best season, 2018) than with the Dodgers.

2.  Matt Kinney.  Kinney was a sixth-round pick of the Red Sox in 1995 and was making some progress toward the Majors when he was traded in the 1998 deal to the Twins for Greg Swindell and Orlando Merced (two players who never got Red Sox cards).  Kinney spent parts of five seasons in the Majors with the Twins, Brewers, Royals and Giants.  He had a 19-27 record with a 5.29 career ERA.  

3.  Masataka Yoshida.  He won't challenge for a batting title this season as I predicted, but he has been on fire lately.  I would still like to see him put it all together, but I kind of suspect it may not be in a Red Sox uniform.  The outfield is starting to get crowded in Boston.

4.  Triston Casas.  Casas should be back soon from a rib injury.  He won't hit 30 home runs like I predicted, but it will be great to get him back.

5.  Jason Varitek.  Here is card #1,001 of Varitek, seen jumping into Keith Foulke's arms after the groundout that sealed the 2004 World Championship, Boston's first since 1918.

6.  Kyle Weiland.  Weiland was a third-round pick by Boston in 2008 and made it to the Majors in 2011, pitching in seven games (five starts) with a 0-3 record and a 7.66 ERA.  In 24.2 innings, he struck out 13 and walked 12.  He was part of the package sent to Houston (along with Jed Lowrie) for Mark Melancon, a trade that did not work out well for Boston.  He didn't do much better with Houston.

And more Wong cards:

1.  2022 Panini Absolute Tools of the Trade 2 Swatch Gold.  I had to grab this one serial-numbered to 10.  The swatches included a red stripe and a button.  Definitely a cool card.

2.  2022 Donruss Optic Red Prizm.  This card also took a weirdly long time to find.  It is serial-numbered to 60.

3.  2022 Stadium Club Chrome Orange Refractor.  And this one is serial-numbered to 25.

One of These Days I Will Catch Up

I am way behind on posts because I have had a lot of cases set for trial that I have almost worked my way through.  This post will be a couple of TCDB trades.

1.  Jarren Duran.  Duran has been one of the biggest stories on the team this season.  There were times two years ago that it looked like he would never be a regular Major Leaguer.  Last season he looked like he turned a corner, but then got hurt.  He has been one of the best players on the team this season and is coming off winning the All Star Game MVP.

2.  Justin Turner.  I probably have a One-Year Wonder post coming up on Turner.  I might wait to see if he possibly gets traded back to Boston this year though.  Turner hit .276/.345/.455 with 23 homers and 96 RBIs while playing DH primarily and filling it at each of the bases.

3.  Trevor Story.  One of my big misses on my pre-season predictions was Story who went down with a devastating injury early this season.  He looked poised for a big season.  There is a chance he could make it back by the end of this season though.

4.  Ceddane Rafaela.  Could we be looking at the AL Rookie of the Year here?  He leads in a number of offensive categories for rookies and his ability to play good defense at both shortstop and center field is rare.  At any rate, with his extension signed earlier, he should be in Boston for awhile.

5.  Rafael Devers.  It is just another great season for Devers.  He was named to the All Star team for the third time, though he declined to play due to a nagging shoulder.  He is closing in on his 200th career home run.

6.  Yoenis Cespedes.  Yes, it may be hard to recall, but Cespedes was a Red Sox player for a short time.  Acquired in a trade for Jon Lester and then dealt away for Rick Porcello, Cespedes was the link between two great pitchers for the Red Sox.  He hit just .269/.296/.423 with only five home runs and 33 RBIs in 51 games and there were questions about his work ethic.  He should have mashed in Fenway.

7.  Roger Clemens.  This card also features Kerry Wood and Bob Feller.  Other than being all right-handed power pitchers, I am not sure the link between these three.

1.  Andrew Benintendi.  The downturn in Benintendi's career has been shocking.  He has been a well-below average hitter for a few years now.

2.  Martin Perez.  Perez was basically a league-average pitcher for a couple seasons in Boston and there is something to be said for that.  He was 10-13 with a 4.65 ERA (102 ERA+) with 143 strikeouts and 64 walks in 176 innings.  

3.  Bret Saberhagen.  Saberhagen is a borderline Hall of Famer who won two Cy Young Awards.  He had been struggling with injuries prior to being picked up on low-risk, high-reward contract with the Red Sox before the 1997 season.  In parts of four seasons, Saberhagen was 26-17 with a 3.90 ERA with 205 strikeouts and just 50 walks in 335 innings pitched.

4.  Jim Leyritz.  I remember being excited when the Red Sox traded for Leyritz.  He played well for Boston, but was supposed to be a platoon player at both catcher and DH, but with the emergence of Jason Varitek, he was not playing at all behind the plate.  So, he was dealt to the Padres for Carlos Reyes, Dario Veras and Mandy Romero.  In Boston, he hit .287/.385/.519 with eight home runs and 24 RBIs in 52 games.

5.  J.D. Martinez.  We will see if anyone ever wins two Silver Slugger Awards in the same season as Martinez did for the Red Sox in 2018.  He took home one for outfield and DH.

A Big Connor Wong Update

Connor Wong has been one of the biggest surprises on the team this season.  I predicted prior to the season that Wong would be an All Star this season.  That looks like it could actually happen.  There is still a chance he is snubbed as there are several deserving catchers this season, including Adley Rutschman and Salvador Perez.  Wong is hitting .328/.388/.475 with seven homers, 30 RBIs and three stolen bases.

There is one big consequence that I have been feeling from this improvement.  Wong cards are becoming more expensive and the rare ones are harder to get as more people want them.  I am still going though.  This post is showing off a bunch of new additions to the Wong collection.  The first scan is all cards I picked up in a recent COMC order.

1.  2022 Topps 1st Edition Green.

2.  2022 Donruss Optic Black Prizm.

3.  2023 Topps Chrome Update Green Refractor.

4.  2022 Topps Gallery Printer Proof.

5.  2022 Topps Factory Set.  The RC logo on the Factory Set variation is larger.

6.  2022 Bowman Sterling Refractor.

7.  2022 Topps Tier One Break-Out Autographs Silver Ink.

8.  2022 Topps Clearly Authentic Red.

The next scan features some random pickups from Ebay.

1.  2024 Topps Vintage Stock.

2.  2024 Topps Blue Crackle Foil.

3.  2024 Topps Holiday Flowers.

4.  2022 Donruss Optic Teal Velocity Prizm.

5.  2022 Topps Chrome Platinum Anniversary Orange Wave Refractor.

6.  2022 Panini Select Orange Pulsar.

7.  2024 Topps Green Crackle Foil.

8.  2022 Panini Immaculate Platinum.  This is a 1/1 with an autograph and laundry tag.

9.  2024 Topps Yellow Foil.

As usual, there are many more to come.