Topps Update is one of my favorite releases every year because that's the set where a lot of obscure players show up. In past years, the list of rare players in my collection that showed up in Topps Update for the first time in Red Sox cards included: John Olerud, Kevin Jarvis, Carlos Pena, David Aardsma, Kevin Cash, Nick Green, Casey Kotchman, Ramon Ramirez, Bill Hall, Darnell McDonald, Eric Patterson, Bobby Jenks, Alfredo Aceves, Matt Albers, James Loney, Franklin Morales, Mike Carp, Matt Thornton, Jonathan Herrera, Kelly Johnson, Edward Mujica, Jean Machi, Alexi Ogando, Carlos Peguero, Josh Rutledge, Aaron Hill, Brad Ziegler, Doug Fister, Ben Taylor, Hector Velazquez, Kyle Martin, Marcus Walden, Mike Shawaryn, Josh Taylor, Ryan Weber, Adam Ottavino, Garrett Richards, Matt Strahm, Richard Bleier, Narciso Crook, Caleb Hamilton, Chris Martin, Justin Slaten, Luis Guerrero and Hunter Dobbins. So I was excited to pick up a hobby box, particularly after seeing some of the names that showed up on the checklist.
1. Jake Bennett. The acquisition of Bennett in the offseason was met with some concern. The Red Sox sent fireballing reliever Luis Perales to the Nationals for Bennett. Bennett was not going to be on the 40 man roster, so this was a way to make some room. It was kind of surprising then that he made his Major League debut this season, and even more surprising that he had a decent year. He finished the season 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA. I think there is a good chance that he could be used as trade bait to get a big bat this offseason, obviously not the main piece, but a good, controllable lefty starter is a valuable commodity.
2. Sonny Gray. If this does end up being Gray's only year in Boston, he will certainly dethrone Hideo Nomo as my All-Time One-Year Wonder for right-handed starters. He will be in the Cy Young conversation and had a record of 18-5 (leading the league in wins) with a 2.72 ERA and 149 strikeouts versus 46 walks in 169 innings pitched.
3. Jake Bennett.
4. Alec Gamboa. Here we go, this is what I was talking about. Gamboa was originally drafted by the Dodgers in 2019 and never made the Majors with them. He was a minor league free agent that Boston brought in and then he was getting outs in meaningful games down the stretch and even appeared in the postseason. Gamboa had a 1.91 ERA in 33 innings and notched a save.
5. Garrett Whitlock. Whitlock is easily the best player Boston ever picked up in the Rule 5 Draft, and the fact he was taken from the Yankees is icing on the cake. Whitlock has been in Boston for six years now and has a 32-16 record, a 2.93 ERA and 402 strikeouts in 366 innings with 14 saves. He had one of his best years in 2026, going 7-2 with a 1.72 ERA in 52.1 innings.
6. Ryan Watson. Speaking of the Rule 5 Draft, Watson was taken by the A's in last year's draft and then traded to the Red Sox. He pitched in 35 games with the Red Sox and had a 4.53 ERA in 55.2 innings with 43 strikeouts and 19 walks. He picked up a save. The Red Sox released him and he caught on with the Angels, so this is going to be a player unlikely to appear any further in my collection (other than parallels of this card).
7. Caleb Durbin. After a brutal start to the season, Durbin ended up turning in a season more or less as expected from him. The third-baseman hit .248/.332/.378 with 13 homers, 64 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Just recently he won his first Gold Glove Award to top off the season. I could see Durbin being part of a deal this winter along with Bennett. I like him, but this could be a position that could be improved.
8. Tyler Uberstine. Here's another obscure player. How did Uberstine get a card? He pitched in just one game this season, and it's the first Major League game he has ever pitched. He pitched 2.2 innings, giving up a homer, a walk and striking out two. He took the loss and has a record of 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA. He was traded at the deadline to the Braves for Eli White.
9. Roman Anthony. It was an injury-plagued season for Anthony. He has a lot of talent, but he has a lot to prove next season. In 55 games, he hit .245/.339/.396 with five homers and 15 RBIs.
10. Willson Contreras/Roman Anthony. Picking the best acquisition for the Red Sox this year is a bit difficult. Sonny Gray was great, but so was Contreras. Contreras was easily Boston's best offensive player, hitting .275/.386/.516 with 27 homers and 81 RBIs, leading the team in all of those stats except batting average.
11. Caleb Durbin.
I wasn't super successful with this hobby box, but later that same day I decided to grab a blaster of Panini Prizm and I did as well as I typically do with these:
1. Roman Anthony. Here is the Fireworks insert and my third Anthony of the day. He is really taking off in my collection.
2. Marcus Phillips. Phillips was the 33rd overall pick in the 2025 draft, still within the first round. He has not had a great transition into professional baseball, going 0-7 with a 6.71 ERA in 19 games. On the bright side, he struck out 73 batters in 61.2 innings, but walked 51. There is definitely some room for improvement. I am rooting for him though as he was born in Sioux Falls, SD, a city about two hours from my location, and went to college in Council Bluffs, IA, a city just on the other side of the Nebraska/Iowa border, before moving on to Tennessee. His future may be in the bullpen though.
3. Mike Lowell. 2007's World Series MVP had a terrific season that year. He was an All Star and hit .324/.378/.501 with 21 homers and 120 RBIs. He finished fifth in the MVP vote.
4. Mike Lowell.
5. Henry Godbout. Godbout was the second-round pick by the Red Sox in 2025 and looks like a very good middle infield prospect. In three levels in 2026, Godbout hit .291/.402/.530 with 15 homers, 35 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 61 games. He might be pretty good.
6. Henry Godbout.
