Buzz Break: 1999 Team Best Baseball America’s Top Prospects

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there’s a box you’d want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 1999 Team Best Baseball America‘s Top Prospects minor league cards
Where to buy: Check eBay

Packs per box: 18
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 109
Base set completion: 
97 of 100 (97 percent)
Duplicates: 6

Base cards of note – Rick Ankiel, Bronson Arroyo, Lance Berkman, Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, Michael Cuddyer, Aubrey Huff, Chad Hutchinson, Carlos Lee, Mark Mulder, Corey Patterson, Carlos Pena, Brad Penny, Jayson Werth, Randy Wolf

Buzz Break: 2000 Team Best Graded minor league baseball cards

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there’s a box you’d want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2000 Team Best Graded minor league cards
Where to buy: Check eBay

Packs per box: 18 plus one graded card (Packs: six 1998 Team Best Top Prospects Signature Series, six 1999 Team Best Player of the Year, six 2000 Team Best Rookies)
Cards per pack: 6
Cards in this box: 109

1998 base set completion: 
27 of 50 (54 percent)
Duplicates: 6
1999 base set completion: 
24 of 50 (48 percent)
Duplicates: 7
2000 base set completion: 
33 of 225 (15 percent)
Duplicates: 1

Base cards of note (1998) – Rick Ankiel, Eric Chavez, J.D. Drew, Mike Lowell, Ruben Rivera, Jimmy Rollins, Vernon Wells

Base cards of note (1999) – Rick Ankiel, Josh Hamilton, Corey Patterson, Aaron Rowand, CC Sabathia, Jayson Werth

Base cards of note (2000) – John Lackey, Ben Sheets, Josh Hamilton, Barry Zito, Pat Burrell, Mark Mulder

First Buzz: 2017 Topps Pro Debut baseball cards

What: 2017 Topps Pro Debut baseball cards
Arrives: May 24
Box basics: Two autographs and two Relics per 24-pack box (12 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: The stars down in the minor leagues get the big-league treatment in this hobby-only release that packs plenty of potential while also offering the unique color and feel of the game down on the farm.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (June 29)

The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What’s Buzzing Today: New additions, big breaks, The National and what replaces Topps Chrome Refractors for football collectors?

Board Buzz: Must-read threads on the Blowout Forums (May 28)

The Blowout Cards Forums are where thousands of collectors converge daily to discuss, well, a little bit of everything. Here are five threads about collecting and more that you should check out right now.

What’s Buzzing Today: Collecting MiLB gamers, big box breaks, X-Men: Apocalypse and WWE.

Gallery: 2016 Topps Pro Debut baseball cards

They may not be big-leaguers just yet, but the look and feel of the cards found in 2016 Topps Pro Debut, which made it debut today, are MLB-caliber while also including things you definitely won’t see in the traditional baseball releases.

And that’s a good thing for collectors.

The Fragments of the Farm Relics once again bring unusual pieces to cardboard. Need evidence? See the card above.

Need a 2016 Topps Pro Debut baseball card checklist? Get it here …

The first Minor League Baseball set of the year from Topps arrives next week in the form of 2016 Topps Pro Debut, which will include two autographs and two Relics per box. 

There should be some surprises in store (based on our First Buzz preview from December) and some of that mystery disappeared on Wednesday with the release of the final checklist for the product.

First Buzz: 2016 Topps Heritage Minor League baseball cards

What: 2016 Topps Heritage Minor League baseball cards
Arrives: Sept. 28
Box basics: One autograph and one Relic per 18-pack box (12 boxes per case)

What’s buzz-worthy: The players and teams down on the farm take a trip back to 1967 with this release that includes a first for Topps’ Minor League Baseball license — on-card autographs.

Keep reading for more as well as a full gallery of images.

First Buzz: 2016 Topps Pro Debut baseball cards

What: 2016 Topps Pro Debut baseball cards
Arrives: May 25, 2016
Box basics: Two autographs and two Relics in every 24-pack hobby box

What’s buzz-worthy: Future stars, eccentric promo night uniforms and Fragments of the Farm Relics are back in the newest chapter of the ongoing Minor League Baseball card saga called Pro Debut.

Keep reading for more and a full gallery of images.

Minor League Baseball’s career home run leader retires with more cardboard than you might expect

He’s a real-life Crash Davis and just like the big-screen journeyman the career of former big-leaguer Mike Hessman is over.

If you don’t know Hessman, it’s OK — you’re probably like most of us. You might have one of his baseball cards long forgotten in a box somewhere — from back in the days when he was a rookie for the Atlanta Braves and a guy who finally got his shot after eight seasons in the minor leagues.

That was back in 2003, but he’s still in the news now.

One Topps baseball card collector will become Durham Bull for a day

The Durham Bulls‘ history books include Chipper Jones, Evan Longoria, David Price and even the likes of Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh and Crash Davis, but there’s another player you might know who could make their mark with the team this coming season.

You.

Thanks to Topps and the Make Your Pro Debut contest found in packs of the recently released 2016 Topps Heritage Minor League baseball cards, it could be you. No, really.