second, i had found a single card from the 2020 topps x ben baller 2020 world series champions set at one of the local card shops and it also got me thinking about buying a complete set of this online only release. it was pretty easy to find for a decent price so long as i didn't want the autograph card that came with each box (spoiler alert - i didn't).
so, having these sets in hand, i decided to compare the players included. there are 31 cards in the total set and 32 in the ben baller set, with 26 players in both sets. i'll show them first - total on the left, ben baller on the right.
pedro baez
clayton kershaw
only two of the players who were included in just one of the sets is still with the club, and one is gavin lux who was featured in the total set
he wasn't on the world series roster back in 2020, and he won't be on the postseason roster this year as he's recovering from an acl tear suffered during spring training.
the other player still with the club is jimmy nelson
who missed 2020 but pitched in 28 games for the dodgers in 2021. he has re-signed with the dodgers each year since then, but has been injured for the duration.
the players who only appeared in one set that are no longer with the club include david price
who sat out the 2020 season, josh sborz
who was not on the dodgers' 2020 postseason roster and is now with the rangers, ross stripling
who was traded to the blue jays during the 2020 season and now pitches for the giants, and dylan floro
who the dodgers traded to the marlins prior to the 2021 season and was most recently released by the twins last week.
the ben baller set also included some dodger legends for some reason, including jackie robinson
who never played in los angeles. maybe he was included to represent the franchise's 1955 championship, but that could also be represented by duke snider
who is also shown as a brooklyn dodger even though he played in la through 1961.
sandy koufax
was part of the los angeles dodgers' first three world series titles in 1959, 1963, and 1965
and tommy lasorda
managed the club to their next two titles in 1981 and 1988.
the biggest head scratcher is the inclusion of don sutton
i am a big fan, but he (unfortunately) never won a world series with the dodgers or anyone else. he did pitch for the team in the 1974, 1977, and 1978 fall classics (along with an appearance as a brewer in 1982) but i don't get why he is in the set instead of, say, fernando valenzuela or orel hershiser.
some player specific text, but it looks like topps forgot to edit the second paragraph on price's card to make this a 2020 card instead of 2019.
as you would expect from topps, the backs of the ben baller cards are fairly nondescript
that only differs in the player name and position.
the total backs aren't much better, especially when you compare the kershaw to the price
i haven't bit on any 2023 postseason sets yet, but i hope i have good reason to in about a month's time!
I usually try to avoid anything Ben Baller-related, but I'll admit I kinda like the Dodger WS set. Also have no idea why Don Sutton was included.
ReplyDeleteI bought the Ben Baller set like a month after the Dodgers won the World Series, I don't usually spring for stuff that quickly but how often do the Dodgers win the World Series?
ReplyDeleteHaven't bothered looking for the Total cards, just don't care about the look, but now that I know you can find a full set together, I might try to find one ... or not.