2021 Donruss and Shohei Ohtani

Since we’re down to only two baseball card brands, and I’ve already said my piece on 2021 Topps. Guess it’s time to put Panini on the hot seat. So let's take a look at 2021 Donruss!

That’s a very Donrussian looking base card. At least in the sense of what Donruss looks like since Panini took over the trademark. My first look at this year’s cards came from another group break, hosted by Pal’s Sports Cards.

There were two of them this week, both being identical, and include the following boxes: 2017 Bowman High Tek, 2019 Topps Archive Retired Signature, 2020 Topps Gallery and 2021 Donruss. The potential for hits is reasonable, with enough base material so everybody gets something. Plus, it makes the entertainment value of watching a live stream of the break is way up there!

As the box breaking video started, the camera adjusted showing some of the shelves behind boxes for the break. I thought I saw a box of 1986 Donruss on the shelf. I made a mental note to pick up a pack or two, the following morning when I’d drop in to claim my cards from the break(s).

The video would give me my first look at 2021 Donruss. I hadn’t seen any preview images online (I didn’t look for them if they were out there), so I didn’t know if they were a massive improvement over disappointing 2021 Topps. 

So what would I get?

The first break saw me drawing the Arizona Diamondbacks. Bleh... So I could pretty much write off any top rookies or retired veterans, from the two more expensive products (2017 Bowman High Tek and 2019 Topps Retired Signature). But I’d probably get a decent selection of base and parallel cards from Gallery and Donruss. And that cold be good too...

And the cards were very Donruss looking. Not much better than Topps. Of course without logos, so it’s hard to compare the two, as they aren’t on equal ground to begin with. The tribute to 1987 Donruss is fairly close, but the borders should have been black instead of white. 

I got a few more D-Bags cards besides these. Only from Donruss and 2020 Gallery, as no Arizona players appeared in either boxes of the other two products in the break. Which I was expecting. None of the Gallery D-Bags were deemed worthy of a scan.

But the second of the two breaks landed me the Colorado Rockies. Yay! Once again, I wasn’t expecting any top rookies or retired autographed veterans from the Rockies either, but I was hoping for some new base and parallel cards of a team that I actually like.

Or stuff like this: 

An unannounced bonus pack from 2021 Topps contained this nice Nolan Arenado 1951 All Stars themed insert. Something tells me that 1951 cards didn’t have this much UV coating on them, but I won’t hold that against it.

Seeing this card brings me back to my lament about the Arenado trade. Colorado being short a megastar, likely means they (as a team) won’t be represented in insert sets like this in the near future. I don’t know how many other Rockies appear on this checklist, but I’m betting it’s only Nolan. And next series (and year), there just won’t be a Colorado Rockies player in the set. (Or a similar insert set.)

No big Rockies hits in the break either, but I’m happy with these two 2021 Donruss Arenado parallels. Some of the last Arenado cards with him in purple. I'd be willing to pay a couple of bucks a piece to buy them as singles. Factor that into the cost of your spot, and you "recoup" your money pretty quick.

Yes. Still.

I woke up early the next morning, as I had a packed day and needed to get going. First on the list was picking up my cards, including a box of 2021 to split with my mom, after lunch.

Brian (the head Pal of Pal's) and I discussed the current state of the hobby, for a few minutes as I made my purchase selections. The hobby has become so driven by the big hit, he cant keep unopened product on the shelves. In order to have inventory, he has to restock at inflated prices, which means he has to charge more. Both Topps and Panini and making more and more product that contains very little beside hits. Base cards, which should drive the hobby, are becoming an endangered species. The two card makers seem to be only interested in making the investors happy. Both the ones buying the product to flip for thousands, and the shareholders reaping the benefits of lower production, higher prices and immediate sell outs.

Not a good trend for collectors like me...

Along those lines, he showed me a stack of Rockies and Expos cards he pulled from some boxes he found. A good number of which were from the early 2000's. An under-represented presence in the Rockies and Expos binders.

Cards like this gem from 1997 Pacific Crown Collection:

That clear acetate picture window all sorts of rules! These cards were ahead of their time.

This almost looks like a current Panini product. With logos!

Seeing any Rockies card with Jeromy Burnitz on it, ALWAYS makes me say: "Oh yeah, I forgot he played for the Rockies!" Actually, the more I look at this card, the more I want to know what happened on this swing. Home run? Pop up? Foul ball? No matter what it was, it has Jeromy's undivided attention.

Charles Johnson also elicits that same response as Burnitz. It was nice to see Castilla come back to Colorado in 2004. He just looks right in the black and purple. And really wrong as a Washington National in 2005.

I'd also like more 2004 Upper Deck. That design is really growing on me.

A couple needs for the Larry Walker collection!

I have the regular card, so I need to add the "UD PROMO" stamped version!

Some representatives from Larry's former team...

The Carl Pavano was a pain to scan and clean up. I finally gave up. Pretty sure I already have this Vidro. If so, I'll gladly take this duplicate!

I was genuinely excited to get this card. It proved that Talmadge Nunnari was real, and not a name I made up in my head. I remember once reading something about the Expos, that mentioned his name. But that had been my only memory of him until I saw this card. It had been so long ago, I wasn't sure if Talmadge Nunnari actually existed, or if he was a figment of my imagination...

Should have just checked Baseball Reference!

Talmadge Nunnari's entire Major League career spanned the month of September, 2000. All with the Expos. He appeared in 18 games, but only made 12 plate appearances. Chalking up one hit, but an astounding 6 walks! That gave him a .200 batting average, but a .583 On Base Percentage. With an eye at the plate like that, how did Nunnari not get a second shot? Not like the 2001 Montreal Expos were doing all that much... Well, Lee Stevens did have a decent year at first base...

A deeper look into Nunnari's minor league numbers show why he didn't get that second shot. He batted only .219, with no power in 110 games for AAA Ottawa, in 2001. He did stick around in the Expos organization until 2003, before retiring after only 6 games for the 2004 Pensacola Pelicans, of the Independent Central League.

I need more Talmadge Nunnari cards!

A quick scan of Pal's baseball singles case revealed this sweet Mitch Garver 4 color patch card from 2020 Topps Museum Collection, serial numbered 1/35.

Satisfying today's new Twins need portion of the hobby.

While a few spaces south in the case sits another card I've had my eye on...

A couple of months ago, this 2019 Topps Heritage Shohei Ohtani autograph showed up amongst the baseball singles case. Brian told me that a kid pulled it from a box he bought at the shop, then he brought it back to sell it. That price is out of my range for a player/team that I don't collect. However, Ohtani does deserve recognition for his impact on the hobby. In addition to his unique skill set, both at the plate and on the mound. 

His last couple of seasons have been marred by injury. But even if for some reason, he never plays another game in the Major Leagues, his story is significant. Ohtani cards created a huge buzz in the hobby, back in 2018. I couldn't find 2018 Bowman at any retail location, but I found some at an Aurora WalMarts, on my way to take pictures of really interesting abandoned school property. Looking back at that today, it was almost a warning about how collecting would go in the near future. That semi-notoriety adds a lot of value to Ohtani cards in my mind.

But not today...

I have to chew on that a while longer.

After leaving Pal's, I drove to the restaurant where I was meeting my mom. MLB Radio was talking about the great Spring Training that Ohtani is having, on the way there. Adding the internal argument about plopping that kind of money down for his autograph.

As of March 17, Ohtani is batting .600, with 4 Home Runs and 7 RBI's (and a stolen base), for a hefty 1.809 OPS. Yes, only 20 at bats, but those are still big numbers.

The pitching hasn't been nearly as pretty. 9 hits, 3 walks and 6 runs in 4 innings, show there is work to be done. However, 9 strikeouts in those 4 innings are a definite positive. Plus he's been clocked as throwing 100mph again. Safe to say he's well on his way back from Tommy John surgery.

More chewing...

Damat! I forgot that I wanted to buy a pack of 1986 Donruss! 

Gotta try for that Jose Canseco Rated Rookie!

When I started collecting, this was a legit $100 card. That was if you could even find them for sale. I remember really wanting a copy of this card for several years, just because it was significant. That lasted until Canseco turned into self parody, and prices tumbled. I still wanted one. But I wasn't willing to pay 1988 or even 1995 prices for this card. Since the hobby was so cold to Canseco over the years, I rarely found them on sale in person. If you wanted it, you had it. If you had extras, they weren't going to get you the price you likely paid for it, so you held onto it.

Finally got my copy in May of 2005, from Mike's Sports Cards, in Englewood, CO. For less than $10! When I moved back to Colorado, I decided to focus more on acquiring notable singles from the pre-Junk Wax ere. He had a 1986 Donruss Jose Canseco Rated Rookie in his case. It was one of the first cards I bought after returning. Yeah, 1986 is regarded by some as the start of the Junk Wax Era (I go with 1987), but 1986 Donruss has never been all that abundant.

Despite how his once predicted Hall of Fame career ultimately panned out, Canseco is still a name in this hobby. 

Because of his significance, I was very excited to pull a Jose Canseco autograph from a retail pack of 2018 Topps Fire. 

And this is still one of the strangest cards in my collection. 

So what did else did I get from Pal's?

I previously ignored the boxes of 2020 Big League Super 7, because the term "Figurine" conjures up an image of a cheap plastic trinket. Plus you only get 5 packs of 2020 Big League inside. Didn't hardly seem worth the price. Then I watched a box opened during a group break video, and saw the Super 7 MLB Figurine Inside, and... 

I really needed to buy a box of this...

Okay, that is pretty cool!

Decent sized action figure (not figurine) on a 1982 Topps Baseball designed card. Not at all what I pictured in my mind when I first saw these boxes. Too bad the figure doesn't have knees or elbows, so you could pose Kershaw however you wanted! However, it would likely be cost prohibitive to make them as posable as the GI Joe line...

Either way, Kershaw is lucky that I keep my action figures sealed on card.

Otherwise he would find himself locked in a duel with Cobra Commander!

Former New York Met, Darryl Strawberry, wasn't as lucky.

He was ripped from the packaging, and after defeating both cocaine addiction and Starscream...

Would be facing the pure audio torture of Soundwave!

Which would mean taking him out of the box.

That’s not going to happen.

Looking at the back of the Kershaw figurine card, you'll see there are four other baseball action figures in the line. Good thing I didn’t get an Aaron Judge, because I’d probably have to feed him to...

UNICRON!

Check out that sweet 2003 era K Mart price tag! From the Englewood, Colorado store, which closed in 2017. So I can’t take Unicorn out of the box either.

Just because of that price tag.

And only for that.

Anyways...

Back to additional purchases that morning...

I grabbed the last two packs of 2020 Chronicles, because... Because. This is the perfect example of Panini's marketing strategy and it's effects on hobby shops: Lotsa hits and a small base set, full of redundant hot stars and rookies. Quick sell outs and expensive restock. Packs were $26 each, at release last Summer. In order to keep restocking that line, packs have nearly doubled.

But you gotta pay to play...

2020 Panini Legacy Yordan Alvarez, autographed, serial numbered 1 of 1.

As long as stuff like this comes out of expensive packs, it's a successful lottery ticket purchase. Even if some of card got scratched off at the bottom, in the process... 

According to my own rule that I made up, since I pulled a 1 of 1 card from a pack, I now have to collect that player. But Yordan needs to get traded before I collect his cards. I can't like the Houston Astros. Just nope.

Houston should trade Alvarez to the Rockies! He'd mash in Coors Field!

I bet Bridich could offer them someone like... Say... Ian Desmond for Yordan Alvarez! Houston wouldn't even have to pay him. Since Desmond decided last year he didn't feel like playing anymore, yet wont retire. Come on Houston, you know you want to make that trade! Do it!

I also picked up a box of 2021 Donruss, to split with my mom. 

We chose our packs, then got a good look at the product.

My overall impression? It's a Panini MLB product. You know what you're getting into, and it gives you just that. There was nothing awesome, and nothing terrible about the box. It was just what I expected, with a slight bump just for not being Topps. That bump is flattened by the lack of logos. But you know that going in...

And that is exactly how I feel about it!

I got some decent Twins from my half of the box. My opinion that Buxton can't have a bad looking card, even extends to Panini. The blue foil and that jersey works. Even if Panini had to remove the red and gold trim. And I look forward to seeing what Alex Kirilloff can do in Minnesota this season. He looks to be a pretty good hitter, with real star potential.

Unfortunately, I didn't draw the Twins in the previous night's break. Of the 20 total cards between the two boxes of 2017 Bowman High Tek, 5 of those cards were Alex Kirilloff. Two of them were variations, two were base cards and one was autographed. Brian was supposed to tell me these were Alex Kirilloff hot boxes before, so I could have bought them years ago.

But I did get a Ke'Bryan Hayes autograph from 2021 Donruss! Charlie's son also looks to be a special hitter, and put up impressive numbers during a limited run in Pittsburgh, last season. The Signature Series of 2021 Donruss has some interesting names in it. I'm hoping that people who are disappointed in their 2021 Panini and Topps hits, sell them back to Pal's, so I can buy the singles I want. Without the inflated tax you have to pay for getting to unwrap them yourself.

My mom got the token Expo in the set, and gave it to me. Thanks!

With the red removed from the stripes and patches, I can get a visual idea of what the Expos road uniform would have looked like if they went with blue as the primary color, instead of red. Always felt that blue with red trim fit the Expos scheme better that red with blue trim. Unfortunately, this is just blue with no trim.

Still haven't quite figured this one out. It's numbered as part of the set, but clearly looks different than the rest of the set. I get that it's a short print, but does the black foil mean it's a parallel? Or is it just the way it's supposed to be?

I know for sure is when I saw it, all I could think of was this classic 1987 Donruss card...

If this is what Panini was going for... Hats off!

My 12 packs contained not one, but TWO, Mike Trout Elite Series inserts. 

Not specifically a Trout collector, but I'm not parting with his cards.

Nickname parallels are back, with parallels of those parallels, because we need that more than additional base cards of a wider player pool... 

But at least I got Big Foot.

And Bartolo Colon!

I even got the serial numbered parallel!

Thank you for making this card Panini.

Seriously. 

Later that day, I remembered that I forgot to buy a pack of 1986 Donruss.

I've never opened a pack of 1986 Donruss, which is still one of the 1980's card sets that I own the fewest cards from. I don't have full Twins or Expos team sets (and zero Rockies cards), so I've often debated buying a complete set. Which I would then break into the different segments my collection is sorted. Displaying the full set in an album isn't worth it to me. Keeping it boxed ignores the cards I'd want in an album. And it would gave me an additional Jose Canseco Rated Rookie!

The set isn't that special beyond that one notable card. The design is average at best. There's far too many plain mug shots and the color tends to look a bit muddy overall. But I still wanted to open a pack of 1986 Donruss. Guess I'm going back to Pal's!

I did not get a Jose Canseco Rated Rookie. 

I didn't get much of anything of note. 

No Twins... No Hall of Famers... 

No Rockies... 

So in the spirit of Whatever, here is the 1986 Donruss Single Wax Pack Top 3!

#3 Harold Reynolds - Seattle Mariners

Young Harold, nearly 23 years before becoming a regular on MLB Network.

#2 Hank Aaron’s Left Foot

That’s almost 1/16th of a Hall of Famer!

#1 Terry Francona - Montreal Expos

Cool, an Expos card I need! 

And one of the best bat donuts I've seen on a card.

Considering the rest of the pack, this has to be number one.

We'll scan the wrapper for reasons.

Of course I didn't drive back to the shop just for a single pack of 1986 Donruss. I was coming back with my $100 Pal's Gift Card, that I got from my mom for X-Mess last year.

Guess what I bought?

That $100, plus $50 of my own, bought me the 2019 Topps Heritage Shohei Ohtani autograph. Cutting the price by 2/3 put it over the top. I don't like to use gift cards on everyday general type purchases. Gift cards should be used on something special, so you remember what you used that gift card for. 

I like the inclusion of Ohtani's Japan League statistics. Though I wish his pitching lines were also here. For all the reasons I mentioned earlier, Ohtani will always be remembered for what he accomplished in baseball. Even if he never plays another game. That means $50 is absolutely worth it for his signature.

Not that I don't expect him to play many years in the Major Leagues, health permitting.

And now that I'm done with this, I can get back to writing about something abandoned and/or demolished! 

It'll be a once super... store...

And the South ParQ Vaccination Special ruled.

And all of that's... Good!