2018 Bowman High Tek Box Break | Review, Patterns, Autographs & More

The sophomore season is one for making adjustments, and Bowman has done just that with 2018 Bowman High Tek Baseball. Following up last year’s debut, Bowman has upgraded the design of the multi-patterned acetate cards for a more palatable user experience.

2018 Bowman High Tek / Bowman

The series focuses on top rookie and prospects, keeping in stride with Bowman’s reputation for highlighting the next wave of talent in the baseball pipeline. Each box contains ten cards, four of which are on-card autographs, an appealing proposal for those in search of adding to their prospect stash.

2018 Bowman High Tek Patterns / Bowman

One thing that sets 2018 Bowman High Tek apart from its more traditional trading card counterparts, are its ten, that’s right, ten different base card parallel variations. (Click here for detailed guide of each pattern.) Compared to last year’s release, Bowman increased the size of the player’s name and team in a way that further accents the photo and make the player easily identifiable. While the box provided for this review did not yield any of the rare patterns, it did feature a Jake Burger Orange Magma Diffractor numbered to 25.

2018 Bowman High Tek Serial Numbered Parallels and Inserts / Bowman

The tipping point for Bowman High Tek is the four guaranteed autographs in each box. This year’s signers list is strong, featuring over 45 different prospects, including Ronald Acuña Jr., Gleyber Torres, Rhys Hoskins, and Royce Lewis. Noticeably absent is Washington Nationals upstart Juan Soto; however, with an abundance of top tier talent, fans are rather likely to catch at least one rising star, if not more.



Cincinnati Reds power prospect Ibandel Isabel (pictured with the Dodgers) and Chicago Cubs pitching phenom Adbert Alzolay led the way for the four autographs in this box. Aside from Isabel’s penmanship, the other three players who signed cards for this box could use a lesson in cursive, as their signatures amounted to undecipherable scribbles, a seemingly growing trend in the minor league ranks.

2018 Bowman High Tek Autographs / Bowman

With boxes settling in under $100, collectors are primed to take a chance at the four autographs 2018 Bowman High Tek offers, with any of the rare base card patterns serving as the icing on top of an already heavily layered cake. Click here to get a hold of a box of 2018 Bowman High Tek.

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2018 Topps Pro Debut Baseball Review - A set right on time for summer travels

With school out and temperatures heating up, families are heading on road trips throughout the summer. Along their journeys will be stops at minor league stadiums across the country, filled with the hopes of cheap entertainment and a glimpse at the next major league superstar. Topps helps fans traverse the bush leagues with their release of 2018 Topps Pro Debut, saving a trip for those who cannot get to the reaches of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Everett, Washington; or Biloxi, Mississippi.

2018 Topps Pro Debut / Topps

The 200-card base set features a wide representation of the top prospects across all levels of the minor leagues. Ronald Acuña, Hunter Greene, Royce Lewis, and Gleyber Torrres are some of the more notable players in the set, and Topps adds a nice wrinkle by leaving card number 200 for the former Heisman Trophy winner turned New York Mets outfield hopeful, Tim Tebow. Also of note within the base set is a card dedicated to Derby, the late bat-retrieving dog from the Trenton Thunder.

After spending some time handling the set, the striking design is more evident upon further handling. When holding the cards at an angle to the sunlight, the action photos are set so that the image isolates from the background, giving the appearing of the action jumping off the card. This effect gives collectors a premium looking card without the price tag of a chrome issue.

The insert sets include those that you would expect from the oddities of attending a minor league baseball game. Topps dedicates one set to the travels of minor league baseball writer Benjamin Hill, who chronicles the culture for MiLB.com. Another set highlights the various tribute night uniforms worn across the leagues that serve to drive attendance and apparel revenue.

Following the lead of their major league releases, 2018 Topps Pro Debut keeps collectors on their toes with base image variations and parallels. This box yielded one image variation (1:100 packs) and two green parallels.

In an effort to drive collectors towards 2018 Pro Debut, Topps advertises two relic cards and two autographed cards per box. The box provided for this review was a bonus of sorts, as it drew three relic cards (two of Tim Tebow), as well as two base autographs of Kevin Maitan and Ryan Vilade. The real treat of the autographed inserts is the Splash of the Future set, which are serial numbered signed cards that feature a distinct mostly black and white image that sets it apart from the base set.

As minor league stadiums across the country begin to fill up and they play out their own midsummer classics, fans will be in search of Topps branded cards of their newly discovered future stars to collect and chase autographs. With a box of 2018 Topps Pro Debut clocking in at $70, the recipe is right for a fun-filled summer at the ballpark.

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