2021 Topps Chrome Black | Box Break and Review

After opening a box of 2021 Topps Chrome Black Baseball, it appears Topps has saved its best design for this late-season release. The black matte finish gives these cards a sleek look and feel that is markedly different from Topps' traditional releases. The deep black background isolates the players and cuts out much of the noise that comes with other Topps issues. With just four cards in each box, one is left with the feeling of wanting more cards from the base set before getting to the encased autographed card. 

2021 Topps Chrome Black Baseball Base Set and Checklist

The 100-card base set checklist is awash with rookies including Alec Bohm, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Joey Bart. Each card is also minted in Topps' standard parallel rainbow (Refractor #/199, Purple #/150, Green #/99, Green Atomic #/99, Blue #/75, Gold #/50, Orange #/25, Magenta #/10, Red #/5, Superfractor 1/1), giving collectors even more opportunities to chase down their favorite players from this set. 

2021 Topps Chrome Black Fernando Tatis Jr. / Topps

2021 Topps Chrome Black Baseball Autographs

The encased autographs, which come one per box, feature a mix of past, present and future stars. The signer list includes Hall of Famers Derek Jeter, Johnny Bench and Reggie Jackson, as well as Mike Trout, Luis Robert and all of the rookies included in the base set. These autographs also have serial-numbered parallels (Refractor #/150, Green #/99, Gold #/50, Orange #/25, Red #/5, Superfractor 1/1) that add excitement to the chase in each box. 

Topps sweetens the deal by adding a highly curated 21-player Super Futures autograph set that is numbered to 99 or less of top rookies and young stars such as Randy Arozarena, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Juan Soto. 

2021 Topps Chrome Black Baseball Box Break

Watch our box break video below of 2021 Topps Chrome Black Baseball to see which autograph we pulled, as well as to get an up close look at the tremendous design that we think make this set one of Topps' best this year.

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2021 Topps Tier One Baseball | Box Break and Review

Topps rolled out one of its high-end products earlier this year with 2021 Topps Tier One Baseball. The three-card boxed product is a high-risk, high-reward proposition, as collectors hope to hit one or more autographs that justify the $250 price tag. 

Each box offers two autographed cards and one relic with a dizzying level of signature variations. A look at the checklist reveals nine different autographed card categories and an additional eight types of autographed relics. Major starts past and present are included in this set, with Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. alongside the recently deceased Hank Aaron and the Hall of Fame's newest member, Gil Hodges. 

Baseball's next wave is also heavily represented, as Topps highlights the game's emerging stars. Fans will find on-card autographs of coveted young talents such as Ke'Bryan Hayes, Jo Adell and Luis Robert in 2021 Topps Tier One Baseball. 

The set's design is crisp, with the photo and signature getting an even split on the front, giving the signature room to breathe without disrupting the card's flow. The thick card stock has a premium feel in one's hand, which should be expected at this price point.  

In the box Topps provided for this review, we scored a major hit that sure made 2021 Topps Tier One Baseball a fruitful dive. Watch the video below from our YouTube channel to see which superstar's autograph we pulled from the box.

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Gil Hodges Finally Makes His Way To Cooperstown

No more debates about whether Gil Hodges belongs in the Hall of Fame. The 2021 Golden Days Committee voted Hodges in the Hall of Fame during its December vote, giving Hodges the 12 votes necessary for election. 

Leading up to the vote, I debated in my Forbes Sports column whether the Hall of Fame had a financial interest in electing Hodges, as past committees haven't been favorable to deceased candidates from his era. Apparently, the committee went all in on four candidates—Jim Kaat, Minnie Miñoso, Tony Oliva and Hodges (with Dick Allen narrowly missing), focusing on widening the Hall's reach, instead of focusing on the living candidates who could promote the museum. 

The three-time World Series champion (two as a player, one as a manager) died of a heart attack on April 2, 1972 during spring training with the New York Mets. Prior to his election, Hodges was the only Hall of Fame candidate eligible for the Veterans and Eras Committees that received at least 50% of the BBWAA vote and didn't get enshrined.

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An Early Look Ahead to the 2022 World Series and MLB Season

The 2021 World Series won by the Braves / Topps

The Atlanta Braves just overcame the Houston Astros to claim the 2021 World Series after what was an utterly enthralling season of baseball, but we are already thinking about how next season will go – and who might win the 2022 Fall Classic. 

Read on to find out who the favorites at vegasbetting.com to make the playoffs are – and what baseball fans can expect to see in the ballparks next year. 

Braves to Repeat? 

Atlanta ‘only’ won 88 games in the regular season in 2021 and was ranked third in the National League going into the playoffs. An excellent postseason run saw the Braves overcome Milwaukee in the NLDS, before beating favorites Los Angeles Dodgers in six in the NLCS. It then took another six games to get past Houston to win the World Series. 

There doesn’t seem to be too much appetite for backing the Braves to repeat in 2022. A lot will depend on whether Freddie Freeman will return, even though Atlanta should be fine to finish atop of what is a very inconsistent NL East. Anything can happen in the playoffs, of course, but Atlanta might not be celebrating again this time in 2022. 

Dodgers the Sportsbooks’ Favorites 

Unsurprisingly, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been named the favorites with the bookmakers to win the World Series next year. That was the case this year. The Dodgers won 106 regular season games, but couldn’t take the NL West; however, they got revenge against the Giants in the NLDS. 

There are plenty of question marks about the Dodgers going into 2022. A lot of money was spent two years ago to win multiple World Series – and that hasn’t quite happened. The flag was won in 2021, but there was no repeat. Now with many of their leading players as free agents, there is an uncertainty that hampers any real confidence in a Dodgers title.

MLB Teams to Look Out for in 2022 

It doesn’t look as though there will be many surprises in 2022. A bunch of teams will be expected to make repeat postseason appearances – but once it gets to that point, that is where things will get interesting. As far as the regular season goes, the NL West is worth keeping an eye on. San Diego was disappointing in 2021, but could upset either San Francisco or Los Angeles next year. The American League looks a little bit more predictable. Houston and the Chicago should win their respective divisions once again, while Tampa Bay should have the East locked up. The real battle in that division is with Toronto pushing to upset the Red Sox and Yankees to sneak into the wild card spots. 

Race for the Flag The 2021 

MLB playoffs showed that anything can happen once the regular season ends. Tampa won 100 games last year and then fell to the Red Sox in the ALDS – a team that won eight fewer in the regular season. Both number one seeded teams fell away well before the World Series too. Baseball’s postseason system might seem a little cruel to fans of other sports. After such a long and grueling regular season, only five teams out of 15 have a chance of progressing – and one of those only gets a one-off wild card game to stay in the competition. Whoever does make it to the World Series has definitely earned it. 

Final Words 

This article didn’t set out to confidently predict the winner of the 2022 World Series; however, hopefully you will see the race for the flag will be just as intense next year as it always has been. There will be some very familiar faces at the business end of the season – that’s for sure. But as far as the 2022 champion goes at this point it's all speculation.

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2021 Topps Luminaries Box Break | Autographs and Relics

We recently opened a box of 2021 Topps Luminaries Baseball for our YouTube channel. Each box contains one encased autograph or autographed relic card. The checklist is impressive, containing the top modern stars such as Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, as well as Hall of Famers Ichiro, Mike Piazza and Ken Griffey Jr. One lucky fan will pull the 50-player Home Run Ultimate Book card which features 50 of the top past and present home run hitters. 

Watch the video below to see which autographed card we pulled from 2021 Topps Luminaries Baseball.

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How One Baseball Card Company Is Proving It Can Survive Without An MLB License

 

Shohei Ohtani / 2021 Onyx Vintage Extended

The baseball card collecting world was turned upside down when both MLB and the MLBPA announced they would not renew Topps' licensing deals. This was a tremendous blow to Topps, as it foiled its merger deal with Mudrick Capital just one day after the announcement was made. 

Fanatics will get the MLPBA license starting in 2023 and the MLB license in 2026. The MLBPA license will allow Fanatics to use the entire active MLB roster on its trading cards, while the forthcoming MLB license will give them use of the coveted team logos. 

Onyx Authenticated, a small trading card company from Orlando has been producing trading cards without either license for nearly a decade, specializing in top tier minor league players. Speaking with Onyx's president Lance Fischer for my Forbes Sports Money column, click here to read what he shared their vision for the hobby's future will look like and their playbook for success in the interim. 

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2021 Topps Allen Ginter Baseball Review and Box Break

Topps' Allen and Ginter Baseball set traditionally appeals to a broad spectrum of collectors with it's vintage design and celebrity infused checklist. This year's 2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Baseball set stays true to form featuring the likes of Marc Anthony and Jason Biggs, alongside current stars and retired MLB legends. Old school collectors will be happy to see names such as Dick Allen, Vida Blue, Mo Vaughn, and Kent Hrbek in the set, as well as Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry getting his first Allen and Ginter card.

We took a look at the entire set, as well as spoke with Topps' communications manager Emily Kless about the set for our Forbes Sports Money column. Click here to read the review.

2021 Topps Allen and Ginter Box Break

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