2011 Florida Marlins Topps Heritage Minors Team Set

2011 Florida Marlins Topps Heritage Minors Team Set

I picked up this set for $1.00 recently on Ebay and did not think twice about the purchase.

While small, it does feature 3 players that the Marlins had high hopes for…

Have a look:

 

From left to right:

1) Matt Dominguez – now with Houston and played very well in 2013.  He showed off a much better bat with the Astros than when with the Marlins and their farm teams.

2) Kyle Skipworth – deeply entrenched in the Marlins farm system. Has yet to do anything worthy of a call-up.  I would not be surprised if he is dealt in a trade as an added piece in the future.

3) Christian Yelich – It is all up to him.  He should have a very solid shot at being the Opening Day center-fielder for the Marlins in 2014.  He had a nice debut in 2013 with the team and I would like to see him batting in the #2 spot in the order to see if he can move runners over when the lead-off guys get on board.  Everything I read says that this guy is a ”Stud”.  I sure hope they’re right!!!

2011 Topps Heritage Florida Marlins Team Set

2011 Topps Heritage Florida Marlins Team Set

For as much as I like the 1962 Topps baseball card design, I really am not too impressed with the 2011 version that came with the Heritage set.

Sure, I know that the set pays homage to not just the design but also the kinds of images used in the ’62 set, but I just don’t care for so many cards of the same boring, no-cap wearing photographs.

The wood-grain helps – a lot, but ultimately, this set is just a bit too boring…

Have a look:

 

 

See what I mean.

Can you guess which cards are my favorite?

Yep, the Gaby Sanchez and Mike Stanton cards – just a little action is better than absolutely no action at all.  And yes, that Topps Rookie All-Star trophy helps tremendously!!!

2011 Topps Chrome Florida Marlins Team Set

2011 Topps Chrome Florida Marlins Team Set

I always enjoy hauling in team sets of the Marlins in which I have never seen them before. 

And the 2011 Topps Chrome set fits that bill.

Sure, I have seen and own the base Topps team set from the same year, but this new Chrome version is new to me and my collection.

Have a look:

The main differences between the Chrome set and the base set is the cardstock used for the cards and the ultra-high glossy finish.  The Chrome set is nice, and I like the fact that it complements the base set so well.

My lone issue with the set is that the Mike (Giancarlo) Stanton card on the Chrome set does not feature the Topps All-Star Rookie logo like the card from the base set does.

Other than that, a GREAT looking set!!!

Florida Marlins 2011 Topps Lineage Team Set – Base

Florida Marlins 2011 Topps Lineage Team Set – Base

I had this set sitting around for a while, and for no reason at all I skipped showing it off.

I am a big fan of the Lineage release, and I wish that this set lasted more than just one year.

The Marlins team set from this release is just three cards deep, but there are multiple versions  to be had.

This is the base version of the Marlins team set.

And now, I need to go after the Platinum, Diamond Anniversary, and 1975 Mini versions next!!!

This should be fun.  Wish me luck!!

Florida Marlins 2011 Topps Team Set

Florida Marlins 2011 Topps Team Set

As I continue to build my Marlins team set collection, I am often reminded of how talented some of their former rosters have been.

Sadly, each next year’s team set brings about a lot of discarded and new faces.  If this team built from within and held on to players as they reached their prime, they would be in a much better position than what they are today.

Still, I am loyal to the team.  And I enjoy going back and remembering the history of this still relatively young franchise.

Here is the complete 2011 Topps team set:

The set is nice, and I like the Teal player banners that Topps used for this design.  The team logo at the end of the banner is a nice punctuation mark for the design too.

As for promise, I will always wonder ‘what if’ Gaby Sanchez continued to mature as a player.  And ‘what if’ they had not drafted Chris Volstad and gone in another direction in the draft that year.  And ‘what if’ Chris Coghlan never got hurt.

Ughhh….

2011 Bowman Florida Marlins Team Set – Base & 1st Bowman Cards

2011 Bowman Florida Marlins Team Set – Base & 1st Bowman Cards

I had already scooped up the 2011 Bowman Platinum Marlins team set, so I thought that adding the Bowman base set to my collection of Marlins team sets was simply the right thing to do.

I paid just $1.50 for the entire set, and it included the famous ‘1st Bowman Card’ for the Marlins as well.

First, here is the full base set:

And now the base versions of the ‘1st Bowman Card’:

And now there Chrome counterparts:

The set is pretty cool.  These are my first ‘1st Bowman Cards’ for my collection.  I need to do a little research about these players to see what their story is, but hopefully they will offer a little aide to the team in 2013.  We sure can use it…

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Florida Marlins Team Set – Kind Of A Joke!!!

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Florida Marlins Team Set

I keep building up inventory of Florida and Miami Marlins team sets.  And I have to say that my binder is filling up rather nicely.

The latest addition to my Marlins team set collection is from the 2011 Topps Allen & Ginter set.  The set features 9 cards in total, and while I am not a big fan of the A&G brand, I will admit that a full sheet of these cards looks pretty nice.

Here is the complete set:

With just 9 players being featured, I thought it would be fun to provide a quick update on the players included in the set.  You’re going to see just how hard it is to stay ‘on top of’ the Marlins as a team…

Chris Coghlan – stuck in the minors leagues rehabbing injuries

Scott Cousins – most famous for ending Buster Posey’s 2011 season. Recently released by the team

Josh Johnson – Back from injury, Johnson went 8-14 in 2012

Omar Infante – Last seen playing 2B for the Detroit Tigers in the World Series

Logan Morrison – Rehabbing another knee surgery. More famous for his Twitter account than anything he has done on the baseball field as of yet

Brett Sinkbeil – Appeared in just 3 major league games, back in 2010. Has not played in the majors since

Hanley Ramirez – traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2012 baseball season

Ozzie Martinez – traded for manager Ozzie Guillen prior to the start of the 2012 season. Guillen was fired after one year with the team

Javier Vazquez – Retired at the end of the 2011 baseball season

So, in a nutshell, there are just two players in this 9-card set of Marlins that are still on the team.  Some of the players included by Topps with this team set are very questionable – Sinkbeil, Martinez, Cousins, and more…  These guys don’t conjure up any good Marlins memories for this fan!!!

I’ve told you before, it is very tough to be a Marlins fan!!!!

2011 Florida Marlins Topps Gypsy Queen Team Set

2011 Florida Marlins Topps Gypsy Queen Team Set

I am a big fan of the Gypsy Queen brand that Topps has been producing the last few years.

And while I don’t find myself rushing to the store to grab a few packs when they are released for public consumption, I do always try to make time to surf through the checklist and grab the cards of the guys that I collect.

And that also includes any and all Marlins.

The most recent Marlins team set that I have picked up is from the 2011 Gypsy Queen set.  And it looks fantastic!!!

Have a peek:

It’s amazing how much the team has changed since this set was produced just over a year ago…

1. Chris Volstad is with the Cubs and doing horribly – both in their minor and major league camp
2. Chris Coghlan is unable to remain on the big league roster
3. Gaby Sanchez does not look anything like the player that was an All-Star in 2011
4. Logan Morrison changed his number from 20 to 5
5. Hanley Ramirez is now playing third base
6. Mike Stanton is now going by the name ‘Giancarlo’

But hey, the cards sure do look good!!!

🙂

2011 Bowman Platinum Florida Marlins 5-Card Team Set

2011 Bowman Platinum Florida Marlins 5-Card Team Set

I scooped this team set for $1.00 – Simply a deal that I could not refuse!

And while I am not that big of fan of the Bowman product, I have to say that this little 5-card set is pretty impressive from a style and design stance.

The set features 3 big leaguers, and Bowman certainly chose the right three players to showcase from the team – Hanley, JJ, and Stanton!

Here they are:

The set also features two prospects.  Of them, I have heard of and followed one (Dominguez) and have never heard of the other (Ozuna).

Now you are going to have to excuse me  I need to go find out who Marcel Ozuna is and see if he can help my team…

GO FISH!!!

Did You See What New Marlins’ Manager Jack McKeon Said About ’30-Year Old Cardboard’???

Did You See What New Marlins’ Manager Jack McKeon Said About ’30-Year Old Cardboard’???