2017 Bowman Blaster Break
Had to make a Friday night grocery store run to pick up a few ingredients for dinner. Our nearby Pick 'n Save happens to be nestled right next to a Target. It's a Friday night and MLB playoff baseball will be on the television, so why not hunt for some baseball cards.
A few days ago I paid a visit to this very Target in hopes of uncovering the new Topps Fire product. The reviews have been pretty horrible, the cards ugly, but it's a new product and I'm curious. Nothing on Wednesday, so I threw around the idea of visiting another grocery store/Target combo a few miles further away. At the last moment I decided to take a flyer on my nearest Target hoping the distributor had dropped by in the past two days.
I was in luck! As I took a quick glance at the card section I noticed a completely full discount box. On the shelf above some Topps Fire blasters. None of the collectors boxes were on the shelves. Check us out later for a review on Topps Fire.
This particular discount box was filled with the usual suspects: garbage. It seems as though the discount bin is always junk, or I'm always late to the party.
Tonight was a small exception. A 2017 Bowman blaster marked down to $14.99. This product is still hot, and not easy to find on retail shelves. Typically, Bowman blasters sit lonely on retail shelves for months, and can be found readily in discount bins.
Only one was here. There were a few other baseball products: 2016 Allen & Ginter and 2016 Gypsy Queen. There was also another 2017 product in a series one blaster. The rest was hockey, basketball, etc.
Without further ado, here are the results from a Friday night discount Bowman blaster.
Pack One
How about this! Right off the bat an autograph. Not an easy pull out of a blaster, so I'm especially happy with this pull out of a $14.99 box.
This is Kelvin Gutierrez of the Washington Nationals. An unnumbered paper autograph. Gutierrez just turned 23, and has only reached High-A, which is a bit of a concern, though he is ranked as the Nationals #12 prospect.
Chrome cards from pack one include Nick Neidert and Wuilmer Becerra. No rookie cards in this pack.
Pack 2
Really enjoying this discount blaster only two packs in. Here's a sleeper pack. Gary Sanchez paper /499, a pair of rookies (Yulieski Gurriel & Alex Reyes) and Chrome Dylan Cozens and Sandy Alcantara.
Pack 3
Another decent pack. Features a Chrome Rhys Hoskins and Rookie of the Year Favorites Insert Carson Fulmer. Also Rookie Card of Manny Margot.
Pack 4
One of my favorite Insert sets is the Bowman Scouts Top 100, and these have sold really well all season. Here is a Kevin Newman #57. Also pulled a Jason Groome Chrome.
Pack 5
Not much here. Chrome cards of Thomas Szapucki and Chase Vallot. Pulled an Anthony Rizzo base for the personal Cubs collection.
Pack 6
The definition of a solid, loaded pack. No giant hits, but an excellent mix of rookies, prospects and inserts. Mike Trout base is always solid. Rookies of Joe Musgrove and Hunter Renfroe. Top prospect Chrome cards of Walker Buehler and Blake Rutherford. Prospect cards of Victor Robles and Rafael Devers...two guys that could be huge breakouts next season. And the cherry on top a Dansby Swanson 1951 Insert.
Pack 7
Pack seven brings us a 70 Years of Bowman Buyback of Keith Hernandez from 1990 Bowman. Hernandez was well past his prime for this release. I've enjoyed the Topps buybacks, but for some reason the Bowman buybacks do nothing for me. And it seems I'm not the only one because the Bowman buybacks do not sell on EBay for near as much as Topps. Rookies in this pack of Tyler Glasnow and Braden Shipley. Chrome features Adrian Morejon and Nick Burdi.
Pack 8
Down to the final pack. Nice Insert of Baltimore Orioles Talent Pipeline featuring Cody Sedlock, Chance Sisco, and Chris Lee. Chrome cards of Roniel Raudes and Ke' Bryan Hayes.
Review
This blaster break grades out as a solid A. An autograph and Gary Sanchez numbered paper base, solid inserts, Chrome, and rookies. No Aaron Judge or Cody Bellinger, but overall a nice mix. Well worth the discounted price of $14.99, and would have been a great break at full price.