Every time I consider the 2010 Topps baseball card set, one phrase all the time involves thoughts: “steadiness.”
The design itself is clear and simple, void of any over-the-top
options that depart it with a strong, conservative appear and feel.
The 660-card guidelines has a pleasant mixture of big-name rookies, short-printed retired legends, and star gamers of the day.
And Topps additionally launched its now well-known “Rookie Card” icon with the MLB emblem to assist collectors extra simply spot them.
Sure, the mid-season inclusion of the Stephen Strasburg rookie was a bit uncommon.
However, while you add all of it up, 2010 Topps baseball is a well-rounded set that presents a enjoyable and great-looking amassing expertise.
And on this information, we’ll check out the 15 most dear.
Let’s bounce proper in!
2010 Topps #2 Buster Posey Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $90
Chosen fifth total by the San Francisco Giants within the 2008 MLB Draft, Buster Posey was destined to turn into the franchise’s catcher of the long run.
The long run grew to become the current in 2010.
Referred to as as much as the big-league squad for good in late Could, Posey spent his first month of MLB motion at first base.
By the top of June, the Giants have been afterthoughts at 42-40 in a crowded Nationwide League subject.
They wanted a spark, and shortly.
The Giants traded beginning catcher Bengie Molina to the Texas Rangers on July 1st, opening the door for Posey to take over the catching position.
Again in his consolation zone, a assured Posey carried the Giants on his again into competition.
Named the Nationwide League Participant of the Month for July, the 23-year-old backstop hit .417 with seven house runs and 24 RBIs in 27 video games.
With Posey behind the plate, the Giants’ pitching flourished.
San Francisco allowed three runs or much less in 18 straight video games at one level, the most effective such stretch since 1917.
Posey’s presence was all of the distinction.
The Giants streaked into the playoffs as NL West champs, ending the 12 months at 92-70.
And that streak simply stored stepping into October.
San Francisco went 11-4 within the postseason, capturing the franchise’s first World Sequence title since 1954.
Posey hit .288 with a homer and 5 RBIs through the run, placing the Giants excessive along with his ageless capacity to handle a pitching workers.
2010 Topps #85 Ken Griffey Jr.
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
What may have been?
What ought to have been?
Ken Griffey Jr. completed his profession in 2010 as one of many biggest all-around gamers in baseball historical past.
Possessing a sugar-sweet swing with a trademark lope, Griffey had extra pure expertise in certainly one of his pinky fingers than most gamers had of their total our bodies.
Sadly, we have been disadvantaged of a number of prime years of Junior’s profession because of chew after malicious chew from the cursed harm bug.
From 2001-10, Griffey performed in simply over 61% of his crew’s regular-season video games, lacking over 500 video games because of harm or wanted relaxation.
And when he may play, he was noticeably slowed by the toll of tears, sprains, fractures, and the like.
Think about if Griffey had stayed wholesome after transferring to Cincinnati in 2000.
If issues broke proper, he may have been the person to chase down Hank Aaron for the all-time house run report.
It wasn’t to be.
And in 2010, issues ended with a miserable thunk.
Re-signed by the Seattle Mariners for presents as a clubhouse chief, Griffey entered his age-40 season with little left to present.
The 22-year veteran noticed his taking part in time minimize as he stumbled to a .184 common with a paltry .454 OPS in 33 video games.
2010 Topps #48 Joey Votto
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $25
It is poetic that Joey Votto was the one to spoil Albert Pujols’ bid for 3 straight MVP awards.
In spite of everything, it was Pujols who helped Votto discover himself as an MLB participant with a frank dialog just some years earlier than.
“There’s one thing a few star participant of that magnitude form of pulling you in and saying, it is OK, we are able to speak, do not be a rookie proper now, we’ll speak like males,” Votto stated. “I believe he made me really feel snug and just a little extra assured.”
That confidence was on full show in 2010.
Voted onto his first All-Star crew by the followers, Votto captured 31 of 32 first-place votes within the NL MVP race whereas main the 91-win Cincinnati Reds to their first playoff berth and division title since 1995.
Main all of baseball with a .424 on-base share and the NL in each slugging (.600) and OPS (1.024), the 26-year-old first baseman ended the 2010 marketing campaign hitting .324 with 37 house runs, 36 doubles, 91 walks, 16 stolen bases, 106 runs scored, and 113 RBIs.
Disappointingly, Votto’s monster MVP marketing campaign did not carry over into postseason success.
Votto hit simply 1-for-10 within the NLDS, and the Philadelphia Phillies swept the Reds out of October in simply three video games.
2010 Topps #100 Albert Pujols
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $25
The ultimate 12 months of Albert Pujols’ first decade within the Majors offered loads of historic perspective.
Merely put, Pujols was already on the shortlist of the most effective right-handed hitters ever.
In 159 video games for the 86-76 St. Louis Cardinals in 2010, the two-time reigning NL MVP slashed .312/.414/.596 with NL bests in house runs (42) and RBIs (118).
He additionally led the Majors in runs scored (115) and intentional walks (38), hanging concern within the hearts of opposing pitchers and managers from April by September.
On the season’s finish, there have been nearly too many accomplishments to course of.
Pujols joined Alex Rodriguez and Jimmie Foxx as the one gamers to publish ten consecutive years of at the very least 30 house runs and 100 RBIs.
He additionally hit his four-hundredth profession house run on August twenty sixth, turning into the third youngest participant to succeed in that milestone (Rodriguez, Griffey Jr.)
Pujols additionally handed Stan Musial along with his thirty eighth multi-home sport in a Cardinals uniform, earned his ninth All-Star nod and sixth Silver Slugger, and added his second Gold Glove at first base.
He was so rattling good that even the eventual NL MVP winner, Joey Votto, was surprised that Pujols (2nd place) hadn’t acquired extra first-place votes at his expense.
2010 Topps #105 Madison Bumgarner Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $25
Referred to as as much as the Majors for good in late June of 2010, the true story of Madison Bumgarner’s epic rookie season began in September.
After two inconsistent months in July and August, Bumgarner laid the hammer down on the NL West within the common season’s remaining month, pitching to a 1.13 ERA to propel SF to its first division title since 2003.
Bumgarner completed the 12 months with a 7-6 report and a 3.00 ERA in 18 begins, surrendering 119 hits and pitching to a so-so 1.306 WHIP in 111 innings.
Nevertheless, none of these totals mattered in comparison with his sterling September and his October heroics thereafter.
In Recreation 4 of the NLDS towards Atlanta, the 21-year-old righty made his playoff debut rely with six robust innings of two-run ball.
The Giants upended the Braves 3-2 within the elimination contest, making Bumgarner the youngest Giants starter in historical past to win a playoff sport.
After two scintillating scoreless innings of aid towards Philadelphia within the NLCS Recreation 6 clincher, Bumgarner was given the ball for Recreation 4 of the 2010 World Sequence towards Texas.
He did not disappoint.
Truly, the fifth-youngest pitcher to begin a World Sequence sport went above and past the decision of obligation, tossing eight shutout innings for his first World Sequence dub.
Bumgarner joined Buster Posey in Recreation 4 as the primary rookie battery since 1954 to begin a World Sequence contest.
2010 Topps #126 John Smoltz
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $25
2010 Topps #623 Miguel Cabrera
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $25
The 2010 Detroit Tigers have been a 12 months away from realizing their collective potential and turning into a perennial contender.
Nobody informed Miguel Cabrera, who continued his MVP-caliber assault on AL pitching in his third 12 months with the Motown Kitties.
Named to his first American League All-Star crew as a starter rather than injured Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, Cabrera led the Majors in RBIs (126) and OPS+ (178) whereas pacing the AL in on-base share (.420) and intentional walks (32).
He hit .328 for his fifth .300-plus season in six tries and posted new profession bests in house runs (38), slugging share (.622), and OPS (1.042).
Voted second within the AL MVP race behind Texas’ Josh Hamilton, Cabrera gathered 5 first-place votes in his first Silver Slugger season as a member of the Junior Circuit.
Cabrera’s glove was a difficulty, as his 13 errors have been probably the most of any AL first baseman.
However, the 81-81 Tigers have been comfortable to eat these errors to reap the rewards that Cabrera offered on the plate.
2010 Topps #10 Clayton Kershaw
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $20
One 12 months earlier than his Cy Younger breakout in 2011, future Los Angeles Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw had some kinks to work out.
The 22-year-old lefty walked almost seven batters per 9 innings in April, consistently working out and in of jams.
All of it boiled over in his first begin of Could when he was rocked by the Milwaukee Brewers at house and pulled after 1.1 innings.
Booed off the sphere by the Dodger Stadium trustworthy, Kershaw knew one thing needed to give.
“It is simply not a great feeling to let your teammates down, let all people down,” Kershaw stated. “It stings, it hurts. I’ve acquired to determine issues out.”
After that abysmal early exit, Kershaw put in lengthy hours to get his secondary stuff underneath management.
One thing clicked, and the younger hurler began to hit the black with way more frequency, limiting walks and devastating opposing hitters with a depraved fastball/slider combo.
The walks went down, and the strikeouts went up, sending Kershaw into a distinct stratosphere.
He ended the 2010 marketing campaign with simply 3.6 walks surrendered per 9 innings (down 33% from 2009).
General, Kershaw completed 13-10 for the 80-win Dodgers with a sterling 2.91 ERA and 212 strikeouts in 204.1 innings pitched.
2010 Topps #125 Ichiro Suzuki
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $20
Ichiro’s final All-Star season in 2010 was a testomony to his consistency.
It was made much more spectacular by simply how unhealthy the remainder of the Seattle Mariners have been.
The 36-year-old proper fielder posted his tenth consecutive .300-plus season to open his MLB profession, hitting .315 and main the Majors in hits for the fifth straight marketing campaign (214).
The one different certified hitter to hit over .250 for the 61-101 M’s was Chone Figgins (.259).
Suzuki was usually the one factor price watching throughout a dismal Mariners season.
He performed in all 162 video games for Seattle because the losses piled up, main the Majors in at-bats (680) and snagging his tenth straight Gold Glove for his excellent work in proper subject.
Maybe probably the most admirable factor about Ichiro’s 2010 marketing campaign was his self-motivation.
The Mariners have been out of competition only a month into the season, and Suzuki nonetheless had it in him to placed on an All-Star present for Seattle’s long-suffering followers.
2010 Topps #215 Max Scherzer
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $20
A quick demotion to the Minors in 2010 wasn’t sufficient to derail Max Scherzer’s plans of turning into a vital piece of the Tigers’ beginning rotation.
Traded from Arizona to Detroit in December of 2009, the previous 1st-round choose earned a spot on the Tigers’ Opening Day roster for 2010.
Nevertheless, his first full 12 months with Detroit was interrupted when he was despatched again right down to Triple in mid-Could to make room for Armando Galarraga.
The Tigers recalled Scherzer rapidly, and the younger righty cemented his spot within the rotation with a formidable finish to the marketing campaign.
In 31 begins for the 81-win Tigers, Scherzer went 12-11 and pitched to a 3.50 ERA with 174 strikeouts (Tenth-best within the AL) in 207 innings pitched.
He surrendered simply 3.2 walks per 9 innings pitched and posted a really robust 120 ERA+.
All year long, Scherzer confirmed flashes of Cy Younger stuff that turned everybody’s heads, together with a 14-strikeout efficiency towards Oakland on Could thirtieth in simply 5.2 innings that tied him for probably the most strikeouts in a single sport by a pitcher at Comerica Park.
2010 Topps #476 Yadier Molina
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $20
2010 Topps #549 Derek Jeter
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $20
Within the rapid aftermath of his fifth and remaining World Sequence win, Derek Jeter continued to unfold his wings exterior of baseball.
The Yankees captain made a memorable look within the hit comedy The Different Guys, taking part in himself.
Usually measured and guarded in a room filled with analysts and writers, Jeter’s silver-screen success gave the world a glimpse of the true man behind the pinstriped masks.
On the sphere, Jeter had fairly the down 12 months by his sky-high requirements.
In an AL-leading 739 plate appearances, he posted full-season profession lows in a number of classes together with batting common (.270), on-base share (.340), slugging share (.370), and OPS (.710).
The 36-year-old Yankees shortstop was nonetheless a top-shelf table-setter, scoring 111 runs and passing Lou Gehrig for the Yankees’ all-time hits report with 179 knocks.
And though superior metrics have since forged a shadow over his defensive prowess, Jeter nabbed his fifth Gold Glove with a reel-to-reel assortment of dazzling performs on the six.
Now an 11-time All-Star, Jeter’s model of a season-long stoop wasn’t sufficient to derail the Yankees within the common season.
Falling wanting back-to-back AL East titles by a single sport, the 95-win Yankees nonetheless captured the Wild Card and stood in a great place for an additional deep October run.
Nevertheless, the Texas Rangers thwarted New York’s bid for back-to-back titles in a gutting six-game ALCS loss.
2010 Topps #652 Chipper Jones
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $20
Simply over a 12 months faraway from successful the NL batting title, Chipper Jones readied himself to name it a profession.
After hitting the wall with a substandard 2009 season and leaving the 2010 World Baseball Traditional early with an indirect harm, Jones was satisfied it was time to hold ’em up.
He met with Braves administration, discussing his need to retire alongside longtime supervisor and pal Bobby Cox on the finish of the 2010 season.
The 38-year-old third baseman needed to exit on prime, and this Braves crew appeared ok to make it occur.
After which, Jones’ physique determined to alter his plans for him.
On August Tenth, Jones ripped a ligament in his left knee charging after a routine floor ball, the identical ligament that value him his rookie season in 1994.
It was a brutal harm, and it was sufficient to cease Jones’ retirement speak useless.
“In that prompt, I knew retirement was out the window,” Jones stated. “No means did I wish to exit like that.”
Jones ended his 2010 season with a .265/.381/..426 slash line, ten house runs, 21 doubles, and 46 RBIs in 381 plate appearances (317 at-bats).
2010 Topps #353 Jason Heyward Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $15
One of the vital hyped prospects of the previous 20 years, Jason Heyward was a Corridor-of-Famer in many of us’ eyes earlier than he took an MLB swing.
Whereas that hasn’t panned out, the “J-Hey Child” appeared like a certain Cooperstown guess within the first two months of his rookie marketing campaign with the Atlanta Braves.
Within the crew’s first 50 video games of the 2010 season, Heyward hit .301 with ten house runs and an OPS close to 1.000 (.997).
The early favourite for the NL Rookie-of-the-12 months, the Braves’ new proper fielder appeared unstoppable.
And if it wasn’t for a thumb harm, that may have been the case.
Heyward missed the higher portion of a month, and when he got here again, he alternated between ice-cold stretches and molten-hot stretches on the plate.
He pulled issues collectively, successful Baseball America’s MLB Rookie of the 12 months and Sporting Information’ NL Rookie of the 12 months with a .277/.393/.456 slash line, 18 house runs, 29 doubles, 83 runs scored, 91 walks, and 72 RBIs in 142 video games.
Named to his first and solely All-Star crew up to now, Heyward acquired a number of down-ballot MVP votes and completed second to Buster Posey within the NL’s Rookie of the 12 months race.
2010 Topps #369 David Ortiz
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $15
A month into the 2010 MLB season, many pundits overtly puzzled if David Ortiz was washed.
The 12 months earlier than, Ortiz put collectively his worst season in a Boston Pink Sox uniform, hitting simply .238 with 28 house runs.
Groups used the shift to vex Ortiz all 12 months, muting his effectiveness as a pull hitter.
And 2010 began with extra of the identical.
In April, the 34-year-old DH/first baseman hit simply .143 with one house run because the Pink Sox hovered round .500.
It felt like greater than a stoop, and nobody fairly knew if Ortiz’s days as an elite hitter have been behind him.
It seems it was a false alarm.
Ortiz adjusted his strategy as 2010 went alongside, delivering his sixth All-Star marketing campaign for the 89-win Pink Sox.
Catching hearth heading into the All-Star break, Ortiz ended the season slashing .270/.370/.529 with 32 house runs, 36 doubles, 86 runs scored, 82 walks, and 102 RBIs in 606 plate appearances (518 at-bats).
2010 Topps Baseball Playing cards In Assessment
In the event you’re searching for a great-looking set that’s easy, simple, and will not break the financial institution, 2010 Topps may very well be a great possibility for you.
The guidelines is strong and accommodates a number of big-name rookies.
There are many superstars, relics and autograph playing cards to chase.
And when you like inserts, Topps launched 9 new inserts on this set that helped increase the amassing expertise.
There have been additionally a number of totally different subsets within the guidelines, together with:
- Leaders
- Franchise Historical past
- All-Star Rookies
- Award Winners
- Workforce Checklists
Had Stephen Strasburg and Jason Heyward’s careers continued on the trajectory at which they have been hyped, this set could also be way more well-liked than it’s immediately.
These two guys have been arguably two of probably the most hyped-up athletes of any sport throughout their period.
Sadly, accidents and a little bit of unhealthy luck held them again from their true potential, although each went on to have strong careers.
General, the 2010 Topps baseball set delivers an awesome amassing expertise however is not usually remembered as one of many largest of its period.
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