We had a big day of insert releases yesterday, so I have a lot to cover. If you were able to pull any of these cards, consider yourselves among the lucky!

SR Mystery Card – Stephen Strasburg

Playability:
Collectability: Extreme

Because Strasburg is a pitcher, and we all know how many gamers out there want as many as they can get, this is a big deal. Not only is he a pitcher, but he is a pitcher that throws a LOT of strikeouts to boost point totals, even if he gets rocked. Great pick here.

SR Mystery Card – Adam Jones

Playability:
Collectability: Strong +

I am a big fan of Adam Jones, and a lot of people will definitely want this card. I just don’t think they will want the card as much as they would had this been Tanaka, but obviously a lot of licensing has to go into that one. It’s a good card to have in your back pocket for other SR inserts that will be released as the season goes on.

SCR Mystery Card – Michael Wacha

Playability:
Collectability: Strong

This is a huge card for a lot of reasons. Not only is Wacha a great pitcher, but he also will score a ton of points. Like all the other mystery card players, he is not available anywhere else as of yet, which makes him EXTREMELY valuable for your team. Great pick here by Topps, might actually be the best PLAYER of any of the five cards.

SCR Mystery Card – Jose Abreu

Playability:
Collectability: Strong

Another hot player that plays a great position for points at 1B. I like this pick, and I am actually shocked it is the SCR card instead of SR. Abreu has cooled off a bit from the first week, but is still playing well enough to want this card.

R Mystery Card – Dee Gordon

Playability:
Collectability: Strong

This one is great because of his SB potential on the basepaths, and also his hitting for average. Gordon is a player that I would have no hesitation adding to my lineup.

Topps Illustrated – Cano and Ortiz

Playability (Cano):
Playability (Ortiz):
Collectability: Strong

Like the first two releases of Topps Illustrated, these are just as cool looking. Cano is probably the better pull because he plays in the field, but Ortiz is more collectable because he is the face of the Red Sox. Either one is a great pull.

TBT Retro – Reggie Jackson

Playability: N/A
Collectability: Strong

Topps just added an award for collecting all the Throwback Thursday cards, thus making all of the cards a bit more valuable. This Reggie card is a great choice for the set, and also the first to be SR. Great trade bait for playable cards if you pull it.