Buzz Break: 2019 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes (hobby)

 From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 2019 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes (hobby box)
Where to buy: Click here

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one ...

Packs per box: 5
Cards per pack: 8
Cards in this box: 40
Base set completion: 
29 of 100 (29 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Spencer Torkelson, Adley Rutschman, C.J. Abrams, Jarred Kelenic, Jack Leiter, Casey Mize, Brennan Malone, Will Wilson, Braden Shewmake

Inserts/short-prints: 6 (all in gallery below with some base cards)
Longevity (5) – Bobby Witt Jr., Riley Cornelio, Anthony Volpe, Josh Jung, Luke Leto
Longevity USA Baseball Logo Gold (1) – Spencer Torkelson (/25)

Autographs/Memorabilia: 5
Collegiate National Team Signatures (1) – Will Wilson (/499)
Stars & Stripes Signatures (2) – Tanner Burns, Parker Caracci (/299)
Silhouettes Signatures Jerseys (1) – Braden Shewmake (/199)
Silhouettes Signatures Jerseys Patch USA Baseball logo (1) – Alex Edmondson (1/1)

What's Buzz-worthy: I never ripped a hobby box of this one when it arrived last year, but this is the kind of box that shows why you should -- it included an impressive 1/1 patch auto (kid still needs to work on his auto, though) as well as a rare parallel card and base card appearance from this year's possible No. 1 overall pick, Spencer Torkelson. It also included a card of last year's No. 1 overall pick, Adley Rutschman, while the hits here included ink from a pair of first-round draft picks last year (Wilson to the Angels and Shewmake to the Braves). Generally speaking USA autos don't sell as well as Bowman Chrome debut autos (What does?), but they might top other prospect releases and in many cases these are the only cards for notables until draft time. (I prefer them since they feel more official and theirs a ton of continuity with past USA stuff to collect.) Perhaps the biggest variable here, though? The low price of ripping here and a decent hit volume that can yield some solid-looking cards that are game-used like that 1/1 patch. The format here is a simple one -- a hit and a parallel in every pack -- but some packs can yield extras ... my next box of this, also a strong one, will arrive here sometime soon with an extra hit and some star power. With all of the new and returning collectors to the hobby these days spending big on, well, everything, USA Baseball might be one to look toward for a fun collector experience on the cheaper side that can deliver well as players work their way into draft status out of high school (USA sets can include 15U players), the college ranks or into the minors or majors. There's decent shelf life here compared to a lot of prospect releases and the crop of players is as good as it gets. There were 15 USA Baseball alums drafted in the first round last year -- and seven of those went in the first nine picks. They had USA cardboard first.

Product Grade: A-
Box Grade: A+
Fun Grade: A- (tiny boxes)

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