Buzz Break: 2019 Topps Big League baseball cards (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 Topps Big League baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

Packs per box: 24
Cards per pack: 10
Cards in this box: 240
Base set completion: 
189 of 400 (47 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Ronald Acuña Jr. (2), Ozzie Albies, J.D. Martinez (with Hank Aaron), Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Kris Bryant, Corey Seager, Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout

Rookie Cards (13) – Notables include Ramon Laureano, Kyle Tucker, Rowdy Tellez

Insert cards: 50 (a sampling of everything in gallery below)
Nicknames (6) – Mookie Betts, Starling Marte, Juan Soto, Christian Yelich, Nomar Mazara, Mitch Haniger
Caricature Reproduction (6) – Andrew Benintendi, Stephen Piscotty, Chris Archer, Starlin Castro, Alex Gordon, Brandon Crawford
Wall Climbers (6) – Ronald Acuña Jr., Mookie Betts, Odubel Herrera, Adam Engel, Billy Hamilton, Christian Yelich
Blast Off! (6) – Bryce Harper, Khris Davis, Avisail Garcia, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, J.D. Martinez
Yellow parallel (24) – Notables include Mike Trout, Eloy Jimenez, Mookie Betts, Christian Yelich, Masahiro Tanaka, Jake Arrieta, Kyle Schwarber, Mookie Betts
Foil parallel (1) – Ryan McMahon (/100)
Artist's Rendition (1) – Magneuris Sierra (/50)

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Big League Autographs (1) – Juan Soto

What's Buzz-worthy: How's that for an autograph? Not bad. (It's not smudged at all -- that's just the hologram reflecting.) Ink arrives about one in every six boxes for this set and this one is among the better autos to pull when it comes to demand in the last year. The rest of this box is pretty much gravy and it delivered pretty well on all fronts with a pair of numbered inserts, a run of parallels with a few notable names and a good look at each of the insert sets unlike when Buzz found one of each per blaster. ... As said before, this sophomore release ups the ante on the design front with there being a lot of details on these cards and plenty of into on the backs for a brand that price-wise is on the low-end. The base set is meaty -- 400 cards like last year -- with some subsets that have subtle design tweaks that really don't make them stand out of the pack too much. The size of the set will affect the star power you get in a box, especially in a blaster, but if you go the hobby route at the link above the mix should be good and you should do well in terms of building a set. (This hobby box seemed light on some star veterans.) There are some good autos to be found here just at longer odds -- about one in 550 packs for both basic versions combined and then parallels that could also be found. I can handle longer odds at a lower price. This box included some notables from last year's rookie crop to help things out but my inserts didn't really wow me player-wise. (One highlight would be  Bryce Harper Phillies card.) All in all, I like the design of this one but just wish it had some of the inclusions we see in releases such as Opening Day (with easy odds like years before this one) to add to the fun factor. Bust a hobby box and this could be a decent but not super-flashy collecting experience -- much like releases of the late-1980s and early 1990s (and before) in some ways. And that's not a bad thing.

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: A+
Fun Grade: A-

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