Buzz Break: 2021 Bowman Chrome baseball cards (hobby box)

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: 2021 Bowman Chrome (hobby box)
First Buzz preview & checklist: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Packs per box: 12 (six per mini box)
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 61
Base set: 24 of 100 (24 percent)
Duplicates: 2

Notables on base cards – Aaron Judge (2), Yu Darvish (2), Kris Bryant, Max Scherzer, Luis Robert, Mookie Betts, Buster Posey

Rookie Cards (11) – Yermin Mercedes, Andrew Vaughn, Nick Madrigal, Akil Baddoo, Ha-Seong Kim, Luis Campusano, Ryan Mountcastle, Luis Garcia, Alejandro Kirk, Daulton Varsho, William Contreras

Insert/short-print cards: 33 (a sampling of everything in gallery below with some base)
Prospects (24) – Armando Cruz, Victor Acosta, Alexander Ramirez, Malvin Valdez, Helcris Olivarez, Gilberto Celestino, Heston Kjerstad, Spencer Torkelson, Robert Puason, Logan Gilbert, Yoelqui Cespedes, J.J. Bleday, Michael Toglia, Nolan Gorman, Matthew Allan, Cade Cavalli, Gabriel Arias, Braden Shewmake, Justin Foscue, Drew Romo, Nick Lodolo, Garrett Mitchell, Brett Baty, Shea Langaliers
Green Refractors (1) – Jasson Dominguez (/99)
Purple Shimmer Refractors (1) – Gabriel Rodriguez (/250)
40-Man Futures (4) – Asa Lacy, Nick Loftin, Jordan Walker, Garrett Mitchell
MLB Summer Camp (2) – Brennen Davis, JJ Bleday
Dawn of Glory (1) – Spencer Torkelson

Autographs/Memorabilia: 2
Chrome Prospect Autographs (1) – Jesus Parra
Chrome Prospect Speckle Refractor Autographs (1) – Armando Cruz (/299)

What's Buzz-worthy: These boxes are small but the mini-box format allows one to land guaranteed ink without spending as much and that can pay off well if you get the right names or color involved -- and in the case of this box both of those things happened. The Cruz auto parallel is a solid find that can command good cash right now (perhaps not the big-money numbers people expect in a Chrome release) and then a Green Dominguez is a nice find as well. The Green is one in 165 packs (14 boxes ... now multiply that by 100 to land him in particular) while the Speckle auto is one in 105 (nine boxes). Throw in a Purple Shimmer at one in 60 packs and that rounds out my numbered cards. Oddly I didn't land any other Refractors (previous years had more) but they do start at just one in 33 packs so that shouldn't be an expectation every time, I guess. The design here is one I really like, though I'm trying to do less dabbling and prospecting isn't my thing -- at least at the price for boxes -- but there are plenty of good names to be found between the prospects and Rookie Cards here. Nearly half of my base haul was RCs. This one is a hobby-only release but intensifying interest in everything makes me wonder if releases like this and Bowman Draft won't end up going to retail between now and the end of the Topps run in a few years. It would make sense in a lot of ways to do that but I'll leave that to the prospecting crowd to chew on harder than I do. I got my taste of this one ... and liked it.

Product Grade: A-
Box Grade: A- (two good names on color/ink get this an A-grade from me)
Fun Grade: B (feels like more inserts/parallels are needed)

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