Buzz Break: 2021 Panini Contenders baseball cards (blaster)

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and break down 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 Panini Contenders baseball cards (blaster)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com

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

Packs per box: 6
Cards per pack: 5
Cards in this box: 30
Base set completion: 
11 of 100 (11 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Base cards: Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Marcus Stroman, Nelson Cruz, Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole, Corbin Burnes, Jack Flaherty, J.T. Realmuto, Buster Posey, Adam Frazier

Insert cards: 18 (everything from box in gallery below) 
Green parallels (6) – Rafael Devers, Fernando Tatis Jr., Miguel Cabrera, Tim Anderson, Miguel Rojas, Hyun-Jin Ryu
Optic parallels (3) – Miguel Cabrera, Fernando Tatis Jr., Tim Anderson
Optic Red Wave Ticket parallels (2) – Whit Merrifield, Sandy Alcantara
Optic Green Wave Ticket parallels (1) – Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
First Rounders (1) – Marcelo Mayer
Rookie Contenders (2) – Kyle Isbel, Joey Bart
Rookie Of The Year Conteters (1) – Ryan Mountcastle
Winning Tickets (1) – Kris Bryant
Ticket To Stardom (1) – Aaron Judge

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
Rookie Ticket Jerseys (1) – Leody Taveras

What's Buzz-worthy: This is one that, again, I skipped back when it arrived perhaps mostly because I wasn't worried about shelf-cleaning flippers here -- they did and I let them, figuring I'd find more later. Well, ... later here we are. This one is a bit stronger than the previous year -- I did that one and it didn't wow me -- with this box with a guaranteed hit like last time but also having Optichome cards to ramp things up with some plastic and then three Wave parallels within those. This particular box? A little too much duplicate action between the parallels put a damper on the rip along with some players who probably have not aged that well since this one arrived. Same probably goes for my hit here but that is what it is ... I'm fine with that vs. not having one at all. I like the variety of the inserts here -- had I not had a run of similar names this would probably been a light A- box -- but it just feels like this one needed more to even get to a B+ or A- as it stands now. I think this one is worth the look with the low price -- maybe a small lot of three or four blasters at once at the discount price -- since there's so much possible here. (The inclusions panel on the side of the box is comically un-readable there's so much.) With the smaller set size and a lot of parallels,  there can be some potential here along with the guaranteed hits that also can be autographs.

Product Grade: B+
Box Grade: B
Fun Grade: B- (still feels like it needs more variety despite it being so parallel-heavy and having more than previous year)

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