Buzz Break: 2023 Topps Series 2 baseball cards (hanger)

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The box: 2023 Topps Series 2 baseball cards (hanger)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby/jumbo)
First Buzz preview, odds & checklist: Click here

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

Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 67
Base set completion: 
59 of 330 (18 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Matt Olson, Mike Trout, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Andrew McCutchen, Brandon Nimmo, Dansby Swanson

RC logo cards (12) – James Outman, Bo Naylor, Ezequiel Tovar, Ryan Kriedler, Israel Pineda, Dalton Guthrie, Tommy Henry, Tyler Freeman, Terrin Vavra, David Hensley, Brendon Davis, Bubba Thompson

Insert/short-print cards: 8 (all in gallery below with some base)
Stars of MLB (4) – Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Jose Altuve, Paul Goldschmidt
World Baseball Classic (1) – M.J. Melendez
1988 Topps All-Stars (1) – Stan Musial
Blue parallel (1) – Miami Marlins
Blue Foil parallel (1) – Christian Walker (/999)

Autographs/Memorabilia: None

What's Buzz-worthy: I've dabbled with next to nothing from flagship this year and dipping my toe back in the water with this one didn't do much to make me want to open more as a blaster and this have been my only rips of Series 2. A second series can often be challenging on the player front but this one does include a number of better-name RCs ... but I've seen none of them so far. (I'll survive). Among the newcomers are Masataka Yoshida, Corbin Carroll, Anthony Volpe and Jordan Walker -- but my crop is perhaps among the "wait and see" variety at best other than one early season wonder and maybe one or two others who might be reliable guys for the long run. We'll see. This will happen with a larger-size set. The insert presence in this format is too lean and it's bolstered by the retail Stars of MLB cards, which are nice but flow so often between all of the formats that they can be annoying unless a big name is attached. I beat the odds a little bit with that Blue parallel (one in eight hangers) but it's not really a highlight ... or is it looking back at it all. Had that been a key name? Easy win ... so that shows why these smaller boxes are worth the look. ... This one does have a busier design than some recent years but I think it feels tighter and more cleanly printed than some flagship sets. It wasn't perfect but nothing dramatically rough in terms of centering and stock -- and that has been an issue at times off and on of late. The array of inclusions in this release is good -- and jumbo boxes break with a lot more color and flash than hobby with guaranteed ink and more -- and about the only other thing I'd want to see would be a little more insert/parallel power in every format that's not hobby or jumbo. That doesn't add cost ... just got to add to lineup to add some value here for boxes where the names aren't popping. If you like this one, rip hobby boxes. If you're really a fan, spring for the jumbos where you get guaranteed ink and more every time ... that likely has the best potential.

Product Grade: A-
Box Grade: C+ (numbered card is one in eight boxes ... but ultimately nothing all that special in this one)
Fun Grade: C (not much going on here beyond a lot of base)

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