Buzz Break: Four 2019 USA Baseball Stars & Stripes rack sets

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 sets: 2019 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes rack sets (four)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (for hobby boxes)

Keep reading for a full breakdown and gallery.

Cards per set: 71
Base set completion: 
68 of 68 (100 percent)

Notables on base cards -- Adley Rutschman, Spencer Torkelson, Bobby Witt Jr., Andrew Vaughn, Riley Greene, Anthony Volpe, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Jack Leiter, C.J. Abrams, Max Meyer and others in the gallery

Insert cards: 4 (all inserts and hits in gallery below with some base)
Japanese Collegiate All-Stars (4) – Kento Ogo, Shoki Katsumata, Hiroshi Kaino, Yuki Tsumori

Autographs/Memorabilia: 8
2018 EEE 15U Signatures Red (1) – Thomas DiLandri​ (/100)
2018 EEE 18U Signatures Red (4) – C.J. Abrams, Jacob Meador, Tyler Callihan, Brennan Malone​ (/100)
2018 EEE Contenders Collegiate Tickets Signatures Red (3) – Daniel Cabrera, Mason Feole, Braden Shewmake (/100)

What's Buzz-worthy: These are full sets with a pair of autographs and an insert as the chase all presented in rack pack form for this annual release for USA Baseball -- and it's a more-affordable way to dabble compared to hobby boxes (that are still also pretty cheap ... hit that link up top) that have at least five hits (of more varying types) every time. The base set includes the 15U, 18U and Collegiate National Teams and this one is so loaded it includes the last two No. 1 overall MLB Draft picks in Adley Rutschman and Spencer Torkelson. (The Japanese Collegiate All-Stars cards found here also include some pro players over there the last couple years, too.) You typically (but not always) get one Contenders auto and one standard-stock auto per set -- this lot was a little light on the Optichrome stock stuff this time but it's still a decent potential either way as I think has these Reds are only found here. (The overall volume of these red autos seems lower than others on eBay to back this up, though I could be wrong. It's been a while since I last ripped these ... and landed Torkelson ink back when he was still in college.) This time, my highlight auto might be Abrams who was the sixth pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, but a few others among my autos also were picked relatively early that year ... and others I landed pop up in the 2020 draft. If you land the right names on ink, they pay for a set or two (or more), while others might not but you can find these sets for less than a blaster so it's not all that risky. (Generally speaking, if somebody is on a base card you can find their autos in here.) If you just want a set or to amass base cards, ripping into these will get that done instantly. Rip with some volume and you're likely to land a mess of young MLB prospects for a fraction of the price of a Bowman release. There might not be any other prospect-level auto out there that's fully licensed and more undervalued than USA stuff -- and sets have been loaded with first-rounders and other high picks in recent years. Nearly everybody can be found here.

Product Grade: A-
Lot Grade: A-
Fun Grade: B (simple and cheap)

Follow Buzz on Twitter @BlowoutBuzz or send email to BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com. 

>> Click here to buy cards on BlowoutCards.com