Buzz's Pick Six: 2018 Panini Chronicles baseball cards

Have you seen the latest cool cards from a recent release? With so many options for collectors of all kinds arriving every week it's possible you haven't. That's where Buzz comes in -- well at least on one brand you'll see here from time to time in what we're calling Buzz's Pick Six. Simply put, here are six cards from a set that seemed interesting to this collector and we think they might interest you, too.

This week's set: 2018 Panini Chronicles baseball cards

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AN AFFORDABLE INCLUSION
The Set: 25-card Panini Status set
The Price: $29.99 Buy-It-Now 
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Ok, this isn't a new brand, but with a bunch of new baseball cards on the way this year starting soon, one of last year's crazier brands in terms of a wide array of inclusions gets my nod this week. Leading off? This small set from Chronicles -- not one of the more complicated ones in the release -- that's an affordable one to collect with some good names. Ronald Acuña Jr., Shohei Ohtani, Rhys Hoskins, Rafael Devers Gleyber Torres and Ozzie Albies are just a few of the players in this one, which is heavy on rookies but also includes a few other young players such as Corey Seager and Paul Goldschmidt. If you want a challenge beyond just the basic Status set there are Black, Blue, Gold and Red parallels and then an autograph lineup that includes standard, Black (1/1) and Gold (/3) autos. The rarer autos appear to have a full lineup while just four guys (nobody big) have standard ink. I wasn't that impressed with this different but familiar approach for the NBA but something about these I just like -- at least when there's a strong photo used like with the Acuña.

Keep reading for five more interesting items in this week's roundup ...

DAZZLING PULLS
The Card: Shohei Ohtani Spectra Rookie Jersey Autographs Neon Pink (/49)
The Price: $499.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Spectra is a brand that you might love or you might hate -- but you can't argue that it's not a colorful and different inclusion when seen in person. (Put me in the camp that I don't mind it here because it's not had a lot of baseball presence. Do I love it? Probably not that much ... but they do stand out from the pack here.) There are 21 different Spectra sets in Chronicles between base cards, rookie jersey autos and autograph sets. Some colors and textures are better than others and there are some much-pricier versions of Ohtani in this one to be found. (Some as high as $4,999 on eBay right now.) 

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FOUR-BAGGERS
The Card: Rhys Hoskins Rookie Cornerstones (/99)
The Price: $39.95 Buy-It-Now
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: The rookie crop is definitely a focus here and the Cornerstones lineup is one with plenty of those big names with their autographs and some swatches to go around, too. There are standard cards (/99) like the one you see here along with Granite (/25), Marble (/10), Quartz (/49) and 1/1 Onyx parallels. Those all add more patch pieces into the mix as they get rarer. The four pieces on these cards almost (but not quite) feel like bases to me and that helps make it a little more comfortable feeling compared to this design in other sports. It's a 25-card set so it would be a project to pull off but it seems doable.

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A LITTLE MORE PRESTIGE
The Card: Shohei Ohtani Rookie Jersey Collection Red (/25)
The Price: $105 Buy-It-Now
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: In other sports, Prestige is more of a lower-end season-opening release but here it's one of many options with standard cards (a strong design to me), autographs, printing plates and a rainbow of seven memorabilia sets. The basic cards and their parallels are a simple draw to me as the design works and is comfy if there's a good photo. The memorabilia set is a little more on the push-your-comfort-levels side of things but look at the size of that swatch. If you land a good name and more than the standard swatch, these can be interesting. (Keep in mind with all of these picks that this is not a super-pricey brand, too.) 

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THE RAREST IN THE RAINBOW
The Card: Ozzie Albies Contenders Optic Gold Vinyl (1/1)
The Price: $229.99 Buy-It-Now (or best offer)
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This brand's inclusion is a small one -- just 10 cards in the set with 10 versions per card. The list? Albies, Acuña, Ohtani, Hoskins, Amed Rosario, Austin Hays, Clint Frazier, Miguel Andujar, Rafael Devers and Gleyber Torres. This shade isn't the most-colorful -- and the design looks good as the entire left side of the stubs are color -- but Gold Vinyl is the most sought-after and the rarest of the bunch. I haven't jumped all-in on any recent rookies, but Acuña and Albies are two that might get my attention first here -- Albies because he's cheaper and overlooked despite some offensive pop last year and Acuña is a cornerstone-in-the-making for a team that could be good for some time. 

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NO LIMITS HERE
The Card: Mike Trout Limited Ruby Spotlight (/25)
The Price: $24.95 Buy-It-Now
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: Limited isn't a new brand in any sport, but there are 11 sets of this one here are they all small enough to chase. It's loaded with veterans instead of just heavy on rookies as Trout joins Aaron Judge, Kris Bryant, Cody Bellinger, Bryce Harper and Clayton Kershaw ... and you get some of the better RCs, too. This one just feels like a simple inclusion with a few touches that keep it from being too simple. You can chase the basic set easily but four of those 10 parallel sets are printing plates -- so there are some definite challenges, too. 

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

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