Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

SAME SET, SECOND STAR ...
The Cards: Spencer Strider 2021 Choice Rome Braves (five copies)
The Buzz On This One: This month's item leads off just like last time with a key single from a team set that has a current big-leaguer who had a heck of a rookie year in Atlanta last season. Unlike Michael Harris, Strider had a number of Rookie Cards in big-league sets last year and he also had a lot of prospect cards (also unlike Harris) so cards like these have a lot of competition. But, I like this one as he looks like a big-leaguer other than that cap and the set was relatively cheap, too, vs. a lot of in-pack stuff by the pack or box right now. The print run on sets like this where there are multiple stars might not be on the low side for MiLB sets but in comparison to packed-out MLB cards there's no chance that the print run is in the same galaxy. I like that.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

GOING OFF THE RADAR ...
The Cards: Michael Harris 2021 Choice Rome Braves (five copies)
The Buzz On This One: This guy is likely to be on my collecting radar quite a bit this year after a near-cardless 2022 that saw him take home the National League Rookie of The Year honors with the Atlanta Braves. Before that, "Money Mike" had some prospect cards in packs and minor league cards count there, too, but his Rookie Cards were held to appear in the full 2023 lineup. With basic stuff like 2023 Topps figuring to the plentiful and prices all over the place right now, I opted to pick up a lot of these -- as team sets -- as he's in there and so are others (you'll see them in later months here) instead ... and I did it without breaking the bank. He has other MiLB cards -- but not a ton -- but this one looked good to me for the price. I'll probably grade some of these, too, as you can probably guess based on the cases they're in right here.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

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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 packs: 2022 Choice Delmarva Shorebirds MiLB team sets (2)
Where to buy: Via the team (while available) ... hit BlowoutCards.com for in-pack MiLB

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one along with a gallery of images.

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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 packs: 2022 Choice Delmarva Shorebirds MiLB team sets (2)
Where to buy: Via the team (while available) ... hit BlowoutCards.com for in-pack MiLB

Keep reading for a full breakdown of what was in this one along with a gallery of images.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

NOT EVEN THE COOLEST SAINTS CARD ... BUT CLOSE?
The Card: Space Ham 2021 Choice St. Paul Saints
The Buzz On This One: When comedy icon Bill Murray is among the team owners and has at least one baseball card out there, it's hard to have any one card for this long-running team grab any kind of added attention or carry cool-card status beyond that ... but this one probably does command some attention despite it not, I repeat not, being the only minor league card out there showcasing a pig. So, what's the deal here and is that a Space Jam jersey worn by Space Ham? Why, indeed it is ... and it's teased here and explained more in-depth on the card. (Click for a closer look.) Oh, and don't forget that Murray was in that movie alongside that failed member of the Birmingham Barons.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

YOU'RE NOT IMAGINING THIS PART I ...
The Card: Tooth Fairy 2016 Choice Reading Fightin' Phils Mascot Set
The Buzz On This One: Buzz did a double-take when spotting this card with a single word on my mind after seeing this ... why? Well it's a sponsorship spot for a mascot of sorts who cleans the bases and has a child from the crowd work with her to get the job done at games -- and she's also part of a mascot group while having a message to everybody, of course. The weird part? She's not alone ... keep reading.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

PRE-ROOKIE CARDBOARD
The Card: Bo Bichette 2019 Choice International League Top Prospects #2
The Buzz On This One: With Bowman and other prospecting brands giving players cards as early as possible -- and stuff like USA Baseball and Perfect Game getting us cards before guys are even pros -- pre-rookie MiLB cards like this don't have as much oomph as they used to (though they may not have ever been super-popular) ... but I still like them. This one comes from an All-Star-style set that includes many more other notables like Bichette here and they're actually among the easier sets to find most often as most teams in the leagues sell the sets ... so there are likely more of these made than your typical sets. Nonetheless, I like grabbing anything for notables in MiLB team sets as they're easily tougher (or at least less plentiful) than anything Bowman. That's why I have this one batting lead-off ... the rest of the stuff you'll see this time is on the oddball side of things.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

REMEMBER THIS ONE?
The Card: Brian Span (with Whitney Houston ... sort of) 1989 Sport Pro Spokane Indians #15
The Buzz On This One: If you're a regular Buzz reader, then you may remember my deep dive into this epic MiLB team set that, well, showcases how the team went to the mall to make their annual card set. No, really, each player and some coaches plugged various stores at the mall with some having funnier cards than others. Span went to DJ’s Sound City, a chain described as "a fixture in Spokane's Music Market for almost 20 years" and made one of the weirdest cards ever made. (See the rest of them at that link.) I had the chance to pick up two more of these and I did ... and you can bet I'll probably grade one -- it's just too comical not to.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

THE BULL BATS LEAD-OFF
The Card: Wool E. Bull 2015 Choice Durham Bulls #30
The Buzz On This One: You may know the team and mascot from Bull Durham -- technically it's not the same bull as he has a name now and only arrived in 1992 -- but this furball's card leads off here for another reason. That Daytona 500-style grip on the wheel got me looking at mascot cards I had stockpiled and I noticed a trend ... they really like to drive. Whether it's ripping around the warning track in a Frontier-branded kart like this one, or some heavy hardware like you'll soon see, there are a lot of baseball cards in minor-league team sets out there just like this ... and it's all pocket-change stuff.

Keep reading for more examples of weird baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

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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 pack: 2013 Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy trading cards
Where to buy:  It'll take some hunting ... in the DVD section. (Regular non-sports cards here at BlowoutCards.com)

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

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

MONEYBALL DOWN ON THE FARM?
The Card: Amanda Brady 2021 Choice Hudson Valley Renegades #34
The Buzz On This One: When was the last time you saw an "advanced scouting analyst" baseball card? This is a first for me and I've seen quite a bit of oddball cardboard in my time doing this series. Brady is an analyst in the Yankees organization and this card is "exactly what I always dreamed my first baseball card would be," she tweeted. There's a pretty good chance there are other analyst cards to come as the MiLB checklists continue to include the non-traditional but, right now, this is the only one I've ever seen.

Keep reading for more examples of weird baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card and here are five example of some oddities in this latest MiLB Madness series item. 

BATTING LEAD-OFF ...
The Card: Double Balonironi Burger 2021 Choice West Virginia Power #30
The Buzz On This One: This edition of the series is all about food and this one is arguably a Rookie Card -- though MiLB cards don't really have RCs -- for a burger apparently a big enough deal that it made the team's annual card set. Why? Well, it's probably not tied to the set sponsor -- Thomas Health hospitals -- but this ballpark "belly buster" seems like it might be an All-Star down on the farm -- check out this video. (Oh, and note the typo on the card front ... an uncorrected error, I think.) I've seen my fair share of cardboard in my day but other than one insert set done at the MLB level a few years ago I'm not sure if I have seen specific food items get their own card before in a MiLB set where, as the point of this series goes, you can see a little bit of everything. Given how much ballpark emphasis there is about food, I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been more. The ingredients are on the back, the fact that it's two pounds is interesting and it's ironic they mask the calorie content. Perhaps the next card will have something to say about that.

Keep reading for four more examples of weird baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card and here are five example of some oddities in this latest MiLB Madness series item. 

BO BEFORE THE SHOW
The Card: Bo Bichette 2017 Choice Midwest League All-Stars
The Buzz On This One: I've found myself buying more cards of this guy than any other lately and some of the more-obscure stuff like this can be right up there on my radar more than second- or third-year Bowman stuff. Why? MiLB team sets and then loaded All-Star team sets like this one are inevitably a lot rarer than a lot of the basics for popular prospecting releases. Are they pricey? Oftentimes, no, but they simply have to be far more limited. (All-Star sets are likely the more plentiful of the two types as they are often sold by every team in a league.) You can find big names from the past in All-Star sets and they can be loaded with talent while standard team sets can be pricier but really only for a card or two. Now ... on to some weirder cardboard like I always have in hand for this series.

Keep reading for four more examples of weird baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card and here are five example of some oddities in this latest MiLB Madness series item. 

BIG DEBUT ...
The Cards: Tyler Gilbert 2016 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws (in team sets)
The Buzz On This One: Gilbert arrived in the Arizona Diamondbacks rotation on Saturday as a 27-year-old rookie and struck out 10 in his first start -- a no-hitter. That's something just three other players have done in all of MLB history, instantly making him a big name for the moment and that moment led people to look for his baseball cards. With all of the prospect releases that arrive seemingly weekly, he'd never appeared on anything found in a pack, just MiLB team sets. (And then a Topps Now card on Sunday.) Rather than grab the new card -- 5,791 copies sold -- I opted for what may be his first MiLB card at a lower cost. I landed three of these team sets for just $4 apiece as they were on clearance via the team's site. (Meanwhile, on eBay? It was insanity ... I'm sure they all get paid for.) He pitches again tonight so we'll see how start No. 2 goes.

Keep reading for four more examples of weird baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

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Minor league cards can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card and here are five example of some oddities in this latest MiLB Madness series item. 

ABOVE THE FOLD
The Card: Chris Petrakis 2013 Choice Jupiter Hammerheads #27
The Buzz On This One: Equipment managers actually appear on baseball cards often in the sets made and sold down on the farm -- they're far more odd than those we see made for national release in pack form -- and that's a key part of this series' existence. However, I might venture that this card has the highest towel-to-subject ratio in the history of cardboard both on the front and the back where his apparently affinity for towels dominates both. I mean, just look at those stats. Only thing weirder I've seen among the laundry side of things (beyond memorabilia cards) might be this baseball card of a washing machine.

Keep reading for four more examples of weird baseball cards you can (almost) only find in MiLB.

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Minor league team sets are a fun anomaly in the cardboard world with some of the weirder cards ever made to be found there -- most without a single autograph or piece of memorabilia to be found. Many of those cards not even all that well known, either, but unique cards can capture attention and tell stories.

Don't believe that? Just ask Keith Comstock. 

Many times, team sets can be made in super-rare quantities -- sometimes just a few hundred sets to be sold at team gift shops or even given away at games. You won't find their key cards slabbed by the thousands and you won't find people sprinting to the card aisle to grab and flip 'em on release day, either. But you might find them to be a fun alternative to collect until those days of hunting for packs and actually finding them are a little more routine. They aren't all easy finds, those MiLB sets, but they might not break the bank to find.

Now, with that said, check this one out ... our first MiLB Madness piece.

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Buzz buys and busts a lot of boxes right here for Buzz Breaks, but one of my goals just might be to rip fewer blasters this year and talk more about cardboard that I -- and you -- might like. One way to do that? Simple show and tell -- present a few pick-ups and say why they captured my attention. Would they capture yours? I'd be interested to know -- sometimes they might, sometimes they won't and that's fine. It's a buyer's market out there with plenty of options and bargains as well as high-end gems to chase.

So, with all that said, here are a few Buzz Buys ... and this time around they're a little pricer than my normal pick-ups.

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I AM GROOT ... 
The Card: Groot 2018-19 Upper Deck Marvel Annual sketch card -- artist: Poognasty (1/1)
The Price: $21.25
Why it’s Buzz-worthy: I did a double-take when I saw the detail of this sketch card in comparison to its price. While sketch cards can get super cheap these days -- even for full-color comic sets -- that's often due to quality of the work. This one seems like it was seriously underpriced. Groot is one of the more unique characters in the Marvel universe these days, though he's more of a merch machine in his child years vs. adult years seen here. Either way, this one was striking and I had little hesitation picking this one up. That's easily the most I've spent on a sketch card but it's by far my best one, too.
Grab a box right here: 2018-19 Upper Deck Marvel Annual (when available)

Keep reading for a dozen more interesting items ...

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