If you're one of those baseball collectors who's been all about the anime, this one's for you.

Buzz was busy today adding a bunch of cardboard to the preview gallery for the forthcoming 2025 Bowman release (click here to see all of those and order your boxes), but this one -- all 30 cards in the 2025 Bowman Anime insert set -- gets its own standalone.

Why? These baseball cards are unique and they're a popular style of artistic card inclusions from a few companies in a few sports in recent years. This time there are 30 standard cards for stars of the past, present and future -- and then four Japanese icons will have Kanji Variations to find as well.

You can learn more and see the 30 standard cards after the jump.

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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 box: 2023 Panini USA Baseball Stars & Stripes baseball cards (mega)
First Buzz preview: Click here
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com (all years of USA)

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

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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. 

IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW ...
The Cards: Bo Bichette 2020 Choice Lansing Lugnuts 25th Anniversary set (nine)
The Buzz On This: I started prepping this one last week but realized I was light on some star power for this one, so I went to the official MiLB Store and did some window-shopping for team sets and finally opted to grab a nine-pack of a set that's got two solid names attached -- and several other big-leaguers inside -- since they were on a slasher sale and I had a discount promo code to burn. If you don't dabble in the MiLB realm, there are some affordable ways to find top names in old unis without breaking the bank and this set shows off notables from the team's past. In this case, it shows Bichette when he hit .384 with 10 homers, 51 RBI, 60 runs and 12 stolen bases in just 70 games back in 2017. I think this one finished off my run of Bichette cards found in MiLB team sets but this serves as a reminder that these look-back sets done from time to time and a more regularly appearing type of set can deliver. The sets can at times be loaded but are a little more plentiful (and that hurt values some) and other types are league "top prospects" sets and similar all-star team sets that can be sold by all teams in a league. My nine sets here were cheaper than all MLB hobby boxes so far this year.

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

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With these Ticket Stud or Ticket Dud stories I'm turning just a tiny bit of that energy just a few degrees away from cards (we'll still have plenty of them here) for a different kind of cardboard. What am I doing? Simple ... this is an occasional dip into some random ticket lots -- a show and tell showing something small with a story.

This time? An ideal look for an ideal day in spring training not that long ago.

Keep reading to see the details this time ... and tell me if you think it's a Ticket Stud or a Ticket Dud.

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If you want to collect 'em all, you'll have to hit an MLB team shop.

Topps and MLB Players Inc. revealed this morning that the 2022 Topps Players Clubhouse baseball card line, which will get a pack of cards into your hands if you buy at least $149 in "officially licensed MLB Players products displaying the MLB Players logo, in a single transaction, at this team store location" beginning on selected dates -- starting today -- while supplies last with a limit of one pack per person.

Packs will not be sold at the participating team shops, according to the announcement.

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Fast Five is a quick list that might offer a basic starting point for a themed collection or new focus -- five things that could be fun for a beginner or a new way to add something to your stash if you're a grizzled veteran.

This time? Five MLB players who impressed Buzz this week.

BIG NAME, BIG GAME
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B Toronto Blue Jays -- Rookie Cards in 2019 releases
MVP or not, you should all know Guerrero after last season and this year he's atop MLB with four homers in seven games -- and three of those were in a single game against the Yankees on Wednesday night. He's hitting .333 with eight RBI and six runs but I think the key here is that he's a main guy on a team with a crop of young home-grown stars -- and that is a recipe for hobby success if they get things done this season.

Keep reading for four more making up the list this time.

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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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They're not easy pulls, but they're cards in 2020 Topps Opening Day that are unique and figure to be ones that could hold interest over time as they might not be ever made again.

Arriving today in packs of that low-end but loaded-with-the-unusual brand are 11 Ballpark Profile autograph cards that showcase people who are probably known well by their hometown fans but might be relative unknowns to others.

In most -- but not all -- cases, these are cardboard debuts for those in the set and they are certainly all first-time certified autographs.

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Joey Bart, C, Giants — Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels
Baseball America’s highlight line: “The Giants’ top prospect put an exclamation point on his season with an extremely strong finish to his brief tenure at Double-A Richmond. He produced an .868 OPS in August, which included four of his 16 homers in his first full season as a pro. He might not have any 80-grade tools on his card, but Bart has a plethora of pluses that should lead him to become the Giants’ long-term answer at catcher."

CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 450
First Chrome auto: 2019 Bowman
One auto to consider: 2018 Elite Extra Edition
Buzz’s card take: He's a top name, so you should know him and he's got more than 200 autographs to choose from, too. There's some promise to those words from BA -- sounds like they are sold -- but the second pick in last year's draft has decent numbers to justify it. He's hit .284 with 29 homers and 88 RBI in 130 MiLB games the last two years. Good for a catcher but perhaps not for a big-money guy on cardboard. Replacing Buster Posey would come with expectations if he makes it, so I'd be prudent with my looking in terms of prices paid.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Wander Franco, SS, Rays — Class A MiLB Charlotte Stone Crabs
Baseball America’s highlight line: “After scorching the Midwest League for half a season, the Rays promoted Franco to high Class A on June 25. In five games, he has walked as many times (four) as he’s swung and missed. He’s also scored as many times as he’s swung and missed. He’s got six more hits than he has swings and misses. He’s younger than every player on this year’s USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team, and he’s already in the Florida State League. If the start to his tenure with Charlotte is any indication, he’s going to have no trouble reaching Double-A just after turning 19 years old."

CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 360
First Chrome auto: 2019 Bowman 
One auto to consider: 2018 Elite Extra Edition
Buzz’s card take: Nearly half of his cards are autographs yet there's still plenty of demand -- and if you somehow don't know his name the ship has sailed on sleeper/bargain cards. He's easily among the top prospects in baseball and Baseball America had him fourth heading into this season. He's hitting .335 with 17 doubles, five triples, eight homers and 35 RBI in 67 games this season -- not quite as strong as last season in rookie ball at 17. The age is the thing here and if he improves quickly as he advances at a young age he's worth the big bucks being paid for his cards. The good news is that there's a lot to choose from if you're hunting them. I didn't find that highlight line to be all that overwhelming -- I get it, he doesn't swing and miss -- but his stats also weren't as crazy as I had expected when I checked them.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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Here's a look at the top five players on this week's Baseball America Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet and their seasons so far. It's a little something to help those who might want to dabble with prospecting -- some basics on their baseball cards alongside a highlight line from those more scouting-minded. We may not do this every week, but we'll check in on BA's top crop from time to time for the remainder of the season.

1. Mario Feliciano, C, Brewers — High-A Carolina Mudcats
Baseball America’s highlight line: “Feliciano entered the year with a ton of upside, and it’s beginning to show up loudly and often. He’s loose and athletic both at the plate and behind it, and he has built on a strong May with a blistering June. In nine games this month, Feliciano has swatted five home runs (as many as he did all of last month) and is 14-for-32 overall."
CARDBOARD BASICS
Approximate card total (so far): 100
First Chrome auto: None yet
Autos to consider: Leaf's 2015 Perfect Game All-American releases
Buzz’s card take: His ink is basically limited to Perfect Game All-American releases from 2015 and a limited number of autos in 2016 Elite Extra Edition and that's it -- nothing since. Despite this, more than half of his cards are autographs, though he does have unsigned MLB cardboard. He can be found in 2016 Bowman Draft -- his only cards from Topps. In four MiLB seasons, the 20-year-old has hit .253 with 21 homers and 113 RBI in 237 games. Nothing super-flashy on the card front but he's a catcher so the number aren't necessarily a given necessity there for him to arrive. The lack of cardboard  may help drive up auction prices for those who opt to chase here.

Keep reading for the rest of the top five ...

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There are eight guys with realistic chances at being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame tonight (announcement is set for 6 p.m. EST on MLB Network) and there's one good thing to be had here for potential new baseball card collectors or veterans still needing them.

Most of them have Rookie Cards can be easily landed thanks to the timeframe when they were made -- and they have plenty of cards to chase in boxes made since.

The first lock of the bunch is former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, MLB's career saves leader (652), who is a contender for the highest Hall of Fame voting percentage ever. That mark is 99.6 percent of ballots and is held by Ken Griffey Jr. back in 2016. Unlike Griffey -- and others you'll see here -- Rivera has just one Rookie Card. It can be found in 1992 Bowman, a set that added gloss and white stock into the brand's repertoire along with a deeper checklist (and guys in street clothes). Rivera has more than 5,500 different cards but only one gets the RC label -- that's a rarity in this day and age that helps bolster its value. (If you want one, buy it graded. They have been counterfeited.) >> Check out his autographed cards (and more) on eBay

Who else is out there and potentially headed to Cooperstown?

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Major League Baseball will have its players wear Stoneman Douglas caps today to help raise funds for victims of last week's school shooting in Florida.

The caps will be worn, signed and auctioned to benefit a victim's fund.

Among them will be Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo -- a 2007 graduate of the school -- and the tributes will also be part of Topps Now cardboard now available.

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Colorado Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis' comeback from cancer on Monday night didn't net a victory in the record books -- but the cardboard just might help do that.

Topps' newest batch of Topps Now cards includes autographs from the right-hander and the proceeds from the sales of his cards will go to Stand Up to Cancer.

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One generation might know him as a bit of a slugger and the 1979 American League MVP, while another might know him as a manager and coach.

Either way, Don Baylor was a man who lived his life in baseball -- his career that spanned from the 1960s until 2015. He died on Monday at age 68 after a battle with multiple myeloma.

"Don Baylor: 14 teams as player, coach and manager. Countless lives influenced. There's a hole in the universe, its expanse without end," said J.G. Taylor Spink Award-winner Claire Smith on Twitter. "Deepest love and condolences to Becky Baylor and the Baylor family who are mourning a man whose heart was as big as all of Texas."

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Colorado Rockies rookie pitcher Kyle Freeland ended the first half of the season with a no-hitter lost in the ninth inning -- but a one-hitter was good enough.

The lefty, who was the eighth-overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, racked up a career-high nine strikeouts in what was just his 18th big-league start. For the season, he sits at 9-7 with a 3.77 ERA after his gem at Coors Field.

The good news for collectors? Unlike those red-hot rookie sluggers, you can actually find Freeland's autographs somewhat easily and affordably -- perhaps because, you know, he pitches at Coors Field.

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A new baseball season is nearly here with the first spring training games set to air later this month and that's when we'll see the newest players on their new teams.

And many of them will be wearing new uniforms -- well, at least new caps.

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The mystery is over.

Topps revealed the three Mystery Redemption Autograph subjects in 2016 Topps Finest on Tuesday night and they're three rookies you might have heard of.

And there's a pretty sweet twist.

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Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story appears on more than 200 different baseball cards and has signed more than 40 different certified autograph cards since his cardboard arrival back in 2011.

But there's one thing that a collector of this new MLB standout can't do yet -- pull a Rookie Card of him from a pack.

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Trevor Story's impressive start this season has a new chapter to come when it comes to autographs and memorabilia.

The Colorado Rockies shortstop is now an exclusive Topps Authentics player.

“Trevor Story’s first week as a big leaguer was phenomenal,” said David Leiner, Topps Vice President and General Manager of North American Sports & Entertainment. “No one has done what he has done at this level. The excitement he brings to every game is something that can’t be matched. We are proud to have Trevor join our Topps Authentics lineup.”

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Topps' new program creating real baseball cards in real time documenting the highlights of the here and now have caught on with some collectors as this season has begun with some historic starts and impressive debuts for MLB rookies.

It's 2016 Topps Now and the cards are only available for a 24-hour window. After that, the population reports are released and the next day's cards are unveiled -- all in made-to-order, real-time fashion.

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Jason Dean Martin
Also Known As: @jasondeanmartin on Twitter (And everywhere else, too.)
Website: www.jasondeanmartin.weebly.com & www.beansballcardblog.com
Email: jasondeanmartin@gmail.com
Location: Pennsylvania
Work away from cards: Territory Manager for PPG Industries
Collecting since: 1987

Main focuses: Josh Fogg and anything baseball including MLB, MiLB, NCAA and USA. Also errors and variations.

Favorite players/teams: Josh Fogg, Bobby Bonilla, Bryce Harper

Current collecting projects: Josh Fogg (including cards and memorabilia), 1991 Topps errors and variations

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Who will be signing for 2015 Bowman Draft? That's a question that's been on the minds of many collectors the last few months and Topps provided two answers on Thursday morning.

The first two signers will be Dansby Swanson and Brendan Rodgers.

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Russell Wilson was a fourth-round pick of the Colorado Rockies back in the 2010 MLB Draft and he spent two summers in A-ball where he hit .229 with five homers and 26 RBI and 118 strikeouts in 93 games.

Despite that, or thanks to his NFL credentials as a Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, in 2013 the Texas Rangers claimed him in the December Rule 5 Draft. He has not played an official game since 2011.

Now, he'll have autographed Relics in one of Topps' priciest baseball card brands.

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