Buzz Break: 2022 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (hobby box)

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The box: 2022 Topps Series 1 baseball cards (hobby box)
Where to buy: BlowoutCards.com
First Buzz preview with checklist/SPs/more: Click here

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

Packs per box: 25 (24 standard, one four-card Silver Chrome topper)
Cards per pack: 14
Cards in this box: 338
Base set completion: 
318 of 350 (91 percent)
Duplicates: 0

Notables on base cards – Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Wander Franco, Juan Soto, Ronald Acuña Jr.,  Albert Pujols, Aaron Judge, Kris Bryant, Pete Alonso, Randy Arozarena, Fernando Tatis Jr., Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, Jazz Chisholm, Andrew Vaughn, Bobby Dalbec, Jarred Kelenic

Rookie Cards (47) – Wander Franco (RC), Jarren Duran, Jake Burger, Lars Nootbaar, Kyle Muller, Hoy Park, Riley Adams, Tony Santillan, Jake Meyers, Ronnie Dawson, Trey Amburgey, Ivan Castillo, Zack Short, Vidal Brujan, Jackson Kowar, Gavin Sheets, Andre Jackson, Emmanuel Rivera, Stuart Fairchild, Connor Wong, Sammy Long, Jasson Reetz, Luis Gil, Zach Pop, Zach Thompson, Mason Thompson, Luke Williams, Jake Cousins, Patrick Mazeika, Ernie Clement, Brandon Marsh, Bryan de la Cruz, Cal Raleigh, Matt Manning, Eli Morgan, Alex Wells, Matt Vierling, Rodolfo Castro, Tyler Gilbert, Max Kranick, Aaron Ashby, Chas McCormick, Drew Ellis, Reid Detmers, Tylor Megill, Zac Lowther, Anthony Bender

Insert/short-print cards: 21 (all in gallery below with some base)
Rainbow foil parallel (2) – Nelson Cruz, Craig Kimbrel
Gold parallel (1) – Corbin Burnes (/2,022)
Blue parallel (1) – Yu Darvish (/50)
1987 Topps (6) – Rickey Henderson, George Brett, Brandon Marsh, Cal Raleigh, Dontrelle Willis, Salvador Perez
1987 Topps Chrome (3) – Bo Bichette, Andre Jackson, Javier Baez (box-topper pack)
1987 Topps Chrome Blue (1) – Vladimir Guerrero (/150) (box-topper pack)
Home Run Challenge (1) – Mitch Haniger
Generation Now (2) – Jarred Kelenic, Ke'Bryan Hayes
Diamond Greats Diecuts (1) – Roberto Clemente
Welcome to The Show (2) – Rickey Henderson, Javier Baez
Flashiest Feet (1) – Christian Yelich

Autographs/Memorabilia: 1
1987 Topps Relics (1) – Willson Contreras

What's Buzz-worthy: This one has a crisper and cleaner design than last year -- and it's one that emphasizes the photographs well with a number of oddball images that get a good ride here -- but speaking as an old-timer but not an old old-timer I think this one needs a lot more flash and dash via inserts here. There are packs in hobby boxes without inserts -- I don't think that should happen in 2022 -- and without the topper pack that's just 17 inserts in 24 packs. Meanwhile, while there's less variety, you get 15 inserts in a $20 blaster and seven inserts in a $10 hanger ... it just doesn't make sense to me. The smaller boxes need more variety, too, but it's not as blaring in small chunks. This one gives you an easy shot at a base set every time -- you will come close and the Wander Franco card will likely be in most boxes in a case. The inserts and parallel volume is too lean for my taste and the variety they offer up isn't strong enough to me. That Blue the got this box to a barely-A grade due to its scarcity? One in 1,519 packs ... that's crazy and it was a bit of a bummer to see surface dents and two bad top corners. The insert and parallel lineup needs expanded dramatically on the per-box basis. Yes, there are plenty of parallels for this release overall but when you rip a hobby box -- and this is the second-best format to rip after jumbos -- and find as few inserts as this? There need to be more. Also consider that a Blue is not the norm at all so most boxes aren't as flashy as this one ... and it's not that flashy. People are right to chase the numbered parallels of key names here when so few are found per box -- think about how Gold parallels flow per case if this box is the norm. That's crazy low. A one-per-pack parallel every time and then an insert atop that could make a big difference here. There are still many photo variations to be found here -- starting at one in 112 packs in hobby boxes -- that add to the fun but I really think that even those could be one per box with their tiers of scarcity helping the chase. Why do I think it needs the variety? To help draw more people into flagship sets like these -- collectors who may not feel the need to have a bunch of base cards. All in all, a lot of things are better here than last year but hobby boxes are still pretty dry rips to me -- and I didn't see a generous volume coming out of hobby jumbo packs, either. Both are perhaps moves to help add some value back to inserts -- some say past years' inserts were too plentiful -- but this year's base cards will inevitably be plentiful with this approach so cutting into that presence would help their volume. Franco will get a ton of the focus but there will likely be other players to emerge here -- I pulled nearly 50 RCs -- so that's another thing to watch. I do think this design is going to be a strong one for Chrome and other parallel formats to come if they add color into the mix. Had these included some kind of color parallel like a bright red or green version in every pack those would be a big highlight just because they'd stand out so much. Right now, the flashy stuff isn't seen regularly enough even if you rip a box.

Product Grade: B+ (better design than last year -- just needs something more)
Box Grade: A- (rare parallel helps this box statistically speaking)
Fun Grade: C (need more insert and parallel volume in this format)

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