Sometimes we run into days on the history side, where there aren’t any good matches for a Card of the Day article. Today’s history shows five rather obscure players, who get most of their mentions now here on our site, though Bob Ganley is in the iconic T206 set, just not on the Pittsburgh Pirates. So he gets his share of mentions outside of this site.
I decided to use today to look at a newer card. I don’t do enough new cards. I know that, but this is also a history site, so it feels wrong to cover too many newer players. Even guys from the early 2010s feel to recent to me. That being said, Andrew McCutchen will always be a big part of Pirates history, so why not take a look at one of his new cards that shows him on the Pirates instead of those evil teams he has been on for the last few years.
This card is from the 2023 Topps Big League set. It’s geared towards wallet-friendly prices to make it affordable for everyone to collect. It’s a 310-card set that has just recently been released. There are some strange insert cards that are definitely made for the younger generation. Just try to picture the Mike Trout card for kids if you haven’t seen it yet. What you’re thinking is probably correct. As soon as I saw that card, which was being used as the main advertisement for the set, I knew I would probably never get a card from the set. However, today’s Card of the Day might get me to change my mind.
Here’s the front of the card:
Now we know that McCutchen just started playing for the Pirates again and these cards are already out, so I think you can put two and two together (just like his uniform number!) and come up with a way to explain this card. No matter how they did it, everyone can admit that it’s great to see him back in a Pirates uniform.
As for the set itself, I don’t know exactly what they were going for with the borders here. The logo definitely has that budget look, and I’m not even talking about that current Pirates logo that needs to be changed…maybe that’s why I tend to almost ignore newer cards?
It’s a good card for the purpose. I’d say it belongs on every McCutchen collectors wantlist, especially since you’ve only been buying pre-trade McCutchen cards recently. Speaking of the trade (side note coming), I was going to feature a Bryan Reynolds card first, but couldn’t find good scans for the article. People seem to have a hard time getting a card straight for a scan recently. I can’t make fun of that lack of scanning/picture skills. I’m just as bad.
Here’s the back of the card:
Well this back is boring to say the least. What’s with the cutoff here for the stats? You got some nerve, Topps! Only including his stats from after his days with the Pirates. Who even cares about that stuff? Look at those evil teams. Oh yeah, where is the boring Pirates logo? I do like that fact on the back about him and Nelson Cruz. I did not know that. Thank you for learning me, Topps.
If you are interested in this card, you’ll be happy to know that is truly is a budget card. There aren’t a lot listed yet, but probably more by the time you see this article. You don’t need to pay more than $2 delivered, and some sellers who have it at that price, offer a discount per card if you buy more. Go get one!
