Ready for Opening Day?

The 2021 opening day is just around the corner. There will be baseball and also there will be many baseball cards available. Topps opening day is an entry-level product. Lots of baseball cards are getting more expensive recently, but Topps opening day is an affordable choice for everyone. I always buy some packs of Topps opening day for friends and share the joy of collecting. This year, it doesn’t change.

Top arms are ready

 

The 2021 spring training is almost coming to an end. Each team is going to set the opening day roster very soon. In this spring training, there are several pitchers that perform really well and it’s worth watching how well they will perform in the regular season.

To bunt, or not?

Bunting is a technique in baseball. Austin Barnes’ bunt in Game 3 of the 2020 World Series was a successful one and helped the Dodgers score. However, more and more baseballs are hit into the air. There are fewer balls in play. Is bunting going to a technique that will be used less frequently in the future?

Pitchers are going to hit

 

The Astros announced that Zack Greinke will be the Opening Day starter. It’s not a surprise and it will be his fifth opening day start. What is interesting is that Greinke wanted to get 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases as he told the media in early March. Besides winning a Cy Young award in 2009, Zack Greinke also likes to hit and run.

Good spring

 

In less than two weeks, the 2021 season will begin. Baseball will be officially back and fans will be back in the stadium. In spring training, some players are really hot and can’t wait to show how well prepared they are for the new season.

Miss opportunities or Stay patient?

 

Hitting is an important part of baseball, however, hitting is actually really hard. Players have to read pitches and identify the right approach for them. So, seeing a lot of pitches is a good idea?

2021 Topps Series 1 – Joey Gallo

Collecting baseball cards is fun and brings a lot of memories. This year, it’s getting more interesting since it’s Topps’ 70th anniversary. Opening some packs of Topps series 1 baseball cards is a good way to start the celebration. For me, series 1 is a must-buy product because it’s a flagship product. And, I would like to see whether I could find some top rookies.

Topps Pro Debut 2020 – Andrew Vaughn

It has been a while since I bought Topps Pro Debut baseball cards last time. Recently, I saw that there was a marketing campaign in an online card store and decided to get some Topps pro debut cards. Of course, I was looking for some top prospects and if lucky, I can find autograph cards or relic cards.

Swings outside the zone

 

When playing baseball, we are always taught to swing at pitches inside the strike zone. Nowadays, we can see several statistics such as o-swing% and z-swing% to evaluate a player’s plate discipline. However, there are still some players who love to swing at pitches out of the strike zone.

Swings and misses in zone

When I began to play baseball, coaches or senior players always told me to swing a baseball in the strike zone. And, don’t miss. Making contact is very important and even a weak contact could work because opponents might make mistakes in defense. However, things are not the same in Major League Baseball.

Do you steal bases?

 

Stolen bases have long been an important part of baseball. Jackie Robinson stole home in the World Series. Dave Roberts’ stolen base in the 2004 ALCS might be the most unforgettable steal in baseball. Rickey Henderson and Lou Brock are in the top 2 of career stolen bases leaderboard.

World Series Hangover?

Winning a World Series title is not easy. Winning two consecutive titles in this century is extremely hard since no team has done it. Do you think the World Series hangover is real? Maybe we can try to find something at the beginning of the spring.

Swing selection – Offspeed pitches

Pitchers throw offspeed pitches that intended to cause deception and batters normally would swing before the pitches arrived. On the statcast website, we can see that split-finger, changeup, forkball and screwball are in this group.

Swing selection – Breaking pitches

In the previous post, we saw some teams loved to swing at fastballs in the 2020 season and some didn't. There are also different types of pitches in baseball and this time, let’s look at breaking pitches.