2015 Topps Chrome Baseball jumbo box

Sport:  Baseball

Product:  2015 Topps Chrome jumbo box

Break Date:  August 22, 2015

Hit Breakdown:   Five autographs

 

Summary:  I had not really intended to open any Topps Chrome baseball this year. Frankly, I haven't opened that much baseball in general in 2015, and haven't felt like I've missed much. But, after seeing all the sweet Kris Bryant rookie autos people have been pulling, I figured what the heck - if I could get a good price at the LCS on a jumbo box, I'd give it a go.

They had two boxes left on the shelf priced out at $150, but there with their standard discount applied, it came down to a reasonable $140 so I took a stab.

I didn't pull the Bryant, but it was a fun enough break. With 5 autos per box you've got a good shot at pulling SOMEONE decent, and I didn't really hit too much on that front. There was a purple refractor /250 auto, though, so that's nice. Nick Tropeano hasn't done much this year, but you never know how these prospect autos turn out.

There was decent enough color on the base parallels as well. It's always good to hit a gold /50 rookie, although I'm not familiar with Kyle Lobstein. The other two were a /150 blue and a /250 purple, so all in all a decent batch. 

I also hit a short-printed rookie - Carlos Correa. Topps included five rookies that are seemingly tougher to pull, although there doesn't seem to be any shortage as there are plenty on eBay and in breaks I've read online.

My biggest gripe this year with Chrome is the lack of the word "refractor" on the back. The base refractors come one per pack, and in some cases they're extremely difficult to differentiate from the base card. Without a side-by-side of the same player, you may miss one.

The inserts look really nice, though. I think overall Topps did a good job on Chrome, but I can't fathom the thought process behind removing "refractor" from the card back. I think this break grades out at a solid B. I hit decent color but no huge names, and the autos, at least today, aren't players who are sought-after guys.

Grade for the product:  B+
Grade for the break:  B

Autographed Rookie Purple Refractor /250:  Nick Tropeano
Autographed Rookie:  A.J. Cole, Jake Lamb, Jose Pirela, Rymer Liriano
Gold Refractor /50:  Kyle Lobstein (RC)
Blue Refractor /150:  Eric Hosmer
Purple Refractor /250:  Lisalverto Bonilla (RC)
Rookie Short Print:  Carlos Correa (RC)
Prism Refractor:  Dallas Keuchel, Sonny Gray, Melvin Mercedes (RC), Jonathan Schoop, Madison Bumgarner, Salvador Perez

Refractor:  Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Anthony Ranaudo (RC), Edwin Escobar (RC), Zack Wheeler, Kendall Graveman (RC), Xavier Scruggs (RC), Michael Cuddyer, Dellin Betances, Daniel Norris (RC), Phil Hughes, Michah Johnson (RC)
Gallery of Greats:  Evan Longoria
Chrome Commencements:  Mookie Betts
Future Stars:  Rusney Castillo, Christian Walker, Mike Foltynewicz