2021 Topps Big League blaster recap

Buying a gift card for my niece at my local Target, I found a relatively stocked card section - though it was mostly 2021 Topps Big League blasters [there might have been fat packs as well] and maybe some 2022 Topps Series 1 blasters.

I ended up picking up a '21 Topps Big League blaster and maybe there was three boxes with Mike Trout as the box panel card, so that wasn't too hard to find - I was thinking about picking up a couple of boxes to save an intact Trout box panel and cut up the other, though Topps Big League has never been that serious for me.

Maybe I like the idea of a Topps flagship alternative though I feel products like Topps Big League and Topps Opening Days are simply lesser versions of regular Topps - where it might be a trap to have any sort of emotional investments in these cards.

Reading through a forum thread, I knew this product was held back for the longest time - so for all I knew, it was never going to come out.

When I busted through the packs, I was expecting to find images that made this product more like Topps Stadium Club lite - however, the images were from the 2020 pandemic season and were real tight shots that kind of got to be the repetitive.

The best images came from the Highlights subset with more opportunities to see cards with more emotion and action - the Brett Phillips is a classic.

The cards themselves aren't too bad and kind of remind me of the various Topps Bazooka releases from the mid 1990s and the mid 2000s - where you have a colorful design elements that ideally should attract more beginning collectors than collecting veterans.

Pack one
#175 Dylan Bundy
#154 Tony Gonsolin
#124 Tyler Glasnow
#187 J.T. Realmuto
#182 Ke’Bryan Hayes
#117 John Means
#213 Eric Hosmer
#286 Highlights - Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Champions
#250 Big-League Best N.L. ERA Leaders feat. Bauer, Darvish, Lamet - Blue parallel
#SO-10 Luis Robert - Souvenirs insert
#289 Highlights Shane Bieber - Orange parallel

Pack two
#63 Mike Soroka
#172 Keston Hiura
#214 Nelson Cruz
#242 Mike Yastrzemski
#75 Justin Verlander
#15 Victor Robles
#70 Carlos Santana
#82 Marco Gonzalez
#WT-11 Mike Yastrzemski - Wanted insert
#29 Lucas Giolito - Orange parallel

Pack three
#160 Ian Anderson
#72 Josh Hader
#3 Teoscar Hernandez
#64 Rhys Hoskins
#4 Kwang-Hyun Kim
#104 Christian Yelich
#296 Brett Phillips
#100 Francisco Lindor
#33 Adam Wainwright - Blue parallel
#ATG-SS Sixto Sanchez - Art of the Game insert
#13 Isaac Paredes - Orange parallel

Pack four
#162 Brailyn Marquez RC
#48 Andres Gimenez
#131 Nico Hoerner 
#139 Andy Young RC
#110 Carlos Correa
#1 Mike Trout
#141 Khris Davis
#263 Big-League Best AL Wins Leaders feat. Bieber, Cole and Gonzalez
#DW-11 Luis Robert - Defensive Wizards insert
#229 Shane McClanahan - Orange parallel

Pack five
#161 Luis Robert
#22 Gary Sanchez
#250 Big-League Best N.L. ERA Leaders feat. Bauer, Darvish, Lamet
#149 Franmil Reyes
#128 Paul Goldschmidt
#54 Trent Grisham
#89 Joey Votto
#88 Clarke Schmidt
#182 Ke’Bryan Hayes - Blue parallel
#SO-3 Shohei Ohtani - Souvenirs insert
#93 D.J. Lemahieu - Orange parallel

Pack six
#34 Trevor Bauer
#27 Ramon Laureano
#262 Big League Best N.L. Wins Leaders feat. Darvish, Davies and Fried
#76 Anderson Tejada RC
#43 Mitch White RC
#282 Award Winners Randy Arozarena - ALCS MVP
#255 Big-League Best N.L. HR Leaders feat. Ozuna, Tatis Jr. and Machado
#19 Nick Madrigal RC
#WT-15 Juan Soto - Wanted insert
#24 Fernando Tatis Jr. - Orange parallel

Pack seven
#151 Tarrik Skubal RC
#55 Manny Machado
#276 Liam Hendriks
#42 Jose Berrios
#256 Big-League Best NL War Leaders feat. Betts, Freeman and Machado
#281 Award Winners Corey Seager - Willie Mays World Series MVP Award Winner
#80 Deivi Garcia
#252 Big-League Best N.L. Strikeout Leaders feat. deGrom, Bauer and Nola 
#22 Gary Sanchez - Blue parallel
#ATG-TA Tim Anderson - Art of the Game insert
#127 Kyle Seager - Orange parallel

Pack eight
#173 Yordan Alvarez
#102 Wil Myers
#285 Award Winners Freddie Freeman - Players Choice Player of the Year Award Winner
#280 Award Winners Marcell Ozuna - Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award Winner
#98 Jeff McNeil
#157 Max Fried
#146 Yu Darvish
#49 Michael Conforto
#DW-12 Byron Buxton - Defensive Wizards insert
#251 Big League Best A.L. ERA Leaders feat. Bieber, Keuchel and Bassitt - Orange parallel

Pack nine
#113 Brady Singer
#35 Evan White RC
#294 Highlights Mike Brosseau - HR to Win the ALDS
#242 Mike Yastrzemski
#182 Ke’Bryan Hayes RC
#170 Yadier Molina
#46 Austin Hayes
#114 Shohei Ohtani
#30 Dustin May - Blue parallel
#SO-8 Kris Bryant - Souvenir insert
#277 Award Winners Devin Williams - Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award Winner

Pack 10
#126 Joc Pederson 
#51 Paul De Jong
#129 Tyler Stephenson RC
#7 Kyle Schwarber
#133 Austin Meadows
#143 Keibert Ruiz RC
#92 Walker Buehler
#194 Blake Snell
#WT-7 Aaron Judge - Wanted insert
#219 Zach Plesac - Orange parallel