Drafting the 2012 Topps Checklist

2011 Topps Factory Set
All-Star Bonus #3

Mrs. Claus was kind enough to get me a 2011 Topps factory set for Christmas, as has become her habit over the past few years.  I spent a lovely evening over the break going through the set and sorting the cards into number order.  Included within the box were five bonus All-Star cards, including the Roy Halladay card featured here.  After much consideration, I've decided to remove this Halladay card from the factory set box and store it within my 2011 Phillies binder. 

As I was sorting the set, I started pondering what I'd change about the Topps flagship offering.  I even toyed with the idea of putting my ideas into an actual working checklist for a re-imagined 2012 Topps set.  Time permitting I may tackle this project, but for now, here are my thoughts on how the 2012 Topps set should look.  (Of course, we're way too late in the process for any of these ideas to take effect, but it was fun to think this all through.)

Set Logistics
- The complete set would consist of two regular series of 396 cards each and a third series of 264 cards.  That's a total of 1,032 cards, which some may think is about 300 too many, but stick with me here.
- First series would be released on February 1st, second series would be released on June 1st and the third series would come out on October 1st.
- I don't like how Topps sprinkles highlight cards and award winner cards and other such nonsense throughout the set.  These are subsets.  Back in my day, these cards would be grouped together consecutively, as nature intended.
- If you're a free agent or if you've been traded between the end of the season and December 15th, you're not included within the first series.  This would mean no Phillies cards for Ryan Madson, Roy Oswalt, Ben Francisco or Jimmy Rollins in the first series.

2011 Topps #214

Set Composition - Series 1
(Caution:  There be math ahead.)
- 7 highlight cards start the set.
- 15 N.L. team cards and 15 A.L. manager cards would be included and I'd permit these to be inserted randomly throughout the series - no need for grouping.
- Somewhere in the middle of the first series would be 8 league leader cards featuring the prior year leaders in the major statistical categories from each league and the cards would be numbered consecutively.
- 6 postseason cards, as follows - one for each of the divisional series and one each for the league championship series.  Again, these would be grouped consecutively.
- 3 checklist cards. 
- 12 cards for a to be determined fun subset (or two).  Boyhood photos?  Super Veteran cards?
- 330 player cards, 11 players per team.  To be clear - the players included would have all played with their featured teams in 2011 and there would be a 95% or greater chance they'd be coming back in 2012.  For example, the Phillies base card checklist for the first series would be as follows - Carlos Ruiz, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Wilson Valdez, John Mayberry Jr., Joe Blanton, Antonio Bastardo.

2011 Topps #460

Set Composition - Series 2
- 15 A.L. team cards and 15 N.L. manager cards.
- 8 World Series cards.  One for each game and a recap
- 10 cards for a to be determined fun subset.  I'm thinking about father/son cards or mascot cards or even classic combo cards, but only if the combo is in fact classic.
- 3 checklist cards.
- 345 player cards, either 11 or 12 players per team.  These cards would be for the guys who switched teams during the off-season or who were free agents.  Again, as an example, here's the Phillies base card checklist for the second series, giving the Phils 12 cards - Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, Vance Worley, Jonathan Papelbon, Jim Thome, Ty Wigginton, Laynce Nix, Dontrelle Willis, Michael Martinez, Kyle Kendrick, Michael Stutes.

Set Composition - Series 3
- 18 cards for the All-Star Game starters.
- 7 highligt/record breaker cards for first half achievements, including the obligatory home run derby champion card.  (I could cut down on the amount of highlight cards and replace with new manager cards, if needed.)
- 2 checklist cards.

2011 Topps Update #US92

- 237 player cards, either 7 or 8 players per team.  These cards would be for in-season acquisitions, rookie sensations or guys who just didn't fit into the first or second series.  For the Phillies team set - Jose Contreras, Justin De Fratus, Brian Schneider and five other players from a pool of new additions or guys like Joe Savery, David Herndon, Pete Orr, Michael Schwimer, Domonic Brown, John Bowker, Scott Podsednik or Pat Misch.

In summary, if Topps were to use my set composition guidelines, we'd have 1,032 cards in a set, subsets grouped together and anywhere from 29 to 31 players from each team.  I know if I had a spare half a day, I could come up with the complete checklist for the first series and probably half the checklist for the second series.  (Topps:  Let me know if you're interested and I'm sure we could negotiate an acceptable form of payment.)

And have I mentioned there would be either no or only one insert set included within the packs?  Maybe that's a topic for a future post . . .