Greatest Red Sox Cards By Year: Bunt/Big League

I had so much fun listing the best Stadium Club Red Sox cards, I decided to do it again with another set. Well, two sets actually. Topps Big League has had some great cards, but it's only been around since 2018. Prior to that, Topps filled the void of "cards geared to kids" with a two year run of Bunt, which is still used as the name of their online app. Even though this year's Big League set hasn't come out yet (I think the release date is set for the 25th), I'm just going to go ahead list the best Red Sox card for each year of Topps Bunt/Big League sets!

 

2016

 

Topps Bunt had a strong opening act with this simple design featuring a huge team logo. Ted Williams in black and white provides a great color contrast.

 

Honorable Mention: David Ortiz

 

2017

 

Bunt got a lot more colorful the next year, and I personally like the use of red on the Boston cards. I gave the nod to Hanley because it's got action and I swear on first glance I thought his dreads were braided like a little school girl's hair...

 

Honorable Mention: Andrew Benintendi

 

2018

 

So long Bunt, hello Big League! This set came out to near overwhelming acclaim, I beleive because Topps had denied us borders for so long that we got excited to see them again. This set had a lot of fun subsets, including these delightful Ballpark Landmarks. The Green Monster gets its due!

 

Honorable Mention: Mookie Betts

 

2019

 

When I did my list of Greatest Red Sox Cards of 2019, Holt took the Bronze. In that post I wrote the following: "The quality of the photos has improved so much that you can see the details in each droplet. The Brock-Star's smile, along with that tensed up pose of someone who has just been exposed to something wet and cold, really brings this card to life!"

 

Honorable Mention: JD Martinez/Hank Aaron

 

2020

 

Of the top of my head, I can't recall many "close play at first" action shots on cards. This photo was taken at a beautiful moment when both players are racing to the bag, and you really can't tell what the call was.

Honorable Mention:  Michael Chavis

Once I get a chance to peruse this year's set, maybe I'll amend this post and add a card. Hopefully, there will be a few gems!