2 Dodgers Named to the 48th Annual Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team

Topps recently announced their 48th Annual Rookie All Star Team members. Both outfielder Andre Ethier and catcher Russell Martin are included. Below is a complete list of the winners.

1B Prince Fielder, Milwaukee (157 games, 28 HR, 81 RBI, .271)
2B Dan Uggla, Florida (154, 27, 90, .282)
3B Ryan Zimmerman, Washington (157, 20, 110, .287)
SS Hanley Ramirez, Florida (158, 17, 59, .292)
OF Melky Cabrera, New York (A.L.) (130, 7, 50, .280)
OF Andre Ethier, Los Angeles (N.L) (126, 11, 55, .308)
OF Nick Markakis, Baltimore (147, 16, 62, .291)
C Russell Martin, Los Angeles (N.L.) (121, 10, 65, .282)
RHP Justin Verlander, Detroit (186 IP, 17-9, 3.63, 124 K, 60 BB)
LHP Francisco Liriano, Minnesota (121 IP, 12-3, 2.16, 144k, 32BB)

I'm hoping this is the start of something beautiful. Remember when the Dodgers had a rookie contending for Rookie of the Year honors every year? Hopefully, this time around, we can celebrate a championship along with our stellar rookies.

Topps 2007 Baseball Card Design

Topps just released the design for their 2007 flagship Baseball card product. It is a black bordered set that is reminiscent of the 1971 Topps Set (see below).
One of the nice things I like about black bordered sets is that they naturally frame the players photos in an attractive way. Kind of like how mating a photo with a darker shade can make a picture look a hundred times better. On the negative side, oftentimes any amount of handling will cause the border to fade or scrape off. Of course, most of today's' cards are laminated and significantly more rigid than cards of old. So, I doubt this is a real problem nowadays.

The new Topps cards hit the stores in February 2007. It comes just in time for spring training, but weeks too late for Christmas.

Photo & Story Link: Topps: