Frankenset Redux, Page 1: Numbers 1-9 (new format!)

Judging by the general silence I received upon reviving the frankenset polls last week, I think the idea of voting on each individual page has run its course.

No harm, no foul there, but since I do still want to do weekly frankenset posts, I've been throwing around various ideas to keep the series going. What I've ultimately decided on is a bundle of nine categories (to keep the theme of "nines" alive) designed to get both myself and my readers more anointed with my frankenset pages. I'll be starting over from the beginning of the second frankenset in accordance with this new format.

The categories may change over time, but today you'll see the nine I've chosen for now. You may notice that I'll be keeping running counts of a few things as I post each week's page, an accumulation of stats I'm interested in gathering for my own curiosity.

Comments on these pages are, of course, more than welcome (as are suggestions for possible categories moving forward), and I hope my readers enjoy the new format!

Page #1 (Numbers 1-9):

Completion Status: 9/9

Numbers Needed: None

The Players

1991 Line Drive #1 Billy Bean

Card #1 is a minor-league issue of Billy Bean, the only openly gay man to have played in the big leagues and MLB's current Ambassador of Inclusion.

2015 Bowman Chrome #2 Michael Brantley 

A throwback to the days of the Negro Leagues' Cleveland Buckeyes.

1998 Team Best #3 Hiram Bocachica 

A rare minor league throwback.

2016 Stadium Club #4 Kevin Kiermaier

He's a Gold Glover for a reason, people.

1993 Stadium Club #5 Tony Phillips

The late Tony Phillips doing double duty for my turning two and throwback mini-collections.

1994 Topps #6 Derrick May

A masterpiece by the bat rack.

1992 Upper Deck #7 Roberto Hernandez

An interview for Channel 19.

2017 Topps #8 Jose Berrios

The newest addition to this page, and a fantastic shot under the lights.

2000 Ultra #9 Mickey Morandini

Double dipping at Wrigley.

Stats

Cards by Decade:

1990's -- 5 (Running total: 5)

2000's -- 1 (Running total: 1)

2010's -- 3 (Running total: 3)

Mini-Collection Hits: 

Throwbacks -- 3 (Running total: 3)

Double Dips -- 2 (Running total: 2)

At the Wall -- 1 (Running total: 1)

Interviews -- 1 (Running total: 1)

Cameos of Note

That's former Rockies slugger Dante Bichette sliding into second on this Wrigley double dip...

This Magic Moment

...and it's because of Bichette that I can trace this card with relative confidence to the top of the 3rd inning of a Rockies-Cubs matchup at Wrigley on May 5, 1999, when the Cubs turned two on a grounder off the bat of Vinny Castilla with Bichette on first base.

The double dip ended the inning, but the Cubs would still get trounced that afternoon by the Blake Street Bombers, 13-6.

Funniest Card

Because Hiram Bocachica is still one of the best baseball names ever.

Lessons in Card Backs

This week I learned that Roberto Hernandez -- who would go on to play in 17 big-league seasons -- nearly lost his right arm to a blood clot before his career ever got started.

Best of the Rest

1976 Topps #6 Rennie Stennett

Here, I'll be featuring the best card that wasn't able to crack the week's frankenset page.

It was tough to leave Rennie Stennett's unthinkable seven-hit performance out of the frankenset (even if it did come at the expense of a 22-0 demolition of the Cubs), but I just love that Derrick May bat rack card too darn much.

Toughest Draw

1960 Topps #5 Wally Moon 

I keep both of my frankensets in the same binder, so it's only natural that I would try to draw comparisons between the two.

Here's where I sigh at the misfortune of great cards in the second frankenset who I had to leave out of the inaugural edition due to stiff -- and often insurmountable -- competition.

Tony Phillips may feature two mini-collection hits rolled into one, but ain't no way he's taking down Wally Moon's Mighty Unibrow (dibs on the band name).

Second Guessing

2016 Topps Update #US-8 Pedro Alvarez

Here's something you should know about me: I, admittedly, have a tendency to waffle, and this is where I come to do that with my collection by choosing a card from the second frankenset who was perhaps wrongly omitted from the first.

Pedro Alvarez currently inhabits the #8 slot in my Inaugural Frankenset, and while I'm a fan of the claustrophobic celebration shot, part of me wonders if Jose Berrios got the short end of the stick here.

Favorite Card

This is one of those pages where my favorite card of the bunch seems to change every time I look at it, but as of this writing, I give the nod to Kevin Kiermaier's highlight-reel robbery from last year's Stadium Club.

That just about does it for Page #1 of the Second Dime Box Frankenset. I hope you enjoyed the new format, and as I said before, all comments/suggestions are more than welcome.

Thanks for reading!