2010 Bowman

At the moment, 2010 Bowman is the hottest product out there. Is it because Bowman finally has a top notch design which separates the set from previous Bowman releases? Nope. Could it be innovative pictures or current Major League players in the checklist? Not even close. Could it be the rookie crop? Yes and no.

The crop of would-be Major League players is the usual hit and mostly miss. I would be delusional if I were to say that half the players in the prospect checklist will even sniff the majors. The veteran cards are only there so this isn't a minor league set.

So what makes this such a hot ticket right now? Future Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg has an autograph to chase. That seems to be the current redeeming quality to this set. There may be stars of the future in this set, but that is really up in the air.

All the fuss over Strasburg may be for naught in a few years. For those of us without the benefit of clairvoyance, it is impossible to know if we are looking at a success like Ken Griffey Jr. or a flop like Brien Taylor. For every Harold Baines, there is a Shawn Abner or a Danny Goodwin. Strasburg is what's driving this set right now. I hope that there is more than just him hidden in plain sight.

There are eight base cards for the White Sox.

19 - Jake Peavy
32 - Mark Buehrle
57 - Alexei Ramirez
110 - Gordon Beckham
138 - Carlos Quentin
144 - Alex Rios
210 - Tyler Flowers
220 - Daniel Hudson

There are four prospect cards.

BP17 - Stefan Gartrell
BP54 - Charlie Leesman
BP69 - C.J. Retherford
BP73 - Joe Serafin

There are also four chrome prospect cards.
BCP17 - Stefan Gartrell
BCP54 - Charlie Leesman
BCP69 - C.J. Retherford
BCP73 - Joe Serafin

It's a pretty standard fare for Bowman. Six veterans, two rookies and four prospects. Nothing ultimately stands out for the White Sox. Gartrell, Leesman and Retherford made impressive showings in the spring, but nothing that would make them close to breaking with the club.

There are no surprises in the veteran cards, except that A.J. Pierzynski isn't among the veterans, which is a bit surprising, since he found a way to sneak into the set last year.

A rather unimpressive design and an overall blah showing makes this set the same Bowman set that's been issued the past 15 years. The set will rise and fall based on that Nationals pitcher.