2002 Bowman's Best
Description
2002 Bowman's Best is a 181-card set released in August, 2002. In a radical departure for the brand, each of the 91 rookies and prospects (cards #91-#181) would come either autographed or have a piece of a game-used bat on it. Each pack will yield one such card.
Distribution
Ten packs per box, five cards per pack (MSRP: $15). Ten boxes per case. Hobby only.
Reviews
Insertion Ratios
| Cards | Total Cards | Numbered To | Hobby Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | 181 | - | ? |
| short set | 90 | - | 4:1 |
| Autographed/Game-Used First-Year | 91 | - | one-per-pack |
| Blue short set | 90 | 300 | 1:6 |
| Blue Autographed First-Year | 65 | - | 1:6 |
| Blue Game-Used First-Year | 26 | - | 1:14 |
| Red short set | 90 | 200 | 1:8 |
| Red Autographed First-Year | 65 | - | 1:17 |
| Red Game-Used First-Year | 26 | - | 1:39 |
| Gold short set | 90 | 50 | 1:31 |
| Gold Autographed First-Year | 65 | - | 1:51 |
| Gold Game-Used First-Year | 26 | - | 1:115 |
| Uncirculated Autograph Redemption | 65 | 20 | 1:129 |
| Uncirculated Game-Used First Year Redemption | 26 | 20 | 1:322 |
Checklist
Base Set
- 1 Josh Beckett
- 2 Derek Jeter
- 3 Alex Rodriguez
- 4 Miguel Tejada
- 5 Nomar Garciaparra
- 6 Aramis Ramirez
- 7 Jeremy Giambi
- 8 Bernie Williams
- 9 Juan Pierre
- 10 Chipper Jones
- 11 Jimmy Rollins
- 12 Alfonso Soriano
- 13 Mark Prior
- 14 Paul Konerko
- 15 Tim Hudson
- 16 Doug Mientkiewicz
- 17 Todd Helton
- 18 Moises Alou
- 19 Juan Gonzalez
- 20 Jorge Posada
- 21 Jeff Kent
- 22 Roger Clemens
- 23 Phil Nevin
- 24 Brian Giles
- 25 Carlos Delgado
- 26 Jason Giambi
- 27 Vladimir Guerrero
- 28 Cliff Floyd
- 29 Shea Hillenbrand
- 30 Ken Griffey, Jr.
- 31 Mike Piazza
- 32 Carlos Pena
- 33 Larry Walker
- 34 Magglio Ordonez
- 35 Mike Mussina
- 36 Andruw Jones
- 37 Nick Johnson
- 38 Curt Schilling
- 39 Eric Chavez
- 40 Bartolo Colon
- 41 Eric Hinske
- 42 Sean Burroughs
- 43 Randy Johnson
- 44 Adam Dunn
- 45 Pedro Martinez
- 46 Garret Anderson
- 47 Jim Thome
- 48 Gary Sheffield
- 49 Tsuyoshi Shinjo
- 50 Albert Pujols
- 51 Ichiro
- 52 C.C. Sabathia
- 53 Bob Abreu
- 54 Ivan Rodriguez
- 55 J.D. Drew
- 56 Jacque Jones
- 57 Jason Kendall
- 58 Javier Vazquez
- 59 Jeff Bagwell
- 60 Greg Maddux
- 61 Jim Edmonds
- 62 Hank Blalock
- 63 Jose Vidro
- 64 Kevin Brown
- 65 Mark Teixeira
- 66 Sammy Sosa
- 67 Lance Berkman
- 68 Mark Mulder
- 69 Marty Cordova
- 70 Frank Thomas
- 71 Mike Cameron
- 72 Mike Sweeney
- 73 Barry Bonds
- 74 Troy Glaus
- 75 Barry Zito
- 76 Pat Burrell
- 77 Paul LoDuca
- 78 Rafael Palmeiro
- 79 Austin Kearns
- 80 Darin Erstad
- 81 Richie Sexson
- 82 Roberto Alomar
- 83 Roy Oswalt
- 84 Ryan Klesko
- 85 Luis Gonzalez
- 86 Scott Rolen
- 87 Shannon Stewart
- 88 Shawn Green
- 89 Toby Hall
- 90 Bret Boone
Autographed/Game-Used First Year
NOTES
- 26 of the 91 First Year cards feature a piece of a game-used bat (BAT). All other cards in this subset are autographed by the player (AU).
- Some players have BOTH a BAT and an AU card. Both cards are, where applicable, considered "true" rookie cards.
- Card #181 packed out as a redemption card which expired December 31, 2002.
The specific odds of finding a First Year card are as follows.
- AU Group A: 1:3/packs
- AU Group B: 1:19/packs
- BAT: 1:5/packs
- Kaz Ishii BAT EXCH: 1:13/packs
- 91 Casey Kotchman BAT RC
- 92 Jose Valverde AU A RC
- 93 Cole Barthel BAT RC*
- 94 Brad Nelson AU A RC
- 95 Mauricio Lara AU A RC
- 96 Ryan Gripp BAT RC
- 97 Brian West AU A RC*
- 98 Chris Piersoll AU B RC
- 99 Ryan Church AU B RC
- 100 Javier Colina AU A
- 101 Juan M. Gonzalez AU A RC*
- 102 Benito Baez AU A
- 103 Mike Hill BAT RC
- 104 Jason Grove AU B RC*
- 105 Koyie Hill AU B
- 106 Mark Outlaw AU A RC*
- 107 Jason Bay BAT RC
- 108 Jorge Padilla AU A RC
- 109 Pete Zamora AU A RC*
- 110 Joe Mauer AU A RC
- 111 Franklyn German AU A RC
- 112 Chris Flinn AU A RC*
- 113 David Wright BAT RC
- 114 Anastacio Martinez AU A RC
- 115 Nic Jackson BAT RC*
- 116 Rene Reyes AU A RC
- 117 Colin Young AU A RC*
- 118 Joe Orloski AU A RC*
- 119 Mike Wilson AU A RC
- 120 Rich Thompson AU A RC
- 121 Jake Mauer AU B RC*
- 122 Mario Ramos AU A RC
- 123 Doug Sessions AU B RC*
- 124 Doug Devore BAT RC
- 125 Travis Foley AU A RC*
- 126 Chris Baker AU A RC*
- 127 Michael Floyd AU A RC*
- 128 Josh Barfield BAT RC
- 129 Jose Bautista BAT RC
- 130 Gavin Floyd AU A RC
- 131 Jason Botts BAT RC
- 132 Clint Nageotte AU A RC
- 133 Jesus Cota AU B RC*
- 134 Ron Calloway BAT RC
- 135 Kevin Cash BAT RC
- 136 Jonny Gomes AU B RC
- 137 Dennis Ulacia AU A RC*
- 138 Ryan Snare AU A RC
- 139 Kevin Deaton AU A RC*
- 140 Bobby Jenks AU B RC
- 141 Casey Kotchman AU A RC
- 142 Adam Walker AU A RC*
- 143 Mike Gonzalez AU A RC
- 144 Ruben Gotay BAT RC
- 145 Jason Grove BAT RC
- 146 Freddy Sanchez AU B RC
- 147 Jason Arnold AU B RC*
- 148 Scott Hairston AU A RC
- 149 Jason St. Clair AU B RC*
- 150 Chris Tritle BAT RC*
- 151 Edwin Yan BAT RC*
- 152 Freddy Sanchez BAT RC
- 153 Greg Sain BAT RC*
- 154 Yurendell De Caster BAT RC
- 155 Noochie Varner BAT RC*
- 156 Nelson Castro AU B RC*
- 157 Randall Shelley BAT RC*
- 158 Reed Johnson BAT RC
- 159 Ryan Raburn AU A RC
- 160 Jose Morban BAT RC
- 161 Justin Schuda AU A RC*
- 162 Henry Pichardo AU A RC*
- 163 Josh Bard AU A RC
- 164 Josh Bonifay AU A RC*
- 165 Brandon League AU B RC
- 166 Jorge-Julio DePaula AU A RC
- 167 Todd Linden AU B RC
- 168 Francisco Liriano AU A RC
- 169 Chris Snelling AU A RC
- 170 Blake McGinley AU A RC*
- 171 Cody McKay AU A RC
- 172 Jason Stanford AU A RC
- 173 Lenny DiNardo AU A RC
- 174 Greg Montalbano AU A RC*
- 175 Earl Snyder AU A RC
- 176 Justin Huber AU A RC
- 177 Chris Narveson AU A RC
- 178 Jon Switzer AU A RC
- 179 Ronald Acuña, Sr. AU A RC*
- 180 Chris Duffy BAT RC
- 181 Kazuhisa Ishii BAT RC EXCH
Parallels
All 191 base cards are available in the following parallels. The 90 veteran players are serial-numbered to the production figures listed below; while the 91 Autographed/Game-Used First Year cards are NOT serial-numbered.
- Blue (serial-numbered to 300 copies)
- Red (serial-numbered to 200 copies)
- Gold (serial-numbered to 50 copies)
NOTES
- The Autographed/Game-Used First Year base cards all have a bluish tint. The Blue parallels are a darker, deeper, shade of blue.
- The Game-Used First Year parallels all have a design burnt onto the bat chip. These designs are as such
- Blue: Team Logo
- Red: Player Stat
- Gold: Facsimile Autograph.
Uncirculated First Year
Randomly inserted into packs were redemption cards good for an "Uncirculated" parallel for the 91 Autographed/Game-Used First Year cards. When redeemed, the collector would receive a the player's Bowman's Best card encased in a plastic case. Only 20 redemption cards for each player were inserted, and all cards expired December 31, 2002.
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