As a reminder, I went to the All-Star game & Home Run Derby in Cincinnati in 2015. So I’m collecting this All-Star Stitches set from Topps Update 2015! These cards have swatches from the Monday practice festivities.
This isn’t a post for a new card – but an update for the “cards that never happened”! Here are the 7 National League players that were on the 2015 All-Star roster but didn’t get a Topps All-Star Stitches card.
Starters that were out for injury:
Matt Holliday
How he made the roster: Holliday was voted as one of the NL outfielders. This was his 7th (and final) All-Star Game selection. Holliday was also an injury casualty for attendance of this game. He strained his quad in early June trying to catch a fly ball from Carlos Gonzalez. This was actually the only time he was chosen as a starter. He reinjured the quad when he came back after the All-Star break and 2015 proved to be a lost season for him – and sort of signaled the beginning of the end of his career.
Holliday was replaced as a starter by Joc Pederson and on the roster by Ryan Braun (who was also not in the set – see below).
Interestingly – Holliday was at the 2015 Monday festivities based on his 2015 Update card. I’ll probably need to put that card in the binder!
Giancarlo Stanton
How he made the roster: Stanton was voted as one of the NL outfielders. This was his 3rd All-Star Game selection. He has received some grief on his injury history in the news of late – but he broke his hand on June 27 at a point when he was probably having the best season in the league (27 homer in 74 games). That ultimately ended his season. He was replaced as a starter by Joc Pederson and on the roster by Ryan Braun (who was also not in the set – see below). He wasn’t at the Monday festivities (and didn’t have a card in Update or in this set).
Reserves who just weren’t in the set:
Francisco Rodriguez
How he made the roster: K-Rod was named to the roster by Bruce Bochy for his 6th and final All-Star appearance (2nd with Milwaukee). He was the only Brewer on the team that year.
He was in Cincy and played in the game; I don’t know if he was at the Monday events as the card above is from the actual game. He has this card in the Update set – so either Topps chose to just not include him or he wasn’t there on Monday to have the gear for an All-Star Stitches card.
Trevor Rosenthal
How he made the roster: Rosenthal had a phenomenal year as the Cardinals closer and was voted in by the players. He didn’t pitch in the game – which isn’t unusual as managers will hold relievers back more than any other position. This was his 1st and only All-Star appearance.
He has a base card in the Update set, picturing him with all the other Cardinals form the game. And he has a rarer card with Yadier Molina and Michael Wacha in the Stitches set, numbered out of 25. But it pictures him in the Tuesday All-Star gear. You’d think that means he was there Monday and there is more out there; but there isn’t a card picturing him in the Monday gear and can you actually trust Topps getting the jerseys? You’d hope so but can’t know for sure.
Jonathan Papelbon
How he made the roster: Like Francisco Rodriguez – Papelbon was named to the roster by NL manager Bruce Bochy. This would be his 6th and final All-Star selection. He would ask out of Philly shortly out of this game, only to go over to the Nationals and get into it with Bryce Harper and eventually argue his way out of MLB a little earlier than his talent probably demanded it.
He didn’t pitch in the All-Star game. He was in Cincy for everything; he has a card in the Update set and – as it shows – was there for Monday so I don’t know why he doesn’t have a Topps All-Star Stitches card.
Michael Wacha
How he made the roster: Wacha was one of the starters Bochy selected to round out his roster. He ended up not playing in the game – like teammate Rosenthal, this was his 1st and only All-Star selection.
Wacha also has a base card in the Update set, picturing him getting the other Cardinals form the game. And he has the rare card with Yadier Molina and Rosenthal noted above. Unlike Rosenthal – the picture on that set shows him in Monday gear; so I can conifrm he was there! No clue why Topps didn’t include him in the regular portion of the Stitches set.
Ryan Braun
How he made the roster: As I mentioned above – Braun was the roster replacement for Matt Holliday. He came in as a pinch-hitter to lead off the 9th inning and tripled off of Glen Perkins. His All-Star card from Topps Update shows him chugging around the bases for that triple.
Brandon Crawford brought him in with a sacrifice fly, so he did score a run in this game. As seems to be the theme for this post, this was his 6th and final All-Star Game appearance. Like the other sets – just have no clue why he wasn’t in the set. Seems like maybe the later additions just weren’t in the checklist.
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STIT-BD Brian Dozier – Minnesota Twins
STIT-SP Salvador Perez – Kansas City Royals
STIT-YM Yadier Molina – St. Louis Cardinals
Lifetime Topps project 
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