Pharmacy Box Break (x2): Faceoff

Only yesterday I lamented how the state of retail card shopping was so bad that I couldn’t even find a repack. Had to pick up a last-minute bag of candy just in case we get trick-or-treaters in Pandemic-ville (we haven't), and lo and behold: Pharmacy Boxes!

I was unnaturally happy to find them. It helped that Night Owl already warned us to expect less (80 instead of 100 cards).

With two boxes, I thought that I’d amuse myself with a Starting 9 Faceoff; something I used to do all the time as a kid. It was fun to rip a few packs with friends, build your best squad, and then argue over which would win.

Before I get to that…

Hit? Yes. Seth Rosin auto. Rosin pitched in two Major League-seasons (2014 with the Rangers, and 2015 with the Phillies). He appeared in four games in the bigs and had an ERA of 12.00. It's numbered out of 710, so this was a major find.

Packs: 1991 Line Drive Pre-Rookie, 1991 Leaf (Series 1)

OK. Onto my game.

Box One – Starting Nine

1. LF Tim Raines R
2. 1B Jeff Bagwell R
3. RF Dave Parker L
4. CF Andre Dawson R
5. 3B David Freese R
6. C B.J. Surhoff L
7. SS Trea Turner R
8. 2B Johnny Ray S
9. SP Mike Mussina R

I like this team a lot. Mix of speed, power, defense. A Hall of Fame pitcher on the mound. Two lefties and a switch hitter provide some balance. This will be a tough squad to beat.

Box Two – Starting Nine

1. CF Kirby Puckett R
2. SS Alan Trammell R
3. LF Manny Ramirez R
4. RF Gary Sheffield R
5. 1B Cecil Fielder R
6. SS Dave Concepcion R
7. 2B Jeff Treadway L
8. C Terry Steinbach R
9. SP David Cone R

A righty-heavy lineup, but the middle of the order is going to mash. Treadway was legit the only second baseman in the bunch (but at least he’s a lefty).

First blush, I give the edge to Box One. If I go by career WAR – and though that might not be the best predictor, how much work am I really going to put into this? – Box One edges out Two, 430.3 to 405.3. Mussina/Ray being the difference makers over Cone/Treadway.

I’d pay to see that match up.

Prediction: Box One wins, 6-4.