Topps Releases POM Set; Honors LRS, Too
By Philip Baudhawpe, American Baseball Prospectus
June 5, 2012: New York, NY – On Monday, the Topps Company continued to dabble into the world of Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance (PEBA) trading cards by debuting the new “Player of the Month” (POM) set. In doing so, they introduced their 2012 design – reminiscent of the 1975 MLB set – and they began a foray into the League of the Rising Sun (LRS), which they had previously suggested could follow a successful launch of PEBA cards.
The cards for April depict the Sovereign League’s Roberto Rodríguez and SP Markus Hancock, winner of the league’s Golden Arm Award in 2011. Both Rodríguez and Hancock play for Tempe. Rookie Mike Lamb of Palm Springs is also featured.
The Imperial League’s winners for April include Jason Guillén of Arlington, SP Luis Pérez of Charleston and Manchester’s Ed Williams, who was also May’s Rookie of the Month. Guillén, an outfielder, is off to an historic start, having hit 25 HR in the first two months of the season. He is threatening to break the PEBA HR record of 51, held jointly by Narahiko Imada of Omaha in 2008 and Manny López, who tied the record in 2009 with Crystal Lake. Williams is hitting a cool .326 thus far with 13 HR and 36 RBI and is clearly the early favorite for the IL Wunderkind Award, given to the rookie of the year in each league.
The May set includes rookie sensation Mike Arnopp of Fargo. Arnopp, hitting .315 on the season, is considered the man to beat for the SL Wunderkind award.
Also depicted is Florida outfielder Kwang-chih Zhu, currently sporting a .377 average with 11 HR. Zhu was a key member of Florida’s Rodriguez Cup-winning 2011 squad. Charleston’s Víctor Matos gives the IL leading Statesmen a second consecutive POM winner on the mound. The mild-mannered Matos is following up a stellar 2011 campaign with an even better 2012. The 2011 IL Golden Arm winner leads the league with nine wins and is second only to his teammate Dean O’Monahan for the lead in ERA.
The LRS Shining Star Group is lead by a trio of players from the surprising Kure Arsenal. Last place in 2011, the Arsenal are tied with the Shin Seiki Evas for the top record in the league. “Snake Hips” Ichihara, the SSG’s Pitcher of the Month, has a 1.53 ERA and a 5-0 record with 47 K in 35 IP – a quick start for a pitcher who was the first pick in the Inaugural Draft and has consistently gotten better each season. His teammate Tomiji Watanabe, an outfielder, is currently hitting .330, amongst the league leaders. Watanabe, the 4th pick in the 2008 draft, seems to be blossoming.
The Bright Blade Group includes an international flavor, as José Escalante and Ben Bigelow join Jun’ichi Motsuzuki of the Steel Dragons as May’s winners. Rookie Bigelow is from Picture Butte, Alberta, Canada. Dominican-born Escalante of Lupin is currently 3rd in the LRS in average. Escalante is coming of a career-best season in which he hit .328 for Naha before being traded for All-Star closer Tabito Watanabe.
No announcement was made about what future releases Topps may have planned.