One of the most interesting aspects of the early Showdown sets were the (poorly named) Pennant Run cards, which represented hot stove moves for various existing cards, projecting hot prospects as rookies, and welcoming back studs who missed the previous season with injury. For examples, see Chuck Finley to the Indians and Shawn Green to the Dodgers in 00 PR, Corey Patterson, Albert Pujols, and CC Sabathia in 01 PR, and Andres Galarraga in 00 PR. Plus, it seemed like a fun place for the card creators to make projections and experiment a little.... honestly, I love the idea and how they become quasi-fantasy cards that let fans of teams get their hopes up for the production they'll receive from a prize acquisition in the offseason.
In that vein, we made a couple last season (including the "PR homer boost" given to A-Rod in the 01 PR edition):
Now, we've got a hearty collection of brand new cards for y'all to enjoy while we celebrate the return of baseball. Big shout outs to Matt (artwork on several cards) and Patsen (baseline charting of prospects) for their respective help in crafting these beauties!!!
