I got a package from my favorite minor league baseball card dealer on eBay earlier this week, but I didn’t get around to opening it until tonight.

One of the sets inside is this year’s Altoona Curve team set. It was a real blast from the past, and I’m not talking about the faux-1987 Topps  design.

Every card in the set features a posed photograph, a staple of minor league baseball card sets until about ten years ago when they were pushed out by action shots.

Unless you’re inclined to appreciate the nostalgia factor, most of the cards aren’t all that special.

Then there’s Brock Holt‘s card. Holt, a shortstop who was the MVP of the Eastern League All-Star Game last month, grabbed every bat he could find when the photographer asked him to pose. 

It made me smile, and it’s the leading contender for the minor league baseball card of the year.