2018 Donruss Optic Baseball Variations Gallery and How to Spot Them
The 2018 Donruss Optic Baseball variations take a similar page from the variants in the main 2018 Donruss Baseball set — it’s all about variety. Some have different names, some change up where the team name goes and others go with the basic photo swap approach.

For the most part, the 2018 Donruss Optic Baseball variations are easy to spot unless you’re blasting through the base cards. It’s hard to miss Rhys Hoskins becoming “Rhys Lighting” or Ozzie Albies playing in “The ATL.” The exception would be the straight-up photo variations where a little memorization might be in order.
Or a trick.
Like on the back.
There is a tip-off where you can easily spot variations without even really trying. A lot of Topps sets have it in the fine print with production codes. For the 2018 Donruss Optic Baseball variations, the giveaway is also on the back, but it’s incorporated into the design. It’s the baseball near the card number. If you’ve got a regular base card, the ball is white. If you have a variation, the ball is black.


A couple of things for clarification.
First, Walker Bueler’s variations isn’t any different from the front. On the back, the write-up is different on the two cards. There’s also the ball method of telling the base from the variant.
Card #176, Shohei Ohtani, is listed as a variation by Panini. But there actually isn’t another card that goes along with it. It’s more of an addition to the checklist.
Parallels
It’s not just base-level cards that have variations. Parallels do to. All 25 of variants come with the following versions as well:
• Bronze
• Holo
• Pink
• Purple
• Red and Yellow
• Shock
• White Sparkles
• Aqua – /299
• Orange – /199
• Blue – /149
• Red – /99
• Carolina Blue – /50
• Black – /25
• Gold – /10
• Cracked Ice – /7
• Green – /5
• Gold Vinyl – 1/1
Here’s a quick breakdown of the 2018 Donruss Optic Baseball variations.
2018 Donruss Optic Baseball Variations Checklist
31 Miguel Andujar – Team
32 Nick Williams – Nickname
33 Clint Frazier – Nickname
35 Rafael Devers – Nickname
36 Ozzie Albies – Team
37 Amed Rosario – Team
38 Rhys Hoskins – Nickname
39 Ryan McMahon – Photo
40 Willie Calhoun – Nickname
41 Walker Buehler – Back
42 Victor Robles – Photo
51 Chance Sisco – Team
56 Shohei Ohtani – Photo
65 Gleyber Torres – Nickname
109 Giancarlo Stanton – Team
114 Aaron Judge – Photo
115 Cody Bellinger – Photo
121 Mike Trout – Photo
122 Miguel Cabrera – Nickname
123 Francisco Lindor – Team
125 Andrew McCutchen – Nickname
135 Andrew Benintendi – Photo
148 Adrian Beltre – Team
165 Mickey Mantle – Nickname
176 Shohei Ohtani
2018 Donruss Optic Baseball Variations Gallery
31 Miguel Andujar, New York Yankees


32 Nick Williams, Philadelphia Phillies


33 Clint Frazier, New York Yankees


35 Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox


36 Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves


37 Amed Rosario, New York Mets


38 Rhys Hoskins, Philadelphia Phillies


39 Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies


40 Willie Calhoun, Texas Rangers


41 Walker Buehler, Los Angeles Dodgers

42 Victor Robles, Washington Nationals


51 Chance Sisco, Baltimore Orioles


56 Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels


65 Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees


109 Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees


114 Aaron Judge, New York Yankees


115 Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers


121 Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels


122 Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers


123 Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians


125 Andrew McCutchen, San Francisco Giants


135 Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox


148 Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers


165 Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees


276 Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

Has no base version.
Kind of strange to have the variation checklist come out before the regular checklist.
@JDonovan – Looks like some surfaced at retail. At this point, all of what’s here has been put together manually based on the info gleaned from that. No official checklist has been released yet so likely at least a couple more to be added.
Is there an error with Walker Buehler? Pulled a base RR and holo RR, both with the black baseball on the reverse of the card, but doesn’t seem to be anything special on the card to indicate they are variations
@Bengi – Buehler’s variation is on the back. The write-up is different. Everything on the front appears to be the same.
What is the deal with the Trout shadow in the background? Is that an error or intended?
@Adam — probably just a production mistake in the prep stages somewhere.
Interesting that the Trout variation also has the silhouette of his base card, not just the wrist band. I don’t see it on any other variations. I thought it was an error until I saw the pic above looked the same as my card.