If it wasn’t for a future Hall of Fame spoiler, Glenn Davis would have won the 1986 MVP. Davis led HOU in HR and RBI as they won the NL West. Mike Schmidt got a third MVP despite PHI being a distant 2nd in the NL East. 89 Donruss fakes a swing and smile, as the sun shines on Davis’ rainbow sleeves.

From his birth in La Jolla to high school in Mission Bay, Joel Skinner was a good baseball player and a good man. He caught multiple seasons for CHW, NYY, and CLE. 89 Score Traded shows Skinner skidding along his heinie in his first season after the trade to CLE. He was later their interim manager.

With a name meaning “pink,” Jose Rosado had opponents seeing red, at least in odd years. He made the All Star team in 1997 and 1999, but never played past 2000. 98 Pinnacle attempts to reach the tops of junk card-dom with its distinct design. Rosado puts on a glowing front photo and backside blurb.

Nothing about Jeff Kent says 2B, except the 2,000 games the Hall of Famer played there. He won MVP for SFG over teammate Barry Bonds and hit more HR than any other 2B. 04 Topps reflects on the older Kent who would play four more years. Custom line art clones the photo, turning two over a fellow 2B.

Better bring your wallet to the MLB draft casino, because it will take big money to land Bill Mooneyham. Over three years, he was drafted five times, four in the 1st round: by STL, NYM, SEA, and CAL, where he finally signed. 87 Donruss is right on the Mooneyham with OAK, showing his lifetime stats.

After a season and change as the NYY starting 3B, Bobby Cox lost the job. Not even 40, he was hired as ATL manager. He had a sub-.500 record in four years and that was WITH Dale Murphy. He’d go north before returning to start the 90s dynasty. 85 Topps is Cox’s last TOR year and a first AL East win.

Though he was a below-average fielder and not so speedy on the base paths, Jim Lindeman made up for it with his .244 career average. Pre-DH, that got you eight years for the NL. 88 Score focuses on the pre-MLB exploits of Lindeman, though it could have mentioned his .321 postseason average in 1987.

A lefty starter who lost once in all of high school, Juan Nieves signed with MIL and quickly rose through the minors. He threw the first no-hitter in team history in his second year, but his career was cut short by injury. He’s coached for 34 years. 86 Donruss looks pretty chill for a RATED ROOKIE.

Now the manager of the Greek national team, Chris Demetral was once a 31st round LAD pick. He played 11 seasons in the minors, seven for AAA teams. A real Greek Tragedy, he never made the majors. 94 Classic treats Demetral as an alpha, with a card from the Vero Beach Dodgers, a high-A Florida team.

There was a ballplayer whose name was Rick Schu. Taking Schmidt’s job at third was a big thing to do. After four years in PHI, he was traded instead. BAL, DET, CAL, and MON put his ballgame to bed. 88 Topps has Schu swing like Mike Schmidt. But when you flip that card over, his stats lack the hits.

Did you know that new Philly manager Don Mattingly used to play baseball? He was pretty good, too: a 9x Gold Glover at 1B, 6x All Star, batting champ, and MVP. 91 Upper Deck comes after an injury and Mattingly’s first off year. His batting-gloved photo shows him grinding out one of his 2,000+ hits.

With the SP chased out early, RP Bob Stanley pitched the entire 3rd inning. And then he pitched nine more, the most recent player to cover more than a full game's worth from the bullpen. He'd spend his whole 13-year career for BOS. 89 Donruss features a skeptical Stanley, finger out the glove hole.

A barrel-chested, power-hitting catcher named for his Cuban-baseballing grandpa, Bobby Estalella was a surprise prospect with PHI. 98 Score clearly shows off Estalella’s veiny forearms, then obscures the snappy write-up with a background pattern. It credits a “weight-lifting regimen” for his power.

The rookie home run record stood 57 years before Mark McGwire obliterated it. His 49 HR for OAK eclipsed the others, denoting a new mark. It took 30 years for Aaron Judge and Pete Alonso to sneak past 50 HR. 88 Topps gets out a thesaurus and makes us all wonder why “circuit blasts” never caught on.

A native Texan, Jerry Don Gleaton played baseball for UT Austin and then TEX made him a 1st round pick. The next year, he went to SEA in an 11-player trade. He played for six MLB teams and saw minors action for all but DET. 91 Donruss makes Gleaton’s arm look tired as he tosses with his fifth team.

If you’re a 1970s Braves GM, you “may” have a thing for Rick Mahler and his southpaw brother Mickey. Irish twins, Rick was younger by a year and six days. Mick came up earlier, but Rick pitched 11 seasons with ATL. 89 Score debuts Mahler the Younger with CIN, putting some mustard on his change-up.

A tall Venezuelan 1B, Andres Galarraga was a well-rounded player from the start. A 5x All Star for three teams, the “Big Cat” also won two Gold Gloves, a batting title, and a home run crown over his 19-year career. 88 Donruss named Galarraga the MON Diamond King when he was only known as “The Cat.”

While starting at 2B for HOU, Bill Doran was traded into a backup role on the playoff-bound CIN team. He rode the pine all the way to a World Series ring. He took over the starting job when Mariano Duncan left town. 91 Topps surprises Doran with a red-backdropped portrait in his left-handed helmet.

In start or relief, for teams that aren’t picky, they could hand the ball off to Scott Kamieniecki. If you don’t want to give runs, then best grab your hankies. Especially if you are those 96 Yankees. 92 Donruss looked out for a future of grandeur with a rotation place for this rookie right hander.

Son of an All Star and 30/30 club member, the bar started high for Barry Bonds. Like father Bobby, he’d hit 30+ HR and steal 30+ bases in five seasons. Nobody else has done this. 89 Upper Deck is the coolest card of its era and finds Bonds in his up-swing, not yet an All Star, with a lot to prove.

With a slap of a swing, Mike Laga crushed a pitch from Ron Darling outside the bounds of STL’s old Busch Stadium. Obscenely foul, the feat remains his claim to fame over nine MLB years. 87 Donruss goes portrait mode with Laga’s card. He looks proud, so perhaps they showed him the career highlights.

A journeyman 3B, Charlie Hayes left SFG before their 1989 World Series. In 1996, he joined NYY one month prior to their championship win. Between came PHI, COL, and PIT, where son Ke’Bryan won a Gold Glove at dad’s position. 92 Topps brings an intense Hayes, mid-swing, his first time in pinstripes.

A platooning catcher for CHC, Hector Villanueva got the ABs against lefties and the occasional start at 1B. He signed with rival STL for his final MLB season, at an aging 28. 91 Score makes Villanueva look like a catcher. After politely referencing his weight, the card then calls him “rolly-polly.”

Twice in his prime, Curt Schilling nearly missed a Cy Young Award. The first time, his Hall of Fame teammate took the top spot. Three year later, he bested another Hall of Fame teammate, but not Johan Santana. 89 Donruss was years prior, as blonde-stached Schilling neared a double-digit career ERA.

It’s said that Willie McCovey didn’t need a glove to play outfield. “Just a blindfold and a cigarette” was the clubhouse joke. Topps 206 is an homage to early 1900s cigarette pack mini cards with “modern” player caricatures like McCovey. The back includes a Piedmont brand cigarette ad reproduction.

After two years in the minors, MLB was ready for the onslaught of Don Slaught, KCR’s rookie catcher. A position known for its glove and arm, Slaught had enough bat to be dangerous at the bottom of the order. 88 Topps finds Slaught with TEX after a four-team trade, ready to slaughter steal attempts.

The namesake of this account (and definitely not the person typing this), Wade Boggs managed to be beloved in both NYY and BOS. Then he went to TBD to get his 3000th hit. 91 Donruss celebrates one of Boggs’ 12 All Star appearances. The stats show he brought his best effort to the midsummer classic.

With 11 hits over three seasons, Greg Smith’s play stood out as much as his name. The CHC 2B was no Ryne Sandberg. 90 Score and its bold colors present Smith almost like a pro IF. A banner above the logo calls out his rookie status. The car in the background betrays the spring training photo shoot.

It is a little fishy that Tim Salmon slithered to the 3rd round of the draft considering he became a foundational Angel. He saw CAL spawn into ANA then finally hatch as LAA. 2004 Topps has Salmon fishing for a fly, with a small outlined version below. The back photo may very well be Norm MacDonald.

Born Gerald III, Buster Posey’s childhood nickname was destined for his position, though he started as a pitcher. He’s one of only nine catchers with a career avg above .300. 2020 Panini pretends to be 86 Donruss and mixes a faux Diamond King to really drive the retro look home like a Posey double.

After a naval hospital stint, Doc Edwards (given name Howard) contracted a new nickname. The catcher’s best years were in CLE, which earned a trade to the A’s. He’d return as Indians manager. 88 Topps was his only full season at the helm, with a ragtag crew from Akerfelds to Yett shown on the back.

After four years of college, Dave Winfield didn’t need the minor leagues. He was drafted (4th overall) in June 1973 and debuted that same month. Winny played 22 MLB seasons and never even had a AAA rehab assignment. 89 Classic chose a foul photo and carefully cut out the ball, tipped off the plate.

A 1st round pick out of high school, Ben Grieve had higher expectations long before his debut. He hit .312 in his September call-up, then won Rookie of the Year for OAK the following season, nine years after the team’s trio of winners. 95 Upper Deck put the Top Prospect on a card three years early.

In all of baseball history, there are three Lemons, two Appletons, three Applegates, but only ONE Strawberry: Darryl. 89 Topps dedicated 22 cards to league leaders. Each ranks the top players by a specific stat on back. Darryl Strawberry’s 39 HR got him special treatment, including the front photo.

A bit player on the World Series champion 1983 Orioles, Tito Landrum only joined BAL in September. He completed a June trade with STL. He’d be traded back before the next season, playing most of his career as a Card. 86 Donruss shows the OF squatting with a 1B glove (where he played three innings).

Over 14 seasons, mostly in OAK and DET, Mike Heath spent over 1,000 games crouched behind home plate. Every game, each team throws about 150 pitches, and somebody needs to catch them. As a rookie backup with NYY, Heath won the World Series. 86 Topps shows Heath, wondering how that bat thing works.

There was a time it seemed Bo Jackson was destined for 40/40, showing both power and speed. He missed 30/30 by only four SBs in 1989. Then a football injury effectively ended both NFL and MLB careers. 90 Upper Deck pairs a cool set with an even cooler player. His eyes follow the ball in each photo.

Only 31 players have a Rookie of the Year and MVP, with Fred Lynn the first and youngest to get both in the same year. The lefty CF had a solid career, with nine straight All Star games for BOS and CAL. 84 Topps presents Lynn’s last Angelic year, with his 30s starting to show in his face and stats.

The younger brother by 18 months, Lynn Jones would beat Darryl to the MLB by 54 days. Perhaps that relative youth gave Lynn more opportunities, as he played eight seasons for DET and KCR (vs bro’s one in NYY). 86 Donruss would make the most of Lynn’s final card, with oversized glasses and mustache.

A pitcher so nice, PHI drafted him twice, and the second time Mike Jackson signed. His only starts were in his sophomore year, an experiment producing 10 losses. He was shipped to SEA in the off-season, where he found his groove as a top reliever. 89 Topps looks at a youthful Jackson in an “S” hat.

A team’s best pitcher takes the mound opening day, and on seven occasions Rick Reuschel was that guy for his teams. Big Daddy did it twice for SFG. His NYY year began midseason. Which of his previous teams will he root on today? 89 Score Superstar includes Reuschel, who signs with a blue ballpoint.

Leading off in his MLB debut, Rickey Henderson hit a double to RF. His first steal would have to wait until the third inning. The final steal for #24 would come 24 years later. 92 Donruss honors one specific stolen base (and the 938 that came before it), as Rickey became "the greatest of all time."

Tiger fans should have celebrated when John Shelby signed in 1990. The switch-hitting CF and former 1st round pick won a ring with BAL in 1983 and LAD in 1988. DET missed the playoffs. 91 Topps finds Shelby casually during BP, helmet overlapping the team-matching border, with a funky “Tiqers” logo.

The sub-3.00 ERA as a starter, three Cy Youngs, and over 3,000 strikeouts are some of the stats that makes Pedro Martinez mononymous in most baseball circles. 92 Upper Deck calls Pedro a Star Rookie, but describes him in the shadow of his bigger, older, successful brother Ramon. Ramon who? Exactly.

An All Star at 2B (CHW) and OF (CLE), Jorge Orta did not appear in either midsummer game. He was very visible in the 1985 World Series for KCR, where his only hit was a controversial 9th inning safe call. 86 Donruss shows off Orta’s Franklin Gloves and Louisville Slugger bat (with a number 3 knob).

After a lackluster 1989 call-up, Dean Palmer spent all of 1990 in the minors. He started 1991 in AAA, but found a power surge. He led his minor league in homers, while playing in TEX. His 275 MLB HRs also came in KCR and DET. 95 Select has “certified” useless stats, but Palmer’s halo effect shines.

With a sub-3.00 ERA over a 21-year career, John Franco was a consistent late-inning reliever. Even better, save him for a tie game: in 178 extra innings, Franco’s ERA was a killer 1.87. 88 Topps makes the 27 year-old look much older, with goggle glasses that are a lot cooler on teammate Chris Sabo.

A 16-year veteran, Bobby Witt, Sr, played 13 with TEX. He also pitched for six other teams, retiring after a World Series win with ARI. All three of Witt’s daughters married MLB players, including the son of Witt’s former teammate Jeff Russell. 92 Donruss was the first of many white border designs.

The only person not impressed with Harold Reynolds’ AL best 60 SB in 1987 was Rickey Henderson, whose year was shortened by injury. The steal king’s best two seasons nearly surpass Reynolds’ 12 year total (250). But Rickey never won an Emmy. 89 Topps shows a chill Reynolds with classic “S” SEA hat.

With only 33 PAs in the regular season, backup-to-the-backup C Bill Bathe waded into SFG’s half of the 9th in 1989’s earthquake-delayed WS Game 3. Bathe lathered a three-run homer off his former OAK team, who still floated to a 13-7 win. 87 Donruss precedes lukewarm OAK washing its hands of Bathe.