For many, nostalgia remains the driving force behind baseball card collecting, and that’s how we arrived at the idea of One-Sheet Collections.
It’s a simple concept with infinite possibilities.
Take a single nine-pocket sheet and a reasonable $50 budget, and build a nine-card collection with a unifying theme.
This time around, we turn our attention to some notable All-Star rookies.
Since the 1980 season, there have been just nine rookies who have started the All-Star Game, with the most recent being Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson in 2015.
Four of those nine players made their MLB debut after successful runs in the Japanese League, while the other five debuted as more traditional prospects.
Who will be the next rookie to start the All-Star Game?
That’s a fun debate for current prospect hunters. But for now, let’s take a look back at the exclusive list of nine rookies from the last 40 years who earned a starting nod in the Midsummer Classic.
Enjoy!
Pocket 1: SP Fernando Valenzuela, Los Angeles Dodgers (Rookie Year: 1981)
Card: 1981 Topps Fernando Valenzuela RC #302
Beckett Value: $8
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Fernandomania was in full swing during the strike-shortened 1981 season when a 20-year-old Valenzuela went 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA and 1.05 WHIP while leading the NL in strikeouts (180), innings pitched (192.1), complete games (11) and shutouts (8). He remains the only rookie ever to win Cy Young honors.
He shares his Topps Rookie with two-time All-Star catcher Mike Scioscia, making it one of the more sought after cards in the 1981 set. His only other Rookie is in 1981 Fleer, and his first name is misspelled as “Fernand” on the front.
Pocket 2: 1B Wally Joyner, California Angels (Rookie Year: 1986)
Card: 1987 Fleer Wally Joyner RC #86
Beckett Value: $1.25
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A third-round pick in 1983, Joyner was hitting .313/.361/.543 with 20 home runs and 72 RBI at the 1986 All-Star break to earn the starting nod at first base over Don Mattingly and Eddie Murray. He cooled off considerably in the second half, finishing with 22 home runs and 100 RBI, and he was narrowly edged out in AL Rookie of the Year voting by Jose Canseco.
He also has Rookies in 1987 Donruss and Topps—along with the Leaf and O-Pee-Chee variations—but the classic blue-bordered Fleer set was an easy choice for this slot.
Pocket 3: C Sandy Alomar Jr., Cleveland Indians (Rookie Year: 1990)
Card: 1989 Topps Sandy Alomar Jr. RC #648
Beckett Value: $0.40
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Signed by the San Diego Padres out of Puerto Rico in 1983, Alomar played eight games with the Friars in 1988 and 1989 before he was traded to the Cleveland Indians along with Carlos Baerga and Chris James in exchange for Joe Carter.
He immediately took over as the starting catcher in Cleveland and was a two-way star, hitting .290 with nine home runs and 66 RBI while also winning Gold Glove honors. He was voted AL Rookie of the Year unanimously in 1990.
His Rookie Card is also featured in the 1989 Bowman, Donruss, Fleer, Score and Upper Deck releases, but I’m a sucker for those 1989 Topps Future Star cards.
Pocket 4: SP Hideo Nomo, Los Angeles Dodgers (Rookie Year: 1995)
Card: 1995 Finest Hideo Nomo RC #228
Beckett Value: $10
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With quirky mechanics and a devastating splitter, Nomo was dominant as a 26-year-old rookie in 1995. He went 13-6 with a 2.54 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and an NL-leading 236 strikeouts in 191.1 innings, and his success helped pave the way for the influx of Japanese League talent to come.
A hobby juggernaut at his peak, Nomo’s Rookie Cards still carry some value. His 1995 Finest carries the highest price tag of his 17 different base Rookie Cards.
Pocket 5: OF Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners (Rookie Year: 2001)
Card: 2001 Upper Deck Ichiro Suzuki RC #271
Beckett Value: $12
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Suzuki was already a three-time Pacific League MVP with 1,278 hits and a .353 career batting average in nine seasons with the Orix Blue Wave when he joined the Seattle Mariners. He led the AL in batting average (.350), hits (242) and steals (56) for a 116-win Mariners team in 2001, becoming just the second rookie in MLB history to win MVP honors.
His Bowman Chrome Rookie is one of a handful that carry a triple-digit price tag, but there are also plenty of affordable options among his 49 different Rookie Cards. That includes the Upper Deck flagship release.
Pocket 6: OF Hideki Matsui, New York Yankees (Rookie Year: 2003)
Card: 2003 Studio Hideki Matsui RC #62
Beckett Value: $2.50
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Matsui joined the Yankees with a tremendous amount of hype when he signed a three-year, $21 million contract prior to the 2003 season. The 40-homer power he showed in Japan never quite translated, but he was still a productive run producer. He hit .287/.353/.435 with 42 doubles, 16 home runs and 106 RBI to finish runner-up in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
He has 51 different Rookie Cards at a wide range of price points, including some high-end autographed options. For the most part, his standard base Rookies are extremely affordable, and the Studio release where he’s pictured in front of the Yankee Stadium backdrop is an excellent option.
Pocket 7: C Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs (Rookie Year: 2008)
Card: 2005 Upper Deck Update Geovany Soto RC #125 /599
Beckett Value: $10
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Soto played 30 games in the majors during the three-year stretch from 2005 to 2007 before finally breaking out and seizing the starting catcher job in 2008. He hit .285 with 35 doubles, 23 home runs and 86 RBI to win NL Rookie of the Year for a 97-win Chicago Cubs team.
He has 14 different Rookie Cards in 2005 products, though he was not featured in the flagship Topps and Upper Deck releases until the following year. The bulk of his 2005 cards are short-printed and seven of them are autographed, making his Rookie Cards a bit pricier than one might expect.
Pocket 8: OF Kosuke Fukudome, Chicago Cubs (Rookie Year: 2008)
Card: 2008 Topps Update Kosuke Fukudome RC #UH1A
Beckett Value: $3
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A .279/.383/.408 hitter with 26 extra-base hits at the 2008 All-Star break, Fukudome was part of an eight-player contingent of Cubs representatives. His popularity in Chicago helped propel him to the All-Star Game start. He returned to Japan after five quietly productive MLB seasons and was still active for his age-43 campaign in 2020.
He was included in the initial Bowman Chrome and Upper Deck releases for the year, with Topps working him into the mix in their Update set. All told, he has 41 different Rookie Cards, the bulk of which are extremely affordable.
Pocket 9: OF Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers (Rookie Year: 2015)
Card: 2015 Bowman Chrome Joc Pederson RC #167
Beckett Value: $2
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Pederson posted an .851 OPS with 20 home runs during the first half of the 2015 season to earn a spot on the NL roster as a reserve. However, with Giancarlo Stanton and Matt Holliday both unable to play, he wound up in the starting lineup. He hit just .178 with six home runs and a 29 percent strikeout rate in the second half.
Among his 29 Rookie Cards, the non-autographed versions can almost all be found for under $5. The 28-year-old is a free agent for the first time this winter, and it will be interesting to see where he ultimately lands.
Total Beckett Value: $49.15
I think you have should done each position.
Up next in the series: An ode to the 1997 Florida Marlins.
I have boxes of baseball cards and would like to know which ones are valuable