One-Sheet Collections: Top Mexican-Born MLB Players
For many, nostalgia remains the driving force behind baseball card collecting, and that’s how I 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 $100 budget, and build a nine-card collection with a unifying theme.
This week, we’re focusing on the best Mexican-born players in MLB history.
Ahead we’ve highlighted the nine Mexican players with the highest career WAR, according to Baseball Reference, and selected one card for each of them to make up this One-Sheet Collection.
1981 Topps Traded #850 Fernando Valenzuela ($50)
Fernando Valenzuela took the baseball world by storm as a 20-year-old rookie in 1981, going 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 180 strikeouts in 192.1 innings, tossing 11 complete games and eight shutouts to win both NL Rookie of the Year and NL Cy Young honors. The left-hander finished his 17-year career with 173 wins and a 3.54 ERA in 2,930 innings, earning six All-Star selections along the way.
His two Rookie Cards are in the 1981 Fleer and Topps sets, but it’s his 1981 Topps Traded card—his first solo Topps card—that is his most sought-after early release. The 1981 Topps Traded set was only available through hobby dealers, which led to a smaller print run than other sets from that era.
Career WAR: 37.4
1986 Donruss #351 Teddy Higuera RC ($0.50)
There is a case to be made that Teddy Higuera is still the best pitcher in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history. He was runner-up in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 1985, and the following season he was a 20-game winner and the AL Cy Young runner-up. The left-hander spent his entire career in Milwaukee, logging a 3.61 ERA in 1,380 innings.
His Rookie Cards from the mass-produced 1986 Donruss, Fleer and Topps sets can be scooped up for pocket change, and he stands as one of the more underrated pitchers of his era.
Career WAR: 30.3
1951 Bowman #188 Bobby Avila RC ($25)
A three-time All-Star and the 1954 AL batting title winner, Bobby Avila hit .341/.402/.477 with 15 home runs, 67 RBI and a career-high 7.1 WAR during the ’54 season while helping Cleveland reach the World Series. He finished his 11-year career as a .281/.359/.388 hitter with 1,296 hits in 1,300 career games.
His Rookie Card is part of the same 1951 Bowman set that includes high-profile rookies of Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Whitey Ford.
Career WAR: 28.4
1994 Leaf Limited Rookies #43 Ismael Valdez RC ($0.75)
During his first three full seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation starting in 1995, Ismael Valdez went 38-29 with a 3.02 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 463 strikeouts in 619.1 innings, racking up 13.7 WAR along the way. He bounced around throughout the 2000s, wrapping up a 12-year career with 104 wins and a 4.09 ERA in 1,827.1 innings.
His only Rookie Card is part of the 1994 Leaf Limited set, which was a new release that year as the first super-premium product line from Donruss.
Career WAR: 24.5
1994 Bowman #134 Esteban Loaiza RC ($1.50)
After starting his career as a journeyman starter, Esteban Loaiza broke out in his age-31 season in 2003 when he went 21-9 with a 2.90 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 207 strikeouts in 226.1 innings to finish second in AL Cy Young balloting. He proved to be a one-year wonder of sorts with 7.2 of his 23.0 WAR coming during the ’03 campaign.
The 1994 Bowman set continues his only Rookie Card, as he did not make his MLB debut until the 1995 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Career WAR: 23.0
1992 Topps Debut #30 Vinny Castilla ($3)
Part of a stacked Colorado Rockies lineup during the 1990s, Vinny Castilla launched 191 home runs during the five-year span from 1995 through 1999, tallying at least 30 long balls every season and winning three Silver Sluggers during that span. He finished with 320 home runs and 1,105 RBI over the course of a 16-year career.
Castilla has Rookie Cards in the 1992 Fleer and 1992 Score sets, but his most valuable early card is part of the 1992 Topps Debut boxed set which recognized his MLB debut on Sept. 1, 1991.
Career WAR: 19.3
2007 Topps Update #184 Yovani Gallardo (RC) ($2.50)
Yovani Gallardo made five straight Opening Day starts for the Milwaukee Brewers starting in 2010, and he went 89-64 with a 3.69 ERA and 1,226 strikeouts in 1,289.1 innings during his eight seasons in Milwaukee. His 121 career wins rank third all-time among Mexican-born pitchers, and he is one of just five to eclipse the 100-win mark.
While Gallardo’s Rookie Cards are short-printed autographs in the 2004 Donruss Elite Extra Edition and 2004 SP Prospects sets, his 2007 cards also feature the “RC” logo. His 2007 Topps Update card is his first Topps flagship card.
Career WAR: 19.2
2007 Upper Deck #509 Joakim Soria RC ($6)
One of the best closers in baseball at his peak, Joakim Soria ranks 42nd on the all-time list with 229 saves, and he was an All-Star in 2008 (42 saves) and 2010 (43 saves) with the Kansas City Royals. He played for nine different teams over the course of his 14-year career, tallying double-digit saves eight different times.
Soria has nine different Rookie Cards, and his 2007 Upper Deck rookie was part of a rookie exchange program that expired on Feb. 27, 2010, leaving those 20 cards short-printed relative to the rest of the checklist.
Career WAR: 18.6
1970 Topps #228 Aurelio Rodriguez ($1)
Aurelio Rodriguez played 17 MLB seasons as a light-hitting, defensive-minded third baseman, winning Gold Glove honors in 1976 and wrapping up his career with 1,570 hits, 124 home runs, 648 RBI and a .237 batting average.
While his Rookie Card is in the 1969 Topps set, that card famously features a picture of the California Angels bat boy rather than Rodriguez himself, so we’ve opted instead for the first card that actually shows Rodriguez to fill his slot in this collection.
Career WAR: 15.1
Total: $90.25
Just a note. The Brewers were in the AL during Teddy Higuera’s years, so he actually was runner up for the AL awards, not the NL.