Overlooked 1970s Baseball Rookie Cards – One-Sheet Collections
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 time around, we take a look back at some undervalued rookie cards of the 1970s. None of these players are currently enshrined in Cooperstown, but they were stars during their time, and their Rookie Cards remain a steal relative to other rookies from those same sets.
1970 Topps #21 Vida Blue RC/Gene Tenace RC ($4)
Vida Blue was one of the true aces of the 1970s, fronting the Oakland staffs that won three straight World Series in 1972, 1973 and 1974. Prior to that run, he won AL Cy Young honors in 1971 when he finished 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA and 301 strikeouts in 312 innings at the age of 21.
Joining him on this dual Rookie Card is catcher Gene Tenace who was also part of those three World Series winners. An elite on-base threat who finished his 15-year career with a .388 on-base percentage and a 17.8 percent walk rate, he was the starting catcher on the ‘73 and ‘74 teams.
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1972 Topps #147 Dave Kingman RC ($15)
Dave Kingman launched 442 home runs over his 16-year career, including an NL-leading 48 long balls in 1979 when he was playing for the Chicago Cubs.
A three-time All-Star who topped 30 home runs an impressive seven times in his career, he was still going strong in his age-37 season with the Oakland Athletics when he launched 35 long balls.
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1972 Topps #101 J.R. Richard RC ($2.50)
A flame-throwing right-hander who enjoyed a brief peak with the Houston Astros, J.R. Ricahrd led the NL in strikeouts in 1978 (303) and 1979 (313) while finishing in the top five in NL Cy Young voting both years.
His career was tragically cut short when he suffered a stroke caused by a blood clot in his neck midway through the 1980 season. He was just 30-years old at the time, and he had just started the All-Star Game with a 10-4 record and a 1.90 ERA through his first 17 starts.
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1973 Topps #482 Rick Reuschel RC ($3)
Among retired pitchers, Rick Reuschel trails only Roger Clemens (138.7), Curt Schilling (80.5), Jim McCormick (76.0) and Kevin Brown (68.2) in career WAR among non-Hall of Famers with 68.1 WAR in 19 seasons.
An All-Star with the Chicago Cubs in 1977, he was still going strong in his age-40 season with the San Francisco Giants in 1989 when he went 17-8 with a 2.94 ERA in 208.1 innings.
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1975 Topps #622 Fred Lynn RC ($15)
Fred Lynn burst onto the scene in 1975 when he won AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP by hitting .331/.401/.566 with 47 doubles, 21 home runs and 105 RBI for a Red Sox team that won the AL pennant.
He went on to make nine straight All-Star appearances, and he wrapped up his 17-year career with 50.2 WAR and a 129 OPS+ as one of the best center fielders of his era. Following his time in Boston, he suited up for the Angels, Orioles, Tigers and Padres.
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1976 Topps #599 Ron Guidry RC ($15)
Left-hander Ron Guidry spent his entire career in Yankee pinstripes, posting a 170-91 record with a 3.29 ERA in 2,392 innings. He finished in the top 10 in AL Cy Young voting six times, taking home the award in 1978 when he went 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA in 273.2 innings.
His No. 49 was retired by the Yankees in 2003, and along with his impressive regular-season performance he also went 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in four World Series starts, winning back-to-back rings in 1977 and 1978.
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1977 Topps #265 Mark Fidrych RC ($3)
Arguably the most famous one-year wonder in MLB history, Mark Fidrych took the league by storm in 1976 when he finished 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 250.1 innings for the Detroit Tigers.
He tossed 24 complete games in 29 starts, finishing runner-up in AL Cy Young voting and running away with AL Rookie of the Year honors in a 9.6-WAR campaign. He suffered a knee injury the following spring and pitched just 162 innings the rest of his career before retiring after his age-25 season.
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1978 Topps #704 Lou Whitaker RC ($30)
With 75.1 career WAR, Lou Whitaker trails only Barry Bonds (162.8), Alex Rodriguez (117.6) and Bill Dahlen (75.2) among eligible players not currently inducted into the Hall of Fame.
It would have been fitting for the Veterans Committee to induct him into the Hall of Fame alongside longtime double play partner Alan Trammell in 2018, but for now the wait continues for one of the most deserving players currently on the outside looking in.
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1979 Topps #318 Bob Welch RC ($2.50)
There’s a good chance Bob Welch will be the last pitcher to win 25 games in a season. He went 27-6 with a 2.95 ERA in 238 innings in 1990, taking home AL Cy Young honors and helping lead the Oakland Athletics to the AL pennant.
He spent 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers before coming to Oakland, and he finished his underrated 17-year career with 211 wins and a 3.47 ERA in 3,092 innings.
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Total: $90
I have a Tim Wallach card and it’s blank on the back. Can u tell me anything about it?
It’s a all star national league Topps card I believe #399.
@Carrie – It’s a fairly common type of printing error. This article might help: https://www.beckett.com/news/sports-card-printing-errors/