Barry Bonds, Bo Jackson, Jose Canseco, and The Ultimate Card Set
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The 1986 Donruss "The Rookies" box set was a cheat code. The one-time caboose of the Hobby had not only catapulted ahead of rivals Topps and Fleer with the year's hottest card, the Rated Rookie card of Jose Canseco, but it doubled down with a late-season release jam-packed with the game's brightest young stars.
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The set's main attraction was of course Jose Canseco himself. The future 40-40 man came into the league with ridiculous hype and quickly delivered on it thanks to a combination of speed and power unprecedented in the history of the game. Still, while Jose remained on top of the Hobby, a player even stronger and faster made his big league debut that September: Bo Jackson. And yep, he was in the set too.
While Canseco would take American League Rookie of the Year honors, the runner-up, Angels first baseman Wally Joyner, had a helluva year. All he did, taking over the position from Hall of Famer Rod Carew, was bat .290, knock 22 homers, and drive in 100. But was he in the set? Of course he was. Also showing serious pop in the American League that year were rookies Pete Incaviglia, Cory Snyder and Ruben Sierra, all of whom made the Donruss checklist.
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Over in the National League, there were the Killer B's of Pittsburgh: Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla. The two would combine for 1049 home runs, 20 all-star appearances, and seven MVP awards. Both made their debuts in Donruss "The Rookies." Ditto Will Clark, the Giants first baseman with the sweetest swing since Ted Williams and Olympic pedigree. Also in the set were 1986 National League Rookie of the Year Todd Worrell, future 1989 NL MVP Kevin Mitchell, and the "Big Cat" Andres Galarraga, who would average a .309/44/137 slash line from 1996 to 1998.
Take any set with 55 rookies and the chances are good at least one makes the Hall of Fame. But take the 1986 Donruss "The Rookies" set with its handpicked checklist from an absolutely generational crop of rookie talent, and how many Hall of Famers are you looking at? As a collector in 1986 and the most conservative estimate might have been 3-4. Come back in five years to see just how well this group of rookies turned out, and that number only goes up. Remarkably, though, the actual number was zero.
When the set came out in 1986, it was almost too good to be true. Jose Canseco and Bo Jackson and Will Clark with rookie cards all in the same set?! Of course, if there's one thing collectors can count on in the Hobby more than anything else, it's this: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.