Most Iconic Cards From The 1996 Topps Baseball Set
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The 1996 MLB season turned out to be an epic year all around. From guys like Tony Gwynn and Alex Rodriguez hitting over .350, to Brady Anderson and Mark McGwire hitting 50 home runs or more. Pedro Martinez was starting to make a name for himself with 222 strikeouts, to Kevin Brown leading all of MLB with a 1.89 ERA. The 1996 season had a great mix of veteran star power and new star power.
Topps this year came out with a basic, but clean design with their base cards this year. The classic white boarder does help collectors with centering, but overall there is not much to the imagination with this set. The action shots are nice, and the Ken Griffey Jr. is still a fan favorite to collect.
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Topps did do a nice job with the prospect cards, which ties into todays subject. We will be looking at the top 3 1996 rookies of this set.
3. Scott Rolen
Arguments can be made that Scott Rolen is a top 10 third baseman of all time. The 8x gold glove award winner was instrumental on any team he played for. Beyond being a vaccum at third, he was an excellent hitter as well. The 7x All-Star finished with 1,287 RBI's and over 1,200 runs scored. Playing 17 seasons and coming away with a .281 batting average, is also impressive.
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His 1996 Topps rookie prospect PSA 10 typically goes for around $25.
2. Todd Helton
Todd Helton's first full year in the pros he belted 25 home runs, finished second in the rookie of the year votings, and never looked back. He would go onto hitting over 30 home runs 6 seasons in a row, before settling on 369 for his career. Helton would finish with over 1,400 Run and 1,400 RBI's. The 5x All-Star would finish with a career .316 batting average.
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For around $40-$50 you can pull in a Todd Helton PSA 10 RC.
1. Vladimir Guerrero
Before the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. you see playing today, there was the original Vladimir Guerrero. If you missed seeing him play, you should pull up some highlight reels. Guerrero's strike zone was whatever he wanted it to be. He could hit balls over his head, or bouncing off the plate. With no discipline at the plate, Guerrero still managed to hit a career .318. He would finish in the top 10 MVP votings 6 times, taking the award home in 2004. He would finish his career with 449 home runs, to go along with 1,496 RBI's. The 9x All-Star would compile almost 2,600 career hits, and was so feared he would be intentionally walked 150 times in 16 seasons.
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This wonderful card also has a borderline hall of famer, Andruw Jones. Getting both Guerrero and Jones for around $40, is a steal in my books.
