The 2025 Baseball Hall Of Fame Class in Cards

This year, only three members will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame: Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, and Billy Wagner. Ichiro and Sabathia are first-time candidates on the ballot, while Wagner finally received enough votes to secure his place.
The Hall of Fame Class of 2025! pic.twitter.com/QQsWDzNait
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 21, 2025
Ichiro came incredibly close to becoming only the second unanimous player elected—next to Mariano Rivera—falling just one vote short with 393 out of 394 votes.
From a sports card perspective, none of these players would be considered "modern" by today’s standards, but they were all part of pivotal eras in the history of the hobby.
The Truth About the Iconic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Baseball Card
Billy Wagner’s era saw a proliferation of companies producing trading cards. His rookie cards can be found in sets from Pinnacle, Score, Topps, and Upper Deck, showcasing the wide variety of products available at the time.
Fanatics to Open First Collectibles Flagship Store in London
CC Sabathia’s cards followed a more modern trajectory. Like many players today, Sabathia appeared in multiple Bowman sets, dating back to 1999.
When he made his MLB debut in 2001, he was included in one of the most iconic rookie baseball sets of all time: the 2001 Topps Traded & Rookies product. That set also featured fellow Hall of Famers Albert Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki.
Los Angeles Dodger, Roki Sasaki's Baseball Cards
Before joining MLB, Ichiro was a star in Japan and appeared in numerous Japanese trading card sets. This trend continues today, as Japanese players like Shohei Ohtani also appear in Japanese products before making their MLB debuts. Once Ichiro signed with the Seattle Mariners, his stardom skyrocketed in the United States.
Starting in 2001, he began appearing in MLB card products, and his cards remain popular to this day. Thanks to the success of international players like Ohtani, Ichiro continues to be a prominent feature in modern baseball card products.
The green border of the 2001 Topps design remains one of the most iconic in the company’s history. From 1997 to 2010, Topps used full borders on its card designs before switching to full-bleed images. The 2001 design, in particular, holds a special place in collectors' hearts, not just for its aesthetic appeal but also for the incredible rookie class it represents.