The Defining Baseball Card For Each Generation

From Mickey Mantle to Shohei Ohtani, we list each generation's defining baseball card

Apr 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) is congratulated after a solo home run in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Each generation has their most defining baseball card. The popularity of baseball has waned in younger demographics in recent decades, but even Generation Z has a card that defines them.

One of the favorite pastimes at McCabe Golf Course and the CCGA tournament on Aug. 13, 1974, was to get the autograph of former New York Yankee great Mickey Mantle, right. One of the lucky ones was Morris Rosa of White Bridge Road. | Jimmy Ellis / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Baby Boomers—born 1946 to 1964

The only choice for the post-war generation has to be Mickey Mantle. Mantle's career went from 1951-1969, and he was a hero to millions from this era. The 20-time all-star won 5 World Series and 3 MVP awards.

The most obvious choice would be the 1952 Topps Mantle, but for this exercise I'm selecting the 1956 Topps. He bares his famous smile, while to the side he's making a catch over a fence in the stands. A classic.

RELATED: The Truth About the Iconic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Baseball Card

1956 Topps Mickey Mantle | TCDb

Generation X—born 1965 to 1980

While Mantle's was difficult to choose, this one was extremely easy: it has to be the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. The card that started the Upper Deck brand, that escalated pack prices to $1 for the first time, and is still valuable despite the insane print run.

Griffey Jr. was the player everyone wanted to be. The backwards hat, the crooked smile, and the sweet swing defined a generation.

RELATED: Ken Griffey Jr.'s Most Graded Cards and Their Prices

1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card | TCDb

Millennials—born 1981 to 1996

The player that most defined Millennials was Derek Jeter, who won 5 World Series and was the captain of the New York Yankees.

Jeter's quiet, boring persona off the field betrayed the intense competitor he was on the field. Every kid wanted to copy his running jump-throw from shortstop to first base.

His 1993 Upper Deck SP rookie card is the most iconic of all his cards, and shows him in action.

1993 Upper Deck SP Derek Jeter rookie card | Card Ladder

Generation Z—born 1997 to 2012

This could have been Mike Trout had the second half of his career not been defined by injuries and missing the playoffs. Now this generation wants Trout's former teammate, two-way global sensation Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani, who has won 3 MVPs in the last 4 years, won his first World Series in 2024 and is primed to win more on a stacked Los Angeles Dodgers team.

Typically believed to be his most desirable rookie card in some variation, the 2018 Topps card was his first available from the Flagship set. It features him pitching, which is interesting because he's now better known for his hitting.

RELATED: 5 Shohei Ohtani Rookie Cards to Own for Under $100

2018 Topps Shohei Ohtani rookie card | Card Ladder

Whose cards will define Generation Alpha?