Baseball's Next Female Hall of Famer has a Trading Card
As of August 2025, the National Baseball Hall of Fame has inducted only a single female member, Newark Eagles co-owner and executive Effa Manley. As Manley's induction came nearly 20 years ago and her final year in baseball was nearly 80 years ago, it feels fair to wonder whether it's high time another female joined Manley in the Cooperstown institution's plaque gallery. After all, Manley is hardly the only woman to have made significant contributions to the game.
At the moment, there are at least three women Hall of Fame collectors might want to keep an eye on. Two appear to be immediately worthy, even if the Hall's current categories don't suggest a simple path through the door. Another may have the straightest route in (eventually) but still has much to accomplish in building her case for Cooperstown.
Rachel Robinson
RELATED: The Essential Baseball Cards of Jackie Robinson
Best known as the widow of Jackie Robinson, Rachel Robinson was (and remains at age 103) so much more than that. A very easy argument can be made that Jackie never would have integrated major league baseball in 1947 if not for Rachel, and if you really think about it, that simple fact may well be enough of a "Hall qual" right there! Add to that the more than 50 years after Jackie that Rachel has worked to keep his legacy alive in the game, and the case only grows stronger.
Working against Rachel, perhaps, is that she already received the Hall's Buck O'Neil Award in 2017, an honor tantamount to enshrinement and one that some arbiters might feel already checks off the box. Also working against Rachel is that she may not immediately qualify for any of the Hall's current categories of inductee: Player, Manager, Umpire, or Executive/Pioneer. While many fans and historians recognize Rachel Robinson as a pioneer, it's not clear that the Hall or the committees that vote on its candidates do.
Still, for those collectors crossing their fingers and toes that the great Mrs. Robinson might soon have a plaque, the good news is that there are at least a few Rachel Robinson baseball cards out there, at least sort of.
Janet Marie Smith
RELATED: Cal Ripken Rookie Cards Soar in Price
Smith, who is currently an Executive Vice President with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is best known for designing Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Since that time, Smith has worked on numerous other ballparks including Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium, completely revolutionizing the modern ballpark experience along the way. Like Robinson, Smith's primary "in" would appear to be as a pioneer, a category that many fans and historians would consider apt. That said, it's also a category that historically has suggested the game's nineteenth century graybeards more than today's movers and shakers.
As for the trading card angle, there has not yet been a card of Smith, though there have been several of her signature creation. The result is that collectors to this point have had to leave an empty spot in the binder or simply make their own. That said, Hall or no Hall, Smith seems long overdue for inclusion on the wide-ranging Allen & Ginter checklist.
Jen Pawol
RELATED: Jen Pawol Gets a Topps NOW Card
The good news for Jen Pawol is that there is a very clear path to Cooperstown for major league umpires, with ten already having been enshrined. The bad news is that at least one of two things would likely need to happen in order for MLB's first female ump to earn a plaque.
- She would need to become one of the game's greatest umps of all time, which is no small feat!
- Her groundbreaking success would need to open the door for many more successful female umpires.
Certainly one could argue that Pawol's status as first is already enough to qualify her as a pioneer. Still, fair or unfair, only time will tell whether Pawol's shattering of baseball's gender barrier proves truly game-changing vs. one-and-done.
Either way, the good news for Pawol collectors is that she most definitely has cards, whether of the early career rarity variety or her recent Topps NOW release.
Interested in Women in Baseball? Consider attending the SABR/IWBC Women in Baseball Conference! This year's virtual event will be held September 19-21, 2025.
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.