The Must Have Cards From the 1993 Topps Baseball Set
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Coming into the 1993 baseball season, there was a great mix of veterans stars ruling the game, and young players waiting to take over. Cal Ripken Jr. was a excellent player with a good chunk of years ahead of him, but also not at his peak. Kirby Puckett was dwindling down, and both Tony Gwynn and Paul Molitor were in their 30's. The tides were changing, with guys like Ken Griffey Jr., and Frank Thomas. And while Barry Bonds already had won 2 MVP's by this point, he was ready to take the game to another level.
The 1993 Topps baseball set may not be the most sought after, or most expensive set to collect, but it definitely was a fun one to chase. Beyond the base vet cards and rookies, collectors had opportunities to pull gold card version of the base.
One of my personal favorite pulls in this set, is the black gold cards. Epic in their colors and designs, you cant go wrong with a young Ken Griffey Jr.
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I am going to cover the top 3 rookie cards to chase from this set. All 3 would go onto having a hall of fame career.
3. Mike Piazza
Drafted in the 62nd round of the 1988 Amateur Draft, Mike Piazza would go onto becoming one of the greatest offensive catchers of all-time. Piazza would hit over 30 home runs 9 times throughout his career, on his way to 427 dingers in his career. With the incredible amount of work needed night in and night out behind the plate, he still managed a career .308 batting average. In fact, he hit over .300 for 10 straight seasons. He would go on to being a 12x All-Star, and finish in the Top 10 MVP voting 7 times.
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Incredible to see his Topps RC PSA 10 go for around $25, especially since it also includes rookie Carlos Delgado (who hit 473 home runs).
While most would consider Pedro Martinez rookie is the 1991 Upper Deck, this is Pedro's first Topps RC, making it extra special. This would also be Pedro's first full year in the league, and he absolutely gave a glimpse of what is to come. His rookie season he went on to having a 10-5 record, with a 2.61 ERA. The next decade and a half was absolutely magical. Martinez would go onto winning 3 Cy Youngs, with 7 total top 5 finishes. An 8x All-Star, 5x ERA champion, he also help break the "curse of the bambino" helping the Boston Red Sox win the 2004 World Series.
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A 1993 Topps Pedro Martinez RC, with a PSA 10 grade, can typically be found for around $30.
1. Derek Jeter
How can Derek Jeter not be number 1. Derek Jeter first saw the field full time in 1996, and never looked back. During Jeter's tenure, the NY Yankees helped bring the championship home 5 times. Jeter would go onto playing his entire 20 years for the Yankees, and went down as one of the greatest shortstops of all time. Finishing with over 3,400 hits, and a .310 batting average, Jeter was a student of hitting. Jeter would also finish 11th All-Time in runs scored with 1,923.
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A Derek Jeter Topps RC, with a PSA 10 grade will put you back around $400. While not the cheapest rookie of his out there, it is definitely one of the most popular.
