Low-rated

 

The "Rated Rookie" logo is to the '80s and '90s what the rookie cup was to the '70s. But in yet another example of how impatient we've gotten as humans over the years, "Rated Rookies" weren't content to wait a season to bestow the coveted logo onto a player's logo, as Topps' rookie trophy and cup did in years past.

No, the "Rated Rookie" was presented to a player who had barely experienced the majors, who merely had "potential." This was a risky move for Donruss as some of those rated rookies honestly never lived up to that logo.

But nobody remembers that. Guys like Chipper Jones, Roberto Alomar and Jose Canseco get all the rated rookie accolades and Kevin Belcher gets ignored.

We're here to fix that.

I went through all of the Rated Rookies from 1983 through 1995 and tracked down their career WAR and then rated the lowest-of-the-low rated rookies. But before that, here are the highest-of-the-high rated rookies for each year (note: I stopped at 1995 because there were no Rated Rookies in '96 😮 and in '97 and '98, RRs became an insert set):

1983: Greg Brock 10.0, Mel Hall 8.7, Brad Lesley 0.7 (there were just six Rated Rookies in '83 and they were mentioned only on the back of the cards).

1984: Tony Fernandez 45.3, Sid Fernandez 32.7, Kevin McReynolds 30.1

1985: Danny Tartabull 23.3, Shawon Dunston 11.5,  Mike Bielecki 5.9

1986: Fred McGriff 52.6, Jose Canseco 52.4, Paul O'Neill 38.8

1987: Greg Maddux 106.6, Rafael Palmeiro 71.9, Mark McGwire 62.2

1988: Roberto Alomar 67.0, Mark Grace 46.4, Al Leiter 40.0

1989: Randy Johnson 101.1, Ken Griffey Jr. 83.8, Gary Sheffield 60.5

1990: Robin Ventura 56.1, Juan Gonzalez 38.7, Andy Benes 31.5

1991: Ray Lankford 38.2, Moises Alou 30.9, Tino Martinez 29.0

1992: Jim Thome 73.1, Kenny Lofton 68.4, Ryan Klesko 26.7

1993: Chipper Jones 85.3, Mike Piazza 59.5, Tim Salmon 40.6

1994: Manny Ramirez 69.3, Carlos Delgado 44.4, Rondell White 28.2

1995: Alex Rodriguez 117.5, Garret Anderson 25.7, Jon Lieber 24.2

You can see that the quality of prospects in the late 1980s might have had something to do with the boom in baseball cards. The vault from 1985 is enormous.

But enough of that, I'm focusing on the low-rated here.

This has been done at least once before back in 2018. That focused on the lowest-rated rated rookie each year between 1984-93. I'm going to go with the bottom 10 lowest-rated rated rookies of all-time. I'll add the lowest rated for each year at the end.

Here we go. Remember these guys?:

10. Tim Laker, career WAR: (-2.0)

Tim Laker, I think, is still the Mariners' hitting coach. Make of that what you will.

9. Steve Searcy, career WAR: (-2.0)

I'm placing Steve Searcy above (below?) Laker because I hold a grudge for all the Steve Searcy "Future Star" cards I pulled from 1989 Topps that year. I suppose I should do a Future Star companion blog piece to this post.

 

 

8. David McCarty, career WAR (-2.1)

Hey! A member of my fantasy baseball team in the mid-1990s! One of many frustrating picks on my part.

 

7. Billy Ashley, career WAR: (-2.1)

Dodger fans know Ashley's career trajectory well. It does not travel the same path as a home run ball. And he's above/below McCarty because I'm still mad.

6. Melvin Nieves, career WAR (-2.3)

This is the third 1993 Donruss Rated Rookie card on this list and it won't be the last. There's a reason for that. Donruss hummed along at around 20 Rated Rookies each year until 1993 when it jacked up the numbers to 44(!). I mean MLB added only two more teams, Donruss! A typical '90s-glut move that watered down the Rated Rookie name.

 

5. John Mabry, career WAR (-2.3)

The only player I've interviewed on this list. Mabry gets ranked above/below Nieves despite the same WAR as he was a reluctant interview. Not exactly jerky but I could tell he didn't want to be talking to me.

4. Manny Alexander, career WAR: (-2.4)

More 1993 Donruss! This will be the last one though.

3. Scott Ruffcorn, career WAR: (-2.5)

Donruss scaled back the number of Rated Rookies in 1994 from 1993 to a more typical 20. But then it went nuts in 1995 with 46.

 

 

 2. Mark Lewis, career WAR: (-2.6)

One of the spectacular busts from this period not named Brien Taylor. I was surprised that Taylor was never a Rated Rookie. In fact it looks like Taylor never appeared on a Donruss card.

1. Gary Thurman, career WAR: (-2.8)

Congratulations Gary Thurman, the Royals and 1988 Donruss. This is the lowest-rated Rated Rookie.

It seems like the Royals are always near the bottom of these things.

OK, here are the lowest rated for each year:

1983: Keith Creel, Royals, (-1.0)

1984: Tom Dunbar, Rangers (-1.6)

1985: Steve Kiefer, Athletics (-1.6)

1986: Bob Kipper, Pirates (-1.3)

1987: Pat Dodson, Red Sox (-0.5)

1988: Gary Thurman, Royals (-2.8)

1989: Steve Searcy, Tigers (-2.0)

1990: Scott Coolbaugh, Rangers (-0.8)

1991: Mark Lewis, Indians (-2.6)

1992: Kyle Abbott, Angels (-1.4)

1993: Manny Alexander, Orioles (-2.4)

1994: Scott Ruffcorn, White Sox (-2.5)

1995: John Mabry, Cardinals (-2.3)

Now I don't want any of these players (or you collectors who overpaid for these cards) to feel bad, because none of them may actually be the lowest-ranked of the Rated Rookies.

Nope, that honor could go to this player:

Russ Stephans is the only player to get Rated Rookie status between 1983-95 and not make it to the major leagues. Therefore I couldn't rank him with the others.

Also, note who he was playing for (if you can get past the chest hair).

Yup, the Omaha Royals.

Another Royal.

They seemed to pick prospects the way I picked players for my fantasy teams.