Fans today should have no trouble identifying the top prospects in their favorite baseball franchise's system.
Dozens -- maybe hundreds -- of sites on the internet devote countless words to every prospect on the way up. And, if you still chart your prospects through cards, you'll have no trouble there either. Any prospect who is anybody has appeared in Bowman for years before they even make the majors and if that somehow isn't the case, Topps and Panini will be sure to shove that player into a regular set, even multiple times, to make sure you know.
Ever since the late 1980s, and definitely since Bowman began devoting itself to prospects, figuring out which rookie is who and how good has been maybe the easiest thing to do in all of collecting. Just follow the noise and babble.
When I first began collecting as a kid, it wasn't this easy.
Unless you lived in a town with a minor league team, figuring out the top rookie prospects was a bit of a challenge, if anyone cared to do it. I recall Baseball America as the only publication devoted to upcoming players. Mostly what you did was rely on baseball cards to tell you who the "rookie stars" were.
From 1962 to 1982, this was the format for Topps and an organization's top rookies. It presented those players in multi-player cards, sometimes two players, sometimes three, sometimes four, sometimes even more.
For years they were called "rookie stars," which told us we better watch out for these guys, they're going to be good! I know I was convinced. Even when in the mid-1970s Topps eliminated "stars" and merely labeled these cards "Rookie Pitchers" or "Rookie Infielders," it was too late. The trail had been set. I assumed they were on their way to stardom.
I was so certain of Topps' scouting prowess that when a player showed up on a card of his own, especially if he showed up with a rookie cup, but hadn't appeared on a multi-player "rookie stars" card, I was shocked. Did Topps slip up? How did they miss him? Often, since I got to watch maybe one game a week, the guy with the rookie cup was completely new to me if he hadn't appeared on a prospects card.
I thought it would be fun to figure out which players elected to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team each year between 1962-82 did not show up on a multi-player prospect card during that time. Who slipped through the cracks? And who were the best of those guys?
Here is the All-They-Weren't-Rookie-Stars-But-They-Did-OK Team:
Catcher: Butch Wynegar, 1976 Topps All-Star Rookie
Butch Wynegar was 20 years old when he played his first full year in the major leagues. He was a bit of a sensation because he swept through the minors in just two years and he looks about 12 on his first card.
Other non-rookie-stars notables: Steve Nicosia, Bobby Etheridge (not a lot of candidates).
First Base: Eddie Murray, 1977 Topps All-Star Rookie
How is it possible that someone like Eddie Murray could escape a rookie stars card? Looking at his minor league stats, perhaps they weren't all that impressive. Topps still sounds unimpressed on the write-up on he back of his '78 card when it says "Eddie was one of A.L.'s top rookies of 1977. Yeah, he won the Rookie of the Year Award!
Other non-rookie star notables: Chris Chambliss, Dan Driessen, Mike Hargrove, Jason Thompson.
Second Base: Jerry Remy, 1975 Topps All-Rookie Team
This was one of my favorite rookie cup cards when I was a kid. There is something to be said for not showing up on a rookie prospects card and then appearing out of the blue in a bunt pose with a giant trophy on your card.
Other non-rookie star notables: Ken Boswell, Damaso Garcia, Dave Nelson.
Shortstop: Ozzie Smith, 1978 Topps All-Rookie Team
Don't be disturbed by the lack of a rookie trophy, Topps scrapped them at this time until the late 1980s. Ozzie jumped into the majors after just 68 minor league games, which is why Topps didn't throw him on a prospects card. They didn't have time!
Other non-rookie star notables: Bert Campaneris, Chris Speier, Garry Templeton.
Third Base: Ryne Sandberg, 1982 Topps All-Rookie Team
Topps' excuse for not putting Sandberg on a rookie stars card would probably be "the Phillies TRADED him." Sandberg would move to second base very soon, which made me think about putting Sandberg at second base so I could get Bob Horner or Tim Wallach at third. But in the end I stuck with the position listed when they were chosen for the All-Rookie team.
Other non-rookie notables: Bob Horner, Larry Parrish, John Castino, Tim Wallach, Buddy Bell.
Outfield: Bobby Bonds, 1968 Topps All-Rookie Team; Garry Maddox, 1972 All-Rookie Team; Willie McGee, 1982 All-Rookie Team
Bonds won All-Rookie Team mention after just a half year with the Giants in 1968, that's how impressive he was. I guess Topps wasn't impressed before that to put him on a prospects card. Garry Maddox did not get a rookie trophy even though Topps was giving them out in the 1973 set. Willie McGee's quick rise to fame was well-documented in 1982 but even winning a World Series that year was enough for Topps to provide rookie cups in 1983.
Other non-rookie stars notables: Jimmie Hall, Greg Gross, Claudell Washington, Dan Ford, Mitchell Page, Lonnie Smith, Joe Charboneau, Johnny Grubb, Del Unser, Jeff Leonard.
Pitchers: Mark Fidrych, 1976 Topps All-Rookie Team; Ross Grimsley, 1971 Topps All-Rookie Team; Randy Jones, 1973 Topps All-Rookie Team; John Montefusco, 1975 Topps All-Rookie Team; Steve Rogers, 1973 Topps All-Rookie Team.
These five starters aren't arranged in any order. I had to pick Fidrych given his rookie season, even though he didn't enjoy the career longevity of some of the others. 1974 is another one of those years that Topps went without the rookie cup. I think that's the reason some collectors ignore that set.
Other non-rookie stars notables: Dave Rozema, Britt Burns, Mark Clear, Dick Tidrow.
Given what was available back then, it's easy to see why I care so little about rookie cards and have no use for Bowman.
And also given how much is out there and in the hobby about rookies now, I can see why so many collectors care so very much now.
Comments
Plus I'm developing a theory that one reason why the "best cards of the 1960s or 70s" lists tend to be great photos is because all the rookie card BS that dominates the 80s list just doesn't work in the era of multiplayer rookie cards. Yes cards like the Rose/Seaver/Ryan are highly desirable for monetary reasons. But no one treats then as great-looking cards by themselves.
Now, that certainly doesn't explain why George Brett wasn't on a multiplayer rookie card in 1974 (although it DOES explain why Robin Yount wasn't).
As for Luke Walker he got shown wearing a Tigers uniform in thev1974 Topps Traded set as well the 1975 set.
In 1967 alone, you had the Cubs' Norm Gigon, the Tigers' George Korince (twice), and the Phillies' Billy Wilson, while they missed Reggie Jackson altogether.
In 1968, they didn't even have a Giants' Rookie Stars card, despite Bobby Bonds tearing up the minors at that time.
I also found it laughable that on a late-series 1969 Rookies card, they had a guy whose position was "INF-OF". Come on, utility players are by definition NOT stars!
Not necessarily. Larry Hisle was on a 1968 rookies card having no prior MLB time. Same for Joe Niekro in 1967.
Meanwhile, Ken Holtzman debuted in late-1965 but didn't get a card until 1967. Reggie Jackson debuted in '67 but no card until 1969.
"That's just Topps being Topps."