Rookie Cards
Julio Rodriguez
2021 Bowman's Best #49
Julio Rodriguez
card information
2021 Bowman's Best #49
The Controversy:
Like Wander Franco, Rodriguez has a 2021 Bowman's Best card that should have been labeled "prospect." Unlike Franco, Rodriguez had not yet begun his rookie year in 2021. Rodriguez has numerous 2022 cards with the rookie logo meeting all of the standard criteria to be a rookie card. If either the logo rule is enforced, or the card must be printed during the player's rookie year, the Bowman's Best card is not a rookie card.
Wander Franco
2021 Bowman's Best #50
Wander Franco
card information
2021 Bowman's Best #50
The Controversy:
2021 Bowman's Best broke the rule for clearly labeling prospect cards as such in sets that include veterans. While the prospects did have a shared card design, Beckett Media and some collectors viewed these prospect cards as rookie cards. The controversy around this card was compounded by 2021 being Wander Franco's rookie year. With no rookie Franco rookie cards in other 2021 sets, collectors felt that Topps was intentionally holding back the rookie cards to sell more 2022 products.
Mike Trout
2011 Topps Update #US175
Mike Trout
card information
2011 Topps Update #US175
The Controversy:
The 2011 Topps Update Mike Trout is Trout's most well-known rookie card. However, some collectors don't consider Update Series cards eligible to be true rookie cards. When that's the case, this card becomes an XRC.
Derek Jeter
1993 Upper Deck SP Foil #279
Derek Jeter
card information
1993 Upper Deck SP Foil #279
The Controversy:
Derek Jeter's 1993 rookie cards have very little debate surrounding them. They predate the rookie logo and prospect card rule from 2006. Card collectors view these pre-rookie year cards as his rookie cards, even though his MLB debut was in 1995, with many other prospects from that era receiving the same treatment. Jeter has a handful of 1993 cards, but Upper Deck SP foil rookie card is his most desirable.
Mark McGwire
1987 Topps #366
Mark McGwire
card information
1987 Topps #366
The Controversy:
1985 Topps contained a subset of 1984 Team USA cards. One of those cards featured a young Mark McGwire a full year before he had played his first MLB game in 1986. Many collectors and Beckett price guides labeled the 1985 Topps card as a rookie card, sealing its fate. McGwire has several 1987 cards that are all generally viewed as rookie cards in the modern era. However, if the 1985 card is a rookie card, the 1987 cards lose that designation.
Barry Bonds
1987 Topps #320
Barry Bonds
card information
1987 Topps #320
The Controversy:
Barry Bonds has an uncommon scenario with his rookie cards. His 1986 cards are included in Update/Traded sets though he played over 100 games during his 1986 rookie year. Beckett made the designation "XRC" for these cards, which it later abandoned (though cards with this designation were grandfathered into keeping it), and his 1987 cards are generally considered his true rookie cards. A core tenant of "rookie cards" is that they can't span multiple years, so the 1986 traded/update card eligibility will dictate if the 1987 base set cards are eligible.
Cal Ripken Jr.
1982 Topps #21
Cal Ripken Jr.
card information
1982 Topps #21
The Controversy:
Cal Ripken Jr.'s 1982 Topps flagship set card is unanimously considered a rookie card.
Carl Yastrzemski
1960 Topps #148
Carl Yastrzemski
card information
1960 Topps #148
The Controversy:
The 1960 Topps Carl Yastrzemski is widely regarded as his rookie card, with no controversy around that designation. However, Yastrzemski did not play in an MLB game until 1961. If a card must be printed on or after a player's rookie season to count as a rookie card, this card would no longer qualify.
Mickey Mantle
1951 Bowman #253
Mickey Mantle
card information
1951 Bowman #253
The Controversy:
Mickey Mantle's 1951 Bowman card is his true rookie card. However, Mantle's iconic 1952 Topps card often gets viewed as the holy grail of post-war sports cards leading some industry insiders to mislabel the card. Regular media coverage of significant 1952 Topps Mantle sales perpetuates this label to the general public.
