A Rookie Card Tour of the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame Candidates

The 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot features 32 names, ranging from all-time greats to merely All-Stars.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Derek Jeter fall into the former group, while guys like Chone Figgins and Adam Dunn figure to be one and done.

In between are a host of players that stir up all sorts of debate — Larry Walker, Curt Schilling, Billy Wagner, Sammy Sosa, Manny Ramirez.

Some of those lack the lock-down stats that would guarantee them a spot in Cooperstown, and others are pariahs to one degree or another because of their off-field activities.

Heck, even Bonds and Clemens have found the going tough on the route to a bronze plaque thanks to the PED controversies swirling around them.

Still, these are the guys we watched perform at the highest levels of the game for about 30 years … and their rookie cards span from the middle of the hobby boom on into the early 2000s.

That’s a pretty good cross-section of recent hobby history, so I thought it might be fun to take a quick tour through these RCs as a reminder of where we’ve been … and the guys who made the game, for better or for worse.

Here, then, is a list of one rookie card for each of the players on the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, in alphabetical order.

Of course, these dudes each have more than one RC — many more in some cases — so you can click through to the eBay or Amazon links to check out their other rookies.

(This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you if you click through and purchase.)

1993 Classic Best Bobby Abreu (#24)

1993 Classic Best Osceola Astros Bobby Abreu

Hard to remember that Abreu ever played for the Astros, right? Well, this card is proof.

And … well, Abreu was probably better than you remember, too.

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1999 Fleer Tradition Update Josh Beckett (#U-122)

Before he won 20 games and a World Series with the Red Sox in 2007, Beckett was helping the Marlins win a ring in 2003.

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2003 Upper Deck Classic Portraits Heath Bell (#170)

Bell was a lockdown closer in San Diego for a few years, but he’s a Met here.

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1986 Topps Traded Barry Bonds (#11T)

Yeah, right, he was surly and ended up on the wrong side of the PED fence.

But, man, Bonds was a force, and we all ate up his exploits, even if his RCs never held the hobby sway of, say, a 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly.

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1997 Bowman Chrome Eric Chavez (#192)

Chavez was a legit MVP candidate for those Moneyball A’s, but injuries dampened what might have been a Hall of Fame career.

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1984 Fleer Update Roger Clemens (#U-27)

See Bonds for Clemens’ general situation. Roger’s rookie cards, though, did light up the hobby for a long time, especially this beauty from the relatively scarce 1984 Fleer Update set.

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1999 Topps Traded Adam Dunn (#T50)

A monster masher for the Reds, Big Donkey was a joy to watch, even if the wind from his strikeouts could power Great American Ball Park.

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2002 Donruss Originals Chone Figgins (#404)

Figgins picked up some MVP votes while with the Angels but didn’t play long enough or at a high enough level to make the Hall of Fame cut.

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1999 Bowman Rafael Furcal (#364)

Furcal actually played more years outside of Atlanta than with the Braves, but he made his name with a Tomahawk on his sleeve.

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1991 Topps Traded Jason Giambi (#45T)

Giambi was another Moneyball guy who made hay with a solid Sabermetrics profile.

Also logged lots of postseason ABs with the Yankees.

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1993 Topps Traded Todd Helton (#19T)

Yeah, he played in Coors Field with the Rockies, but Helton was good enough for long enough that folks will debate his HOF candidacy for a long time.

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1996 Bowman’s Best Raul Ibanez (#172)

Ibanez peaked in his 30s and played until he was approximately 84. Picked up 2000+ hits in the process.

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1993 Upper Deck SP Foil Derek Jeter (#279)

Who wouldn’t include The Captain on their Hall of Fame ballot? Only someone who somehow missed out on a Jete’s rookie card, I’d say.

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1995 Bowman Andruw Jones (#23)

Jones was a key part of those great Braves teams in the late 1990s, but he fell off the table in his 30s.

This rookie card reminds us of the happier times.

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1991 Classic Best Jeff Kent (#108)

Kent a Blue Jay? It happened, but he was shipped to the Mets before Toronto won their first World Series in 1992.

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1994 Stadium Club Draft Picks Paul Konerko (#80)

I was jazzed when the Reds got Konerko from the Dodgers, but that lasted all of 26 games.

He went on to become a White Sox icon but shows up here in Dodger Blue.

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2002 Donruss Classics Cliff Lee (#205)

Lee turned into a bit of a mercenary late in his career, but you could always count on him to put up gaudy won-loss records.

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2001 Fleer Platinum Carlos Pena (#361)

Pena banged home runs for a slew of teams, but it all started with the Rangers.

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1997 Bowman Brad Penny (#199)

Brad Penny started with?

Yeah, the Florida Marlins. Won a ring in Miami, too.

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1992 Classic Best Andy Pettitte (#286)

Along with Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada, Pettitte helped form the “Core Four” that led the Yankees’ 1990s and 2000s dynasty.

Lesser pitchers are in the Hall, so you figure his time will come.

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2000 Royal Rookies Futures Autographs J.J. Putz (#28)

Putz turned in some 40-save seasons but generally falls short of Hall of Fame closer standards.

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1992 Upper Deck Manny Ramirez (#63)

Manny being Manny hasn’t played out well with Cooperstown voters, but dude was one of the greatest hitters of the last fifty years.

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2001 Upper Deck SPx Brian Roberts (#194)

Roberts was a career Oriole and gets a fitting RC here.

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1995 Bowman Scott Rolen (#271)

Rolen battled injuries for a large part of his career but still racked up enough glitzy numbers in 17 seasons to rank among the all-time third base elite.

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