2003 Topps, Chris Carpenter

Card No. 128

The 2003 set marked the sixth-straight year that Topps base cards featured a non-white border....The deep blue borders in '03 worked really well aesthetically for teams such as the Toronto Blue Jays....This is Chris Carpenter's final card as a member of the Jays, as the New Hampshire native changed feathers and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in December of 2002....Carpenter's first card as a Card appeared in the '03 Traded & Rookies set....Missed the entire '03 campaign with a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

*MK*

1988 Topps, Frank Viola

Card No. 625

The pride of East Meadow H.S. and St. John's University, Frank Viola enjoys a carefree moment between starts in this dugout snapshot from 1988 Topps....Unquestionably my favorite Topps card of Frankie V....Viola's rookie card can be found in the 1983 Topps checklist....Dominated American League batters in '88 to the tune of a 24-7 record and a 2.64 ERA en route to his first and only Cy Young Award.

*MK*

1973 Topps, Darrell Evans

Card No. 374

A man who authored 414 home runs throughout his 21-year big league career, Darrell Evans models one of the finest incarnations of the Braves uniform in this 1973 Topps piece....This is Darrell's third Topps card and just his second stand-alone card....Evans shared a "Braves Rookie Stars" card in the 1970 set with fellow Atlanta newcomers Mike McQueen and Rick Kester....Enjoyed a breakout campaign in '73, smashing 41 homers and producing 104 RBIs--both of which stand as single-season highs for his career.

*MK*

1996 Topps, Larry Walker

Card No. 363

The only Rockies player to ever win N.L. MVP honors (1997), Larry Walker looks ready to pounce in this clean looking card from 1996 Topps....Not the most memorable design in Topps annals, but the '96 set has held up really well over time....Walker's first appearance in a Colorado uniform actually came the 1995 Traded & Rookies set....His rookie--as a member of the Expos--can be found in the 1990 base set....Blasted a pair of homers and collected 6 RBIs in a 12-10 victory over the Pirates, 5/21/96, at Coors Field.

*MK*

1983 Topps, Willie McGee

Card No. 49

One of my favorite rookie cards from the decade of the '80s most certainly would be this one of the great Willie McGree....From the off-centered action shot to the sneering inset photo to the backdrop of the Shea Stadium outfield wall, there's just so much to love....McGee was featured in every regular Topps set from 1983 through 1994....Interestingly, his last Topps card was in '94 even though he played through the '99 season....Led the Cards and finished 12th in the N.L with 172 base hits in '83.

*MK*

1990 Topps, Ken Griffey Jr.

Card No. 336

Call me crazy, say what you want: This is Ken Griffey, Jr.'s best Topps card....While it doesn't have the fanfare that his 1989 Topps Traded rookie carries, you can't deny the charm and near-perfection of this card....Full disclosure: I'm a Rookie Cup junkie....Junior's farewell card appeared 20 years later in the 2010 Topps set....Made the first of 13 career All-Star Game appearances and won the first of 10 Gold Gloves in 1990 with the Mariners.

*MK*

2010 Topps, Prince Fielder

Card No. 1

In its nearly 70 years of producing baseball card sets, I can't recollect a more colorful or iconic Card No. 1 of a checklist than this beauty of the ever-affable Prince Fielder....Perhaps the greatest home plate celebration of all-time....This is the one-and-only horizontally-oriented base card of Fielder (not counting subset cards)....Prince's rookie card can be found in the 2006 Topps set....Established a career high and led the league with 114 walks in 2010.

*MK*

1977 Topps, Mike Cuellar

Card No. 162

A lot of folks go in for '75 Topps as their favorite design of the '70s, but I've never been conventional and, therefore, consider the '77 set as my favorite in terms of aesthetics....This happens to be the final entry for Mike Cuellar in the Topps catalog....His rookie appeared in the 1959 set as a member of the Reds....The '69 A.L. Cy Young Award winner and author of four 20-win seasons, Cuellar's career unceremoniously concluded in 1977 with the California Angels (0-1, 18.90 ERA in 2 appearances). 

*MK*

1991 Topps, Darryl Strawberry

Card No. 200

As a lifelong Mets fan, I've always considered this card kinda iconic since it's the final Topps card of Darryl Strawberry in a Mets uni....Of Darryl's 8 Topps cards as a Met (including his 1983 Traded rookie, but excluding any Team Leader and All-Star cards), this is one of only two in which he's not brandishing a bat ('86 is the other)....Straw appeared in the 1991 Traded set later that year in Dodger blue....Led the '91 Dodgers in both homers and RBIs with 28 and 99, respectively. 

*MK*

2008 Topps, James Shields

Card No. 495

Both James Shields and the Tampa Bay Rays found plenty of success in 2008, as the young right-hander notched 14 wins while his club won its first-ever AL pennant....This is Shields' second regular Topps card....His true rookie can be found in the 2006 Updates & Highlights set....James started Game 2 of the '08 World Series, holding the Phillies scoreless over 5 2/3 innings to earn the victory.

*MK*

1975 Topps, Fran Healy

Card No. 251

While his playing career may have lasted just 9 seasons, Fran Healy made a bigger name for himself over his 25-plus years as a TV broadcaster for both the Yankees and Mets....Caught a pair of no-hitters with K.C. and won a World Series ring with the Yanks....This is Healy's fourth Topps card....His rookie card appears in the 1972 Topps checklist....His 3-run, 10th-inning homer broke a 1-all tie and lifted the Royals to a 4-1 victory over New York, 5/21/75.

*MK*

1987 Topps, Shawon Dunston

Card No. 346

A fan favorite in whichever city he played, Shawon Dunston spent a dozen of his 18 big league seasons as a Chicago Cub....Was first overall pick of the 1982 MLB draft....This is Shawon's third Topps card, as he appeared in each of the two prior years' 792-card checklists....Fashioned a pair of 4-hit games for the Cubs in 1987, propelling the club to victory on each occasion. 

*MK*

1978 Topps, Rick Monday

Card No. 145

If you're a good ballplayer, an American hero and you're wearing a spiffy dugout jacket, chances are you'll be featured here on the Topps Jukebox eventually....Naturally, Rick Monday checks off all those boxes....This is Monday's first Topps card as a member of the Dodgers....You'll find Rick's rookie card in 1967 Topps, where he and fellow-Athletic Tony Pierce adorn a "1967 Rookie Stars" card....Contributed 19 homers and 57 ribbies to the pennant-winning Dodgers in 1978.

*MK*

2018 Topps, Justin Verlander

Card No. 650

This card marks the first time Justin Verlander appeared in the flagship Topps set as a member of the Astros....Not sure I'll ever be a fan of an orange baseball top....Verlander owns the distinction of having a 'First Year' card and a 'Rookie' card in a regular Topps set....Appeared in the 2005 set as a Draft Pick while his technical rookie card can be found in 2006 Topps....No A.L. pitcher started more games (34) or struck out more batters (290) than Justin did for the Astros in 2018.

*MK*

1985 Topps, Reggie Jackson

Card No. 200

Perhaps my favorite Reggie Jackson card of all-time....When I was a kid I desperately wanted this card because it was chosen as the sample card for 1985 Topps in the price guide I owned....Jackson's rookie card can be found in the 1969 Topps set....Mr. October's final appearance in the main Topps set was 1987....Reggie cranked two home runs in a game three times during the '85 season.

*MK*

2001 Topps, Chad Curtis

Card No. 540

If you ever witnessed a game featuring Chad Curtis in center field, chances are you saw him literally flip heels over head on a throw to the plate....2001 marked the eighth-straight year Curtis was featured in the Topps flagship set....It's also his next-to-last Topps card....Chad's rookie can be found in the 1992 Topps Traded set....Logged just 115 at-bats over 38 games for Texas in '01--his final year in the Majors. 

*MK*

1979 Topps, Frank Tanana

Card No. 530

Nobody--and I mean nobody--prior to or since the photo for this card was snapped has ever had as much fun at a baseball park than Frank Tanana is having here....I've always been partial to Frank since he and I are both July 3rd babies....1979 marked the sixth year Tanana appeared in the Topps checklist....His first appearance in a Topps set was 1974, where he shared a "1974 Rookie Pitchers" card with fellow neophytes Vic Albury, Ken Frailing and Kevin Kobel....Following three-straight All-Star campaigns, Tanana managed just 7 wins in 18 games (17 starts) for the '79 Angels.

*MK*

1989 Topps, Will Clark

 Card No. 660

It wouldn't be right if this card wasn't my first entry into this blog's database. Not only is '89 Topps my favorite baseball card set of all-time, but Will Clark was my favorite ballplayer as a kid....1989 was Clark's third year of being included in the 792-card Topps set....Overall, this is Will's fourth Topps card, as his 'true' rookie was included in the 1986 Topps Traded release....Runner-up to teammate Kevin Mitchell in '89 N.L. MVP voting after posting career highs in hits (196), runs scored (104), RBIs (111) and batting average (.333) for San Francisco.

*MK*