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*