Bad Wax

Player Name: Ivan Rodriguez

Card Sets: 1990  Bowman, Donruss – Rookies, Fleer Update, Score Rookies, Topps Traded, Ultra Update and Upper Deck Final Edition

Card Numbers: 272,30, 62, 82T, 101T, 58 and 55F respectively

Why are these cards must have?: There are two questions to ask when you speak of Pudge.  The first, is he a Hall of Famer? Second do you think he juiced?  The answer to the Hall is yes and juicing is no in my opinion.  Although I understand that he along with Raffy were mentioned in Canseco’s book, if you look at his stats it’s a perfect bell curve with the apex being at 27, which is where is should have been.  He didn’t get better after he turned 30, he definitely became more of a leader though.  That’s why he gets in.  He took a Marlins team with lots of rookies and turned them into WS champs. He has a career average over 0.300, nearly 300 homers and over 2600 RBIs and he is still playing. He has an MVP, 14 All Star selections, 13 Gold Gloves, 7 Silver Sluggers and an NLCS MVP award.  He will go donw as one of the top 5 catchers to ever play the game.  Although not as much power as Bench or Piazza, he was much better defensively than either, and could hold his own offensively as well.  He is a first ballot HOFer and I would be disappointed if he didn’t make it.

Scale of 1 – 10, how must have are these cards: 10, quite possibly one of the best game calling and defensive catchers in the game.  Even Ricky Henderson had problems stealing on him.  The Ultra Update card is by far and away the most valuable of the bunch, routinely going for around $6. Most of the cards can be had for about $2 with the graded ones going for more.