10 Career-Defining Larry Walker Baseball Cards – Instant PC
Larry Walker was a three-time NL batting title winner who racked up 2,160 hits, 383 home runs, 1,311 RBI, 230 steals and 72.7 WAR. He won NL MVP honors in 1997, took home seven Gold Glove Awards, and earned induction into the Hall of Fame in 2020.
All told, there are more than 5,500 Larry Walker cards, according to the Beckett database. So where does one begin putting together a Larry Walker PC?
These 10 cards serve as an excellent representation of his playing career and footprint on the hobby, making them a great place to start.
1985 Utica Blue Sox TCMA #16 Larry Walker
The Expos signed Walker for just $1,500 out of Canada on Nov. 14, 1984, in the years before Canadian players were eligible to be selected in the MLB draft. He had limited baseball experience at the time, but his athleticism gave him tremendous upside. He hit just .223 with 57 strikeouts in 62 games at Single-A Utica in his pro debut.
His first card was part of the 1985 Utica Blue Sox team set from TCMA, and high-grade copies sell for top dollar.
Buy on:
1990 Leaf #325 Larry Walker RC
Walker turned a corner during the 1987 season, hitting .287/.383/.534 with 26 home runs, 83 RBI and 24 steals in 128 games at Double-A. He then missed all of 1988 recovering from reconstructive knee surgery before returning strong the following year and eventually making his MLB debut on Aug. 16, 1989.
His 20-game cup-of-coffee earned him a spot in multiple 1990 sets, and he has eight different Rookie Cards. The most valuable of the bunch is his inclusion in the premium 1990 Leaf set.
Buy on:
1991 Topps Desert Shield #339 Larry Walker
Following his brief debut, Walker took over as the Montreal Expos everyday right fielder in 1990 and posted a 112 OPS+ with 19 home runs, 21 steals and 3.4 WAR to finish seventh in NL Rookie of the Year balloting. That performance earned him a spot on the Topps All-Star rookie team and the iconic gold cup on his 1991 Topps card.
I’ve opted for the 1991 Topps Desert Shield version, which has an estimated print run of 6,313 each, and many of those never made it home from the Gulf War.
Buy on:
1993 Donruss Elite #30 Larry Walker
After earning his first All-Star selection in 1992, Walker had the first 20/20 season of his career the following year, posting a 120 OPS+ with 22 home runs, 29 steals and 4.4 WAR while also winning his second straight Gold Glove in right field.
The Donruss Elite inserts have held their value as well as any cards from the Junk Wax Era thanks to a limited print run in a massively over-produced product. While there are 10,000 of each of the 18 cards in the 1993 set, there were millions of 1993 Donruss base cards printed.
Buy on:
1995 Zenith Z-Team #11 Larry Walker
Following six seasons with the Montreal Expos, Walker departed in free agency following the 1994 season, signing a four-year, $22.5 million deal with the Colorado Rockies. He hit .306/.381/.607 with 31 doubles, 36 home runs and 101 RBI in his first season with his new team, and that would go down as one of the best signings in MLB history.
The Z-Team inserts in 1995 Zenith featured Pinnacle’s Dufex technology and they were a tough pull at 1:72 packs.
Buy on:
1997 Donruss Signature Autographs #105 Larry Walker
Walker took home NL MVP honors in 1997 when he hit .366/.452/.720 with 208 hits, 46 doubles, 49 home runs, 130 RBI, 143 runs scored, 33 steals and 9.8 WAR, edging out Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell in the balloting.
His first certified autograph card was featured in the 1997 Donruss Signature set. With a print run of just 900, they can be tough to find.
Buy on:
1998 Donruss Crusade Purple #67 Larry Walker
On the heels of his NL MVP win, Walker won his first batting title during the 1998 season, hitting .363/.445/.630 in 130 games. He was also voted to start the All-Star Game for the second year in a row as one of the best players in a loaded crop of offensive talent.
The Donruss Crusade inserts are among the most valuable of the 1990s, and there are three different colors available with a Green (/250), Purple (/100) and Red (/25) version of each card.
Buy on:
1999 Upper Deck MVP Super Tools #T14 Larry Walker
Another year, another NL batting title for Walker in 1999 when he hit .379/.458/.710 with 37 home runs and 115 RBI in 127 games. He had more walks (57) than strikeouts (52) despite his status as one of the game’s top power hitters. Walker also continued to provide elite defense with his third straight Gold Glove win.
Upper Deck pivoted from the long-running Collector’s Choice brand to Upper Deck MVP as their low-cost product in 1999. The Super Tools inserts don’t carry a big price tag, and they were a fairly easy pull at 1:14 packs, but they are great-looking cards.
Buy on:
2001 Upper Deck Pros and Prospects Specialty Game Jersey #SLW Larry Walker
After a stress fracture in his right elbow limited him to just 80 games in 2000, Walker returned strong in 2001 and won his third batting title in four years. The 34-year-old hit .350/.449/.662 for a 160 OPS+ with 35 doubles, 38 home runs and 123 RBI in 142 games. His 7.8 WAR that season was the second-highest mark of his career.
The speciality game jersey cards in the 2001 Upper Deck Pros and Prospects set were found in 1:24 packs. While the market for memorabilia cards has dipped over the years, it’s a clean design and one worth adding to any Walker collection.
Buy on:
2006 Topps Gold #165 Larry Walker
After 10 seasons in Colorado, Walker joined the St. Louis Cardinals at the 2004 trade deadline. The 37-year old hit .280/.393/.560 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI in 44 games to provide a major boost down the stretch in a lineup that also featured Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, Reggie Sanders and Edgar Renteria.
Walker retired after the 2005 season, but he was still featured in the 2006 Topps set, which gives his final Topps flagship card a full stat back. I’ve opted for the Topps Gold parallel which has a print run of 2,006.
Buy on:
