Sometimes, minor league products are not very exciting. This one falls into the category. 1990 ProCards AAA Baseball has a massive, 700-card checklist. With that said, obviously the set is going to be full of players who did not have notable major league careers. Highlights will be few and far between. But what it lacks in star power and eye-catching designs, it makes up for with fun names and cheesy posed photos. What could be better?

1990 ProCards AAA Baseball Box Break:

Cards per pack: 10
Packs per box: 48
Price paid: $10

Shop for 1990 ProCards AAA Baseball boxes on eBay.

Pack 1 “highlights”:

Gil Heredia

Heredia pitched in 267 major league games over 10 seasons, compiling a 4.46 career ERA.

Pack 2:

Marvin Freeman & John Burkett

Pack 3:

Skeeter Barnes & Steve Lankard

Lankard burst onto the scene after the 1985 draft, posting a 1.66 ERA during his first minor league season. He couldn’t keep up those numbers, though, and never made the major leagues.

Pack 4:

Steve Henderson

Pack 5:

Bob Hamelin & Lee Stange

Hamelin won the 1994 AL Rookie of the Year after batting .282 with 24 HR and 65 RBI. 

Pack 6:

Current Mariners manager Scott Servais & Bob Knepper

Pack 7:

Reggie Jefferson, Dave Hansen, Cris Carpenter, Scott Hemond & John Gibbons

How could that Hemond (posed) action shot not be considered a highlight?

Pack 8:

Steve Swisher, Steve Avery, Ray Lankford, Dean Palmer & Curt Schilling

Pack 9:

Hensley Meulens & Stan Belinda

Meulens was the 30th ranked prospect coming into the 1991 season. He ended up playing less than 200 major league games. He also played professionally in Mexico, Japan and Korea.

Pack 10:

Mike Bordick

Pack 11:

Rick Adair

Adair was a third round draft pick in 1979 but never appeared in a major league game.

Pack 12:

Jeff Innis

Pack 13:

Geronimo Berroa

Berroa played parts of eleven seasons in the majors, racking up 692 career hits.

Pack 14:

Ozzie Virgil & Paul Abbott

Pack 15:

Sherman Corbett & Dave Burba

Corbett looks the part of a junkball pitcher.

Pack 16:

Aurelio Rodriguez

Pack 17:

Don August

August is a worthwhile Twitter follow and has shared some extremely interesting stories about his time in baseball.

Pack 18:

Karl Rhodes & Gary DiSarcina

Pack 19:

Scott Aldred

Aldred pitched in 229 major league games over nine seasons. That was enough to be the highlight of the pack.

Pack 20:

Gomer Hodge & Orlando Merced

How could I not highlight Gomer?

Pack 21:

Don Wakamatsu & Luis Sojo

Sojo won four World Series titles with the Yankees.

Pack 22:

Three checklists in this pack.

Pack 23:

John Flaherty

Flaherty was the starting catcher in the first Tampa Bay Rays game on March 31, 1998.

Pack 24:

Rick Bordi (the picture is better than the player)

Pack 25:

Jason Maas & Dave Justice

Yes, Jason is the brother of Kevin Maas. You know, the player that was going to make every baseball card collector rich in the early 1990s.

Pack 26:

Francisco Cabrera & Dave Eiland

Pack 27:

Reggie Jefferson

Jefferson played just 680 major league games, but holds a .300 career batting average.

Pack 28:

Diamondbacks Manager Torey Lovullo

Pack 29:

Mike Hinkle

Hinkle never made the majors, but reminded me of Ray Finkle, so here we are.

Pack 30:

Butch Davis & Gary Varsho 

Gary’s son, Daulton, currently plays for the Blue Jays.

Pack 31:

Chip Hale

In addition to playing parts of seven major league seasons, Hale also managed the Diamondbacks in 2015 and 2016.

Pack 32:

Chris Padget (messing around cross-handed) & Dave Trautwein

Pack 33:

Bob Hamelin

Despite a Rookie of the Year résumé, Hamelin played under 500 major league games.

Pack 34:

Rocket Wheeler, Mark Leiter & Mike Magnante

You may recognize Magnante who gets demoted in the movie Moneyball.

Pack 35:

Brian Hunter & Jeff Stone

Hunter hit 25 home runs as a 20 year old in A-ball in 1988.

Pack 36:

John Gibbons & Leo Gomez

Pack 37:

Chris Hammond & Andy Stankiewicz

Hammond pitched until he was 40, appearing in 441 major league games.

Pack 38:

Stan Belinda

Pack 39:

Derek Bell & Mel Rojas

Bell went on to become one of the Killer B’s in Houston.

Pack 40:

Jim Leyritz & Ed Sprague

Pack 41:

Dave Pavlas & Jeff Gray

Apparently Sports Images did not care so much about featuring the Marlboro Man in the background of their cards.

Pack 42:

Travis Fryman & Mike Fetters

Pack 43:

Wilson Alvarez & Bobby Meacham

Alvarez threw a no-hitter against the Orioles on August 11, 1991.

Pack 44:

Darryel Walters

Pack 45:

Dann Howitt & Kirt Manwaring

Howitt got a little bit creative for his photoshoot.

Pack 46:

Dave Eiland

Pack 47:

Dave Hansen & Phil Plantier

Plantier was supposed to be the next big Red Sox superstar. He hit 33 Triple-A home runs in 1990.

Pack 48:

Lee Stevens & Jeff Jones

Lastly, the Plantier card back. He didn’t fare as well in the majors. 

See what I mean? Not exactly a star-studded checklist but there are definitely some notable names. Oddly enough, I found four such major leaguers in the same pack.

I still find products like these fun. It doesn’t hurt when they are cheap!

Shop for 1990 ProCards AAA Baseball cards on:

• Beckett Marketplace
• eBay

Want more installments of Shane Salmonson’s Cheap Wax Wednesday? Check out his other breaks in the archives.