Cool Cards of Baseball’s Top Knuckleballers – One-Sheet Collections
The One-Sheet Collections idea is a simple concept with infinite possibilities. Take a single nine-pocket sheet and a reasonable $100 budget, and build a nine-card collection with a unifying theme.
This week’s collection pays homage to the best knuckleballers to ever step onto an MLB mound.
Phil Niekro and Hoyt Wilhelm are the only knuckleballers in the Hall of Fame, while the most famous recent examples include Boston Red Sox rotation staple Tim Wakefield and 2012 NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey. Ahead I’ve highlighted nine notable knuckleballers, including those four standouts.
1961 Fleer #121 Dutch Leonard ($8)
Leonard won 122 games during the 1940s, enjoying a strong peak with the Washington Senators that included four All-Star selections over a six-year span and five total for his career. He pitched through his age-44 season and finished with 191 wins and a 3.25 ERA in 3,128.1 innings over 20 seasons, with the bulk of his work coming after his 30th birthday.
His Rookie Card in the 1939 Play Ball set is actually affordable with a book value of just $25, but I’ve opted instead for his entry in the 1961 Fleer set that focused on retired MLB greats.
1964 Topps #267 Wilbur Wood RC ($6)
The only left-hander on this list, Wood enjoyed a terrific 12-year run with the Chicago White Sox, going 163-148 with a 3.18 ERA in 2,524.1 innings with the South Siders. He won 20 games four years in a row starting in 1971, leading the AL in victories in 1972 and 1973 when he won 24 games each.
He is one of the few key Rookie Cards in the 1964 Topps set that is not a dual-card, with Phil Niekro, Dick Allen, Tommy John and several others all sharing their rookie with another player.
1965 Topps #276 Hoyt Wilhelm ($25)
Wilhelm made his MLB debut at the age of 29 in 1952, going 15-3 with a 2.53 ERA in 159.1 innings to finish second in NL Rookie of the Year voting and fourth in NL MVP balloting. Despite getting a late start to his MLB career, he pitched for 21 seasons, making his final appearance a few days before his 50th birthday. He tallied 142 wins and 228 saves in 2,254.1 career innings and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.
His Rookie Card is part of the iconic 1952 Topps set and has a $3,000 book value, so I opted instead for a mid-career card with a great shot of his knuckleball grip.
1969 Topps #355 Phil Niekro ($25)
Niekro is hands down the most successful knuckleball pitcher in MLB history, winning 318 games while racking up 97.0 WAR over 24 seasons. His 5,404 career innings pitched rank fourth on the all-time list, and he logged 200 innings in a season for the 19th and final time at the age of 47 in 1986.
While his early cards didn’t fit the budget, his 1969 Topps card is a reasonably priced alternative and represents his first 20-win season and first All-Star selection.
1972 Topps #198 Charlie Hough RC ($10)
Hough made his MLB debut in 1970 and pitched long enough to be the Opening Day starter for the Florida Marlins in the inaugural season in 1993 and again in 1994. He finished an even 216-216 with a 3.75 ERA in 3,801.1 innings over 25 seasons, and he has a solid case for being the best pitcher in Texas Rangers history.
He shares his Rookie Card with two other players, and it’s an overlooked card in a 1972 Topps set that is headlined by Carlton Fisk’s rookie.
1979 Topps #68 Joe Niekro ($0.50)
The younger Niekro brother by five years and some change, Joe had a solid MLB career of his own, winning 221 games over 22 seasons. He made his lone All-Star appearance and finished second in NL Cy Young voting in 1979 when he finished 21-11 with a 3.00 ERA and five shutouts in 263.2 innings.
His Rookie Card in the 1967 Topps set is a short-printed high number and carries a $100 book value, so I instead went with his 1979 Topps card to honor his best MLB season.
1984 Donruss #393 Tom Candiotti RC ($2)
Candiotti was a workhorse over 16 seasons, reaching 200 innings in eight straight seasons and nine times overall. He won 151 games and logged a 3.73 ERA in 2,725 innings with the Brewers, Indians, Blue Jays, Dodgers and Athletics.
He has inexpensive Rookie Cards in the 1984 Donruss, Fleer and Topps sets. Another card worth considering for this collection is his 1992 Pinnacle GRIP subset card which features a great look at his knuckleball grip.
1992 Fleer Update #117 Tim Wakefield RC ($10)
A staple in the Red Sox starting rotation for nearly two decades, Wakefield won exactly 200 games in his MLB career. He also won a pair of World Series rings during his time in Boston. Wakefield won double-digit games 11 different times, including three times in his 40s, and he was an All-Star for the first and only time in his age-42 season.
He has Rookie Cards in the 1992 Donruss Rookies, Fleer Update and Score Rookie/Traded supplemental sets. With a limited print run as a result of being printed-to-order, Fleer Update is his most valuable of the bunch.
1997 Bowman Chrome #108 R.A. Dickey RC ($10)
The No. 18 overall pick in the 1996 draft, Dickey began his pro career with a more traditional repertoire. But after struggling early, he revamped his approach as a knuckleball pitcher and eventually found tremendous success. Dickey broke out with the New York Mets in his mid-30s and won NL Cy Young honors in 2012 when he finished 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA and 230 strikeouts in 233.2 innings.
That late breakout left plenty of collectors digging through commons boxes searching for his 1997 Bowman and 1997 Bowman Chrome cards, which are his only two rookies.
Total: $96.50
