One-Sheet Collection: 70+ Stolen Base Players Since 1990
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 focuses on the most prolific single-season base-stealers since 1990, with a specific focus on players who tallied at least 70 steals in a year.
With new pickoff rules and larger bases, stolen bases are up across baseball this year, and for the first time since 2009 we could have a 70-steal player. Oakland rookie Esteury Ruiz and NL MVP front-runner Ronald Acuña Jr. are both currently on-pace to reach that milestone here in 2023.
2007 Topps Update #100b Jacoby Ellsbury (RC) ($15)
The last time a player reached 70 steals in a season was Jacoby Ellsbury with the Boston Red Sox when he swiped an even 70 bags in 2009, a year after finishing third in AL Rookie of the Year balloting. Two years later, he exploded for a 32-homer, 39-steal campaign to finish runner-up in AL MVP voting, He logged 343 steals in 11 MLB seasons.
Ellsbury has Rookie Cards in the 2005 Topps Update and 2005 Topps Chrome Update sets, but his 2007 cards also have the “RC” logo. His 2007 Topps Update card is one of four short-printed variations in the set, replacing Abraham Nunez, the standard #100.
2001 Topps Stars #196 Jose Reyes RC ($10)
A dynamic speedster who broke into the majors as a 19-year-old, Jose Reyes led the NL in steals three straight seasons from 2005-07 early in his career, peaking with a 78-steal campaign in 2007, though he was also caught stealing an NL-high 21 times. With 517 steals in 16 seasons, he ranks 33rd on the all-time list.
He has six different Rookie Cards in 2001 products, and while his Bowman and Topps options get more attention, his Topps Stars rookie is a great-looking card.
2001 Leaf Rookies and Stars #275 Scott Podsednik RC ($12)
Scott Podsednik spent time in the Rangers, Marlins and Mariners organizations before finally breaking through as a 27-year-old rookie with the Brewers in 2003. The following year, he stole an NL-leading 70 bases, and that offseason the Brewers flipped him to the White Sox in a blockbuster deal for slugger Carlos Lee. Despite the late start to his MLB career, he racked up 309 steals before calling it quits.
A five-game cup-of-coffee with the Mariners in 2001 was enough for Podsednik to have four late-release Rookie Cards that season. All of the rookies in the 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars set were short-printed, with two different tiers of rarity. Podsednick is part of the rarer Tier 2 group that was found in 1:24 packs.
1997 Donruss Signature Autographs #113 Tony Womack /3900 ($8)
Best remembered for his World Series heroics as a member of the Diamondbacks, Tony Womack began his MLB career with the Pirates when he tallied 60 steals and earned an All-Star selection as a 27-year-old rookie in 1997. In his first season with the D-backs in 1999, he racked up 72 steals and scored a career-high 111 runs out of the leadoff spot.
Womack has 10 different Rookie Cards that can all be found for $1 or less, but I’ve opted for his 1997 Donruss Signatures autograph. While not considered a true Rookie Card since it was an insert, it is from the same year as his rookies.
1993 Bowman #12 Brian L. Hunter RC ($0.50)
The Tigers acquired Brian Hunter as part of a nine-player blockbuster deal with the Astros prior to the 1997 season, and in his Detroit debut he ran wild with 74 steals. He led the AL again in thefts two years later with 44 steals. In an even 1,000 career games he racked up 260 stolen bases as one of the more underrated speedsters of his era.
Hunter didn’t make his MLB debut until 1994, but Bowman was early to the party and included his only Rookie Card in the 1993 set.
1996 Leaf Signature Autographs #139 Kenny Lofton Bronze ($30)
Over his first five full seasons in the big leagues, Kenny Lofton led the AL in steals every year, averaging 65 steals during that span with a 70-steal performance in 1993 and a 75-steal career-high showing in 1996. One of the best leadoff hitters of all-time, Lofton was a career .299/.372/.423 hitter, and he ranks 15th on the all-time list with 622 stolen bases.
Since his 1991 Bowman ($1.50) and 1991 Upper Deck Final Edition ($0.75) rookies have such a modest book value, I’ve opted for a more valuable card to fill Lofton’s spot in this collection. His first certified autograph is in the groundbreaking 1996 Leaf Signature set, with Bronze (/700), Silver (/200) and Gold (/100) parallels.
1990 Leaf #107 Marquis Grissom RC ($2)
With 76 steals in 1991 and 78 steals in 1992, Marquis Grissom was a dynamic young speedster on the Expos, leading the majors in that category both seasons. He went on to enjoy a productive 17-year career, tallying 2,251 hits, 227 home runs, 967 RBI and 429 steals while earning a pair of All-Star selections and winning four Gold Glove Awards.
One of the top rookies in 1990 products at the time of their release, Grissom has eight Rookie Cards in total, the most valuable of which is part of the 1990 Leaf set.
1986 Fleer #591 Otis Nixon RC ($1)
Otis Nixon broke into the majors in 1983 and was still wreaking havoc on the bases as a 40-year-old in 1999 when he swiped 26 bases in 84 games. He had a career-high 72 steals in 1991, though he didn’t lead the NL that year as Grissom outpaced him with 76 steals. Nixon ranks 16th all-time with 620 steals.
With only one Rookie Card in the 1986 Fleer set, the choice for which card to use for Nixon in this collection was an easy one.
2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #VC Vince Coleman ($20)
Vince Coleman stole an eye-popping 110 bases as a rookie in 1985 to win NL Rookie of the Year honors. He followed that up with 107, 109, 81, 65 and 77 steals the next five years to win six straight NL stolen base titles. He joins Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock and Maury Wills as the only players with a 100-steal season since 1900.
Coleman has been featured in a few fan favorite sets since his retirement, and he has autographs in the 2003 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites and 2013 Topps Archives Fan Favorites sets, both of which have a throwback 1986 Topps design which was the set that featured his Rookie Card.
Total: $98.50
