For the informal collector, the 1997 Pinnacle baseball card set is probably going all however forgotten.
Demand was by no means excessive for this set, contemplating they appeared throughout a low level in interest historical past.
However for the superior collector, there’s a little bit of a interest milestone tied to ’97 Pinnacle…
Properly, sort of…
Although the corporate initially deliberate a extra in depth guidelines, the set clocked in at simply 200 playing cards produced in a single collection.
After scrapping plans for a second collection, the corporate as a substitute launched a wholly new set, which they referred to as 1997 New Pinnacle.
And that was the primary set to supply collectors a shot at pulling press plates from packs.
So, whereas the set will not be among the many most recognizable within the interest, it nonetheless has a declare to interest historical past
And on this information, we’ll check out the ten most dear.
Let’s bounce proper in!
1997 Pinnacle #193 Ken Griffey Jr.
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $60
It doesn’t matter what Ken Griffey Jr. did in his first eight years as a Main Leaguer, there was somebody who thought he might do higher.
Seven straight All-Star appearances and a Gold Glove did not silence the critics, nor did the 4 Silver Sluggers.
He even helped save baseball in Seattle in 1995, however the “what ifs” persevered.
The 1997 season put a definitive finish to all that.
Griffey took house two-thirds of the AL Triple Crown with 56 house runs and an MLB-best 147 RBIs.
He additionally paced the Junior Circuit in runs (125), slugging proportion (.646), and complete bases (393) whereas as soon as once more incomes a Gold Glove for his center-field magic present.
All of the voters who sought one thing extra out of the Mariners megastar had nothing left to do however identify him the ninth unanimous AL MVP.
“All my life in skilled baseball, individuals mentioned, ‘He might be higher,” Griffey mentioned. “This award means rather a lot.”
1997 Pinnacle #139 Derek Jeter
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $50
Upon receiving the 1996 AL Rookie of the 12 months award, Derek Jeter provided a refreshing perspective.
“Baseball is an actual humbling sport,” Jeter mentioned then. “You’re on high at some point and the underside the following. I am going to get pleasure from this now, however you do not have to fret about me getting a giant head.”
It is as if he knew how attempting his sophomore yr could be.
It is not that the younger New York Yankees shortstop had a foul season.
He really posted a greater OPS+ (103) than ’96 whereas main the AL in plate appearances (748) and grabbing a smattering of MVP votes.
It is simply that Jeter did not take that assumed subsequent step.
The 23-year-old hit simply .291 in 1997, which turned out to be his worst common till the 2010 marketing campaign.
His protection was satisfactory however not spectacular, and his .775 OPS was simply above alternative degree.
Jeter picked it up within the postseason, hitting .333 (7-for-21) with two house runs, a double, and 6 runs scored in opposition to the Indians.
Nevertheless, New York misplaced in 5, and there have been quite a lot of grumbles from a demanding Yankees fan base.
1997 Pinnacle #42 Tony Gwynn
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $40
Tony Gwynn needed to outlast the Nationwide League’s greatest participant for a historic eighth batting title.
The 37-year-old San Diego Padres proper fielder traded the league lead with Colorado Rockies slugger Larry Walker all yr.
Walker was forward within the race as late as September nineteenth, however Gwynn pulled forward to stick with an 11-for-20 burst within the season’s last week.
Gwynn ended the yr at .372, six factors away from Walker.
It was the Corridor-of-Famer’s second-best common for a season.
“I really feel like I’ve earned it,” Gwynn mentioned. “I needed to battle this yr. Larry Walker gave me all he might give me. It is good to know you are up there.”
Gwynn’s eight batting titles path solely Ty Cobb (12) for probably the most in MLB historical past.
His 1997 triumph made 4 in a row, making him the primary NL participant to tally 4 consecutive batting crowns since Rogers Hornsby tallied six from 1920 to 1925.
1997 Pinnacle #104 Rickey Henderson
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $40
Rickey Henderson was typically painted as a me-first participant on the peak of his history-making profession.
Issues seemed to be a lot totally different by the point he joined the San Diego Padres within the mid-Nineties.
“I’ve seen a man who’s ready,” teammate Tony Gwynn mentioned. “I’ve seen a man who works exhausting, loves to assist younger guys, and who has executed regardless of the membership has requested him to do, not solely on the sector however off the sector.”
Henderson wasn’t the identical game-breaking participant when he joined the Padres on a two-year deal in 1996.
Nevertheless, he was now a valued clubhouse chief and somebody who stored the crew gentle through the canine days of summer season.
In 1997, Rickey had a robust begin in his sophomore keep in San Diego.
He slashed .274/.422/.375 with 29 stolen bases in 88 video games.
Nevertheless, San Diego wasn’t going anyplace any time quickly, and Henderson’s expiring contract made him apparent commerce bait.
The Padres dealt Henderson in mid-August to an Anaheim Angels squad in a dogfight for the AL West lead.
The Halos in the end crashed behind the division-winning Mariners as Henderson hit simply .183 with a .604 OPS (and 16 stolen bases) in a brief Southern California stint.
1997 Pinnacle #191 Cal Ripken Jr.
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $40
Cal Ripken Jr. waited 13 years between the crew’s 1983 World Collection title and second playoff look.
He received his third and last crack at October baseball one yr later.
The Baltimore Orioles locked horns with the defending World Collection champion New York Yankees from bell to bell in 1997, rising on the end line because the AL East champs.
Now not the mainstay at shortstop, Ripken loved the crew’s march to October from his new vantage level at third base.
The 36-year-old Ironman received his 162 video games in regardless, slashing .270/.331/.402 with 17 house runs and 84 RBIs in 686 plate appearances (615 at-bats).
Ripken was now not an amazing offensive participant (93 OPS+) or a Gold Glove-caliber defender.
Nevertheless, he was nonetheless at his greatest when the lights have been brightest.
The primary-ballot Corridor-of-Famer tore via Baltimore’s ten playoff video games, hitting .385 with an OPS over 1.000.
The Orioles misplaced in six to the Indians within the ALCS, ending Ripken’s quest for a second World Collection ring.
1997 Pinnacle #96 Chipper Jones
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
With the departures of David Justice and Marquis Grissom by way of commerce, the Atlanta Braves formally handed the wheel to Chipper Jones.
It was the correct transfer.
The Braves stored chugging alongside within the inaugural yr at Turner Discipline, ending 101-61 for a sixth division title in seven years.
Jones was a giant cause why, slashing .295/.371/.479 with 21 house runs, 20 stolen bases, 41 doubles, three triples, 76 walks, 100 runs scored, and 111 RBIs in 157 video games.
The All-Star third baseman was hated on the highway however adored in Atlanta’s new digs.
And when his brand-new walk-up music, Ozzy Osbourne’s “Loopy Prepare, hit the audio system, the gang whipped to a frenzy for the crew’s 25-year-old celebrity.
It was typically a wild scene. It additionally irritated rivals just like the Mets’ Mike Piazza.
“He did not hate the music,” Jones mentioned. “He hated the spectacle of what may occur after I received into the field.”
Jones ended the yr ninth within the league’s MVP race for his second of 4 consecutive top-ten finishes.
1997 Pinnacle #102 Frank Thomas
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
Solely three gamers have hit .300 at a peak of six-foot-five or extra with a weight north of 240 kilos.
Mike Morse did it as soon as.
Derrek Lee posted three.
Frank Thomas did it 9 instances.
The “Large Harm” could be the most slept-on pure hitter of the trendy technology.
Typically lumped with pure sluggers like Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, Thomas has extra in frequent with Tony Gwynn than the swing-and-miss giants of the Nineties.
Take the 1997 season, for instance.
The Chicago White Sox first baseman turned the most important man in baseball historical past to win a batting title, lapping the sector with a .347 mark.
He was additionally affected person to a masterful diploma, drawing 109 walks and posting an MLB-best .456 on-base proportion.
In addition to Albert Belle, Thomas was provided little safety in a mediocre Chicago lineup.
But, he not often swung wildly or let a pitcher dictate the tempo.
The 29-year-old ended the yr tops within the AL in OPS (1.067) and OPS+ (181), putting third within the league MVP balloting.
1997 Pinnacle #163 Andruw Jones Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
The Atlanta Braves wanted somebody new to step up after an offseason shakeup reset the roster.
Andruw Jones was simply the participant for the job.
Signed out of Curacao as a teen, Jones made regular progress in ‘94 and ‘95 earlier than blowing via three minor-league ranges in ‘96.
He was promoted in September of that yr for 31 video games and made the postseason roster at simply 19 years outdated.
Jones wasn’t a completed product, however he was able to ball out for the NL East champs.
In 153 video games spent in each middle and proper discipline, Jones slashed .231/.329/.416 with 18 house runs, 20 stolen bases, 60 runs, and 70 RBIs.
The common wasn’t there, but Jones’ Gold Glove-level defensive work made it simple to swallow.
The fifth-place Rookie-of-the-12 months finisher tallied 28 complete zone fielding runs above common with a bouquet of working grabs, diving performs, and cannon throws.
It was the beginning of one thing good and an important turning level for a brand new technology of Braves baseball.
1997 Pinnacle #172 Nomar Garciaparra Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
Nomar Garciaparra mixed an all-time rookie efficiency with probably the most spectacular common seasons the sport has ever seen.
Chosen twelfth total by the Boston Purple Sox within the 1994 MLB Draft, Garciaparra labored his approach up the organizational ladder to a September call-up in 1996.
Some 21 video games and one Spring Coaching later, the 23-year-old was the brand new beginning shortstop in Beantown.
That’s when the whole lot took off and took off quick.
Garciaparra was a celebrity inside weeks and made the 1997 MLB season his private playground.
He rapped 44 doubles, 30 house runs, and an AL-best 11 triples, turning into the primary participant since Stan Musial (1949) to publish a 40/30/10 season in these classes.
Garciaparra additionally hit .306 and led the American League in hits (209) and plate appearances (684).
He gained AL Rookie-of-the-12 months in a unanimous landslide and rode his rocket to stardom to a primary All-Star nod and Silver Slugger.
It wasn’t only a nice yr.
It was a sensation.
1997 Pinnacle #183 Billy Wagner Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Worth: $30
Billy Wagner labored effectively as a multi-purpose reliever in 1996, serving a number of roles, together with nearer.
The flamethrowing lefty moved from starter into the bullpen within the minor leagues and had to determine easy methods to maximize affect with minimal pitches on the fly.
The Houston Astros got here into 1997 with Billy Wagner as a query mark.
The previous first-round choose had a flamethrower for an arm, touching the excessive 90s with regularity with just a few 100 mph darts sprinkled in.
Supervisor Larry Dierker initially pegged the second-year reliever for an extended reduction and bridge function.
The thought was to ease Wagner towards the again of the bullpen whereas he labored on his polish and command.
The sheer magnitude of Wagner’s fastball rapidly modified Dierker’s thought course of, and the 25-year-old lefty was promoted to the closing function inside weeks.
Wagner’s outcomes have been far and wide.
His fastball was a strikeout magnet, resulting in an eye-popping 106 Ks in 66.1 innings.
However, Wagner typically left meatballs over the center of the plate whereas struggling to search out the corners.
He posted 23 saves with a 2.85 ERA, but blew round 20% of his possibilities for the 84-win NL Central champs.
1997 Pinnacle Baseball Playing cards In Assessment
Do not be stunned in the event you do not bear in mind a lot about this set.
Though it had some big-name rookies like Billy Wagner, Nomar Garciaparra, Andruw Jones and others, none of these guys turned out to be Corridor-of-Famers.
And like most units with none Corridor-of-Fame rookies, collector demand suffers in consequence.
Let’s not neglect as effectively that the interest wasn’t in a great place within the mid to late 90s as many collectors had left for different endeavors.
However, do not get me unsuitable, there are nonetheless some great-looking playing cards of among the greatest names in baseball on the time.
It is humorous: as a result of the set guidelines was so small, these two subsets took up almost 1 / 4 of your complete set:
- Rookies (#156 – 185)
- Clout (#186 – 197)
Total, I would not anticipate demand for 1997 Pinnacle to vary a lot over time until Billy Wagner or Andruw Jones get voted into Cooperstown someplace down the road.
Regardless, you may nonetheless discover good playing cards of a number of big-name legends in the event you do determine to tear into some packs.
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