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Top Ivan Rodriguez Baseball Cards

Hall of Pudge! Top 10 Ivan Rodriguez Baseball Cards

Ivan Rodriguez may be the greatest catcher baseball has ever seen. PudgeĀ combined eliteĀ defensive skills with a strong bat to play more games at the position than anyone else inĀ history. He was also the most accurate backstop at catching runners attempting to steal. Take a look at the best Ivan Rodriguez baseball cards from his playing days, including his earliestĀ releases.

Rodriguez signed with the Texas RangersĀ in 1988 as a young prospect from Puerto Rico at just 16. He later became the youngest catcher in the league when he made his MLBĀ debut in 1991. PudgeĀ quickly developed into a perennial All-Star, earning the designationĀ 14 times, and won an even more impressive 13 Gold Gloves. While he never found playoff success with the Rangers, Rodriguez made the most of his single season forĀ the Florida Marlins as the team unexpectedly won the 2003 World Series. Already enshrinedĀ in the Rangers Hall of Fame, Rodriguez is eligible to join the ranks of the all-time greats in the Baseball Hall of FameĀ beginning in 2017.

Shop for Ivan Rodriguez autograph cards on eBay.

Given their limited value, Rodriguez has moreĀ rookie cards than could fit on this list. Completists can look to 1991 sets—Donruss The Rookies, Fleer Update, and Score Rookie/Traded—to find his other rookie appearances. As was the case with many of the releases in the early 1990s, the cards were so overproduced that they can be found at very budget-friendly prices.

PudgeĀ also has several key pre-rookie cards from his minor league days. This includes a fewĀ notable 1989 releases covered below. In addition, collectors can track down hisĀ '89 Grand Slam All-Star card for the Gastonia Rangers. As Rodriguez moves closer to Cooperstown, fans might find a card in 1999 Topps ChromeĀ particularly interesting. Part of the Early Road To The Hall insert, it featured up-and-coming stars who had a shot at the HOFĀ and Rodriguez got the nod.

As one of the best to play the game, Ivan Rodriguez has been paired with other legendary backstopsĀ on some remarkable cards. In 2004 UDĀ Ultimate Collection, Pudge is teamed with 2016 Hall of Fame inductee Mike Piazza. In the 2012 Leaf Legends of Sports set, Rodriguez is shown alongsideĀ Carlton Fisk, who also shares his nickname of Pudge. Finally, in 2014 Topps Tribute, collectors can find a dual autograph with Rodriguez and the legend Johnny Bench.

Ivan Rodriguez rookies areĀ a bright spot from the era of overproduction and just the tip of the iceberg for collectors. His long and successfulĀ career with several teams hasĀ made him very popular in the hobby and a frequentĀ inclusionĀ inĀ sets. The selection and placement forĀ this list was largely based on card value, overall popularity with collectors, and card design.

Top 10 Ivan Rodriguez Baseball Cards

Click on the card titles or images to shop for specific cards on eBay. Linked sets in the descriptions go straight to product profiles.

10. 1991 Upper Deck Final Edition Ivan Rodriguez RC #55F

For the first time in 1991,Ā Upper Deck issued an additional series to their standard set with the introduction of the ominously named Final Edition. This set included 100 cards divided into a collection of minor league prospects, called Minor League Diamond Skills, along with rookies who debuted in 1991Ā (including Rodriguez), and All-Star players. Along with rookies for Jim Thome and Pedro Martinez, Rodriguez's card is one of the top options.

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9.Ā 1991 Fleer Ultra Update Ivan Rodriguez #U-58

After the bright yellow set that was inĀ 1991 Fleer, the company went with a more subdued, gray-border design for the debutĀ Fleer Ultra set. The 400-card '91 Ultra base set was expanded further with a 120-card Update releaseĀ that was only available as a complete set. Rodriguez's card, which features him admiring his hit, shares the stage with a rookie card for Jeff BagwellĀ as the must-have cards in 1991 Ultra Update.

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8.Ā 1989 ProCards Gastonia Rangers Ivan Rodriguez #1006

The first Ivan Rodriguez pre-rookie card on the list is found in 1989 ProCards. The orange-bordered card is one of my favorite early appearances forĀ Rodriguez. ItĀ celebrates his time with the Gastonia Rangers of theĀ South Atlantic League, which is made up of second and third-year players. The SALĀ includes minor leagueĀ teams for most of the franchisesĀ in the ALĀ and NLĀ East.

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7.Ā 2014 Topps Tribute Ivan Rodriguez Autograph #TA-IR

In his only season with the Florida Marlins, Rodriguez excelled as a veteran leader for the young team. On the road to the World Series title, Rodriguez was also named the NL Championship Series MVP as he batted .321 with two home runs and ten RBI. Collectors looking to honor the 2003 World Series run can find Rodriguez in a Marlins uniform in 2014 Topps TributeĀ and his autograph card comes in a host of parallelsĀ including blue, sepia, green, gold, red and purple. Pudge also has an autographed card in his Rangers uniform in the Tribute Traditions insert.

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6.Ā 1989 Star Platinum Glossy Gastonia Rangers Ivan Rodriguez #20

As the minor league card market was exploding in the late 1980s with many new manufacturers, the Cadillac ofĀ cards was the Platinum Glossy version of the Star team sets. Those sets were limited to just 100 copies and Rodriguez was included in the team set for the Gastonia Rangers, which was the Rangers single-A farm team. The reverse side of the card has hisĀ basic information but the stats are completely empty as this was Pudge's first professional team.

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5.Ā 1998 Donruss Signature Millennium Marks Ivan Rodriguez

As the name denotes, the green-heavyĀ Millennium Marks autographs from 1998 Donruss Signature Series were limited to 1,000 copies, although some stars would sign far fewer amounts. As one of the first "autograph in every pack" products, Signature Series also features blue Century Marks cards for Rodriguez that were limited to 100 copies. He is not part of the baseĀ red version, which varied in scarcity from player to player but frequently topped thousands of signed copies. As one of the first Pudge Rodriguez autographs, his Millennium Marks cardĀ remains popular.

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4. 1991 Bowman Ivan Rodriguez RC #272

While theĀ other Ivan Rodriguez rookie cards on this list are found in traded or update sets, Bowman included Rodriguez inĀ their mainĀ 1991 set checklistĀ before he played hisĀ firstĀ game with the Rangers. The stats on the backĀ are left blank and it mentionsĀ that RodriguezĀ played for the Gastonia Rangers and Port Charlotte Rangers in the minors. Rodriguez would go on to rack up many impressive stats, including becoming the first catcher to have 20 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases in the same season.

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3. 1993 Topps Finest RefractorĀ Ivan Rodriguez #47

The Pudge Rodriguez Refractor parallels fromĀ 1993 Topps FinestĀ can attract some of the highest prices across his cardboard canon. It is estimated about 250 Refractor copies exist for each card. Collectors opening a hobby box back in 1993 could expect to find two Refractors. In addition to his stats, the reverse side also notesĀ that Rodriguez hailsĀ from Puerto Rico. While growing up there, he was a childhood baseball rival with his future Rangers teammate Juan Gonzalez.

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2. 1996 Leaf Signature Extended Series Ivan Rodriguez Autograph

The success ofĀ 1996 Leaf SignatureĀ saw the company quickly issue the Extended Series that nearly doubled the checklist size. AlthoughĀ someĀ players signed as many as 5,000 cards, Rodriguez would sign only 1,250 copies of his first certified autograph. Between the two series, Leaf resignedĀ the cards and removed the foil stamp that was located in the middle of the card for the first run. Featuring a slanted signature, it's hard to distinguish the individual letters in Rodriguez's autograph outside of the first letters of each name.

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1. 1991 Topps Traded Tiffany Ivan Rodriguez RC #101T

While all of the cards in the main 1991 Topps base set can also be found as a limitedĀ Desert Shield card,Ā 1991 Topps TradedĀ did not receive the gold foilĀ treatment. Instead, collectors looking for a limited edition version of the Ivan Rodriguez Topps rookie should turn toĀ Tiffany. 1991 Topps Traded Tiffany would prove to be the final release for the premium brand. It remains popular with collectors andĀ gem-mint graded copies can reach $200 at auction.

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Matt has been collecting trading cards since 1987 and began writing about them in 2008 on his blog Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius. He also created the pack-a-day blog A Pack To Be Named Later and is a co-host of the Trading Card Preservation Society Podcast. Matt is a former member of The Cardboard Connection Writing Staff.

User Comments

charles fossler
charles fossler

I have a packet of topps gold winners with about 10 cards in it that has never been opened. Ivan Rodriguez is the 1992 topps rookie gold winner on the top in the clear plastic. What should I do with it? Charles Fossler Arab, Alabama 2019

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