The 1987 Topps Baseball card set featured cards highlighting the major league leaders from the 1986 MLB season. This was a trend that Topps would continue for many years, with cards showcasing the top performers in various offensive and pitching statistics. The 1986 season saw some great individual performances that led the league in key categories.
One of the cards featured Oakland Athletics slugger Jose Canseco, who led the American League with 33 home runs in 1986. Canseco broke onto the scene in a big way in 1985, but 1986 was when he truly announced himself as one of the game’s premier power hitters. At just 22 years old, he exhibited prodigious power to right field and became the first member of the 40-40 club (40 home runs and 40 stolen bases) in 1988. Canseco’s prowess at the plate made him an instant star and one of the faces of baseball in the late 1980s.
The National League home run leader featured on a 1987 Topps card was Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies. At age 37, Schmidt continued to defy father time by blasting 31 long balls in 1986. Schmidt was in his 19th season in the majors and remained one of baseball’s most feared sluggers, even in his later years. His excellence and consistency earned him plaques in both the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame. Schmidt signed with the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1971 and went on to become the franchise leader in home runs.
Another dominant NL slugger highlighted was Darryl Strawberry of the New York Mets. strawberry led the senior circuit with 39 stolen bases in 1986, showcasing his rare combination of power and speed. The 1987 Topps card helped cement Strawberry as a budding star, but injuries would plague his career in later years. At just 24 years old in 1986, Strawberry seemed destined for Cooperstown before issues off the field began affecting his performance. He possessed perhaps the best raw physical talent of any player of the 1980s, making his card a prized one for collectors.
The 1986 AL batting crown winner who received an individual 1987 Topps card was Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox. Boggs edged out teammate Jim Rice by hitting .357 to lead the league and capture his third batting title. Boggs was baseball’s best contact hitter of the 1980s and won batting titles in five of six seasons from 1983-1988. His consistency, technique, and dedication to his craft made him one of the sport’s most respected figures of that era. Boggs’ career .328 batting average remains the third highest of all-time among third basemen, trailing only George Brett and Eddie Mathews.
On the pitching side, the 1987 Topps set highlighted Roger Clemens’ AL season leaders. Clemens paced the junior circuit with a minuscule 1.60 ERA and a league-best 24 wins for the Boston Red Sox in 1986. At just 24 years old, Clemens was already establishing himself as one of baseball’s premier hurlers. He combined overpowering stuff with excellent control and mound presence. Clemens would go on to win seven Cy Young Awards and cement his legacy as one of the greatest right-handed pitchers in MLB history. His dominance in 1986 began his decade-long run as the most feared pitcher in the AL.
Tom Browning’s breakout 1986 season with the Cincinnati Reds earned him an individual 1987 Topps highlight card. Browning secured the National League pitching triple crown by leading the senior circuit in wins (20), ERA (2.47), and strikeouts (206). Browning had emerged as a solid mid-rotation starter before exploding onto the scene in 1986 at the young age of 25. His feat of capturing the NL pitching triple crown has only been accomplished 10 times in history. Browning’s 1987 Topps card commemorated one of the finest pitching seasons that year in all of baseball.
In addition to single-player highlights, Topps also produced cards focused on league leaders as teams in some key offensive categories. The 1987 set included cards noting that the Boston Red Sox hit the most home runs (191) in the AL in 1986. Rob Deer led the way with 21 long balls while Boggs, Dwight Evans, Don Baylor, and Jim Rice all cracked 20 or more as the Red Sox asserted their home-run hitting prowess. In the NL, the Houston Astros blasted the most dingers as a club with 162 in 1986. Billy Hatcher and Glenn Davis both cleared the fence 20 times to pace the Astros offense.
On the pitching side, the 1987 Topps leaders cards recognized the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox staffs for their excellence in 1986. The Mets boasted the stingiest NL pitching staff by allowing the fewest runs (550) thanks to standouts Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling, and Sid Fernandez. And the Red Sox hurlers had the lowest team ERA (3.05) in the junior circuit led by Clemens, Bruce Hurst, and Oil Can Boyd. Collectors enjoyed these team performance cards highlighting how whole rotations and offenses excelled at the major league level the prior season.
The 1987 Topps Baseball card set featured many popular and significant major league leaders highlight cards from the 1986 MLB season. Sluggers like Canseco, Schmidt, Strawberry, and pitchers like Clemens and Browning received well-deserved individual accolades. Meanwhile, the collective efforts of the Red Sox, Mets, Astros, and Reds rotations and offenses gained recognition. These cards commemorating the top statistical performers provided an entertaining historical statistical retrospective for collectors and fans. The individual and team leader cards remain a treasured niche in the 1987 Topps baseball offering.
