The 1988 Fleer baseball card set featured special insert cards highlighting some of the top award winners from the previous season. This was a trend that Fleer had established in previous years to help make their base set more interesting for collectors. The 1987 season had seen some outstanding individual performances that were worthy of recognition through special collector cards.
The American League Cy Young award winner for 1987 was Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox. Clemens had put together one of the most dominant pitching seasons in baseball history, going 24-4 with a 2.97 ERA and 258 strikeouts. His 87 Fangraphs WAR that season remains the highest single season total of all time. Clemens’ Cy Young award winning card from the 1988 Fleer set featured an action photo of him on the mound with “1987 AL Cy Young Award Winner” printed below. This became one of the most coveted and valuable cards in the set for collectors.
The National League Cy Young award winner recognized in the 1988 Fleer set was Steve Bedrosian of the Philadelphia Phillies. Bedrosian had an incredible 1.27 ERA as the Phillies’ closer in 1987, saving 40 games while only blowing 2 saves opportunities. His dominance at the back-end of Philadelphia’s bullpen was a big reason for their division title that year. Bedrosian’s award winning Fleer insert featured him smiling with the “1987 NL Cy Young Award Winner” designation.
Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees got the nod for the 1987 American League MVP award thanks to a season where he hit .327 with 35 home runs and 115 RBI. “The Hit Man” was consistently one of baseball’s most productive hitters throughout the late 80s. His MVP award winning Fleer card portrayed him batting from the left side with the “1987 AL MVP” abbreviation below. This became a very coveted card in the set as well due to Mattingly’s star power.
The 1987 National League MVP was Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs. “The Hawk” put together arguably the best season of his career at age 31, batting .287 with 49 home runs and 137 RBI while playing excellent defense in center field. Dawson was an intimidating threat leading off the Cubs lineup during their division championship season. His MVP award winning Fleer insert depicted him swinging the bat with “1987 NL MVP” inscribed on it.
In addition to recognizing the major award winners, Fleer also included special insert cards for the top rookie and manager of each league from 1987. The American League Rookie of the Year was Alfredo Griffin of the Toronto Blue Jays. The slick-fielding shortstop hit .265 in his first season and showed elite defensive skills that would serve him well in the big leagues for many years. His ROY award winning Fleer card featured a head shot with the “1987 AL ROY” designation below.
The 1987 National League Rookie of the Year was Benito Santiago of the San Diego Padres. The young catcher made an immediate impact by batting .276 with 15 home runs and 76 RBI in his debut season. He would go on to have a fine career primarily with the Padres. Santiago’s award winning Fleer insert portrayed him in a batting stance with the “1987 NL ROY” abbreviation.
In the American League, the 1987 Manager of the Year was Tony La Russa of the Oakland A’s. Under La Russa’s guidance, Oakland went 84-78 to capture the AL West division title despite having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. It was a testament to La Russa’s shrewd managing and ability to get the most out of limited talent. His MOY award winning Fleer card showed him giving signals from the third base coach’s box with the proper citation.
The 1987 National League Manager of the Year was Frank Robinson of the San Francisco Giants. In just his second year at the helm, Robinson led the Giants to an 93-69 record and second place finish in the NL West. It was an impressive first full season for the Hall of Famer in his managing career. Robinson’s award winning Fleer insert portrayed him in the dugout with “1987 NL MOY” underneath.
In total, Fleer produced 9 special award winner inserts for the 1987 season acknowleding the top individual performers and coaches from baseball’s senior circuit. For collectors in 1988, finding and acquiring all of these parallel cards brought a high level of excitement and prestige. They became some of the most coveted and valuable pieces in the entire base set. Thirty four years later, the 1987 award winners from the 1988 Fleer set remain historically significant in documenting some of the game’s all-time great seasons on the baseball card collecting front.
