The 1989 Donruss baseball card set was released at the tail end of the junk wax era and contains a lot of notable rookies and stars from that time period. The set has 405 total cards with each team being represented by 15 cards except the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics who each receive 16 cards. Some of the top rookies and players featured in the set included Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas, Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, Rickey Henderson, and Mike Schmidt among many others. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the highlights and key cards from the 1989 Donruss baseball card release.
One of the most sought after rookie cards from the 1989 Donruss set is Ken Griffey Jr. who was just beginning his impressive career with the Seattle Mariners. Griffey was considered a can’t-miss superstar prospect and his rookie card quickly became one of the most iconic and valuable cards of the junk wax era. While reprint versions of the card circulating for a dime apiece back in the late 80s/early 90s, high grade Griffey rookies now sell for thousands of dollars. Another hot rookie was Frank Thomas’ who was just starting his Hall of Fame tenure with the Chicago White Sox. Thomas would go on to have one of the best careers of any hitter of his generation and his rookie card is still in high demand today.
Nolan Ryan maintained star status in the late stages of his career splitting time between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros in 1989. His card spotlighting his record 7 no-hitters is one of the most identifiable from the set. Rickey Henderson, the all-time stolen base leader, is also well represented as he was near the peak of his career playing for the Oakland A’s. Ozzie Smith, known as the “Wizard of Oz” for his slick defensive skills, gets his due as one of the premier shortstops in the game at the time playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. Mike Schmidt, who was in the twilight of his Hall of Fame third baseman career with the Philadelphia Phillies, sees one of his final baseball cards included after nearly two decades in the big leagues.
The rookie class in the 1989 Donruss set beyond Griffey and Thomas also features some other notable names. Specifically, Chuck Knoblauch’s rookie as he broke into the league with the Minnesota Twins. Knoblauch went on to have a solid career though is perhaps best remembered for his fielding struggles later on with the New York Yankees. Other rookie mentions include Bobby Witt and Wally Joyner of the Texas Rangers and California Angels respectively. On the pitching side, Roger Clemens saw one of the early cards in his Rocket career as he was entering his prime seasons with the Boston Red Sox.
Each team’s selection of 15 or 16 cards spans both stars and role players from that franchise in 1989. The Chicago Cubs portion for instance highlights Ryne Sandberg and Rick Sutcliffe but also shortstop Shawon Dunston and outfielder Mitch Webster who had middling careers. The California Angels section contains Wally Joyner as mentioned but also feature pitchers Kirk McCaskill and Chuck Finley who were quality starters for those ballclubs. Even role players see representation, like San Diego Padres third baseman Terry Kennedy, Atlanta Braves outfielder Kal Daniels, or Cleveland Indians pitcher Greg Swindell.
When it comes to chase cards and variations, the 1989 Donruss set doesn’t offer too many beyond the typical ‘Traded’ or ‘Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ style error cards. The biggest short print is likely Phillies starting pitcher Dickie Noles’ card which is often tough to find in higher grades. Other rough to track down versions include the New York Mets’ Kevin Elster or Detroit Tigers’ Mike Henneman listings. But for the most part, the variations took a back seat in 1989 Donruss to simply presenting a thorough snapshot of the players from that MLB season.
While produced during the saturated junk wax era, the 1989 Donruss baseball card set still managed to capture the stars and roster of its time in a traditional, straightforward manner. Key rookie cards like Ken Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas that would come to define the era were first issued here. And franchise stars ranging from Nolan Ryan to Ozzie Smith received due recognition alongside more average players that filled MLB lineups that year. Condition-wise, most examples can still be obtained in mint shape relatively affordably compared to elite level rookies. The 1989 Donruss baseball card set serves as a neat time capsule to revisit 80s MLB.
