The 1990 Bowman baseball card set was released at the start of the new decade and contained a mixture of rookie cards, veteran players, and prospects. The set had a total of 528 cards and featured players from all 26 Major League Baseball teams at the time.
Some of the notable rookie cards and prospects included in the set were Chet Lemon (Card #1), Tom Glavine (Card #11), Todd Zeile (Card #15), Gregg Olson (Card #35), Tim Salmon (Card #36), Mark Grace (Card #47), David West (Card #50), Jeff Kent (Card #57), Dave Martinez (Card #61), Joe Carter (Card #66), John Burrows (Card #80), Frank Tanana (Card #84), Randy Myers (Card #92), Chuck Crim (Card #130), John Olerud (Card #142), Ken Hill (Card #147), Andy Benes (Card #149), Terry Mulholland (Card #150), Dan Plesac (Card #158), Rob Dibble (Card #189), Doug Drabek (Card #190), Brian Quinn (Card #200), Tony Fernandez (Card #213), Barry Larkin (Card #216), Luis Quiñones (Card #239), Charles Nagy (Card #259), and Mo Sanford (Card #264).
Some of the veteran superstars featured on cards included Nolan Ryan (Card #2), Ozzie Smith (Card #9), Fernando Valenzuela (Card #16), Wade Boggs (Card #23), Don Mattingly (Card #26), Tony Gwynn (Card #30), Cal Ripken Jr. (Card #33), Kirby Puckett (Card #34), Dwight Gooden (Card #38), Darryl Strawberry (Card #45), Mike Schmidt (Card #46), Roger Clemens (Card #53), Dave Stewart (Card #54), Barry Bonds (Card #55), George Brett (Card #56), Ryne Sandberg (Card #59), Jose Canseco (Card #60), Eric Davis (Card #67), Andres Galarraga (Card #69), Brett Butler (Card #73), Cecil Fielder (Card #75), Bo Jackson (Card #79), Rickey Henderson (Card #81), Tom Seaver (Card #83), Goose Gossage (Card #85), Mike Scott (Card #90), Dave Parker (Card #94), Tim Raines (Card #97), Don Baylor (Card #98), Jack Morris (Card #103), Dennis Eckersley (Card #104), Bret Saberhagen (Card #106), Darryl Kile (Card #114), Juan Samuel (Card #116), Kevin McReynolds (Card #117), Julio Franco (Card #124), Walt Terrell (Card #160), Jose Uribe (Card #168), Terry Pendleton (Card #197), Bobby Bonilla (Card #203), Ron Darling (Card #207), and Scott Fletcher (Card #217).
The rookie cards and prospects in the 1990 Bowman set were some of the most desirable for collectors at the time given many of these players went on to have very successful MLB careers. Tom Glavine, Ken Hill, Doug Drabek, Chuck Crim, Chuck Nagy, Tony Fernandez, Barry Larkin, and Brian Quinn all had long and productive careers in the majors. Gregg Olson and Todd Zeile also had nice careers as solid MLB veterans.
Some of the prospects’ careers did not fully pan out as anticipated. Guys like Mo Sanford, David West, John Burrows, and Jeff Kent had more limited MLB success than their Bowman rookie cards had suggested as first-round draft picks or highly touted prospects. Still, cards like Sanford (Card #264) and West (Card #50) remain fairly affordable for collectors given they are MLB rookie cards of players many had high hopes for at the time.
The veterans featured provided a who’s who of baseball superstars from the late 1980s and early 1990s. Don Mattingly, Dwight Gooden, Barry Bonds, George Brett, Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, Cal Ripken Jr., and Kirby Puckett were among the game’s biggest stars. Legendary veterans like Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Goose Gossage, and Jack Morris also had representations in the set. Dennis Eckersley’s inclusion on the A’s was notable as he had just come off winning the AL MVP and Cy Young awards in 1992 for his dominant season as a reliever.
The 1990 Bowman set had a standard design across all 528 cards with players’ photos in color on a plain white background. Stats and career highlights were printed on the back of each card. The design was a bit bland compared to sets like 1989 Upper Deck that featured more elaborate photos and information on the back. The clean and uniform look allowed the focus to remain directly on the players and their photos.
While not the flashiest designed set visually, the 1990 Bowman checklist contained a great mix of stars, prospects and rookie cards. It featured many players who were or would go on to become household names in baseball. The thrill of pulling a pack and potentially finding a rising rookie or veteran star kept collectors interested. Even after 30 years, this set still holds appeal for collectors considering the playing careers encompassed within the checklist and the allure of completing a entire 528-card vintage release.
