The crop of rookie baseball cards released in 1977 featured some of the biggest names and future stars in the sport. While lacking the true rookie cards of players like George Brett and Nolan Ryan that were highly coveted by collectors in the following years, the 1977 set introduced collectors to players who would go on to have outstanding Major League careers.
Future Hall of Famers Andre Dawson, Eddie Murray, and Ozzie Smith all made their baseball card debuts in 1977. Dawson’s career was just getting started as he played his first full season with the Montreal Expos. His rookie card in the 1977 Topps set shows him batting from the left side in an Expos uniform. Dawson would go on to be named Rookie of the Year in 1977 and eventually be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Second baseman Ozzie Smith also had his rookie card included in the 1977 Topps set. While he didn’t debut in the majors until 1978 with the San Diego Padres, collectors were given an early look at the wizard of the glove with his rookie card showing him fielding a ground ball. Smith became one of the greatest defensive shortstops of all time, winning 13 Gold Glove Awards over his career.
First baseman Eddie Murray also debuted in 1977 Topps as a member of the Baltimore Orioles organization. Murray went on to have a Hall of Fame career spanning 21 seasons, hitting 504 home runs and compiling over 3,000 hits. His 1977 rookie card provides one of the earliest looks at the consistent and productive career Murray was about to embark on in the majors.
In addition to these future Hall of Famers, the 1977 Topps set introduced collectors to Rickey Henderson, Jack Morris, and Fred Lynn, who all enjoyed long and successful MLB careers. Rickey Henderson’s rookie card from 1977 showed off his blazing speed as the leadoff hitter for the Oakland A’s organization. He would go on to become the all-time leader in stolen bases in MLB history.
Jack Morris also debuted in 1977 Topps as a member of the Detroit Tigers. Morris emerged as the ace of the Tigers’ pitching staff throughout the 1980s, winning 254 career games and earning the World Series MVP award in 1984 with Detroit. His rookie card provided a glimpse at the durable right-hander who was about to anchor Detroit’s rotation for over a decade.
Outfielder Fred Lynn had an immediate impact in 1977, being named the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP in his first season with the Boston Red Sox. His stats on his rookie card in the 1977 Topps set predict his successful rookie campaign with a .331 batting average. Lynn enjoyed a solid 14-year MLB career.
Beyond these future stars, the 1977 Topps set also included the rookie cards of solid MLB veterans like Bob Boone, Willie Randolph, Dave Rozema, Jim Sundberg, and Steve Rogers. While not achieving the fame of players like Dawson, Murray, or Smith, these players carved out respectable big league careers ranging from 10-15 years after making their MLB debuts in 1977.
In addition to the main Topps set, the 1977 Topps Traded set also included a number of rookie cards, headlined by future 300-game winner Jack Morris. Other notables included Rudy Law, Alan Bannister, Craig Reynolds, and Rick Cerone. These traded sets provided another avenue for collectors to add meaningful rookie cards from the 1977 season to their collections.
Despite lacking some of the true, early rookie cards that made subsequent years so valuable, the 1977 season gave collectors their first tangible baseball cards of future stars Dawson, Murray, Smith, Lynn, Henderson, and Morris. Over 40 years later, these rookie cards continue to be key interests of collectors, especially for those looking to develop sets chronicling the early careers of players who went on to have Hall of Fame MLB tenures. While perhaps lesser known than the legendary rookie cards of the late 1970s and early 1980s, 1977 still played a major role in launching the careers documented in cardboard of some of baseball’s biggest names.
