The 1987 Fleer baseball updated trading cards are a special subset of cards released midway through the 1987 season by Fleer to update players’ stats and teams from the initial 1987 Fleer baseball card series released earlier that year. With the baseball season underway, Fleer saw an opportunity to capitalize on collectors’ interest in having the most accurate and up-to-date player information by issuing 60 updated cards to swap out for the initial versions in collectors’ collections.
After the highly successful 1986 Fleer baseball card set brought new life and excitement to the hobby, Fleer was under pressure to keep collectors engaged throughout the entire 1987 season. Their initial main set that year had been released prior to Opening Day, so already some players’ stats and even teams were out of date by late spring. Fleer knew collectors would want to stay on top of each players’ latest performance as the pennant races heated up in the summer.
To meet this demand, in June 1987 Fleer quietly began inserting the updated subset of 60 cards into new wax packs on store shelves to slowly replace the initial variants over the coming months. The updated cards were visually identical to the base 1987 Fleer design on the front, but featured new photos, updated batting and pitching stats on the back to reflect each players’ performance through the first two months of the season.
Some of the biggest name players who received updated 1987 Fleer cards included San Diego Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn, whose batting average on the initial card was .309 but had risen to .331 by June. Chicago Cubs first baseman Mark Grace saw his batting average climb from .250 to .289. New York Mets closer Roger McDowell’s ERA dropped from 3.00 to 1.35 as he emerged as one of the game’s top relievers. Even some players who changed teams that year like Andy Van Slyke (.250 to .294 with Pittsburgh) and Rick Rhoden (12-8 with Pittsburgh to 6-4 with Oakland) received updated cards reflecting their midseason club.
Not every significant stat change warranted an updated card of course. Fleer had to use some discretion in selecting only the most notable performances to feature. The threshold usually required a performance shift of around .030 batting average points or a few wins/saves for pitchers. It wasn’t practical for Fleer to replace every single card. Still, collectors appreciated having at least some of the more impactful stats changes documented on the updated subset.
Interestingly, the 1987 updates also reflected a handful of surprise player trades that shook up the pennant races that summer. Future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray went from the Baltimore Orioles (.285) to the Los Angeles Dodgers (.321) in a June deal. The New York Mets acquired veteran slugger George Foster (.267 with the Chicago Cubs) to boost their lineup. Even marginal players who changed uniforms like Mickey Hatcher (.250 with Toronto to .227 with Cleveland) and Donnie Scott (14-8 with Cleveland to 6-4 split between Cleveland and Chicago AL) appeared with their new teams reflected on their updated Fleer cards.
The 1987 Fleer updated cards were inserted subtly into packs over the summer months without any special marking identifying them as updates. Collectors would sometimes stumble upon the new variants unsuspectingly while searching packs. This added an element of surprise and thrill to the hunt. Occasionally both the initial and updated versions of the same player would end up in the same collector’s binder pages, providing a fun before-and-after comparison of stats halfway through the season.
While only 60 cards out of the entire 550+ card base 1987 Fleer set received updates, their presence helped keep collectors engaged with the scoreboard as the season unfolded. For many, chasing these updated variants became almost as exciting as pursuing the tough-to-find chase cards in the main set like the Ben McDonald rookie or Mark McGwire error issue. The 1987 Fleer updates satisfied collectors’ desire to stay on top of the game’s ever-changing rosters and performances in real-time that summer. They remain a unique and appreciated niche within the already milestone 1987 Fleer release.
Even today, over 30 years later, the 1987 Fleer updated subset is still highly coveted by collectors looking to own a complete collection chronicling stats of baseball’s greatest stars from that memorable season. Prices remain relatively affordable compared to other vintage cards, attracting even casual collectors to pursue these fun update variants capturing fleeting statistical moments from baseball’s past. They remind us that collecting is as much about preserving experiences as it physical cards, keeping fans engaged with the living, breathing history unfolding out on the diamond each night.
