Ellis Burks was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 to 2001. While he never achieved superstar status, Burks had a very solid career spanning 15 seasons. As a player who spent time with four different franchises over that career, Burks accumulated baseball cards from various years that are of interest to collectors today.
Burks was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 3rd round of the 1984 amateur draft out of Texas A&M University. He made his MLB debut with the Red Sox in 1987 at age 24. His rookie cards from 1987 Fleer, Score, and Donruss are among the most common Ellis Burks cards available on the secondary market. While not particularly valuable given their production numbers, these rookie cards represent Burks’ entrance into the big leagues and are worth holding onto for Red Sox and Burks collectors.
Burks had his breakout season in 1991 with Boston, batting .302 with 20 home runs and 100 RBIs. This led to his first All-Star selection and established him as an everyday outfielder in the Red Sox lineup. His 1991 Fleer and Score cards, as well as his 1992 Donruss and Fleer Update cards, show Burks in his Red Sox prime and are more desirable than his early career issues. Values for these Burks cards range from around $5-15 depending on condition and scarcity.
After the 1992 season, Burks was traded to the Colorado Rockies in their expansion season. This marked a key transition point in his career that is reflected in his baseball card portfolio. His 1993 Fleer and Upper Deck rookie cards with Colorado are much scarcer than his Red Sox rookie issues since the Rockies were a new franchise. In gem mint condition, these 1993 Burks rookie cards for Colorado can sell for $50-75.
Burks had arguably the best season of his career in 1995 with Colorado, batting .340 with 27 home runs and 100 RBIs while leading the National League in hits. His 1995 Fleer, Leaf, and Upper Deck cards show him at the peak of his abilities and are more valuable, in the $10-25 range. Burks was a fan favorite in Denver and helped establish the Rockies as a competitive team in the late 90s.
After the 1997 season, Burks signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians. His 1998 cards wearing an Indians uniform captured the next phase of his playing days. He only spent one year in Cleveland before being traded midway through the 1998 season to the San Francisco Giants. This makes his 1998 Indians cards somewhat scarce in comparison to issues from his longer tenures elsewhere.
Burks finished his career with the Giants from 1998-2001, appearing in over 100 games each season as the team pursued playoff berths. His late career Giants cards from Upper Deck, Donruss, and Fleer have modest collector value today in the $3-8 range. In total, Burks played in over 1,700 games and compiled nearly 2,000 hits over his 15 MLB seasons spent with four franchises.
While never a superstar, Ellis Burks had a long and productive major league career playing for some iconic baseball franchises. The breadth of his playing career across different teams is represented well through his baseball card portfolio from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. For Red Sox, Rockies, Indians, and Giants fans, Burks cards serve as nostalgic reminders of the solid offensive contributions he provided each club. Today, Burks cards remain obtainable for most collectors and represent an affordable way to build sets chronicling his underrated big league tenure.
