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1987 FLEER AWARD WINNERS BASEBALL CARDS

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The 1987 Fleer Award Winners set featured cards highlighting some of baseball’s top individual award winners from the 1986 season. It was the second such set released by Fleer following the successful 1986 Award Winners issue. Like the previous year’s set, the 1987 version contained cards for winners of the Cy Young Award, MVP Award, and Rookie of the Year Award from both the American and National Leagues.

A total of 12 cards made up the 1987 Fleer Award Winners set. Each featured a colorful design displaying the award logo and text highlighting the player’s award-winning accomplishments from 1986. For the first time, Fleer included separate cards for both the American and National League Cy Young winners instead of just one card for both. This increased the set from 8 cards in 1986 to the full 12 cards in 1987.

The set led off with cards for the 1986 AL and NL Cy Young Award winners – Angels pitcher Mike Witt and Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden. Witt went 24-11 with a 2.84 ERA for the Angels in 1986 to capture his first Cy Young. Gooden, meanwhile, followed up his Rookie of the Year season in 1984 with an impressive 24-4 record and career-best 1.53 ERA to earn his second Cy Young at just 22 years old.

Next up were the 1986 AL and NL MVP winners – Red Sox outfielder Jim Rice and Mets first baseman Gary Carter. Rice hit .324 with 39 home runs and a league-leading 145 RBIs, leading the Red Sox to the AL East title in his final season. Carter hit .295 with 25 home runs and a career-high 105 RBIs from the leadoff spot to help power the Mets’ rotation-led charge to a World Series championship.

The 1987 set then featured cards for the 1986 AL and NL Rookie of the Year winners – Angels first baseman Wally Joyner and Dodgers outfielder Tim Raines. Joyner batted .252 with 13 home runs and 65 RBIs in his rookie campaign for the Angels. Raines stole 70 bases and scored 108 runs to capture the NL honors at age 29 after finally getting regular playing time in Los Angeles.

Completing the 1987 Fleer Award Winners checklist were cards for the recipients of MLB’s major annual awards – the AL and NL Comeback Players of the Year, the Sporting News Player of the Year, and the Babe Ruth Award winner for postseason performance. The 1986 recipients were Tigers pitcher Walt Terrell (AL), Cubs third baseman Ron Cey (NL), Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens (Player of the Year), and Mets pitcher Ron Darling (Babe Ruth Award).

The 1987 Fleer Award Winners set featured a star-studded collection of the game’s biggest individual award recipients and performances from the previous season. The colorful artwork and informative front text highlighted each player’s achievement. For collectors, it provided a unique annual set beyond the standard rookie and regular issue card releases of the time. While not particularly rare, 1987 Fleer Award Winners cards remain widely popular among both vintage baseball card and individual player collectors. The set has endured as one of the premium annual issues produced during the baseball card boom of the 1980s.

The 1987 Fleer Award Winners set showed the expansion of the concept pioneered in 1986 to feature cards for a full dozen of baseball’s major annual award recipients. Featuring the likes of Mike Witt, Dwight Gooden, Jim Rice and Gary Carter, it commemorated the sport’s top individual performances of the 1986 season in colorful, informative card form. The set became an established annual tradition during the golden age of baseball cards in the late 1980s.

1987 FLEER AWARD WINNER BASEBALL CARDS

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The 1987 Fleer baseball card set was unique for featuring special award winner cards mixed in with the traditional player cards. This added element of surprise and prestige provided collectors with the opportunity to pull rare and valuable cards from packs. The inclusion of award winner cards in the 1987 Fleer set helped breathe new life into the baseball card market during the late 1980s.

Some background – 1987 was a transitional time for the baseball card industry. While the early 1980s boom was starting to fade, Fleer was looking for ways to make their product more exciting. They landed on the idea of including special short print cards spotlighting award winners from the previous season. This gave collectors a chance at finding hard to obtain chase cards in otherwise normal wax packs.

The award winner cards in 1987 Fleer paid tribute to the biggest individual accomplishments and performances of the 1986 MLB season. Some of the awards and honorees that received showcase cards included:

National League MVP – Mets 1B Keith Hernandez. His card had photo action from his MVP season and noted his .310 average, 121 RBI, and Gold Glove winning ways.

American League MVP – Red Sox OF Jim Rice. His card covered his prolific .325 average, 39 HR, 139 RBI season that led to his long awaited MVP recognition.

NL Rookie of the Year – Mets P Ron Darling. His impressive 13-6, 2.81 ERA rookie campaign with the 1986 Mets was chronicled.

AL Rookie of the Year – Angels P Chuck Finley. His breakout 17-8, 2.88 ERA season as a rookie pitcher was highlighted.

NL Batting Title – Phillies OF Juan Samuel. His .330 average winning performance of 1986 earned him an award card.

AL Batting Title – Twins OF Kirby Puckett. Puckett’s .356 batting average champ status was commemorated.

NL Home Run Title – Expos 1B Andre Dawson. His 49 long balls in 1986, while playing home games in a pitcher’s park, warranted a special card.

AL Home Run Title – Angels 1B Reggie Jackson. At age 40, “Mr. October” still had power, evidenced by his 41 homers to lead the AL.

NL ERA Title – Mets P Dwight Gooden. “Doc” dominated with a sparkling 2.84 ERA over 271 innings in 1986.

In addition to individual player awards, 1986 team champions were also honored through award cards including:

1986 NL Champions – New York Mets. Their World Series winning team got acard featuring highlight action from their postseason run.

1986 AL Champions – Boston Red Sox. Jim Rice, Roger Clemens and Co. received acard for capturing the AL flag.

These 12 total award winner cards could be pulled randomly among the 700+ traditional player cards in 1987 Fleer packs. Finding any of the coveted short printed award cards was a true thrill for collectors. They commanded premium values right from the start due to their rarity and prestige.

The decision by Fleer to add award cards containing recaps of previous season’s biggest statistical and team accomplishments helped 1987 Fleer bridge the past and future of the baseball card industry. It brought collector excitement from the early boom years directly into the late 80s. The award cards served as a special badge of honor for the featured players while giving fans a fun bonus potential in each wax pack.

Their scarcity and historical significance has kept the 1987 Fleer Award Winner cards prominently placed at the high end of the sports collectibles marketplace. Even 34 years later, examples that grade mint fetch prices ranging from $50-$5,000 depending on which award player is featured. For the hobby’s immense and dedicated collector base, pulling a 1987 Fleer Award Winner card from a pack all those years ago lives on as among the most thrilling baseball card memories imaginable. Fleer’s inspired innovation made the 1987 set one of the most fondly remembered in the entire hobby.

The 1987 Fleer Award Winner baseball cards were a true one-year wonder. They captured the exploits of stars from the 1986 MLB season in a unique, short printed format among the sea of traditional player cards. Providing collectors a chance at finding rare and valuable chase cards added collector excitement during a transitional time. Over three decades later, these award winner cards still spark nostalgia and demand high prices, cementing their place as some of the hobby’s true icons from the late 1980s era. The decision by Fleer to include them made the 1987 set truly memorable and unique among the thousands produced over the long history of the baseball card industry.

1988 FLEER AWARD WINNERS BASEBALL CARDS

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The 1988 Fleer baseball card set featured special insert cards highlighting some of the top award winners from the previous season. This was a trend that Fleer had established in previous years to help make their base set more interesting for collectors. The 1987 season had seen some outstanding individual performances that were worthy of recognition through special collector cards.

The American League Cy Young award winner for 1987 was Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox. Clemens had put together one of the most dominant pitching seasons in baseball history, going 24-4 with a 2.97 ERA and 258 strikeouts. His 87 Fangraphs WAR that season remains the highest single season total of all time. Clemens’ Cy Young award winning card from the 1988 Fleer set featured an action photo of him on the mound with “1987 AL Cy Young Award Winner” printed below. This became one of the most coveted and valuable cards in the set for collectors.

The National League Cy Young award winner recognized in the 1988 Fleer set was Steve Bedrosian of the Philadelphia Phillies. Bedrosian had an incredible 1.27 ERA as the Phillies’ closer in 1987, saving 40 games while only blowing 2 saves opportunities. His dominance at the back-end of Philadelphia’s bullpen was a big reason for their division title that year. Bedrosian’s award winning Fleer insert featured him smiling with the “1987 NL Cy Young Award Winner” designation.

Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees got the nod for the 1987 American League MVP award thanks to a season where he hit .327 with 35 home runs and 115 RBI. “The Hit Man” was consistently one of baseball’s most productive hitters throughout the late 80s. His MVP award winning Fleer card portrayed him batting from the left side with the “1987 AL MVP” abbreviation below. This became a very coveted card in the set as well due to Mattingly’s star power.

The 1987 National League MVP was Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs. “The Hawk” put together arguably the best season of his career at age 31, batting .287 with 49 home runs and 137 RBI while playing excellent defense in center field. Dawson was an intimidating threat leading off the Cubs lineup during their division championship season. His MVP award winning Fleer insert depicted him swinging the bat with “1987 NL MVP” inscribed on it.

In addition to recognizing the major award winners, Fleer also included special insert cards for the top rookie and manager of each league from 1987. The American League Rookie of the Year was Alfredo Griffin of the Toronto Blue Jays. The slick-fielding shortstop hit .265 in his first season and showed elite defensive skills that would serve him well in the big leagues for many years. His ROY award winning Fleer card featured a head shot with the “1987 AL ROY” designation below.

The 1987 National League Rookie of the Year was Benito Santiago of the San Diego Padres. The young catcher made an immediate impact by batting .276 with 15 home runs and 76 RBI in his debut season. He would go on to have a fine career primarily with the Padres. Santiago’s award winning Fleer insert portrayed him in a batting stance with the “1987 NL ROY” abbreviation.

In the American League, the 1987 Manager of the Year was Tony La Russa of the Oakland A’s. Under La Russa’s guidance, Oakland went 84-78 to capture the AL West division title despite having one of the lowest payrolls in baseball. It was a testament to La Russa’s shrewd managing and ability to get the most out of limited talent. His MOY award winning Fleer card showed him giving signals from the third base coach’s box with the proper citation.

The 1987 National League Manager of the Year was Frank Robinson of the San Francisco Giants. In just his second year at the helm, Robinson led the Giants to an 93-69 record and second place finish in the NL West. It was an impressive first full season for the Hall of Famer in his managing career. Robinson’s award winning Fleer insert portrayed him in the dugout with “1987 NL MOY” underneath.

In total, Fleer produced 9 special award winner inserts for the 1987 season acknowleding the top individual performers and coaches from baseball’s senior circuit. For collectors in 1988, finding and acquiring all of these parallel cards brought a high level of excitement and prestige. They became some of the most coveted and valuable pieces in the entire base set. Thirty four years later, the 1987 award winners from the 1988 Fleer set remain historically significant in documenting some of the game’s all-time great seasons on the baseball card collecting front.