The year was 1990 and baseball card companies like Score, Donruss, Fleer and Topps were churning out packs filled with the sport’s biggest stars. Players like Kirby Puckett, Nolan Ryan, Jose Canseco and Cal Ripken Jr. graced the fronts of these cardboard collectibles and entered the imaginations of children across the country. If we could assemble a dream team from the players featured in 1990 Score baseball cards, what would the roster look like? Let’s take a look position-by-position at who would make such a hypothetical dream squad.
Catcher: This one is an easy call as Mike Piazza claims the starting catcher spot. The soon-to-be Dodger great was entering his 3rd MLB season in 1990 and appeared on his 2nd Score card. Still early in his career at just 22 years old, Piazza was already showing signs of greatness as a hitter by batting .309 with 35 HR and 112 RBI in 1989. His combination of power and defense behind the plate makes him a no-brainer as the catcher for this dream team.
First Base: Mark McGwire slots in as the big bopper at first base. Just two seasons removed from hitting a rookie record 49 home runs in 1987, Big Mac launched 35 bombs in 1989 while batting .244 for the A’s. At just 26 years old in 1990, scouts were still puzzled as to how McGwire could generate such prodigious power from his 6’5″ frame. He would go on to shatter the single season HR record in 1998, but even in the early 90s, McGwire’s thunderous bat played perfectly at the corner.
Second Base: Jeff Kent claims second base for this squad. A 1990 Score RC as a member of the Giants shows Kent hitting .268 with 15 HR, 65 RBI in his age 25 season, playing above average defense at a up-the-middle position. Kent would go on to have a Hall of Fame worthy career, racking up over 300 home runs and over 1,500 RBI primarily as a middle infielder. His combination of offense and glove would serve this club well at second.
Shortstop: Cal Ripken Jr. is the obvious pick at shortstop. Enterig his 10th MLB season in 1990 at just 29 years old, Ripken had already won two Gold Glove Awards and one MVP while manning the left side of the infield for the Orioles with consistency and class. His 1990 Score RC commemorated his record for consecutive games played, which would eventually reach 2,632. Iron Man’s defensive prowess and steady offensive production make him a slam dunk selection at the six spot.
Third Base: The hot corner goes to the one and only Wade Boggs. The hits king was coming off a .332 average, 24 HR, 103 RBI season for the Red Sox in ’89 as he approached his age 33 campaign. Known for his impeccable batting stance, smooth left-handed swing and mastery of hitting to all fields, Boggs was as consistent and productive as they come. Over his marvelous career, he would win five batting titles and rack up over 3,000 hits, making him the perfect choice to lock down third base.
Left Field: Tim Raines gets the nod in left. “Rock” was in his prime as he entered the 1990 season at age 32 with the White Sox. His speed and contact ability are evidenced by a career .294 average with 808 stolen bases, 171 of which came in 1989 alone. While never a big home run threat, Raines manufactured runs in bunches from the leadoff spot. He had the glove, wheels and bat to more than hold his own in the outfield for this team.
Center Field: The center field job goes to none other than Kirby Puckett. Entering his 7th season with the Twins in 1990, Puckett was coming off a monster campaign which saw him hit .331 with 17 HR, 94 RBI and win both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award. At just 29 years old, Puck was already cementing himself as the best all-around center fielder in baseball thanks to his combination of power, speed, defense and clutch hitting abilities. No one was better suited for the throbbing heart of this team’s lineup and defense than Puckett manning the vast pastures of center at the Metrodome.
Right Field: Jose Canseco locks down right field duties. The Bash Brother was just 26 in 1990 coming off back-to-back 40+ HR seasons, including leading the AL in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage in ’89. While his reputation as a malcontent would eventually catch up to him, in 1990 Canseco was still viewed as the prototypical slugging corner outfielder. His power potential out of the #3 spot makes him a perfect right field fit despite some defensive limitations out in the gaps.
Starting Pitcher #1: Nolan Ryan claims the ace spot on the staff. At age 43 in 1990, the Ryan Express was showing no signs of slowing down as he averaged better than 10 strikeouts per 9 innings while tossing 232 frames for the Rangers. His fastball was still crossing the plate in the high-90s, baffling hitters right up to the end of his Hall of Fame career. When you need an ace to set the tone and dominate, look no further than the greatest strikeout artist of all time.
Starting Pitcher #2: Roger Clemens slides in as the number two starter. The Rocket was coming off back-to-back Cy Young winning seasons with Boston entering 1990 at age 28. Between his blazing fastball, sharp breaking stuff and competitiveness, Clemens was the most feared righty in baseball during this era. His domination would continue for well over a decade more, cementing his place among the games all-timegreats. A one-two Clemens-Ryan punch at the front of any rotation is scary to behold.
Starting Pitcher #3: Dwight Gooden assumes the third spot in the rotation. Known as “Doc,” Gooden took the MLB by storm in 1985 by winning both the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Awards while leading the league with a microscopic 1.53 ERA. injuries slowed him a bit entering 1990 at just 25 years old, but the electric stuff that saw him strike out 276 batters in ’85 was still there. On his best days, few pitchers could match Gooden’s overpowering fastball-slider combo.
Starting Pitcher #4: David Cone grabs the fourth slot. The righty was 28 in 1990 and already a 13-game winner the prior season for the Royals. Blessed with a live fastball and biting slider, Cone would evolve into one of baseball’s craftiest veterans, racking up nearly 200 career wins. His ability to induce weak contact and dominate despite lacking overpowering stuff fits nicely in the middle/back of this dream team staff.
Starting Pitcher #5 – Relief Ace: Dennis Eckersley is the perfect flex option as either the fifth starter or shutdown closer. Joining the A’s in 1987, Eckersley reinvented himself out of the bullpen by utilizing a killer sinking fastball that induced endless groundballs. His dominance as a reliever was just getting started in 1990, paving the way for a Hall of Fame career as arguably the best one-inning pitcher ever. A weapon like Eckersley gives this team endless late-inning options.
Closer: Jeff Reardon holds down the closer role. At age 34 with the Red Sox in 1990, Reardon was racking up save after save thanks to a biting slider that kept hitters constantly off-balance. His control and solid mechanics allowed him to thrive for years as a high-leverage reliever, evident by a career 348 saves including a league-leading 45 in 1989. His experience and steadiness make him a perfect fireman to shut the door.
Bench: The versatile reserves include light-hitting defensive wizard Ozzie Smith at shortstop, masher Willie McGee serving as the fourth outfielder, slugging pinch-hitter Dave Parker, contact-first man Ken Oberkfell providing infield depth and power-speed threat Rickey Henderson giving the team another stolen base threat off the bench.
What a potent dream team this 1990 Score baseball cards roster makes. Boasting the games absolute superstars at their peaks all across the diamond and through the pitching staff, it’s a juggernaut squad that would overwhelm opponents with talent, power, pitching and depth. Managing these Hall of Famers in their primes would be a dream come true for any skipper. Now if only we could actually assemble such an all-time lineup from scorecards past for an exhibition game. One can dream, right?
