Donruss Rated Rookies

Who didn't love pulling a Rated Rookie back in the day? No one, that's who. My question is, is there any place with a checklist/list online of all the cards Donruss designated as Rated Rookies over the years? None of the major sites seem to be able to sort by that criteria and I just wanted to glance at a list (or sort by team)

They we're always the first dozen or so cards after the DK set for a while. Not sure how long that continued though.

83 also had a few of them (Greg Brock was one for sure), but only via text on the back and I think those were numbered within the set, not at the beginning.

mrmopar said:

They we're always the first dozen or so cards after the DK set for a while. Not sure how long that continued though.

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Donruss had the Rated Rookie banner on the front from 1984 to 1993, then returned in 2001.
They were 20 cards, immediately following the Diamond Kings, from 1984 to 1990.

Then in 1991 and 1992, there were 40 Rated Rookies, 20 in each series (Donruss had two series beginning in 1991.)
The Rated Rookies kicked off the 1992 set when Diamond Kings became inserts.

In 1993, the Rated Rookies were placed randomly throughout the set.

Then in 2001, Donruss brought back Rated Rookies within the base set.

94 had them too and maybe 95.

Looks like 96 and 97 too, but they were no longer the same icon that they used from 85-93.

mrmopar said:

Looks like 96 and 97 too, but they were no longer the same icon that they used from 85-93.

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Yeah, I know those were inserts as well, not included and numbered within the base set

I was always surprised at how bad a job they did assigning the label, especially considering how many highly touted prospects had cards, but didn't get the Rated Rookie label. Nevermind the guys that got it twice (Danny Tartabull, Alex Sanchez) or got it after already having had a card in a previous Donruss set (Hensley Meulens, Gregg Jefferies) . In a lot of cases, it just seemed like they picked players at random instead of working from the various baseball authorities of the day.

mrmopar said:

They we're always the first dozen or so cards after the DK set for a while. Not sure how long that continued though.

83 also had a few of them (Greg Brock was one for sure), but only via text on the back and I think those were numbered within the set, not at the beginning.

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Brock was indeed one, along with Keith Creel, Brad "The Animal" Lesley, Al Chambers, and I'm sure a few other nobodies. Sandberg, Gwynn, and Boggs went unrated in 1983. Good call, Donruss.

2014 donruss has diamond kings batting leadoff, then the rated rookies in the two slot (cards 31-45), then the base follow with 3 more rated rookies at cards 201-203.

My only Thome TTM auto was on a 1992 rated rookie card.

DeliciousBacon said:

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Thanks for the pic, I never knew that about '83. Likely because, as mentioned, the big 3 were not included nor was Willie McGee!

1983 Donruss #525 Julio Franco, I don't think he was a rated rookie either.

How about Mattingly and Strawberry?? Two of the most iconic 80's cards and in the best Donruss set and neither were RR.

I believe only players who qualified to be a rookie were eligible to be labeled a rated rookie.

Off top of my head, only two players were labeled rated rookie twice, Sandy Alomar and Danny Tartabull.

Anyway, here's a funny story about perhaps the most famous rated rookie.

No matter how many packs I bought of Fleer, Donruss or sportflics back in 86, I never could land any Canseco card.

My friends on the other hand, would find it in a pack while standing next to me. So frustrating as a kid.

So one day my friend and I attended a gloria Rothstein show in the horse stables at Yonkers race way with the sole intention of getting the 86 Donruss Canseco.

Being stubborn kids, we weren't willing to pay the insane price of $10 would rather buy $1 packs hoping to find it.

At the end of the show, my friend ran out of money and while walking around, he found a buck and bought a pack. You know what was in it!

At that point, I was the ONLY kid in my group without one...and I was pissed!

So I stomped to a dealer and told him I wanted that $10 Donruss Canseco rc.

I went to my pocket and realized I had $8 and change! Luckily the dealer sold it to me but on the car ride home, my friend wouldn't let me live it down! Even made up a song about it!

So several years ago I went over to his place and he bought out his cards. And that Canseco card brought back the memory to us both.

Kiddingly I told him that in the end, I got my revenge because I sold the card for $125 in 88 and he still has it.

Brewer Andy said:

Who didn't love pulling a Rated Rookie back in the day? No one, that's who. My question is, is there any place with a checklist/list online of all the cards Donruss designated as Rated Rookies over the years? None of the major sites seem to be able to sort by that criteria and I just wanted to glance at a list (or sort by team)

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At beckett.com search Donruss rr, brings up 2,020 results.

deujr61 said:

At beckett.com search Donruss rr, brings up 2,020 results.

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Ahhh there it is, thanks I should have been able to figure that out lol

Rated Rookies were so much cooler than Fleer's prospect cards with two players on them.
Most of the big rookies shared a card with a scrub.

Jose Canseco/Eric Plunk
Mark Grace/Darrin Jackson
Andres Galarraga/Fred Toliver

But there were some cards where both players were stars.
The 1986 Fleer card of Cecil Fielder and Cory Snyder was cool, although they weren't hot at the same time.
Snyder was big in the late '80s, then Fielder got hot in 1990.

Same with the '86 card of Paul O'Neil and Kal Daniels.
Daniels was big in the late '80s, then O'Neil became a star in the '90s.

The '85 card with Shawon Dunston and Billy Hatcher was a rare card of two players who both had good long careers.

And I'm glad Topps stopped making those ugly multi-player rookie cards of 3 and 4 players.
So many Hall of Famers' rookie cards from the '60s-'80s are shared with crappy players.