Mark McGwire is a former MLB first baseman, who would have been a first ballot Hall of Famer if not for his steroid use. He was originally drafted in the 8th round of the 1981 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos but chose to attend college. At the University of Southern California he was teammates with future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. After college, Mark McGwire was drafted with the 10th pick in the 1984 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics. Throughout his career, he was a pure power hitter and nearly 36% of his hits were home runs (583).
Below is a look at some of Mark McGwire’s career accomplishments and highlights.
- 12x All-Star
- 3x Silver Slugger
- 1x Gold Glove
- 1x World Series Champion
- Rookie of the Year
Mark McGwire’s rookie card is in the 1985 Topps set alongside former star players such as Roger Clemens and Kirby Puckett. Throughout his career, Mark McGwire would randomly respond to TTM requests but was very hit or miss. I was fortunate to get him TTM during his first year as a hitting coach for the San Diego Padres. It is one of my favorite cards from a design perspective and I love that he added his home run inscription without me asking. I always wanted a rookie card and recently sent a PSA 7 graded card that I purchased off eBay into a paid signing.
Currently there are 264 autographed 1985 Topps Mark McGwire rookie cards in the PSA registry.
Total Investment: $143.50
Estimated Value: $200
Return on Investment: 39%
Bonus Card – Autographed 1993 Topps
Totatl Investment: $18
Estimated Value: $125
Return on Investment: 594%