1989 Donruss Rated Rookies leave much to be desired

Having wept through my letter to childhood baseball hero Ken Griffey Jr., we now turn our attention to the rest of the Rated Rookies of Donruss’ 1989 class. I mistakenly wrote that Griffey Jr. won the 1989 Rookie of the Year; not so, it was Gregg Olson of the Baltimore Orioles (not to be confused with Braves catcher Greg Olson, he who owns just two g’s in his name as opposed to three).

Anyway, the final three rookies in AL balloting were Olson, Tom Gordon and Kenneth, Jr. All three were accurately portrayed by the Donruss brass as Rated Rookies in the ‘89 set, so long overdue kudos are in order for the panel that makes such decisions.

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Our esteemed panel didn’t fare nearly as well with their National League Rated Rookie class, however. The final standings for the ‘89 season included Jerome Walton with 22 first place votes, followed by teammate Dwight Smith (2 votes) and Mets savior Gregg Jefferies. Of the three, only Jefferies earned a pre-season Rated Rookie card. In fact, the only Natinoal League Rated Rookies (per our Donruss panel) who did anything successful for a prolonged period of time were Sandy Alomar, Jr. (then with the Padres) and this handsome fellow …

Beyond that, the NL Rated Rookie class definitely disappointed card collectors worldwide. And while both Cubby rookies finished 1 and 2 for ROY honoros, they went unnoticed in the pre-season rookie rating session. The Cubs as a team, however, did not.

If nothing else, Harkey’s name and the frustration he provided produced entertainment with Harry Caray on the call. That alone is worth a Rated Rookie in my mind.

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