15 Most Valuable 1994 Score Baseball Cards

1994 Score #3 Ken Griffey Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $100

Though the players' strike put a damper on Griffey and Matt Williams' pursuits of Roger Maris's single-season home run record, the 1994 season gave Griffey fans plenty to admire.

Griffey finished with the AL home run lead with 40 dingers to Matt Williams' NL-best 43.

Yet fans in the Seattle area were laser-focused on their hometown hero's pursuit as tick marks began appearing above a mural of Griffey in the downtown area to track his progress to 61 home runs.

The Kid was especially hot during May, belting an eye-popping 15 home runs in that month alone.

Before July 1, he'd already bested Babe Ruth's long-standing record of 30 home runs (32) and by the July 12 All-Star break, he sat with 32 dingers.

It was an amazing pace to watch, and we'll always wonder if he could've eventually caught Maris.

Fans rewarded Griffey's torrid pace and incredible overall play with over six million votes for the All-Star Game, easily the most in the Majors and one of the largest vote counts ever.

Though the strike cut off his pursuit of Maris, he still finished the abbreviated season with an AL-best 40 home runs, making him the 22nd player with back-to-back 40 home run seasons.

1994 Score #23 Don Mattingly

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $75

Sitting 6.5 games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in first place in the AL East, the New York Yankees looked like they might finally get back to the playoffs since losing the 1981 World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

At 70-43, only the Montreal Expos, experiencing their best season in franchise history at 74-40, held a better record in the Majors.

After years of starring for the Yankees as one of MLB's biggest names, Don Mattingly looked like he might finally get his shot at playoff baseball.

Everything was going well for the Yankees and Mattingly was having a bit of a resurgent season, too.

Not since his final All-Star season had he hit above the .300 mark when injuries began to affect his performance at the plate.

On the year, Mattingly hit .304 with six home runs, 51 RBIs and 62 runs scored to go along with 20 doubles and 60 walks (one shy of his career-high).

Yet, the door to the playoffs closed on Donnie Baseball once again when the MLBPA began its strike on August 12, 1994.

Fortunately, during the shortened 144-game season in 1995, he'd finally experience the magic of postseason baseball.

1994 Score #35 Rickey Henderson

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $60

Don't get me wrong, I love any Rickey Henderson card as he was one of my favorite players to watch as a kid.

Nobody was better in the lead-off spot and nobody was better on the base paths.

After all, the legendary speedster set the MLB records for most career stolen bases and runs scored, two records that likely will remain untouched forever.

Yet, I don't often think of him as a Toronto Blue Jay when they traded for him late in the 1993 season to help push them across the finish line to repeat as World Series champions.

Most of his best cards show him as an Oakland Athletic or New York Yankee.

And, to make a Rickey Henderson card truly stand out, it's always nice to see him taking a crack at the ball with his notorious compact swing or blazing along the base paths with his tremendous speed.

So, seeing him in a Blue Jays uniform and merely taking off his helmet and glove leave a bit to be desired.

But again, any Rickey Henderson card is better than no Rickey Henderson card at all.

And because of his legacy and mark on the game, he remains a key to this set.

1994 Score #12 Tony Gwynn

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $50

Of all the what-ifs that Bud Selig's cancelation of the 1994 season created, few, if any, were bigger than whether Tony Gwynn might have finished the campaign with a .400+ batting average.

Not since Ted Willaims in 1941 had anyone spent an entire MLB season batting above that level, making it one of the loftiest goals any hitter can have.

Yet, Gwynn came extraordinarily close in 1994.

In 110 games that season, the legendary lefty was so locked in at the plate that his batting average reached an incredible .394 before the strike.

Who knows if he would've been able to cross the finish line above .400, but it's fun to wonder.

It's also fun to wonder what Jeff Bagwell thought as the runner-up for the NL batting title thought.

A career .297 hitter, Bagwell was in the middle of a torrid pace, finishing with an eye-popping .368 batting average.

Though he'd go on to win the NL MVP Award, Bagwell must have been a little bit awe-struck that hitting .368 wasn't even enough to top Gwynn for the batting crown that season.

1994 Score #85 Cal Ripken Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $50

Cal Ripken Jr. had a fantastic season in 1994 as he slashed .315/.364/.459 with 13 home runs, 75 RBIs and 71 runs scored.

It would be only the fifth time in his twenty-one years of Major League Baseball that he'd bat .300 or better.

Ripken's performance was a big reason for the Orioles' success that year, as they sat 6.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first in the AL East at the time of the strike.

And while the Orioles sat in second place in the AL East behind the Yankees, Ripken remained seated behind former Yankee legend Lou Gehrig for the most consecutive games with 2,009.

Needing 121 more games to tie Gehrig, he wasn't going to pull it off in 1994 anyway, given the number of games remaining in the season.

Seeing his streak put on pause was just one of many pain points in one of the game's darkest years in history.

But, his streak also served as one of its brightest points the following season.

And when he made his 2,131st consecutive appearance on September 6, 1995, it was a moment that made baseball feel like it was truly "back."

1994 Score #513 Bo Jackson

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $45

After getting his MLB career back on track by winning the 1993 AL Comeback Player of the Year award during his final season with the White Sox, Bo Jackson turned his eyes toward Southern California.

On January 31, 1994, the California Angels extended an offer of $1 million over one year, and Jackson accepted.

Not only was he thrilled for the chance to play another year in the Majors, but he was also excited to return to Southern California, where he had starred for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1987 to 1990.

The move worked out well for Jackson, as he set career highs in batting average (.279) and on-base percentage (.344) while belting 13 home runs and driving in 43 runs in just 201 at-bats.

But his priorities began to change when the strike took place on August 12, 1994.

With all the extra downtime, Jackson grew much closer to his wife and kids.

“I got to know my family,” Jackson said about his experience during the strike. “That looks better to me than any $10 million contract.”

Just like that, his professional sports career was finished as he became fully dedicated to being a family man.

1994 Score #21 Kirby Puckett

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

Over his twelve-year career with the Minnesota Twins, Kirby Puckett became one of the most beloved sports figures in Minnesota sports history.

After all, the guy did help bring the only two World Series rings in franchise history to the Metrodome during their magnificent 1987 and 1991 MLB campaigns.

And despite the Twins not being all that good during the 1994 season, fans at least could watch their Hall of Fame hero continue his phenomenal performance on the field.

In just 439 at-bats, Puckett drove in the second-highest amount of runs in his career with an AL-leading 112 RBIs.

The pace at which he was producing a run in just over every four at-bats was incredible.

By comparison, it took him 657 at-bats to reach his highest RBI total of 121 during the 1988 season.

The Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals fought tooth and nail for the division lead all year, with just four games separating the three teams for first place at the end of the season.

But Minnesota turned in their second losing season in a row, finishing fourteen games back of the division-leading White Sox at 53-60.

Yet the Twins just couldn't capitalize on all those runs to win games.

1994 Score #41 Frank Thomas

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

After winning the AL West in 1993 with a robust 94-68 record, the Chicago White Sox again finished on top of their division in 1994, albeit the AL Central this time, under the new league alignment.

And their star first baseman Frank Thomas would win AL MVP honors for the second year in a row.

Yet his second MVP came during an arguably more impressive year for the Big Hurt overall.

At the time of the strike, Thomas stood with a legitimate shot at becoming the first player since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 to win the coveted and highly elusive Triple Crown.

Thomas was a machine at the plate in 1994, ultimately finishing third in batting average (.353), second in home runs (38) and third in RBIs (101).

Paul O'Neill's batting average was just six points higher (.359), Ken Griffey Jr. had just two more home runs (40), but Kirby Puckett had a comfortable lead in RBIs with 112.

Had the season played out in its entirety, who knows if he would have been able to pull off the Triple Crown?

1994 Score #476 Mike Piazza

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

Nobody, not even the great Tommy Lasorda, could've predicted that Mike Piazza would turn into one of the greatest offensive catchers in MLB history.

Piazza's father had asked his friend, Lasorda, for a favor and to draft his son in the 1988 MLB Amateur Draft.

Lasorda agreed and selected Mike Piazza with the 1,390th pick.

Piazza was naturally a first baseman but Lasorda encouraged him to switch to catcher instead, thinking his odds of moving up the professional ranks would be much greater if he did so.

Fortunately, Piazza listened, and the rest is history.

After one of the most memorable rookie seasons in baseball history in 1993, Piazza continued to wow the baseball world with his incredible power at the plate.

In 1994, Piazza slashed .319/.370/.541, a nearly-identical slash line to his rookie year, with 24 home runs, 94 RBIs and 64 runs scored to help the Dodgers to a first-place finish in the NL West at 58-56.

For the second season in a row to start his career, Piazza earned a trip to the All-Star Game and picked up a Silver Slugger at the end of the season while finishing sixth in the NL MVP vote.

1994 Score #536 Billy Wagner Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

There's no question that Billy Wagner was one of the greatest closers of all time.

From 1995 to 2010, Wagner was one of the last guys opposing hitters wanted to see on the mound late in the game.

A seven-time All-Star, Wagner led the Majors with 67 saves in 2003 and the National League in 2005 with a career-best 70 on his way to racking up 422 saves during his sixteen-year career.

That put him sixth on the all-time saves list.

Yet, his 2.31 ERA is second only to the legendary Mariano Rivera (minimum 750 IP) while his 0.998 WHIP, 11.9 SO/9 IP, and 0.187 BAA are all the best ever of any closer in MLB history.

To put it simply, Wagner was lights out whenever he toed the rubber.

Had he continued to play beyond his age 38 season in 2010, Wagner might be a much easier promotion to Cooperstown.

After all, Hall of Fame closers Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera each finished their age 38 seasons with 482 saves but would stay on for several more years to eclipse the 600-save plateau.

But, his postseason struggles, 903 career innings pitched (no other pitcher in Cooperstown has less than 1,000), and others continue to keep him out of the Hall for now.

I think he eventually gets the call.

1994 Score #628 Ken Griffey Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

On July 20, 1993, Ken Griffey Jr. blasted a solo shot over the right field wall off New York Yankees reliever Paul Gibson to give the Mariners a 9-5 lead in their eventual win that night at Yankee Stadium.

It was his 23rd home run of the season and seemed like just another trademark Griffey dinger.

Yet, this one was different.

Little did Griffey or anyone else know it at the time, but that home run began a record-tying streak of eight consecutive games in which he homered.

On July 28, 1993, during a home matchup against the Minnesota Twins, Griffey ripped another solo shot off of Minnesota starter Willie Banks to deep right.

The Mariners would lose that game 5-1.

But fans quickly got over the loss as their beloved center fielder had just joined Don Mattingly (197) and Dale Long (1956) as only the third player to hit a homer in eight-straight games.

The next day, Griffey would go 2-4 with a double to help defeat the Twins 4-3, bringing his incredible streak to a close.

1994 Score #640 Torii Hunter Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

Given Torii Hunter's notorious knack for scaling the outfield wall to rob home runs, the nickname "Spiderman" perfectly suited the five-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glover.

Perhaps his most famous home run robbery occurred during the 2002 MLB All-Star Game when he snatched a would-be dinger off of Barry Bonds.

Not only could Hunter play defense, but he could also hit, winning two Silver Sluggers along the way.

In any given year, Hunter seemed good for 25 home runs, 90 RBIs, and 90 runs scored as a key cog in the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels lineup.

Hunter was a fantastic baseball player, but when the curtains closed on his career in 2015 after nineteen seasons in the Majors, his resumé put him right on the line for Cooperstown.

During his second year on the ballot, Hunter received just 5.3% of the vote, so it's unlikely he will get in by way of the BBWAA vote.

If he eventually gets into the Hall of Fame, it will likely be by committee years later.

And there's nothing wrong with that, as Torii Hunter was an incredibly gifted and successful baseball player.

1994 Score #572 Chipper Jones

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40

After steadily working his way up through the Atlanta Braves' minor league system from 1991 to 1993, they called him up to the Majors to make his big league debut on September 11, 1993.

With an impressive 104-58 record, the Braves narrowly bested the San Francisco Giants by one game to win the NL West.

However, Jones would not be utilized during their 4-2 NLCS defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies that season.

Still, he'd get plenty more playoff opportunities down the road as Atlanta went to the postseason every season from 1995 to 2005 and again in 2012 before he retired.

Atlanta had high hopes for the young switch-hitting phenom heading into the 1994 MLB season, but unfortunately, Jones tore the ACL in his left knee during Spring Training.

The Braves and the baseball world would have to wait until the 1995 season to see what the kid could do over a full year of Major League Baseball.

He'd narrowly lose the 1995 NL Rookie of the Year honor to Los Angeles's Hideo Nomo.

But, after slashing .364/.446/.618 with 3 home runs, 8 RBIs and 10 runs scored in the 1995 postseason, Jones received an even bigger award: a World Series ring.

1994 Score #20 Ryne Sandberg

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30

For fifteen seasons, Ryne Sandberg was a staple in the infield for the Chicago Cubs, ultimately retiring as one of the most iconic players in franchise history in 1997.

But he actually retired once before that.

During the strike-shortened 1994 MLB season, Sandberg ended his season earlier than most when he announced his first retirement on June 13, 1994.

In front of a shocked media presence and fanbase, Ryno had said that his desire to play wasn't where it needed to be, and he couldn't justify asking the Cubs organization to tolerate his lack of performance.

The Cubs were terrible that year and Sandberg had been in a dreadful 1-28 slump before the news conference.

Clearly, the Cubs legend wasn't the same player he'd been for so many seasons.

And many attributed it to rumors of marital problems that, understandably, kept his mind preoccupied and away from focusing on baseball.

Whatever the reason, Sandberg wasn't the same and his desire to play was zapped.

Eventually, he'd come out of retirement to play two more seasons for Chicago in 1996 and 1997 before stepping away one last time.

1994 Score #631 Frank Thomas

Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25

To commemorate Thomas's first MVP during the 1993 season, Score issued this special card that appeared in their award winners subset.

When Thomas received the honor in 1993, he was only the eighth player in MLB history to be unanimously voted American League MVP.

By finishing among the top ten in twelve different offensive categories that season, Thomas proved he was an elite hitter and would be an incredibly valuable piece of the White Sox lineup for years to come.

Over his 19-year career, Thomas won the MVP twice and finished in the top five in the vote on four other occasions.

As phenomenal as Thomas was, especially during the 1990s, it's surprising he didn't win at least another MVP.

What's even harder to believe is that he was only a five-time All-Star throughout his Hall of Fame career.

1994 Score Baseball Cards In Review

As you can see, the 1994 Score baseball card set doesn't contain any landmark rookie cards or rare error cards that turned out to be hobby icons.

But it does contain a decent rookie card crop and many big-name stars of the day to maintain collector interest.

Most of all, the design turned out really well and helped give the cards a nice modern look and feel.

The 660-card set was divided evenly into two 330-card series that contained some decent subsets, including:

• 1993 Rookies (randomly throughout checklist)
• Rookie Prospects (randomly throughout checklist)
• '93 Draft Pickts (randomly throughout checklist)
• Season Highlights (#315 - 316; #624 - 630)
• A.L. Stadiums (#317 - 330)
• MVPs (#631 - 632)
• Cy Youngs (#633 - 636)
• N.L. Stadiums (#647 - 660)

It's unlikely that many collectors will look back on this set as a must-have.

The lack of huge rookie cards and the fact that it came out when baseball and the hobby were both going through rough patches reduces its popularity.

But if you love that era of the hobby and the players who made it interesting, there will be plenty of nostalgia for you inside.