I've always considered the 2004 Topps baseball card set to be one of the best-looking of its era.
For the first time since 1997, Topps returned to standard white borders.
By itself, that's not all that interesting.
It was the addition of two incredibly cool design features that made these cards pop...
The first may not be so obvious if you aren't familiar with their vintage designs: the huge block-lettered team names across the top.
And if you remember, Topps did the same thing forty years prior with their 1964 set release.
For hobbyists who appreciate subtle nods to the past, this was great to see.
The second was the foil icons in the lower left of the card that mirrored the feature image on the front.
The 1973 Topps set had similar icons in the lower right, but they were all generic based on the player's position.
These icons were unique...
It was a great touch that made 2004 Topps baseball cards all the more compelling.
And in this guide, we'll take a look at the 25 most valuable.
Let's jump right in!
2004 Topps #324 Yadier Molina Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $150
Yadier Molina was the mainstay behind the plate for the St. Louis Cardinals for nearly two decades.
And it all started with an opportunity in 2004.
Drafted in the fourth round of the 2000 MLB Amateur Draft, Molina worked hard in the Minors to shake the "great arm, weak bat" label given to him by scouts.
That included taking notes from Cardinals starting catcher Mike Matheny and patterning his preparation and approach in Matheny's image.
So when Matheny went down with a strained rib in '04, Molina was well-equipped to step in and fill his future manager's shoes.
Debuting on June 3rd, Molina finished the year slashing .267/.329/.356 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in 135 at-bats.
The offensive numbers were what they were.
But, it was Molina's veteran-level savvy behind the plate that eventually made Matheny replaceable.
The 21-year-old catcher threw out over 50% of attempted base stealers and made two glorious tags at the dish for outs in a single game on August 29th.
Stacked to the brim from 1 to 25 on the roster, the Cardinals ran away with the NL Central with baseball's best record at 105-57.
And although things ended poorly with the curse-killing World Series sweep at the hands of the Boston Red Sox, the future was in good hands with Molina.
2004 Topps #330 Zack Greinke
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $100
The sixth pick of the 2002 MLB Amateur Draft, Zack Greinke had the repertoire and stuff to become an elite starting pitcher.
To do so, he'd have to get a handle on both opposing hitters and his mental health.
Facing anxiety issues and struggles with depression and social awkwardness, Greinke had a steep hill to climb when he was called up on May 22nd, 2004.
It was tricky.
Greinke isolated himself from his teammates and struggled to communicate on the field and in the clubhouse.
However, his undeniable competitive fire pushed him to an impressive rookie season.
In 24 starts for the bottom-feeding Kansas City Royals, Greinke posted a respectable 8-11 record with a 3.97 ERA in 24 starts.
Finishing fourth in the league's Rookie-of-the-Year balloting, the 6-foot-2 righty surrendered just 143 hits and 26 walks in 145 innings pitched, posting a 1.166 on par with his current career mark.
Perhaps the biggest measure of Greinke's impact was that, when he was on the bump, the 58-win Royals weren't half the mess that their AL-worst record would suggest.
2004 Topps #510 Ken Griffey Jr.
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $45
There's bad injury luck, and there's whatever Ken Griffey Jr. had to deal with during his time in Cincinnati.
After a fantastic debut with the Reds in 2000, Griffey was repeatedly sidelined by injuries for the remainder of his time with the club.
2004 was just another brutal example of that.
After rehabbing his way back from a torn patella suffered in July of 2003, Griffey wanted nothing more than to put the pain of recent years behind him.
And things did start to look up for the 34-year-old outfielder.
He swung the bat well, earned his 12th All-Star Game appearance, and joined the exclusive 500 Home Run Club on Father's Day with his parents in attendance.
The Reds were six games over .500 at the All-Star break and, at the very least, were on the periphery of the playoff chase.
And then, it happened.
After the Reds faded from contention during a 1-11 stretch, Griffey tore his hamstring on August 4th during a sliding catch, ending his season on the spot.
It was his fourth consecutive season with a significant injury.
And it added yet another "what if" to a Hall-of-Fame career full of them.
2004 Topps #559 Joe Mauer
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40
The very definition of a top prospect, Joe Mauer's 2004 arrival to the Majors had a palpable buzz around it.
Picked first overall by the Minnesota Twins in the 2001 Draft, the former high-school All-American football player was destined for great things with his new club.
And that was what 2004 was supposed to be: the beginning of something great for Mauer and a talented, contending Twins squad.
A knee injury, however, threw a wrench into those plans.
Just a handful of games after Opening Day, the team's new starting catcher injured his left meniscus and was forced out of action for over a month.
He returned to Minnesota in June after a short rehab assignment, but his knee wasn't ready to shoulder the load.
Just one month after his return, the Twins officially shut Mauer down for the remainder of the season.
Mauer was fantastic in a small sample size for the '04 AL Central champs, slashing .308/.369/.570 with six home runs and 17 RBIs in 35 games played.
2004 Topps #575 Miguel Cabrera
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40
It couldn't have started any better for Miguel Cabrera.
Twice the NL Rookie of the Month in 2003 after a mid-season call-up, Cabrera proved himself valuable for the Florida Marlins on the road to the franchise's second World Series championship.
And although the 2004 Marlins underachieved at nearly every turn in a disappointing 83-79 follow-up, Cabrera blossomed into a legit star in his first full season at the Major League level.
In 160 games, Cabrera slashed .294/.366/.512 with 33 home runs, 31 doubles, 101 runs scored, 68 walks, and 112 RBIs.
While the Marlins as a collective couldn't get out of their way as the season went along, Cabrera was a vital middle-of-the-order threat that kept them relevant on the fringes of postseason contention.
If there was a glaring weakness to Cabrera's game, it was his glove.
Spending time in both right and left field, Cabrera's nine errors tied him for the worst among all National League outfielders.
His time out there wouldn't last much longer, with a permanent move to the infield not far away.
2004 Topps Traded #T144 Felix Hernandez Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40
Before he even set foot in the Seattle Mariners clubhouse, the legend of King Felix was already going strong.
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002, Felix Hernandez garnered interest from a who's who of baseball clubs.
However, the Venezuelan-born starting pitcher circled Seattle as his destination of choice, partially because his fellow countryman and idol, Freddy Garcia, was on the Mariners' roster.
From there, Hernandez became the talk of the Mariners organization.
His devastating sinker broke minor-league hitters down.
And although he'd refrain from using it much until later in his career, his slider was already a tall tale.
Come 2004, the King put the entire baseball community on notice. Splitting time between the California League and Double-A, Hernandez finished the year 14-4 with a 2.95 ERA and an eye-popping 172 strikeouts in 149.1 innings pitched.
Named Seattle's minor league pitcher of the year, Hernandez was also dubbed the game's top pitching prospect by Baseball America in early 2005.
2004 Topps #20 Derek Jeter
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35
The more things changed in the Bronx in 2004, the more they stayed the same.
With the arrival of Alex Rodriguez from Texas, there was a moment of hesitation among Yankees fans and beatwriters.
Eventually, Rodriguez moved to third, and Jeter remained the Yankees starting shortstop for another decade.
Jeter struggled mightily in April, including an 0-for-32 stretch from April 20th to the 28th.
He righted things over the next five months for the 101-win Yankees, ending the regular season with a .292/.352/.471 slash line, 23 home runs, 44 doubles, 23 stolen bases, 111 runs scored, and 78 RBIs in 721 plate appearances (643 at-bats).
The heartbeat of the now seven-time defending AL East champs, Jeter earned his first Gold Glove and his sixth All-Star nod (along with his fair share of down-ballot MVP votes.)
In the playoffs, however, things went awry.
Jeter cratered against Boston in the ALCS, hitting just .200 with a paltry .567 OPS in 38 plate appearances.
If Jeter had found any sort of rhythm, maybe history wouldn’t have bitten the Yankees so hard.
New York became the first team to surrender a 3-0 series lead in MLB playoff history, falling in seven to the hated Boston Red Sox in a comeback (or catastrophe) for the books.
2004 Topps #40 Albert Pujols
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35
On the shortlist of the greatest right-handed hitters in history, Albert Pujols’ first eleven years with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2001-2011 were a Hall-of-Fame first-ballot career all to themselves.
2004 was no exception.
The integral piece of the “MV3” collective alongside Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds, Pujols parlayed a $100 million contract extension in the offseason into another MVP-caliber showcase.
Battling through plantar fasciitis while settling into a new full-time role at first base, the 24-year-old slugger stood out for the top run-producing lineup in the National League.
Pujols slashed a big-time .331/.415/.657 with 46 home runs, 51 doubles, 84 walks, and 123 RBIs in 592 at-bats.
He also led the Majors in runs scored (133) and total bases (389) for the second consecutive year.
A three-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger, Pujols finished third in the NL MVP race to join Stan Musial as the only two Cardinals to post four straight top-five finishes.
(Pujols would eventually extend that streak to six.)
Pujols continued to rake at an all-time level in the playoffs, easily capturing the NLCS MVP award with a .500 average, four bombs, and nine RBIs against the Houston Astros.
And he was one of the only bright spots for St. Louis in their World Series date with the Red Sox, hitting .333 in the four-and-out loss.
2004 Topps #10 Ichiro Suzuki
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
After back-to-back 93-win seasons and a narrow playoff miss in ‘03, the 2004 Seattle Mariners fell into a deep swoon.
There wasn’t much to love about Seattle’s aimless run to a 63-98 finish in ‘04.
That is, except for Ichiro Suzuki.
Suzuki slumped (by his standards) through the majority of April, hitting just .255.
When May rolled around, though, Ichiro started rolling as well.
He lifted his batting average over .300 by early June and headed to July at .315.
From there, things got bonkers.
Suzuki blasted through in July, hitting .432.
And in August, he was even farther off the page, collecting 56 hits for a mind-blowing .456 average.
His two-month spectacular from July 1st to September 6th, in which he hit a molten .458, was the league’s best 60-game hitting performance since Rogers Hornsby in 1924 (.486).
Now a four-time All-Star, Ichiro ended his 2004 season with a record-shattering flourish, posting 13 hits in a four-game span en route to tracking down George Sisler’s record for total hits in a season.
Ichiro finished the year with 262 base knocks, five better than Sisler’s legendary 1920 campaign.
He led all of baseball with a .372 batting average, pacing the Majors in plate appearances (762) and at-bats (704) while leading the AL in intentional walks (19).
2004 Topps #67 Mariano Rivera
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
2004 Topps #140 Greg Maddux
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
After cementing his place in Cooperstown with an eleven-year stint in Atlanta, Greg Maddux returned to familiar, friendly confines before the 2004 campaign.
Back in a Cubs uniform for the first time since 1992, the four-time Cy Young winner looked to recapture some of his old magic with a throwback season at Wrigley.
It didn't pan out.
In his nineteenth MLB season, Maddux couldn't miss bats like he used to.
In 33 starts for the Cubs, the righty finished 16-11 with a 4.02 ERA, his worst earned-run average since his disastrous rookie season in 1987.
The defense was still there, earning him his fourteenth Gold Glove.
The pinpoint strike-zone mastery wasn't.
Maddux surrendered 1.5 home runs per nine innings in 2004, by far the worst mark of his Hall-of-Fame career.
And with Maddux off his game, the 89-win Cubs fell just short in the NL Wild Card race, three games behind the division rival Houston Astros for the league's final playoff spot.
2004 Topps #368 Sammy Sosa
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
2004 Topps #390 Chipper Jones
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
Atlanta looked more vulnerable in 2004 than they had in a decade.
And a big part of that was Chipper Jones' early-season problems at the plate.
Starting in left for the third consecutive season, Jones was slowed by a laundry list of injuries.
Jones looked nothing like his former MVP self in the first half of the '04 campaign, hitting just .214 and missing out on the Midsummer Classic for a third consecutive campaign.
The Braves weren't in much better shape, entering the break at just three games over .500.
Luckily for Atlanta, a mid-season position shift revitalized Jones and Atlanta's playoff hopes.
With Mark DeRosa unable to effectively handle the starting third baseman's job, manager Bobby Cox moved Jones back to his former place on the diamond.
It worked like a charm.
The Braves went off in the second half, finishing the year with a 51-24 stretch to take home yet another division title.
Jones hit over .280 after the All-Star Game, slugging 11 home runs in August to help Atlanta separate themselves from the AL East pack.
Overall, Jones slashed .248/.362/.485 with 30 homers and 96 RBIs.
He gave all he had to give in the regular season, though, going just 4-for-20 in Atlanta's five-game NLDS loss to the Houston Astros.
2004 Topps #405 Pedro Martinez
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
It's almost laughable that the one year Pedro Martinez wasn't his dominant self in a Red Sox uniform was the year they won the whole damn thing.
In his first six years in Boston, Pedro won two Cy Youngs, led the Majors in ERA four times, and never posted an ERA under 2.89.
Martinez just wasn't as electric in 2004, finishing at 16-9 with a 3.90 ERA in 33 starts.
He gave up a career-worst 193 hits in 217 innings pitched, walked over 47 batters for the first time since 1998 (61), and posted his worst WHIP since 1996 (1.171).
Yes, he fanned 227 and was still impressive enough to earn a fourth-place finish in the league's Cy Young voting.
Yet, it was clear Martinez just wasn't firing on all cylinders.
That became especially apparent in the ALCS as Pedro pitched to a 6.23 ERA, giving up nine earned runs in 13 innings against the Yankees.
All's well that ends well, and Pedro finished strong, shutting out the Cardinals for seven innings for a Game 3 World Series win.
Regardless, his final year in a Sox uniform was undoubtedly uncharacteristic.
2004 Topps #468 Chase Utley
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
Despite pressure from fans and media members alike during the ‘04 season, the Philadelphia Phillies remained committed to Placido Polanco over Chase Utley at second base.
Selected in the first round of the 2000 MLB Draft, Utley had already become a fan favorite with limited reps at the big-league level.
And despite sound bytes to the contrary, the entire Phillies management staff knew it was only a matter of time before Utley would be the team’s everyday second baseman.
Still, the team stayed loyal to Polanco, for one more year at least.
Utley played in just 94 games, with 13 of those coming at first.
He hit .266 in a limited role with 13 home runs, 11 doubles, 36 runs scored, and 57 RBIs in 287 plate appearances (267 at-bats).
The team would finally let Utley loose in 2005, eventually dealing Polanco to the Tigers to fully clear the way.
2004 Topps #512 Larry Walker
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
2004 Topps Traded #221 Barry Bonds
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
In 2002, San Francisco Giants superstar Barry Bonds shattered Willie McCovey's record for intentional walks in a season (45) with an eyebrow-raising 68.
In 2004, things went from absurd to downright lunacy.
In perhaps the most unparalleled individual season in baseball history, Barry Bonds did things in '04 that would be baffling in a video game.
For one, he utterly destroyed his own intentional walks record, receiving a charity pass for 120 of his 232 walks.
All in all, Bonds reached base 376 times for the NL West runner-ups to land just three shy of Babe Ruth's record.
The rest of the 39-year-old's stat line remains awe-inspiring to this very day.
Bonds won the National League batting title with a .362 average.
He also set a new record for on-base percentage (.6094), surpassing his own mark from two years prior.
And, he led the Majors in slugging percentage (.812), OPS (1.422), and OPS+ (263) while hitting 45 home runs, scoring 129 times, and driving in 101.
Bonds broke the very concept of baseball in '04, hindsight notwithstanding.
2004 Topps #1 Jim Thome
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
Jim Thome's first year with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2003 was a certified banger.
He crushed an NL-best 47 home runs, finished third in the league with 131 RBIs, and posted a sterling .997 fielding percentage at first.
His '04 encore wasn't half bad, either.
The bruising, bashing centerpiece of the league's third-best offensive attack, Thome slashed .274/.396/.581 with 42 home runs, 28 doubles, 97 runs scored, 105 RBIs, and 104 walks in 618 plate appearances (508 at-bats).
Thome's strikeouts remained a problem, following up an MLB-worst 182 Ks in 2003 with 144 in '04.
But, the Phillies were happy to live with the whiffs to enjoy the spoils of what happened when the 33-year-old slugger connected.
With Thome obliterating baseballs from April through September, the Phillies posted a second consecutive 86-76 season (and third in four years), good for second in the NL East, ten games behind the ten-time defending division champion Atlanta Braves.
2004 Topps #28 Fred McGriff
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
2004 Topps #49 Frank Thomas
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
In 2005, Frank Thomas was forced into a spectator's role as his Chicago White Sox teammates bulldozed through the playoffs for the franchise's first World Series title in 88 years.
The reason for this can be traced back to the 2004 season.
On June 15th, the burly White Sox first baseman/DH was struck by a hard ground ball in the left leg.
Team doctors were initially optimistic, and Thomas remained in the lineup for three more weeks.
By July 7th, Thomas was shut down with what was termed as a left ankle injury, with no fracture.
At the time, he was on pace for yet another 30-homer season and led the American League in on-base percentage (.434).
Here's where the story gets confusing.
Thomas underwent off-season surgery and returned to the team in late May 2005.
He played just 34 games before he was shelved again for the year, this time with a fracture.
After leaving Chicago for Oakland in 2006, Thomas sued two White Sox doctors for negligence and misdiagnosing his initial injury in 2004.
The case was later settled confidentially in 2011, and Thomas would never play in a World Series.
2004 Topps #220 Manny Ramirez
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
After a tumultuous offseason that included trade demands and the Boston Red Sox placing him on waivers (with no takers), Manny Ramirez returned to Beantown for the '04 season and returned to being Manny.
This included earning his American citizenship in mid-May and running out to left with a tiny flag in hand, later joking that they now couldn't kick him out of the country.
Theatrics aside, Manny Ramirez was the most dangerous hitter for one of the most iconic teams in modern baseball history.
Ending up 3rd in a deep AL MVP race, Ramirez led the league in home runs (43), slugging percentage (.613), and OPS (1.009).
An All-Star for a seventh straight year and a Silver Slugger winner for six seasons running, Ramirez hit over .300 (.308), scored over 100 runs (108), and drove in 130 for the AL's Wild Card winner.
And in the postseason to end all Red Sox postseasons, Manny was virtually unstoppable.
He registered a hit in all 14 playoff games and won World Series MVP honors with a .412 average, a homer, and four RBIs in the franchise's first Fall Classic triumph in 86 years.
2004 Topps #623 David Ortiz
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
The nightmares of a brutal seven-game defeat in the 2003 ALCS haunted David Ortiz all offseason long.
"The Game 7 loss to the Yankees had torn me up, knowing that we were just five outs away from going to the World Series," Ortiz admitted later. "Anytime I got close to contentment, I'd feel the sting of that loss."
Rather than letting it rip him apart, though, Ortiz rededicated himself to his hitting craft.
Now certain of his starting status, whether at DH or first, Ortiz posted a robust .301/.380/.603 slash line with 41 home runs, 47 doubles, 94 runs scored, 75 walks, and 139 RBIs.
Alongside Manny Ramirez in the heart of the Boston order, the first-time All-Star and Silver Slugger was a force of nature in '04.
In the playoffs, the league's fourth-place MVP finisher continued to turn heads and turn fastballs into souvenirs.
He slashed .400/.515/764 in 14 postseason games with three home runs, 10 RBIs, 14 walks, and 16 runs scored.
Ortiz also won ALCS MVP honors going away and became the first player in MLB history to hit two walk-off home runs in the same postseason, ending both Game 3 of the ALDS and Game 4 of the ALCS with prodigious blasts.
2004 Topps #636 Barry Larkin
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
One of the very best shortstops of the late 1980s and 1990s, Barry Larkin couldn’t catch a break from 2000 on.
Multiple injuries to multiple body parts hampered him for four consecutive years to start the millennium, costing him nearly half of Cincinnati’s games from 2000 to 2003.
Approaching his age-40 season, Larkin tried something different and hoped for the best.
“This past year, I kind of took it easy,” Larkin said of his offseason training. “I have an 11-year-old son. With him, I played basketball and did a lot of running, and this is one of the most injury-free years I’ve had.”
Treating his body with kindness allowed Larkin to treat Cincinnati’s faithful with a fond final hurrah.
Named to his 12th All-Star team, Larkin hit .289 with eight home runs, 15 doubles, 44 RBIs, and 55 runs scored in 111 games for the 76-win Reds.
A few months later, Larkin called it a career, shutting the doors on 19 Hall-of-Fame years in one uniform.
2004 Topps #209 Roy Halladay
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $20
2004 was a lost season for both Roy Halladay and the Toronto Blue Jays as a collective.
After mowing down the AL game by game in a masterful '03 Cy Young performance, Halladay missed nearly half of the '04 season due to problems with his right throwing shoulder.
After feeling soreness during his May 27th win over the Angels, Halladay was shut down for two weeks.
He returned for just over a month before landing on the DL for two more months with shoulder fatigue.
With Halladay dealing in historic form, the '03 Blue Jays finished with the franchise's best record in a half-decade (86-76).
With Halladay hurt and off the bump for long stretches, he ended the '04 campaign at 67-94, the team's worst record since 1995.
The 27-year-old started just 21 games in '04, pitching to a 4.20 ERA with a telltale 1.346 WHIP and 140 hits surrendered in 133 innings.
2004 Topps #380 Vladimir Guerrero
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $20
In 2004, Vladimir Guerrero became just the fifth player in MLB history to win an MVP award in his first year after switching leagues.
He also introduced himself to a wider baseball audience after playing in relative obscurity with the Montreal Expos.
Guerrero slashed .337/.391/.598 in his brand-new Anaheim Angels uni, adding 39 home runs, 126 RBIs, 39 doubles, and 15 stolen bases.
The now five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger also led the league in runs scored (124) and total bases (366).
The 29-year-old right fielder instantly made good on the Angels' five-year, $70 million offseason investment, lifting the Halos from disappointments to division champs in just one year.
A year before, the Angels squandered the goodwill from their '02 World Series run with a dismal 77-85 campaign.
Now with the best bad-ball hitter of the modern era in their corner, the Angels were contenders again.
A three-game ALDS loss to the Yankees brought the AL West champs down to Earth in October.
Yet, Guerrero's mere presence made them a threat for years to come.
2004 Topps Baseball Cards In Review
If you scan through the 732-card checklist, you'll soon realize that Topps packed a lot into the 2004 Topps baseball set.
The design elements I mentioned in the intro are some of the more obvious attractions.
Yes, the rookie class may have been a disappointment outside of the huge Yadier Molina rookie.
But, the star power and the imagery that captured them in the middle of the action was superb.
The checklist is also loaded with subsets, including:
- Managers (#268 - 296)
- First Year Cards (#297 - 326)
- Future Stars (#327 - 331)
- Season Highlights (#332 - 336)
- League Leaders (#337 - 348)
- Postseason Highlights (#349 - 355)
- American League All-Stars (#356 - 367)
- Team Cards (#638 - 667)
- Draft Picks (#668 - 687)
- Prospects (#688 - 692)
- Combo Player Cards (#693 - 695)
- Award Winners (#696 - 718)
- National League All-Stars (#719 - 729)
- World Series Highlights (#730 - 733)
And there were so many great inserts from swatches, autographs, World Series highlights (2004 marked the 100th anniversary of the Fall Classic), Word Series relics, to so much more.
There was plenty to keep collectors busy.
Again, this set does suffer a bit from the lack of any big-name rookies outside of Yadier Molina, but in terms of design, subsets, and inerts, you can't go wrong with 2004 Topps.