Beckett Baseball Card Monthly November 1998 - Page 12

Page 12 of the November 1998 Beckett Baseball Card Monthly magazine discusses the 1998 rookie class in the "Rookie Report" Presented by Bowman Home Of The Rookie Card.

20 years later, I'm going to take a brief look at the career of each of the rookies that are mentioned.

Ben Grieve - Played from 1997 - 2005. 1998 A.L. Rookie of the Year. All-Star in 1998. Career .269 BA, 118 HR, and 492 RBI.

Todd Helton - Played 1997 - 2013. 5 time All-Star (2000 - 2004). 3 time Gold Glove winner. Career .316 BA, 2,519 Hits, 369 HR, and 1,406 RBI.

Travis Lee - Played 1998 - 2006. Career .256 BA, 115 HR, and 488 RBI.

Kerry Wood - Played 1998, 2000 - 2012. 1998 N.L. Rookie of the Year. 2 time All-Star (2003 and 2008). MLB record 20 strikeouts in a 9 inning game. 86-75 Win-Loss , 3.67 ERA, and 1,582 strikeouts.

Mike Caruso - Played 1998 - 1999 and 2002. Career .274 BA, 7 HR, and 90 RBI.

Maglio Ordonez - Played 1997 - 2004. 6 time All-Star (1999-2001, 2003, 2006, and 2007). Career .309 BA, 2,156 Hits, 294 HR, and 1,236 RBI.

David Ortiz - Played 1997 - 2016. 10 time All-Star (2004 - 2008, 2010 - 2013, and 2016). World Series MVP (2013). Career .286 BA, 2,472 Hits, 541 HR, and 1,768 RBI.

Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez - Played 1997 - 2002 and 2004 - 2007. 90-65 Win-Loss , 4.13 ERA, and 1,086 strikeouts.

Brad Fullmer - Played 1997 - 2004. Career .279 BA, 114 HR, and 442 RBI.

Mark Kotsay - Played 1997 - 2013. Career .276 BA, 127 HR, and 720 RBI.

Derek Lee - Played 1997 - 2011. 2 time All-Star (2005 and 2007). Career .281 BA, 331 HR, and 1,078 RBI.

Eric Milton - Played 1998 - 2009. All-Star in 2001. Pitched a No-Hitter in 1999. 89-85 Win-Loss , 4.99 ERA, and 1,127 strikeouts.

It's so hard to compare players even players from the same era. I think most people would agree that David Ortiz and Todd Helton will end up in the Hall of Fame. Take a look at Maglio Ordonez's career numbers. What would his career numbers look like if he had played as long as Ortiz and Helton?