[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

Never really thought about it, but to what extent is that just because his minor league team was called the Yankees and wore pinstripes? It seems like if they had been called the Hound Dogs and worn lime green polka dotted uniforms it would be considered the textbook example of a prookie card. Certainly it is if any baseball card is, no? And I don't want my categorization to hinge on how some minor league team dresses, or, for that matter, on other people's inconsistent use of the English language. Many (most) of the people who would identify the 1993 SP as his rookie card would also tell you 1993 if you asked what year his rookie season in the majors was. So we have the tail wagging the proverbial dog.

What year was it issued? 1993
How many MLB games had he played in prior to that year? 0
That year? 0
The following year? 0
Eventually? 2,747
Did he have cards issued during the year of his MLB debut? Yes.
During the year he exceeded rookie limits? Yes.
Do more than zero people think that the use of the word "rookie" as in "rookie card" is the same usage of the word found in "rookie season"? Yes.

He is pictured in New York Yankees uniforms. I don't follow your point. The year before Mariano Rivera was pictured in street clothes but everyone considers his 1992 Bowman to be his rookie card. Back then, the thing was major manufacturer/major league set is all that counted.