Speaking of McGriff
 

How many HOFers post 1981 have only one RC? I am counting McGriff's Leaf and Donruss as the same card.

If the question was HOF CALIBER players, we would have Clemens and McGwire.

Off the top of my head: Puckett, Smoltz, Pedro and Rivera but am probably forgetting some.

I believe only Donruss included McGriff in a base set in 1987 as well. He was in Topps traded, Fleer Update, but only Donruss had McGriff for the main set his second year too.

Not quite there yet, but 1993 Topps Traded Todd Helton. And the infamous 1995 Topps Traded Carlos Beltran.

1992 Bowman Hoffman.

1992 Bowman Rivera

and

1991 UD Final Edition Pedro Martinez

NEVERMIND, you got those already. I can't think of any more. Non HOF there are a lot, like 1989 Donruss Baseball's Best Sosa in a Ranger uni, one of my personal faves. Also 1989 Score Rising Stars David Justice and 1989 Fleer Update Albert Belle.

Sosa is in 89 Topps Debut as well. The 89s don't seem to be considered rookie cards though? Thoughts? Belle by the way is also in 1989 Score Traded.

Also not there yet, but technically isn't Schilling's only RC in 1989 Donruss.

Two more "maybe somedays" are Kevin Brown (1987 Donruss) and Kenny Lofton (1991 Bowman, also appeared in 1991 UD Final).

And yeah, the Beltran...he'd also have the only HOF RC on which he doesn't actually appear, right? :)

1993 Pettite?

00 Topps Traded Cabrera (although also an autograph insert)

Sosa had an 89 Donruss subset crd as well

I know it does not follow the national distribution rule, but I don’t really think traded sets do either. But I consider the 2000 Royal Rookies set his rc too. It’s in a Marlins jersey and has the base and two auto versions.

I have the 1987-88 Venezuela Winter League Sticker Dave Justice. I wouldn’t call it a rookie, but it’s a fun obscure minor xrc if you liked Justice.

McGriff appears on a very hard to find 1984-85 Dominican Winter League sticker as his first ever card appearance (obviously pre-rookie). I went looking yesterday and found exactly ONE image of it on the interwebs.

Oh yeah, Belle was in 89 Score Traded too.

As for Sosa, the 89 Topps Debut was released in the spring of 1990 and has 1990 design, while the 89 Donruss Baseball's Best was released in 89 and is Sosa's only 1989 MLB release and his true MLB RC (at least in my opinion).

I'm not even that big of a Sosa fan, but I love the 89 Donruss design and this card in particular.

I am comfortable calling the 89D his rookie.

I think of this as a pre-rookie since he did not make his MLB debut until September 1992. But then again, I am just a bitter, disappointed Dodgers fan when it comes to Pedro...;)

RCs being tied to actually being in the majors was not a thing until the mid 2000s. As long as you're consistent that's fine, but calling the Pedro a pre rookie would require invalidating hobby consensus on all sorts of other rookie cards.