Roy Halladay (True) Rookie Cards

With the 17th Overall Pick of the 1st Round in the 1995 MLB June Amateur Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Roy Halladay from Arvada West High School in Arvada, CO. He has 3 true rookie cards and 6 parallels.

Roy Halladay’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 was bitter-sweet. Joy for his induction but yet sadness for his memory. Since his death in 2017 many baseball fans were patiently waiting and hoping that he would be a first-time ballot entry.

HOF Voters did not disappoint, Roy Halladay was voted in on his first year of eligibility.

Remembering Roy Halladay 

Roy Halladay’s persona is characterized as a persistent competitor. It’s been said of him when he would walk into the clubhouse he would get right to work by hitting the weight room and digging into the scouting reports.

He was the type of pitcher that would attack the strike zone consistently and without prejudice. In an interview, he once said, “I’ve always tried to work hard, I’m not trying to show anybody up or do something spectacular for attention.“

Roy was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1995. He debuted in the MLB on September 20, 1998. He played the next twelve seasons with Toronto and his final four years with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Charlie Manual, who managed the Phillies between 2010-2013 said this when asked, who was Roy Halladay?

“Roy was a quiet guy, smiled a lot, didn’t have a lot to say but there was a good presence about him. When he walked in the club house or out to the field he carried himself like a true ultimate professional. In anything he did: workouts, conditioning, preparation he had lots of competitive fire and determination about him.”

Career Stats & Accomplishments

Roy Halladay, like all other Hall of Famers, had a trait that I really admired, work ethic. But there was something else that is worthy of mention when it comes to Roy Halladay and that’s durability.

Between 2002-2011 he ranked first in all of MLB in Wins 170 | Complete Games 63 | Shutouts 18 | 3 – 20 Win Seasons.

Career achievements include 8x All-Star | 2x Cy Young Winner – one in each league | Wins 203 | Strikeouts 2117.

Most memorable moments: On May 29, 2010, he threw a perfect game against the Miami Marlins, and on October 6, 2010, he throws a no-hitter in the postseason against the Cincinnati Reds.

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1997 Bowman, #308 (RC)

Since its return in 1989, this was Bowman’s first release split up into two series (series one numbers 1-221, series two numbers 222-441).

This was also the first year they opted to designate players by using blue borders for the prospects and red borders for the veterans.

These black-bordered beauties are rare to find in Gem Mint condition because of chipping issues. Great action photo of Roy Halladay which overlaps the blue border.

The top left of the card is the “1st Bowman Card” emblem which was given to all prospects premiering in Bowman product.

The card back is full of color, statistics, player bio, and commentary everything a well thought out card back design should have.

There is one parallel in this set titled, “Internationals” that were inserted one per pack and displayed the flag of the player’s country of origin as a background.

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1997 Bowman Chrome, #212 (RC)

1997 Bowman Chrome is a 300-card set, issued in one series. The front and back of card design parallel the 1997 Bowman set except for the striped chromium card stock in the front.

The stripes are beautiful but they are a nightmare when it comes to finding centered copies. Also, there is no “1st Bowman Card” indicator on the front the way its parent Bowman paper copy does.

Three parallels exist the stunning Refractors inserted at a rate of 1:12 packs. Internationals, display the flag of the player’s country of origin as a background found 1:4 packs. International Refractors are also available but are a much tougher pull at 1:24 packs.

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1997 Bowman’s Best, #134 (RC)

The Bowman’s Best offering is a 200 card set, the set is equally split with 100 veterans and 100 prospects. The card is made of a chromium stock as well which makes for great parallels.

Great full action photo of Roy Halladay in the middle of his delivery on the card front. The card back is dressed very nicely and balanced with everything a good card back should have.

Parallels include Refractors – inserted 1:12 packs and Atomic Refractors inserted 1:24 packs.

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Sources:

Roy Halladay Stats | Baseball-Reference.com https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hallaro01.shtml (accessed March 2, 2019).