Manufacturer: Upper Deck
Set: 1991 Upper Deck Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Todd Van Poppel
Position/Team: Pitcher for Athletics
Card #: 53
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Values: See Pricing Table Below
Coming out of high school in 1990, Van Poppel was heralded as a “once-in-a-generation” talent, with a mid-90s fastball and a curveball that drew comparisons to Nolan Ryan. His refusal to sign with the Braves (who held the #1 pick) led him to the Oakland Athletics at #14, sparking a bidding war and a record-breaking $1.2 million contract.
Despite the massive expectations, Van Poppel struggled to find consistency in the Major Leagues. While he possessed elite raw stuff, he often battled command issues and the immense pressure of his “savior” status.
He debuted in 1991 but spent several seasons shuffling between the rotation and the bullpen. His best season in Oakland was 1994, where he managed a 7-10 record with 109 strikeouts. After stints with the Tigers, Rangers, and Pirates, he found a second life as a reliable middle reliever. His most statistically impressive stretch came with the Chicago Cubs in 2000 and 2001. In 2000, he posted a 3.33 ERA over 54 games, finally harnessing his velocity in shorter stints.
For collectors of 90s baseball, his cards are nostalgic relics of an era where a single prospect could drive the entire market.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
➡️ See All 1991 Upper Deck Rookie Card Prices
Pricing chart includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
DISCLAIMER: This data is not intended as financial advice and should not be used as such. Please do your own research before making any investment or selling/buying decisions.
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