Jason Windsor and the 'New' 2006 Rookie Card Rules

$5 and change special at the bi-weekly card show - not much here except a couple of baseball card packs of the low-end variety, eight nine-pocket sheets [$1.00] and an 800-count box [$0.50].

2006 Upper Deck Update [$2.00 each x2] - pulled the one base card I was looking for, essentially a 'bastard' non-rookie prospect card of Jason Windsor with the 2006 rookie card logo. Windsor led the 2004 Cal State Fullerton baseball team to the College World Series title in 2004 and hope to get it signed at the Titans' alumni game in 2007, since I go to school there.

This is one of his few Major League cards so far, though his true rookie cards [and variations] are autographed and found in 2004 Donruss Elite Extra Edition and 2004 Upper Deck SP Top Prospects.

I suppose in an ideal collecting world, companies would have to wait until the player makes his Major League debut to get a Major League issue card. I think that is what the new rookie card logo is about [along with generating 'interest' in current year baseball card product is case the rookie year class is a strong one], but there are too many players that overlap, meaning that they've already had cards in Major League sets issued in previous years.

Slapping a rookie card logo on a 2006 Ryan Zimmerman or 2006 Hanley Ramirez, 2006 Justin Verlander card or any player with cards in the Major League sets [no matter what their status was when the cards were produced] in previous years is silly. No matter how the price guides like Beckett or Tuff Stuff is complying with adding extra meaning to cards [of Zimmerman, Ramirez or Verlander for example] with the rookie card logo, they are still not the rookie cards I've come to know prior to 2006.

If a the rookie card logo is affixed onto a card, I'd like the card to be considered a true rookie card, the first card from the set.

Unfortunately [or maybe not], I think Topps can still get away with putting fresh new professional players in their Bowman sets.

I think the problem is that you can include Major League players in Bowman Draft - so the cards of players just draft would be essentially rookie cards [unless of course, they are inserted].

I remember that Topps issued draft sets in 1994 [Stadium Club] and they didn't really generate much interest, because they were considered a specialty set, without any other players.

If the powers that be made Bowman Draft without the Prospects, cards produced during the Major League debut of a player [or whenever he is eligible to be put in a set] would have that much more value.