I haven’t cracked open a Beckett baseball magazine since the early 1990s.

I’m tempted to buy an issue of Beckett Baseball to see what it’s like. But the cover price is an astonishing $12.99. Looking around online, a 12-month subscription can be bought for as low as $35. I’d even be willing to have a digital subscription (if it keeps the same layout as print).

Today, I found that my local library allows me to read Beckett baseball magazines online for free. YES!

What’s my impression of the magazine? Overall, it still looks good. I remember the magazines from the late 1980s and 1990s having some editorial in the front, printed on magazine paper. And tons of pricing in the back, printed on newsprint paper. The format remains pretty much the same today.

Editorial

The editorial in the front looks good. I didn’t read anything closely yet. But a nice mix of current players (Paul Skenes), old players (base stealers of the 1980s), and really old players (Luis Aparicio). I wonder if they stick to that same range of players for other issues.

Hottest cards

The 25 hottest cards is kinda cool to look at. 

• Shota Imanga‘s 2024 Topps Chrome Rookie Autographs makes the list at #21. 
• Odd to see Jac Caglianone ranked as #5 (value $125-$300). He’s the 6th overall pick in the 2024 draft. He had his first MLB game yesterday. He went 0-for-5. Royals won 10-7. (Stick that on a Topps Now card!) 

Price guide

The price guide in the back is TWO-HUNDRED pages long. And it effectively starts with the year 2000. They have only four sets listed from the 1990s. 

• 1993 Donruss Elite
• 1994 Upper Deck Diamond Collection
• 1995 Donruss Elite
• 1999 Upper Deck A Pieces of History 500 Club

I have never heard of any of these sets. Curious that they picked these four. 

Thus, the 200 pages of prices are for newer cards. I frankly don’t have an interest in those cards, because I don’t pay the big bucks for stuff. I like the more affordable cards under a buck.

Comparing the price of older players in a new set

To keep my interest in the price guide, I did a search for Ryne Sandberg. My brother collects Ryne Sandberg. Where does he stant in this ocean of card variations and high prices?

Sandberg appears 13 times in this issue. Let’s take one example. His 2023 Panini Prizm is $0.50/$1.25. 

To see how old-time players compare against each other, let’s use Ryne Sandberg as the baseline.

2023 Panini Prizm

Lower than Sandberg $0.40/$1.00
– Ichiro
– Greg Maddux
– Ozzie Smith
– Buster Posey
– Mariano Rivera

Same as Sandberg $0.50/$1.25.
Oddly, there are no other older players in this set priced the same as Sandberg’s $0.50/$1.25

Higher than Sandberg $0.60/$1.50
– George Brett
– Pete Rose
– Willie Mays

Much higher than Sandberg $0.75/$2.00
– Babe Ruth
– Ken Griffey Jr.
– Cal Ripken

These rankings pretty much make sense, except for a couple:
– I don’t get Ichiro being cheaper than Sandberg.
– I’d think George Brett would be more on the same level as Sandberg.

The 2024 Stadium Club has more older players listed

Probably because it’s a newer set, so they’ll have more cards listed. 

2024 Stadium Club

Tier 5: .40/1.00
– Greg Maddux
– Mariano Rivera
– Anthony Rizzo
– Miguel Cabrera
– Ichiro
– Buster Posey
– Roger Clemens
– Ozzie Smith

Tier 4: .50/1.25
– Ryne Sandberg
– Ty Cobb
– Mike Schmidt
– Albert Pujols
– Mark McGwire

Tier 3: .60/1.50
– Ted Williams
– Hank Aaron
– George Brett
– Don Mattingly
– Willie Mays

Tier 2: .75/2.00
– Cal Ripken
– Babe Ruth
– Derek Jeter
– Roberto Clemente
– Ken Griffey, Jr.

Tier 1: 1.00/2.50
– Nolan Ryan
– Mickey Mantle

Some observations about the 2024 Stadium club pricing

This is a nice set to start to put the vintage players into tiers. We have five tiers.

• Ty Cobb ranking as much as Sandberg is pretty hilarious. But I suppose there aren’t that many Ty Cobb collectors out there.
• Derek Jeter being on the same level as Babe Ruth makes me throw up a bit. But Jeter is more recent.
• The hobby still loves Nolan Ryan and Mickey Mantle. Top tier. I’m a bit surprised by Mickey Mantle. Sure, he was hot in the 1990s because he played for the Yankees, and people remember him—in the 1990s. But today in 2025, not many collectors can say they remember when Mantle played. I would think his popularity would start to wane. Really. Ask the average collector today, what card would he rather have from 2024 Stadium Club: Mantle or Ruth. I’d imagine more people would say Ruth.
• Cal Ripken in tier 2? Does he really continue to draw that many fans?
• Don Mattingly is in a higher tier than Ryne Sandberg? That’s shocking. Mattingly is not even in the Hall of Fame (whereas Sandberg is). I guess that’s the Yankee aura for ya.
• Willie Mays in tier 3? Yipes.

Closing thoughts on Beckett Baseball magazine today

I’m glad I didn’t fork over $13 on this. I’ll read the few articles at the front. Maybe in the future, I’ll check out the latest digital issue from my library again.

What does the inside of a Beckett baseball magazine look like in 2025? - 57 hits

I haven't cracked open a Beckett baseball magazine since the early 1990s. How do the new editions look 30 years later?

57 hits (www.57hits.com)

#21 #5