Lance Berkman has been quietly putting up numbers in the Houston Astros lineup for years. It took the hottest start of his career - and one of the hottest starts by anyone - to get fans and collectors to sit up and take notice.
Following in the tradition of players like Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, Berkman has played all of his Major League Baseball as a member of the Astros. Houston made him its first pick in the 1997 draft, 16th overall, after he bashed his way into the collegiate record books as a member of the Rice Owls.
When Berkman found minor league pitching no more difficult to hit, the Astros brought him up in the middle of the 1999 season. Though he didn't stick in his first stint in the bigs, he was promoted again in 2000 and became a fixture in the starting lineup, first in the outfield and later (after Bagwell retired) at first base.
Consistency has been Berkman's calling card at the plate. He's never hit less than 21 home runs in any full season, and he's averaged 105 runs batted in a year. His finest campaign may have been in 2006, when he batted .315 with 45 homers and 136 RBI. He's been named to the All-Star Team four times, and for a guy whose nickname used to be "Fat Elvis" for his resemblance to The King in his later days, he's surprisingly nimble on the basepaths.
Berkman's profile got much higher in 2008, when he opened the year on an absolute tear. Through 46 games, he hit .388 with 16 home runs and 44 RBI, putting him on pace to crush his career highs across the board and generating some serious interest in his baseball cards.
Fortunately for anyone wanting to start a Berkman collection, he has only a few 1997 rookie cards, and they're all affordable. The one to watch in the future is his Bowman Chrome # 298, which holds about twice as much value as the others and comes from a set that is a perennial favorite.
Lance Berkman 1997 Rookie Cards
- Bowman # 438
- Bowman Chrome # 298
- Topps Stars # 125