Shouldn't the 1985 Topps Mark McGwire be an FTC?

CardGeek

Shouldn't the 1985 Topps Mark McGwire be an FTC? And shouldn't the 1987 Topps Mark McGwire be his RC? In 1985 he wasn't even in MLB.

Stone193

This is one of those "when did you start in the hobby" question IMO.

I'm with you - McGwire came up in 1986 for a bit and I could argue that 1987 is when he might get credit for being a rookie. But, consensus has deemed the 85T his RC from what I understand?

Google:

Hobby Consensus: Traditional card-collecting rules state a true rookie requires a major league debut (McGwire debuted in August 1986), making the 1985 issue a pre-rookie or subset card by strict definition. However, decades of hobby history and market demand treat the 1985 Topps McGwire #401 as his definitive, most iconic rookie-era card.

Google AI:

Official Major League Baseball rules credit 1987 as Mark McGwire’s official rookie year.Because his 53 at-bats in 18 games during his 1986 late-season call-up fell well short of the 130 at-bat threshold, he retained his rookie status. He went on to play his full, official rookie season in 1987, hitting a then-record 49 home runs and winning the American League Rookie of the Year award unanimously.